Diversity Unit (French)

1981

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Masters Theses, 2009

French and Francophone Studies Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deepest appreciation to co-chair and thesis director, Dr. Eduardo Negueruela for being an integral part of this thesis from start to finish. I am so grateful that he agreed to direct my thesis even though he is now a professor at the University of Miami, in Florida and has many demands on his time. Besides his regular communication with me, he organized a weekly videoconference for the graduate students he continues to advise here at the University of Massachusetts, so that we could discuss progress on our research projects and lend each other support. He always inspired me to explore beyond what I thought possible. He not only taught me about Sociocultural theory but also his teaching is influenced by this theory; both of which helped me to understand its potential. His insightful responses to my many questions always included an encouraging word. He continues to inspire me with his exceptional talents as a teacher, researcher, and mentor. I would like to thank Dr. Dianne Sears for her willingness to serve as co-chair, her attention to detail, and her ability to bring out the best work in me. I especially enjoyed the courses that she taught and learned much more from her than she will ever know. I am also grateful for committee member, Dr. Rhonda Tarr, for her enthusiasm, kind and encouraging words, passion for teaching, and ability to help me look at the same issue from many different perspectives. I want to thank my graduate program director, Dr. Luke Bouvier, for his support and ability to help me navigate the administrative details of this thesis. These pedagogical experiences would not have been possible without the participation of my French 120 students from the spring semesters of 2006 and 2009. I iv am so fortunate to have had such wonderful students who continue to ignite my passion for teaching. I would also like to thank my friends and family for their patience, understanding and support throughout this process. I am especially indebted to a dear friend, J. L., for his excellent listening skills, thoughtful advice and unending support.

The purpose of this course is to provide students who are native speakers of languages other than English instruction enabling students to accelerate the development of reading and writing skills and to strengthen these skills so they are able to successfully read, write, and comprehend grade level text independently. Instruction emphasizes reading comprehension and vocabulary through the use of a variety of literary and informational texts encompassing a broad range of text structures, genres, and levels of complexity. Texts used for instruction focus on a wide range of topics, including content-area information, in order to support students in meeting the knowledge demands of increasingly complex text. Important Note: Reading and writing courses should not be used in place of English language arts courses; reading and writing courses are intended to be used to supplement further study in English language arts.

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