Having Fun with French

I need to post about something positive so I thought I would share the combination of products we are using for our french studies. I was scared at first that we wouldn't be able to have fun while studying french or that I would have to be fluent before I taught Camille or Danny- this is not the case. We're having a lot of fun and I'm very grateful.

I firmly believe that any foreign language learning needs to have multiple approaches: speaking/interaction, listening, reading and writing as well as learning about the culture and history of the language. Likewise, I'm not a huge advocate for computer learning and I haven't heard enough praises for this learning method to take the financial leap to try it. Here's what is working for us:

- LingaFun French Learning card game: $11.66 at Amazon.com
There is a CD that comes with the cards that pronounces each word that is on the cards. There are two decks of 54 cards and one is more advanced than the other. The cards themselves have numbers in french with pronunciation, a picture in the middle of the card that illustrates the french words which also have pronunciation and the english equivalent. The cards have multiple games to play: Solitaire, Crazy Colors (like Crazy Eights), Concentration, Gin Rummy, Go Fish! and War with detailed instructions. There are 3 Basic Rules that apply to each game:

1. Each sentence played must have three cards- 1 red, 1 white and 1 blue card.
2. The cards must be played in that order: red, white, blue
3. The player must attempt to pronounce the words on each card every time a card is played.

We're having a lot of fun with this, we can use the CD to check our pronunciation and Camille feels like we're playing a game instead of learning.

-French for Children by Catherine Bruzzone (with CD): $17.97 at Amazon.com
This book is fabulous for interactive learning, the CD is engaging and fun. This is by far the best product out there that I've found for children which I would use with any child of any age. The only drawback is that the book is non-consumable but has consumable activities within it. I just cut a plastic sheet protector to place over the page for Camille to work on. I don't feel the need to store worksheets of her work for this. The audio is fantastic, it's conversational, it is interactive and the songs are engaging and clearly understood.

-Berlitz French Language Pack: $17.79 at Amazon.com
Each language pack comes with The Missing Cat storybook and CD which also contains songs, First 100 Words: a vocabulary building book that features more than a hundred humorous illustrations. Also included are a Language Club Certificate that children can proudly display and Help Your Child with a Foreign Language, a practical guide for parents. We love this, we can read the book in English, try to read the French and then listen to the story in french as we follow along. I have purchased other Berlitz books with CDs since getting this but the Help Your Child with a Foreign Language book has been invaluable to me. This is the perfect start to building a french library for your child.

There are a lot of audio interactive games for learning french on the market, we are enjoying Hop, Skip and Sing French ($10.36), Twin Sisters French ($14.99 average price) and Springboard to French (out of print and uses cassettes).

Bonjour Les Amis videos, First Fun with French by Usborne Publishing are wonderful at our house too. We also like to play our movies in French with English subtitles when we can or just in French. We have audio CDs just for music but really the ones mentioned above fit our needs. If I had to suggest a start-up kit of products with prices it would be:

Lingua Fun French $11.66
French for Children $17.97
Berlitz French Language Pack $17.97
Twin Sisters French $14.99
Hop Skip, Sing French $10.36
_________________________
Total price: $72.77

Of course the cost really doesn't end there but it also depends on how resourceful you are, the amount of free resources you have at your library, etc. We were able to get the three Bonjour Les Amis videos from a library sale for $5.

Can Learning be FUN?

The top two yellow inflatable dice with black numbers are what I found in an education store before I saw Math for Kicks at ($4.99) Tuesday Morning. Math for Kicks includes the black dice, the red and yellow one with stars and the cards below, plus game instructions, and sidewalk chalk for playing outside.


I am so happy with Math for Kicks, we're having a lot of fun! What a lifesaver. We can use it for drill, play it just for fun- which both Danny (3) and Camille (7) are loving. Safetyville Child's Safety Game - I bought this from D.A.R.E. officers while visiting my parents. We also have the Safe Side DVD on Stranger Safety which has been a HUGE hit at our house. Camille and I played the Safetyville game and it is great, I can also play it with Danny with a preschool focus- added bonus!

