Communiquer à l’écrit par Guy Capelle (review)

d’un collège français de Clermont-Ferrand autour des thèmes de chaque leçon. Dans l’ensemble, la séquence Adomania paraît ludique, pertinente, adaptée, et intéressante pour les apprenants tout comme les enseignants, dont la préparation des cours sera facilitée par l’organisation claire et équilibrée de ce matériel pédagogique. University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire Jessica Sertling Miller Capelle, Guy. Communiquer à l’écrit. Paris: CLE International, 2016. ISBN 978-209 -038190-0. Pp. 127. When choosing materials for skills-based courses, particularly on writing and oral communication practice, I struggle to find the right balance of information on strategies and real practice as opposed to mostly comprehension questions and mechanical exercises. For that reason, the CLE International series is a great resource and works well as many of their products are presented in a work text format with some strategies and guided practice. This particular volume takes students through the entire process of writing with different audiences considered. The first unit is an initiation to a text with activities to test sensitivity and vocabulary use as well as how to use punctuation purposefully and appropriately. This focus on reading a text allows students to gain insights on structure and style all the while pointing out important elements such as word choice, parts of speech, capitalization, and use of language for intended meaning. The subsequent units—ten in total—address the important steps of the writing process through identification of intended audience, the organization of a paragraph, five different types of texts (narrative, descriptive, explicative, argumentative , and prescriptive), the modes of development including analyzing and comparing, preparing longer texts, editing, and brainstorming. These are all valuable skills to hone one’s writing, and the presentation allows for non-European students to explore and understand differences in writing style. The final unit is dedicated to the transition from common to literary language showing students how the approach is different and what modifications are needed for writing and reading literature, and it pairs well with the appendix on the use of the passé simple. As with most CLE International products, the answers are provided to all of the activities just before the appendices. With the responses on hand, students could use the volume for autonomous learning or out of class practice. However, I can see this volume as highly appropriate for a French composition course to help students go beyond intermediate work to express themselves with a richer and more profound writing style with multiple intentions. The volume engages students to write for different purposes, and the strategies and activities are effective choices. With the answers provided and the appendices on spelling, formation of words with a focus on deriving nouns by use of prefix and suffix, and the passé simple, students are able to see their progress and better prepare for activities in class. In sum, the volume is an excellent overview of written 278 FRENCH REVIEW 91.2 Reviews 279 communication for the B2-C1 level, as advertised, and a solid framework for admission to French university or achieving a new level of purposeful written communication. Eastern Kentucky University Randi L. Polk Cocton, Marie-Noëlle, et al. Saison 4: B2 méthode de français. Paris: Didier, 2015. ISBN 978-2-278-08110-3. Pp. 224. Alcaraz, Marion, et al. Saison 4: B2 cahier d’activités. Paris: Didier, 2016. ISBN 9782 -278-08111-0. Pp. 144. This textbook and workbook aim to prepare adult to young adult French language learners to pass the DELF B2 exam.As the CEFRL level of B2 may be thought roughly equivalent to Intermediate-high to Advanced-low on the ACTFL scale, a French language instructor in the United States can use Saison 4 to help learners transition from intermediate to more advanced language use. This transition is not inconsequential . Nuances like aspect begin to feature in learners’written and oral presentations, learners increasingly read between the lines and make inferences in their interpretation of texts, and the content of these texts shifts from basic personal needs and one’s immediate environment to real-world issues of global or professional concern. I...