Nickel! Méthode de français 1 par Hélène Auge, et al

Abstract

this respect that the volume seems to miss its mark. All six of the contributions illustrate the students’ struggles and the inadequacies of current practices through some form of analytical data. Three articles include a grammar-manual survey. Péret presents a diachronic survey of the periphrastic future in French grammars dating from the mid-seventeenth century to today. In their respective contributions, Torterat and Lachet review more recent French language textbooks, with Torterat considering how CM1-level manuals present the so-called tenseless forms (infinitive and present participle) and with Lachet examining explanations of grammatical aspect in CM1 and sixième texts. All three authors seem to conclude that it is high time for a revision of grammar textbooks but for the most part fail to clarify what shape such revisions would take. Only Lachet attempts to provide a few pedagogical suggestions in the last couple of pages of her article, and many of these appear to be gleaned from other works. The three other articles use student-produced data as their basis for analysis of the shortcomings of the current system. Gagnon examines and compares temporal coherence in the production data from French high school students and a group of international college students studying in France (hers is the only contribution that directly considers the often parallel difficulties of second-language learners of French). Corteel and Avezard-Roger use a multi-section linguistic questionnaire to test middle school students’ interpretations of aspectual distinctions. Rodríguez Gonzalo’s contribution is the only one to consider a different language—namely, Spanish, whose verbal system appears to be largely similar to that of French—and to present an explicit pedagogical sequence for helping students conceptualize how verbal tense is formed and interpreted. The benefits of this classroom intervention are measured through a post-test.All three of these articles highlight students’struggles with the written verbal system, but the best course of action for resolving these difficulties remains somewhat elusive. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis A. Kate Miller Methods and Materials edited by Frédérique Grim Auge, Hélène, Maria Dolores Canada Pujols, Claire Marlhens, et Lucia Martin. Nickel! Méthode de français 1. Paris: CLE, 2014. ISBN 978-2-09-0384987 . Pp. 208 (+ DVD-ROM). 18,70 a. This textbook is marketed as a tool for older adolescent and adult learners, and presents skills to fulfill A1/A2 competencies in the international system of diplôme d’études en langue française (DELF). Each unit is introduced with expected student 222 FRENCH REVIEW 89.1 Reviews 223 learning outcomes, a list of what students will learn to reach outcomes, strategies, and the introduction of the tâche finale, or culminating activity of the unit. This is a good way to explicitly state what students can expect to learn, and how they will get there. Today’s students are driven by practical implications of foreign languages, so they will likely appreciate that information from the beginning. Each unit is comprised of a thematic lesson where students make assumptions based on images in the book and complete auditory discretion exercises from the DVD-ROM. These lessons are followed by vocabulary and grammar presentations, and then speaking and reading activities. The tâche finale is the opportunity for students to put the lessons learned into practice in a real-life situation.After every four lessons, there is a bilan communication section that gives students the opportunity to view the information again and add to each of the previous units with an increasingly complex set of exercises. The book is ambitious in the amount of content, but it also seeks to prepare students for the A1 certification, so it must be vast in scope. The book is practical as it is clearly organized and follows logical sequencing. It is user-friendly and visually stimulating. The DVD-ROM hosts a wealth of resources for students and instructors. There is audio paired with the lessons of both the book and the workbook along with videos that follow the lessons. In addition to the videos for each unit, there is a section on société where important cultural lessons are presented. I particularly like...