Le travail écrit Tronc commun

Niveau Moyen (SL)• What is it?• What are the requirements?• Example• Formal guidelines• The role of the teacher• Assessment criteria• Step by step preparation• Possible topics/subtopics• Recommended resources and websites• Text types• Example (in detail)• Questions and ‘hot topics’• World Languages Policy

Written assignment• What does it assess? Your receptive and written productive skills.• What proportion of our final grade is it worth? Weighting: 20%.

• What does the Written Assignment consist of? This component consists of inter-textual reading linked to the core, followed by a written task of 300–400 words and a 150–200 word rationale. It must be written during the final year of the course and is externally assessed. It is not timed and must be the student’s own independent work, produced under the teacher’s guidance. It is produced in the student’s own time, at school or at home.

ObjectivesThe purpose of the written assignment is to:

• deepen understanding of a chosen topic(s) from the course• develop inter-textual receptive and productive skills• select, use and reference source texts appropriate to the chosen task• produce an appropriate text in the selected text type• organize writing purposefully and coherently• extend language skills• demonstrate intercultural understanding through reflection on the assignment.

“Inter-textual reading” refers to the ability to read across different texts one of which may be audio/audiovisual,that may be linked by a common theme.

RequirementsThe assignment has two parts: a rationale and the task.

The rationale (Le préambule): Students must write a 150–200 word rationale introducing the assignment which must include:• the subject investigated• a brief description of each of the sources• the student’s intended aim(s)• explanation of how the student intends to achieve his or her aim(s)— choice of text types, audience, register, style and so on.You should also aim to demonstrate intercultural understanding through reflection on the assignment.

The task: students produce a piece of writing that may be chosen from the recommended text types listed for paper 2, after discussion with the teacher as an advisor. The task should be suitable for a piece of writing no more than 400 words in length. The content must be linked to one or more of the core topics and based on the information gathered from the three (minimum) or four (maximum) sources such as articles, blogs, audio/visual materials and interviews selected by the student in consultation with the teacher.

The student should:• address the subject presented in the rationale• organize the information from the sources in a manner appropriate to the task• use language appropriate to the text type and communicative purpose.

Example

Formal guidelines• The assignment should be written in the final year of the course and is not timed.

• The subject of the written assignment must be the choice of the student in consultation with the teacher, based on the three (minimum) to four (maximum) sources selected by the student.

• The task and the rationale must be in the target language and word processed.

• The assignment must be the independent work of the student.

Formal guidelines• Source texts must be relevant to the target culture, must be originally written in the target language, and must be referenced by the student.

• Students may include illustrations in support of their work where this is appropriate, however, artistic merit is not assessed. These must always be electronically embedded, not separately reproduced and physically attached. Written assignments submitted for assessment must be word processed and the electronic files must not exceed a maximum size of 2 MB, including any images (a scanned text is around 600 KB).

The role of the teacher• The assignment should be defined with the teacher’s guidance to ensure

that it is the student’s original choice of task, that it complies with the requirements of the assignment, and that it is the student’s own work.

• The teacher is an advisor who guides the student through the process. The student is responsible for the entire process, but the teacher must advise on the choice of subject, the choice of source texts, and the choice of text type.

The role of the teacher• It is not the role of the teacher to correct the written assignment but the

teacher can give verbal advice on a first draft of the task. This advice may help the student to identify ways in which the work could be improved but the first draft must not be annotated or edited by the teacher. After making general comments on the first draft, teachers should not provide any further assistance.

• Teachers should familiarize the students with the assessment criteria.

Assessment criteria

Choose wisely

• Read the news regularly in the summer between Y12-Y13 to be aware of what is going on in Francophone countries (current affairs, new laws, fashion, phenomenon, trends).

• Choose a topic from the core topics that you are personally interested in (see list to follow).

• Within this topic, choose a precise subtopic, e.g. social relationships: same sex marriage and adoption.

• Find a variety of reliable texts (see list of recommended websites and sources), or audio/visual materials (songs, films, adverts) related to the topic.

• Take plenty of notes and study the vocabulary carefully.

Core topics:

I - Communication and mediaHow people interact, transmit and gather data for the purposes of information and entertainment.Possible aspects to cover:

• advertising• bias in media• censorship• internet

• mail• press• radio and television• sensationalism in media• telephone

II - Global issuesCurrent matters and future scenarios that have an impact at a regional, national and/or international level, bearing in mind that they need to be addressed from the perspective of the target language’s culture(s).Possible aspects to cover:

• drugs• energy reserves• food and water• global warming, climate change, natural disasters• globalization

• international economy• migration (rural–urban, or international)• poverty and famine• racism, prejudice, discrimination• the effect of man on nature• the environment and sustainability

III - Social relationshipsHow people interrelate and behave—as members of a community, individually and in groups.Possible aspects to cover:

• celebrations, social and religious events• educational system• language and cultural identity, or self-identity• linguistic dominance• minorities

• multilingualism• nationalism, patriotism, fanaticism• relationships (friendship, work, family)• social and/or political structures• social behaviours and stances• taboos versus what is socially acceptable

Some of these core topics may overlap with option topics. It is not a problem. On the contrary, it will help you deepen your knowledge of cultural diversity/health/leisure/customs and tradition/technology topics studied in class.

