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French
 Teacher:
Abbe Guillet, C. W. Baker High School, Baldwinsville
Abbe Guillet received an undergraduate and a graduate
education in French Literature from Goucher College, Towson, Maryland
and Columbia University, New York, New York and studied at the
Université de Provence in Aix-en-Provence and at the Université Cheikh
Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal.
Before coming to Syracuse, New York, she taught
English at the Institut Reine in Versailles and the Lycée Français de
New York. During her sixteen years at C. W. Baker High School, in
Baldwinsville, Abbe has taught French Levels Two, Three, Four, Five, and
Advanced Placement.
Test taking "strategies" for the French Regents
Useful Strategies in Part 1: Oral
Before the conversation begins, listen CAREFULLY as your teacher
reads the situation to you. You have a minute to think - Try the
following:
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Remember, you are always yourself! Listen
for what role the teacher is playing. Decide if you will use ‘tu’
or ‘vous’ with your teacher, and be consistent.
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Determine what exactly you must accomplish in the
conversation. Are you socializing? Requesting
information? Expressing your feelings? Persuading your teacher
to do something? When you have determined your task, start
thinking about how you will accomplish it.
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Stop and think about what point you are entering
the conversation. Some information may already be understood,
and shouldn't be repeated.
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Think of how you can get the conversation going
without jumping right to the task. Lead up to it, rather than
say everything at once.
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If your teacher is going to start the
conversation, try to predict what he/she will say.
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If there is an imaginary event that you will be
discussing, use your imagination, and start making up the details.
More useful Strategies in Part 1
Once the conversation has begun:
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Listen carefully to what your teacher says. You
may hear key words that you can use when it’s your turn.
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Remember, the conversation is not an
interrogation. You are expected to do your part to keep the
conversation moving. Not everything your teacher says will be
a question.
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Be creative, but don't go overboard. You may box
yourself into a corner if you're trying to talk about things too far
beyond your level of ability.
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Remember, this is a test. It may be entirely
natural to answer a question with a word or two, but you know that
you have to say enough to earn two points. Don’t stop until
you know you have them!
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If you don't understand something your teacher
said, pause, think, and ask for a repeat if it doesn't come to
you. (Répétez, S’il vous plaît!)
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If your teacher asks you a question, answer it,
and then go on and say something more. Build on the conversation.
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If your teacher makes a statement, where no answer
is expected, agree or disagree and say why.
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If there is a word you don't know that you think
you need, don't freeze up. Use your road block strategies to find a
way around it. This may mean changing the direction of the
conversation a little or a lot. Rarely is there only one way
to accomplish a task. Stay on your toes!
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