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Bonjour et bienvenue!

My name is Bene and I’m the Course Leader for French A Level. I’m really pleased you’ve chosen to study French at Reigate College and I’m looking forward to welcoming you in person to our friendly Modern Languages Department at the beginning of the academic year.

In preparation for you joining the department and to maintain your language skills, I’d like you to complete a series of tasks over the coming months. I hope you enjoy working through them.

The tasks will be released here, in three phases (see table below)  and should be completed by Choices Day on 1 September 2021.  Please throw yourself into them and above all enjoy them!

Please note, some Course Leaders (for example for Music) may release their tasks earlier, as they may form part of the College’s audition process.  If this applies to you, you’ll be notified separately.

New Starters Course Tasks and Activities

Release date To be completed by
Explore your Subject1 June1 July
Get Going1 July1 Aug
Aim High1 Aug1 Sep

Explore your Subject

The Benefits of Learning a Language

Languages are useful for holidays and travel, but did you know that learning a language can also:

  • Improve employment opportunities – your linguistic and cultural knowledge will be invaluable to employers.
  • Improve mental health – by alleviating stress and depression and delaying the onset of dementia.
  • Improve brain power – making you a better lateral thinker. Often good linguists are also good mathematicians and musicians (though you don’t have to be a mathematician or musician to be a linguist!)

Watch this video and make notes on the benefits of learning a foreign language:

Developing Your Skills

At this stage, you’re probably more concerned about how a language can help you with further studies and your future career. Did you know that by learning a language, you will not only gain language-specific skills such as translating and interpreting, summarising, essay writing and understanding of grammar, but also develop transferable skills useful for any career such as:

  • confidence and flexibility
  • teamwork
  • interpersonal and communication
  • presentation
  • debating and discussion.

Compare how these people have used languages in their careers:

David Richardson – Science https://www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk/sites/routesintolanguages.ac.uk/files/david_richardson_-scientist.pdf

Peter Clark – Football Translation
https://www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk/sites/routesintolanguages.ac.uk/files/peter_clark_-_football_translation.pdf

Beverly Costa – Psychotherapy https://www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk/sites/routesintolanguages.ac.uk/files/beverly_costa.pdf

French Culture

You will learn far more than just language on a language course – you will build your cultural knowledge about the countries where the language is spoken, developing an insight into their history, culture, values and beliefs.

French poet Jacques Prévert

  • Read the following information about the famous French poet Jacques Prévert.
  • Write a short summary about him in English.
  • Have a go yourself at translating into English the last three lines of Le Cancre poem in box C.
  • Make a note of any French words you are unfamiliar with and look up their meaning.
  • If you were giving a presentation about this poet, how would you best organise the information boxes?

Expand your knowledge

Use the following websites to research and take notes about Jacques Prévert.

https://www.1jour1actu.com/articledossier/jacques-prevert

https://www.1jour1actu.com/info-animee/cest-qui-jacques-prevert

Try the following Kahoot quiz to test your knowledge.

https://create.kahoot.it/details/jacques-prevert/09074cf1-16cf-4c37-a679-1781903620a4

Get Going

One of the best ways to prepare for your A Level French course is to revise, so you are really confident with what you have already learnt.  Best practice for languages is little and often, so you are constantly reinforcing what you have learnt.  You can do this in lots of enjoyable ways. 

Work through the following activities:

1. Ma France

Have a look at the Ma France videos from the BBC Languages website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/mafrance/flash/#

Tip: Copy the link into Google Chrome.  You may need to install Flash player.  Make sure you use the French subtitles too and note how language is used.

2. Revise your vocabulary

Revise your vocabulary from GCSE in a fun way with Quizlets. Try out all the activities: Speller, Learn, Test, as well as the games Scatter and Space race for practicing the following essential words and phrases:

3. Study French grammar

Practice French Grammar and review the five essential tenses with both regular and irregular verbs on the following website: https://www.languagesonline.org.uk/Hotpotatoes/frenchindex.html#Grammar  

  • Present
  • Future
  • Perfect
  • Imperfect
  • Conditional

4. Practice listening and reading skills

Use these seven websites to practice listening and reading in French:

  • Ilini – Short news clips and songs with beginner, intermediate and advanced options.
    https://fr.ilini.com/
  • Easy French – short videos on many topics such as talking about the past, breakfast etc. If you open the video in YouTube there are lots of videos to watch on the right-hand side.

Aim High

For the next series of tasks, I’d like you to test yourself on five key areas: grammar, reading, listening, translation and writing.  Try to do these on your own, without using a dictionary or online help.  Bring your answers to the first lesson and we’ll go through the questions together. 

Grammar

Use the website links to revise before conjugating the verbs in brackets in the correct tenses.

https://www.languagesonline.org.uk/French/Grammar/Present_Tense/900.htm

1) Conjugue les verbes ci-dessous au présent

  1. Nous ……………..la télé de temps en temps. (regarder)
  2. Ma tante ……………..un  verre d’eau. (remplir)
  3. Vous………………..un  taxi, Monsieur? (attendre)
  4. Au lycée, nous ………………………le français (apprendre)
  5. Vous ……………………de la voile souvent? (faire)

https://www.languagesonline.org.uk/French/Grammar/Present_Tense/904.htm

2) Conjugue les verbes pouvoir, devoir, savoir ci-dessous au présent

  1. Mon frère …………………travailler plus dur à l’école. (devoir)
  2. …………………-vous m’aider s’il vous plait? (pouvoir)
  3. Philippe …………………regarder un film au cinéma ce soir. (vouloir)
  4. Malheureusement, je ne ………………….pas sortir ce soir. (pouvoir)
  5. Ils ………………………rester à la maison aujourd’hui. (devoir)

https://www.languagesonline.org.uk/French/Grammar/2PerfectTense/index.htm

3) Conjugue les verbes pouvoir, devoir, savoir ci-dessous au passé-composé.  REMINDER : the MRS VANDERTRAMP verbs take être as an auxiliary, the others take avoir.

