Study Suggestions for French 1201

Success in FREN 1201 depends primarily on how you organize your time and structure your activities.  Students who do well have worked out effective study procedures and habits.  Students who do not do well usually fail to do something important.  The goal in FREN 1201 is to learn the basics of French by practicing the skills of listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing.  Therefore, there are a lot of different learning activities, including practicing pronunciation, listening for comprehension, studying vocabulary and grammar, reading for information, and basic writing for communication. The following suggestions will help you focus on those procedures that have proved to be effective in FREN 1201:

1.  You will need to spend a minimum of two hours preparing for each hour in class.  It’s not a good idea to do all the work in one sitting.  Break up the two hours into shorter sessions so you can focus and retain what you study.  Studies have shown that you retain the most material by studying in 15-minute sessions spread out throughout the day and right before going to sleep.  It may take you longer than two hours to learn the material.  Your job is to spend the amount of time it takes you to learn the material. 

2.  Attend all classes and arrive on time (3 lates will count as 1 absence in calculating your class grade).  While you are in class, be ready to work.  If you have any questions or problems, contact your instructor right away.  If you wait until just before tests or other deadlines, it will be too late.

3.  Begin the study of each lesson by previewing it to see what is coming.  Read the “En bref” chapter summary on the first page of each chapter, then leaf through the chapter.  Check the syllabus for assignments (they are due by class-time on the day under which they appear on the syllabus) and the class web page for pertinent material.  All underlined items on the syllabus are links to various class materials.  Always print out and bring to class a copy of the handout(s) for each chapter.  Links to these are on the syllabus as well as on the “Assignments” page of the class web site (http://www.languages.uncc.edu/ksstephe/FR1100/Assignments.html ) under “In-Class Materials” or “Assignments.”  Make sure you have all the materials you will need for the chapter, including the various CD-ROMs. 

4.  When studying vocabulary, first read over the items and look up the meanings of any words you don’t know in the vocabulary list at the end of the chapter or on the Voilà website, which has not only a list of the Basic Vocabulary and Supplementary Vocabulary, but also has online flashcards to help you learn both lists.  If you put a mark by each item as you learn it in the vocabulary list, by the time you’ve finished the entire chapter you can see if you have marked all the items in the list and have a chance to learn those you missed.  Listen to the vocabulary words on the CD contained in the pouch inside the back cover of the text (indicated on syllabus).  Also check to see if there is a link to any audio files for that chapter on the on-line syllabus.  Active-learning exercises are essential for truly learning a language.  Saying the vocabulary out loud is a particularly effective way to learn it.  You should also write out all the vocabulary on a sheet of paper, with the French on one side of the page and the English meaning on the other, so that you can cover either side to drill yourself on the material.  This sheet can be carried around with you to consult whenever you have a few free minutes.        

Once you think you’ve got the vocabulary down, do the oral and written exercises on the vocabulary on the Quia Online Lab Manual indicated on the syllabus (Quia Online Workbook/Lab Manual). If you’ve made any mistakes, go back to the text and study that particular material again. These completed exercises must be submitted on the days indicated on the syllabus to get credit for doing them. After you’ve activated your Quia account (Quia Registration Instructions) and input the book key code (included in the text and materials packet you purchased at the bookstore), every time thereafter you access your account just by using the ID and password you created. In Quia, click on “Help” and read the general instructions for using Quia. To access the exercises, choose the appropriate lesson on the left frame and click on the particular exercise you wish to do. Once you submit an answer, it’s saved on the Quia server and I have access to your work—I see your answers, grades, the date and time you worked on each, etc. While Quia supplies you with grades for your work, I only count that you did the exercises when they were due, before class. So if you do all the Quia exercises on time, your Quia grade is 100.

For further practice, do the vocabulary exercises on the Voilà Multimedia CD-ROM, either after doing the Quia Online Lab Manual exercises or at any point during the chapter.  These exercises are always included in the Software/Internet Activities due at the end of each chapter. 

5.  In class, listen and respond to the vocabulary drills.  These will have you use the vocabulary in a meaningful context, which also helps retention, and help you practice pronunciation.  Then, you will hear questions with the vocabulary in context so you can learn to use it in different situations. 

6.  Before the second class on vocabulary, review the vocabulary and read over all the "Langue et culture" and “Mots et usages” sections in the text, where additional vocabulary and expressions are presented.  Look over the “Mise en pratique” sections, which will almost always be done in class.  Listen to the sample dialogue on the CD contained in the pouch inside the back cover of the text.  In class, participate in the review activities and the oral exercises.  This is your best opportunity for practicing speaking French.  Do not be afraid of making mistakes.  The more you speak, the more you will learn.  Also, in class ask any questions you have about any of the material. 

7.  After class, once again review what you’ve studied so far in the lesson.   The grammar of the lesson is presented in the “Structure” sections.  Normally, there are 3 to 4 items to be learned.  To study grammar effectively, you should read through each item and take notes.  Summarize the material, putting it into a chart or schemata if possible, as these visually interesting forms are easier to retain than prose.  These notes are also the best way to study for quizzes or tests and will form an effective review of the course material at any point during the semester.  Once you think you have learned the material, do the appropriate oral and written exercises on the Quia Online Lab Manual (indicated on syllabus).  Again, if you have any mistakes, go back to the text and pick up what you missed the first time through.  For further practice, do the pertinent “Structure” exercise(s) on the Voilà Interactive CD-ROM, either after doing the cahier exercises or at any point during the chapter.  These exercises are always included in the Software/Internet Activities due at the end of each chapter.  Repeat #7 for each day spent on grammar. 

