Northeastern Illinois University - Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
Foreign Language Laboratory Assignment # 3 - FL-FREN 101

IMPORTANT! To receive credit for this assignment, YOU MUST LOGIN, LOGOUT, COLLECT YOUR STUDENT LOG PRINTOUT AND ATTACH IT TO THIS PAGE! GIVE THIS ASSIGNMENT TO YOUR INSTRUCTOR!

Le calendrier scolaire
 
PEDAGOGICAL OBJECTIVES: To understand the cultural differences concerning the academic calendars of French and American educational institutions, to interpret French calendars, and to practice reading and writing the date in French.

Introduction In France, all matters concerning education are decided by the Ministry of Education. In this assignment, you're going to look at the vacation calendar for this academic year in order to learn more about what the French call the le rythme scolaire. For help with the vocabulary, study Leçon 1 of your Voilà! textbook

A. Les vacances scolaires chez nous: Think about Northeastern's academic year. When does NEIU typically have its vacations? Answer the questions below.
 

Are any vacations associated with seasons? yes  no 
Are any vacations situated between semesters? yes  no 
Do vacations ever occur during the middle of a term? yes  no 
Are vacations ever associated with religious holidays? yes  no 
 
B. Les vacances scolaires en France: Click on the link below to visit the Ministère de l'éducation nationale Web site. Click on the link for the current academic year listed in the "Calendrier scolaire."
 
http://www.education.gouv.fr/

1. Click the links for (Zone C) which is the Paris region. Look at the chart for Zone C and find the dates for the following school vacations (les vacances) and other important academic dates (les événements importants). Write the dates in French to complete the tables below.  EXAMPLE: mardi, le 14 juillet 2005
 

Les vacances commencent (begin) terminent (end)
Noël    
Hiver    
Printemps    
 
Les événements importants pour l'année
scolaire  
La rentrée scolaire des élèves, c'est...
Le début des vacances d'été, c'est...
 
2. What type of holidays are Toussaint and Pentecôte, civil holidays or religous holidays?
 
3. What is the meaning of the words rentrée scolaire?
 
C. For each of the following statements, decide if you agree (d'accord) or disagree (pas d'accord). Although you won't know all of the words used, you should be able to determine their meaning through the use of cognates (words that are similar in French and English) and context (the academic calendar year). In some cases, translations will be provided.
 
L'année scolaire en France est plus longue qu'à NEIU. d'accord pas d'accord
La rentrée en France est avant (before) la rentrée à NEIU. d'accord pas d'accord
Les vacances d'été en France commencent avant les vacances d'été à NEIU. d'accord pas d'accord
Le rythme scolaire à NEIU est plus difficile qu'en France.  d'accord pas d'accord
Les Français étudient plus que moi. d'accord pas d'accord
Je préfère l'année scolaire française. d'accord pas d'accord
D. Le calendrier scolaire idéal:  What would be the ideal school year?  Make the ideal academic calendar. Complete the sentences with the dates in French. EXAMPLE: le 2 septembre
 
La rentrée scolaire, c'est...  
Les vacances d'hiver cemmencent...  
Les vacances de printemps commencent...  
Les vacances d'été commencent...  
Adapted from Voilà! 3/e © Copyright 1998 by Heinle & Heinle Publishers