Research has demonstrated that study abroad can enhance every aspect of language ability. One of the most important general findings of this research is, however, that study abroad is most beneficial for the development of abilities related to social interaction. Students who go abroad are able to learn how to produce language in a variety of situations, such as the making of requests, the use of compliments and apologies, and they also may develop skills to interpret such interactions within the local cultural context…In short, and logically, study abroad has been show to enhance the aspects of communicative competence that are most difficult to foster in classroom settings (IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication, p. 6).
Student Profile
Students entering this level must be able to fulfill the learning outcomes of the Novice Abroad level, as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. Specifically, they should already be able to express themselves on a variety of concrete, everyday topics and meet their basic needs in the language. Students who enter this level may be more proficient in reading and writing skills than oral communication, especially if they have never traveled or studied abroad previously. Although students may have been exposed previously to certain competencies taught at this level, they need additional practice and instruction to move toward mastery of these competencies. Students at this level may succeed in partner university courses as long as such courses are primarily designed for international students and/or require passive student linguistic participation (art studios, dance, etc.).
As students gain more self-awareness and self-confidence, they will attempt more in the community. Paradoxically, this means they may also experience more miscommunications and frustration. Reading and writing require effort, and many students will need to make a special effort in this regard. Students will also develop cultural awareness and skills to work through the challenges of adaptation in the local culture and learn to recognize their autonomy. They will begin to appreciate the value of these language and intercultural skills.
By the end of the course, the successful student will have developed some communicative and cultural self-confidence necessary to attempt moderately complex tasks in the language, as described in the learning outcomes below.
Prerequisites:
Proficiency at a level equivalent to IES Abroad’s Novice Abroad, as determined by placement test.
Attendance policy:
You must be present in every class session. Every absence must be justified. Being absent more than two times will decrease your final grade.
Learning outcomes:
Students who are placed in this level should be capable of achieving the outcomes in the Novice Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication.
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Emerging Independent Abroad level as defined by the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
A. Students will be able to solve many daily unexpected situations and meet needs with limited help.
B. Increasingly, students will be able to make informed comparisons between the host culture and the students’ home cultures.
C. Students will be able to distinguish and begin to imitate verbal and non verbal communication that reflects politeness, formality, or informality.
D. Students will be able to recognize some patterns of intonation, their meaning, and cultural implications.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to understand some interactions of growing complexity, especially if the speaker is used to interacting with non-native speakers (conversations, speeches, etc.), and increasingly comprehend other types of verbal production (media, music, etc.)
B. Students will be able to understand many direct requests, questions, and basic conversations on familiar and concrete topics.
III. Speaking
A. Increasingly, students will be able to talk about persons and things in their immediate environment, as well as their plans and their experiences, and they can provide a limited amount of supporting details.
B. Students will be able to address and attempt to resolve moderately complicated situations (unexpected questions, small group discussions, etc.) involving familiar subjects.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to read passages and short texts (advertisements, newspaper articles, recipes, etc.) and understand overall meaning.
B. Students will be able to support their understanding of texts through the use of context, dictionaries, or with the assistance of others at times.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to communicate with some effectiveness through notes, emails, and simple online discussions and chats with sympathetic native speakers.
B. Students will be able to write short essays on concrete topics of reasonable levels of complexity with some reliance on the communicative patterns of their native language.