There are three sets of questions Beginner (for ages 3-7), Intermediate (7-10) and Advanced (10-13). Preschoolers can also use the game to get familar with key places in their town such as the fire department, police department, etc.

Questions range from stranger safety, keeping secrets, safe practices in the home (chemicals, outdoor dangers, etc.)- it's very wide in it's range.

These are awesome! I just wanted to say...well-worth the $35.00. TeachersDiscovery.com

Week 7: The Books

We haven't done music the way I've wanted to, we've listened to Vivaldi's "Spring" of the Four Seasons for three weeks now. It is time to read about him and move on. Bach, Beethoven and the Boys will be delightful reading (with a little edit).

We're on Chapter 6 of SOTW 2: The Rise of Islam.
We'll read about Islam in One World, Many Religions and look at pictures of a Mecca in Places to Know.
Take a virtual tour of the Suleymaniye Mosque with 360 degree views and narration.

Our French word wall, last week we "reviewed" (we already knew them) numbers 1-10.
In Friday's French culture we'll learn about french schools and read Sleeping Beauty in the Wood.
Last week we read Puss in Boots from Favorite Fairy Tales from Around the World.

I am loving science this year! For September in the weather journal Camille will be documenting what type of clouds are in the sky and it lined up perfectly for our study of the weather in our Earth Science studies. I forgot to include "The Geography Book" by Caroline Arnold which is our geography portion of our earth science studies. BUT, we will be reading about the Water Cycle and making (maybe?) a rain gauge from The Geography Book. The books pictured are prime examples of EXCELLENT children's books for science. The Man Who Named the Clouds is wonderful and thorough, The Snowflake is about the water cycle and The Cloud Book, if you couldn't guess - is about the clouds.

Not pictured:
Because of Winn-Dixie, Camille's independent reading selection
Storytime with the Millers, daily read aloud
A few books from the library about Islam that may or may not be available in time.
The 15 books I will be reading to Danny this week.

French in motion lesson

Just sharing a moment from our day...

French Lessons Example

Here's our French lessons for weeks 1-3. You click to enlarge it.

The formula is Monday-Thursday is the same lesson, repeated.
Vocabulary
Read Aloud (with audio) repeated 4x a week
Learning Audio Activity
DVD supplement when possible
Games for enrichment and practice

Friday is our Culture Day.
Although we review our new words, we complete a reading about France and do an activity.
Then we read about France and the french with a read aloud.

I'm only planning 3-4 weeks at a time.

Here's a look at the reformatted lesson, this could easily be put on index cards.
Sometimes having something pretty helps keep the enthusiasm up and sometimes it's just pretty.

Planning French, Want to Help?

Here's the deal, I didn't plan out French for this year. Why? (Why would Jessica the "planner" not plan French?) Good question. The answer is because I felt overwhelmed, a little burned out and finally, confused as to what to do. Our "figure it out as we go" lessons are not keeping us moving forward and it's frustrating me!

Sidenote: Blogger added a VIDEO button to the EDITOR!!! Wow. I just noticed it. Okay, back to the regular scheduled program.

What was I talking about? Oh, yeah French. Yesterday, Camille and I went through all of our French items and separated what *she* likes and what is on her level from other things. This is what we have and the timeline we're thinking of- I just need a little help in the thinking process

DVDs/Videos: Bonjour Les Amis 1-3, First Start French, Baby Einstein videos play in french, kids' movies play in french. I also have Standard Deviants and some of the French in Action DVDs but also what United Streaming has online but we're not ready for that, I think.

Culture: Countries and Cultures for Young Explorers, France PreK-2nd. Purrrfect for 1x a week with 34 total lessons, and will add read alouds about France like Little Bo in France by Julie Andrews, Jean de la Fontaine Fables, Anatole, etc. Camille has read all the Madelline books already. I need to find more titles for kids about french culture or about children living in France.

