Elementary French II is a carefully sequenced and highly interactive presentation of French language and culture in a media-rich course environment. The latest update includes a self-paced version of the course with scored assessments for independent learners, and new video shot in France and Québec with young professional actors. It is designed to be used as a full course of study.
To successfully use this course, you should be a motivated student with a sincere desire to learn about French language and francophone cultures, and be comfortable with computer technologies.
Click here for information on studying French online vs. in person.
Additional software or materials required:
If the student is working with an instructor in a distance-learning situation, chat environment and videoconferencing software.
Topics covered:
This course targets communicative competence in the following domains: My Family, My Neighborhood, My Future, The Body, My Regime, Young People and Stress, Vacations, Modes of Transport, A Virtual Trip, Political Opinions, Change, Ecology, Where to Live, Questions of Identity, Languages and Life.
Each lesson opens with a video dramatization that sets the context for the lesson. Parts of the video are then replayed in a variety of interactive activities and tutors. Each video in the course was written specifically to serve as the foundation for the lesson in which it is used. These high quality videos were produced with French actors on location in France (Nantes) and Quebec (Montreal) so the speech, movements and contexts are authentic.
Lesson structure:
The beginning of each lesson is always a set sequence, from simple recognition of language in a video dialogue, through explicit learning of grammar and pronunciation, to written and spoken production of variations on that language. After this ordered beginning, a number of activities are offered to the student in which the language learned is used in understanding new texts, sounds or videos or in creative production (conversation or writing). Lesson tests and final exams, generated from extensive question pools (portions of which are automatically graded), are available to students enrolled in instructor-led courses. The Learning Dashboard allows for at-a-glance evaluation by instructors of student progress based on each lesson’s learning objectives.