...so I began teaching French today: one student during my 30 minute lunch hour, ideally three times per week. I really like the kid. We talked about his background with language learning, what he already knew in French., why he chose French, and what he wanted form it. We decided that at the semester's end, he would like to be able to read a book in French and listen intelligently to a French band he enjoys. Those are actually very ambitious goals for a beginner, but I like the kid. He's 15 and will probably do quite well. And I have some goals of myself for him.
Anyway, I gave him the following list of assignments, due Thursday. Ask me within two weeks and I'll tell you if he's going to reach his goals. Do you think I gave him too much to do? We shall see, on Thursday.
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· Listen to no less than 10 consecutive minutes of Du Tac Au Tac, French conversation tape. In English, make a list of your observations about the French language. After making your list, think about these things:
o Tone of voice
o How would you use mouth/teeth/tongue/lips to sound French?
o Possible topics of conversation
o How would you picture the speakers? Where are they in each
conversation?
· Listen again to the same 10 minutes. Add to your list of observations.
· In the first few pages of the dictionary, read the author’s preface, the abbreviations list, and the list of phonetic transcription symbols. Skim through the dictionary and find examples of some symbols. Remember your questions so we can talk about them during the next class.
· Think about 25 of the MOST common words you use in English. Using the French Dictionary, make a list of these English words and their French translations. Save this list and bring me a copy of it.
· After making your first vocabulary list, write answers to these questions:
o Which words did you have trouble finding? Why do you think this was?
o Did anything surprise you about your list?
o Think of the words you wrote – how would you classify them?
· Was this assignment too easy? How much time did it take you?
· What did you like or dislike about this assignment?
believe it or not, this is inspiring for me. i'm teaching greek to a sixteen-year-old, and you're giving me ideas. also - i used du tac au tac when i studied french more in earnest. i still have it laid out for review.
Shoot! I just realized that I've been writing letters and answering emails tonight when I should have been preparing for tomorrow's lesson! Where's my daytimer? Where's my tape recorder?
**mad scramble**
OK, gotta go. Thanks for being inspired, J. It's encouraging. How many languages do you know, anyhow? B.
Posted by: bob at August 18, 2004 11:45 PM