Has anyone used "So You Really Want to Learn French" by Galore?

[crazyforlatin]

I would love to teach my daughter French, albeit with absolutely no knowledge on my part. I would buy Book 1, Answer 1, along with the CD. DD is five, is studying Spanish using Getting Started with Spanish, Latin using Henle, and is a fluent reader. Could we study this together successfully? Please advise.

[yvonne]

Absolutely! If you and your daughter are doing Henle, there's no reason you couldn't manage SYRWTL French w/ the cd. It starts at the beginning and assumes no prior knowledge. It's got enough vocabulary and grammar to really be able to get your feet on the ground and get moving.

 

I have the set (x 3) to use with my children in the fall. They already have a fairly extensive French vocab and can read some French children's books, so I'm looking to the Galore Park books to fill in grammar gaps.

[Laura Corin]

I wouldn't recommend it to someone who speaks no French. The CD is very thin, so I don't think the pupil would get enough oral practice if you couldn't talk to him/her. FWIW Hobbes is working (very slowly) through book 1 and Calvin is half way through book 2.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[crazyforlatin]

Absolutely! If you and your daughter are doing Henle, there's no reason you couldn't manage SYRWTL French w/ the cd. It starts at the beginning and assumes no prior knowledge. It's got enough vocabulary and grammar to really be able to get your feet on the ground and get moving.

 

I have the set (x 3) to use with my children in the fall. They already have a fairly extensive French vocab and can read some French children's books, so I'm looking to the Galore Park books to fill in grammar gaps.

 

Thanks for letting me know. I haven't found any other program that has caught my attention. It also sounds like your children can speak and understand French or perhaps you have someone who speaks it with them, so this would be a suitable program.

 

I wouldn't recommend it to someone who speaks no French. The CD is very thin, so I don't think the pupil would get enough oral practice if you couldn't talk to him/her.

 

 

Darn, I was really hoping it would be adequate. Are you saying that not all exercises in the book will be heard in the CD, so that not all words in the book are in the CD? Know of any other program that would be more suitable? My brother speaks French, but we wouldn't be able to practice with him daily. Would one oral session per week be enough? We would like to pronounce the words correctly, but I would settle for just being able to read it for now.

[Jen500]

We really enjoy SYRWTLF. My boys need more practice (oral and written) than the book includes. So if you don't speak French yourself, it might be hard to add extra practice if needed. I haven't found any supplements that coordinate with SYRWTLF w/o adding a lot of extra vocab. I did buy Skeleton French but we haven't used it yet.

I like the audio cd--the quality is very good and includes a variety of speakers (as opposed to some other programs I've bought that have a single speaker for all of the audio component).

I also bought the assessment pack (thank you for the suggestion, Laura :)) and it has been very helpful to really know which areas we need to work on more. (Speaking and listening for us)

[Laura Corin]

Darn, I was really hoping it would be adequate. Are you saying that not all exercises in the book will be heard in the CD, so that not all words in the book are in the CD? Know of any other program that would be more suitable? My brother speaks French, but we wouldn't be able to practice with him daily. Would one oral session per week be enough? We would like to pronounce the words correctly, but I would settle for just being able to read it for now.

 

here you can see which exercises are on the CD - it's marked next to the exercise title in the book.

 

Laura

[AHASRADA]

Thanks for posting this. I had never heard of it before, and it looks quite good. I have two questions though:

 

1. Do the books correspond to a typical French I, French II and French III level? If not, what levels do you think they do cover?

 

2. Is it possible to purchase/order Galore Park books in North America, or do you have to pay shipping from the UK?

 

Thanks!

[Laura Corin]

Thanks for posting this. I had never heard of it before, and it looks quite good. I have two questions though:

 

1. Do the books correspond to a typical French I, French II and French III level? If not, what levels do you think they do cover?

 

2. Is it possible to purchase/order Galore Park books in North America, or do you have to pay shipping from the UK?

 

Thanks!

 

I'm afraid that I can't answer your question 1. Languages are usually started in middle school in the UK. I can only suggest you look at the index in the sample file to get a feel.

