Tapis Volant – for Teachers

Extra teaching resources for Tapis Volant 1 and 2
Tapis Volant 2 TRB - Errata
Tapis Volant 3 TRB - Errata

Mr Glen Robins is currently undertaking a Masters course in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) at the University of Melbourne. This field of study involves the evaluation of on-line resources, the production of websites using a range of authoring tools as well as the effective implementation of technology in the language classroom.

Rationale for using on-line Tapis Volant as a part of the French curriculum
Student benefits of using on-line Tapis Volant
Teacher benefits of using on-line Tapis Volant
Conditions required for implementing on-line Tapis Volant
Links to the Victorian Curriculum Standards Framework (CSF) II
LEVEL 4A PATHWAY 2
  Listening
  Speaking
  Reading
  Writing
LEVEL 5A PATHWAY 2
  Listening
  Speaking
  Reading
  Writing

Rationale for using on-line Tapis Volant as a part of the French curriculum

As a complement to the both the Tapis Volant student book and work book, the aim of on-line Tapis Volant is to provide the language student with semi-individualised, efficient and immediate exposure to authentic written, aural and visual language. Integration of this on-line medium into the French curriculum provides benefits to both the teacher and student, assuming that it is efficiently and effectively implemented in the classroom and/or home environment.

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Student benefits of using on-line Tapis Volant

1. Self-directed learning
   On-line Tapis Volant allows the student to interact with the courseware according to his or her own individual learning style. The language learner can choose to undertake some or all sections in each on-line chapter with the aim of consolidating and reinforcing the skills introduced in the corresponding student book and work book chapter.
   
   
2. Immediate feedback
   In the Grammaire section, the instantaneous and immediate feedback assists the student in identifying and eliminating errors during the drills and provides the option to redo the exercise. The diagnostic nature of these exercises immediately identifies the areas where mastery has not been attained.
   
   
3. Increased aural and grammatical input
   Students have the opportunity to enhance their aural and grammatical skills through the ability to repeatedly access the audio and grammar components of the site. Once again, this on-line feature reinforces the language skills introduced in the corresponding hardcopy chapter.
   
   
4. Links to the “authentic” world of French language and culture
   The Infos section gives students exposure to authentic sites of aural, written and visual French material. These links provide learning opportunities that are “outside the classroom” as well as providing adequate student resources for the undertaking of language or cultural assignments.
   
   
5. Exercises can be completed in or out of the classroom.
   Assuming access to the appropriate computer facilities, students can cater to their learning requirements by completing the on-line exercises in an environment other than that of the classroom.
   

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Teacher benefits of using on-line Tapis Volant

1. Satisfies the pedagogical needs of a French course at both junior and middle school levels.
   The Tapis Volant activities are a part of an integrated curriculum. As a result of the availability of relevant on-line exercises, additional teacher-generated materials and class preparation time are minimised.
   
   
2. Provides time for individualised student attention
   While the students are working on the completion of the on-line exercises, there is time for the teacher to circulate in the computer lab to provide individualised language assistance.
   
   
3. Provides revision tasks before a test or examination.
   Given that the on-line exercises are a part of the integrated curriculum, the on-line tasks are useful as revision exercises before an assessment task. Furthermore, the on-line tasks can be assigned in the instance of teacher absence.
   

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Conditions required for implementing on-line Tapis Volant

1. Technical and logistical frustrations must be minimised
   The challenge and inherent adventure of trying some new technology is sufficient to entice both teachers and students into the computer lab once. If for any reason the experience produces anxiety or frustration, then it is difficult to persuade them back again. Both hardware and software must be fully functional so positive learning and sentiment is ensured. As a result, it is imperative that the school (or home-based) software and hardware are tested before the first on-line Tapis Volant lesson takes place. Furthermore, sufficient lab time should be scheduled for the completion of on-line exercises. However, it is a fact that the initial implementation may bring unknown problems to light! Strategies to deal with both large and small problems should be put in place before the first on-line Tapis Volant class. Students can be more forgiving if they perceive that the problems they encounter will be quickly corrected and adequate assistance is given. School based technical support can be a strong advantage.
   
