Introductory description

Pre-requisite: prior knowledge of French

• A1 of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference)
• or GCSE level
• or equivalent

This foundation allows students to revise and consolidate the basics of the French language, develop main linguistic (oral, aural, written, spoken) skills, and acquire grammatical awareness & essential communicative competences.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Communicative skills including items such as: describing people, talking about events, friendship, consumption trends, employment and the workplace environmental issues, travel and tourism,
Grammar: In term 1, consolidation and revision of essential basic structures including the Present Tense, adjectives and adverbs. Revision of the negative form, open and close questions. Use of relative pronouns. Use of complement pronouns. Extension of the use of the Perfect Tense to recount past events in a range of situations. Introduction of the Imperfect Tense.,
In term 2: extension of the use of the Imperfect Tense, using the Perfect and Imperfect Tenses together, the Future Tense, the Conditional tenses, extension of the use of complement pronouns.
This syllabus is for indicative purposes only and will be updated regularly to remain relevant.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• apply a basic knowledge of grammar
• gain insight into everyday life in the relevant countries
• apply strategies for understanding gist and short descriptions
• interact about familiar topics and activities
• write simple texts giving background information and relating to areas of immediate need
• diagnose strengths and areas of improvement in their productive language skills and take relevant steps to address these areas.

International

All modules delivered in SMLC are necessarily international. Students engage with themes and ideas from a culture other than that of the UK and employ their linguistic skills in the analysis of primary materials from a non-Anglophone context. Students will also be encouraged to draw on the experiences of visiting exchange students in the classroom and will frequently engage with theoretical and critical frameworks from across the world.

Subject specific skills

This module will build students’ linguistic skills through activities that stimulate authentic target language production and develop sensitivity to the transference of meaning across languages. Students will work towards the production of nuanced, accurate and contextually sensitive materials through a range of language classes and guided independent learning.

Transferable skills

All SMLC culture modules demand critical and analytical engagement with artefacts from target-language cultures. In the course of independent study, class work and assessment students will develop the following skills: written and oral communication, creative and critical thinking, problem solving and analysis, time management and organisation, independent research in both English and their target language(s), intercultural understanding and the ability to mediate between languages and cultures, ICT literacy in both English and the target language(s), personal responsibility and the exercise of initiative.