 

You can buy the books from bookdepository.co.uk with free shipping. Alternatively, horriblebooks.com in the US can usually order the books for you.

 

Laura

[yvonne]

You might be right, Laura. GP French would be better if there were a stronger audio component. (I also wouldn't mind more practice exercises...)

 

The problem I'm finding is that programs seem to be either/or. They are either strong on the conversational/oral component (Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone,etc.), or strong on the written/grammar component. Can a foreign language really be learned without both?

 

So, if I were to learn a new language, I'd ideally go with something with strong written/vocab/grammar (just because those play to my personal strengths) and get a tutor to work with at least once a week for the oral side. Others pick up more with a conversational/oral approach.

 

It sounds like the op is strong in languages, has some familiarity with at least Latin and Spanish, prefers a solid, no frills approach (Henle vs. SongSchool/Minimus), "would settle for just being able to read it for now," ..... Given all that, I think Galore Park's French might actually work for her.

 

The only other curriculum I think is somewhat similar to GP's French (strong on grammar/written/vocab) is Memoria Press' First Start French. That's fairly simple, but substantive. There's also Alex et Zoe, but that has more frills which seem more like noise to me.

 

Just some random thoughts...

[crazyforlatin]

The problem I'm finding is that programs seem to be either/or. They are either strong on the conversational/oral component (Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone,etc.), or strong on the written/grammar component. Can a foreign language really be learned without both?

 

So, if I were to learn a new language, I'd ideally go with something with strong written/vocab/grammar (just because those play to my personal strengths) and get a tutor to work with at least once a week for the oral side. Others pick up more with a conversational/oral approach.

 

It sounds like the op is strong in languages, has some familiarity with at least Latin and Spanish, prefers a solid, no frills approach (Henle vs. SongSchool/Minimus), "would settle for just being able to read it for now," ..... Given all that, I think Galore Park's French might actually work for her.

 

Wow you read me well... I really wanted to try Rosetta Stone because of all the rave reviews but after also reading reviews that it lacked a strong grammar structure, I was really disappointed. It does seem that it's hard to find a program that encompasses both components. When starting Latin, I bought Minimus but quickly realized it wouldn't work for us, since without understanding the grammar of a language, it's really difficult for me to learn and teach the language. So that's why I know for certain Rosetta Stone would frustrate me. Children may be different - they speak before they read, but since I would eventually oversee the teaching, I was hoping to learn along. Anyway, GSWL was perfect and now GSWS is the same because grammar is emphasized and is taught piecemeal.

[yvonne]

since without understanding the grammar of a language, it's really difficult for me to learn and teach the language.

 

I can definitely relate to that. I think GP's French is as close to GSWL & GSWS as you can get. I like it because it's got solid grammar and uses a very structured/step-by-step approach.

 

You _might_ be interested in Memoria Press' First Start French before taking on GP. The layout is great... text and white space. No silly pictures, sidebars, or other distracting noise. It teaches the basic vocabulary and verb conjugations from the beginning. Each lesson has a section of 10 or so vocabulary words, a short grammar section, and a section of practice exercises and/or translating work. A French song every once in a while (Sur le Pont, Frere Jacques,...), but no cutesy activities or crafts. It definitely gives one a fairly decent start on some of the most important basics of the language. GP starts from the beginning, but it's not as bare bones as MP's First Start.

 

MP also lays out French phonics. (There's a cd, but we haven't used it.) It seems to me that, once you know the French phonics, you can figure out how to pronounce most French words. I made up a very basic phonics chart for my kids last year to help with reading. Whether you can pronounce words with an authentic French accent will take a lot of actual practice with a native speaker or lots of repeating after a cd, but I think you could probably learn a lot of grammar and even vocabulary while (maybe before?) you're doing all that oral practice.

 

More random thoughts...

Edited May 7, 2010 by yvonne

[Cleopatra]

It's hard to find one program for modern languages that covers everything well. We tried First Start French and it was a bomb (shocking, since we love Memoria Press' Latin program). It was dry and boring and mechanical. I do agree that it looks well laid out and covers everything well but we were going nowhere fast. Right now we're using a combination of Tell Me More French (which I'm quite happy with. MUCH better than Rosetta Stone), a conversational class once per week, French Smart http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=frenchsmart&x=0&y=0 , and J'Apprends A Lire magazine http://www.bayardjeunesse.ca/magazines/?c=1&type=10 . These have an audio CD and they are great for comprehension, accent and reading as well.

