Immerse yourself in the French-speaking world

When you immerse yourself in the French-speaking world, you become engaged in the language. Francophone culture not only draws you in with its richness and vibrancy; it's also the best vehicle for mastering the language.

That's why Siskin, Field, and Storme's Fourth Edition of "Ouvertures" uses culture as an organizing principle. "Ouvertures" integrates culture into the teaching of all five skills--speaking, grammar, listening, reading, and writing. These skills provide the basis for exploring the cultures of the francophone world.

Features Cultural themes serve as unifying elements within each chapter. New readings update the cultural focus of the text, and new cultural sections (Notions de culture) expand the chapter themes. The text presents a manageable amount of material while paying thorough attention to all five skills. New, realia-based exercises (A la loupe) encourage you to think critically. The text's process-writing approach to composition assignments helps you brainstorm vocabulary, create plans, and write and revise drafts. A two-step grammar presentation first quickly reviews grammar points generally covered in first-year French courses, and then explains and practices new grammar that you need at the intermediate level of French.

The Complete "Ouvertures" package: Lab Audio CDs to accompany the Lab Manual portion of the Activities Manual (ISBN: 0-471-77415-4) Activities Manual including the Workbook, Lab Manual, and Workbook Answer Key (ISBN: 0-471-47865-2) Ouvertures DVD (ISBN: 0-471-77211-9) Password-protected Instructor's Book Companion Website including the Online Instructor's Manualwww.wiley.com/college/siskin Student's Book Companion Website www.wiley.com/college/siskin

"Ouvertures" uses culture as the organizing principle to its communicative approach in the teaching of speaking, reading, listening, and writing. It offers content-based instruction where a cultural theme serves as a unifying element within each chapter. It also promotes a contrastive approach to culutre that encourages (self-)exploration rather than judgments. And, finally, "Ouvertures" seeks to provide a manageable amount of material while paying throrough and appropriately distributed attention to all five skills.