Read-Alouds without audio: These are short in words so we could take the words out and use them as vocabulary for the week. This is what we have:Boucles d'Or et les trois ours

Vive les bulles!
I'm Too Big- Je suis trop gros (French/English)
Goodnight Everyone - Bonne nuit à trous (French/English)
Ma Maman
Mon Papa
Je suis un toucan
Babar et l'étoile due cirque (she said she LOVES Babar)
La petite poule rouge
La ruse de dame poulette (to be used later)

Picture books that are just pictures and vocabulary words for various groups (farm animals, colors, numbers, food, weather, etc)
First French at Home (Usborne I-Linked)
First French at Holiday (Usborne I-Linked)
French Dictionary for Beginners (Usborne I-Linked)

Read-Alouds with audio:

Berlitz Je Parle Français (with Teddy)
Berlitz Visit to Grandma
Berlitz The Missing Cat
Berlitz The Five Crayons
Bible Stories in French (a little difficult)
We also have French Spiritual Songs but we put it in the "wait" pile

Activities with Audio (table of contents further below):

Teach Me French
Hop Skip & Sing French
Twin Sisters French
I Can Read & Speak French (pictures to help read and speak french, pretty cool)
Springboard to French

French songs, I have a few cds that are just children's french songs. There are songs on Bonjour Les Amis too and in other products. In fact all of the Activities with Audio above have songs.

Vocabulary: We have the Sparknotes French Vocabulary cards and the QuickStudy ones, I bought these for both the kids and me. But I also have reusable handwriting strips. A Bit of Everything, Un Peu de Tout is an activity based vocabulary learning coloring book that we can use as well.

Coloring books & other stuff for Danny (3) but can also be used for Camille

• Let's Learn French - ABC with french words
• Foreign Word Match - puzzle pieces that link the french and english words together
• Baby Einstein videos - can be played in french
• Milet's Mini Picture Dictionary
• Language Nursery book and flashcards

I could open a little French bookstore. I also have Level 1 of The Easy French is anyone would like to purchase it, it is in brand new condition and I have the phonogram flashcards which I will laminate for you!

In my defense, I obtained a good many of these things through BookMooch.com and well I won't tell you the percentage of that. Lol.

I am thinking about doing this: from http://k6educators.about.com/library/bltips1.htm

Therefore, if I were teaching French lessons to students in grades 1-6, I'd create a word wall of French words for visual and daily practice. These words would be listed in bold, large type for easy viewing. The younger the grade, the additional need for pictures to accompany the word wall chart. My class routine could consist of reviewing the word wall chart when students enter the room and adding new words/pictures to the chart once introduced to the class.

I would teach French based on a theme approach, whereby, the words learn are associated with a particular subject (i.e. days of the week, months, numbers and alphabet words are part of a daily living unit). This would be highly effective if the classroom teachers could tell you what particular unit they're working on. Sure, this may mean more work for you, but the rewards would be highly visible and the students are learning French based on what they're learning in their classrooms.

Incorporate familiar music and tunes to help students grasp the French language. Younger children enjoy music and I have found that if it can be eaten, sung or rhymed, it has a greater chance of being learned for the long term. Therefore, create a morning or afternoon song to sing when students enter your room. The words would be taught in French and you'd be surprised how many students will share this song with their parents at home.
I'd also create a catch phrase bulletin board or wall to provide quick reference to phrases commonly said in english. Phrases like, "Good morning," "How are you," "Happy Birthday," would be listed and can be easily utilized throughout the day

.
We have Sara Jordan products for 3rd grade to use Beginner Lessons, Thematic Lessons. I want this year to be in preparation for that and learning vocabulary is the prime focus as well as obtaining a familiar feeling with the french language.

