Okay, question 1 you must always ask before taking a dictee is, what is it?
Your French teacher will give a dictee as a tool to gage your French level. She'll read a passage, in French, and you will try to write down exactly what she reads, word for word. Grammar and everything must be perfect. She might read (the French equivalent of), Julie and Pascal decide to go shopping in Paris. They leave at 6 in the morning and plan to return at midnight. In the metro Julie gets pick pocketed and loses her credit cards. They contact the police but nothing can be done. Julie is very sad.
The grammar, spelling, conjugation and context are each worth 5 points and 1 point is taken off for each error. The best you can get is 20. If you get over haft, your pretty clever. If you get over 3/4s your really clever. Children expect a little present if they get 15/20. If you get a 20...well you just can't get a 20!
The French grading system is harsh, considered by some to be repressive. It's extremely difficult to be a straight A student and exams are often pass/fail. However, the education system is better then the United States and students are required to studying 1 if not 2 languages in addition to French. That's one thing we Americans lack.
Les Cedres follows the French system of grading and scoring. We have a final exam at the end of term which determines a huge part of our score. We're also graded on our fluency and grammar. Fluency and grammar seem like the same thing but there's a difference. You can spit out complete monologues and no one has an idea what you just said. On the other hand, your grammar can be impeccable but it takes you 2 full minutes to ask where the peanut butter is. Language isn't easy, but when you finally get the peanut butter, you realize the effort is rewarding.
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