French 1

French 1 through live classes with Audio (Skype) and Chat: At the end of the first-year program, it is hoped that the student will have reached an A1 level as defined by the Council of Europe scale. This is a level of basic communication about the speakers’ immediate concrete needs, his or her background, the world surrounding him or her, and everyday routines.

The program focuses on communication skills, grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The grammar allows for formation of simple sentences and questions in the present and in the past. The vocabulary includes words necessary for everyday life such as the family, school, shopping, numbers, etc. The cultures of the French-speaking world are also presented with topics such as greetings, the café, the French family, sports and leisure, friendship, travel in France, and many more. All areas of communication, speaking, listening, reading, and writing are practiced.

The material is presented through a textbook which uses real French documents and media. Ample audio and visual material is provided in the integrated multimedia Supersite. Students do exercises in an online workbook which allows the teacher to give immediate feedback. Students are expected to spend at least thirty minutes to one hour a day studying at home. The most important part of the class, however, is the two weekly hours of online class time, where students put what they are learning into practice and gain confidence in their communication skills. We use Skype for the audio component of our class.