Here are the table of contents for the items that have Activities and Audio

Springboard to French (8 Lessons total)
1 Actions
This lesson introduces the foreign language and method being used to teach it. The goal is to make the child comfortble with the vocab for furniture and features in the room

2 More Actions
few new words. Emphasis on retention of vocabulary through different actions

3 Stepping up the Pace
Adding new verbs. Commands

4 Parts of the Body
Names basic parts of the body and reinforces with new activities, book says to repeat this lesson

5 Numbers 1-10
6 Clothes/Colors
Introduces common children's clothing items, first time to make simple verbal responses to questions about clothing.

7 Setting the Table
New words, objects must be picked up and moved in a certain order. Repeat lesson.

8 Simon Says
Review of lessons 1 through 5

Twin Sisters French- Beginning French for all ages (8 concepts/lessons)
Numbers to Twenty
Learning Colors, Color crossword puzzle
The Days of the Week
Name the animals
The Hello Song
My Family is Special
Let's Eat
Five Day Weather Forecast

Teach Me French, this goes through a day of a child's life in french and with songs
The More We Get Together in french, family, colors, domestic pets
Alouette (The Lark), Frere Jacques
Days of the Week
Clothes
Food, breakfast
Head Shoulders, Knees and Toes in french
Weather, Rain Rain Go Away in french
It's Raining It's Pouring in french
Rainbows song in french
Numbers and Alphabet, school
Mary Had A Little Lamb in french
One Elephant in french
This is what they do (Ainsi Font) in french
After school we drive in our car to the house.

I can read and speak French by Maurice Hazan
Simple Picture Method for kids, 6 chapters

Introduces basic sentence structuring skills to ages 5-12. Audio cd, using Symtalk- using symbols to talk. This book tells the story of 4 friends who to the park together with their bicycles and pets. The pets want to take part in the games and fun things happen. Vocabulary introduced features names of children and common objects, adjectives and verbs. Audio cd provides a guide to using the book, flashcards and stickers.


Hop, Skip and Sing - French for Kids (53 different tracks)

is a fun new learning method for children aged 2+ featuring twenty five songs, games and activites on an audio CD.
Make learning French second nature for your child with this activity-packed, 75 minute CD and book - perfect for kids from 2 - 7. Listen, sing, dance and learn Français anywhere, from the playroom to the classroom and even in the car!
Kids will play their way to new French language skills while they:

• Sing along to household words and funny phrases
• Learn to saute haut, haut, très haut (jump high, high, very high) by saying it and doing it
• Tell old stories in a new way - "Les trois petits cochons" anyone? ("The Three Little Pigs")

The included booklet provides helpful parents' notes and the French words for all of the tracks, together with an English translation.

The last one that can be used is A Bit of Everything (Un Peu de tout) PreK-Primary (this falls under Activities no audio)
13 Units

1 Days of the Week
2 Months of the Year
3 Numbers
4 Colors
5 Weather
6 Parts of the Body
7 Articles of Clothing
8 Foods
9 Animals
10 Family members
11 Modes of Transportation
12 Special Places
13 Common Phrases

Here's my current thoughts.

Monday - Thursday- The same read aloud, activitiy and concepts.
Friday - Culture day with read aloud and activities.

I will post the lessons when I'm done. Of course.

Today's French Lesson

Bonjour! Here's what we learned in our French lesson today...

Let's back track, yesterday we watched the first lesson of Bonjour Les Amis. After we watched it together, I had Camille pause the program and write the written words (the same vocabulary we're learning).

Bonjour.
Bonjour les amis.
Voici papa.
Bonjour papa.
Bonjour Moustache.
Voici monsieur Jean Michel et voici Madame Marie Michel.
Voici Caroline.
Et voici Antoine.

While listening to the songs and rhymes on Un, Deux, Trois, we discussed voici and family members. Today we're
focusing on family members titles from Un Peu de Tout. Camille colored family members, we cut them out and she was to match the person up to the noun that described the person. A little english grammar thrown in there for good measure.

The best way I could figure to start teaching/learning the masculine and feminine words la and le was to use family members to drive home the point that la is feminine and le is masculine.

