Journals

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Why do we have to do journals?

Journals are a way for you to demonstrate your knowledge of the French, and French culture you have recently learned. You get to show off your expertise in whichever concept we have been working on. By including the vocabulary words you are showing me that you understand their meaning and usage. Journals are a way for me to easily see if you have grasped a concept or are still struggling with it.

What is the best way to get a good grade on a journal?

The best way to do well on a journal is to carefully check that you have met the following criteria. This should always be taped on the inside cover of your journal.

FRANÇAIS 1 Journal Criteria (Updated September 1, 2017)

Your journal must meet all of the following criteria in order to be graded.

No translation programs are to be used for any reason.

1. ______ I have written the date DUE (en français) at the top of the page.

(example: lundi, le 6 septembre, 2017)

2. ______ I have double-spaced my journal. (This means write one line then skip one line.)

3. ______ I have written at least ½ page (You must write past the second hole.) in French starting with a greeting.E.g., “Chère Madame,”.

4. ______ I have underlined 5 vocabulary words from the chapter we are presently working on.

5. ______ (2 points) I have demonstrated proper usage of whichever concept we are working on and underlined it twice. I have referred to my book and demonstrated that I understand the structure.

6. ______ My journal is logical, cohesive, and in paragraph form (Ms. Barba would be proud!) I have not made long lists to fill up space

7. ______ I have written my journal in my own words. I have not copied directly.

8. ______ I have recorded any words I looked up in the back of my journal.

9. ______ (2 points) At the end of my entry I have written at least 3 lines which explain something I learned this week about French language, culture, etc…

10. ______ (1 point) I have reread my previous journals and try to never make the same mistakes twice. I have written at the bottom of my entry something specific that I have learned from corrections made to my previous journal.

Journals are due on Monday. Extra credit for journals submitted early. Remember: No translation programs are to be used for any reason. Journal entries on loose pieces of paper will not be accepted.

What if I can't fit five vocabulary words into the journal entry? You can always fit five vocabulary words into your journal entry. After all, you are choosing only five words from the entire list, and you are writing about what you want to write about. Just because the chapter might be about airplanes doesn't mean you have to write about airplanes.