Author Archives: Valentin Duquet

For your final project, you also have 3 possibilities (same as the midterm). You must choose a different option than you did the previous time. You can think of the final project as your “major” in this course and the midterm as your “minor.” Option A: Write an article-length critical essay (8-10 pages double-spaced including a 1-2 pagesContinue reading “Final project”

For your midterm project, you have 3 possibilities (same as the final). You must choose a different option than you will on your final. You can think of the final project as your “major” in this course and the midterm as your “minor.” Option A: Write a short essay (4-5 pages double-spaced, no research bibliography needed),Continue reading “Midterm project”

This is a handy chart I created to map out French tenses chronologically, from left (the past) to right (the future). The cloud above represents a hypothetical timeline for the conditional. Accordingly, the Past Conditional needs to be ‘left’ of the Present tense since it often stands for ‘regrets in the past’. The Subjunctive arrowContinue reading “Les Temps Verbaux”

An all-time student-favorite among the classes I created combines two French songs by Parisian hip hop artist Black M. The first one, Je suis chez moi (literally “I am home”) is about reclaiming and affirming Frenchness despite the social exclusion faced as a black man in France. The second part of the class contrasts theContinue reading “Black M – Je suis chez moi / À l’Ouest (feat. MHD)”

I created two class activities on the use of social media and smartphones through two popular french music videos: Stromae’s Carmen (2013) and Soprano’s Mon précieux (2016). Fill-in-the-Blanks Lyrics Handout Answer Key Handout Downloadable PowerPoint – you can copy and paste slides directly into your presentation. Online PowerPoint slides To make the Carmen activity more communicative,Continue reading “Stromae & Soprano on Social Media”

To provide students exposure to French Canadian culture, I created a grammar activity based on the song Oublie-Moi by Montreal singer Cœur de Pirate. Fill-in-the-Verb Tenses Worksheet For this song activity, instead of a fill-in-the-blanks, I created a Find-the-Verbs Tenses worksheet. Despite being very poetic and esoteric, this song is fitting for this activity becauseContinue reading “Cœur de Pirate – Montreal and Quebecois culture”

Handout on French Pronoun Placement – free to download or view online A number of mnemonics already existed for the placement of specific French pronouns, but I could never find a comprehensive single-page cheat sheet. I created this handout for this purpose, to compile all of the possible components across different moods and statements. Don’tContinue reading “The Pronoun Train”

Final FRE 201 – Fall 2016 – Final Composition Activity This is a the essay prompt for the composition exercice at the end of French III’s final exam. The whole test was a collaborative work with a series of drills. We constructed it as a team of 5 instructors from the 5 sections of French III. This is oneContinue reading “Prompt for Final Essay and Reflections”

Below is a presentation I use to cue up several words or phrases that are difficult to pronounce, as well as tongue twisters. Downloadable PowerPoint – you can copy and paste slides directly into your presentation. Online PowerPoint slides    

This is a cultural activity and PowerPoint I created. The slides are in English, but the activity can be conducted in French with intermediate students. This activity teaches a valuable lesson: knowing the translation of a word does not mean understanding a concept, or what that word might mean for someone from a different culture.Continue reading “Translating Words vs. Concepts”