Spring 2016
FR 201B: Intermediate French Grammar
Professor: Dr. Benjamin Sparks
Email: sparks@siu.edu
Office: Faner Hall 2066
Office Hours: MWF 9-10, 12-1
Phone: 618-453-5416
or by appointment
Course meetings: MWF 11:00-11:50
Course location: Faner Hall 2373
Textbook: St. Onge, Susan, and Ronald St. Onge. 2012. Interaction: Langue et Culture.
Enhanced Eigth Edition. Boston: Heinle. ISBN: 978-0495916369.
Workbook: St. Onge, Susan, and Ronald St. Onge, Jocelyne Morel-Brant. 2011. Interaction:
Langue et Culture Cahier d’activités orales et écrites. Eigth Edition. Boston: Heinle. ISBN:
978-1428263192
Novel: Sempé, Jean-Jacques, and René Goscinny. Le petit Nicolas. Paris: Folio, 1994. ISBN:
978-2070364237
Course description: French 201B continues the students’ exploration of the language and cultures
of French-speaking peoples at an intermediate level. It uses the students’ knowledge of
elementary-level skills to add ease and confidence in their reading, writing, speaking and
listening skills, as well as depth to their understanding and knowledge of French and
Francophone literatures and cultures. The course covers the materials of 4 chapters from the
Interaction textbook (1, 2, 3, 4) as well as Le petit Nicolas, a children’s chapter book, by SempéGoscinny.
Learning Objectives: By the end of French 201B, students will be able to read, write, speak, and
comprehend intermediate French, and will be more versed in numerous aspects of French and
Francophone cultures.
Course Placement: French 201B is designed for intermediate students with previous French
language experience (123A, 123B, and 201A). Students who have already had several years of
French language in high school or equivalent experience in French are strongly encouraged to
take the online Foreign Language Placement Test to determine their appropriate course level. For
more information, visit: http://languages.siuc.edu/undergraduate/placementexaminfo.html.
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Grading:
Attendance: ........... 10%
Attendance: Due to the nature of language learning in general, attendance to class is
mandatory since it is absolutely critical for developing communicative abilities in French. It
is your responsibility to let your instructor know in advance should you need to miss a class.
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every class. If you arrive late, you will receive
partial points for attendance. Students using cell phones and/or texting in class will have that
class recorded as an absence.
Participation: You are expected to read the assigned pages, noted in the course schedule, in
the textbook before coming to class and to participate in individual, pair, and group work. If
you do not, you will not receive full points for that day. Active participation and proper
preparation are all crucial for improving your French. You will be called on to infer meaning,
answer questions, and communicate with classmates. You will lose 1 point of the attendance
grade for each class missed (i.e. If you miss 4 days then your attendance grade will be
96/100).
Exams: ................... 30%
There will be an exam given at the end of each chapter (except chapter 3 which will be
integrated into the final). These are designed to evaluate your progress in French in the areas
of listening, reading, writing, speaking, and cultural knowledge. No late or make-up exams
will be given during the semester, but students missing fewer than 5 classes can drop their
lowest exam score.
Dictations: ......... 10%
The students will write a short dictation once a week covering the grammar and vocabulary
discussed that week.
Composition: .... 10%
The students will write a 2-3 page composition about the novel Le petit Nicolas. The student
will choose one of the short stories, provide a description of that story and explain why they
found that specific story interesting.
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Oral exam: .......... 10%
A group conversation will take place in the professor’s office during office hours on week 15
(The week of April 25th). A sign-up sheet will be passed around closer to the date of the
exam. Students are encouraged to actively participate in class in order to prepare for this
exam.
Final exam: ........ 30%
The final exam is a comprehensive exam, over all four chapters studied during the semester,
and over all five skills developed in the class (listening, reading, writing, speaking, and
cultural knowledge).
Final exam date: May 13, 2016 from 10:15-12:15
Grading scale:
90-100=A
80-89=B
70-79=C
60-69=D
0-59=F
Course Policies:
To achieve success in a Foreign Language class, students must be present, prepared for class, and
willing to actively participate in French. They also need to complement classwork with the
daily homework assigned by the professor. Absence is no excuse for missed assignment.
