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FRENCH
CLEP PREP Study Journal French 1 cover Study Journal French 2 cover CLEP French exam information and outline RESOURCES: Carnegie Mellon's Elementary French 1 course Carnegie Mellon's Elementary French 2 course French in Action - video learner series Alison's French Courses Foreign Service Institute's Language Course: French First Year French LANGMaster: Online French Lessons Learn French - BBC website Coffee Break French 15 Free French Lessons for Beginners French Assistant An excellent additional resource for learning a foreign language is your local public library, which may offer CDs, DVDs, downloadable audio files, or access to language software programs. You might also consider used bookstores/online sellers - though this, of course, would require a purchase of some kind. |
Help, if you need it: (If you will be using the French in Action program, consider purchasing the companion textbook listed here.)
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Think creatively! If your library offers an all-audio learning program like Pimsleur, you may become a fluent speaker, but still need to learn how to read the language and follow the various grammar rules in writing. Consider starting at the “bottom.” Just like you learned to read English after several years of speaking it, you can use a learn-to-read series of books in a foreign language as well. Even though these books will be obviously geared to young children, you can still benefit from the reading instruction.
EXAM AND QUIZZES:
French Language Usage and Reading exam
(* alt link: Placement test information and link.)
French Textbooks companion site - supplemental website for several French textbooks, but can be used stand-alone. Contains reviews, interactive lessons, and quizzes.
Recommended Course of Study:
1. Put together your study journal. For your note-taking section, each day write a list of words you have studied/learned or note which audio or visual programs you have heard/viewed. Many websites include worksheets or quizzes. Print and complete them, and include them in your journal. If you use the Foreign Service Institute's courses, consider printing the student textbooks as well. These books are very large, so you should probably not print every page, and you do not need to print them all at once. You might choose to read the exercises on your computer, but print the vocabulary section at the back of the textbooks to use as a dictionary for learning. As you progress through your course, begin making simple journal entries about your day, as you would in a diary, detailing things like other courses you're studying, places you visited, errands you ran, or chores you completed. Use this exercise as extra practice. To start, your entries will be mostly in English, with a scattering of words in your new language. Eventually, you want to reach a point where the entire entry is in the language you are studying.
2. Determine your study schedule. First, choose which resource you will use as your primary source for instruction. Next, decide which supplementary resources you will also use. You should plan to study your new language for a minimum of 45 minutes per school day.
3. Visit your library for additional resources, such as learn-to-read books or language workbooks.
4. Practice, practice, practice. You might even want to consider finding an online pen-pal, a native speaker who is learning English, with whom you can exchange emails and help one another learn your new languages. Use your new language as often as you can, even if it means simply translating out loud to yourself. For instance, if you walk to your kitchen to get a glass of water, repeat out loud what you are doing, step-by-step, using as much of your language as possible.
5. Test yourself periodically. Search for online music, video files, or written articles in the language you are learning. See how well you understand what you are hearing, seeing, or reading. For instance, you might want to visit the Free Radio website Live 365 to find a station that plays music in your new language. Learning a new language is more fun when you have a partner to converse with. If you know someone who is already a speaker of your new language, ask him to assist your learning by engaging in conversation with you. If not, see if you can learn along with a friend or family member. Work together to polish your skills.
Even once you have completed your initial studies, keep learning and practicing your new language. Check out library books you can read, or rent foreign DVD movies. (Some American movies come with translations in various languages. Try watching a favorite movie in your new language and see how well you do with understanding.)
EXAM AND QUIZZES:
French Language Usage and Reading exam
(* alt link: Placement test information and link.)
French Textbooks companion site - supplemental website for several French textbooks, but can be used stand-alone. Contains reviews, interactive lessons, and quizzes.
Recommended Course of Study:
1. Put together your study journal. For your note-taking section, each day write a list of words you have studied/learned or note which audio or visual programs you have heard/viewed. Many websites include worksheets or quizzes. Print and complete them, and include them in your journal. If you use the Foreign Service Institute's courses, consider printing the student textbooks as well. These books are very large, so you should probably not print every page, and you do not need to print them all at once. You might choose to read the exercises on your computer, but print the vocabulary section at the back of the textbooks to use as a dictionary for learning. As you progress through your course, begin making simple journal entries about your day, as you would in a diary, detailing things like other courses you're studying, places you visited, errands you ran, or chores you completed. Use this exercise as extra practice. To start, your entries will be mostly in English, with a scattering of words in your new language. Eventually, you want to reach a point where the entire entry is in the language you are studying.
2. Determine your study schedule. First, choose which resource you will use as your primary source for instruction. Next, decide which supplementary resources you will also use. You should plan to study your new language for a minimum of 45 minutes per school day.
3. Visit your library for additional resources, such as learn-to-read books or language workbooks.
4. Practice, practice, practice. You might even want to consider finding an online pen-pal, a native speaker who is learning English, with whom you can exchange emails and help one another learn your new languages. Use your new language as often as you can, even if it means simply translating out loud to yourself. For instance, if you walk to your kitchen to get a glass of water, repeat out loud what you are doing, step-by-step, using as much of your language as possible.
5. Test yourself periodically. Search for online music, video files, or written articles in the language you are learning. See how well you understand what you are hearing, seeing, or reading. For instance, you might want to visit the Free Radio website Live 365 to find a station that plays music in your new language. Learning a new language is more fun when you have a partner to converse with. If you know someone who is already a speaker of your new language, ask him to assist your learning by engaging in conversation with you. If not, see if you can learn along with a friend or family member. Work together to polish your skills.
Even once you have completed your initial studies, keep learning and practicing your new language. Check out library books you can read, or rent foreign DVD movies. (Some American movies come with translations in various languages. Try watching a favorite movie in your new language and see how well you do with understanding.)
