School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies

Course Outline - 2004

FREN2020 Intermediate French B
Course coordinator and teacher:

Dr Jeanne Rolin-Ianziti
j.rolinianziti@uq.edu.au

Office hours: Monday: 4 to 5 p.m.

Thursday: 4 to 5 p.m.
Course teachers:

Dr Jeanne Rolin-Ianziti (group A)

Ms Chantelle Brittain (group B)

I.
Times of classes, rooms and groups
You can chose to enroll in one of the two following groups:
Group A:

Mon 10-12
Thu 10-12

Michie 642 (Note; there may be room change)

Greenwood 309 (Note: there may be room change)

Group B:

Tu 6-8 p.m.
Th 6-8 p.m.

Michie 642 (Note: there may be room change)

Michie 722 (Note: there may be room change)

General organization of the course: For the first two hours of the week, we will work
with the textbook Reflets 1; during the two last hours of the week we will work with
other documents (hand-outs to work on pronunciation; the videotape: Le Calendrier
des Franais).
II. Objectives
The main objective of the course is to develop oral skills (listening and speaking)
through activities developed out of Reflets 1 (for the first two hours of the week) and
based on other documents (in particular the videotape Le Calendrier des Franais).
You may expect to do some reading as a springboard to oral activities. But this is not
the main purpose of the course. If you wish to do more reading and writing, you
should enroll in the companion subject FREN2310 (Reading and Writing in French).
At the end of the course, students may expect to have achieved some ability to cope
with most everyday conversations in a French context, as well as to have developed
the very basic skills needed to understand and report information in French.

III. Content
The content of the course includes items discussed and practiced in the episodes 17,
18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 of Reflets 1. The main items are:
 Talking about the past (review of past tenses: pass compos and imparfait)
 Time expressions (depuis combien de temps/ a fait combien de temps?)
 Making comparisons (comparatives, superlatives)
 Saying what you are going to do or what you will do (future tense)
 Brief introduction to the subjunctive (if we have time)
Most of the speaking activities will be based on documents with a strong cultural
content. The main theme of our speaking will be le calendrier des Franais or the
main monthly events recurring in French peoples lives and talked about in the media,
such as Christmas and le tour de France.

IV. Teaching methods

As in FREN 2010, we will spend some time working on listening with the Reflets 1
video/audio dialogues and on speaking based on oral activities from the textbook. We
will continue to use pair work and role play a as a learning technique to foster
speaking. Other tasks based on video material will be used in order to help practice
more creative speech and to develop the ability to understand information and report
on the information. You will be asked to watch the videotape Le Calendrier des
Franais in the Arts Learning Centre in order to prepare for classroom tasks
involving reporting about the video information. Other interactive tasks will be based
on written documents handed out in class during the semester.
V. Materials
1. Please buy from the bookshop if you do not already have a copy:
Capelle, Guy and Nolle Gidon, Reflets 1, Mthode de franais, Hachette, 1999.
2. Reflets 1 video/audio material

 The videotapes and audiocassettes are available for consultation in the High Use
section at the Social Sciences and Humanities library

 The audio material is available on computers in self access in the Arts Learning
Center; if you have the appropriate equipment, you can get the material on your
home computer;
 Audio material lending service: The service will be continued this semester under
the following rules: 1) please go to the counter of the School office (Gordon
Greenwood 320, third level) for a CD or a Tape including the pisodes of Reflets
1 covered this semester (17 to 22); the person in charge of the lending service is
Carmen McNaught; 2) the loan is only for this semester; so please make sure you
bring the tape/CD back at the end of the semester; 3) Students who did not return
cassettes last semester, will NOT be allowed to borrow FREN 2020 materials
before the FREN2010 cassette is returned,

3. To prepare for oral activities, you will have to watch the videotape Le calendrier
des Franais, available for self access in the Arts Learning Centre. Listening
exercises based on the video will be distributed in class.
4. For independent extra work to practice written forms
Capelle, Guy et Nolle Gidon, Reflets 1, Cahier dexercices, Hachette 1999.
The key to the exercises is available from Jeanne on request.
5. For autonomous work, the following texts are recommended and are available at
the bookshop: (some are the same as in FH 2010)
Bescherelle: Les conjugaisons (the English version)
Grgoire, M et Thivenaz, O. Grammaire Progressive du Franais, CLE
International, 1995. The Corrigs of the exercises are also available.
Collins-Robert French Concise Dictionary, French-English, English-French (in case
you really need an English-French, French-English dictionary).
Hawkins, Roger and Richard Towell, French Grammar and Usage, Second edition,
Oxford University Press, 2001. (Jeanne is investigating the usefulness of this
grammar book in English. The book is not yet in the bookstore).
VI. Assessment
1. Attendance, preparation and participation in 5 oral activities 25%
based on the videotape Le Calendrier des Franais
(5% x 5 activities;2% for attendance/participation, 3% for preparation)
2. Test (listening, grammar)
25%
based on Reflets 1pisodes and activities carried out in class (such as the ones based
on the video Le calendrier des Franais
3. Two oral interviews IN WEEKS 3 and 13
50%
(interview 1 = 20%; interview 2 = 30%
Jeanne will ask you questions on Reflets 1 story and on information discussed in class
during the speaking activities (especially the ones based on Le calendrier des Franais
and other written documents distributed in class)
Note: you will have to prepare listening exercises based on Le Calendrier in the Arts
Learning Centre. Those exercises count for 25% of the final grade (see under n. 2).
However, doing the exercises will help you answering questions on the oral interview
and on the listening test.
VII. Cut off points
We will use the following cut off lines to convert marks into final grades:
100 to 88:
7
87 to 75:
6
74 to 65:
5
64 to 54:
4
53 to 43
3
below 42
2

