SwordedHip Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Hi Everyone I am new to the boards (have been reading a lot of threads but not posting very much yet). I have been busy planning away for our homeschool curriculum next year and have been completely immersed in it. I have gleaned lots of valuable advice, especially from the bilingual board and would love to hear your suggestions for us next year. Here is my dilemma. My dc are currently at the lycee (dd in CM1 and ds in CE1) but next year we will be homeschooling. We are English speakers at home and my French is mediocre at best. But I can help with the homework and I do know that we will need to get a tutor to continue with the French studies. I will be using TWTM approach but the emphasis will be in English. I would like to continue to have them learn French for perhaps 1 hour a day plus additional reading every day. They are doing very well at school and their current teacher says that they are at grade level in French. So my vision of our French program will be something like having them do daily francais et grammaire avec textes and to watch and listen to audio French. I would love to supplement with histoire et geographie (thinking of 6e as this correlates to us going back to the Ancients). So my choice would be to either do the BELIN and Hachette books or to do the CNED in French. I like the flexibility of the first approach and worry that we will be too tied to the CNED program. However, I want to make sure that dc stay on grade with their French. Down the road, I see them taking the French AP and maybe even living/working in France if they wish (they have European passports). The downside of the first approach is that I would be constantly having to find books and material for them as opposed to having everything laid out (is that correct?). So not really sure and would love the advice from the forum. TIA Pancha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enviromommy Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 To be honest, I'd be all over the CNED option if I were you. I'm so envious that your DC are fluent and at grade level in French, and I would do anything you can to keep that up. CNED texts are available on line free, and if you are using a tutor you don't need any more support from CNED. I always drool over CNED's materials, sighing because my children are not native speakers (kicking myself hard here) and have to study French as a foreign language instead. My hope is that my youngers at least will end up doing CNED at some point. Especially if you want to do not just French language but also histoire-géo, I'd say use the CNED. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwordedHip Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks for your reply. I find it very hard to glean all the exact information I need on the CNED website - even with the Google translate ;) Can anyone give me the run down on actually using the CNED online, it's all free?, amount of time per day spent on the French part, etc. I would just like to see if this is all doable for us especially since I am not fluent. I am particularly looking at the CE2 and CM2 levels. Also, any info on the other programs offered on the CNED site such as beginners Spanish etc. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enviromommy Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Thanks for your reply. I find it very hard to glean all the exact information I need on the CNED website - even with the Google translate ;) Can anyone give me the run down on actually using the CNED online, it's all free?, amount of time per day spent on the French part, etc. I would just like to see if this is all doable for us especially since I am not fluent. I am particularly looking at the CE2 and CM2 levels. Also, any info on the other programs offered on the CNED site such as beginners Spanish etc. TIA This is the link for the area where the free courses are: http://www.academie-en-ligne.fr/default.aspx On the menu on the left, roll over "Ecole" and the grades will appear (CP, CE1, etc.) Roll over CE2 or CM2 and another menu appears to the right of it with the subjects. Click on the subject you want and the course comes up, and it's printable. It definitely requires a teacher, but I thought you said you were going to hire a tutor anyway, right? I don't know about time spent per day, since we are not doing it, and it depends on how many courses you do. Back in the dark ages (20 years ago, when the CNED was called the CNEC), I tutored a 10-year old French girl who was living in the States for one year. I tutored her in French, but I think she was also doing the rest of the French curriculum. She went to public school in the States (starting with knowing zero English at the beginning of the year) and did the whole French curriculum after school. I met with her once a week to go over French. So it is doable. Ok, I need to take a deep breath - I suddenly realized that that little girl must be THIRTY YEARS OLD now!!!!!!! Holy cow. I'm really old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I think it at least partly depends how much you like to work off the computer vs working with a book. My brain seems to function differently at some level in front of a screen vs a full two page spread. It is harder to keep track with scrolling if you are comparing a picture with a text, etc. So I would vote for books. But you might be quite different from me and it might make no difference to you. Since online is free, you could always buy a book, and then compare how it feels to use it as opposed to doing it online. Since the French National Curriculum is what drives the production of all the texts, you would get quite similar material - if it is produced after any revision. Eg they changed the content of 6e Histoire to now include the beginning of the Middle Ages in, I think, 2008. The older series, for I think 6e and 5e, had a similar demarcation as the WTM. I'm a bit rushed right now, but do have a paper copy of CNED CM2 Histoire Geo which I can compare to the online free version. Also, about the French AP, my son did it and got a 5 after using 5/4e material at the end of 9th. So the level is not so high. We've been using EAD, a mix of other materials, and a tutor since - but I'm still not really happy with the result - it doesn't feel cohesive. At the end, if you compare to the Bacc - you want someone who can write well - and do literature analysis according to the habits of the country's educators (evidently Switzerland and France are different in this respect). Pancha - are you in France? Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 We are doing CNED - the full thing, but à la carte. We've chosen French, Latin, Spanish and Mandarin, but will be adding history next year. I like that I don't have to look for material, and also that everything is planned for me. Granted, you would get that with the free online classes (they are exactly the same thing, btw) However with the full blown CNED you also get corrections from the teacher. That way you know if the child is writing on par for her age, or not. The CNED is pretty lenient on due dates, so don't worry (too much) about that part. My daughter is currently finishing CM2, and is really enjoying her year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwordedHip Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 Yes, I do agree with you that we definitely prefer books to online screen. Interesting to hear that you feel the EAD is not cohesive enough. What are your thoughts of reworking your system? Thank you so much for taking your time to compare the older CNED Histoire Geo to the online curriculum. We will be studying the Ancients next year and I thought it would be more useful to study the 6e books because of that. I have been searching online for French reference books on histoire/geo but with no luck. Something along the lines of Oxford University Press The World in Ancient Times series in French would be amazing! Do you know of any similar titles in French? And no, we are not in France, we are just outside Chicago. Alas, the commute to the Lycee was just too much for us. Previous to this dc were in the Lycee in Mumbai. So dd has been in Lycee from CE1 and ds from GS. So not a long time but they are doing great in the immersion environment. I guess they were young enough to soak it all in.:001_smile: Thank you so much for your advice. Pancha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwordedHip Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) We are doing CNED - the full thing, but à la carte. We've chosen French, Latin, Spanish and Mandarin, but will be adding history next year. I like that I don't have to look for material, and also that everything is planned for me. Granted, you would get that with the free online classes (they are exactly the same thing, btw) However with the full blown CNED you also get corrections from the teacher. That way you know if the child is writing on par for her age, or not. The CNED is pretty lenient on due dates, so don't worry (too much) about that part. My daughter is currently finishing CM2, and is really enjoying her year. Cleo - we would also be looking at the a la carte option. Correct me if I'm wrong but you get to choose 3 subjects or more? In which case we would probably be looking at French, Latin and Spanish. The Latin and Spanish would be completely new for her so would they be for a beginner level? Also, what does your time/day look like with doing the CNED subjects - i.e. how much time per day is spent per subject and are they largely autonomous and pick up and go, etc. Would they require a lot of time on my part and would it be enough if I just had a tutor once a week, etc. Your insight will be invaluable to me as you've just finished CM2:tongue_smilie: I basically want to have the confidence to do it since it's not our mother tongue. :001_smile: And if you don't go for the free online course but pay the fee, then you get all the books plus corrections on her submissions/writing, correct? Edited April 1, 2011 by SwordedHip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Correct me if I'm wrong but you get to choose 3 subjects or more? You get to choose exactly what you want to take. We chose 3 courses per kid, but you can go for one, or two, or.. The Latin and Spanish would be completely new for her so would they be for a beginner level? They do start at the beginner level, but I would not recommend taking those courses through your second language. Since you can find good curricula for English speaking kids, I would choose that. Also, what does your time/day look like with doing the CNED subjects - i.e. how much time per day is spent per subject and are they largely autonomous and pick up and go, etc. They are very much pick up and go. I rarely have to interact with the kids on their CNED courses. I choose to, because it's more interesting for them, but I don't have to. They work in the morning on CNED (three courses each) and math. French can take an hour, or 90 minutes but is usually less than that. Do consider that we are French speakers though. And if you don't go for the free online course but pay the fee, then you get all the books plus corrections on her submissions/writing, correct? All the books emailed to you, except for novels which you have to buy on your own. (I get most of them through the library because I can!) And corrections too. I would assume you'd be ok with a tutor once a week. The kids *must* keep up the conversational aspect of the language, otherwise they will lose interest in the language. Try and find a playgroup in French. Look for French associations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwordedHip Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 Thank you Cleo. That was very helpful. It gives me a better idea on how it works. I think you are right to advise on only doing the French - I do have a tendency to suffer from being overly