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French 1B-In Person
with Melanie Adams
Early Registration (5/1-6/3): $420
Reg. Registration (6/4-8/14): $440
Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460
Fridays 11:30-12:55
Class Description: This is a continuation of French 1A. The goal of this class is to review basic grammatical concepts in French, to improve comprehension and to encourage communication through in-class work, dialogues, dictations and at-home preparation.
Course Outline: Lessons will include these aspects of French grammar:
Expressions of possession (possessive adjectives, possession with de, être à)
Irregular descriptive adjectives
Interrogative adjectives (quel, quelle, quels, quelles)
Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)
Prepositions of place
Asking and responding to questions (inversion)
Comparatives and superlatives
Introduction to -re verbs
Introduction to imperative verb form
Past tense (passé compose)
By the end of this class members will be able to:
Ask for and give directions
Engage in conversations about the weather, themselves, their families and their hobbies
Easily use numbers for dates and years
Read easy texts
Ask questions in several different ways
Describe events that happened in the past
Speak with good pronunciation
Prerequisite: French 1B students should have completed French 1A at La Causerie or possess equivalent levels of proficiency from other pathways.
Book/Materials: Voila! An Introduction to French, 6th Edition, by L. Kathy Heilenman, ISBN: 1133950124
French 4-In Person
with Hélène Perriguey-Keene
Early Registration (5/1-6/3): $420
Reg. Registration (6/4-8/14): $440
Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460
Fridays 11:30am-12:55pm
Class Description: This class builds upon the foundations in Beginning French 1, 2 and 3. It introduces more intricate aspects of French grammar, practical vocabulary, cultural, historical and social aspects of the French speaking world. The ultimate goal is to enable students to achieve a higher level of understanding and ability to communicate in French. Oral communication will be increased from the previous level. At-home preparation is expected. This course is conducted entirely in French.
Prerequisite: French 4 students should have completed French 1A ,1B, 2 and 3 at La Causerie or possess equivalent levels of proficiency from other pathways.
Student Description: Students in this course should have completed French 3 or its equivalent, having attained an overall foundation in French grammar as well as a comfort level to participate in everyday conversations. Students should be comfortable in a class conducted entirely in French and have vocabulary that is broad enough to engage in class discussions.
Book/Materials: TBD
Recommended Reference Books:
A good recent bilingual dictionary (French/English - English/French):
On paper: Collins Robert French College Dictionary.
Online: https://www.wordreference.com and https://www.deepl.com
A book on French conjugation:
On paper: Bescherelle: L’Art de conjuguer or La conjugaison pour tous.
Online: https://bescherelle.com/le-conjugueur-bescherelle
Italian 2-In Person
with Sylvie Murphy
Early Registration (5/1-6/3): $420
Reg. Registration (6/4-8/14): $440
Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460
Fridays 11:30am-12:55pm
Class Description: Italian 2 is the second Italian class and will pick up where Italian 1 left off. We will spend the first weeks of class reviewing the material covered in level 1 and then start our new material.
Main Grammatical Concepts:
Past tenses: passato prossimo, imperfetto and trapassato
Articulated prepositions (preposition + article contractions)
Indirect Object Pronouns
Agreement with direct object pronouns and the passato prossimo
The verb piacere
Reflexive and reciprocal verbs
Adverbs
Vocabulary themes will include:
Pastimes/hobbies
Food/Restaurant
Clothing
Larger numbers
Mass media
Prerequisites: Italian 1 or equivalent. Students should be familiar with: basic pronunciation, gender and plural formation, agreement including articles and adjectives, present tense verbs both regular and irregular, basic sentence and question formation. You should be able to hold a basic conversation in the present tense.
Books/Materials:
Prego! An Invitation to Italian (Student Edition) 6th Edition ISBN: 978-0072561319
Learn Italian with Short Stories for Adult Beginners. ISBN: 9798370453410
The Ultimate Italian Review and Practice, by David Stillman ISBN: 1260453510
Italian 3-In Person
with Nina Young
Early Registration (5/1-6/3): $420
Reg. Registration (6/4-8/14): $440
Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460
Fridays 11:30am-12:55pm
Class Description: Italian 3 will help the student to develop more sophisticated expression in the language while building a more confident use of the basics learned in the previous two courses.