Academic dishonesty and plagiarism (turning in someone else’s work and words as your own)
are not acceptable and will result in a failing grade for the course. For more information about
plagiarism, including how to prevent plagiarism, consult the Morris Library Guide on Plagiarism
http://libguides.lib.siu.edu/plagiarism. Suspected cases of plagiarism or academic dishonesty
will be investigated and pursued according to the corresponding articles of the SIUC Student
Conduct Code. When in doubt, cite the source(s) of the information and consult with your
professor. You are not allowed to use any translation web site or software for any of your
assignments.
Dictionaries vs. Translation programs: The use of paper, electronic, and online dictionaries
will be permitted, while the use of all translation sites and programs will be strictly prohibited.
If you have any doubt about whether a resource is allowed, it is your responsibility to consult
with your instructor beforehand.
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-Dictionaries are permitted resources that allow you to look up one word at a time and receive an
entry giving the grammatical function (noun, verb), pronunciation, and a list of English or
French equivalent(s) of the word you have looked up. Often examples or other usage notes are
given, allowing you to use your knowledge of the language to help you choose an appropriate
form when writing, or to understand a given portion of text when reading, based on context.
-Translation programs and online translators are prohibited resources that attempt to
automatically give a translation of a text into another language. Generally, these programs allow
the user to input whole phrases, sentences, or paragraphs. Unlike dictionaries, the user is not
given a list of possible equivalents; rather the translator decides for you what words and
grammar to use, often without regard for context.
Attendance: Learning a foreign language is like learning to play a sport or a musical instrument:
it requires regular practice. Since French class is the primary practice space, students are
expected to attend class each day, to participate actively during each lesson, and to bring their
copies of the required course materials to class every day. Students absent from classes because
of required observances of major religious holidays will be excused. It is the student’s
responsibility to notify in advance the professor of each class that will be missed. Students must
also take the responsibility for making up work missed. . Please take a moment to get to know
your neighbor and get their information so that you may ask them what you missed.
Name:_____________________________ Phone/Email:_______________________________
Name:_____________________________ Phone/Email:_______________________________
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Supplementary Assistance: With the cooperation of SIUC’s Disability Support Services (DSS),
each student who qualifies for reasonable supplementary assistance has the right to receive it.
Students requesting supplementary assistance must first register with DSS
(http://disabilityservices.siuc.edu/)
Emergency Procedures:
Southern Illinois University Carbondale is committed to providing a safe and healthy
environment for study and work. Because some health and safety circumstances are beyond
our control, we ask that you become familiar with the SIUC Emergency Response Plan and
Building Emergency Response Team (BERT) program. Emergency response information is
available on posters in buildings on campus, available on the BERT'S website at
www.siuc.edu/emergency/bert.html, the Department of Public Safety's website
www.dps.siu.edu (disaster drop down) and in the Emergency Response Guidelines pamphlet.
Know how to respond to each type of emergency.
Instructors will provide guidance and direction to students in the classroom in the event of an
emergency affecting your location. It is important that you follow these instructions and stay
with your instructor during an evacuation or sheltering emergency. The Building Emergency
Response Team will provide assistance to your instructor in evacuating the building or
sheltering within the facility.
