Beginner French for middle grades

[SilverMoon]

I've been searching but nothing seems like a fabulous fit. My ballet boy will be 12yo/6th grade and has a high interest. 

We'll probably use Duolingo for extra practice but this is a kid that needs grammar and such explicitly taught. He's also dysgraphic so a high writing volume will frustrate him.

 

*No Talkbox. 

[Slache]

We almost started French next year, so this was a plan, not experience.

Year 1, Semester 1: FF Pronunciation Guide, French Cursive GSWF, Earworm French

Year 1, Semester 2: GSWF, Duolingo

Year 2, Semester 1: First 1/3 of French For Children A, ULAT units 1-2, Duolingo

Year 2, Semester 2: Second 1/3 of French For Children A, ULAT units 3-4, Duolingo

Year 3, Semester 1: Final 1/3 of French For Children A, ULAT units 5-6, Duolingo, French literature TBD

Year 3, Semester 2: First 1/3 of French For Children B, ULAT units 7-8, Duolingo, French literature TBD

Year 4, Semester 1: Second 1/3 of French For Children B, ULAT units 9-10, Duolingo, French literature TBD

Year 4, Semester 2: Final 1/3 of French For Children B, final project TBD

The final project probably would have been a NaNoWriMo style book over a semester alongside a tutor that they would have had to illustrate themselves, taking that semester off of art and writing to give them the time.

CAP has DVDs, and this is a slow pace for CAP, so less writing. Why did you rule out CAP and MP? I think MP is a lot of writing.

[J-rap]

We probably did it a little differently than what you have in mind, but this is how we did it.  Our dd began with just a basic French workbook (any will probably do!), and we put labels all around the house for what that item is called in French.  And French grammar/words via music CD's.  And hanging out one afternoon/week with the one French woman in our town.  🙂  The CD's taught numbers, days of the week, etc. in French via simple songs.  Also, fun computer games that taught French!  

In high school, she did her first year through an online school, and then two more years in in-person classes.  (She graduated from high school in three years. I will say that she probably worked harder at those French classes, both the on-line and in-person ones, than any other classes.)

She went to an immersion school (in France) for a semester after high school.  Right before that, she spent the summer listening to French radio stations and reading books that she'd read already in English, but now the versions translated into French.  (Like Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, etc.)  After the immersion experience, she did a placement test for college, and said that the things that helped her the most were the basic workbooks she used showing sentence structure, and all the grammar music CDs!  Kind of funny.  Those songs just played in her head over and over again I guess.

In college, she passed out of the grammar classes and into French literature, etc., and did a semester abroad in Dakar, Senegal (in a French-speaking program).  

She's now completely fluent in French.  She had to pass a French exam at the French embassy at the master level in order to get into graduate school in France where she's currently working on her PhD.

I only say all of that because all the way through high school, she didn't do anything extraordinary;  she just kept plodding along and took advantage of opportunities.  But she always says those simple French CD's were what really helped her along the way!

 

[wisdomandtreasures]

Simplest: https://agentlefeast.com/foreign-language-lesson-plans/ Oral (the books have audio files where everything is read by a native speaker -- here's one idea for how to use it 

Has singing, very little writing, lots of review, uses one book over two years, includes gentle introduction to grammar concepts.

Another option: https://charlottemasoninstitute.org/product/alveary-french-lessons/ Includes poetry, folksongs, literature and classic children's books, introduces grammar in later grades. Has scripted plans for the parent to use, including flashcards (on Quizlet) and audio files. Includes TPRS methods. 

Edited April 29, 2022 by wisdomandtreasures

[HomeAgain]

Maybe worth it to look at Getting Started With French?  Low/no writing, explicit grammar. It will go pretty quick for a motivated child and let you figure out from there.

Even though it starts for a younger grade, I'd still suggest Nallenart (L'art de lire).  It's a 3x/week printable worksheet based program.  There is explicit grammar and pronunciation taught.  You'd go through the first few levels rather quickly, I think, before leveling off at a good working point.

[alisha]

I really like "The ULAT" because of it's low/no writing, but I'm not sure it will work with the other things you want. However, wanted to put it out there so you could check it out if you like because you know more of what you want than I do. 🙂

 

[Lawyer&Mom]

I love the ULAT.  The first 15 lessons are free so you can check it out and see what you think.  I also let the kids watch an episode a day from Disney+ in French.  They are working their way through DuckTails, and I think daily immersion has really helped with pronunciation.  Do they understand a lot?  Not yet!  But they enjoy it and it’s so worthwhile. 

[HomeAgain]

2 minutes ago, Lawyer&Mom said:

I love the ULAT.  The first 15 lessons are free so you can check it out and see what you think.  I also let the kids watch an episode a day from Disney+ in French.  They are working their way through DuckTails, and I think daily immersion has really helped with pronunciation.  Do they understand a lot?  Not yet!  But they enjoy it and it’s so worthwhile. 

We've been doing the same with preschool shows.  We worked our way through TroTro and now are doing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  It's so repetitive and focuses on a lot of French 1 vocabulary (shapes, colors, counting, animals, feelings, holidays, question words..).  DS wanted to work through Telefrancais again before realizing he really did outgrow it (slower paced, still all in French, more explicit teaching.

@Silvermoon, Knowitall.org has a lot of resources for a beginner student. We did some of First Step/Next Step En Francais, some of the animal shorts, and then moved on, but they're worth checking out as things to add in weekly for a kid who is using a textbook/workbook for grammar study.

