Intermediate French Language, Year 3 Module 1 -- Listen, Speak, Read, Write

The students will expand vocabulary and ability to express ideas in French. The students will master the major tense structures in French, specifically review the present and passé composé, review / learn the imparfait, and learn the futur simple and conditionnel. These known tenses of the auxiliary verbs avoir and être  will be used to construct, very easily, more compound tenses such as the plus-que-parfait, futur antérieur, and conditionnel passé. Students will also work on mastering object pronouns for direct and indirect objects plus y and en. Negations and general sentence structure will also be reviewed. As required by reading, a general reading familiarity with the subjunctive and passê simple will be introduced, With these skills,  students will be able to read everyday material such as stories and news articles in French, and will be able to express themselves on general topics.
**Prerequisite: The student should have completed French 1 and 2 and have a good familiarity with the present tense of the three families of verbs, simple conversations on daily topics, and usually a knowledge of the passê composê, as well as vocabulary for general knowledge, common irregular verbs, and common daily expressions. **
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The following schedule is approximate and will be adapted to student background knowledge and needs.
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* Module 1:
: Introduction and finding students' levels, review of pronunciation, review of present tense of three groups of verbs, review of avoir and être. Review common irregular verbs especially the five usual suspects, avoir, être, faire, dire, aller, plus others. Note common patterns even in irregular verbs. Review of masculine and feminine nouns and adjectives; singular and plural.  Read dialogues, short-short stories, cultural articles, and anecdotes. Vocabulary from reading. Ask and answer questions on self and on reading topics. Written assignments covering these topics.
Imperative and Interrogative (commands and questions)  Wider reading chosen according to students' interests. News articles, simple science articles, short stories, dialogues and cultural articles. Note examples of grammar studies in reading, and explore how these principles are used and what they contribute to meaning. Review exercises chosen according to student needs. Write a short paragraph.
* Module 2:
Reflexive/Pronominal verbs and reflexive pronouns; direct object pronouns. Word order, similarities and differences from English Note and stress masculine and feminine, singular and plural.  Continued reading. Specific grammar exercises and open-ended paragraph writing..
Passe Compose and Imparfait; how to construct the, regularities and irregularities, how to decide which one to use
* Module 3:
Compound and complex sentences. Conjunctions and simple relative pronouns qui and que. Understanding subject and object. Recognize examples in reading, and make writing more interesting. Read and discuss stories and write paragraphs.: Review of adjectives. Agreement of adjectives with nouns. Adverbs. Meaning and difference between adjectives and adverbs. Start reading and discussing a longer story or short book of interest to students.
* Module 4:
Reading of more extensive dialogues and cultural articles Expressing self in speech. Answering questions in full sentences and in short paragraphs.  Futur simple and conditionnel, construction, meaning, and use. Extended use of complex sentences.
* Module 5:
Quick overview, for reading knowledge, of passé simple. Continue reading and discussion of longer story / short book. Vocabulary from reading. Write paragraphs extending discussion of readings
* Module 6:
Quick overview, for reading knowledge, of subjunctive. Structure, meaning, and common usage in speech and writing.  Continue reading and discussion of longer story / short book. Vocabulary from reading and discussion. Write paragraphs extending discussion of reading.
:Choose reading in depth for the rest of the class. Read and discuss, note the grammar we have been studying, and write a short essay on the topic. Note plus-que-parfait and futur antérieur and how they parallel English constructions.
* Module 7
Final overview of material learned in class. Review all verb tenses, compound and complex sentences, relative pronouns.Test, correction, and feedback.

I live in Montreal and use French constantly: with my landlord who does not speak a word of English, while shopping, in government offices and on the telephone to businesses and officials, while taking courses at the Université du Quéebec, in medical centers, watching the news -- as a way of life.
Having learned French as a second language myself, I understand the problems learners experience and various ways to solve them.
I have a BA degree in Foreign Languages and linguistics and an MA in Education as well as teacher certification as a French first language teacher in Ontario.
I've been tutoring French, including helping some French-speaking students in reading and grammar, for several decades. All of my students who stayed with tutoring for the full semester have succeeded very well.

Homework will be assigned according to the needs of the students. Several drills will be assigned to help develop automatic memory. Students should also be prepared to recite orally as a way to develop automatic memory. There will be written assignments two or three times weekly requiring answers in sentences or short paragraphs in French, and later some sort essays. The goal is to have students become comfortable reading and writing intermediate-level French.

Oral assessment through back and forth conversation will be ongoing throughout the class. There is a limit of five students maximum so that every student will get plenty of time.
Occasional progress tests will be given and some written exercises will be annotated in order to give feedback on students' skills.
If requested, a certificate of successful completion can be sent.

3 hours per week in class, and an estimated 2 - 4 hours per week outside of class.