20% Participation and behavior during class (oral participation, personal investment, seriousness of work)
10% Video project (¼ pertinence and clarity of the subject, ¼ speaking ability, ¼ seriousness of work, ¼ quality of vocabulary used)
20% Graded Assignments (oral and written comprehension, expression, grammar, vocabulary, completion of homework)
15% Midterm Exam (oral comprehension, written expression, grammar, vocabulary)
25% Final Exam (oral andwrittencomprehension, written expression, culture, grammar, vocabulary)
content:
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week Propédeutique (10 hours)
1.Functional: politeness, introduce someone and oneself, how to make requests, describe, talk about past events, write an email to the center
2.Grammatical:
demander, décrire et raconter :
Ø Singular and plural (un, une, des, le, la, les) ; masculine and feminine (nouns)
Ø Past & present tenses
Ø passé composé vs imparfait
Ø Space prepositions
Ø The relatives (I)
Ø The pronouns : le, la, l’, les, lui, leur (1)
Ø Past participle rules (I)
Ø Adverbs : place in the sentences
3.Vocabulary: time expressions
4.Culture: what to do and no to do in Paris; differences between French and Americans in their everyday life; French and American stereotypes; gastronomy
5. Phonetics: the accents
Grammar exercises vocabulary exercises
I.A, I.B, I.C, II.B, III.A, IV.B, V.B
Week 1
1.Functional: how to describe objects, houses and someone
2.Grammatical: masculine and feminine (adjectives)
3.Vocabulary: housing
4.Culture: different generations living under the same roof
Propedeutique exam
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
II.B, III.A, I.B
Week 2
1.Functional: talk about past events
2.Grammatical: passé compose vs imparfait
3.Vocabulary: food
4.Culture: fast food in France
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.C, I.D, II.A, IV.A, V.B
Week 3
1.Functional: obligation, how to give advice to someone, write propositions
2.Grammatical: subjunctive tense
3.Vocabulary: food and gastronomy
4.Culture: going to a French party
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.C, I.D, II.B, IV.B, V.A
Week 4
1.Functional: how to express a goal, give advice (II)
2.Grammatical: negative and restrictive sentences, the relatives
3.Vocabulary: communication and technology
4.Culture: France and technology
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.A, I.B, II.B, III.B, V.A
Week 5
1.Functional: understand press articles
2.Grammatical: the passive form, the relatives
3.Vocabulary: press, media
4.Culture: the press and the media in France
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.B, IV.A.
Week 6
1.Functional: follow instructions in a recipe
2.Grammatical: none
3.Vocabulary: bread and pastries
4.Culture: visit of a French bakery and pastry
Mid semester exam
Comment in 1-2 minutes about your visit of the French bakery and pastry on video
I.B, II.A, II.B
Week 7
1.Functional: give its own opinion, how to debate
2.Grammatical: the pronouns en & y, the future tenses
3.Vocabulary: consumption, money
4.Culture: consumption society
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.C, II.B, III.B
Week 8
1.Functional: how to make an hypothesis, express a condition
2.Grammatical: future tenses, conditional tense
3.Culture: France tales, environment
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.D, IV.A
Week 9
1.Functional: compare
2.Grammatical: comparison, superlative
3.Vocabulary: family
4.Culture: French family
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.A, I.B, I.D, II.A, III.B
Week 10
1.Functional: write a French letter
2.Grammatical: opposition and concession
3.Vocabulary: health, feelings
4.Culture: French holidays
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
IV.A, IV.B, V.A
Week 11
1.Functional: how to express an anteriority, give an opinion
2.Grammatical: plus-que-parfait
3.Vocabulary: time expressions
4.Culture: traveling in France, tourism
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.C, II.A, III.B
Week 12
1. Functional: how to write an article, criticize a movie
2. Grammatical: dire que, demander + question
3.Vocabulary: art, history
4.Culture: France history
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
IV.A, IV.B, V.B
Week 13
Final exam
Required readings:
Le manuel Nouvel Edito, niveau B1, de M. Abou-Samra, E. Heu, M. Perrard, C. Pinson (ISBN: 9782278072699), Edition Didier
Recommended readings:
Dictionnaire du français Le Robert & CLE International, sous la direction de Josette Rey-Debove, 1999
Bescherelle, la conjugaison pour tous, Hatier (ISBN : 978-2218922626)
Free newspapers: Direct Matin, 20 Minutes, Metro Paris, À nous Paris
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Trúc Long VÕ TRÂN earned a "DEA de didactique des langues et des cultures" from la Sorbonne Nouvelle University (Paris) et a « licence de droit » from Nanterre University. He has taught French as a second language for more than ten years in different schools (la Mairie de Paris, l’Alliance française de Paris, Nanterre University…) and as a freelancer in different firms. His experience at South Orange Middle School (New Jersey) as a French teacher and assistant coach in cheerleading and doing other activities (cooking lessons, chess club) in 2000 allowed him to see the U.S. and its population differently. He’s been teaching Business French at IES Abroad Paris since 2003.
