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  • Encore: niveau intermédiaire by Wynne Wong et al.
  • Shannon Becker
Wong, Wynne, Stacey Weber-Fève, Anne Lair and Bill VanPatten. Encore: niveau intermédiaire. Cengage, 2018. ISBN 978-1-305-96709-0. Pp. 448.

Intended for the second year of college-level study, Encore is a proficiency-oriented textbook that uses an input-to-output approach with the aim of helping learners "solidify some of the major functions of intermediate-mid" on the ACTFL scale. To this end, the exercises progress from focused and discrete to open-ended and task-based, giving learners opportunities to focus on reading and listening before moving on to communication-centered activities. On its own, this basic format is not unlike other textbooks in this category. However, as in its introductory-level counterpart, Liaisons, a key component of Encore is a movie of the same name that is fully incorporated into the text. This, combined with a wealth of activities aimed at building reading, listening, and cultural competency skills, strengthens the book. Each of the ten core chapters is divided into three Parties, which are further broken down into vocabulary (Vocabulaire 1 and 2), grammar (Grammaire 1, 2, and 3), and culture (Les cultures francophones) sections. Despite their names, these sections do not focus narrowly on individual elements of language. Rather, they were thoughtfully designed to integrate reading, writing, listening, speaking, and culture while building the skill at hand. Each vocabulary section begins, for instance, with a "Réflexion culturelle," which provides opportunities for reading and speaking via a text about the Francophone world, a list of necessary and complementary vocabulary, and comprehension/discussion questions. Once schemata have been activated in this way, a series of input-to-output activities put the vocabulary into perspective. Similarly, the three grammar sections begin with a guided analysis of language forms (using excerpts from the movie) and direct learners to items available for review on the iLrn platform. Throughout the book, additional opportunities for engagement with the language are presented via floating sidebars such as "Journal de bord," "Coin culturel," and "Un pas vers la musique." Each chapter concludes with: a series of film activities; a synthesis of the chapter, including the self-evaluation exercise "Oui, je peux" based on the ACTFL can-do statements; substantial reading and writing lessons; and a vocabulary list. The main strength of this book lies in its successful integration of the various elements of language proficiency, including those that are typically neglected in existing textbooks, most notably culture, reading, and listening. Culture is reinforced using interesting sidebars, realia such as music and newspaper articles, longer texts in "Réflexion culturelle" and "Les cultures francophones," and diverse literary examples. Additionally, in a move distinguishing [End Page 244] itself from the France-centric model, Encore deliberately expands the cultural focus to include Francophone communities in Canada, the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. Opportunities to develop reading skills abound, with texts of varying sizes integrated into all sections. Listening comprehension activities are detailed and thorough: the movie is divided into segments, each of which is used in two chapters, with a focus first on language and overall comprehension and then on content and analysis. It is this diversity of activities and emphasis on well-rounded language proficiency that make this textbook an excellent choice for intermediate-level learners.

Shannon Becker
Northern Illinois University
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