DEPARTMENT OF EUROPEAN AND CLASSICAL LANGUAGES AND CULTURES

DEPARTMENT OF EUROPEAN AND CLASSICAL LANGUAGES AND CULTURES

 

FRENCH 101-502: BEGINNING FRENCH 1                                                                              Fall 2005                     Course Code: XNBGCT889

Instructor: Guillaume CHAVANNE

Tel: 979-571-5577

E-mail: gchavanne@neo.tamu.edu

Class: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 08:00AM-08:50AM
Lab
: Tuesday, Thursday 08:00AM-08:50AM ACAD 124

Office hours: Monday, Wednesday 09:00AM-10:00AM

 

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Bragger & Rice:   Je Veux Bien, Manuel de classe, Second edition, Heinle & Heinle

Je Veux Bien, Manuel de préparation on line (QUIA passcard) Heinle and Heinle

As well as the Student Viewers Handbook to accompany Le Chemin du retour, Siskin, Williams-Gascon & Field, McGraw-Hill, 2003.

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

All sections of FR 101 at Texas A&M will use the two Je Veux Bien textbooks as their basic program of instruction.

In this program, classroom time is devoted to communication (Manuel de classe) with preparation and follow-up done outside of class, mostly on line (Manuel de preparation). The course meets for three class periods per week, with two hours of lab added, and approximately 5-8 hours of on line homework per week. One of the lab sessions will be centered on the movie Le Chemin du Retour, while the other will be devoted to individual on line work in French under the supervision of a lab assistant.

The course focuses on the development of the four skills: listening, speaking, writing, reading, as well as the integration of language and culture.

By the end of the semester, students should be able to do the following in French: greet people, make introductions, order food and beverages, buy clothing, talk about home and family, describe daily routine, and talk about plans in the near future and activities in the past. They should also be aware of cultural attitudes and issues in the French speaking world about food, families, education, among others.

 

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Students are expected to come to class prepared: to succeed, you will need to study and prepare daily. For example, in the Manuel de preparation, you will have read the grammar lesson slated for the day by the instructor (explanations are in English), and will have started to put it in practice. Thus time in class will be focused on using the new material to communicate. Expect to engage in pair or group work. After each class, students will continue the learning process and apply their new knowledge in a number of online exercises assigned on the syllabus. Manuel de Préparation exercises are timed and graded: although students have the option to correct mistakes to improve results. Exercises have to be completed by midnight before the following class. Not doing an exercise on time results in a zero for that exercise.

In order to complete their assignments, students can work at home, in the Student Computing Center, or in the departmental computer labs (ACAD 125 and 127).

Students need to be aware that having someone else do their on line homework would not only go against the purpose of the homework, which is preparing and teaching them, but would also be cheating. An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.

 

TESTING

Preparation: Quia homework, pop-quizzes, paragraphs

Given the fact that most Quia homework assignments are timed and graded, students preparation should be optimum. However, if the instructor deems it necessary, pop quizzes or quizzes can be administered to test understanding and preparedness.

To develop writing skills, students will turn in at least one written assignment per chapter. Each exam will include a writing section.

The following grading criteria will be used:

A (90-100) the writing is very good to excellent, uses a wide range of the expressions learned, is well organized and developed with very few mistakes.

B (80-89) the writing is good, rather well organized, but marred by some grammatical and lexical mistakes or by the simplicity of words, structures, and ideas used.

C (70-79) the writing is average, with many mistakes, a limited vocabulary, and very simple structures and ideas.

D (60-69) the writing is not intelligible, and/or riddled with mistakes; but still with an "embryo" of French alive at its core.

F (59 and under) the student was obviously unable to accomplish the task, with most of the assignment unintelligible.

Tests

Three hour-long exams will be given during the semester:  Each exam will cover any previous material not yet tested, through reading and listening comprehension exercises as well as more purely grammatical ones. At the end of the semester, students will demonstrate their oral skills by staging skits in French (oral test). The final exam will be comprehensive.