 

I polled multi-lingual people when I was in France and they 'pooh-poohed' curriculum and recommended lots of French books, music and DVDs. Once my dd had very basic vocabulary, I decided to try it and am finding this method works rather well.

[lionfamily1999]

The only other curriculum I think is somewhat similar to GP's French (strong on grammar/written/vocab) is Memoria Press' First Start French. That's fairly simple, but substantive. There's also Alex et Zoe, but that has more frills which seem more like noise to me.

 

Just some random thoughts...

We're really enjoying First Start French. I wish their Latina Christiana was as compelling.

[crazyforlatin]

Right now we're using a combination of Tell Me More French (which I'm quite happy with. MUCH better than Rosetta Stone), a conversational class once per week, French Smart http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=frenchsmart&x=0&y=0 , and J'Apprends A Lire magazine http://www.bayardjeunesse.ca/magazines/?c=1&type=10 . These have an audio CD and they are great for comprehension, accent and reading as well.

 

 

Is Tell Me More French better than Rosetta Stone because more grammar is incorporated?

 

Also, I looked at French Smart, but I couldn't figure out whether it has English translations. Is it too early for us to use this - is this for a more advanced beginner?

 

Regarding your last suggestion, is it for beginners without any knowledge of French?

 

Thank you all for suggestions.

[Cleopatra]

Is Tell Me More French better than Rosetta Stone because more grammar is incorporated?

 

Also, I looked at French Smart, but I couldn't figure out whether it has English translations. Is it too early for us to use this - is this for a more advanced beginner?

 

Regarding your last suggestion, is it for beginners without any knowledge of French?

 

I don't think you said how old your dd is .....? It would help target what might work best for her.

 

Tell Me More has tons of components that RS doesn't. It allows you to set it up so your dc can only progress through the levels once they've mastered them. It includes listening/comprehension, speaking (graphs your voice a number of ways based on inflection, cadence, etc.), other exercises include dialogue, picture/word association, audio comprehension questions, fill-in-the-blank, put the sentence in the correct order, dictation, sentence practice, phonetics exercise, word & sentence pronunciation, crosswords, word searches & more. It also has an internet component where the child listens to a newsflash in the language and then has to answer comprehension questions. There is role-playing as well. It is geared for grades 5 and up. It is an immersion method but you can get help and it will give English translation if you need it. Thankfully the French comes with an extra introduction CD-Rom (German doesn't. Aaargh!) so the introduction is quite gentle. You can look at each component and it will show you the percentage of the lesson completed and the percentage the child got correct. It definitely has a better grammar component than RS. The child simply can't progress if they're not using the correct rules and so they learn them pretty quickly (or end up doing them over and over again!). Because it's an immersion method, you just have to expect that you're not going to know everything right away but realize it will eventually come with repetition (and stick better IMHO :001_smile:) Oh yes, it also comes with 5 levels with the option to add another 5, so it takes you farther than RS can. I bought mine at the Homeschool Buyers Co-op when they were having a group sale and paid $170 for it!

 

French Smart is great for the beginner. The grade four book is mostly vocabulary, gently introducing some sentences about half way through. It definitely gives lots of English translation, along with the phonetic pronunciation for the French. It's weak because it doesn't have listening/comprehension or speaking but otherwise it does the job in the beginning. I wouldn't use it on it's own but it's a great starter along with something else.

 

The magazines are all in French. I purchased a magazine targeted at young children for my dd. She still has to look up some words but I find that good practice as well to build vocabulary. The audio CD is great for practicing accent and comprehension.

 

As for other books, we started with small board books that we could get at the library (one word per page) and then gradually began to progress. You can find French books on the Canadian Scholastic site too; they have quite a few.

 

We rotate all these programs/methods; I am very consistent that she does French about 15 - 20 min. each day (she loves Tell Me More so she can do 45 min on that). So far it's working very well!

