yvonne Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Hi, Just wondering how First Start French is going for those of you who are using it this year? And, if you're using it, did you have any French experience prior to First Start French? yvonne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in GA Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamagistra Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 We begin on Monday, so I'll let you know. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 We are using it. I thought I would use it for both my girls together. But, my dd10 wants to move faster. We are averaging a lesson every 7-10 days. The girls both like it. It follows the same layout every week. I like the simplicity of the program. It allows us to move forward while putting a majority of our effort into Latin. I did have three years of French in high school. I only utilized it for a long weekend in France while still in high school. I hope my girls will move beyond my own level and become comfortable reading (and singing) in French. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted April 11, 2008 Author Share Posted April 11, 2008 Thank you, Melissa! I think having the same layout every week might make it easier to stick with it... Just do the next thing. Can you tell me, is it mostly aimed at developing oral expression, ie vocabulary/conversation type material, or does it also teach the student to read & write French? My dh is French and speaks to the children in French, so I need more of the latter. I'm relatively fluent, but my spoken French is unfortunately tainted by a terribly strong American accent. :( Debra, please do post after you've tried FSF for a few weeks and let us know how it's going! Anyone else using First Start French? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I think it is a nice combination of both. Each lesson has: A. Proverb or Song B. Vocabulary C. Dialogue D. Translation E. Grammar F. Quiz in that order. The vocabulary and dialogue are on the CD for an oral component (as are the songs.) The translation portion is on the page right next to the vocabulary. I would have preferred it to be on the following page. I have my children cover the opposite page so they are not just copying the answers. I think there is quite a bit of translation and grammar for an intro class. The translation exercises are both English to French and French to English. The grammar section covers verb conjugations, proper verb tenses, etc. The quizzes are written exams and have the student writing sentences in French and conjugating verbs. We spend time each day going over the vocabulary and dialogue and spelling the words aloud. There is not enough work in the book to learn all of the grammar and vocabulary without additional reinforcement. I believe it is assumed the students are reviewing the vocabulary and dialogue daily in addition to doing the written work. (The exams are on the website and have to be printed. They are not in the teacher's manual.) I am very pleased with the program and intend to continue with level two - the last I checked level two is supposed to be available this fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 Oh, Melissa, thank you so much for the detailed explanation! I just bought it used and am looking forward to trying it out! Thanks, again! yvonne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamagistra Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 We began the first lesson of FSF this week, and while the program is workable for me (four+ years French), a teacher who has no French background will want to study ahead, imho. :001_smile: There is lots of helpful information in the TG. I feel that the grammar notes and explanations would be even more useful to me (personally) if directed to the student. While I'm familiar (if rusty! :blush:) with the whys and wherefores, I feel that it would be simpler for me to just read directly to my students from the TG, rather than rehash it in my own words. Nevertheless, the program is laid out clearly and contains a bevy of vocabulary and dialog that appear well thought out. Sadly, I feel that the audio quality is lacking a bit. The narrator has a great accent, however, the recordings are only a rapid-fire rendition of the French words in the workbook, excluding the English translations. I realize that FSF is not part of Memoria's Latina Christiana series, however, I would prefer that the audio followed their format a little more, specifically with pauses enough to repeat the definitions of the vocabulary. Overall, I like it; dds love it so much that they asked for it before Latin. ;) I hope my mini-review is helpful to someone, and I'll post again as we get further in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elm in NJ Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 The audio went to fast for my 3rd grader last year:sad: so we continued with Ecoutez Parlez. We will start First Start in 4th grade again this August. Elmeryl(with J12, C9, R7, L7) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee in MI Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 How much Christian content is there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I haven't finished the book yet, but I have looked through the whole thing. I would say almost no Christian content. There are a few prayers (I think Catholic prayers) as an Appendix at the end of the book. I have not seen them mentioned in the curriculum. I just saw them flipping through the book. There is one song that mentions God twice. But it is not in a Christian context. In fact, I am surprised it was included (although it is a famous French folk song.) The two mentions of God are really slang. I have not seen any other religious material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted April 17, 2008 Author Share Posted April 17, 2008 It's encouraging that your daughters are enjoying it so much! Haven't received my used copy, yet, but I can't wait to try it out! yvonne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielle Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 As to how much Christian content there is in First Start French--I tried to make the book easily usable for families who want that content, and families who don't. Because they are part of traditional French culture, I included classic prayers in the back of the book, where they can be ripped out easily if the family does not want to use them. I'm not sure if they are "Catholic" (altho of course that is the predominant historical religion of France) but they are French. They are intended as supplements, and should be used (at least for the purposes of language study) as translation/memorization, if the family wishes. None of the readings/dialogues have any religious content--they all focus on school, family, travel, sights in France, or French customs (the concierge). I highly encourage anyone to include other readings, with content appropriate to their family and students. I will have links to some easy readings on my website soon. Danielle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee in MI Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Thank you. That sounds like the perfect approach. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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