Then Camille was to put the picture of the person with their title and then we practiced saying, Voici la mère. Voici le père. Voici la soeur. etc. Here are the pictures of her work.

A Wednesday in July

This is a beautiful vase Camille drew for me and it is sitting on the railing of our deck, the vase not the picture. She drew this with watercolor crayons.

Danny and Camille are matching up english and french words with their corresponding picture. I wish I could add sound so you could hear Danny say "le train" and "la pomme"! He's a little mimic right now, which is perfect for learning new words, especially with pictures to identify them with.

This kept them busy for about 20 minutes but Camille was very proud when she matched them all up!

Self-Learning at 30, yikes!

I have our life under some semblance of order which will only improve more as we adopt our new systems as habits. I have goals for Camille's 2nd grade year, goals for Danny and I'm the only one still mulling over what in the world I'm going to do.

I have to learn french, I have to. Speaking is imperative! I have neglected my french studies for the last two months as I have been meticulously preparing for another year of homeschool. Now the notebooks are ready, curriculum is ready, goals have been prepared, a schedule made- all that is left is to do it. This makes my heart glad, I cannot tell you!

Now it's time to get back to French. The main problem is I don't know when to study or how to study effectively anymore. When I was in school, there was a purpose for study- the upcoming test or to achieve a good grade. The very thing I don't want to teach my children but it is ingrained in me! I dislike the freedom I have because I can excuse my own learning time away with other tasks and desires.

I enjoy french, so that is a plus. The only difficulty I have is when I have to truly concentrate or memorize something complicated. With a 3 year old boy and a 7 year old girl, time to concentrate is very limited. What about after they are in bed? Yep. That's when I need to do it but the pull of our couch or this computer...lol. Self-discipline, yikes. It really isn't about self-discipline, it is about pacing myself and rediscovering a good pace. When I'm passionate about something, I go full speed ahead and jump the hurdles, I need a plan of action now that the passion driven speed has slowed.

What I think I need to learn:

- correct pronunciation
- brush up on english grammar
- french grammar and formulation of sentences
- to speak consistently in french

What I've done so far:

- listened to Michel Thomas up to #4 CD of 8 cds with 70% understanding
- watched French in Action up to episode 3 with immersion frustration
- read various French children's books with 80% understanding
- read Easy French Reader up to #8 of of the first section, which isn't very far
- listened to Edith Pilaf and other french songs (including children's)

I am currently better at reading and understanding than speaking and listening with understanding. I know I need someone to speak with and I have that but what I can't figure out is how to formulate my own studies in a manageable way that won't leave me wanting to quit because I've made it too difficult on myself.

1. How much work should I give myself?
2. What period of time should I block off during the week?
3. How often during the week? (everyday doesn't seem doable)
4. How do I determine my progression?

Should I even try to do a formal study on my own or learn with my children? - Yeah, that's not going to work for my goals. The kids and I are going to have fun with french this year. I'm starting us off with Bonjour Les Amis, which reminds me- if you have the DVD version please tell me! I have the VHS tapes and I would really love the activity sheets from the DVD. We have plenty of activities for the year and we're just going to work through them until we're done, one step at a time.

My english grammar is rusty, thankfully I have a few books to help with this. Should I study English grammar instead of French right now? Hey, that's doesn't sound like a bad idea! Study English grammar, continue with Michel Thomas, watch French in Action and practice speaking everyday. I'll meet with my tutor once a week parle en français and worry about the french grammar once I have refreshed my english grammar!

I seriously want someone to come over to my house, look at my resources with me and plan out a syllabus for me. Then I want that person to hold me accountable! All for free, mind you- out of the kindness of their heart because I cannot afford to pay anyone. Dh and I discussed the possibility of my return to college to obtain a degree in french and it isn't doable this fall. He will be starting his bachelor track of his education with a new university and with three churches, there just won't be enough time for me to have the necessary study/class time I'll need. I would have to spend a significant amount of time at the local college's language lab to fulfill the course requirement.

