Collage: Lectures Litteraires

This edition consists of three volumes - a review grammar, a cultural reader and a literary reader - that are co-ordinated by theme and by language, chapter by chapter, across all three books. The organization means that the topics, the language and the structures covered in, for example, Chapter Three of the review grammar are the same as those covered in Chapter Three of either the cultural or literary reader. This format allows instructors to use any of the texts by themselves or in conjunction with one another. The practice material in the "Collage" programme progresses systematically within each grammar point. Students first complete very focused and controlled exercises to establish their understanding of a grammar structure, then they proceed to open, communicative activities where they can practise using the structure in a more conversational context. In order to give intermediate students maximum exposure to French language, all of the "Collage" programme, with the exception of the vocabulary lists, is completely in French. Of the 25 readings in "Lectures Litteraires", 12 are new to this edition. The new readings include selections by women and by francophone authors.
Several new types of pre-reading activities have been added. In the first six chapters, sections called "Lire en Francais" teach students general skills and strategies for reading in French. In Chapters 7 to 12, sections called "Lire la Litterature" give students specific help for understanding literary works. In addition, each reading is now preceded by a brief new section called "Mise en Route", which links some aspect of the reading to students' own lives. Post-reading material, follow-up questions and activities have been simplified.