Classes will resume Tuesday, September 2, 7:00-8:00 pm.   Improve your French with Prof Michelle Henson.  

Theme: les fleurs

Grammar topic: accord des adjectifs de couleur

Brise-glace:    Listen to two different versions of the song « Mon amie la rose ». Prepare to share your thoughts about both, including which one you prefer and why.

• Version 1: Françoise Hardy - Mon amie la rose (with lyrics on screen) 

• Version 2:  Manal et Slimane - Mon amie la rose

Grammar exercise links:  (You do NOT need to make a login/account to do these exercises.  Each exercise contains a button at the bottom, the yellow "check my test", to check your answers. ) 

• Exercise 1 --  Accord - adjectifs de couleur (with explanations in French)

• Exercise 2 -- Accord des adjectifs de couleur (with explanations in French,  some overlap with first exercise explanations) 

• Exercise 3 --  Accord des adjectifs de couleur (no explanations) 

Reading & Listening: The listening is a short video about a floral art festival. The reading is a poem this time, which will test just how many flowers you know in French.  Prepare to discuss both the reading & listening in the breakout rooms.

• Link 1 (listening):  Syam: 1er festival d'art floral à  la Villa Palladienne. Video has auto-generated French captions available (click CC on the bottom part of the video). You can also choose to follow along with the transcript. In the description below the video, click on "more" at the end of the description, then scroll down and click "show transcript".
• Link 2 (reading): Poem - Les fleurs que j'aime par Louise Colet .

Bring any questions you have about these homework items.  We will be discussing the listening and reading items in breakout rooms.

At the end, we will have a dictée, of course :)

(Image:  Carnaval de Nice - Batailles de Fleurs )

Theme:  Le printemps 

Grammar topic:   bon/bonne, meilleur/mieux 

Brise-glace:   Quel tableau est le meilleur, à votre avis ? Look at the paintings in the link below and decide which one is 'le meilleur'. Prepare to share which one you chose and why!

Link for paintings:   Le printemps dans l'art: 10  œuvres de saison.

Grammar exercise links:  (You do NOT need to make a login/account to do these exercises.  Each exercise contains a button at the bottom, the yellow "check my test", to check your answers. ) 

• Link 1:  Not an exercise, contains grammar explanations in English with numerous examples:   Bon – Bien – Meilleur – Mieux
• Exercise 1:  no explanations, covers both bon/bonne and mieux/meilleur:  Bien, bon, mieux, meilleur
• Exercise 2:  only covers mieux/meilleur, contains grammar notes in French:   

                 Mieux / meilleur

Reading & Listening:

Both the reading and listening contain similar information. You may choose to do just one or both.

• Link 1 (listening):   Jules Jaluzot : créateur du Printemps et inventeur des soldes.   Video has auto-generated French captions available (click CC on the bottom part of the video). You can also choose to follow along with the transcript. In the description below the video, click on "more" at the end of the description, then scroll down and click "show transcript".

• Link 2 (reading):    Jules JALUZOT

Bring any questions you have about these homework items.  We will be discussing the listening and reading items in breakout rooms.

At the end, we will have a dictée, of course :)

(Image: " This image was originally posted to Flickr by D&S McSpadden at https://www.flickr.com/photos/12786044@N00/14355243894. It was reviewed on 6 June 2014 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.")

Theme: La Louisiane 

Grammar topic:  verbs amener, emmener, apporter, emporter

Brise-glace:  Cajun Cuisine!  Watch the video and prepare to discuss it, along with what you know about Cajun cuisine.

Link for video:  En pays Cajun, une cuisine rustique... et épicée! - YouTube

Video has auto-generated French captions available (click CC on the bottom part of the video).  You can also choose to follow along with the transcript.  In the description below the video, click on "more" at the end of the description, then scroll down and click "show transcript".

Grammar exercise links:  (You do NOT need to make a login/account to do these exercises.  Each exercise contains a button at the bottom, the yellow "check my test", to check your answers. ) 

• Exercise 1 -- contains a visual with text to explain the differences between the verbs  Apporter - amener - remporter - ramener.
• Exercise 2 -- contains a different and more detailed visual with text explanations  (r)amener, (r)apporter, (r)emporter.
• Exercise 3 -- no explanations, emphasis on using the imperative of these verbs amener, emmener, apporter, rapporter, emporter, remporter.

Reading & Listening:

• Link 1 (listening):  Semaine de la francophonie : à la Nouvelle-Orléans, le français louisianais en pleine renaissance - YouTube Video has auto-generated French captions available (click CC on the bottom part of the video). You can also choose to follow along with the transcript. In the description below the video, click on "more" at the end of the description, then scroll down and click "show transcript".
• Link 2 (reading): Français louisianais | Le Bourdon de la Louisiane

Bring any questions you have about these homework items.  We will be discussing the listening and reading items in breakout rooms.