[SilverMoon]

4 hours ago, Slache said:

We almost started French next year, so this was a plan, not experience.

...

CAP has DVDs, and this is a slow pace for CAP, so less writing. Why did you rule out CAP and MP? I think MP is a lot of writing.

Thanks! I'll look at some of those more closely.

I'm really just not an MP fan, and the volume of writing wouldn't be dysgraphic friendly. CAP, maybe. I've used LFC and SFC in the past. They're great at grammar but not as much on the active speaking/using. SFC was a supplement to more conversational materials for one of my middle schoolers. I'll keep it in mind but I'd rather find one that is more well rounded. 

[Slache]

17 minutes ago, SilverMoon said:

Thanks! I'll look at some of those more closely.

I'm really just not an MP fan, and the volume of writing wouldn't be dysgraphic friendly. CAP, maybe. I've used LFC and SFC in the past. They're great at grammar but not as much on the active speaking/using. SFC was a supplement to more conversational materials for one of my middle schoolers. I'll keep it in mind but I'd rather find one that is more well rounded. 

Yeah, I just couldn't find one. That's why I planned what I planned.

[KSera]

2 hours ago, Lawyer&Mom said:

I love the ULAT.  The first 15 lessons are free so you can check it out and see what you think.  I also let the kids watch an episode a day from Disney+ in French.  They are working their way through DuckTails, and I think daily immersion has really helped with pronunciation.  Do they understand a lot?  Not yet!  But they enjoy it and it’s so worthwhile. 

How do you do Disney+ in French? 

[SilverMoon]

I definitely have a pin in Getting Started with French but I don't think it would last him a semester. If we go with a harder curriculum I think we'd likely start here. 

I'll give ULAT, Nallenart, and others posted here a close look. 👍

Kiddie shows in French is a great idea. We have Disney+ too. 

[Slache]

22 minutes ago, SilverMoon said:

I definitely have a pin in Getting Started with French but I don't think it would last him a semester. If we go with a harder curriculum I think we'd likely start here. 

I'll give ULAT, Nallenart, and others posted here a close look. 👍

Kiddie shows in French is a great idea. We have Disney+ too. 

ULAT really revs up after the free trial.

[Lawyer&Mom]

5 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

We've been doing the same with preschool shows.  We worked our way through TroTro and now are doing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  It's so repetitive and focuses on a lot of French 1 vocabulary (shapes, colors, counting, animals, feelings, holidays, question words..).  DS wanted to work through Telefrancais again before realizing he really did outgrow it (slower paced, still all in French, more explicit teaching.

I would *love* for my kids to watch preschool shows.  They would get so much out of it!  But alas, they have zero interest.  I should have started when they actually were preschoolers, but I assumed they wouldn’t watch foreign language TV.  I was wrong.  

[Lawyer&Mom]

3 hours ago, KSera said:

How do you do Disney+ in French? 

You just change the audio setting.  Most Disney+ shows and movies are available in a whole heap of languages, with the random odd exception.  (Why no French audio for Ratatouille?!?)

The actual mechanics of changing the audio depends on how you are watching Disney+ (computer, phone, Roku, etc.) but it should be super easy to Google. 

[Lawyer&Mom]

2 hours ago, Slache said:

ULAT really revs up after the free trial.

We are only on lesson 23, but the format seems incredibly consistent, even if the lessons get longer and more involved.  My second grader does 10 minutes a day rather than trying to finish a specific amount.  So we are moving slowly, but it’s still doable for us.  

[HomeAgain]

9 hours ago, Lawyer&Mom said:

I would *love* for my kids to watch preschool shows.  They would get so much out of it!  But alas, they have zero interest.  I should have started when they actually were preschoolers, but I assumed they wouldn’t watch foreign language TV.  I was wrong.  

DS spent his preschool years without broadcast tv. He only saw what we bought through Apple or unboxing videos on youtube.  It wasn't by choice, but just the way it worked out when we couldn't get the dish to pick up channels. But, now that he's 12 they're kind of a "that's so cute" thing. 

We also went through Scholastic-style stories on Youtube of books he loved during preschool: Things like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Madeleine.  Anything where he knew the story well already so he could follow along better.

[madteaparty]

Haven’t read the thread, I liked the Galore Park materials back in the day. 

[mathmarm]

My elementary boy liked these materials with an audio component, and minimal or no writing.

McGraw Hill French For Kids
French for Beginners and
French for Kids with Paul Noble
French with Paul Noble (the regular series for adults)

 

[Lawyer&Mom]

4 hours ago, mathmarm said:

My elementary boy liked these materials with an audio component, and minimal or no writing.

McGraw Hill French For Kids
French for Beginners and
French for Kids with Paul Noble
French with Paul Noble (the regular series for adults)

 

That Paul Noble for kids looks great. I love Pimsleur style courses but never saw one aimed at kids before.  Thanks!

[Lawyer&Mom]

8 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

DS spent his preschool years without broadcast tv. He only saw what we bought through Apple or unboxing videos on youtube.  It wasn't by choice, but just the way it worked out when we couldn't get the dish to pick up channels. But, now that he's 12 they're kind of a "that's so cute" thing. 

We also went through Scholastic-style stories on Youtube of books he loved during preschool: Things like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Madeleine.  Anything where he knew the story well already so he could follow along better.

I’m sure we will be able to circle back to preschool materials when they are older. Right now it’s just too “babyish.”  I find them soothing!

[Green Bean]

We are dabbling into French with MP First Start French and DuoLingo on their own.

I’m enjoying this thread for us, too.