Français 110 : Guide du labo vivant (= Living Lab)

The « labo vivant » (LV) exercises will give you opportunities to explore the rich cultures of the French-speaking world. Three times during the semester, you will be asked to make such an exploration and to report back in your « Journal du labo vivant ».

 When you have completed the exploration phase of the assignment, you must document your work by writing about it (two pages minimum, in English) in the « Journal du labo vivant ». The LV can be completed at any time up to the deadline. The deadlines for this semester are:

 These dates are also included in the Syllabus. Don’t wait till the last minute to choose your assignment. Choose a subject that interest YOU, and enjoy! Talk to your professor for suggestions.

 Labo vivant no 1: Read a magazine or newspaper article en français.  Please do not use Internet resources for this exercise.

 Labo vivant no 2: Tune your television to channel 47 (TV5). There is a list of all the French programs on the internet at: www.tv5.org/usa/. Choose a program that interests YOU!

 Labo vivant no 3: Choose your assignment from the list below:

  ·        Watch a French news broadcast (TV5 and SRC Montréal are both available on the campus network and tapes are available in the Language Lab.

  ·        Listen to « Champs-Élysées, a taped French language variety program (parlez au professeur !)

  ·        Visit a Francophone web site (suggested links at FR110 web site).

  ·        Interview a native French speaker (en français, bien sûr!)

  ·        Watch a film in French (check the library listings or a video store or talk to the prof for recommendations).

  ·        Interview a French-Canadian grandparent to get the family genealogy or history.

  ·        Listen to songs in French (talk to the prof for suggestions or tapes).

  ·        What else can you think of? (Clear it first with the prof!)

 EVALUATION

 The « journal » entries will be evaluated on the quality of your exploration and the completeness of your account. The following elements should be included, wherever appropriate, in all your journal entries.

1.     What you did/read/watched and when you did it. Please be specific (ex : name and address of web site, name and date of the magazine, date of your conversation.)

2.     Explain why you chose this particular article/show, etc. Was it a good choice for you? Why/why not?

3.     A  brief summary of what you read/watched/etc.

4.     The level of difficulty (for you) of the text, film, activity.

5.     All of the strategies you used for understanding the text, film, person, etc.

6.     A few of the cognates you found or heard.

7.     Some of the new words you learned, with their English equivalents, and how you figured them out.

8.     Your reaction to/evaluation of the activity and other ways you might approach the same kind of activity to enhance your enjoyment and understanding.

9.     What did you learn about the francophone world from this activity?  How was the subject/perspective/format different from a U.S. magazine/newspaper/television show?  

 CHOOSE TOPICS THAT INTEREST YOU. HAVE FUN WITH THESE ASSIGNMENTS. THEY SHOULD EXPAND YOUR WORLD AND HELP YOU LEARN FRENCH.