Internet Actuel is a database of current events relevant to both French "high" Culture and everyday culture. It is designed for use in French language/culture instruction. Each event or cultural text is accompanied by guided questions and links to websites where additional resources to address the questions and complete learning activities can be found.
Type of Material:
Database of authentic texts with instructional assignments.
Recommended Uses:
To complement a course on French language and/or civilization. The site promotes in-class discussion and can be a point of departure for writing and oral activities.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
French civilization, language learning. The user will enhance reading comprehension and vocabulary through interaction with short texts of particular interest to a young audience.
Target Student Population:
Mid-beginning to advanced students of French language and culture.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
The site is completely in French. Requires a mid-beginning level and above.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
Each of the authentic texts in Internet Actuel has been repurposed for use in teaching French language and civilization to non-natives. Each text in this rich database pertains to a current event or cultural matter. They are organized by language learning level, theme, and whether the particular text and its accompanying questions, links, and activities address little c or big C French culture. In addition to current events organized by theme, there are archives of literary texts, music, and films all with accompanying learning activities.
The subject matter targets a younger audience with texts on popular artists like Axelle Red and rapper MC Solaar. The documents include titles like " L'Inventeur de "Ctrl+Alt+Del quitte IBM", a story replete with computer terminology in the target language, and "La France grossit", a text that shows that obesity is a problem in France. There are two texts on homeless advocate, Abbe Pierre, which bring home the reality of the social problems that besiege all urban centers.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Teachers will find these activities easy to link to from their course sites or assign as in-class cooperative activities or individual homework. The materials are inherently engaging and the accompanying questions and assignments enjoyable. The database enables instructors to fully integrate themes and activities around both big C and little c culture into their language and/or culture teaching in ways that students will greatly enjoy. After reading the text, students can be assigned reading comprehension questions which in turn are followed by expansion activities.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The site is beautifully laid out and easily navigated. Each text?s accompanying questions and links to resources uses the same clean template. The consistent layout has vocabulary explained in a blue font that distinguishes itself from the black of the actual reading text. Definitions of new words are in French followed by example sentences. Italics are used to point out cognates or words to be deciphered in context.
Concerns:
While the above color distinction is a nice feature, the color blue might suggest to some users that the blue words are hyperlinks.
Creative Commons:
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