Sons et lettres: A Pronunciation Method for Intermediate-level French

25 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK Program Components Two components make up the student materials for the several lessons: a web-basedprogramof exercises focusingprimarilyon listeningdiscrimination, and a set of classroom worksheets [ fiches de classe ]. The following overview describes these materials briefly; your instructor will explain how to use them in more detail. The lessons in the program are usually based on two contrasting sounds. Your instructor will begin each lesson by previewing the two sounds and their main graphemes in class to familiarize you with them and to review what you may already know. Then, you will complete a series of exercises outside of class using the Sons et lettres website. Web exercises . The Sons et lettres website address is https://sons-et- lettres.com/ . Theexerciseson the siteareprimarily listeningexercises, designed to first ensure that you can hear the difference between the target sounds for each lesson. (This is important, because if you cannot distinguish between different sounds you will not be able to pronounce them accurately.) First, you will hear pairs of words and determine whether the words have the same or contrasting sounds [ Écoute 1 ]. Some pairs will have the same sound (for example, fou and tout , which rhyme) and some will have contrasting sounds (for example, fou and faux , which don’t rhyme). Next, in Écoute 2 , you will hear groups of three words, one of which differs from the other two in terms of its pronunciation, and you will indicate which two words have the same sound (for example, in the series fou / faux / tout , fou and tout form a pair because they have the same vowel sound). You will not see any of these words initially, only hear them, but you will have the option of seeing the words displayed after giving your answer. After completing the listening exercises, the rule will be shown which describes how the two sounds are represented in spelling. The rule is followed by an exercise [ Écoute 3 ] in which you both hear and see pairs of contrasting words and you will indicate which of the two written words you hear (or hear first). This exercise requires you to match the words you hear with the graphemes you see. Finally, in À vous de parler , you will have an opportunity to pronounce the target sounds, reading and saying familiar and unfamiliar words and comparing your pronunciation with that of model speakers. The web exercises take about ten minutes per lesson. In some cases, they will be relatively easy, especially if you are already familiar with the target sounds and their spelling. In other lessons, contrasts which are inherently