ambitious :blushing: I figure we can always start with the CNED route and then see how it goes. I _love_ that it is pick up and go and does not require too much input on my part. And yes - having a tutor once a week would be crucial. Might even look into having Skype penpals for them if that exists :tongue_smilie: Now for me to go back and navigate that CNED website:001_rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Now for me to go back and navigate that CNED website:001_rolleyes: It's hard for everyone, trust me. I have rarely seen such an awful website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 And no, we are not in France, we are just outside Chicago. Alas, the commute to the Lycee was just too much for us. Previous to this dc were in the Lycee in Mumbai. So dd has been in Lycee from CE1 and ds from GS. Oh, you're so far away from us then! Do you have French speaking friends in the area - or playmates from their school? What are your thoughts of reworking your system? Well, we never knew from year to year where we were going to be, so I didn't have a long term plan. Now with my daughter, I'm thinking of doing the Swiss matu, so I'll gear her studies toward that. The problem is that it is not as transparent as the French Bacc or AP's etc, so it is hard to find good books. For you, if you know where you want to end up, then you can gear the studies accordingly. You mentioned working in France, in which case using CNED is not so bad. The problem we ran into with EAD is that there was this jump in the type of literature analysis in the last course. They jumped into Camus, the Stranger, and it was hard for my son to really know the type of answer they are looking for....If you take AP's, you can get the released exams, and then you can see how they have graded different answers, for example. When you are using another educational system and have not much clue what they want, it can get tricky. Anyway, all that is far from where you are now. It is important to get proper corrections and have out of class language experiences otherwise, their vocabulary won't develop at a pace to match the schoolwork. We will be studying the Ancients next year and I thought it would be more useful to study the 6e books because of that. I have been searching online for French reference books on histoire/geo but with no luck. Something along the lines of Oxford University Press The World in Ancient Times series in French would be amazing! Do you know of any similar titles in French? I haven't seen anything like the Oxford book (which I have so I know what you are talking about - it is quite well done) in French. There is this series http://www.amazon.fr/LEmpire-romain-M-Mike-Corbishley/dp/2203171014/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301686522&sr=1-4 which is something like this one (though this is a later edition) http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Cultural-Atlas-Young-People/dp/0816068224/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1301687944&sr=8-4 I haven't directly compared both editions so I can't tell all the differences... Have to get to bed now, Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwordedHip Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Thank you so much Joan. I will check those titles out. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Here, I found parts of the same chapters so you can compare CNED and Hachette... 5e Hachette Histoire-Geographie (this is the ch on Africa I put on another thread), since I don't have this edition, I don't know if there is another chapter with it or not. There is a workbook that has the blanks to fill in (called Travaux pratique) like some of the questions in the CNED 5e CNED Histoire Geographie - there is another chapter which follows this one which is also discussing Africa. Some of their tables to fill in look quite interesting. I did find the teacher's manual for my CNED CM2 histoire-geographie book and it doesn't seem to have answers to the questions. For the online questions, it looks like you have a word to fill in - which I presume gets corrected online, rather than answering with complete sentences that the student has made. But I haven't looked at all the exercises. The student CM2 book is the same as the one online, but online you don't get tests or the teachers manual. For CNED online users - I don't know if anyone is doing it already... is there a teacher's manual you can get or is it all supposed to be for the student to do independently? and then how do they know if they have the longer questions answered correctly? Anyway, I don't know if that helps you or not, but it was interesting to see for me. Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwordedHip Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 Thanks Joan. That was very helpful. So I am now veering towards doing the online course in CM2 for French. However, since we are going back to the Ancients in English for history, I was thinking of having her follow along roughly with the 6e histoire/geo online CNED if that correlates to the same time period. Since we are going to have a tutor then the free online course looks very tempting and I can print everything out for her. Thanks for your continued input. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 So I am now veering towards doing the online course in CM2 for French. Are you talking about the course on Academie-en-ligne.fr ? Or AtoutCNED? Academie-en-ligne is free, but I wouldn't consider it an online course. It's just a bunch of PDF files that correspond to the manual my kids receive by snail mail. And then they barely added a few online activities. Now AtoutCNED is not free, but is way more interactive, and could be considered an online course. I'm hoping this link will work, if it does this is where you would get *all* the online to be printed material for French CM2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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