pgr Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Our DD (6 1/2 yrs old) is very interested in learning some French. She's bilingual and learning the basics of other languages (Latin, Spanish) without any strict schedule. She's a strong independent reader. I have a fair foundation in French (took it in school :tongue_smilie: but can carry on a simple conversation). Any simple introductory resources out there? I had looked at l'art de lire, but I don't think we need a full curriculum at this point. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 A really, really gentle start could be to use the Quizlet site just for vocabulary memorization. It's a simple website with foreign language flashcards and games, and it's also free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 What about Berlitz Jr. "Je Parle Français"? It is a book about a teddy bear. It has basic questions and answers and phrases like J'aime Mama. You could just read it and practise answering the questions. There is also an Usborne book called something like First 1000 Words in French. It has pages full of vocabulary. It will have a spread with a beach scene, for instance, and down the edges are little pictures of the things in the scene along with their French names. We used to play, "Ou est la mer?" "La mer est là . (point)" There is another book like it that has a detective story behind it. Again, a complicated scene with lots of vocab labels. That one had an I-spy component. The other thing we did was buy a few stories and read them over and over, at first with me translating, later with me not translating. Or you can buy the French versions of favourite English or Spanish stories and just read them aloud over and over. Books on tape are also good. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgr Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 There is another book like it that has a detective story behind it. Again, a complicated scene with lots of vocab labels. That one had an I-spy component. Nan Oooooo! Was that an Usborne book? She's very much into reading mysteries right now - that would be perfect! Thank you both - those are great suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 we have almost finished 5 'levels' of elementary French and dd can't still not make her self clear in French in most basic situations. Can I ask what curriculum/materials you used? (just curiosity. I am also teaching French to my kids) To the OP, how about reading some Dr. Seuss books in French? Most libraries carry some beginner books. I think memorizing vocab is great, but I think it's better to have a child memorize a sentence instead of just a word. As we progress, I plan on having my kids memorize every dialogue they encounter. That's how I was taught (I still remember half of "Le petit Prince" by heart :001_smile:) and it somehow worked. Basically what I am trying to get to is Usborn vocab book will be great, but try to use those words in a sentences instead of in isolation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 oops - not Usborne. I managed to find it. It is called The Word Detective in French, by Amery. We got it ages ago, so you might have to look for it used if it is out of print. http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?title=word+detective+in+french Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I plan on having my kids memorize every dialogue they encounter. This is an interesting approach, esp if exposed to some dialogues....I was just replaying one in my mind the other night, trying to remember too how the francophone was pronouncing the words, accenting the phrases, choosing the vocab, etc. Getting into little role playing situations in the home, where you go over and over the basic expressions that you have encountered til they are automatic, would fit in with this too. Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Art de Dire, and then Art de Lire - very gentle intros. The tapes were crappy though and I ditched them - this was a long time ago, hopefully they;ve moved on to better quality cds by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgr Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 oops - not Usborne. I managed to find it. It is called The Word Detective in French, by Amery. We got it ages ago, so you might have to look for it used if it is out of print. http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?title=word+detective+in+french Nan Thank you so much for digging this up for me - I greatly appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgr Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 Thank you all for the suggestions! I've brought home a few readers in French from the library, and I'm off to look at the other suggestions! :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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