Mon 6 June, Level 2

[Caroline M Mwaniki]

Hi folks,

It was quite a full house with 8 students in the level 2 class today. We worked through the first lesson in the text Sam and Pat. I only used the text for reading purposes because we didn't have enough copies to go around. Each student did have access to a text, with one text shared between two students.

We began by reading through the 10 simple sentences in the lesson focusing on pronunciation of the consonants in the lesson (f, m, n, p, s, t, th) and the vowel a. We also touched on vocabulary, and reviewed the conjugation of the verb "to be" in the present simple.

Next we did a dictation based on words in the lesson, and followed up with more questions on the pronunciation of the above consonants and the vowel "a". Most students did really well on this exercise, but many had trouble with the sound f (which they confused with "ph"), and others would double the n in words like "man", "fan", "pan". 

Finally, we talked about the use of the verb "to be" in describing people and objects, after which I asked each student to pick a person of their choice, and write three descriptive sentences on that person using the verb "to be". This exercise also went very well, and some students pushed themselves to write more complex sentences, which was very encouraging.

I still have 3 copies of the text book; some students indicated that they are still interested in getting a copy so I'll keep bringing them with me for the next few weeks. Jieun and I discussed briefly how we should handle the fact that the book might be too expensive for some students, and we came up with the options of photocopying, or a payment plan. What do the rest think?

If we are all on board with using this text book, I propose we create a syllabus/schedule using the lessons in the book in order to provide structure and continuity for the students.

Cheers!

--
Caroline Mwaniki
Department of French/Institute of French Studies
New York University