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This course aims at:
– students in French programs, Core, Immersion or French only, who want to improve their speaking, reading, and writing skills and become aware of the differences between French and English. in expressing themselves.
– students who want to study French at the university or college level so they become aware of what they will expect and be prepared to digest the information ahead of time.
– FSL teachers, French supply and occasional teachers, parents, public servants and professionals, in general who, despite the many French courses taken, are still looking for that Magic Baguette to help them raise their level of verbal fluency in French, rather than their level of frustration, and prepare them, in a real and not perceived way, to never say again:
“I understand the question, but I am not confident enough to respond”.
Content of the course:
Textbook: DO YOU SPEAK FRENCH? MAIS OUI!!!
This text, by itself, is useful for the students who know some French and want to enrich their vocabulary and become aware of the differences between French and English in expressing themselves verbally and in writing.
However, its impact is in the comments, interviews, reviews, presented in 27 videos and 12 PDF documents, divided in 6 lessons, that provide the students with what they need to know to become able to speak French properly, know what they say, use it instantly in context and write it correctly. Every lesson offers the students the opportunity to express themselves verbally in French, through question-answer sessions, interviews, reviews, and relevant comments highlighting the common errors that Anglophone students must avoid making in expressing themselves properly in French.
Lesson I:
Video 1: This video will allow the students to enrich their French vocabulary while knowing what they are saying, using it in context, and reading it. In our view, this is the cornerstone in the process of engaging the students.
By the end of this video, the students will be able to respond to the following questions orally, in French, and to put those questions to someone else.
This video will shed some light on the use of some expressions in the French language in general, and in Canada in particular. There is a detailed explanation in French and English to enlighten the students and to make them aware of the differences between some expressions in both French and English
Video 2: Salutations: This video will shed some light on the use of some expressions in the French language in general, and in Canada in particular. There is a detailed explanation in French and English to enlighten the students and to make them aware of the differences between some expressions in both French and English
Video 3: Calendrier: Description of various occasions, activities during the year with a detailed explanation of the nuances between French and English.
Video 4: Expressions du temps: In this lesson, the students will be acquainted with the use of the weather expressions and will learn about:
10.The use of the word « vacances » in French.
Video 5: A series of questions based on Calendrier and the Weather expressions.
Video 6: This video provides the students with a variety of answers to the interview on Calendrier and the Weather Expressions, while explaining the differences in the grammar rules applied between French and English.
Lesson II:
Video 1: This video presents an in-depth analysis of the role of the verb to be in French with respect to the notions of gender, number, the agreement between adjectives and nouns or pronouns. The students will be exposed to the use of some rich expressions that will help them build a solid vocabulary, and understand the difference between adjectives and adverbs when using verbs describing a state of being such as the verb to be.
Video 2: In this video, the students will have the opportunity to respond to general questions in which the verb to be is used. Those questions will deal with a variety of personal interests where the students will use the vocabulary acquired. The instructor will respond to these questions as well, to help the students improve their choice of words, polish their verbal expression, and see where they stand as far as understanding the use of this important verb in French.
Video 3: An interview made up of a series of questions to which the students will respond without interference by the instructor. It is an opportunity for the students to put their improvisation skills to test and see how much they retained.
Video 4: This video provides the students with a variety of answers to the interview questions, and a detailed explanation of their use.
Lesson III:
Video 1: In this video, we will highlight the importance of the verb “avoir” in French, as a transitive auxiliary verb, used in many instances in French. The students will learn about:
Video 2: the instructor presents a detailed explanation of the role of the idiomatic expressions with the verb to have and highlights the differences between their usage in English and French, as well as the nuances surrounding their use in French.
Video 3: In this video, the students will be tested on their ability to respond to questions on the verb to have, in a limited time.
Video 4: In this video, the instructor will give a variety of answers to the interview questions with comments and explanations of the nuances in the use of this important auxiliary verb.
Lesson IV:
Video 1: The instructor introduces a detailed analysis of the “er” verbs, highlights the differences between the false friends, Faux-Amis, which are words, closely similar in spelling but with very different meanings in French and English. The students will be made aware of:
10.Transitive and intransitive verbs and their usage.
Video 2: This video introduces the verb “aller, to go” and puts emphasis on some elements describing this important verb in French. Furthermore, the students will learn about:
10.The nuances between the use of some verbs in French and English and the impact of Anglicism.
Video 3: In this video, the students will be challenged to respond to a series of questions dealing with the verb to go and some important “er” verbs.
