NatYoung17 Posted May 29, 2018 Share Posted May 29, 2018 My dd (13) wants to try French and I'm looking for recommendations other than Rosetta Stone...?? Ideally, this would count as her Language class for High School credit... We tried Rosetta Stone for German, but neither of my kids likes it much and I'm not convinced it's as great as people say... I don't want to spend a huge amount of money right away, until I'm sure she'll stick with it long enough to get her 2 credits... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted May 29, 2018 Share Posted May 29, 2018 When dd took French at the local community college, they used this: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/fi/ Dd disliked it, but I think that might be partially because many of the students in the class didn't seem to be interested in actually learning the language. Hmmm, I'm looking for some of the old threads here about this exact subject, and not coming up with any of them. I know people here have had a plethora of suggestions, including comic books, magazines, novels, and movies to use as supplements. I found a note to myself that someone here recommended SpeakFrenchToday.com. In the meantime, does your library have free access to Duolingo? Pimsleur? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 I would definitely not use First Start French for high school credit. Breaking the Barrier French is probably the easiest curriculum to implement that is relatively low cost. http://www.tobreak.com/french/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoKitty Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 We have used first start French for middle school..... I don’t think it is high school worthy either. For Breaking the Barrier.... is the App enough? Or do you need to buy the whole set from them as well as the app? Or is there just a workbook to add? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 Agreeing w/ Breaking the Barrier as a "get 'er done" program, but I liked starting Latin and Spanish w/ the books by this author. I haven't bought the French, but wouldn't mind brushing up on it. I also liked using Destinos for Spanish. The French version is called French in Action. Sure, it is dated, but I think the trade off of gaining aural skills is well worth it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 2 hours ago, Angie in VA said: Agreeing w/ Breaking the Barrier as a "get 'er done" program, but I liked starting Latin and Spanish w/ the books by this author. I haven't bought the French, but wouldn't mind brushing up on it. I also liked using Destinos for Spanish. The French version is called French in Action. Sure, it is dated, but I think the trade off of gaining aural skills is well worth it. My Dd taught herself to fluency with proper grammar using BtB, FiA, watching movies in French, and reading children's books in French. I am a fan of FiA. The downside is that the French audios are expensive. The videos are free, though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 3 hours ago, GeoKitty said: We have used first start French for middle school..... I don’t think it is high school worthy either. For Breaking the Barrier.... is the App enough? Or do you need to buy the whole set from them as well as the app? Or is there just a workbook to add? I bought BtB when my 24 yr old Dd was in 7th or 8th grade.....back before apps. Sorry,I can't answer your question. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoKitty Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 Oh wow... thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NatYoung17 Posted May 31, 2018 Author Share Posted May 31, 2018 Thanks for the suggestions! So, she could use "First Start" in 8th grade and then continue with BTB or FIA in 9th? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 On 5/31/2018 at 10:14 AM, NatYoung17 said: Thanks for the suggestions! So, she could use "First Start" in 8th grade and then continue with BTB or FIA in 9th? You don’t need First Srart. Go straight to BtB1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 4 hours ago, NatYoung17 said: Thanks for the suggestions! So, she could use "First Start" in 8th grade and then continue with BTB or FIA in 9th? I have used FSF with 3rd graders. It is completely inappropriate for high school foreign language. I would jump straight into BtB without hesitation. A few free resources are http://apprendre.tv5monde.com/ (A1 is beginner) and https://knowitall.org/series/foreign-language-french (these latter ones are for 1st through 5th or 6th grade. My 6th grader watched most of them this yr and learned enough for a 6th grader. An older student could go through the entire series in a few weeks.) My kids also listen to a lot of French music. tv5monde also has series and news. (When my 19 yr old was really working on her fluency, she would listen to their flash news. If a student can listen to the flash news and understand everything, they are doing great!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAttachedMama Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 Getting Started with French if you want a VERY quick overview of the language. (You won't really be speaking French with this program, but it will help....well....get you started!) I also really like the Paul Noble French programs. It is a speaking/listening program only. However, I wouldn't discount it because he does an amazing job of getting you thinking and speaking in the target language quickly. You will be putting together fairly complex sentences on your own using this method in a matter of days. I have been teaching myself French for some time (plus took 4 years in high school) and I was amazed at how much I learned from these CDs in a very short amount of time. I also love breaking the barrier for French because it is easy to use and has a nice grammar component. I was not impressed with First Start French (and I tend to LOVE Memoria Press products, but I didn't love this one!) ETA: Classical Academic Press has a French program called French for Children. I haven't used it, but I have looked at samples. I thought it moved fairly slowly. It reminded me of the French I took in public school. :) I think Breaking the Barrier looks better. I also like lots of listening and speaking with native speakers. italki is a great site to get this program. Or you can listen to very simple french audiobooks, popular french music, etc. Singing in the target language and retelling stories in the target language really help me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 On 5/31/2018 at 6:13 AM, Angie in VA said: Agreeing w/ Breaking the Barrier as a "get 'er done" program, but I liked starting Latin and Spanish w/ the books by this author. I haven't bought the French, but wouldn't mind brushing up on it. I also liked using Destinos for Spanish. The French version is called French in Action. Sure, it is dated, but I think the trade off of gaining aural skills is well worth it. A bit OT: I loved FiA (when I used it) and had been looking for something similar in Spanish: whoo-hoo! ETA: These programs are no longer sold by the supplier as of YESTERDAY. Eek. Video is streaming; books come from the publishers (Yale's press publishes FiA). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 23 minutes ago, serendipitous journey said: A bit OT: I loved FiA (when I used it) and had been looking for something similar in Spanish: whoo-hoo! ETA: These programs are no longer sold by the supplier as of YESTERDAY. Eek. Just my luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 1 hour ago, Angie in VA said: Just my luck. (but see my note -- you can stream the videos for free, and the books are available from Yale's university press. Here's a link to the books. What you can't do is purchase the videos, or the videos + all teaching components, through learner.org. I do wish I'd known this earlier, I'd have loved to have physical video resources.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 14 hours ago, serendipitous journey said: (but see my note -- you can stream the videos for free, and the books are available from Yale's university press. Here's a link to the books. What you can't do is purchase the videos, or the videos + all teaching components, through learner.org. I do wish I'd known this earlier, I'd have loved to have physical video resources.) Oh, I get it. I linked them to show the vids are available. I never bought the things you now can't buy, but am sorry I didn't. That is a bummer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 While I haven’t used them personally, Vista Learning has high school level French programs that have video components integrated. We used Galore French and have been relying on various CLE books since along with TV5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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