Adverse Weather etc: what to do at home.

If you are unable to come to school because of adverse weather or any other unexpected circumstances there are still things you can do, once any homework is completed. For instance:

* Revise vocabulary recently done in class
* Review recent work and check you still understand.
* Prepare for any tests that may be coming up.
* Practise at any of the sites I have recommended on the blog or in class.
* Check the school website for any updated information that may have been given.

Some of the things you should be doing may depend on the time of year or your stage of study.

S1 and S2
Useful websites for now include
A tantot - you have been given a copy of the username and password. If you are in the middle of a Spanish block, there are also exercises here you can do.

Wild French - There are exercises to help you with the vocabulary topics you have looked at in class.

S3 and S4
You should revise using your vocabulary sheet in the first instance.

You may have Writing or Speaking assessments to prepare for and/or learn.

Click on the labels SG or SG revision for a list of sites.

France Live sheets provide useful reading/cultural awareness exercises which you can also mine for vocabulary.

S5 and S6
Again, look over current and previous work in class.

If you have a copy of the H or Int 2 pack, look over any exercises the teacher has not done in class.

Take some time to revisit any Listening exercises already done in class - this time listen to the clip while reading the transcript in order to familiarise yourself with pronunciation.

SCHOLAR - it is important that you use this as you work your way through topic areas - your teachers can and do check how often you use this.

Check for any previous instructions, advice and website recommendations on this blog.

Reminder: Study day

The Modern Languages department is having a morning of extra revision for its Higher French pupils tomorrow, Friday 14th May in the Library.

Also a reminder that you all have a stock of preparation for the Listening/Writing paper, perhaps filed differently or forgotten about once March was over!

Other useful sites I've come across:

Podcasts with exam tips - well worth the time.

Reading practice

Listening practice - scroll to the bottom of the page

Not sure how to prounounce words?

This site Miss Mula told me about might help.

• Type in what you want to say - correctly! If you make a mistake, it won't pronounce it properly.
• I'd type in a document, with correct accents and paste it in to the box.
• Select language as French (or Spanish or which you want) or the lanaguage you have typed in.
• Adjust the speed.
• You are give the option of embedding this in an email or web page.

Remember, though, results can only be as good as the work you put in to it.

Higher Speaking

Speaking is worth 25% of your overall Higher result. You will have to carry out a speaking assessment around the start of March (date still to be confirmed): this assessment will consist of a presentation by you, with a follow-up discussion with your teacher. The assessment has to be recorded and may be sent off to SQA for assessment/moderation. This Speaking assessment will also count as the Speaking assessment for the Language Unit (NAB). You can choose any topic area in the course.

Presentation

The presentation must last for up to two minutes and is worth 10 marks. You will be allowed to use notes consisting of 5 headings of up to 8 words each.

You will be able to prepare this topic well in advance and learn it so that you can be absolutely sure of what you want to say. Your French should be accurate and you should use a variety of tenses and structures. You must be sure to go beyond the ideas, structures and vocabulary expected at Standard Grade, as discussed in class. There should be a clear beginning, middle and end. Expressing your opinions is essential, and you should also include reasons for some of these opinions.

Your talk: Dos and Don'ts

Choose a topic you feel comfortable with but one that allows you to show off what you know. Make sure that it allows you to express a range of opinions and language. You may want to base your talk on a small area of a topic, allowing you to expand on this and talk about this topic in a wider context in the discussion. For example, if you chose education, you could talk about the the importance of learning a foreign language and how you could promote this in school. This could naturally lead on to topics like careers, future plans and travel in the conversation.

As you can have up to five headings, (5 cue cards?), one way might be to structure your talk in to three to five parts. If you get mixed up in one part, your cue cards could help you get back on track. Once your talk is planned and structured, focus on your language. You should be sure that you:

• understand everything you intend to say.
• use previous classwork to help you. This is all at the appropriate level for you.
• include a variety of structures and ideas. Useful phrases have been brought to your attention throughout the course and you should have collected these in your vocab section.
• vary tenses and include complex phrases (again, using your vocab section) but make sure you are comfortable with this language.
• record the corrected version/final redraft well in advance.

There are also things you need to avoid, most of which you should know about already. For example:

• don't leave everything until the last minute. If you do, you make life more difficult for yourself and also for others.
• don't stick to 'safe' language. Simple may be easier but it will not get a good grade. Pick out phrases from your vocabulary.
• don't make lists or repeat language excessively.

