3 C1 Course Overview

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

Reading

Reading is challenging and will serve to develop your understanding of British/ American/Worldwide literature and culture, as well as to strengthen your analysis, and interpretation skills. This year will focus on specific topics and will enable you to write essays in which you will show your analytical and creative writing ability.

We will start  with Of Mice and Men1 by John Steinbeck. This story is set in the California of the thirties, when people had to cope with the Great Depression .Through Lennie and George’s friendship your heart will beat at the same pace as those two “drifters” (wandering poor men). Getting familiar with the historical background of a novel is always an asset and enables you to gain a better insight on the author’s work and life. This research work will be followed by an oral presentation to your classmates. You will be asked to share your reactions tp the novel in a journal writing. Study guide online 

We will go on with Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon2 a classic story of a mentally disabled man whose experimental quest for intelligence mirrors that of Algernon, an extraordinary lab mouse. In poignant diary entries, Charlie tells how a brain operation increases his IQ and changes his life. As the experimental procedure takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment seems to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance--until Algernon begins his sudden, unexpected deterioration. Will the same happen to Charlie? An American classic that inspired the award-winning movie “Charly”.( wikipedia)

Writing

Your skills will be evaluated in several compositions including passage analysis as well as creative writing. Of course most routine assignments are also ways for you to master and improve your ability to compose insightful, articulate and quality texts. Your literary written exam will consist of a creative writing based on one of the two books we will have read by June 2014 You will be allowed to choose one topic out of two. This part is worth 40% of the written exam. Take every opportunity to express your writing skills during the regular assignments I give you in parallel with the reading work.  

Speaking    Remember to ask your questions in English !

Oral expression is worth a good deal of the exam, therefore a strong priority will be given to oral presentations to the class, grammar or vocabulary topic-based role-plays or other research work. We will spend most of our half-class periods analysing and commenting newspaper and magazine articles, , either individually, in pairs or in groups, debate style when appropriate .

These practice exercises will prepare you for your individual oral exam, which will last 15 minutes (10 minutes presentation, 5 minutes conversation with teacher/expert) for which you will be given 30 minutes preparation. You will deal with an unknown newspaper article, similar to the ones practised all year long.

Grammar³

After having finished studying a few more grammar topics (articles, nouns, adjectives and adverbs, comparisons, relative clauses), we are going to spend quite a lot of time reviewing grammar for the exams, starting with tenses at the beginning of the school year. We shall devote the weeks between Easter vacation and end of May to do former exam papers so as to be ready for Use of English , a multiple-choice questions exam.

If at some point you don’t understand a grammar topic, don’t hesitate to ask questions, even elementary ones, especially when reviewing ! Your questions may enlighten the rest of the class as well.

Summaries of every chapter of the Grammar Book can be downloaded and printed from the English Bugnon website under EnglishBugnon Grammar 4U⁴

Vocabulary⁵

Your proficiency in English during the written as well as the oral activities and exams will rely greatly on you mastering the words of the Bescherelle vocabulary book. On top of the final chapters to be covered (33-50), emphasis will be given on irregular verbs and phrasal verbs - you can't do without them, so be prepared !

Listening

During classes, I shall speak English only so your listening skills will be challenged almost every day. We will watch Gary Sinise's Of Mice and Men with John Malkovitch. You will be looking forward to watching this masterpiece.

Watching and listening to the latest news on the BBC (radio or TV) will be part of the curriculum. Expect many listening exercises and 3 major listening tests during the school year, as this will prepare you for the Oral Comprehension Exam, to be held on June 3rd 2016. 

Our language laboratory will provide you with more  opportunities to practise your oral English.

Reading Comprehension will be tested in your final exam, on an unknown text (~1000 words) on social issues. It is worth 40% of the written exam and is made up of True/False questions, titles to give, short answers to provide, a,s.o, similar to the ones done in class.

Tests and marks

Vocabulary tests will be grouped in a pack of 9 and their average, unrounded,(e.g:4.72+4.72+4.72) multiplied by 3 will give you 3 full marks, each one equivalent to any other mark you will get in grammar, reading comprehension, ... . As you will have at least 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. If you miss more than one test, then you will have to redo it in class, provided your excuse has been accepted as valid. If you want to have your vocabulary test anyway, do it straight when you come back to class.

In addition to the vocabulary tests mentioned above, expect about 2-3 tests in each skill (use of English/Grammar, reading comprehension, writing, speaking and listening).

Internet. Most of major documents or assignments are to be found on my personal website⁶  on Google Drive on the English Department's7 for instance if you are looking for the exams guidelines, a “séjour linguistique” , an exchange program for next year, a gap year in Australia or more general help (grammar exercises on line, listening activities …). Besides you always have the opportunity to contact me by e-mail8.  

Teacher’s word

Please be sure to come to class prepared (which means with exercises done and chapters read), with your notebooks, books, cell phones off and an open mind.

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 year will bring you a most fulfilling time and lead you to successful exams!

Martine Guignard

1 John Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men, Reclam Universal, Stuttgart, 2008

2 Daniel Keyes: Flowers for Algernon, Harcourt edition 2004

3 . Oxford Practice Grammar, BASIC, with answers, 2006

4 http://bugnon.educanet2.ch/mganglais/.ws_gen/index.htm

5 Bescherelle anglais: le vocabulaire, edition Hatier, juin 2008 

6 http://mguignardwebsite.blogspot.ch

7 http://www.gymnasedubugnon.ch/enggybn/file

8 martine.guignardschneider@vd.educanet2.ch
or Click on Documents to find them on google drive  PW English2