Mise en Oeuvre and Assimilation du Texte exercises:
 

1. The Mise en Oeuvre is the first exercise of every lesson.  It is the first exercise on the cd/cassette tape, ie:  Exc. 2.1.  2. Listen to the cd/cassette tape while you follow along in your textbook.  The first part replays what you already saw on the videotape.  These assignments are essential to developing and improving your oral comprehension, pronunciation, and reading skills. 3. The script is divided into numbered sections (ie:  2.1, 2.2, etc).  The tape goes through each section individually.  4. In each section, practice your pronunciation by repeating when you hear the single "beep". 5. Try to orally answer the questions when prompted.  After a brief pause, the answer will be given.  Compare your answer to the correct one. 6. When finished with a section, stop the cd/cassette and turn to the back of the lesson in the textbook (ie:  page 10 for lesson 2).  Try writing the answers to the Mise en Oeuvre questions you heard in that section on a separate piece of paper.  (You will turn this assignment in) 7. If you have problems, look back in the section of the text where you will find the answer, and use the text to help you answer the question.  For the first couple of lessons in FR 150, you will have to rely on copying the answer out of the text—this is expected.  What I am looking for is that you were able to determine what part of the text provided the answer, and that you had a basic comprehension of the video and text.  With time, you should be able to formulate your own sentences and make the necessary grammatical changes.  Remember, this is a comprehension exercise—full sentences are not necessary if your answer demonstrates comprehension (yes/no answers are not adequate!).  8. After you finish the Mise en Oeuvre, continue listening to the cd/cassette in order to do the Assimilation du Texte exercises, ie:  Exc. 2.2-2.4 in your workbook. (Write your answers in your workbook but do not turn these in). PLEASE NOTE: (if using cassette tapes) DO NOT put your tape in the “Master tape” location on the duplication machine.  If you do, you will tape over the master tape, which means that every student after you will make a bad copy!  DO NOT try and tape two cassettes simultaneously!  DO NOT try and use a 60 minute tape to tape a 90 minute lesson! If there is a problem with a cassette, please notify Jerry Paulsen in Audio-Visual  (977-4356) and he will retape it.

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Exercices et Dictée:
 

1. The Exercices et Dictée is the second exercise of every lesson.  It is the second part of the cassette tape, ie:  Exc. 2.5-2.27.  Your teacher will indicate what exercises to do in your workbook.  (You are always welcome to do more!)  These assignments are essential to oral and written comprehension of grammar and pronunciation. 2. Listen to the indicated exercises on the cd/cassette tape while following along in your workbook.  Write the answers in your workbook.  Note: some of the exercises are on the cd/cassette tape, and are indicated with headphone symbols in the workbook.  Some are not on the cd/cassette tape.  When you come to one that is not on the cassette, stop it and do the exercise in your workbook.  Then, continue with the cd/cassette.  3. When you come to an exercise in the workbook that is on the handout you receive in class, write out your answers on the worksheet. 4. If you have problems, try listening to the exercise again.  5. To check your work, check the key in the back of the workbook.  Not all of the exercises are listed, ie:  the ones on your handout. 6. You will do the "complétez en classe" part in class if we have time.

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Ecrit/Orale:
 