French Language in Context Emerging Independent Abroad II
Research has demonstrated that study abroad can enhance every aspect of language ability. One of the most important general findings of this research is, however, that study abroad is most beneficial for the development of abilities related to social interaction. Students who go abroad are able to learn how to produce language in a variety of situations, such as the making of requests, the use of compliments and apologies, and they also may develop skills to interpret such interactions within the local cultural context…In short, and logically, study abroad has been show to enhance the aspects of communicative competence that are most difficult to foster in classroom settings (IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication, p. 6).
Student Profile
Students entering this level must be able to fulfill the learning outcomes of the Novice Abroad level, as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. Specifically, they should already be able to express themselves on a variety of concrete, everyday topics and meet their basic needs in the language. Students who enter this level may be more proficient in reading and writing skills than oral communication, especially if they have never traveled or studied abroad previously. Although students may have been exposed previously to certain competencies taught at this level, they need additional practice and instruction to move toward mastery of these competencies. Students at this level may succeed in partner university courses as long as such courses are primarily designed for international students and/or require passive student linguistic participation (art studios, dance, etc.).
As students gain more self-awareness and self-confidence, they will attempt more in the community. Paradoxically, this means they may also experience more miscommunications and frustration. Reading and writing require effort, and many students will need to make a special effort in this regard. Students will also develop cultural awareness and skills to work through the challenges of adaptation in the local culture and learn to recognize their autonomy. They will begin to appreciate the value of these language and intercultural skills.
By the end of the course, the successful student will have developed some communicative and cultural self-confidence necessary to attempt moderately complex tasks in the language, as described in the learning outcomes below.
Proficiency at a level equivalent to IES Abroad’s Novice Abroad, as determined by placement test.
You must be present in every class session. Every absence must be justified. Being absent more than two times will decrease your final grade.
Students who are placed in this level should be capable of achieving the outcomes in the Novice Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication.
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Emerging Independent Abroad level as defined by the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
A. Students will be able to solve many daily unexpected situations and meet needs with limited help.
B. Increasingly, students will be able to make informed comparisons between the host culture and the students’ home cultures.
C. Students will be able to distinguish and begin to imitate verbal and non verbal communication that reflects politeness, formality, or informality.
D. Students will be able to recognize some patterns of intonation, their meaning, and cultural implications.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to understand some interactions of growing complexity, especially if the speaker is used to interacting with non-native speakers (conversations, speeches, etc.), and increasingly comprehend other types of verbal production (media, music, etc.)
B. Students will be able to understand many direct requests, questions, and basic conversations on familiar and concrete topics.
III. Speaking
A. Increasingly, students will be able to talk about persons and things in their immediate environment, as well as their plans and their experiences, and they can provide a limited amount of supporting details.
B. Students will be able to address and attempt to resolve moderately complicated situations (unexpected questions, small group discussions, etc.) involving familiar subjects.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to read passages and short texts (advertisements, newspaper articles, recipes, etc.) and understand overall meaning.
B. Students will be able to support their understanding of texts through the use of context, dictionaries, or with the assistance of others at times.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to communicate with some effectiveness through notes, emails, and simple online discussions and chats with sympathetic native speakers.
B. Students will be able to write short essays on concrete topics of reasonable levels of complexity with some reliance on the communicative patterns of their native language.
