Homework
In this class you will be doing the great majority of your homework through the iLrn eSAM exercises (aka the on-line lab manual) which accompanies your text. You must have access to the web to do the homework for this class! If you anticipate any problems regarding finding an available computer, etc., please let me know.
Advantages to using the on-line lab manual for Horizons:
- Many exercises are immediately self-correcting, so you will receive instant feedback, see the progress you are making right away, and can correct mistakes as you make them!
- The program has been set up to track the time you spend doing your lab exercises no matter where you do them! In other words, you do not need to do your lab homework in the language lab; the system will simply keep track for me of how much time you're spending there on a weekly basis and I will use this record to assign grades for lab time at the end of the semester!
- I will be happy to look over any exercises that are giving you trouble; just send me the number of the exercise via email.
- You can do both oral and written lab work in the same place without a tape player!
Note that only a subset of important free-answer exercises will be counted for your final homework grade in the 4-unit class. They are marked on the syllabus as "exercices comptés" and you should make sure you do each assignment on a daily basis. They will be given a grade out of 20 pts. and you MUST turn in legible, handwritten exercises in class on the day that they aredue. Please do NOT type this exercise; please DO double-space. (Just to be clear: the "exercices comptés" count for the homework grade in class; minutes you accrue in the lab will count toward your CR/NC grade in the lab section and ALSO for 5% of your course grade.)
So, welcome to iLrn ! iLrn provides a fun and dynamic environment where you can complete your out-of-class work. Instead of doing your workbook with paper and pen, iLrn allows you to complete most of your work electronically. You get instant feedback to the questions you answer in a variety of formats only iLrn provides.
How to use the on-line manual of Horizons for French 101 at SSU:
- 1. I will distribute instructions for registering for iLrn in class.
Once you have registered for the on-line manual of Horizons, you use the manual as follows:2.Go to http://ilrn.heinle.com
3. Click on Students.
4. Click on Log in.
Once you're logged in, you should navigate to the "Horizons 5e edition eSAM" to locate the exercises you are to do for homework each night. For example, in the Chapitre préliminaire, after our first day of class, you should go on-line and do all eSAM exercises labeled "Chapitre préliminaire, compétence 1." (Be sure to do the eSAM exercises and NOT the "Textbook Activities"!) You must also HANDWRITE exercises WBP.11 I & J and turn those in at the beginning of the second class, in the folder on the front table designated for that purpose.
For simplicity's sake, the syllabus will list the assignments by section so you can find them easily, but you can always assume that when we are covering, say, Chapter 2, compétence 3, you can use the navigation bar to get to the table of contents for Chapter 2 and then you should just do all exercises (both oral and written) associated with that compétence.
Remember, I will be viewing your results (or "grades") on these exercises regularly, and correcting some that aren't self-correcting, so you should make a habit of checking for comments on line. Be thorough and don't forget to do the work when the work is assigned. Good luck!
A bit of advice... or, Why it is essential that you do your French homework & come to class!
Consider the following cases, taken from a recent year's first-year French class:
Student X had a test average of 94.75 (A), but only earned a 69.8 (D+) on homework and a 53.7 (F) for lab work. Student X consequently earned a B+ in the class.
Student Y had a test average of 94.375 (A), but did virtually no homework, earning only 4.5 (F) and a whopping 13.9 (F) for lab work. Student Y was also absent 7 times, earning a grade of 76 (C) for participation. Student Y consequently earned a C in the class!
Student Z had a test average of 75.5 (C), but earned 86.25 (B) for homework and 100 (A) for lab. Student Z consequently earned a grade of C+ for the class! That is, Student A's grade IMPROVED due to homework!
Or you could look at it like this… The breakdown of final grades from this class were as follows:
- D: X
- C-
- C: XXX
- C+: XXX
- B-: XXX
- B
- B+: XX
- A-: XXX
- A: XX
The two people who earned B+ in the class both had A averages on tests, but their grade dropped by two steps because they didn't do their homework.
Everyone who earned an A- or an A got at least 80 as a homework grade.
Of the 10 people who earned a grade below B, all but ONE of them received a grade under 74 for homework.
Hence it is eminently clear that it is ESSENTIAL that you do your French homework and lab work and come to class!