ib_girl Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Soooo we've just begun to take practice tests for French B SL, and I've noticed that I am significantly lacking in vocabulary. Is this true across the board, and if it's not, does anyone have helpful lists? My teacher has totally ignored the issue of vocab all year... Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lds88 Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 (edited) I'm thinking the excact same thing, and stressing about it as my exam is in a few weeks. There's been so much focus on grammar that our teacher hasn't been able to focus on the vocabular that the IB expects. This is mostly because us two IB students who do French B are taught together with those who follow the Norwegian High School (they use a dictionary in their exams (if they're so unfortunate as to be chosen to sit an exam at all)). I think I should've known about the vocabulary requirements a long time ago. Edited April 25, 2011 by lds88 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iMuffinsx3 Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 It's definitely not just you. We were doing practice exams and I realized how little of the vocabulary i recognize. The program at our school is wayyy too grammar-centered, and now I'm pretty sure I'm screwed for the French exam.Considering in both Paper 1 and Paper 2 vocab plays a much bigger role than grammar I'm really confused as to why we had to learn so much grammar.The most we had to do for vocab was read an article from a French magazine maybe every 2 weeks. I live in a country where the second official language is French, yet they still don't properly prepare us for the IB exams.mon dieu.:/ Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillymissrachel Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 I understand the worry about vocabulary...my IB French class is remarkably unmotivated, and we don't exactly get tons done as far as vocabulary. Or grammar. Or much of anything.However, I've found that doing stuff on my own is really helpful—for example, I know that no one has time to read, but we all do anyway (in my clique, at least). Reading in French instead is really frustrating, but going through with a dictionary has taught me quite a few words that I wouldn't have known otherwise. I also like watching French films with subtitles, but sometimes it's too easy to get caught up in the story without really listening to the French being spoken. My favorite thing, though, is writing various words on my bathroom mirror and just reviewing them a few times a day. The book 6000+ Essential French Words is my favorite; all of the lists are grouped by topic, and they cover basically everything. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol7205 Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 I don't have too much of a problem with vocab... not sure where I pick it up from but anyway!!There is an amazing website called www.languageperfect.com which I signed up for through my school. I think it costs like £10 for a years membership, but it's so worth it, you can learn vocab quickly and with minimal effort....It's quite hard to explain but you can get a free trial, and I would defintely recommend giving it a go.... Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahlouise Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 I love making flashcards to remember vocab. I do this with verbs, adjectives, linking words, prepositions, and that sort of thing. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spereira14 Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 (edited) Here's a file that really helped me with my vocab! Hope it helps!SparkCharts - French Vocabulary.pdf Edited November 13, 2011 by spereira14 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah V Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Here's a file that really helped me with my vocab! Hope it helps!Merci, merci, merci! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackcurrant Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 (edited) Read the dictionary -- really, I am not kidding.An very pleasant way is to browse and let your mind register things as you go (you'll be surprised how well you remember words and phrases-- it is precisely in this relaxed frame of mind that you will absorb the most). It is beats cramming at the last minute (short term recall) and favors the long-term memory.You can also vary or combine this relaxed way with a more concerted, purposeful approach. Here you spend time (every day, short bursts) looking up words and -more importantly- expressions/phrases that you imagine needing in a conversation or when trying to write a message or essay. Think of those conversations that you would most like having or mostly likely will have with your teacher in a personal interview. You'll notice how you start to tune in to the idiomatic structures of French. It is not English with French words, in other words-- you'll become more comfortable with phrasing the world in different terms and with a different rhythm. Your hands might start moving when you speak French. That is a good sign.The best resource for this kind of learning is the Robert-Collins bilingual dictionary. Online or hard publication: both versions easily available. The Robert Collins is the more "oral/spoken" dictionary of the lot, with tons of examples and useful everyday spoken and written French phrases. It is incredibly rich and a joy to read At the risk of contradicting what I have just said, I use Oxford-Hachette. This one is good for formal and written French. And I am bit strait-laced anywayAnd....If you ever find a copy of Adrienne's THE GIMMICK, then you have it made! This was the best, single most popular book of words and expressions I have ever found. You can buy it second hand, but make sure it is a version from the 1990s -- it is the most complete version. http://www.amazon.fr/The-Gimmick-Adrienne-Penner/dp/2082006654/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1389727818&sr=8-7&keywords=gimmick+adrienneThe newer one has been reduced in size and content, tragically. Edited January 14, 2014 by Blackcurrant Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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