VIII. Timetable for homework and tests

This timetable is provisional but we will make every effort to follow it. No change is
expected for tests and exams.
We will cover 6 episodes from Reflets 1 (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
You have to prepare and participate in 5 prepared oral activities (weeks 3, 5, 8, 9,
12)
You have one test (listening and grammar) (during examination period; 50 minutes
long)
You have two oral interviews in weeks 6 and 13.
Symbols: 1 = two first hours of the week; 2 = two last hour of the week
Week 1 (26/7)1. Introduction to the subject
Introduce Episode 17
2. Oral activity: introducing each other to the class
Homework for week 2: listen back to Episode 17 with audio cassette; prepare
exercises Reflets 1 p 144, 1, 2, 3 and p 147, 2.
Week 2 (2/8)1. Work on Episode 17 with vocabulary list handed out in class and with
grammar exercises pp 145-146.
2. Oral activity based on written documents distributed in class
Homework: prepare oral activity in the Arts Learning Centre with Le Calendrier des
Franais for JANVIER, FEVRIER (exercises will be distributed in class in week 2)
Week 3 (9/8) 1. Work on Episode 17: practice with a pair work
Introduce Episode 18
2. Discuss prepared oral activity 1 based on Le Calendrier des
Franais: JANVIER ET FEVRIER
Homework for week 4: listen back to Episode 18 with audio cassette; prepare p 152,
1: quavez-vous compris?
Week 4(16/8) 1. Work on Episode 18 with vocabulary list and with grammar
exercises pp 153-154
2. Oral activity based on written documents distributed in class
Homework for week 5: Prepare oral activity based on Le Calendrier des Franais:
MARS, AVRIL, MAI (exercises will be distributed in class)
Week 5 (23/8)1. Work on Episode 18: practice with picture/multiple choice
2. Discuss prepared oral activity 2 based on Le Calendrier MARS,
AVRIL, MAI

Homework for week 6: review Episodes 17 and 18 for interview 1

Week 6 (30/8)1. Assessed oral interview 1 (first session of the week)
2. Introduce Episode 19 (exceptionally we will work with Reflets 1
during the two last hours of the week; please bring your textbook)
Homework for week 7: listen back to Episode 19 with audio cassette; prepare
exercises Reflets 1 p 160, 1, 2, 3 and p 163, 2.
Week 7 (6/9) 1. Work on Episode 19 with vocabulary list and with grammar
exercises
pp 161-162
2. Oral activity based on written documents distributed in class
Homework for week 8: Prepare oral activity based on Le Calendrier des Franais:
JUIN, JUILLET (exercises will be distributed in class)
Week 8 (13/9)1. Introduce Episode 20
2. Discuss prepared oral activity based on Le Calendrier des Franais:
JUIN, JUILLET
Homework for week 9: listen back to Episode 20 with audio cassette; prepare
exercises p 168, 1 and 2; p 171, 2;
Week 9 (20/9)1. Work on Episode 20 with vocabulary list and grammar exercises pp
169-170;
2. Oral activity based on written documents distributed in class
WEEK COMMENCING 27 SEPTEMBER; 1 WEEK SEMESTER BREAK
Homework for week 10: prepare oral activity based on Le Calendrier des Franais:
AOUT, SEPTEMBRE, OCTOBRE (exercises will be distributed in class)
Week 10 (4/10)1. Introduce Episode 21
2. Discuss prepared oral activity based on Le calendrier AOUT,
SPETEMBRE, OCTOBRE
Homework for week 11: : listen back to Episode 21 with audio cassette; prepare p
176, 1, 2 and 3; and p 179, 2.
Week 11 (11/10)1. Work on Episode 21 with vocabulary list and grammar exercises
pp 177-178
2. Oral activity based on written documents distributed in class

Homework for week 12:. Prepare oral activity based on Le Calendrier des Franais:
NOVEMBRE, DECEMBRE (exercises will be distributed in class)
Week 12(18/10)1. Introduce Episode 22
2. Discuss prepared oral activity based on Le Calendrier des Franais:
NOVEMBRE. DECEMBRE
Homework for week 13: listen back with the audio cassette to Episode 22, prepare
exercises p 184, 2 and 4 and p 187, 3; review all Episodes (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) for
oral exam
Week 13 (25/10)1. Work on Episode 22 with vocabulary list and grammar exercises
pp 185-186
2. Oral Interview 2 (second session of the week)
Examination period: Test (listening and grammar) (50 minutes long; base on
Episodes
Starting 8/11
17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 and Le calendrier des Franais)