8filltheheart Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Dd, 14, got home in the early hrs this morning from her French immersion camp. She loved it!! she said she didnt realize until this morning just how much she was actually thinking in French until she woke up this morning and had to think in English! Yay. That was a definite goal. One thing we both knew prior to her going is that her receptive language skills far surpass her expressive language skills.. She said she improved a lot while at camp, but she is afraid that she will lose it over the yr until she returns to camp next summer. Does anyone have suggestions for just conversing in French? We don't really want/need an instructor. She is using French in Action and doing really well with that approach. The biggest deficit is she has no one to speak with. She isn't even proficient by any stretch of the imagination, but she is determined and her goal is fluency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Do you live in a community large enough to have a French club? Or, if you have Skype she could join an online French club. I have not retained verbal fluency, but listening to French Canadian radio news broadcasts, and watching French Canadian tv shows helps retain some facility with the language. Here's a link to Radio Canada, which has tv shows, spots, and news in French. http://www.radio-canada.ca/ The accent is different than Francais French, but in real life she is going to need to understand and andconverse in both dialects. I have lost verbal fluency or I would offer to Skype with her. Maybe in a few months I can do so as I am starting studies to regain fluency. Is she reading a fair amount of literature in French each week? Reading will help her retsin the ability to think in French. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 My dd is pretty busy this coming year and doesn't need to work on her English...but maybe you could find a native French speaker who wants to work on their English and do a Skype exchange type thing....if your daughter has time to teach a bit of English.... Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmom Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Here are a few links I've collected (most of them from here, I think!): http://bonpatron.com/ Brain Pop in French is currently free as it is in a beta test phase and has all kinds of great videos on various topics like math, science, everything: http://www.brainpop.fr/# Shared Talk, hosted by Rosetta Stone, is a language exchange where you can talk to other people for the purpose of language learning (you must be 16): http://www.sharedtalk.com/ French Listening Resources: http://french.about.com/od/listening/French_Listening_Links_and_Resources_Listen_to_French.htm I read on here that the Carnegie Mellon U. Open Learning Initiative Elementary French is very good for conversation, and I think it has videos: http://oli.cmu.edu/courses/free-open/french-i-course-details/ Ask on facebook! Maybe you have a friend who has a cousin living in France, who knows a teen who wants to practice their English with a native speaker, and they can Skype. You never know what you might find. Or try one of those pen pal sites and see if after establishing a written pen pal relationship, they can Skype or do Google hangout. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishMum Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 There are some great suggestions on this thread, using Skype for lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Thanks for the suggestions. French in Action is heavily auditory based, so she is really getting quite good at being able to understand what is being said. She will probably enjoy listening to some of those other links. I am not comfortable letting her interact w/someone with no recommendation, so I will keep searching for a real person for her to converse with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 For a Starbucks Mocha per week, I'd skype with her once a week... (can you see we just worked on our budget and my Starbucks have been cut???) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 For a Starbucks Mocha per week, I'd skype with her once a week... (can you see we just worked on our budget and my Starbucks have been cut???) Seriously? I'll pm you this afternoon after I talk to dd. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Seriously? I'll pm you this afternoon after I talk to dd. :) It has to be a Venti mocha half-sweet, skim milk, decaf. :-) You would get 30 min of conversational French. (more than 30 minutes and it becomes to feel more like a class, with prep time for me, etc..) We might go over till 45 min once in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDO Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 8FillTheHeart, please forgive the slightly OT question: may I ask what your daughter did for French in the younger years? When did she start learning and what type of program did she use? I'm just curious, because I did classes through the French Alliance for a year with two of my kids, and we really like it, but it is just not in the budget right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishMum Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 8FillTheHeart, please forgive the slightly OT question: may I ask what your daughter did for French in the younger years? When did she start learning and what type of program did she use? I'm just curious, because I did classes through the French Alliance for a year with two of my kids, and we really like it, but it is just not in the budget right now. If you fell like sharing 8FillTheHeart, I wouldn't mind hearing how you use French in Action? We have watched all the videos once, and now are going through them again, listening to the audios too. Are you doing anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez J Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 My daughter has been speaking French for years. She will be going to camp for two weeks this August in the Laurentians outside Montreal. She is 13. Maybe your daughter and my daughter can skype each other this year. Cleo, I'll send you starbucks for a skype session! