|
1
|
Think
of your students as Year 12's, not as sophisticated sixth-formers.
Even if they have achieved a high grade at GCSE, they have only just
left Year 11 and probably have a very insecure grasp of grammar, a
limited vocabulary and a paranoid fear of listening and speaking. |
|
|
2
|
A
Grammar crash-course may be necessary to bring them up to speed. In
the first term at least, it is worth allocating a regular slot to
a systematic programme of grammar work. |
|
|
3
|
Make
sure that your teaching ties in closely with the requirements of the
AS exam. Don't launch straight into a study of Voltaire's Candide
just because you enjoyed it so much when you were their age. |
|
|
4
|
Support
the students. Ease them in gently. You are not there to show your
linguistic superiority. Your role is to hold their hand and walk them
through the exam. Build up their skills, their vocabulary and their
confidence. |
|
|
5
|
Do plenty of
GCSE- type exercises. See the pages on Listening, Speaking, Reading
and Writing for ideas on developing these skills.
|
|
|
6
|
When we identify
that a student is weak in a certain area, we tend to say: "do
more of this and you will improve." This is not necessarily
the case. They have to be helped to overcome specific problems so
that remedial work can be done. e.g. Simply doing more listening
work does not necessarily lead to an improvement in listening skills.
Pupils need to be shown where they are going wrong. Make them aware
of the pronunciation/spelling of words such as frein, train,
vingt, dixaine, gens, jeunes, jaune. Draw their attention to
word-families such as lire, lecture, lisible and do plenty
of exercises based on this. Plenty of work is required on Faux Amis.
Don't worry about giving them lists of 20-30 items. Many terms will
recur as the year goes on:
se multiplier, répandre, mobiliser, se produire, provoquer,
augmenter, améliorer.
|
|
|
7
|
To facilitate
speaking, there are a number of strategies that can be deployed.
Staged debates can be set up. Give the students cards with statements
on. They need to decide whether the statements are for or against
a particular issue. They then work on learning the argument on the
cards and developing the point further.
You can also give them cards with radical or extreme statements;
the students have to provide the opposite counter-argument. The
cards could also contain statements which basically have the same
meaning. The students analyse the language and work on synonyms.
Success at AS and A2 level is depends a lot on the ability to
recognise and produce synonyms; interpreting a text in your own
words, generating résumés.
|
|
|
8
|
It is not helpful
to tell students simply to "read round the subject". They
need specific guidance. Give them relevant articles with follow-up
tasks. A useful pattern for independent work is :
- read the
article
- list 20
new words
- use the
words in a new context of your own (as a means of assimilating
new vocabulary)
- write 10
sentences in English about the article you have read.
- Then write
the 10 sentences in French without referring to the original article
but using some of the new keywords yo have come across.
|
|
|
9
|
Stick
to short articles. If you have a Foreign Language Assistant, use him/her
to support what you are doing and to provide additional opportunities
for the students to hear and talk about the current topic. |
|
|
10
|
Don't
give the students excessive amounts of writing to do. Build up the
length gradually. |
|
| 11 |
Try
a Running Dictation from time to time. Divide the group into
pairs. Duplicate a text 3 or 4 times and put copies up outside the
room. Pupil 1 of each pair has to run to the text, memorise a chunk,
return to their partner and dictate it for Pupil 2 to write out. It
is best if pupil 1 can't see what pupil 2 is writing. They should
use the target language only. Pupil 2 is allowed to ask for words
to be repeated or spelled. Make sure the other team-pairs don't hear.
The aim is to see which pair has produced the most accurate version
in the time. Allow about 15 minutes and no more than 10 lines. Pupils
will need training in reading and pronunciation skills before they
can do this task successfully. It will ultimately help their listening,
speaking and writing skills. |
|
|
|
|