Study Guidelines for French 2201
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Success in FREN 2201 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 2201 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 2201:
- 1. You will need to spend a minimum of two hours preparing for each hour in class (see UNC Charlotte Catalog). 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 30-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. When studying vocabulary, the ebook has not only a list of Active Vocabulary but also has online flashcards, audio links to the pronunciation of all the words in the list (every section that has a speaker icon has audio links) and practice exercises. 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.
Then look at the exercises in the ebook and do the activities with the icon containing an A and the image of a computer mouse and listen to any sections with the icon of a speaker (you do not, however, have to record yourself whenever that is indicated, just supply answers and/or repeat words or phrases and click “Submit”). These exercises are also included in eSAM (iLrn Student Activities Manual) on the Assignment Calendar on the right frame of the ebook (at the top of this page make sure that “View assigned activities only” is not checked). Some exercises will be self-correcting, a few won’t, but the point will be to help you learn the vocabulary and its usage through practicing in multiple ways. 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. Once you submit an answer, it’s saved on the iLrn server and I have access to your work—I see your answers, grades, the date and time you worked on each, etc. While eSAM (iLrn Student Activities Manual) 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 ILrn exercises on time, your ILrn grade is 100. If you don’t do them by the assigned date, your iLrn grade for those exercises is zero. Doing homework is an easy way to bring up your grade. For further practice, do any other vocabulary exercises included on the Assignment Calendar on the right frame of the ebook. Some of these exercises are always included in the Software/Internet Activities due at the end of each chapter. - 4. In class, all readings and exercises 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. Then 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.
- 5. After class, once again review what you’ve studied so far in the lesson. The grammar of the lesson is presented in the “Structures” 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 schema 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. Do the appropriate oral and written exercises with the icon containing an A and the image of a computer mouse and the icon of a speaker. Do any other Structure exercises on the Assignment Calendar. Again, if you have any mistakes, go back to the text and pick up what you missed the first time through. Repeat #5 for each day spent on grammar.
- 6. In class, we will usually do all the exercises in the book. If you are worried about being able to respond in class, you prepare these ahead of time, so that should make doing them in class easier. Class uses 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.
- 7. 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 find you need additional help, the University Center for Academic Excellence (330 Fretwell http://ucae.uncc.edu/) provides free tutorials on French grammar. Students can attend drop-in tutoring as often as they like, there are no restrictions to attending. No appointment required. See more at: https://ucae.uncc.edu/programs/tutorial-services/drop-tutoring#sthash.0RrkSyvv.dpuf . The schedule for French tutoring is at https://ucae.uncc.edu/programs/tutorial-services/drop-tutoring#Foreign Languages . You can call Tutorial Services in 318K Fretwell at 704.687.7845 or contact them online through their website at http://ucae.uncc.edu/tutorial-services. See also their FAQ at http://ucae.uncc.edu/tutorial-services/faqs. If there is tutoring in the LRC, the schedule is on its website at https://lrc.uncc.edu/tutoring-services. There are also many exercises you can do using the computer software in the Language Resource Center. These may be done before and/or after class.
- 8. 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. Finish the remaining written and oral exercises on the Assignment Calendar (whether they’ve been assigned or not) and those accessed by clicking on the Practice button on the right frame of the iLrn Student Activity Manual. For example, use the self-tests (pre- and post-tests, accessed on the right frame of the iLrn Student Activity Manual) and the Web Quiz (accessed by clicking on Practice on the right frame of the iLrn Student Activity Manual) 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 indicated on the syllabus, making use of all your class materials, and, if necessary, a dictionary.
- 9. 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 ILrn Student Activities Manual exercises you’ve done, paying special attention to any mistakes you made, reviewing other homework and taking the tests in sSAM (Self-Tests on Assignment Calendar and the Vocabulary and Grammar Quizzes in Practice).
You can expect the following on each test: (1) a series of recordings/readings 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, and (4) a composition. It is very important to go over your tests 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. - 10. 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.