   
2. Students should be encouraged to work collaboratively
   Research reveals that collaborative work (preferably in pairs) increases the chances of providing a positive experience with computer assisted language learning (CALL) courseware. In pairs, students can assist each other in the completion of the on-line exercises as well as providing mutual support in any technical difficulties.
   
   
3. Earphones are useful for class-based listening exercises.
   In order to reduce sound interference from other laboratory computers, the use of earphones is recommended.
   
   
4. On-line Tapis Volant needs to be a part of a structured learning environment.
   To gain acceptance, the students need to recognise that on-line Tapis Volant is a part of a structured curriculum. As a consequence, an implementation strategy needs to be adopted by the staff teaching the course, whereby it is part of the planned learning activities and assessment structure of the course.

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Links to the Victorian Curriculum Standards Framework (CSF) II.

The grids demonstrate how the learning outcome indicators for CSF II are met in Tapis Volant 1. The exercises and tasks listed are examples only. There are tasks throughout the Student Book, Workbook and Teacher Resource Book that also enable the teacher to observe and/or assess the students’ ability to work at the required CSF level.

The notes added to the CSF II content and the tables explain how the tasks address the learning outcomes, as opposed to the indicators listed in the tables. Those tasks included in the tables but not mentioned in the notes clearly meet the requirements of the learning outcome indicators.

Note: this document is not intended to explain the whole of the Curriculum and Standards Framework II. For full details of CSF II go to: http://csf.vcaa.vic.edu.au/home.htm.

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LEVEL 4A PATHWAY 2.

Listening

Learning Outcomes & Indicators

At Level 4A Pathway 2 the student is able to:

Demonstrate comprehension of personal or factual information, opinions, and instructions by contributing turns in role-play, making choices, creating captions, or making simple evaluative remarks.

Role-play & evaluative remarks. These outcomes are demonstrated orally and so are demonstrated in the oral activities and tests. For these outcomes to be demonstrated the students need to be performing tasks that are not rehearsed and learned by heart for presentation either with a student partner or the teacher.

Creating captions. This task is not included in the listening exercises in Tapis Volant 1. Teachers would need to modify the tasks to include this outcome. Many of the listening passages provide materials that are suitable for this task.

This is evident when the student is able to:

• distinguish and repeat sounds accurately as in intelligent/intelligente
• recognise cognates (lettre, limonade, pharmacie)
• recognise the use of intonation to differentiate between questions and statements
• identify specific facts, including names and personal details of people, their activities, interests or possessions, locations, time, price, color
• classify information
• follow a short sequence of instructions (e.g. to get to a particular location by following places on a map)

• All of the true/false questions based on the Situation require students to classify information and identify specific facts etc. but they are not usually used under “test conditions” to demonstrate the students’ knowledge, rather they are used to introduce the new topic. However, a teacher who does not have other resources could choose to “save” the situation and use it as a test at the end of the unit.
• Some of the Lecture texts are recorded on the CD and comprehension tasks are given in the Workbook. Because these are quite difficult texts they are not included them in the listening grid. They are even quite challenging as reading texts.
• In all role-play activities in the Activités orales the students are required to listen and respond to the statement made by the partner. However, if, as is usually the case for students in Level 4A, the role-play has been written, rehearsed and learned by heart for presentation, the students do not really demonstrate listening comprehension while performing. Note that the CSF does say that comprehension can be demonstrated by contributing turns in a role-play. This would need to be done in a role-play where the students have not rehearsed together, or where it is completed with the teacher.

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Speaking

Learning Outcomes & Indicators

At Level 4A Pathway 2 the student is able to:

Make simple statements, each conveying a single fact or a list of facts in short exchanges, role-plays or presentations.

