Alicia64 Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 My boys are 10 -- and we've had some Latin and I just don't feel qualified to continue in Latin. I had six years of Spanish and think I could lead them through French. But I need a French for Dummies kind of program. Any suggestions? Thanks! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 You and me both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckles Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 I ordered MP's First start French. It is aimed at 5-8th grade I believe. I was looking through it, and it looks very gentle. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 Is there a reason you're choosing to teach Spanish over French given that you have a solid background in Spanish? We are using Rosetta Stone for French and while I find it to be great for our needs I don't think I'd feel similarly if I weren't comfortable with the language. It's been an interesting process to see how much french I have stored away as a result of my school years. I'm able to easily answer any questions dc has and explain things more clearly when there is a lack of understanding. In so doing I am realizing that while RS professes to be a program *anyone* can learn I think that having a solid grasp of the language is needed in order to teach it effectively using their curriculum. We are going to supplement with SYRWTL French next year for the written component which I find RS to be weak in. What about using RS for Spanish and supplementing with the Spanish option for SYRWTL Spanish? Not quite the answer you were looking for but perhaps something to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoo_keeper Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 There are rumors that a Getting Started with French book is on the horizon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rieshy Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 SYRWTL French gets a second from me for the ages you mentioned. My french "club" of 9-11 yo's are just finishing up level one this year and we enjoyed it. I thought the vocabulary was especially relevant to that age without being goofy. For instance one chapter's vocabulary covered daily routines and doing chores. I had 7 years of French but never learned how to tell someone to take out the dog and feed it, or vacuum before cleaning the kitchen:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 I used a a Canadian program called L'Art de Lire from www.nallenart.com. It is no frills, basic and very easy to use. I did Levels 1 and 2 with my 10 year old in about 3.5 months. It gave him a great base for his French class when he started school in the fall. Like any language program, it works best if you use the language outside of the study time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishMum Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 We started French when my boys were 6, 8, 9, and 12. We did L'Art de Lire first, but I think it was too basic for my older two. We then did SYRWTL which was a better level for the older boys, they could have started on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 What does syrwtl stand for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 What does syrwtl stand for? So You Really Want to Learn - French (or Spanish, Latin, German, etc.) It's a program by Galore Park. The bookdepository.com sells them and ships for free to other countries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 First Start French is good. However, I think it might go a bit too fast for an absolute beginner and a parent who doesn't know French. L'art de Lire might be a better fit -- it goes slower and has more repetition. On the other hand, might I gently suggest that you consider some Spanish programs? It sounds like you are not comfortable continuing with Latin without a background in Latin. I totally get that, because I was there myself. My comfort zone is with French, so I gave up on Latin and now we devote our foreign language time to French. (I outsource Spanish.) Also, as reinforcement, try DuoLingo online. It's free! My dds love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 I used a a Canadian program called L'Art de Lire from www.nallenart.com. It is no frills, basic and very easy to use. I did Levels 1 and 2 with my 10 year old in about 3.5 months. It gave him a great base for his French class when he started school in the fall. Like any language program, it works best if you use the language outside of the study time. This might be a dumb question, but is there a difference between Canadian French and um.. French French? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 This might be a dumb question, but is there a difference between Canadian French and um.. French French? Not really. The pronunciation can be different from Parisian French, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 Not really. The pronunciation can be different from Parisian French, though. So it's more of a dialect thing if I understand you correctly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 This might be a dumb question, but is there a difference between Canadian French and um.. French French? Grammatically there isn't a difference but idiomatically and pronunciation-wise there is a big difference. Canadian French has more of a tendency to roll the 'r' whereas with Parisian french the 'r' sound is more guttural. Of course geography determines accent in both countries as well. There are areas in France where the 'r' is rolled and cities in Canada where the french taught in the schools is Parisian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSinNH Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 We just started SYRWTL French and my DC are enjoying it. We supplement it with Mango Languages (you can get through some libraries for free) because the girls like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishMum Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 When we started French we also watched, and still watch all movies and most TV in French(with English subtitles, if necessary and available). They quickly got the feel for the language, which I don't think is possible from any curriculum. We started with Garfield and Friends, and