Main Grammatical Points:
Future and conditional verb tenses.
Commands (the imperative mood).
Comparative and superlative adjectives
Indefinite adjectives
"Ne" and "ci"
Indefinite pronouns
The impersonal "si"
Vocabulary themes:
Body parts
Vacation
Shopping
The House and Accommodation
Prerequisite: Italian 1 and 2 at La Causerie or equivalent. The typical Italian 3 student has completed Italian 1 and 2, has a working vocabulary of hundreds of words, can form simple sentences in the present, past and imperfect tenses, and can answer questions in a controlled setting, using memorized expressions.
Books/Materials:
Prego! An Invitation to Italian (Student Edition) 6th Edition ISBN: 978-0072561319
Learn Italian with Short Stories for Adult Beginners. ISBN: 9798370453410
The Ultimate Italian Review and Practice, by David Stillman ISBN: 1260453510
Spanish 1-In Person
with Nolan Oehrke
Early Registration (5/1-6/3): $420
Reg. Registration (6/4-8/14): $440
Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460
Fridays 11:30am-12:55pm
Class Description:
This Spanish grammar course is intended for students who have never before studied Spanish or for those who have not used the language for so long that they need to start over.
Course Objective: Completion of the following chapters and topics.
Preface:
Pronunciation
Alphabet
Greetings and Salutations
Topics:
Nouns, Articles, and Adjectives
Estar, Ser, and Subject Pronouns
Hay, Interrogative Words, Days, Months, Seasons
Numbers, Dates, and Time
Regular Verbs
Irregular Verbs
Ir and the Future
Adjectives and Adverbs
Negative and Prepositions
Instruction: The instructor will use English for grammatical explanations, will incorporate Spanish into drills and other exercises, and will assign homework from the textbook and accompanying workbook.
Prerequisite: None
Book/Materials: Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, 2nd edition, by Barbara Bregstein, ISBN 9781260463132
Spanish 2-In Person
with Cristy Schmidt
Early Registration (5/1-6/3): $420
Reg. Registration (6/4-8/14): $440
Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460
Fridays 11:30am-12:55pm
Class Description:
This grammar course is for students who have been introduced to the Spanish language but are still at a beginning level. Typically, students should have completed Spanish 1 at La Causerie or have taken several years of high-school Spanish, a couple of semesters of college Spanish, or have had an equivalent life experience (lived abroad, etc.) that gives them some pronunciation skills and a basic foundation of vocabulary.
Course Objective: Completion of the following chapters and topics.
Preface:
Pronunciation
Alphabet
Greetings and Salutations
Topics:
The Indirect Object
The Direct Object
Reflexive Verbs
The Preterit Tense
The Imperfect Tense
Ser and Estar and the Present Tense
Ser and Estar in the Preterit and Imperfect Tenses
The Present Progressive Tense
The Past Progressive Tenses
Instruction: The instructor will use English for grammatical explanations, will incorporate Spanish into drills and other exercises, and will assign homework.
Prerequisite: Knowledge of the material covered in Spanish 1.
Book/Materials:
For Friday class:
Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, 2nd edition, by Barbara Bregstein, ISBN 9781260463132
Spanish 6-Advanced Conversation and Composition-In Person
with Irene Schmidt
Early Registration (5/1-6/3): $420
Reg. Registration (6/4-8/14): $440
Late Registration (8/15-9/30):$460
Fridays 11:30am-12:55
Class Description:
This is an advanced level conversation course that is conducted entirely in Spanish, including any grammatical explanations. Students should be prepared to speak only in Spanish. The focus in this course shifts from being understood to communicating with precision: choosing the right words, expressing nuance, and engaging with complex ideas as they arise spontaneously in discussion.
Topics are open-ended and may include current events, ethical questions, and cultural and historical themes. This course will develop the student's ability to speak and write at length.Students may be assigned to prepare presentations for class or to peer-edit other students' writing.
Is this course right for you? Are you comfortable telling a story about something that happened to you? Can you maintain a spontaneous conversation that moves between past, present, and future? Can you follow a podcast in Spanish without subtitles? If so, then Spanish 6 will give you the challenge you're looking for.
Books/Materials: Punto y Aparte (2nd edition, ISBN 978-0072496420, or 3rd edition, ISBN 978-0073124483)