PLF1130 - French Beginners
2021/2 Module description
| Staff | Miss Caroline Blay - Lecturer |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 30 |
| ECTS Value | 15 |
| NQF Level | 4 |
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Co-requisites | None |
| Duration of Module | Term 1: 11 weeks; Term 2: 11 weeks; |
Module description
French Beginners is intended for students who have little or no previous knowledge of French and provides an introduction to the French language and culture in a general context. It is also suitable for students with a GCSE (Grade C or below) in French. The emphasis is on enabling you to communicate orally in French.
French Beginners can be taken towards achieving ‘with proficiency in French”, see http://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/flc/undergraduate/proficiency
Module aims
The module is intended for students who have little or no previous knowledge of French and offers an introduction to French language and culture. This module is broadly equivalent to A1 / low A2 Basic User level of the Common European Framework and aims to:
- Provide students with a solid foundation of the basic grammatical structures of the target language thus enabling them to communicate effectively across the four key language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) at an elementary level on a variety of general topics
- Enable participants to give and understand information and to achieve a confident elementary level of communicative competence in everyday situations
- Provide an introduction to the customs, culture and society of the regions/countries in which the languages are spoken and to develop student awareness of the general social and cultural background of the language
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Demonstrate a sound grasp of the basic grammatical structures of the target language
- 2. Read and comprehend simple written and aural texts and extract specific, predictable information related to every-day situations
- 3. Communicate effectively on a variety of general topics requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters, both orally and in writing
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 4. Understand the principles of learning a foreign language intensively and organise your learning with guidance from the tutor
- 5. Use available learning aids in a variety of media, such as a reference grammar and bilingual dictionary, to consolidate your learning
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 6. Communicate at a basic level in the target language
- 7. Make progress through developing skills of self-study and application and develop an awareness of and sensitivity to a foreign culture
Syllabus plan
The module provides a systematic approach to acquiring essential grammar structures in a communicative context and in accordance with the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Articles: definite, indefinite and partitives
- Interrogation and negation
- Gender and number: nouns and adjectives
- Adjectives: possessives and demonstratives
- Various prepositions
- Verbs: imperative, present, perfect and future: reflexive verbs
- Self and family: introducing oneself, stating name, age, nationality etc... and talking about the family, describing members of the family
- World of work: professions, holiday jobs
- Home and the environment: describing house/flat, towns and villages, finding the way around town
- Shopping: buying food, clothes
- Talking about leisure activities
- Holidays and travel: buying train tickets, using various means of transport, booking various types of accommodation. Staying in Paris, sightseeing, Some francophone countries
- Food and drink
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 88 | 212 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 88 | Language classes |
| Guided independent study | 212 | Consolidate class work by learning vocabulary and structures, and by reading, watching or listening to material from a wide range of sources in French. Prepare exercises and activities for class, write assignments and further develop a repertoire of effective language learning strategies |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 formative tasks covering some or all of the following areas: grammar, writing, listening, reading, speaking. | Variable | 1-7 | Written and oral |
| Written and oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 25 | 25 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 50 | Variable | 1-5, 7 | Written and oral |
| Oral examination | 25 | 7/8 minutes | 1, 3-7 | Written and oral |
| Written examination | 25 | Take-home exam | 1-5,7 | Written and oral |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portolio | Portfolio | 1-7 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Oral examination | Oral examination | 1, 3-7 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Written examination | Written examination | 1-5,7 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
You will only be required to retake any failed assessments. Marks for any passed assessments will be carried forward. If you have failed any assessments but managed to pass the module overall, you will not be allowed to retake the failed assessments.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Alter EGO + A1 : Livre De L'Elève + CD-Rom by Annie Berthet , Emmanuelle Daill , Catherine Hugot , Véronique-M Kizirian , Monique Waendendries Publisher: Hachette; 4th edition (30 Jan. 2012) ISBN-13: 978-2011558107
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
- Grammaire progressive du français - Niveau Débutant. Avec 400 exercices. Audio-CD 2ème édition by Maîa Grégoire Publisher: Cle International (Oct. 2010) ISBN-13: 978-2090381146
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
31/01/2017
Last revision date
11/03/2021
Key words search
French, beginner
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