 

PARTICIPATION

Practice, and thus, participation, is of the utmost importance in the acquisition of a foreign language. Attending classes is mandatory, and after 3 absences without University accepted excuses, each new unexcused absence will delete 5 points off the student's participation grade.

The student's participation will be evaluated using the following criteria:

A (90-100) the student is very well prepared, always volunteers to answer questions or write on the blackboard, shows a genuine interest in the work, participates actively in the class activities, is not afraid to experiment with the language, never uses English to communicate with his peers or the instructor in situations where French is called for.

B (80-89) the student is prepared, sometimes volunteers to answer, but participates moderately, is less vocal than an "A" student and more afraid to experiment. He or she almost never uses English.

C (70-79) the student is not always prepared, rarely volunteers to answer questions, participates only occasionally and/or occasionally uses English to communicate with his/her peers or the instructor in situations when he/she should have used French.

D (60-69) the student is rarely prepared, is very passive, very rarely volunteers to answer questions, rarely participates and/or relies mostly on English to express herself/himself.

F (59 and under) the student is never prepared, never volunteers to answer questions, is extremely passive and silent in class and/or relies on English to communicate.

"MAKE-UP" POLICY:

- Exams, oral test: Students with a valid University accepted excuse have to contact the instructor by the end of the next working day after the missed test ( see Student Rules, Attendance, p 7) to schedule a make-up; make-up work should be done within a week of the student's return to class; beyond, points missed will be reassigned without penalty to the student.(ex: if an exam was missed, the next one would count double; if the end of the semester has been reached, the percentage of points missed is transferred to the final).

-For homework, at the instructor's discretion, students with a University accepted excuse may not have to take a make-up, but in any case will not be penalized.

 

GRADING:

Class participation        10 %                         

Preparation                   30 %                           (=on-line work, writing assignments, quizzes...)

Tests                             40 %                           (=3 exams + 1 oral test)                       

Final exam                    20 %                           

Please be aware that a grade of C or better is required to advance to the next course in the sequence.

 

A student enrolling for the first time in a Texas A & M foreign language course who has previously acquired knowledge of that foreign language, whether acquired through high school study or cultural/family experience, and who has not received college credit for that language must have taken a placement test to determine the appropriate course for his/her level of ability. Concurrent enrollment in two language courses, one of which is a prerequisite for the other, is also not permitted. Students found to be in violation of prerequisite rules are subject to removal from their sections at any time during the semester.

 

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life, Services for Students with disabilities, in room 126 of the Koldus Building. The phone number is 845-1637.

 

REMEMBER: An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do. For more information, see http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/

 

French 101-502, Fall 2005. Programme de travail.

 

August 29-31 Chapitre préliminaire « Je veux bien » p 3-21

Cours # 1: JVB manuel de cours p 4-11 (A faire= AF=Homework to do online) "A faire!-do exercises CP 1.1.a to CP 1.5 to review/extend the material

covered the first day; do also the "prononcez-bien!" sections about the vowels

and consonants in French

August 30: lab#1: intro to Quia with your instructor.

Cours # 2: JVB p 12-21

CP 2.6 to 2.10. Review the testable vocabulary of the chapter with the Lexique

(To do at the end of each chapter)

September 2-16. Chapitre 1 « Je veux bien » p 22-63

Cours # 3: JVB p 22-31

AF1.3a-4, contrôles 1A et 1B ( AF=A faire, homework to do) pour le 4

Cours # 4: JVB p 32-36, up to ex N

AF1.2.5-6-7-8a-9b pour le 6

See spelling of numbers in French, JVB p 36     

Cours # 5: JVB p 36-41b

AF1.2.10b, contrôle 2 et 1.3.10  Paragraphe # 1 pour le 8

Cours # 6: JVB p 42-45

AF1.3.11-12-13-14-15  contrôle 3 pour le 11

Cours # 7: JVB p 46-51

AF 1.4.17.19 pour le 13

Cours # 8: JVB p 51-53, Branchez-vous: Histoire.

