2M English focuses on developing analytical reading and writing, improving your listening and speaking skills plus mastering grammar and vocabulary at an intermediate level.
Reading
Reading
is challenging and will serve to develop your understanding of
British and American literature and culture, as well as to strengthen
your comprehension, analysis, and interpretation.
Our
first novel, called Montana 1948 1
by Larry Watson, will carry
you to the great American West just after World War II . “A tale of
love and courage, of power abused, and of terrible choice between
family loyalty and justice” accounted by twelfth-year old David
Hayden in a memoir-like tone which appeals to your sense of justice.
You will be required to present a passage to the class.
We
will go on with Philip K Dick’s short stories2
imagine a world in which the Nazis would have won WWII (but nobody
knows it), where robots programmed by humans outsmart the latter, or
where no more crimes are committed because “would be criminals”
are imprisoned even before they commit their crimes thanks to
super-powerful idiot mutants. Interested? You've probably heard of
or watched the movies "Minority
Report or
"Paycheck" . Actually many of PKDick's short stories have
been turned into either a major or a B series film, therefore you
will be asked to do a research work on the motion pictures as well,
its highlight being a compare and contrast essay between one of the
short stories and its filmed counterpart. We will select one film to
watch in class.
1
Larry
Watson : Montana 1948, Milkweed editions 2007
Through a number of different writing assignments-from narrative, compare/contrast to argumentative and literary essays -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 or every month, whether in a quick feedback exercise or for a major class essay.
Vocabulary3
In
order to increase your proficiency in English for daily written and
oral language, vocabularies will be studied by theme-related chapters
and will be practised through role plays, listening activities or
little games . Be ready to learn about two new pages every week and
have a final quiz (oral or written, sometimes a listening task) after
every chapter or every two chapters if they are short.
Remember
that you must get about 75 % of the points in a vocabulary test to
reach the average.Grammar4
We
shall go on introducing grammar topics in context - with material
created by the team of English teachers at the Bugnon , newspaper
articles, games and role plays in class or short writing exercises.
Yet most of the job is the one you do on your own (or in pairs)
when you practise exercises in class or as homework. We shall try to
use our time very efficiently during our grammar period so as not to
overload you with tasks at home, but learning by heart also plays a
major part in mastering the basic rules of our dear English grammar.
Remember you may download and print summaries of every chapter of the
GGB plus all tenses, on the English department website5
under Grammar English Bugnon Grammar4U. We
will practise vocabulary and grammar in a vivid and active way in our
brand-new language laboratory.Speaking
Knowing
your vocabulary is a good thing, but being able to come up with the
exact word you need is better. While reading a book, all activities
which involve sharing information with your classmates or presenting
a feedback on a chapter you have read, alone or in group, will give
you opportunities to practise your oral expression. Make a special
effort to ask your questions in English!
Listening and understanding
During classes, I speak English only so your listening skills will be challenged almost every day. Watching and listening to the latest news on the BBC (radio or TV) will be part of the curriculum, as other listening tasks I might ask you to do, in connection with vocabulary/grammar or with films.
Website6
Most of the material which I hand out to students can be found on my website6, allowing students to access a document even if they have been absent or if it happens to be lost In case of absence or illness, it is each student's responsibility to inquire about the material received or the assignments due.
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, each one equivalent to any other mark you will get in grammar, reading comprehension, ... . As you might 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 the opportunity to do one more 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 major tests in each skill (use of English, reading comprehension, writing , speaking and listening).
Final Advice
Please be sure to come to class prepared (i.e. with exercises done and chapters read), with your grammar vocabulary/reading books on specific days. Major assignments such as oral presentations or essays are given way ahead of time, so I will not tolerate students who cannot produce the required task on due date.
I hope we will go on working in a stimulating and serious, yet pleasant, atmosphere which will lead you to do your best in my English classes.
3
Bescherelle anglais: le
vocabulaire, edition Hatier, juin 2008 www.
bescherelle.com
4
T.Spencer:The Golden Grammar Book, fourth edition, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment