greenmamato3 Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 i've decided that, after completing Prima Latina & LC I, we are going to take a break on Latin and just review roots through EFTRU .... because DS is dying to learn FRENCH! i love french and took it for 5 years, so it's a comfort zone to me somewhat. however, i have no idea about the resources that are available for teaching french to the grammar stage child. any suggestions and reasons why you like that particular program are much appreciated!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 bump. french suggestions for grammar stage, anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 L'art de Lire. :) caveat: this program is good, as long as you are comfortable with French, and it sounds like you are -- there are a few mistakes in the teacher's guides. Also, the lessons need to be reinforced with practice, etc., which is not difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Galore Park's So You Really Want to Learn French would be good for that age, especially if you feel comfortable with French. It's very professional and teaches grammar very clearly. We've also used the audio cd(really a must-have and very good, using multiple speakers), assessment pack, and online practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdhomeschool Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Alex et Zoe is a sweet program: http://europeanbook.com/alexetzoe.html Kirsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 anybody have any idea if one of those would work particularly well for VSL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 We're looking at Galore Park as well. My son is somewhat of a VSL himself, so that's a good question. I do think the books seem much more engaging than an average textbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 anybody have any idea if one of those would work particularly well for VSL? Hmmm, could you tell me more about VSL needs? (I've used or at least own all the previously mentioned programs :tongue_smilie:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 We used First Start French from Memoria Press and loved it. It was very easy for me to teach using the teacher's manual and CD. My DS is VSL, but I don't go out of my way to find highly visual things for him. I think he needs to engage all the learning approaches and not just his strength. But he enjoyed the program greatly. We used it prior to a trip to France and learned enough from an intense six-week study to converse in the basics. It also included a great deal of information about French culture that we found very helpful (and accurate) with our trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 Hmmm, could you tell me more about VSL needs? (I've used or at least own all the previously mentioned programs :tongue_smilie:) yipes! this is kind of a post unto itself. but.....suffice it to say our DS is a VSL/sensory/highly linguistic/creative/super smart kiddo ;) he LOVES to learn. and he LOVES to get lost in his learning. but he also is HIGHLY distractible, struggles with retention and recall of things that he only hears, and can easily get onto a rabbit trail {like suddenly wanting to design a new trebuchet from sticks he's recently collected a strip of cotton yarn he just found lying on the floor right in the midst of our spelling lesson because something rhymes with "trebuchet" that triggers his mind .... } he struggles between having a RELATING mind v. a RAMBLING mind. have you ever heard that distinction in the CM world? it's a fine line. he's a WONDERFUL learner and has adapted to *many* non-VSL type curricula over the years, buuuuuut i want to give him a special little treat by finding a french curriculum that will make learning it extra easy on him. :) just want him to have a little sweet spot in his week for this elective. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 We used First Start French from Memoria Press and loved it. It was very easy for me to teach using the teacher's manual and CD.My DS is VSL, but I don't go out of my way to find highly visual things for him. I think he needs to engage all the learning approaches and not just his strength. But he enjoyed the program greatly. We used it prior to a trip to France and learned enough from an intense six-week study to converse in the basics. It also included a great deal of information about French culture that we found very helpful (and accurate) with our trip. is first start french similar to PL or LC? if so, it's not the thing for us. tooooo workbooky and repetitive with low low low retention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 where can i see an online example of Galore Park's french? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 where can i see an online example of Galore Park's french? http://www.galorepark.co.uk/product/parents/47/so-you-really-want-to-learn-french-book-1.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danadino Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 :iagree: we used it this year and we loved it so much. Alex et Zoe is a sweet program:http://europeanbook.com/alexetzoe.html Kirsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 did you buy it on that site, or on amazon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 bump. getting ready to finalize my decision to order. i've narrowed it to galore park SYRWTLF, l'arte de lire, and alex et zoe. i've showed all the samples to DS. he has his pick. i have mine. they don't match. this doesn't perplex me {i'm used to it, and he said he's actually excited about all of them and will be thrilled no matter what i finally decide}. what perplexes me is which approach is really going to have the best audio cps of all these three options, and also which are going to be best for him as a spatial learner .... *and* which ones could be inclusive for my younger DD who just might want to follow along as a delight. oh, the other deciding criteria is which one is easiest and simplest to implement. :) just open and go type of stuff .... anyone want to chime in on those three options? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 We tried L'art de Lire with DD, and we liked it okay. It was a little slow for her, I think, and very repetitive. I think she also wanted more grammar; she wants to know the rules of how you conjugate verbs and how you make nouns plural and how you make adjectives feminine, etc. IOW, she wanted to see an example and then be able to apply a rule to all (or at least most) of the other words she saw in the same category. (This is more how her Latin book, Getting Started With Latin, worked, and she loved that.) So this year, I have ordered a basic French book for her (this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071453873/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i02), and we'll see how that goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Just as an observation, have you asked your ds what he wants to DO with the french? Sometimes what a textbook wants to do with the french is different than what the learner wanted. If it has him conjugating and what he really wanted was to do comparative readings of comics, sing, and watch videos, then the curriculum isn't a good fit, kwim? My dd is like your ds, only with a few labels attached. How well did the vocab stick with LC1? We were actually fine in LC1. It more snowballed in LC2 and as you tried to get her to process. Anyways, I would just caution you that however it went with LC is what could happen with french. We did french and latin and finally paused all attempts at languages just to focus on basics. Now we're trying to decide if there's room to try