10% Propedeutique Session (oral participation, homework, quiz)
20% Participation and behavior during class (oral participation, personal investment, seriousness of work)
10% Video project (¼ pertinence and clarity of the subject, ¼ speaking ability, ¼ seriousness of work, ¼ quality of vocabulary used)
20% Graded Assignments (oral and written comprehension, expression, grammar, vocabulary, completion of homework)
15% Midterm Exam (oral comprehension, written expression, grammar, vocabulary)
25% Final Exam (oral and written comprehension, written expression, culture, grammar, vocabulary)
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week Propédeutique (10 hours)
1.Functional: politeness, introduce someone and oneself, how to make requests, describe, talk about past events, write an email to the center
2.Grammatical:
demander, décrire et raconter :
Ø Singular and plural (un, une, des, le, la, les) ; masculine and feminine (nouns)
Ø Past & present tenses
Ø passé composé vs imparfait
Ø Space prepositions
Ø The relatives (I)
Ø The pronouns : le, la, l’, les, lui, leur (1)
Ø Past participle rules (I)
Ø Adverbs : place in the sentences
3.Vocabulary: time expressions
4.Culture: what to do and no to do in Paris; differences between French and Americans in their everyday life; French and American stereotypes; gastronomy
5. Phonetics: the accents
Grammar exercises vocabulary exercises
I.A, I.B, I.C, II.B, III.A, IV.B, V.B
Week 1
1.Functional: how to describe objects, houses and someone
2.Grammatical: masculine and feminine (adjectives)
3.Vocabulary: housing
4.Culture: different generations living under the same roof
Propedeutique exam
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
II.B, III.A, I.B
Week 2
1.Functional: talk about past events
2.Grammatical: passé compose vs imparfait
3.Vocabulary: food
4.Culture: fast food in France
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.C, I.D, II.A, IV.A, V.B
Week 3
1.Functional: obligation, how to give advice to someone, write propositions
2.Grammatical: subjunctive tense
3.Vocabulary: food and gastronomy
4.Culture: going to a French party
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.C, I.D, II.B, IV.B, V.A
Week 4
1.Functional: how to express a goal, give advice (II)
2.Grammatical: negative and restrictive sentences, the relatives
3.Vocabulary: communication and technology
4.Culture: France and technology
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.A, I.B, II.B, III.B, V.A
Week 5
1.Functional: understand press articles
2.Grammatical: the passive form, the relatives
3.Vocabulary: press, media
4.Culture: the press and the media in France
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.B, IV.A.
Week 6
1.Functional: follow instructions in a recipe
2.Grammatical: none
3.Vocabulary: bread and pastries
4.Culture: visit of a French bakery and pastry
Mid semester exam
Comment in 1-2 minutes about your visit of the French bakery and pastry on video
I.B, II.A, II.B
Week 7
1.Functional: give its own opinion, how to debate
2.Grammatical: the pronouns en & y, the future tenses
3.Vocabulary: consumption, money
4.Culture: consumption society
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.C, II.B, III.B
Week 8
1.Functional: how to make an hypothesis, express a condition
2.Grammatical: future tenses, conditional tense
3.Culture: France tales, environment
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.D, IV.A
Week 9
1.Functional: compare
2.Grammatical: comparison, superlative
3.Vocabulary: family
4.Culture: French family
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.A, I.B, I.D, II.A, III.B
Week 10
1.Functional: write a French letter
2.Grammatical: opposition and concession
3.Vocabulary: health, feelings
4.Culture: French holidays
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
IV.A, IV.B, V.A
Week 11
1.Functional: how to express an anteriority, give an opinion
2.Grammatical: plus-que-parfait
3.Vocabulary: time expressions
4.Culture: traveling in France, tourism
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I.C, II.A, III.B
Week 12
1. Functional: how to write an article, criticize a movie
2. Grammatical: dire que, demander + question
3.Vocabulary: art, history
4.Culture: France history
Grammar and vocabulary exercises
IV.A, IV.B, V.B
Week 13
Final exam
Le manuel Nouvel Edito, niveau B1, de M. Abou-Samra, E. Heu, M. Perrard, C. Pinson (ISBN: 9782278072699), Edition Didier
Dictionnaire du français Le Robert & CLE International, sous la direction de Josette Rey-Debove, 1999
Bescherelle, la conjugaison pour tous, Hatier (ISBN : 978-2218922626)
Free newspapers: Direct Matin, 20 Minutes, Metro Paris, À nous Paris
Trúc Long VÕ TRÂN earned a "DEA de didactique des langues et des cultures" from la Sorbonne Nouvelle University (Paris) et a « licence de droit » from Nanterre University. He has taught French as a second language for more than ten years in different schools (la Mairie de Paris, l’Alliance française de Paris, Nanterre University…) and as a freelancer in different firms. His experience at South Orange Middle School (New Jersey) as a French teacher and assistant coach in cheerleading and doing other activities (cooking lessons, chess club) in 2000 allowed him to see the U.S. and its population differently. He’s been teaching Business French at IES Abroad Paris since 2003.