1. The Ecrit/Orale is the third exercise that you will work on every week.  It is a composition assignment and is not on the cassette or in the text or workbook.  Since it is worth 20 points, it is the most important homework assignment.  The first copy will be worth up to 15 points (with 5 questions worth up to 3 points each).  The revision will be worth up to 5 points.  Please keep all of your compositions in a separate folder that you will turn in to me so that both you and I can review your progress during the term.  These assignments are essential to developing and improving your reading and writing skills in French. 2. Write out personal responses to the questions on a separate sheet of paper, and turn in with the questions.  Please skip a line for my corrections and write as much as you can using the structures you have learned so far.  Most importantly, use the French you know—do not try to write complicated sentences translated from English because you will usually end up with something incomprehensible or awkward.  The key is to simplify, simplify, simplify!  Incomplete sentences, limited responses, and messy writing will reduce your points.  If you need to, type your assignments (use the “outils” page on the class website to find the keys to type accents). 3. Use complete sentences, and make sure to check your work to see if you used the correct subject, if you conjugated the verb, and if your complement agrees with the subject gender and number.  You can check gender in the glossary or using the online dictionary (see the website). 4. When you receive the corrected copy, refer to the “symbols for corrections” on the back of this sheet and rewrite the sentence where the error occurs on a separate piece of paper and turn in with the original.  Respond to any additional questions/comments.  Revisions are required and are worth up to 5 points so make sure you spend sufficient time reviewing all of your errors, correcting them, and learning from them.  Refer back to previous compositions so as to avoid making the same errors.  Composition grades will depend on the progress you make throughout the term.  You are welcome to come see me during office hours to review compositions and discuss any questions you may have. 5. If you misspelled something, try looking it up in the glossary of the textbook, or in a dictionary (there is a link to an online dictionary on this site).  If a verb change is indicated, change the verb in your assignment and make sure to conjugate it.

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AV Info:
 

Get in the habit of practicing with the audio mp3's/tapes/cd's on a regular basis since they are essential in building your listening and speaking skills.  You may want to repeat sections that seem difficult.  Sometimes you will have difficulty hearing and understanding a line; when this happens, listen again, but, if you listen to the line three times and still do not understand, go on.  Listening more than three times will only be frustrating and probably will not help.  The key is to listen for key words and to use your contextual guessing skills--with practice, it will get easier! MP3's Free MP3 files are available via your class page on the department website.  Simply click on the link to the exercise that you want to listen to and it will play on your computer.  You will need an audio program such as quicktime or realone player to listen.  This is the best way to access the audio. CD’S 1. You will need to purchase at least fifteen 80 minute blank cd's to make copies of each lesson in the student multi-media lab in the library.  At the AV checkout desk, request the lesson number you need, ie:  First Year French in Action, lesson 3.  If for some reason the cd is not yet ready, a cassette will be available (see below for instructions). 2. There will usually be one cd per lesson.  Sometimes the lesson will go over 80 minutes, and the last few exercises will be on a second cd.  You can choose to copy these or not as long as they are not part of your homework assignment. 3. You can also request a cd with all of the exercises for either First or Second year French in MP3 format at the AV desk in the library, and burn a copy in the student multi-media lab.  Please note that these can only be played on a computer or an MP3 player. AUDIO CASSETTES You may copy the tapes yourself using the tape duplication system in the AV section of the library.  The machine copies on both sides simultaneously.  You will need a 90 minute cassette tape (which you can reuse for every lesson) , with the exception of lessons 1 and 2, which are on the same tape/cd.  Taping a lesson or two ahead is a good idea in case you get sick or miss class, so you may want to have 2 cassette tapes. Please check the cassette tape (on both sides) to make sure it has copied correctly before leaving the library. If you do not have a cassette player at home, you may check out a tape, player, and earphones and work with the tape in the library.  If you discover that a cassette tape did not record correctly, try retaping it.  If the master has been altered or damaged, please let an employee in AV or the teacher know so that a new master tape can be recorded. If you are at home and discover that your cd or cassette tape is not working, you can do the Mise en Oeuvre using the text.  For the exercises, if you cannot figure out what the assignment is from the example given in the workbook, come to class, recopy the tape after class, and do the exercises (homework will be accepted the next class session if such a case occurs).  Copying the homework in class is not acceptable and will result in a zero for the assignment. VIDEO TAPES: There are two 30 minute lessons on each French in Action video tape.  If you miss a class on a day that we watch a video, it is recommended that you check out a copy of the lesson at the Audio Visual desk and watch it on one of the library TV’s.  To check out a video, you will need your student ID card and the lesson number you want.  A second set of video tapes, Shortcut to French, is also available in the library.  These tapes, which are excellent for review, show just the story line of the series.

Symbols for corrections:

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