now they are watching The Clone Wars, over and over, in French. We only listen to French music, no Justin Bieber over here! Bon chance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 I have mango on my iPad and we play with that. I discovered many of our movies can be played in french, so that's a treat and a lesson. I'm torn between SYRWTL and L'Art de Dire (since I have little ones too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishMum Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 I have mango on my iPad and we play with that. I discovered many of our movies can be played in french, so that's a treat and a lesson. I'm torn between SYRWTL and L'Art de Dire (since I have little ones too). SYRWTL would have been too fast for my younger boys when we started French, but I found L'Art de Dire way too easy for the older two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Oh course. Because its just nuts for it to be as easy as one program. Sigh. Well if I have to choose, I'd rather go too slow, than too fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted April 17, 2013 Author Share Posted April 17, 2013 When we started French we also watched, and still watch all movies and most TV in French(with English subtitles, if necessary and available). They quickly got the feel for the language, which I don't think is possible from any curriculum. We started with Garfield and Friends, and now they are watching The Clone Wars, over and over, in French. We only listen to French music, no Justin Bieber over here! Bon chance! AWESOME idea! I'm curious: does anyone think Rosetta Stone is a good idea? Bad idea? Re: returning to Spanish. I just had always wished I'd taken French, but I was being "good" and doing what was expected of me by my parents. I'd love to learn French w/ my boys and it also appears to me that Spanish and French aren't that far from each other in terms of conjugation. Plus they both come from Latin which is also good. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Ime Rosetta Stone was a waste of $$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishMum Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 We didn't like Rosetta Stone either, way too boring for us for the $$. I tried to use it for myself, but even my attentions span couldn't handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Unlike many I have found RS to be quite effective here but as I said in an earlier post I don't think I would feel that way if I didn't already have a good grasp of the language myself. I don't speak Spanish and I can't imagine teaching Spanish with RS because I don't have a larger contextual picture for the language from which to draw. This is key IMO to teaching a second language. My goals with RS are realistic, there is no way to *learn* a language from a computer program and as long as one realizes this and adjusts expectations then the program can be quite effective. Learning a language is a slow, ongoing process. Familiarity with the sounds of the letters and words, detecting subtleties in intonation, the basic layout of the phrases all of these have been successful here. Exposure to the proper accent and the ability to cultivate a similar accent has also been successful though I'm there to correct anything I hear that isn't quite right. Another aspect of learning a foreign language is the importance of daily exposure. Rather than doing one or two long sessions once a week, it's far more effective and easier to implement four or five ten to fifteen minute sessions over the course of the week. Dc has learned a tremendous amount since we started RS but it's a drop in the bucket of the language as a whole and what has been learned is not dramatic or even that particularly obvious. I liken it to the laying down of the landscape. Nevertheless there is a deepening familiarity with the whole concept of communicating in a language other than one's own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 My 13yo dd is working her way through Breaking the Barrier French and learning some things. Next year she will do French with The Potter's School and have a teacher who knows French, so hopefully that will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 If your DC have had Latin and you know Spanish, then I would go with Breaking the Barrier - French, but you will need another book for additional exercises, such as Practice Makes Perfect. BtB does not provide enough drill work. For fun, you could add in Skoldo French which includes a CD. Skoldo seems geared to younger kids but I think a 10-year could like the series. Also, The Twisted Doors by Dr. Dior is another book to include for a different experience in learning French. It's based on a story and in order to move to the next chapter, the student has to be able to pass the test. It includes a CD for the story, not for the individual words taught. However, you can always look up the pronunciation online or if you have an iPad, then one of those French-English apps. We switched from French to Spanish since we have someone who is willing to work with Dd everyday. French is on hold for now but I do miss the sound of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarenNH Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 It's not a full-on language instruction program, but the podcast Coffee Break French is fun to listen to and gives an excellent overview of basic conversational French. It's geared primarily toward English speakers planning to travel to French speaking countries as tourists, but it might be a gentle place to start. And it's in 15 minute increments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 If you (or anyone) decides to try SYRWTL - French, I wanted to let you know that I have had a positive experience with Book Depository. I purchased six items on April 15 (late afternoon). They started arriving last Monday (April 22). They are mailing each item separately, so some arrived Monday, Tuesday, and today (Wednesday). Only one item remains undelivered, and I expect that tomorrow. The fast shipping was a pleasant surprise. This is especially true considering it was free and from England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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