again to get on track for high school. I'm back to this idea that contextualized is the way to go. In your case, given the amount of french you already know (more than my measley 3 years!), you might like to open up some other options too. TinTin is available in french and is the kind of thing he could read and compare. I was actually thinking The Easy French would fit your situation (mixed levels) quite well. If you have the patience to teach it yourself, it would work out well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unity Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Another plug for Alex et Zoe at that age. I love this one; we're on the second year of it. I don't know what you mean by "audio cps" of the program, but there is a significant audio component of A+Z. It includes many native speakers, both cartoon and real, and they purposely put background noises in some of the tracks for more realistic circumstances. There are raps/poems and songs, dialogues, and exercises. Great audio. I don't know about spacial learning at all, although the "Guide Pedagogique" (GP) (essential to the program) has lots of learning suggestions for a classroom, many of which involve getting up and moving around. Open and go? Well, that's mostly how I used it, but it would definitely have been better if I'd had a chance to prepare my lessons. It took me about 5 minutes to read through the GP and note what I wanted to do other than the obvious working through of the text and workbook. Of course, if you struggle with French it might take you more than 5 minutes to read it!:001_smile: This is absolutely a great program for your younger daughter to follow along with. Especially when we were memorizing songs/raps, my 3 year old was right there enjoying the whole experience. It's really vital that you know French to teach this one, though. I don't think anyone not comfortable with French could teach it. But with 5 yrs French, if you still remember it, you could probably be happy with it. Some of the GP might be a little challenging for you, but I imagine you'd understand enough. bump.getting ready to finalize my decision to order. i've narrowed it to galore park SYRWTLF, l'arte de lire, and alex et zoe. i've showed all the samples to DS. he has his pick. i have mine. they don't match. this doesn't perplex me {i'm used to it, and he said he's actually excited about all of them and will be thrilled no matter what i finally decide}. what perplexes me is which approach is really going to have the best audio cps of all these three options, and also which are going to be best for him as a spatial learner .... *and* which ones could be inclusive for my younger DD who just might want to follow along as a delight. oh, the other deciding criteria is which one is easiest and simplest to implement. :) just open and go type of stuff .... anyone want to chime in on those three options? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 :iagree: we used it this year and we loved it so much. I'm curious but I have to admit - the site is annoying me. Where can I view samples and is this a curriculum for parents who *know* French already? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unity Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 You can see the workbook and cahier de lecture on Amazon.com. I found a sample of the textbook on Amazon.fr: http://www.amazon.fr/Alex-Zo%C3%A9-compagnie-M%C3%A9thode-fran%C3%A7ais/dp/2090338164/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338649033&sr=1-1 Here's a sample of one of the Guide pedagogiques (it's for level 3, but the gist is the same as level 1): http://www.amazon.fr/Alex-Zo%C3%A9-compagnie-Guide-p%C3%A9dagogique/dp/2090339349/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338649115&sr=1-4 (click "zoomer" to zoom in) So that gives you samples of all the main components, except the audio portion. Yes, the parent needs to know French to teach this course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyful_Journey Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 We used Galore Park's SYRWTLF this year with my 6th grader, and she really enjoyed it! She'll finish it up next year and begin SYRWTLF 2. We ordered it through Ray at Horrible Books who always offers free shipping and the best prices on Galore Park materials: www.horriblebooks.com ray@horriblebooks.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 ok. update time, ladies :group hug: i'm continuing to mull this over, going back and forth between the samples, looking at horrible books {which i just learned about!}, and i am pretty much seeing that .... i'm going to order the easy french and the easy french reader on amazon to start brushing up on my own french this summer... i've requested every french related thing i can find at our library :tongue_smilie: we'll take that along with us on our 12 day trip this month and see what that leads to in the way of "i enjoy *this* part of learning french .... hoping to uncover whether it's reading french books, singing french songs, recognizing french-english-latin connections, or grammar exercises that he loves, etc etc etc. and ..... then i'm going to decide between Alex et Zoe or SYRWTLF. let's review. alex et zoe -- mom needs to know french; cps are native speakers; we don't know the best place to purchase this stateside. SYRWTLF -- very clear grammar explanation; a bit more mommy-user-friendly if mama doesn't speak french fluently; easy to purchase at horriblebooks am i tracking with y'all? sometimes i get all my wires crossed as i listen to the wonderful ideas and experiences you offer. :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 woooopS! one more thing: does it matter much to have the "new edition" in alex et zoe??:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 We used First Start French from Memoria Press and loved it. It was very easy for me to teach using the teacher's manual and CD.My DS is VSL, but I don't go out of my way to find highly visual things for him. I think he needs to engage all the learning approaches and not just his strength. But he enjoyed the program greatly. We used it prior to a trip to France and learned enough from an intense six-week study to converse in the basics. It also included a great deal of information about French culture that we found very helpful (and accurate) with our trip. I'd love to hear more about First Start French. I hadn't heard of it before. My 8 year old would really like to learn some French. The only French I know is wee wee (:lol: I know it's not spelled that way!). I was thinking of getting her Power Glide Elementary French. Does FSF start from the very beginning, assuming a person knows nothing about French? Is this immersion (is immersion when you only hear the foreign language??)? I can't handle immersion. We don't need anything complex.....she just wants to learn some basics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 does anyone have a recommendation for a place to purchase alex et zoe stateside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unity Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 I ordered from europeanbook.com. There's also Schoenhof's, which I think carries it but their website is a mess--www.schoenhofs.com. They do have free shipping over $50. Sellers on Amazon seem to have some good prices. I think for the best prices on this program you probably have to piece it together. I remember I bought most from europeanbook.com because they had the best price on the classroom audio CDs (like, by $30), and I just bought everything else there because the price difference wasn't huge and I didn't want a big hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.