Here’s My Brainstorming Process For Writing Essays! The Example Questions I Used Are Pretty Straightforward

Resources masterpost

Being exposed to French:

Websites, social media

IG accounts with lots of stories

Online courses about French

Online courses in French

French subreddits

Fanfictions

Buzzfeed

Improving your:

Pronunciation

Speaking

Stutter

Things to listen:

Music

Podcasts

Radio stations

TED talks

Things to read:

Graphic novels/comics

News

Ebooks + quizzes (by me)

Short stories

Vikidia - kids Wikipedia

Things to watch:

Cartoons

Kids shows

The Simpsons the movie

True crime

TV programs - sci-fi shows, travelling, etc.

Youtubers

Extra:

Antidote 10 + BonPatron - Grammarly equivalents

Conjugation by le Nouvel Obs

Deepl - very good at translating sentences/expressions

Forbo - natives pronouncing things

Lexicity - about Ancien/Moyen Français

Lingolden - Chrome extension that teaches vocabulary

Linguo.tv (french videos + subtitles)

Reverso - very good alternative to Google translation

The school system continues to fail neurodiverse students

Neurodivergence in academic settings is highly misunderstood & under discussed. Below is a master list of information on the reality of being a neurodivergent student in an education system built for neurotypicals; as well as resources and tools to aid students with autism, adhd, dyslexia and more in higher education. Please share this post so it can reach, educate and assist and many people as possible.

**this will be continuously updated. if you have any additions please feel free to message me or send me an ask and i’ll add it to the list!

✰ EDUCATE YOURSELF

NEURODIVERSITY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

VALUING DIFFERENCES: NEURODIVERSITY IN THE CLASSROOM

ADHD EDUCATION CARRD

AUTISM EDUCATION CARRD

MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT AUTISM

DEALING WITH DYSLEXIA CARRD

TONE INDICATORS CARRD

✰ HELPFUL READS/SELF HELP

NEURODIVERSE SELF-CARE: MANAGING ANXIETY THROUGH CONNECTION

NEURODIVERSITY WELLNESS: LINKS TO SOME GREAT COVID-19 RESOURCES

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE WITH DYSLEXIA

AT UNIVERSITY: THE ART OF SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DISABILITY

HACKING YOUR ADHD - where you can learn techniques for helping your adhd brain

SURVIVING COLLEGE WITH ADHD

GOING TO COLLEGE WITH AUTISM

5 TIPS FOR AUTISTIC STUDENTS STARTING UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE

✰ TOOLS

FOCUS@WILL: an ios & android app designed to increase your focus and attention, Focus@Will uses specially engineered audio in which frequencies similar to the human voice are removed. Why? We are wired to pay attention to them, and they distract us.

FINISH: an app that lets you add tasks and divide them into “short term,” “mid term,” or “long term,” as defined by you.

CLAROSPEAK: ClaroSpeak offers the option of visual highlighting in-sync with the spoken words, a great range of colour and font settings to allow for optimum reading and word prediction to help with writing.

C PEN: The C-Pen Reader is a totally portable, pocket-sized device that reads text aloud with an English, Spanish or French human-like digital voice.

can you please make a list of really popular french songs? like, the type of songs that if you play them at a party in france almost everybody knows all the words and can dance to them.

Hi, this has been taking root in my asks for a while and I’m sorry but this is a hard question; people born in Nice in the 60s and in Trappes in the 90s will have extremely different references. And the dancing criteria makes it worse.

What people are likely to know, regardless of social context: the most famous songs of Piaf (La vie en rose, Mon manège à moi, maybe Milord), Aznavour (La bohème, Hier encore, Emmenez-moi), Brel (La chanson des vieux amants, Ne me quitte pas, Quand on a que l’amour), Gainsbourg (La javanaise, Je suis venu te dire que je m’en vais, Le poinçonneur des lilas),  Brassens (La mauvaise réputation, Les copains d’abord, Gare au gorille), etc.

Stuff a bit less old (to not say younger, as I’m talking 80s): Michel Berger (Le paradis blanc, La groupie du pianiste), Indochine (L’aventurier, J’ai demandé à la lune, Trois nuits par semaine), France Gall (Ella Elle l’a, Il jouait du piano debout, Poupée de cire), Daniel Balavoine (Le chanteur, L’aziza, Mon fils ma bataille), Joe Dassin (Et si tu n’existais pas, A toi, Pour un flirt avec toi), etc.

