The George Washington University



Pour mieux apprendre - Quelques astuces...!(Better learning - Some tips...!)In classAll French language courses make extensive use of the classroom white boards. If your instructor makes a correction or writes something on the board, take notes! If you do not understand something in class, ask a question ! Most questions can be answered quickly, allowing you to better understand the rest of an activity. If you prefer, you can always ask a question after class or during office hours. Spending even just five minutes after class with your instructor can be very helpful.Useful phrases:??Excusez-moi, j’ai une question.?? ??Pouvez-vous répéter s’il vous pla?t??????Je n’ai pas bien compris.??The textbookWrite complete sentences for all homework to be reviewed in class. Do not simply write the correct missing word. This will allow you to correct the entire sentence when your instructor goes over the activity in class. It will also help you review the many small details, even if they are not the focus of the activity. For example:An activity on definite and indefinite articles (le, la, un, une, etc.) might include : Ask the question “tu / aimer / chocolat (m.)”.Do not simply write “le chocolat”. Instead, write “Est-ce que tu aimes le chocolat????Take advantage of the audio in the online textbook to listen to texts.When feasible, read out loud examples given in the book - to practice pronunciation, but also to practice saying full sentences smoothly, without separating each word. In addition, this will help you recognize when something does not “sound right”.For example:If you read aloud examples in a section on negation such as “Je ne parle pas italien.” “Nous ne regardons pas la télé.”, you will get used to hearing the “ne” and will be less likely to forget it when writing a negative sentence. Do not translate into English unless absolutely necessary.For example: If you know “être” = “to be”, there is no need to write “I am; You are” next to “je suis ; tu es”, etc.If you must translate, do not translate word for word. This can often lead to confusion. For example:“A tout à l’heure!” means “See you soon!” (Not, “At all at the hour”.)Likewise, from English to French, think of the general idea and not each separate word. For example:“I had a good time.” Remember that this idea is expressed with the verb “s’amuser”, so the correct translation would be “Je me suis bien amusé(e).”When studying, write just one example for each category. For example:When studying the conjugation of “-er” verbs, write just one (with sentences if possible):Je parle fran?aisNous parlons italien.Tu parles fran?ais.Vous parlez italien.Il/Elle/On parle fran?ais.Ils/Elles parlent italien.It is not necessary to do the same for other regular “-er” verbs because they are conjugated exactly the same way. You need only remember one example.When memorizing vocabulary, write full sentences or at least phrases that help you understand the meaning WITHOUT using any English translations if feasible.For example, when learning verbs:regarder Netflix?; boire un café?; etc.Do not translate words you already know thanks to a similarity with English, such as:américain, italien, un professeur, une actrice, un téléphone, une télévisionDo not write nouns without an article :acteur, interrogation => un acteur , une interrogation?; etc.Studying (in general)It is more effective to study a little every day rather than for several hours the day before a test.For example, in addition to preparing for each class, consider spending just 20 additional minutes EVERY day to review materials from the previous weeks.Some research shows that varying the places where you study can actually improve your learning. For example, study one day in a carrel on the top floor of the library, another day on a different floor at a table, another day in a café, another day in a dorm or building lounge, another day outside (if the weather is warm!), etc.Do not review material by simply re-reading notes or pages from a textbook. Instead, without consulting any notes or text, try to write down essential information on a blank piece of paper, or try to explain the material orally to a classmate (or to an imaginary friend) and then check your notes.Studying vocabularyInstead of rereading your notes or looking at the French vocabulary items in the book, try quizzing yourself using the English terms or images (if possible). This will help you make sure you can not only recognize the French forms, but also produce them! This practice will also allow you to focus on spelling for items that may be similar, but not identical (appartement, télévision, professeur). For example: Instead of looking at the vocabulary list in the book, where the French and English terms are side by side (professeur – teacher, médecin – doctor, infirmier – nurse), consider making your own flashcards and look at the English