At the end, we will have a dictée, of course :)

(Image "By Terry Ballard - https://www.flickr.com/photos/terryballard/42089958035/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70274885)'"

Theme: Le citron

Grammar topic: adverbs ending in -ment

Brise-glace:    What is your favorite dish / recipe made with lemons? Prepare to discuss in French, including a detailed description of the dish and why it's your favorite. 

Grammar exercise links:  (You do NOT need to make a login/account to do these exercises.  Each exercise contains a button at the bottom, the yellow "check my test", to check your answers. )

• Exercise 1 -- Explanations about formations of adverbs ending in -ment plus an exercise.
• Exercise 2 -- Additional practice. 
• Exercise 3 -- More practice with a little bit of explanation.  

Reading & Listening:

• Link 1 (reading):   Histoire de la Fête du Citron®.

If you get stuck or want to check your comprehension, look for the "FR" in the top right corner of the page. When you click it, there will be an option for English (and Italian, if you are so inclined).

• Link 2 (listening):   La Fête du Citron de Menton se prépare en coulisse

Video has auto-generated French captions available (click CC on the bottom part of the video). You can also choose to follow along with the transcript. In the description below the video, click on "more" at the end of the description, then scroll down and click "show transcript".

Bring any questions you have about these homework items. We will be discussing the reading & writing part about 'La Fête du Citron" in breakout rooms.

At the end, we will have a dictée, of course :)

(Image ""Exposition des motifs d'agrumes dans les jardins Biovès" retrieved from https://www.fete-du-citron.com/)

Theme:  L'hiver

Grammar topic:  prepositions en and dans

Brise-glace:  Click the link below for the music video « L'importance de l'hiver » by Débout Sur Le Zinc. The second link contains only the lyrics.  Prepare to discuss your opinion about the song, any thoughts about it, along with interpretation of its possible meaning(s).

• Link to the music video:  L'importance de l'hiver. 
• Link to the lyrics:  L'importance de l'hiver lyrics.

Grammar exercise links:  (You do NOT need to make a login/account to do these exercises.  Each exercise contains a button at the bottom, the yellow "check my test", to check your answers. )

• Exercise 1 -- Basic explanations in English of the differences for 'en' and 'dans'. 
• Exercise 2 -- No explanations, just additional practice. 
• Exercise 3 -- More detailed explanations, in French. 

Reading: The first link is the main article, the second is a fun page of examples of the article's topic.

• Link 1:  Pourquoi dit-on une lapalissade pour qualifier une affirmation evidente?

              Note:  to pass the "paywall" you will have to accept the cookies in order to read the article in Le Point magazine.  The alternate link below can be accessed without accepting cookies.

• Alt. Link 1:   Lapalissade: L'origine du mot et des exemple amusants de lapalissades.
• Link 2:  20 célèbres tautologies de la langue française 

Bring any questions you have about these homework items. We will be discussing the article and its examples in breakout rooms. Feel free to create your own example to share!

At the end, we will have a dictée, of course :)

(Image "Le Kiosque...." retrieved from Pinterest.)

Theme: Les cadeaux et les boules de Noël

Grammar topic: passé composé, part 2

• Brise-glace:  Answers (meanings) of expressions avec donner.
• Brise-glace:  Expressions avec donner.

Grammar exercise links (You do NOT need to make a login/account to use these exercises.  Each exercise contains a button at the bottom, the yellow "check my test", to check your answers):

• Exercise 1 (medium) - irregular participles.
• Exercise 2 (difficult) - irregular participles plus agreements.

Listening exercise (Click the blue "Ecouter (2 min)" button. A "player" with controls should pop up at the bottom of the page, where you can pause and go back/replay if needed. Click the "x1" to obtain a pop up menu with options for slowing the speed (or speeding up). 

• Listening Exercise -  Aux origines des traditionnelles boules de Noël.
• Transcript - Boules de Noël

Reading exercise

•  Stella, la nouvelle boule de Noël de Meisenthal 

Bring any questions you have about these homework items.

For our "parler" breakout rooms, prepare 3 questions to ask using the irregular participles listed in exercise 1 above. These questions are just for practice, so they can be completely unrelated. You will ask your questions to your group. Be prepared to answer others' questions as well!

At the end, we will have a dictée (shorter than last month's)

Theme: les chaussures

Grammar topic: passé-composé, part 1

•  Brise-glace 
• Les expressions (pied) with translations

Grammar exercise links (You do NOT need to make a login/account to use these exercises.  Each exercise contains a button at the bottom, the yellow "check my test", to check your answers):

• Niveau 1 - https://www.tolearnfrench.com/exercises/exercise-french-2/exercise-french-110107.php
• Niveau 2 - https://www.tolearnfrench.com/exercises/exercise-french-2/exercise-french-125894.php
• Niveau 3 - https://www.tolearnfrench.com/exercises/exercise-french-2/exercise-french-112539.php

Reading and listening exercise link:

•  https://www.francebleu.fr/emissions/la-france-toute-une-histoire/alexis-godillot-le-franc-comtois-qui-a-revolutionne-nos-chaussures