Follow-up discussion

This is worth 15 marks and usually lasts around 5 minutes. While this is NOT prepared in advance, you will have some element of control over how the conversation proceeds. It should be like any other spontaneous conversation (except in French!). Questions could begin by picking up a point raised in your presentation but the remainder will go far beyond this.

You can and should remain in control throughout e.g. by giving detailed answers to your questions, that naturally to a further question or even by asking a question of your own. Short answers will prompt even more questions, and also give you less of a chance to 'show off' and get a good grade.

Again, try to vary your language and not simply stick to familiar structures and vocabulary.

Please note that this is a discussion, e.g. a conversation! It should flow and not be entirely one-sided. If you do get stuck, you can ask for help in French (asking your teacher to repeat, for instance) without it counting against you. Have a few useful phrases in mind just in case!

Higher: Something to think about over the break

Don't forget the impending deadlines noted in your diaries!

As we have been working our way through the Lifestyles unit, we have looked at the following topic areas:

* Family, Friends and Society
* The role of the individual in Society

I would ask that you treat page 11 of booklet A as a checklist; if you missed anything through late entry in to the class or for any other reason, it is worth completing the exercises and looking over each language point you're not sure of. The relevant SCHOLAR pages will also help and provide instant feedback.

At this point, I have to stress again that there is absolutely no substitute for learning the vocabulary!

If you're finding your workload challenging, use the break to think about how you manage your time given that you do get an appropriate amount of homework in all of your subjects. If you found recent class tests challenging, you need to look at the way you go about learning new words and phrases. Small chunks and often usually works best; I've also recommended finding ways of incorporating them in to your writing and speaking activities. There are more suggestions on a poster on my classroom door.

H/Int 2: The story so far

Just a quick recap of what you've looked at in my part of the course so far:

Grammar

* Present tense regular verbs (-er, -ir, -re)
* Present tense: 4 most common irregular verbs (aller, avoir, être and faire)
* Present tense: devoir, vouloir, pouvoir, prendre
* Present tense reflexive verbs (Wed)

Quick recap here or you can double-check conjugations when writing here should you need it, although this is no substitute for learning verbs!

Extended Reading and Viewing

* We have watched Amélie
* We have gone over the requirements of the NAB
* Task has been given out and you should be working on it
* Give yourself a practice run the weekend before the NAB, compare it to your correct version and see what you're not doing well

Listening

* Intermediate 2 tasks before the holidays (also on the topic of family relationships)
* Papa Poule (+new vocab) and related exercises
* Parents séparés (+ new vocab) and related exercises

Short Essay/Speaking

* Two given before the holidays
* Essay just completed, corrected and ready to redraft.

Higher/Int 2: building up vocabulary for Speaking/Writing

Your starting point should be the materials we use in class (which should now be copied on to your USB key) and the vocabulary lists we have referred you to. When we go through the vocabulary, you should be highlighting phrases you want to copy, contradict or adapt for your own circumstances and, if you have a specific question, do ask at the time!

There are some useful sites online but it often takes time to sift through all the things that you don't need for now. One such site is Frenchteacher.net; everything on this page is aimed at pupils preparing for A-levels but if you scroll down to near the bottom there are vocab lists, small sections of which could be of some help. No vocabulary list can or should contain everything you want to say. You should also be learning to find what you need in your own dictionary and grammar notes, and work at being more confident in constructing your own sentences independently. If you need help in this, let your teacher know.

Keep an eye on this post; if I come across relevant material that could be useful, I'll let you know here.

Materials

It is important to take care of the jotters, vocabulary sheets and any other materials you are given out. Whatever stage you are at, you will be expected to build upon your existing knowledge of French.

If you are in Standard Grade, keep in mind that you will be examined on topics from S3 and S4. Work from previous years is often a good starting point when you come across a similar topic that goes in to more detail.

Pupils in S5 and S6 are asked to come to all classes equipped with the following:

- their USB key
- a French-English dictionary
- a notebook to keep extra notes on grammar and vocab

Higher and Int 2: Listening

I recommended that my new Higher/Int 2 class spend a little time listening to authentic French media over the next few weeks and months. This will help them get used to the way that French sounds and approach work with more confidence. I gave them a list to start them off:

Authentic Media:

Curiosphere - aimed at pupils and students in France.

MonJTquotidien - newsround-style clips.

NRJ - and other French radio stations.

French TV Stations such as TF1

Sites aimed at learners of French or developed by French teachers:

Dailyfrenchpod

Lafrancebis

Listening practice aimed at AS/A2 pupils.