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 8FillTheHeart, please forgive the slightly OT question: may I ask what your daughter did for French in the younger years? When did she start learning and what type of program did she use? I'm just curious, because I did classes through the French Alliance for a year with two of my kids, and we really like it, but it is just not in the budget right now. If you fell like sharing 8FillTheHeart, I wouldn't mind hearing how you use French in Action? We have watched all the videos once, and now are going through them again, listening to the audios too. Are you doing anything else? Her very first exposure to French was First Start French back when she was in third grade. She then did SYRWTLFrench. Since I don't know French, I found the teaching difficult and she really didn't learn that much. She did learn to sing French songs from First Start French, though. ;) She started Breaking the Barrier French in 6th. That was the first time I think that real progress was made. She has ended up using BtB and FiA since. She is moving through them both at a slightly slower than normal pace b/c of combining the 2 together. As far as FiA, she is doing the complete program. She has the textbook, workbook, audio cds, and watches the videos through learner.org. The instructor's guide that comes with the program lays out exactly how to implement it. My daughter has been speaking French for years. She will be going to camp for two weeks this August in the Laurentians outside Montreal. She is 13. Maybe your daughter and my daughter can skype each other this year. Cleo, I'll send you starbucks for a skype session! I'll ask her. Your dd might get frustrated by her level, though, if she is mostly fluent. I would also love to hear about this camp! I would really like to find a camp with more fluent French speaking campers and closer to absolutely no English for next yr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Oh boy.. two starbucks drinks per week?? :) Maybe we could skype at the same time? Have a little three-headed session. My daughter is also 13 (well, will be in 1 month) and is a French speaker but totally fluent in English. So that would make 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 Oh boy.. two starbucks drinks per week?? :) Maybe we could skype at the same time? Have a little three-headed session. My daughter is also 13 (well, will be in 1 month) and is a French speaker but totally fluent in English. So that would make 4. You know, that sounds like it might be more fun. The more involved, the less pressure for thinking about what to talk about. My dd is rather reserved until she knows people, so I think for her the biggest fear is that she wouldn't be able to maintain something to talk about. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDO Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Thanks for the response. I do not speak French either, so I am always curious what others are using if they are making progress despite the ignorance of the parent :001_smile: With my rising third grader, I've been thinking about giving it another go on our own at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basketcase Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Alliance Francaise? In a bigger city that would be an option. Also talking to the nearest international school with a French population to find contacts. We're lucky enough to have Grammie on Skype for now, but we'll need more later ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez J Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 I'll ask her. Your dd might get frustrated by her level, though, if she is mostly fluent. I would also love to hear about this camp! I would really like to find a camp with more fluent French speaking campers and closer to absolutely no English for next yr. She is kind of fluent. She has a limited vocabulary because we don't speak it at home. So, she doesn't know things like outdoor activities, etc. She probably will know a lot more after camp. She'll have to talk about everything from taking a shower every day, to eating meals, to hiking/canoeing/swimming, etc. This will be her first year at this camp. I'll let you know how it goes. They have an international program at this camp so that they accommodate travelers at customs, provide insurance, etc. The entire camp is French only, so it is an immersion for my dd. International campers only comprise about 25% of the total camper attendance. There will be campers who speak no French. However, they said that the international students are lumped in with the native Canadians. I think she will fare much better since she has had so much French in the past. Oh boy.. two starbucks drinks per week?? :) Maybe we could skype at the same time? Have a little three-headed session. My daughter is also 13 (well, will be in 1 month) and is a French speaker but totally fluent in English. So that would make 4. That would be fun to try. I do know with skype, it is hard to determine who talks when. It's a little like walkie-talkies without pressing a button to talk. LOL! Maybe we can make up a hand signal to show when someone wants to add conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Ooo... Can I join in? I don't have a child to offer. It would just be for my own practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmom Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 I want to join too if you are serious! We can pay you for a little group convo for 30 minutes once a week! Hey maybe you can even get a few muffins with those lattes!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Hmm, this is getting serious! From experience, Skype doesn't work well for group conversations. I don't think I could do more than two meetings a week. I'm quite busy with three co-op days coming up! And honestly, I would keep the teens away from the adults... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Having other adults in the mix would make my teen go quiet unless he was very confident. : ) It just sounded like fun. Nan PS - Cleo, I need your address. Email me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 My daughter would listen to French radio online during the summers. She also watched movies that she knew already, in French. (The Incredibles comes to mind. :)) She read French translations of books that she had already read in English (Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland...). Following her graduation from high school, she attended one semester of a French school in France, where English was only allowed to be spoken in dorm rooms. It was very, very difficult. But, it really pushed her toward becoming fluent. When she entered college the following fall, she passed out of every level of French and could jump right into French composition and literature. I only mention that because we live in a small town where there were no opportunities for French small group gatherings, French tutors, etc. She did two years of online French as a teen, and one year in an actual public school French class (we are able to do that as homeschoolers here), and was nearly fluent by the time she got to college. It can be done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FrenchPlease Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 I'd like to add my humble website to the list of suggestions: http://www.frenchplease.com You'll find listening exercises based on french media videos to which we added a transcript (the videos are challenging) and a quiz. There are grammar quizzes as well. Hope some of you find it interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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