Resources• Le Monde en Français (textbook)• Okapi / Phosphore (magazines)• Past exam papers• Films (library, cinema)• Songs/adverts/trailer (spotify, YouTube, Daily Motion)• Radio (online radio)• Local exhibitions, events and festivals• Trait d’Union (le magazine de la communauté francophone Canton-Hong Kong-

Maco-Pékin-Shanghai-Shenzhen-Wuhan) – may or may not be useful.• Dictionary and Wordreference.com

Useful websites: culture• http://www.hku.hk/french/dcmScreen/lang2043/ Information about French culture & society. • http://www.zigzag-francophonie.eu/ Online magazine about the French-speaking world. • http://langmedia.fivecolleges.edu/collection/lm_french.html Video clips of native French speakers in Canada, Martinique, Morocco, Senegal, and Luxembourg organized into the same categories. • http://www.commeaucinema.com/index.phpWhat’s on at the cinema at the moment. Choose "Bandes-Annonces" to see a list of movie trailers en français!• http://www.lautreafrique.eu/ Weekly article about the real news in Africa, often missed by the mainstream press. • http://www.tv5.org/ Online magazine and resources for learners of French.

Useful websites: news• http://www.france24.com/fr/# (France 24)• http://lci.tf1.fr/france/ (TFI News)• http://cours.funoc.be/essentiel/ (L’Essential)• http://www.newsinslowfrench.com/ (News in Slow French)• An excellent site for reading and listening comprehension and developing your vocabulary. • http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/news/topic_focus/index.shtm• Le Mensuel: Texts arranged by topic. Includes audio features, songs, transcripts, activities and

quizzes.• http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/ (Le Nouvel Observateur: left wing)• http://www.liberation.fr/ (Liberation: left wing)• http://www.lemonde.fr/ (Le Monde: centre left wing)• http://1jour1actu.com/ (aimed at young teenagers)

Text types• Article, editorial• Blog, diary entry• Brochure, leaflet, flyer, pamphlet, advertisement• Essay• Interview• Introduction to debate, speech, talk, presentation• News report• Official report• Review• Set of instructions, guidelines• Written correspondence

Example (in detail)• A. “Femmes et publicités” (article explicatif/brochure)

http://www.french.hku.hk/dcmScreen/lang3033/lang3033_femmes_et_pub.htm(465 mots)• B. “Ma Contrexpérience” (publicité)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_ydYr0MwUw

• C. “99 francs” (texte littéraire, Le Monde en Français, page 82)

• D. “L'image de la femme dans la publicité choque surtout … les femmes” (article)

http://www.ipsos.fr/ipsos-public-affairs/actualites/2001-10-10-l-image-femme-dans-publicite-choque-surtout-femmes

Suggestions • Editorial against advertising (in school)• Blog on media trends and the rise/fall of sexist adverts*• Essay (difficult)• Interview with a sociologist (difficult) or a famous woman • Speech against/for advertising (in school, on the school website, in HK)• Written correspondence (formal letter to the ad agency)

* Example: https://docs.google.com/a/webmail.sis.edu.hk/document/d/1tL4eN1Nwbb8vGtwO4pju7n8SDhb9Es5wEkWBNUTS8iU/edit?usp=sharing

Questions?

Some current ‘hot’ topics/ideas/suggestionslinked to Francophone countries

• Educational system: the 4.5 days a week model VS the 4 days: reforming the typical French school week.

• Language and cultural identity, or self-identity: how Breton and other regional languages are taught as a 1st language after decades or persecution.

• Linguistic dominance: laws to protect the French language against the ‘invasion of English’, e.g. 50% of songs on the radio have to be in French, influence of the Académie Française (which tries to find new terms for English words like “la Toile” for the Web) etc.

• Minorities: discrimination against the Roms/gypsies.• Relationships : rating your teachers on the internet, bullying etc.

• Taboos versus what is socially acceptable: you could research one.• Racism, prejudice, discrimination: difficulties for young people “issus de

l’immigration” to find a job. No “positive discrimination” in France, as asking people what ethnicity they belong to is against the law.

• The effect of man on nature, the environment and sustainability: should France get rid of its nuclear factories? Have you ever heard of the “Vélib”? Should we build wind farms?

• Food and water: organic food VS “locavore” food, which is the most ethical?• Drugs: possible comparison between France, Belgium, switzerland, Canada.• Internet: heard of Hadopi? Can you download freely in France? Influence of

Facebook and “apéro géant”.• Relationships: “mariage pour tous”, adoption of children by homosexual couples,

what is the typical French family today, evolution of the family model.

Examples of texts (restricted access):https://docs.google.com/a/webmail.sis.edu.hk/document/d/1PY21ZLwNaQ4uhAW4UdqcVf1doxFlmDQ9AlNomNJyzmg/edit?usp=sharing

World Languages Policy

World Languages Policy