Then: Jean-Jacques Goldman (Je te donne, Là-bas, Quand la musique est bonne, Au bout de mes rêves), Mylène Farmer (Désenchantée, Libertine, Sans contrefaçon), Garou (Seul, Sous le vent, Belle), Céline Dion (Pour que tu m’aimes encore, On ne change pas, S’il suffisait d’aimer), Florent Pagny (Savoir aimer, Ma liberté de penser, Là où je t’emmènerai), etc.

2000s: BB brunes’ Dis-moi, Kyo’s Dernière danse, L5′s Toutes les femmes de ta vie, Larusso’s Tu m’oublieras, Matt Pokora’s Elle me contrôle, Renan Luce’s La lettre, Superbus’ Lola, Tragédie’s Hey ho, Diam’s La boulette, Fatal Bazooka’s Mauvaise foi nocturne, Rose’s La liste, etc.

2010s: Sexion d’assaut’s Avant qu’elle parte and Désolé, Colonel Reyel’s Celui and Aurélie, Mika’s Elle me dit, Stromaé’s Alors on danse and Papaoutai, Kendji Girac’s Andalouse and Bella, Louane’s Jour un and Avenir, etc.

Currently are huge: Aya Nakamura’s Jolie nana, Hatik’s Angela, Bosh’s Djomb, Vitaa and Slimane’s Versus, Jul’s La machine, Maes’ Les derniers salopards, Gambi’s La vie est belle.

Now-

I was born in 1992. There’s a lot of stuff I’ve never heard of because I’m not that interested in current stuff - I’ve never listened to Jul, for example. Had you asked your question to a 14-year-old, they would probably mention him very quickly. What I can say is that people my age would destroy everything up to the 2000s at a karaoke session, and then start having issues; whereas my younger sibling, eight years younger than me, would have the exact opposite problem. Why? Because I heard the very old stuff on the radio, before the Internet even happened; nowadays, people don’t listen to the radio anymore, they go on Youtube or Spotify, so they don’t experience that stuff.

So I’m afraid there’s not really *one* answer to that question, except maybe if you want to focus on lame stuff DJs play at parties when people are starting to be bored, like Les démons de minuit ou Partenaire particulier. Those will get everybody on their feet. But that’s probably not what you’re looking for!

Hope this still helps! x

So, I’m an Anki user and I’m completely aware of how intimidating Anki can be upon first glance. Here are some Anki add-ons that can help make the experience a better one. Feel free to suggest your favorites as well!

Pokemanki: For each basic deck you have, this add-on gives you a Pokémon egg, and it grows stronger as you review. I am a huge Pokémon fan, so this is a necessary add-on in my opinion.

Migaku Vacation: This add-on lets you take sick days and vacations from your Anki reviews, to not make the process so overwhelming if you miss a day.

Anki IPA: Haven’t personally used this one yet, but as a linguist it’ll be super helpful for French. It transcribes your cards into IPA instantly! Only a handful of languages are supported, so check it out. 

Pull from Duolingo: This will take words you’ve learned so far in your Duolingo course and make them into cards! Definitely great for those beginning stages of a language when you aren’t sure how to make your Anki deck.

Puppy Reinforcement: Nice puppies tell you you’re doing a good job :)

Anki Simulator: This one lets you simulate your progress. I like looking at shiny graphs, so if you do too then this is for you.

Migaku Spanish: This add-on features audio recordings, color coding for grammatical gender, and a dictionary. It’s also available for French and Portuguese and - I think - German, if I’m not mistaken.

Beeline: It adds gradients to text to make it easier to read. Helpful for long blocks of text!

Beautify Anki: Are you tired of the boring grey background of Anki? This is one of your options. It’s an attempt to make the interface a lot more friendly-looking.

Randomize Fonts: I literally had ZERO idea why you would use this one for fun, but one of the reviews pointed out it’s good for identifying words in different contexts, and if you are learning a language that uses a script that isn’t what your native language is written in, this could definitely be cool!

Anki Accountability 2: Allows you to generate a report to send to someone about your consistency with your reviews. Could be useful among a competitive group of friends, or for language teachers who would like to implement use of Anki in the classroom!