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Class Schedule FR 201B
Spring 2016
1
2
Lundi
18 Janvier
Mercredi
20 Janvier
Vendredi
22 Janvier
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
Birthday
Introductions
Syllabus
Un peu de culture
contemporaine
(pp. 2-3)
Lundi
25 Janvier
Mercredi
27 Janvier
Vendredi
29 Janvier
Vocabulaire actif
(pp. 4-5)
3
4
Lundi
1 Février
Mercredi
3 Février
Note culturelle
(p.9)
Le petit Nicolas
« Un souvenir qu’on va
chérir » (pp. 5-13)
Vendredi
5 Février
Note culturelle
(p. 20)
Le petit Nicolas
« Les cow-boys »
(pp.14-21)
The Imperative
The Irregular Verbs être,
avoir, faire, aller
(pp.10-11)
Synthèse
L’héritage culturel
(pp. 13-16)
Lundi
8 Février
Mercredi
10 Février
Vendredi
12 Février
The Partitive
(pp. 21-23)
Note culturelle
(p. 24-25)
Le petit Nicolas
« Le Bouillon »
(pp. 22-29)
Lundi
15 Février
Mercredi
17 Février
Vendredi
19 Février
Voilà and Il y a
Interactions
(pp. 29-31)
Review for Exam
Examen Chapitre 1
Nouns
Articles
(pp. 16-19)
5
The Present Tense of –er
Verbs
Stem-Changing –er Verbs
(pp.6-8)
6
6
7
8
Lundi
22 Février
Mercredi
24 Février
Vendredi
26 Février
Un peu de culture
contemporaine
(pp. 38-39)
Vocabulaire actif
(pp. 40-41)
Regular –ir Verbs
Regular –re Verbs
(pp. 42-44)
Le petit Nicolas
« Le football »
(pp. 30-38)
Lundi
29 Février
Mercredi
2 Mars
Vendredi
4 Mars
Negation
(pp. 45-47)
Basic Question Patterns
(pp. 50-51)
Note culturelle
(p. 49)
L’héritage culturel
(pp. 52-53)
Le petit Nicolas
« On a eu l’inspecteur »
(pp. 39-47)
Lundi
7 Mars
Mercredi
9 Mars
Vendredi
11 Mars
Irregular –oir Verbs
(pp. 59-60)
Idioms with ête and avoir
(pp. 63-64)
Note culturelle
(p. 58 & 65)
Le petit Nicolas
« Rex »
(pp. 48-55)
Lundi
14 Mars
Mercredi
16 Mars
Vendredi
18 Mars
Les vacances de printemps
Les vacances de printemps
Lundi
21 Mars
Mercredi
23 Mars
Reflexive and Reciprocal
Verbs
(pp. 54-55)
9
10
Review for Exam
Examen Chapitre 2
7
Les vacances de printemps
Vendredi
25 Mars
Un peu de culture
contemporaine
(pp. 74-75)
Le petit Nicolas
« Djodjo »
(pp. 56-63)
11
12
Lundi
28 Mars
Vocabulaire actif
Irregular –ir Verbs
(pp. 76-79)
Descriptive Adjectives
Position of Adjectives
(pp. 82-85)
Lundi
4 Avril
Mercredi
6 Avril
Il/Elle est and C’est
Possessive Adjectives
Demonstrative Adjectives
(pp. 90-93)
13
14
15
Adverbs : Formation and
Position
(pp. 96-98)
Vendredi
1 Avril
L’héritage culturel
(pp. 87-89)
Le petit Nicolas
« Le chouette bouquet »
(pp. 64-72)
Vendredi
8 Avril
Note culturelle
(p. 96)
Le petit Nicolas
« Les carnets »
(pp. 73-79)
Lundi
11 Avril
Mercredi
13 Avril
Vendredi
15 Avril
The Comparative and
Superlative of Adjectives
and Adverbs
(pp. 101-105)
Numbers
(pp. 108-109)
Review for Exam
Examen Chapitre 3
Lundi
18 Avril
Mercredi
20 Avril
Vendredi
22 Avril
Un peu de culture
contemporaine
(pp.118-119)
Vocabulaire actif
(pp.122-123)
Irregular –oire Verbs
Irregular –re Verbs
(pp. 126-128)
Lundi
25 Avril
Mercredi
27 Avril
The passé composé with
avoir and être
(pp. 134-139)
16
Mercredi
30 Mars
Basic Question Patterns with
the passé composé
Placement of Adverbs with
the passé compose
(pp. 140-143)
L’héritage culturel
(pp.132-133)
Le petit Nicolas
« Louisette »
(pp. 80-87)
Vendredi
29 Avril
Uses of the passé composé
(pp. 147-148)
Review the passé composé
Composition Due
Lundi
2 Mai
Mercredi
4 Mai
Vendredi
6 Mai
Note culturelle
(p. 141 & 146)
Review for Final Exam
Review for Final Exam
8