8.  In class, we will usually do all the “Mise en pratique” exercises.  If you are worried about being able to respond in class, prepare these ahead of time.  This is followed by a variety of exercises—drills, questions, exercises or group work—to help you become familiar with the new item and be able to use it in speaking and writing.  Active participation means responding to every drill, question and exercise, either orally, if you are called upon, or in your head, if someone else is called upon.  You are not expected to understand every single word the professor or your classmates say, but you should be able to follow along.  Again, the more you speak, the more you will learn. 

9.  By this time you know how well you’re doing.  If you are having problems, now is the time to consult with the instructor to try and resolve them.  Use email or make an appointment to meet during office hours.  If you need additional help, the University Center for Academic Excellence (330 Fretwell, http://www.ucae.uncc.edu/) provides free tutorials.  You also have many exercises you can do using the computer software in the Language Resource Center.  These may be done before and/or after class. 

10.  Review the lesson for the last class period(s) on a chapter.  There are numerous review exercises due on this day, so start working on them early and spread them out over several days.  Prepare the “Echanges” section near the end of the chapter (indicated on the syllabus), then do the Blackboard Reading Guide exercises on it, and prepare the “Note de prononciation” section.  Finish the written and oral exercises on the Quia Online Lab Manual (indicated on syllabus).  Use the Grammar Practice quiz (http://voila.heinle.com) on Voilà’s internet site to review the entire chapter.  You will submit the quiz to the professor, but the grade will not be counted.  (Sometimes the Heinle & Heinle server gets overloaded, most often late in the day, so if your quiz doesn’t seem to submit, don’t keep pressing the submit button, because it might have gone through.  You can either print out the test and hand it in to me in class, or email me to see if I got it.  If I haven’t received it, then retake it, preferably early in the day, and send it again.)  Finally, prepare the composition on the Quia Online Lab Manual (indicated on syllabus), the section at the end called “Et pour finir.”  Complete all items in this section, making use of all your class materials, and, if necessary, a dictionary.  In class, you will be given a copy of the composition description and you will write what you can remember of the composition you have prepared, without using any of your materials.  This will provide a good representation of what you have learned in the chapter.  In class be sure to ask any questions you have on the chapter.  

11.  A test is scheduled for each chapter.  The best way to review the material is not by reading in the text, but by reviewing the vocabulary list you have written out and the notes you took on the grammar, reviewing the corrected Quia Online Lab Manual exercises you’ve done, paying special attention to any mistakes you made, reviewing other homework and taking the sample test, either at home or in the LRC (see “Instructions for Blackboard” for guidelines on taking regular and sample tests in Blackboard).  You may take the sample test on each chapter as many times as you want, and the grade you get on it will not count.  (Be sure to ignore these grades, as Blackboard cannot correct everything and these grades will be very low.  On regular tests, I correct what Blackboard cannot and I give you credit for things Blackboard doesn’t.)  Regular tests are taken in the LRC, at any time during the week allowed for taking tests (see syllabus) and during regular LRC hours (see LRC web site for posted hours of operation; also check Facilities and Reservations to see when classes are scheduled in the LRC so you can go at a time when there are no classes scheduled in the facilities, in case the noise level is more than you might be comfortable with).  If you’re more comfortable taking the test when you know you can ask me any questions you might have, then take your test during my office hours and call me (at 78751) from the LRC with your questions (you can’t leave the LRC while you’re taking your test).  LRC staff and cameras proctor testing, and I have access to everything students do while in Blackboard.  It is each student’s responsibility to access the chapter test only in the LRC when taking it.  Anyone who accesses the chapter test before then and outside the LRC will receive a “0” for the test, WITHOUT EXCEPTION.  So outside of your LRC testing time be careful to click on the sample test only, which is clearly marked (e.g., Ch. 1 Sample Test), and not to accidentally click on the chapter test (e.g., Ch. 1 LRC Test).  

No make-up quizzes or tests are given.  If you have an excused absence for the week during which a test is available, I will simply not count that particular grade (e.g., you will have 7 test grades instead of 8) and the remaining grades will count more.  Anyone who doesn’t take the test during the assigned time and who doesn’t have an excused absence for the week will receive a "0" for that grade.  Because you have a week to take the test, you must make sure you take it during that time.  I suggest you don’t wait until the last day possible to take the test, in case you get sick or something comes up to prevent you making it to the LRC, because I will not excuse students from a test when they wait until the last day to take it. 

You can expect the following on each test: (1) a series of recordings with questions/exercises to check your listening comprehension; (2) a section on the vocabulary and grammar of the chapter that includes a variety of test formats: question/answer, multiple-choice, blank-fill-in, brief composition, etc.; (3) a reading section followed by exercises and questions to assess your understanding of the passage.

You will receive test results after everyone has taken the test in the LRC and I have had time to grade the tests (again, see “Instructions for Blackboard” for how to access test results).  It is very important that you use this opportunity to learn whatever it is that you made mistakes on.  Try to determine why you made specific mistakes and adjust your study of the next chapter(s) accordingly.  Consult the instructor for help with any material you still don’t have down and suggestions on studying.

There will be a comprehensive written final exam during exam week and students will meet with me individually in my office the last week of class and/or during final exam week for the Speaking Test, a comprehensive oral final.

12.  This cycle is repeated until the end of the course.  However, throughout the semester you will be participating in other activities; for example, those related to preparing for the speaking test and to the technology aspects of the course—exercises on the Internet, on computer software, and on film(s).  Check the syllabus for when work is to be completed or when practice is scheduled.