Ma routine quotidienne : My daily routine

Le matin

Se réveiller : To wake up Se lever : To get up Se doucher/prendre une douche : To shower Se baigner/prendre un bain : To bathe Se raser : To shave Se brosser les dents : To brush your teeth Se brosser les cheveux : To brush your hair Se peigner : To comb your hair Se coiffer : To do your hair S’habiller : To get dressed Se maquiller : To put on makeup Manger/prendre le petit déjeuner : To eat breakfast Aller/se rendre à/au :To go to l’école (f) : school le travail : work en voiture : by car en bus : by bus en métro : by subway en train : by train en vélo : by bike à pied : on foot

L’après-midi

Travailler/bosser (l’argot) : To work  Étudier : To study Une machine à café : The coffee machine Une réunion : A meeting Un bureau : An office/desk Rechauffer : To heat up Le bavardage : Gossip/informal talk La bibliothèque : The library L’université (f) : University La fac (La faculté) : University Une leçon : A lesson Un cours : A class Suivre un cours : Take a class Une boîte à lunch (Qc) : Sack lunch/lunch box Déjeuner/prendre le déjeuner : To each lunch Dîner (Qc) : To eat lunch La cantine : The cafeteria

Le soir

Rentrer : To go home Se reposer : To relax/to rest Réviser : To revise/study Se préparer pour : To prepare oneself for Préparer : To prepare Cuisiner : To cook Dîner/Souper (Qc) : To eat dinner Le dîner : Dinner/Supper Faire la vaisselle : To wash the dishes Se déshabiller : To undress Se coucher : To go to bed S’en dormir : To fall asleep Rêver : To dream

general study tips

this is just a quick list of study habits that work for me, as a straight a’s student

1. even if it’s not in your teacher’s presentation written on a slide, if you hear your teacher mention a fact, WRITE IT DOWN. you might need it later for a test.

2. when you’re rewriting your notes/compiling a study guide, pretend you’re making it for someone else. include everything, even if you think you know it. (unless you’re low on time, in which case, just write what you don’t know)

3. when you’re trying to learn a new concept, pretend you’re teaching it to someone else. this is a form of active learning, and the act of breaking the concept down into steps that you can teach will improve your understanding of the concept. (for the longest time, i actually didn’t even know this was an actual study technique, because i’ve always done it subconsciously!)

4. don’t over color your notes!! if you really need a key for all the colors, then you’re using way too many. try to stick with 2-3 pens/pencils. for me, i write most of my notes in black ink or pencil and i write the important concepts i might need to find quickly later (such as vocabulary) in red or blue pen.

5. have your water bottle next to you (so you remember to stay hydrated; this makes focusing easier as well), as well as any other things you might need during a study session so you don’t have to keep getting up to get stuff (which is pretty distracting for me as i’m easily sidetracked).

6. make it a habit to write lists of everything you need to do by the end of the weekend (or the end of that day, depending on how much work you have). this’ll help you familiarize yourself with your tasks so you have a clear plan of what needs to get done.

7. (not really necessary, just something i like to do!) learn to eat with your non-dominant hand so you can eat and take notes and turn pages w/out ripping them instead of scrolling through social media. keep in mind that sometimes, meal times are for taking your mind off school so unless you’re really pressed for time, it’s not a huge deal if you spend this time w/passive reading, texting friends, etc.

8. when you’re assigned a research project, COME UP WITH A THESIS FIRST so you know what to research. try to get all your research done within the first two days or so, to have more time to plan out how you’re going to structure it. then get your draft done (something is better than nothing) so you can revise at your own pace instead of rushing at the last minute.

9. prioritize your homework!! as someone who spends hours fencing and even misses school for fencing tournaments, is part of symphonic band, and on the robotics team (build season is suuuuuper busy), i can’t express how important this is!! if you have math first period, get that done first, whereas if you have math last period, you can do it at lunch and spend your time working on something that’s due in the morning. don’t do this all the time, but if you need to, know which teachers are more strict with due dates so if you really do need an extension, you’ll be asking the least strict teacher and will have much better chances of getting said extension.

10. if you study at home like me, change into new clothes (comfy clothes, but not pajamas) before cracking open your textbooks. it’ll help make you feel more refreshed and ready to start your homework, but not confined to uncomfortable uniforms from school. tie up your hair, if it’s long. try to study at a table/desk rather than in bed (for sleeping not studying) or on the floor (bad for your posture).

