1C Course Overview

1C Course Overview

1C English focuses on developing basic reading and writing skills as well as improving your oral English (listening and speaking) in addition to mastering grammar and vocabulary at a lower intermediate level.

Reading

Reading will serve to develop your understanding of British/American and worldwide literature and culture, as well as to strengthen your comprehension, analysis, and interpretation.

We will start with a various collection of short stories will introduce you to classical as well as contemporary writers (O.Wilde, R.Bradbury, M. Binchy, ...) will enable you to get familiar with literature, grasp the basics of reading understanding and give a try at fiction interpretation. In parallel with these short stories, I will launch a workshop on narratives ( how do we tell a story?) starting with an experience of your own to relate. 

We will go on  with a bit of travelling “downunder”, that is to say to Australia and its culture. Through the story of 3 young Aborigine girls taken away from their families to be “educated” in Moore settlement 1600 miles away from their village. Follow their escape along what is called The Rabbit Proof Fence 1through the Australian outback. Be moved by Doris Pilkington's namesake novel and the excellent film "Long Walk Home" and learn more about The Stolen Generation .

We will end our school year with a graphic novel The Kite Runner2 by Khaled Husseini set in Afghanistan. The Kite Runner is the first novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini.Published in 2003  it tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, whose closest friend is Hassan, his father's young Hazara servant. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet military intervention, the exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime.

Hosseini has commented that he considers The Kite Runner to be a "father-son story", emphasizing the familial aspects of the narrative, an element that he continued to use in his later works. Themes of guilt and redemption feature prominently in the novel, with a pivotal scene depicting an act of violence against Hassan that Amir fails to prevent. The latter half of the book centers on Amir's attempts to atone for this transgression by rescuing Hassan's son over two decades later.(source:wikipedia)
chapter 8
chapter 10
Afghan culture

1 Doris Pilkington: The Rabbit Proof Fence, Miramax, 2002

2 The Kite Runner, Riverhead, 2001

Writing

Through a number of different writing assignments - from writings based on grammar topics to narrative and descriptive ones, without omitting the spy mission - you will practise your writing skills. You will also be writing about literature in many creative ways. You should expect to write once every two weeks at least , whether in a quick follow-up activity or for a major class essay.

Grammar1

We will devote one period a week to grammar. Grammar topics will be introduced through a variety of material especially created by your team of English teachers and through coursebooks we have in class collections. They will be seen in context then practised, exercised and hopefully mastered in the Oxford Grammar Practice. You should expect to be assigned 2-4  pages of grammar exercises as homework every week .
1 Oxford Grammar Practice, Basic with answers, OUP, 2006

Vocabulary²
In order to increase your proficiency in English for daily written and oral language, vocabularies will be studied by theme-related chapters and will lead to situation role-playing, listening activities or quick writing. Be ready to learn about two-three pages every week and have a final test on one or two chapters. The average number of pages for a test should be around 6-8 pages. Vocabulary tests might take the shape of listening tests as well.

2 Bescherelle anglais: le vocabulaire, edition Hatier, juin 2008 www. bescherelle.com

To practise and review your vocabulary, you may want to use the interactive exercises provided by the editor which I have selected for you on the Bugnon English website¹ under Vocabulary.
Use flashcards if you have trouble remembering difficult words. Pay a special attention to phonetics, as many tests will involve oral comprehension or expression as well. Remember that if you don't know how to pronounce a word, it will affect your listening and speaking skills. In addition to the vocabulary book , you will be expected to master the important words in the books we read.
1 http://www.gymnasedubugnon.ch/enggybn/file/index.html
Speaking
Knowing your vocabulary is a good thing, but being able to come out with the exact word you need is better. Therefore, roleplays and skits will offer you many occasions to express yourself. Your imagination will be at work. Always try to ask your questions in English! Otherwise I may not answer!!!
Listening and understanding
During classes, I speak English only so your listening skills will be constantly challenged. If you have trouble understanding what I say, you are most welcome to ask me to repeat, I will do so. I am ready to find alternatives to let my explanations sink into your mind - other words, gestures, drawings, ... - but bear in mind French should be avoided as much as possible. However, as soon as the bell rings, feel free to come to my desk and ask for extra explanation, then we may chat in French. :-)
While reading a book, all activities which involve sharing information with your classmates or presenting feedback on a chapter you have read, alone or in group, will give you opportunities to practise your oral expression. Always make the effort to ask your questions in English! It's rewarding.

Tests and marks
Vocabulary tests will be grouped in a pack of 9 and their average multiplied by 3 will give you 3 full marks, equivalent to any other mark you will get in grammar, reading comprehension, ... . As you will have one more test than the 9 required ones, you will be allowed to leave out the worst mark if you have attended all tests at the end of the school year. If you miss one vocabulary test, every mark will count then. If you miss more than one test, you will have to redo the missed vocabulary test provided your excuse has been accepted. If it is not the case, you will get a 1. In addition to vocabulary tests, expect about 3-4 tests in each skill (use of English, reading comprehension, writing , speaking and listening).
Teacher’s word
Please be sure to come to class prepared (which means ready for tests , exercises done or chapters read), with all the necessary equipment for each lesson. I hand out a lot of photocopies, make an effort to organize them into files and folders so as to find them easily. Switch off your cell phones and open your mind.

Finally, if you find yourself in trouble, academically or otherwise, please come and see me sooner rather than later. Don't be afraid to ask for help. I will make time to see you one-on-one.

I hope this will be a good year for you in English
Martine Guignard
my  email : martine.guignardschneider@vd.educanet2.ch
Click on  Documents to find them on  google drive .