  1. Nous ………………………………une grande fête pour l’anniversaire de ma sœur. (organiser)
  2. Elle ……………………………….le menu elle-même pour la fête (choisir)
  3. J’………………………………….des tickets de tombola pour la fête de mon école. (vendre)
  4. Où est-ce que …………………………………..en vacances l’été dernier? (aller)
  5. Qu’est-ce que tu …………………………pour aider à organiser la fête? (faire)

https://www.languagesonline.org.uk/French/Grammar/Imperfect/index.htm

4) Conjugue les verbes pouvoir, devoir, savoir ci-dessous à l’imparfait

  1. Quand elle était plus jeune, ma sœur ………………….de la guitare dans un groupe (jouer)
  2. Mes grands-parents ……………………..un verre de limonade tous les jours. (boire)
  3. Quand j’étais à l’ école primaire, je …………………….du vélo le week-end avec mon frère. (faire)
  4. Quand nous ……………………….plus jeunes, nous ……………………..au cinéma avec mes parents tous les dimanches. (être), (aller)

https://www.languagesonline.org.uk/French/Grammar/Future/index.htm

5) Conjugue les verbes pouvoir, devoir, savoir ci-dessous au futur

  1. Cet été après les examens, tu …………………………ton émission préférée tous les après-midi. (regarder)
  2. Cet été après les examens, nous ……………………..le café dans le jardin tous les jours (prendre)
  3. Cet été après les examens, tu ………………………du vélo tous les matins. (faire)
  4. Cet été après les examens, je ………………….très calme et détendu/e. (être)
  5. Cet été après les examens, il ………………….chez son meilleur ami très souvent (aller)

TOTAL grammar…………../50
(2 marks per correct answer, 4 marks for Question 4, part 4)

Reading

Les familles monoparentales

A mon avis, il y a des avantages et des inconvénients dans les familles monoparentales. Par exemple, c’est mieux pour les enfants de vivre dans une famille monoparentale que de vivre avec deux parents qui se disputent toujours. S’il y a beaucoup de conflits à la maison, ce n’est pas très bon pour la santé mentale des enfants et ils peuvent souffrir de dépression. Quand j’étais petit, mes parents se disputaient chaque jour et j’étais très triste. Quand j’avais dix ans, ils se sont séparés et maintenant nous sommes plus contents. Cependant, si on a deux parents avec un bon rapport et l’ambiance dans la maison est plutôt heureuse, je pense que c’est la meilleure chose pour une famille.

Beaucoup de gens pensent que le mariage est très démodé de nos jours, mais je ne suis pas d’accord. Je vais me marier et avoir des enfants à l’avenir, car je voudrais avoir une grande famille. Pourtant, si après quelques années je ne m’entendais pas bien avec ma femme ou mon mari, je préférerais habiter tout seul avec mes enfants, ou les voir chaque weekend, que vivre dans un mariage malheureux.

1. Find the word in the text that matches the following definition.

a) Une famille avec un seul parent           

b) Désavantage

c) Combat entre deux ou plusieurs personnes    

d) Se divorcer   

e) L’atmosphère              

f) Cependant    

g) Triste               

2. Answer the following questions in English

a) What is an advantage of living in a single-parent family? __________________________________________________________________________

b) Mention one consequence of living in a home where there is a lot of conflict. __________________________________________________________________________

c) What is the writer’s current family situation? __________________________________________________________________________

d) What is his opinion of marriage? __________________________________________________________________________

e) What would the writer do in the future if he didn’t get on with his husband or wife? __________________________________________________________________________

TOTAL reading …………../12

Listening

You hear a French podcast in which a young TV star is talking about her family.

Click here to listen

A) Réponds en français

a) Il y a combien de personnes dans sa famille?

[1 mark]

b) Qu’est-ce qui est normal dans sa relation avec son frère selon elle?

[1 mark]

c)  Elle aime beaucoup sa grand-mère. Donne 2 raisons pour expliquer cela.

 [2 marks]

B) Answer in English

d) How would she change her family and why?

[2 mark]

TOTAL listening …………../6

Translate

Me, my family and friends

Translate the following passage into French.

I get on quite well with my family because they are nice and friendly. Last week, we went to the wedding of my aunt and uncle. It was very funny and my aunt has a good sense of humour. Next year, I will have a nephew because my sister is pregnant.

TOTAL translation …………../12
(3 marks per sentence)

Writing

A.            Vous écrivez un article sur la musique et les concerts.

Décrivez:

•             un concert que vous avez vu récemment

•             les avantages ou inconvénients de regarder des concerts live.

Écrivez environ 150 mots en français. Répondez aux deux aspects de la question.

TOTAL writing …………../12

TOTAL SCORE     /100

Resources adapted from katelanguages.co.uk

Bene Morell
Course Leader – French A Level
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