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Writer's pictureAndrew Starr

French Advanced Improvers - City of Portsmouth College Spring 2023

A shortened URL to return to this page is: rebrand.ly/copcfra23


To improve your listening and speaking skills in a social setting, come to the evening or afternoon events organised in the city.


This post is for the French Advanced Improvers Class at the City of Portsmouth College (Highbury Campus) on Monday evenings from January to March 2023.


Tips for refreshing and reinforcing your French

Listen to French Music - Watch French TV series and films (or at least videos/news in French)

There is a lot of stuff online for the French language and learning (not all of it, correct!) The sites below are usually accessible for free and have French-language content.


Free sources for TV

All 4 (Walter Presents on Channel 4 has some French Series among the many foreign series)

France 24 (online news 24/7 in French)

TV5 Monde (an online bank of Francophone TV and Film)

BBC iPlayer (often under BBC 4 programming)


Free Sources for Radio

Radio.Garden (Sadly, since October 2022, the UK government has blocked this website for working outside the UK). However, click on the ellipsis (...). You can see the option to visit the website - click there, and you can go to the website - click on 'écouter la radio', and it gives all the France Bleu regional stations in France... then you can listen (this option will work on most radio stations based on 'Radio.Garden'.


Summer term Courses

The summer term course will run for eight weeks rather than 10. Therefore, the price will be about 20% less than the Autumn and Spring Terms' price.


The summer term classes will move to Wednesday evenings as it would need to run over 12 weeks if it were on a Monday due to the 3 Bank Holidays and the Monday of the Exchange Visit to Caen.


They will be on Wednesday, April 19th and 26th, May 3rd, May 10th, 17th and 24th, Half Term, June 7th and 14th.


The classes run for ten weeks on the dates below:


Monday, March 27th

This evening will look at Easter and April Fool Traditions in France...


- Que faites vous pour fêter Pâques ?

- Et vous avez jamais fêter le poisson d'avril?




À l'écoute Exercise from here


Voici l’exercice de compréhension orale :


Pendant la semaine sainte les Français font des processions ?

□ Vrai □ Faux

Pâques se célèbre le jour de la pleine lune.

□ Vrai □ Faux

Vendredi saint est férié en France.

□ Vrai □ Faux

Le lundi qui suit le dimanche de Pâques est férié en France.

□ Vrai □ Faux

Les vacances de Pâques sont toujours pendant la semaine sainte.

□ Vrai □ Faux

Le dimanche de Pâques, on mange un gigot d’agneau avec des haricots verts.

□ Vrai □ Faux

Le dimanche de Pâques, on cache des œufs en chocolat dans le jardin et les enfants doivent les chercher.

□ Vrai □ Faux

Ce sont les cloches qui laissent tomber les œufs de Pâques.

□ Vrai □ Faux



Monday, March 20th

Tonight, from Entre Nous 3, we will look at how people sell their image, and this text deals a lot with our favourite subjunctive! Piste 24 Drills


Actualités



Monday, March 13th

Tonight, from Entre Nous 3, we will look at how people generally show the most positive aspects of their lives on Social Media and listen to others discussing this.


Actualités


Chanson verb challenge below


Monday, March 6th

Today. from Entre Nous 3, we will look at managing one's online presence and how people portray their lives online. Pistes Audio p69


Possibly discussion on agreement or disagreement with others' opinions.


Actualités

Chanson

Verb challenge, we have Present, Perfect, Imperfect, Future and Subjunctive in this song... can you conjugate all with the correct spelling?



Monday, February 27th

Tonight, having looked at escaping your comfort zones, cultural superstitions and beliefs, from Entre Nous 3, we will look at «Gérer son image». This includes one's image on Social Media...


Actualités

Chanson

Zaz - La lessive




================+++++++++++++++++++++=====================


Monday, February 20th

Tonight, from Entre Nous 3, we will look at: Various countries' approaches to 'Good Luck Charms'


Culture et Actualités


Related to the Entre Nous Exercises.


News from Bénin Thursday, 16 February (the language tends to be slower than most and quite well pronounced)

Rallumer les étoiles - Mylène Farmer (latest release)




Une petite blague bretonne


Monday, February 6th

Tonight from Entre Nous 3 we will look at stepping out of your comfort zones.


Talking about the «Zone de Confort»


Chanson


La blague du jour


Monday, January 30th

Tonight, we will continue to look at the chapter from Entre Nous 3


«If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, wouldn't it be a Merry Christmas?»

Using «Si...»

Online exercise to make up unlikely scenarios with «si» clauses.


Talking about the «Zone de Confort»


Actualité


Avenir


Chanson

Les Colocs - La Rue Principale Paroles


Monday, January 23rd

Tonight, we will continue to look at the chapter from Entre Nous 3, «Oser Vivre Sa Vie»


Actualité


Chanson

Calogero - Un jour au mauvais endroit



Monday, January 16th

Tonight is the first lesson. We will look at what motivates you to improve your French, why you have signed up and what you want to get from the class (so I can best prepare for the next nine weeks). It is also how we can get to know each other (for any people who were not in this class before).


It would be helpful to consider a few general themes and topics you would like to study. In particular, any grammatical features you feel you need to improve on. I will otherwise choose various topics and items I find in my perusal of the Francophone internet and news and possibly from one or two coursebooks I have at my disposal. In particular, the book Entre Nous 3


Voici quelques questions pour vous faire parler aujourd'hui:


Pourquoi voulez-vous améliorer votre français?


Parlez-nous d'une visite en France ou dans un pays francophone...


Que faites-vous dans la vie?


Quels sont vos passe-temps préférés?


Actualités


Thème du livre Entre Nous 3


Pour l'intérêt


Sa générique

Connaître ou savoir la différence?

Et oui!


Extra


Here is a blog post about Francophone Music for a few songs, singers or bands who sing in French. Click here.


Project Gutenberg - Classic Books to read in e-book form for free.






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