Beginning French I – 1321

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Beginning French I – FREN 1321-03 Pr. Juana Dolores Montiel
MWF: 10:45-11:35 A.M. Room ARHU 180 office: ARHU 125
Office hours: MW 9:30-10:30 A.M. email:BB
and by appointment secretary ARHU 329 ex.3441
COURSE DESCRIPTION
FREN 1321 is a course specifically designed for non speakers of French to help students
learn enough French to adequately communicate their basic needs in everyday life
situations in a French speaking environment. Those students who have taken French in
high school are advised to enroll in French Beginning II - FREN1322 or French
Intermediate I FREN 2321.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. The aim of the course is to familiarize each of you with the basics grammatical structures
and the most common vocabulary of French language with an emphasis on all four skills:
listening and comprehension, speaking, reading and writing.
2. The students will be introduced to international cultural aspects of French European,
North African, African, Caribbean, Canadian and American (Louisiana) culture.
3. Students will develop a critical understanding of basic grammatical aspects (skills that
enhance their performances in their own native language) and allow them to experiment
with foreign language acquisition.
4. For students who are already native bilingual, this course enables to start a pathway to
trilingual expertise, giving them a professional career advantage in an increasingly
competitive economy.
5. Learning a Foreign language allows the students to re-examine their world vision as it
confronts them with other cultures and customs. It offers opportunities to work with, and
to learn, about “Otherness”.
Material : 1. Vivez le Français! A module for Beginners (hardcopy at the library or to
download from Blackboard).
2. Exercises on blackboard.
Evaluation: Grading measures and scales.
Tests/BB 50 % Attendance &Participation 10% Quizzes &Poems 10% Mid-Term 10%
Final Exam 20%
A = 90-100 B= 80-89 C=70-79 D=60-69 F=-0-59
*The teacher reserves the right to adjust these percentages.
** Any student wishing to withdraw from this course must do the paper work on time.
Student Grade Record:
Pop Quizzes tests/BB scores Presence & Participation & SI Poems
1. _____ 1._____ 1. _____ 4. ____ 1. ____
2. _____ 2._____ 2. ____ 5. ____ 2. ____
3. _____ 3._____ 3. _____ 3. ____
4. _____ 4. _____ Mid-Term 10% Final Exam 20%

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5. _____ 5. _____
MISCELLANEOUS CLASS RULES:
- Attendance: The class meets 2/3 days per week : attendance is mandatory. This
class is a participatory class, which means you must produce oral work all the time.
The only way to achieve this is to practice the target language. The instructor retains the
right to drop or fail a student after 3 absences. All absences need to be justified.
- Conversation practice: In order to help students develop their oral communication
skills, students are required to complete 10-15 hours of oral (conversation) practice with
the French tutors at the LAC Bldg. room 126 or with the Supplemental Instructor
sessions. Further clarifications can be given in class.
- Audio practice: Class time is the main place for audio practice but several links will be
available on Blackboard. Furthermore French film series are available on campus and
also at Cine El Rey (McAllen) every first Sunday of the month. UTPA – French club
advised by French faculty is also another opportunity to practice and get help from
advanced students and French students.
- Homework: Exercises to be completed for every lesson on Blackboard (BBL). The
exercises available on BBL need to be reworked until getting the highest score at the
end of each chapter. The score obtained then counts as a test grade which will be
considered as 50% of your final grade.
- Testing: Student should read and prepare the grammatical lesson and reading before the
class. Random quizzes may test your preparation. There will be NO MAKE UP EXAMS.
Be aware of the opportunities to study abroad with a scholarship.
Apply on time for Laval U. in Quebec City, Canada or U. Paris –
Sorbonne, France.
If you have a documented disability, which will make it difficult for you to carry out the
work as I have outline, and/ or if you need special accommodations/assistance due to the
disability, please contact the Office of Service for Persons with Disabilities (OSPD),
Emilia Schunior Hall Room 1.101 immediately. Appropriate arrangements and
accommodations can be arranged.
Beginning French I – 1321
1ere semaine –
Chapitre Initiation p. 1- 4 : Salutations, les présentations,
Dans la Salle de Classe p. 1-2
Stratégies et Activités de communication - Expressions nouvelles
Lecture et Culture p.5 - Poème Brindille et Allumette amoureux
2ème semaine -
Chapitre UN Etape 1 & 2 : Qui est-ce ? Qu’est-ce que c’est ? Expressions pour la classe
Etape 3 : Montrez-moi ? Articles indéfinis & articles définis (exercices : 1, 2, 3 Ch. 1 p.)
Poème : Dans Paris il y a…

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3ème semaine –
Quiz 1 + Poème et Récitation
Chapitre 1 Etape 4 : Où êtes-vous ? Où est-ce ? Prépositions de lieu
Etape 5 : pronoms sujets et le verbe être ; Etape 6 : Questions avec « Est-que… »
Lecture et culture : Finir les exercices chapitre 1
4ème semaine -
Test I – sur Chapitre 1
Chapitre 2 Etape 1 & 2 : Les articles définis & accord des adjectifs qualificatifs
Etape 3 : le verbe avoir
Lecture et Culture : Poème et récitation Familles …
5ème semaine -
Quiz 2 + Poème et Récitation
Chapitre 2 : Etape 4 : Questions avec l’inversion. Etape 5 : Adjectifs possessifs.
Etape 6 & 7 : C’est / Il est - & « à + ville » ; « en » + pays féminin…
Lecture et culture : Portraits d’étudiants
6ème semaine-
Activités pratiques et ludiques
Théâtre : Elève Hamlet- L’accent grave.
7ème semaine -
Test II - sur Chapitre 2
Chapitre 3 : Etape 1. & 2. Accords du pluriel des noms et adjectifs.
Etape 3. Accords du pluriel : adjectifs possessifs + noms + adjectifs.
Lecture et culture
8ème semaine -
Quiz 3 – récitation.
Etape 4 : Verbes réguliers en –er. Etape 5 & 6 expressions « il y a » et « beaucoup de »
Révision + discussion
Activités pratiques et ludiques
9ème semaine –
Test III - sur chapitre 3
Chapitre 4 : Etape 1 & 2 : «ne … pas » ; Le verbe faire et expressions avec faire
Etape 3 : Négations de « un/ une / des » → « pas de (d’) »
Poème : Tu dis que tu aimes les oiseaux…
10ème semaine -
Quiz 4 - Récitation
Etape 4 & 5: adjectifs aux féminins irréguliers ; place singulière de quelques adjectifs.
Etape 6 : formes négatives absolues.
Activités pratiques et ludiques

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11ème semaine -
Test IV sur chapitre 4
Chapitre 5 – Etape 1 & 2 : le verbe aller ; articles contractés « à + le = au ; à + les =
aux » ; Etape 3 : Pronom « ON »
Culture et Réflexion
Révisions
12ème semaine -
Quiz 4 – Etape 4 : Conjugaison des verbes réguliers du 2ème groupe « -ir »
Etape 5 : articles contractés « de + le = du ; de + les = des »
Récapitulation : articles contractés « à + le = au ; à + les = aux » & « de + le = du ; de +
les = des »
Activités pratiques et ludiques
13ème semaine
Etape 6 & 7 « chez » et pluriels « aux, eux »
Révisions
14ème semaine
Test V sur chapitre 5
Révisions et pratiques Les conjugaisons principales –er, –ir. Les 4 verbes irréguliers de
base : être, avoir, faire et aller
15ème semaine -
Révision – pre-exam
Dead day
Final exam: check the schedule online