Any advice? Been here and done this?

Ambition transforming into Confidence

I'm in 100% planning mode, I have books ALL OVER our house, stacks in each room. There are children's French books, my French books, books that I pick up to read a paragraph or two before I'm called to assist in some way, books about our Medieval studies and other books we're using for 2nd grade. My dh, bless his heart, said our house looks like it's bursting from the seams in books and notebooks. "Isn't a beautiful thing, honey?"

I had all our Medieval books on our kitchen table, stacked and ready to reference as I put together a "teacher's manual" for myself and he asked me, "when is your test?" Lol. In about 2 months and honestly I can't wait. Everything feels much more cohesive and knowing that we'll be using books that reside with us is exciting! No more stress about when the library books are coming, when they are due, etc. Here's a sneak peak at the schedule that I'll post when I'm done.

The Glory That Was Rome - Chapter 1

c Peril and Peace: Chrysostom, Bible, Jerome
c Roman Myths by Geraldine McCaughrean
c Childcraft’s Places to Know: pg. 199, 126, 290, 216, 123
c Mythology of the World: Ancient Rome pg. 44-50
c How Children Lived- p.16-17 Growing Up in the Roman Empire
c The Ancient World (Kingfisher) p. 76-87
c Kingdoms and Empires p. 28-37 Rise-Fall of Rome
c Activity: Eat Like A Roman Soldier, Roman Empire from a Carpet View

Library: c Rome Antics by David MacCaulay
c United Streaming or DVD: Ancient Civilizations: Rome

Our history lessons will consist of reading a little more than what we've been doing this year but I hope it will make things click more for Camille. We're going to keep track of the people we study by doing biographies on the major players, we have many more books to "look" at than we did for Ancients and more Mom-friendly activities! I am very excited!

I am an ambitious person, I can't help it. Ideas are bouncing around in my head all the time and I have to figure out which ones are worth pursuing and which ones are best left as ideas. Studying French in my mind is a big undertaking, especially as a non-native beginning learner. I am diligently trying to find a tutor for myself and my children and determine whether going back to college in the fall is doable. The one thing I have decided is to sell The Easy French Jr. and Level 1. This is a hard decision for me, I haven't bought and sold curriculum yet but after I made the decision, everything seems easier!

I want learning French to be fun and I have more than enough resources right now. It's just organizing them all to be the most effective. So I'm creating a "game plan" or a sequence of concepts to cover with my children. Here's a sampling of what I'm doing:

1. Numbers 0-10
a. Ask How Many? How Much?
b. Play number/counting games
- Chutes & Ladders
- I'm thinking of a number between 0-10, what is it?
- Counting within books (Ten Little Ladybugs, etc.)

2. Numbers 11-20
a. Ask How Many? How Much?
b. Try simple math addition/subtraction problems with # 0-10
c. Flash cards 0-20 with french words
d. Thinking number game 0-20

3. Alphabet
a. ABC song
b. Use videos
c. Use books
d. Make an ABC book, list words alphabetically as we learn them

4. Colors
a. Ask- What color is that/this?
b. Candyland (with numbers in French)
c. I spy game
d. Books/Dvds/Songs

It's a basic outline, but I intend to pull all of our resources and fill in what to use and when. There's a lot more we will cover, including basic conversation and I am still talking to my children in French when I can. My ambition to teach my children French has finally met confidence. Confidence is such a nice quality, it makes those butterflies in the stomach go away, it helps to move the journey forward.

SpongeBob French phonic books bought from Ebay. Of course, I'd rather them NOT be Spongebob Squarepants but Camille was bonkers about these and if it'll help her and me, I don't mind trying them.

The books pictured at top are a set of toddler french books that will help with the outline I have above.