This is evident when the student is able to:

• use appropriate greetings and leave-taking (Salut. Bonjour madame)
• ask and respond to questions about self, others, school subjects, likes, dislikes, preferences (e.g. Tu aimes le chocolat? Tu préfères le coca ou l’eau minérale?)
• provide basic factual information in a description of a person, place or event (Il est grand. Il a les yeux verts. Il aime le tennis et le foot)
• extend a statement or question by using simple devices, such as adjectives
• use appropriate gestures (faire la bise)
• ask for assistance (Je ne comprends pas; je ne sais pas; répétez s’il vous plaît).

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Reading

Learning Outcomes & Indicators

At Level 4A Pathway 2 the student is able to:

Identify main ideas, factual information and sequences of events in short, simple modified texts and use the information to make choices or decisions from options provided.

This is evident when the student is able to:

• read aloud applying rules of pronunciation and intonation, as in fils, fille
• use knowledge of sound–symbol correspondences to decipher a word
• identify main ideas of a text, including time, place, events (un accident; trois personnes; à huit heures
• select and order information, e.g. an incorrect sequence of events in a narrative, or present facts in tabular form.

Note that this does not include answering comprehension questions in English or French!

Note: The Lecture texts are quite difficult and if used as reading comprehension tasks under controlled conditions even texts from early chapters would demonstrate achievement of the required learning outcome. It is unlikely that such a text would be used as a test. Where they are included they are in the Workbook column, not the Student Book as this is where the comprehension task is given. In Unit 8 there is a task given in the Student Book so this is included in the Student Book column.

Some tasks in Unité 12 and Unité 13 can fit the grid for Level 4A, but the curriculum focus is Level 5A.

Note: Workbook activities Unité 7 Activité 21 p78 and Unité 13 Activité 19 p155 are given as writing activities. However, they ask the students to reorder sentences and this is one of the indicators for the reading strand of the CSF, so they are included  in the reading table.

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Writing

Learning Outcomes & Indicators

At Level 4A Pathway 2 the student is able to:

Write three or four linked sentences to convey personal or factual information in short letters, narratives or captions.

This is evident when the student is able to:

• link sentences using et, mais, as in Nous n’avons pas de chien, mais nous avons deux chats, Kitty et Millie
• rewrite a text substituting specific details, such as personal information, time
• extend a sentence or question by using simple devices, such as adjectives
• use a word bank or dictionary to search for and check vocabulary
• use models to follow text conventions correctly.

If in an appropriate format, writing exercises can be added from the Student Book and Workbook for those schools that cannot purchase the Teacher Resource Book.

Text types, audience, context and purpose should be included for all writing tasks.

When trying to establish the level of a writing task, consider the following:

Is a word bank or dictionary allowed?
Are there models for the students to follow?
How much preparation is done prior to the completion of the task?
Do students do practice pieces that are corrected prior to the test?

The task in Test 7 provides a model but is too easy to be an indication of the attainment of the required level because the words required are provided in French. If students are not given the words or provided with a word bank in which they could search for and find the words, then it would be a very good task to meet the second indicator (“Rewrite a text…”).

Perhaps just write about one or two people. This is mentioned as an adaptation to a Workbook Unit 7 exercise in the table above.

Writing

The writing tests in the final chapters are quite difficult. They require more than is necessary for Level 4A. If the students can complete the task (modified) in Unit 10 they will have done what is required for Level 4A. However, because they are not yet using the full range of tenses listed for 5A, the students cannot yet be said to have achieved the learning outcome at Level 5A. They are working at the level and are moving towards achieving the outcomes required. Level 5A is, of course, covered in Tapis Volant 2 and is not expected of Year 8 students. Some students in Year 10 still have difficulty in producing the passé composé.

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LEVEL 5A PATHWAY 2.

Listening

Learning Outcomes & Indicators

At Level 5A Pathway 2 the student is able to:

Demonstrate comprehension of factual information drawn from topics of interest or other areas of the curriculum, by comparing, explaining, drawing conclusions, discussing options.

This is evident when the student is able to:

• use clearly signalled clues/context to decipher key points of information
• identify
• specific items of information including details of time and place
• past, present and the immediate future
• transfer heard information to another form of representation such as a chart, graph, timetable or notes
• use information to make a choice/decision, describe feeling or reaction, draw a conclusion, or express a personal opinion.