Video 4: In this video, the students will become fully aware of the importance of the verb “aller” in French and English also. The questions and replies will shed a great deal of light on the technical use of this verb, as being a semi-auxiliary verb used in the near future tense as well as in an idiomatic fashion. The variety of answers given by the instructor will enrich the vocabulary of the students, enable them to have a universal approach to expressing themselves in French, and make them aware of the use of some “er” verbs which are different from their English synonyms as far as the use of prepositions.
Lesson V:
Video 1: In this video, the students will become familiar with the conjugation of regular “ir” verbs in context.
Video 2: This video introduces the present tense of the regular verbs ending with “re” in context.
Video 3: This video introduces the present tense of the irregular verb “faire, to do/to make” in a personal and an impersonal context while highlighting the differences between French and English in the use of this important verb. Besides, the students will be familiar with:
1. The present tense of « faire ».
Video 4: This video will help the students make up sentences in French properly and will provide them with the written answers to the various questions asked in the previous sections, mainly where the verbs “to be and to have” are used. The variety of answers will remain as a reference resource so students can go back to in order to improve their written proficiency in French.
Lesson VI:
Video 1: In this video, the students will see and listen to an explanation of some terms, expressions used in French, will learn how to use them, what to avoid, make a distinction between their meaning in French and English, and polish their verbal and written expression. It is a very relevant analysis of the nuances of the French language that will remain a source of reference for the students in the future.
Video 2: This dialogue puts in context many of the questions and replies used in the previous lessons. It is a way to keep the students in touch with a relevant vocabulary that they can use daily.
Video 3: A review of the vocabulary through a series of questions to which the students will be challenged to reply in complete sentences in French. It is an opportunity for the students to evaluate their progress and to go back to the previous videos, if needed, to refresh their memory and come up with relevant and creative replies.
Testimonials
I found this Intensive French Oral Fluency Course extremely helpful. It was a great refresher for me and the information on the videos most beneficial. It was presented in a very logical order that I found easy to follow and there were great explanations of some things that I had previously memorized in French courses but had never really understood the reasoning. I know it will be a great reference tool for me that I will turn to time and time again.
Danielle Antonucci
FSL Teacher
I enjoyed the content of this course very much. I use it often for referencing and to refresh my memory. Mr. Khoury uses media tools to help the reader understand problems and speaks English and translates sentences to French for ease of understanding. I recommend this course to students who are looking for extra help in understanding basic rules and for reference purposes.
Julien Soulliere
French Program,
University of Windsor
I found this Intensive French Oral Fluency Course to be an excellent resource to review and to improve the French I learned through my 13 years in French immersion. I find it to be an avenue to a more well- rounded French vocabulary. The repetitive action of listening to the audio gave me a solid understanding of the material and helped me successfully improve my oral French. The content goes beyond a list of vocabulary to the everyday uses of the expressions which makes the application into your life seamless.”
Cassandra McNiece
3rd Year French Studies Major
University of Windsor
This course is a useful and interactive method of teaching. Personally, I am more of a visual/auditory learner, so simply reading something will not allow me to fully understand or memorize it. Your videos were clear and concise and gave very useful information. Most people want to jump to the difficult and more complex topics when learning a new language, mainly to fast track their learning, but what they do not realize is that when you learn a new language, you need to understand the basics fully and thoroughly before you can move forward. The information presented through the videos were common errors that people don’t even realize they may be using. It was good to have the correct version of a simple sentence or rule to guide people when writing. Since you incorporated the videos, I had the opportunity to read along while you spoke. I also made good notes on the things you said. What helped me was that you didn’t simply follow word-for-word what the text said. You almost interacted with the listener and gave additional information to make the reading easier and understandable. Overall, the concepts in your course helped me make a comfortable transition into my first-year university French class. When I understood the concepts, it made me feel better prepared for the future of French studies. I found this course to be very useful and enlightening not only for university students but also for high school students. It could prepare them for university French and make them more aware of some of the common mistakes in the French language.
Alexandra Frabotta
1st Year French
University of Windsor
This course has and will continue to help me relearn the French language. I had not spoken much French since high school and as an adult, I felt overwhelmed going into first-year French at the University of Windsor.
I highly encourage not only people who have been away from French to take this course but also high school students entering at the University. It would refresh their knowledge and teach them proper French prior to attending a language course at the university level. Your videos incorporate useful information that is involved in the course curriculum. This course is a wonderful asset for me since grammar has always been somewhat difficult for me to comprehend, and for anyone wishing to grasp the basic concept of the language and its grammar.
I highly recommend it. It is useful for every type of learner.
Danielle Johnston
1st Year French
University of Windsor