 

HTH a little!

[crazyforlatin]

I think GP's French is as close to GSWL & GSWS as you can get.

 

That's exactly what I needed someone to tell me. Thank you.

 

You _might_ be interested in Memoria Press' First Start French before taking on GP.

 

MP also lays out French phonics.

 

I'm tempted to try this for the phonics and its gentle introduction, but I haven't had much luck with MP's books - tried Prima Latina and Latina Christiana and they didn't work for us, not like GSWL and Henle. The price for the books/CD is very reasonable however.

 

I don't think you said how old your dd is .....? It would help target what might work best for her.

 

DD is 5.

 

French Smart is great for the beginner. The grade four book is mostly vocabulary, gently introducing some sentences about half way through. It definitely gives lots of English translation, along with the phonetic pronunciation for the French. It's weak because it doesn't have listening/comprehension or speaking but otherwise it does the job in the beginning. I wouldn't use it on it's own but it's a great starter along with something else.

 

 

Can you tell me who publishes this or where I can find this? I haven't been able to find it online. Thanks.

[Cleopatra]

 

DD is 5.

 

Can you tell me who publishes this or where I can find this? I haven't been able to find it online. Thanks.

 

Because your dd is 5, unless she's a language whiz, I'd just focus on vocabulary building and simple sentences without worrying too much about conjugations yet. The upper level programs seem to jump into them right away. For such a young age RS might even be good, but it's expensive for an introduction.

 

Here is the link for the French Smart books http://www.amazon.ca/gp/search/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Afrenchsmart&keywords=frenchsmart&ie=UTF8&qid=1273374694

 

Here is a link for the Scholastic French site http://www.scholastic.ca/clubs/lecture/

 

Have you heard of Caillou? If you can find these videos, they might be good for her to watch. They're a little silly but good to listen to, to get familiar with the language. http://www.amazon.ca/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=caillou+dvd+french&tag=googcana-20&index=aps&hvadid=2916317243&ref=pd_sl_82uk9j506g_e

 

We've also made use of French for Kids by Kids on YouTube. I like that they have the words on the bottom and the pictures make it very easy to guess what the word is, even though there is no English. And it's free!

 

Well, there's a start for you along with all the other good recommendations you've received! :001_smile: Bonne chance! I hope you both grow to love French like we do!

[crazyforlatin]

Thank you so much!!! I'm going to look into French Smart. I love the sound of French, so I'm excited to start learning it with DD.

[crazyforlatin]

In my excitement I forgot to ask you if French Smart Grade 4 (http://www.amazon.ca/FrenchSmart-Gr-4-Popular-Book-Editorial/dp/1897457499/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273380603&sr=8-2) is the book with which to begin (didn't see Grade 1). Thank you.

 

Edit: I just re-read your post. It starts with Grade 4. Thanks again.

Edited May 9, 2010 by crazyforlatin

[Cleopatra]

In my excitement I forgot to ask you if French Smart Grade 4 (http://www.amazon.ca/FrenchSmart-Gr-4-Popular-Book-Editorial/dp/1897457499/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273380603&sr=8-2) is the book with which to begin (didn't see Grade 1). Thank you.

 

Edit: I just re-read your post. It starts with Grade 4. Thanks again.

 

Yes, grade 4. It's mainly just vocabulary building.

 

Oh! I also forgot to tell you about the Alex et Zoe books ........ We haven't used them but they look engaging. I know Alliance Francaise recommends them. Here is the link .......... https://www.eurobooks.co.uk/languagebooks/series/FRE/m1/c1/3/ALZO

 

That link seems to have the most information but I've also seen them on Amazon.com and/or Amazon.ca for purchase.

 

Cheers!:001_smile:

[crazyforlatin]

Thank you all for such detailed information. It's more than I expected and so I'll be ordering SYRWTL French (I've put up a To Buy posting for the set, so will probably wait until the end of this week to see if anyone responds), FrenchSmart, and hopefully Tell Me More French at the next co-op. I'm undecided on Twisted Doors: The Scariest Way in the World to Learn French, though I did just buy the Spanish version.