AF 1.4.18 et 1.5.21-22-23 pour le 15

Prepare MP, Branchez-vous,"activité écrite: trois amis"

Cours # 9: JVB, p 53-54, Branchez-vous: aperçu culturel, Paris

AF 1.BV.1 exercice d'écoute pour le 18

September 19     Test # 1

September 21- October 12. Chapitre 2 "Je veux bien" P 64-117

Cours # 10: JVB p 64-70

AF 2.1.2-3-4 pour le 22

Cours # 11: JVB p 71-75 

AF 2.1.5-6-7 contrôle 4 pour le 25

Cours # 12: JVB p 76-81(up to Qu'est-ce que vous en pensez)

AF 2.2.8-9-10-11-12, contrôle 5 pour le 27

Cours # 13: JVB p 81-86

AF: paragraphe # 2 pour le 29

Cours # 14: JVB p 87-90 

A.F.2.3.14a/b-13-15, contrôle 6 pour le 2 octobre

Cours # 15: JVB p 91-93

AF.2.4.18b-19-20-21-22 pour le 4

Cours # 16: JVB p 94-97

AF.2.4-23-24 contrôle 7pour le 6

Cours # 17: JVB p 98-101 

AF.2.5-25-26 (do, print & take to class) pour le 9

Cours # 18: JVB p 102-104,

AF.2.5-27-28-29 pour le 11

Cours # 19: Branchez-vous: le Québec

October 14         Test # 2

October 17- November 7. Chapitre 3 "Je veux bien" p 118-165

Cours # 20: JVB p 118-124

AF 3.1.2-3-4-5-6-7, contrôle 8 pour le 18

Cours # 21: JVB p 125-127 + lecture p 132-133

Cours # 22: JVB p 128-131 + lecture p 134-135

AF 3.2.9, AF 3.3.12-13 pour le 23

Cours # 23: JVB p 136-137

AF 3.3.10-14-15, contrôle 9  pour le 25

Cours # 24: JVB p 138-143

AF 3.4-16-17-18 paragraph # 3 pour le 27

Cours # 25: JVB p 144-149, exercice Y

AF 3.4-19-21, AF 3.5.22 pour le 30

Cours # 26: JVB p 149-153

AF 3.5.23-24-26, do, print & take to class 3.5.25 or 27 pour le 1er Novembre

Cours # 27: JVB p 154-156, 

AF 3.5-28-29-30 pour le 3 novembre

Cours # 28: Branchez-vous

November 7        Test # 3

November 9-30 Chapitre 4 p 166- 209

Cours # 29: JVB p 166-174

AF 4.1.1-2-3-4-5 pour le 10

Cours # 30: JVB p 175-179

AF 4.1-6, contrôle 10, et 4.2.7-8-9 pour le 13

Cours # 31: JVB p 180-185

AF 4.3.11 paragraphe # 4 pour le 15

Cours # 32: p 186-189

AF 4.3-13-14-15, contrôle 11 pour le 17

Cours # 33: JVB p189-193

AF 4.4.16-17-18    pour le 20

Cours # 34: JVB p193-196

AF 4.4.19, contrôle 12; do, print & take to class 4.5.22   pour le 27

*cours # 35: Branchez-vous: la famille française ; « familiale » de Jacques

Prévert.

 (Thanksgiving vacation; November 24-27)

Cours # 36: JVB p 196-198

AF 4.5-20-21-23 pour le 29

November 30-December 2: Oral skits.

December 5-6: last days. Review for Final.

See Final Examination Schedule on Texas A & M web page,

http://www.tamu.edu/admissions/records/FESFall2005.htm

 

 

 

http://euro.tamu.edu/