side to actively quiz yourself (teacher (flip the card) à professeur, etc.Tip: You may fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise to create two columns so that you can write the French items on one side and the English on the other. Fold the paper in half to hide the French so you can quiz yourself using the English.NOTE: For some students, however, the flashcard approach is less effective. If you have tried it without success, an alternative is to look at an image or English term and write the French word (and say it aloud).MyFrenchLab These online activities are an excellent resource for learning and for review, IF USED CORRECTLY.You are allowed to redo activities as often as necessary in order to receive a grade of 100%. When you click ‘Submit’ after completing an activity, you will usually see a feedback bubble next to an error. Click on the bubble for a suggestion, then redo the activity (“Try Again”). If you make another mistake on the same question, the second time you click on the feedback bubble you will see the suggestion AND the correct answer. You can then repeat the activity in order to get a grade of 100%.NOTE: if you need to correct a question more than once (ie. if you make two mistakes on the same question), write the question and answer (the complete sentence, not just a few words) in your notes and be sure you understand your error. For example:For the question : ??Est-ce que vous êtes malade?? Non, ....??On your first attempt you wrote “Non, je suis pas malade”, you clicked submit and saw that it was incorrect, you clicked on the feedback bubble for a suggestion, you redid the activity (“Try Again”) and put the correct answer “Non, je ne suis pas malade” - there is no need to take notes.HOWEVER,If, on your second attempt, you still made a mistake, write down in your notes:“Est-ce que vous êtes malade?? Non, je ne suis pas malade.??If something is still not clear, you can click on “Help?” in MyFrenchLab for French 1001 or 1002, or on “Tutorials” for French 2005 et 2006, or you can send a quick email to your instructor.iLRNThese online activities are an excellent resource for learning and for review, IF USED CORRECTLY.You are allowed to redo activities as often as necessary in order to receive a grade of 100%. When you click ‘Submit’ after completing an activity, you will see the correct answers, and have the option of redoing redo the activity (“Try Again”). If your answer is correct the second time, there is no need to take notes.HOWEVER: if you need to correct a question more than once (ie. if you make two mistakes on the same question), write the question and answer (the complete sentence, not just a few words) in your notes and be sure you understand your error. For example:For the question : ??Est-ce que vous êtes malade?? Non, ....??On your first attempt you wrote “Non, je suis pas malade”, you clicked submit and saw the correct answer, but the second time you still make a small error. In this case, write down in your notes:“Est-ce que vous êtes malade?? Non, je ne suis pas malade.??If something is still not clear, do not hesitate to send a quick email to your instructor.ReadingFor activities about texts (from a paragraph to several pages), read the questions BEFORE reading the text. This will give you a good idea of what information to look for and will help you better understand the text. (Often, some of the most important words and phrases from a text are in the questions!) Note also that when reading a long text, you are not expected to understand every word. You need only understand enough to answer the questions.And...Take advantage of the Language Practice Center, located in PHIL 510. A schedule is posted online after the second or third week of the semester at: (click on French, the “Schedule”)Language assistants are available, for free, for over fifteen 20 minutes sessions each week on a first come basis. They will be happy to help you practice for an exposé or oral exam, review grammar, proofread a composition, or just to chat in French!Do not forget your instructor’s office hours ! He or she is often available before and after class, or by appointment. On-line resources:Do not use “”. Although it can be helpful, there are occasionally incorrect suggestions from non-native speakers. Instead, try:Larousse.fr:An excellent collection of dictionaries (French-English; English-French; French-French)Siri or Alexa or Google Assistant:If you change the language to French, virtual assistants such as Siri and Alexa can help for spelling. When you say the word correctly, they will show you the correct spelling. Often, they can even answer the question “Que veut dire ....?”For example:If Siri is set to “French”, when you say “Que veut dire réussir?”, your question appears on the screen (spelled correctly) and Siri replies “Faire avec succès.” ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download