Got Class?

So...what does a typical French session look like?

 

Four hours each afternoon, Monday-Friday.

 

 

 

This is where we have class - it's in a church.

 

 

We start out the session with a review of the words from the day before.  Marie-Claude (my language helper) reads the words off, one at a time, and I respond by giving a synonym, a definition, or using it in a sentence.

 

(Actually, we technically start with a bit of small talk, then move on to the review.)

 

 

We listen to Bible stories: I stop the recording whenever I hear a word or phrase I don't understand (that varies in frequency depending on the passage).  She explains the word, writes in my notebook, and we continue.

 

After that, she records all the new words from that exercise, using them in a sentence.  I use these recordings for review.  (Pretty much all the recordings from my sessions are potential review material.  Which means that by this point I have a lot of potential review material.  A LOT.)

 

Then she retells the story in her own words, and we do the same thing (listen to the recording together, stopping at any new words).

 

After that, I tell the story in much, much simpler words...and with a lot of help.

 

 

At some point, we take a little break to re-fuel our brains (or...fill our stomachs).

 

Food is my one weakness.  (No, it isn't really.)

 

 

 

I like to have somewhat of a variety of activities.  The Bible stories are great, but they tend to be longer and more work, so it's nice to have some simpler activities to mix in there.  Shaun the Sheep is a cartoon series of six-minute episodes.  The story line is straight forward and can be understood without the sound.

 

She narrates the episode as she watches it, and I record her narration.  Then we work through that recording the same way we would for a Bible story.

 

She retells the story, records the new words, and we move on.

 

 

This is another activity I sometimes do.  I use simple drawings to tell a story from my life.  I try to pick stories that I know will give me new words.  First, I tell her the story, then she retells it (while I record) in a more polished, natural way.  We record new words, etc.

 

(About the picture above - Missouri weather has furnished me some very interesting stories to tell, as well as some new vocabulary.)

 

Yet another activity is called "Scripts of life".  Basically, she gives me a detailed explanation of an activity from everyday life, such as washing dishes, mopping the floor, making coffee, taking a bus, and so on.  (At this point in the program, it needs to be a "shared experience" - not that we have to do it together, but that we both must have done it at some point.)  Example: To wash the dishes I first go into the kitchen.  I open up the cabinet under the sink.  I take out the soap.  I take out the wash basin.  I put the plates in the wash basin first, then I fill it up with water by turning on the tap.  Then I...

 

You get the point.  Very detailed.  We record any new words, I ask any questions I might have relating to the activity, and we move on.

 

We end the session by going over the words from that day.  Typically each session hour should give us about 8-10 new words.  Some days we get 30 words, some days 50, but it's been averaging out nicely.

 

That's a normal day - for this phase, anyway.  There are different types of activities depending on how far along in the program you are.

 

Questions?  Comments?  I'll refer you to the director of the French course...