idontknowanymore Posted October 22, 2019 Report Share Posted October 22, 2019 Hi fellow procrastinators! I'm currently a junior and I am having second thoughts on taking HL French. Right now, I'm losing confidence in doing well because I've been seeing some discussions that say a number of people around the world that take HL French are somewhat fluent. As someone that is quite "average" at French, I'm curious on how difficult it is exactly to pass HL French. So far my skill level has been hard to evaluate because my teacher focuses on the immersion experience, so more talking, and less grammar and vocab. The farthest that i have gotten in grammar was "Passé composé" from 9th grade. To give you a better sense of my experience in class, here is a summary: 9th Grade Online Textbook Mostly grammar and vocab Videos (youtube) Regular final exam 10th Grade They mixed us with the freshman this year Easy for the people in my grade but hard class for the freshman No grammar/some vocab Worksheets on reading Writing practice Our final was a group presentation in French 11th Grade together with the seniors Hard class for me No grammar/vocab discussions reading a book So that's basically it! I do like French in general but the class seems to not be working for me, despite many previous complaints about the teacher. If I do continue taking higher level, I would want to do independent practice on my own but I don't know if that will be sufficient enough. I'm not quite sure what I want to do in College, but studying languages may be something. If I choose to bump down to SL, I'll switch to do HL in another class that I'm interested in. So. Should I continue with HL? Thank you PS. sorry that this got very detailed and long PPS. Have a nice day! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulfa27 Posted May 3, 2020 Report Share Posted May 3, 2020 On 10/22/2019 at 12:52 AM, idontknowanymore said: Hi fellow procrastinators! I'm currently a junior and I am having second thoughts on taking HL French. Right now, I'm losing confidence in doing well because I've been seeing some discussions that say a number of people around the world that take HL French are somewhat fluent. As someone that is quite "average" at French, I'm curious on how difficult it is exactly to pass HL French. So far my skill level has been hard to evaluate because my teacher focuses on the immersion experience, so more talking, and less grammar and vocab. The farthest that i have gotten in grammar was "Passé composé" from 9th grade. To give you a better sense of my experience in class, here is a summary: 9th Grade Online Textbook Mostly grammar and vocab Videos (youtube) Regular final exam 10th Grade They mixed us with the freshman this year Easy for the people in my grade but hard class for the freshman No grammar/some vocab Worksheets on reading Writing practice Our final was a group presentation in French 11th Grade together with the seniors Hard class for me No grammar/vocab discussions reading a book So that's basically it! I do like French in general but the class seems to not be working for me, despite many previous complaints about the teacher. If I do continue taking higher level, I would want to do independent practice on my own but I don't know if that will be sufficient enough. I'm not quite sure what I want to do in College, but studying languages may be something. If I choose to bump down to SL, I'll switch to do HL in another class that I'm interested in. So. Should I continue with HL? Thank you PS. sorry that this got very detailed and long PPS. Have a nice day! Hey! This is a late response so it might not do much help at this time - but I thought it would be useful to share some tips. I am also a junior, but I'm taking French B SL. I think the best way to improve when the teacher cares moreso about the immersion experience is to take on grammar/vocab learning yourself. I know, it sucks that we have work outside of class to exel in it, but I realised that in order to do my best in speaking/writing etc is to make sure I know the basics. Try to find resources online that could teach you vocab - and I'm not saying doulingo. Find resources online that can teach your verb tenses and other gramatical rules. I find Lawless French to be a useful resource. Also, immerse yourself in french culture. What I found helped me improve my oral skills A LOT is watching a french series, but with subtitles - in french. Watching a show with french subtitles helps you recognize the way french words are spoken with common and quick accents, which could help you with listening practice in class, but also with speaking, as you are more confident to answer questions and guide discussions since it is easier to understand what other people are saying. Another tip is to download a french news app. It depends on where you live as to wether local french news is available, but just commiting yourself to a french news channel/website/app can help your reading skills tremendously. Keep up with it and read at least one article a day, search up vocab you don't know, pick up new expressions. Another tip is to speak in french when asking your teacher questions - if you don't do so already. It could be a bit nerve racking, but your teacher understands you are learning and your confidence will improve. Also, ask you teacher about grammar questions when you have them. That could help and shows the teacher that you want to get better at grammar. Commitment is most important. Learning a language requires work outside the classroom, so be committed to putting in the work. I hope this helps. Good luck! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
idontknowanymore Posted May 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2020 16 hours ago, Ulfa27 said: Hey! This is a late response so it might not do much help at this time - but I thought it would be useful to share some tips. I am also a junior, but I'm taking French B SL. I think the best way to improve when the teacher cares moreso about the immersion experience is to take on grammar/vocab learning yourself. I know, it sucks that we have work outside of class to exel in it, but I realised that in order to do my best in speaking/writing etc is to make sure I know the basics. Try to find resources online that could teach you vocab - and I'm not saying doulingo. Find resources online that can teach your verb tenses and other gramatical rules. I find Lawless French to be a useful resource. Also, immerse yourself in french culture. What I found helped me improve my oral skills A LOT is watching a french series, but with subtitles - in french. Watching a show with french subtitles helps you recognize the way french words are spoken with common and quick accents, which could help you with listening practice in class, but also with speaking, as you are more confident to answer questions and guide discussions since it is easier to understand what other people are saying. Another tip is to download a french news app. It depends on where you live as to wether local french news is available, but just commiting yourself to a french news channel/website/app can help your reading skills tremendously. Keep up with it and read at least one article a