Because of their curriculum focus or the nature of the tasks the following units may be appropriate for Level 5A. There seems to be quite a jump in the difficulty of the tasks from Unit 9 which seems quite easy for most students to the Unit 10 tasks which are more difficult, both in the nature of the tasks and the density of the text. While the speed of the listening texts is very accessible, the content is quite dense making it quite difficult to identify the information required to complete the tasks. For this reason from Unit 10 on for the listening strand, students may be seen as starting to work at Level 5A even if they are not yet demonstrating achievement of the level required by the indicator. The listening text and tasks provided with the annotated work samples are of a similar level of difficulty to those at Unit 10 in the Workbook.

Unit 10 involves using information heard to complete timetables and charts etc. These activities are not in line with Level 4A indicators. In completing these tasks the students are acquiring the skills and working towards reaching the Level 5A standard.

Unit 11 Weekly Routine involves school, living arrangements and leisure, Level 5 content. The listening activities ask students to identify details of time. However identifying time is also part of one of the indicators for Level 4A so the difficulty of the task needs to be considered.

Unit 15 Weekend plans involves talking about the future, a Level 5 focus.

Unit 16 Je ne suis pas d’accord, feelings,reactions, opinions, all Level 5 focus.

The tasks listed in the tables in this section are Level 5A tasks but the students will probably demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes when completing tasks in Tapis Volant 2.

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Speaking

Learning Outcomes & Indicators

At Level 5A Pathway 2 the student is able to:

Provide factual information and manipulate formulaic language to express personal meaning in short conversations, role-plays or oral reports.

This is evident when the student is able to:

• organise ideas to sustain at least six exchanges in an interaction or presentation
• ask questions using Quand? Qui? Comment? Où? Pourquoi?
• open and close an exchange appropriately
• express an opinion by selecting among options, such as J’aime…, j’adore…, je déteste…
• extend the message through the use of adjectives, adverbs and simple coordination
• use appropriate strategies, such as Répétez s’il vous plaît. Je ne comprends pas. J’ai oublié… to maintain the interaction
• provide factual information in a description of a person/place/event
• participate in a role-play to solve an information gap.

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Reading

Learning Outcomes & Indicators

At Level 5A Pathway 2 the student is able to:

Identify key points of information and the overall purpose of texts, and use the information to make a simple evaluative comment, a list of main points or a simple report.

There is no indication given here about the language to be used. In reading work samples given for Level 5 Pathway 1, one task asked year 8 students to respond in English, so presumably using English is appropriate at Level 5A Pathway 2.

This is evident when the student is able to:

• read aloud with appropriate pronunciation and intonation
• decipher unknown words using contextual and linguistic clues
• identify key points of information (person, event, idea, quality), overall purpose of text, and culturally specific aspects of language
• select and order information in response to questions or as a summary
• use the information to present ideas in a different form, give a personal opinion about the text, make arrangements or plans.

Note: Workbook activities Unité 7 Activité 21 p78 and Unité 13 Activité 19 p155 are given as writing activities. However, they ask the students to reorder sentences and this is one of the indicators for the reading strand of the CSF, so they are includedin the reading table.

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Writing

Learning Outcomes & Indicators

At Level 5A Pathway 2 the student is able to:

Write simple linked sentences to convey ideas, information and plans, and present the information in a logical sequence of two or three paragraphs.

This is evident when the student is able to:

• extend the message by using devices, such as adjectives and adverbs
• structure texts to demonstrate development and linking of ideas (Mon repas préféré est le dîner. D’habitude maman prépare le dîner mais quelquefois papa le prépare aussi. Nous mangeons… je n’aime pas trop… mais j’adore… En été nous mangeons de la salade… je préfère … Mon petit frère ne mange pas. Il est pénible)
• record information in note form
• exchange ideas and information, e.g. by writing or responding to a letter, email or postcard
• present information on a topic of interest
• adhere to the conventions of the text type.

Workbook

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