11. check out this post for productive things you can do when you aren’t studying, but still want to be productive!

hope these helped some of you!!

xoxo, sal

french winter vocabulary

l’hiver - the winter

décembre - december

janvier - january

février - februray

la neige - the snow

la boule de neige - the snowball

le flocon de neige - the snowflake

la glace - the ice

le froid - the cold

la manteau d’hiver - the winterjacket

les gants - the gloves 

l’écharpe - the scarf

le chandail - sweater

le manteau - the coat

la luge - the sled

faire de la luge - to go sledding

faire du ski - to go skiing

faire du patin - to go iceskating

renifler - to sniffle

le rhume - the cold (sickness)

le chocolat chaud - the hot chocolate 

le thé - the tea

le café - the coffee

la tasse - the cup

la cheminée - the fireplace

les fêtes - the winterbreak

la couette - the duvet

les oreillers - the pillows

un matin sombre - a dark morning

phrases

il neige ! - it’s snowing!

j’ai froid - i’m cold

j’ai un rhume - i have a cold

tu veux (voulez-vous) [faire de la luge]? - do you want [to go sledding]?

je voudrais [une tasse de chocolat chaud], s’il vous plaît - i would like [a cup of hot chocolate], please

[changeable] (formal) ! please correct me if i’m wrong !

Keep reading

donner (to give)✨, prendre (to take) ✨recevoir (to get)✨ present tense

donner - to give 🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️

je donne                 [I give]

tu donnes               [you give]

il/elle/on donne     [he/she/it/ gives]

nous donnons       [we give]

vous donnez          [you give]

ils/elle donnent     [they give]

prendre - to take 🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️

je prends               [I take]

tu prends               [you take]

il/elle/on prend     [he/she/it takes]

nous prenons        [we take]

vous prenez           [you take]

ils/elles prennent  [they take]

recevoir - to get 🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️

je reçois                   [I get]

tu reçois                   [you get]

il/elle/on reçoit       [he/she/it gets]

nous recevons        [we get]

vous recevez           [you get]

ils/elles reçoivent   [they get]

Learning to read in your target language !

Learning to read in any language is difficult!  There’s nothing more frustrating than picking up a book you’ve read in your mother tongue and not understanding a word in your target language. Luckily, it’s a matter of vocabulary ! 

You won’t understand everything

 Even in your native language, you still don’t understand EVERY WORD, you use context to try to figure out something you don’t know. But you’ll find that if you keep at it, you will get visibly better.

I read Harry Potter as my first long text in French and I high lighted every single word that I didn’t know. Looking back, about 35% of the words on the first page are high lighted vs. about 5% on the last page.

To get the most our of language learning, you should start trying to read as soon as possible !

You get so much passive input out of reading comprehension. It’s easy to subconsciously pick up commonly used phrases and putting grammar points and vocabulary into application.

So, what methods can I use to get the most out my reading?

A.) Read a paragraph through and look up the words and their definitions, then read it again and really try to find the meaning of each sentence. This might be the most taxing method and easy to lose focus or motivation, but honestly it’s the best for learning. 

B.) Stop at every word you don’t know and look up the meaning. I personally don’t like this method. I find myself looking more for words I don’t know than the meaning behind the whole sentence. I also don’t like stopping and starting and stopping and starting. 

C.) Skim the paragraph or page for words you don’t know, highlight them, define them first, THEN read the whole piece of text. This is my favorite method. I like looking back at the beginning of the book and seeing all the words I didn’t know then but I know now.

D.) Try to gather context of sentence without looking up any words. This is what native speakers do, and it is, of course, the best method but it requires a deeper meaning of the context that most A1/A2 learners have yet to understand.

You might be struggling learning through textbooks because the vocab lists prioritize subjects like “body parts” and “animals” over giving you basic tools to describe things. It’s great to know words like “knee” and “candle” but how often do those really come up in conversation? Instead of finding random lists that might be useful one day, I suggest creating a list of vocab based on your reading content! When you see a word that has come up a few times and you still can’t gather from context what it means, look it up, then every time you see it in the text from now on, it’ll enforce that knowledge in your brain.

If you aren’t sure what kind of texts you should be reading or want more information and tips, check out my other post.

Three words you probably don't know #2

A whisk: un fouet

The white part of bread: la mie de pain

A tissue: un mouchoir