day, search up vocab you don't know, pick up new expressions. Another tip is to speak in french when asking your teacher questions - if you don't do so already. It could be a bit nerve racking, but your teacher understands you are learning and your confidence will improve. Also, ask you teacher about grammar questions when you have them. That could help and shows the teacher that you want to get better at grammar. Commitment is most important. Learning a language requires work outside the classroom, so be committed to putting in the work. I hope this helps. Good luck! Hiii! Thank you so much, I really appreciate your advice. Right now, I'm the only person doing IB French HL in my whole school, so it's been kind of scary and confusing. But I do find myslef being the one to take initative in class activies, so that's something. You seem to be doing a lot more practice than I do 😅 but I'll try my best! Do you have any show/movie recommendations? Also, it's nice to know another junior! Thanks again, idontknownanymore Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahaction Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 (edited) On 10/22/2019 at 6:52 AM, idontknowanymore said: Hi fellow procrastinators! I'm currently a junior and I am having second thoughts on taking HL French. Right now, I'm losing confidence in doing well because I've been seeing some discussions that say a number of people around the world that take HL French are somewhat fluent. As someone that is quite "average" at French, I'm curious on how difficult it is exactly to pass HL French. So far my skill level has been hard to evaluate because my teacher focuses on the immersion experience, so more talking, and less grammar and vocab. The farthest that i have gotten in grammar was "Passé composé" from 9th grade. To give you a better sense of my experience in class, here is a summary: 9th Grade Online Textbook Mostly grammar and vocab Videos (youtube) Regular final exam 10th Grade They mixed us with the freshman this year Easy for the people in my grade but hard class for the freshman No grammar/some vocab Worksheets on reading Writing practice Our final was a group presentation in French 11th Grade together with the seniors Hard class for me No grammar/vocab discussions reading a book So that's basically it! I do like French in general but the class seems to not be working for me, despite many previous complaints about the teacher. If I do continue taking higher level, I would want to do independent practice on my own but I don't know if that will be sufficient enough. I'm not quite sure what I want to do in College, but studying languages may be something. If I choose to bump down to SL, I'll switch to do HL in another class that I'm interested in. So. Should I continue with HL? Thank you PS. sorry that this got very detailed and long PPS. Have a nice day! On 10/22/2019 at 6:52 AM, idontknowanymore said: Hi fellow procrastinators! I'm currently a junior and I am having second thoughts on taking HL French. Right now, I'm losing confidence in doing well because I've been seeing some discussions that say a number of people around the world that take HL French are somewhat fluent. As someone that is quite "average" at French, I'm curious on how difficult it is exactly to pass HL French. So far my skill level has been hard to evaluate because my teacher focuses on the immersion experience, so more talking, and less grammar and vocab. The farthest that i have gotten in grammar was "Passé composé" from 9th grade. To give you a better sense of my experience in class, here is a summary: 9th Grade Online Textbook Mostly grammar and vocab Videos (youtube) Regular final exam 10th Grade They mixed us with the freshman this year Easy for the people in my grade but hard class for the freshman No grammar/some vocab Worksheets on reading Writing practice Our final was a group presentation in French 11th Grade together with the seniors Hard class for me No grammar/vocab discussions reading a book So that's basically it! I do like French in general but the class seems to not be working for me, despite many previous complaints about the teacher. If I do continue taking higher level, I would want to do independent practice on my own but I don't know if that will be sufficient enough. I'm not quite sure what I want to do in College, but studying languages may be something. If I choose to bump down to SL, I'll switch to do HL in another class that I'm interested in. So. Should I continue with HL? Thank you PS. sorry that this got very detailed and long PPS. Have a nice day! Hello I take French A in SL so you can contact me whenever you need help : Instagram -> @graciousarah_ First of all, I understand you because I was in your position before. I remember how far I struggled with French before I got fluent at it. You can continue with French B HL, since it is easy. The best advice that I can give you is to find a French speaker and always practice it and to read books. Yours sincerely Edited May 9, 2020 by sarahaction Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulfa27 Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 On 5/3/2020 at 6:19 PM, idontknowanymore said: Hiii! Thank you so much, I really appreciate your advice. Right now, I'm the only person doing IB French HL in my whole school, so it's been kind of scary and confusing. But I do find myslef being the one to take initative in class activies, so that's something. You seem to be doing a lot more practice than I do 😅 but I'll try my best! Do you have any show/movie recommendations? Also, it's nice to know another junior! Thanks again, idontknownanymore Yes! I recommend "The Hookup Plan" on Netlix. I've only watched a little bit, but I think it's pretty good. The french they speak is parisian and very fast - but the subtitles will help you. Another show I reccomend is "Toute La Vie" on Ici Tou.TV. It is a show based in Montreal, so the the accent is very Quebec - heavy (and extremely fast! Took me a while to get used to). The thing is they moved the show to Ici Tou.TV Extra, where you have to pay to watch the entire series. I actually was following it until they made it not free anymore . I'm pretty sure the IB listening exam is in Parisian french, so I find parisian shows more beneficial. It's great to know another junior as well! Ulfa27 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
idontknowanymore Posted May 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2020 On 5/8/2020 at 2:04 PM, sarahaction said: Hello I take French A in SL so you can contact me whenever you need help : Instagram -> @graciousarah_ First of all, I understand you because I was in your position before. I remember how far I struggled with French before I got fluent at it. You can continue with French B HL, since it is easy. The best advice that I can give you is to find a French speaker and always practice it and to read books. Yours sincerely Hello, Thanks so much! I just followed you on instagram, so happy to have someone else as support other than my teacher 😊. Thanks for athe advice, i really appreciate it! -idontknowanymore 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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