Being able to read french websites has opened another world to me filled with support and information. It's nice to be able to know how to shop Amazon.fr and have a better idea of exactly what I'm looking at. I haven't bought anything from Amazon.fr since ordering a book in English from there but I have accomplished a "wishlist" so that I can determine if there's a better price elsewhere or if I "really, really" want the item in the wishlist. Things I'm still looking for:

• French music to listen to for enjoyment
• Children's book of poems (I have found a few that I think I like)
• Children's music

I know that when and if I feel I need curriculum, that I want a reading/writing/speaking program for Camille. Until then we're going to build up our vocabulary and just have fun. I love it when my confidence catches up to my ambition, it makes things exciting!

Have a great day!

Teaching My Children French

There are multiple ways to teach any subject, French is just like any other subject. Given any advice, you'll find that immersion, reading French, learning vocabulary and grammar and speaking French is the best way to learn French. So, I'm trying to accomplish all of these things without overwhelming myself or my children. Please realize I'm just starting out and doing the best I can as a French learner myself. That said, let me share with you what I'm doing to teach my children French.

OUR POSTERS

I created posters based on posters I saw for purchase, here's our "wall of French" that we review.

Top Left: Alphabet; Top Right: Days of the Week; Middle Left: Colors; Middle Right: Numbers 1-20
Bottom: Common school-related words

I wanted to be able to say, "get your _____" even before I could say it in French. My drawing of scissors is atrocious but you get the idea. I also realized that having the articles (un, une, la, le, les, des) is important to learning vocabulary. Did you know what when French children learn French they don't learn masculine/feminine words? They just learn the words with the appropriate articles, like "un livre" is book instead of just "livre".

Our colors poster. White is blanc but I couldn't figure out how to put that on there.
Below are two posters we have above our kitchen table.

We try to use the French words on this on a daily basis, even if we cannot formulate the question entirely in French. Camille may say, "Maman, can I have le lait with dîner?" "Qu'est-ce que vous voulez manger? is something I say daily. Lol.

Here's Our Lord's Prayer in French. Currently I'm studying this to be able to help my children learn it. I like that it is up there though. I copied it 4 times before I was able to write it without mistake, the hazards of creating your posters in a foreign language!


Here is our daily schedule. I say schedule because right now we're working towards this and I'm being pretty strict about it until it becomes habit. This is more of a homeschooling thing than teaching French but it's an example of how we're starting to use French in our daily lives. It's not just a subject for us.


MOVIES & LEARNING VIDEOS

Bonjour Les Amis 3 Volume Set: Love this! I love it even more that I was able to purchase it for $3.00 at our local library sale.
First Fun With French by Usborne
Brainy Baby French
Baby Einstein: Language Nursery, Baby Wordsworth-Words Around the House, Baby Newton-Discovering Shapes and Baby's Favorite Places-Words Around Town

Most of the Baby Einstein DVDs have French language tracks where the words on the screen appear in French and the voice on the video is in French. This really extends the life of these movies! I thought once Danny was older we'd be done with these but they are perfect for language learning. When looking at them in the store, look for this.

If it says it has a Language Track in French, you're good to go! Also look at the DVDs in your movie collection.
If they have this...

You can watch that movie dubbed in French. This particular one does not have subtitles in French but look for that too. The "heard" words will not match the person's mouth on the video but it is still great for immersion. I particularly like to watch movies heard in English with the French subtitle.

BOOKS

Pictured: Berlitz French Je Parle Français, Let's Learn French Coloring Book, Un Peu De Tout (A Bit of Everything), Mon Papa, Ma Maman, Milet's Mini Picture Dictionary, Barron's French/English Food, Barron's French/English Weather, Berlitz' Bilingual The Missing Cat, Berlitz' Bilingual The Five Crayons, Berlitz' Bilingual A Visit to Grandma, Usborne Internet Linked French Dictionary for Beginners, Camille et ses amis, Camille ne veut pas prêter ses jouets, Camille et son drôle de nounours, Help Your Child Learn a Foreign Language by Opal Dunn and Qu'est-ce que c'est?

Inside the Let's Learn French Coloring Book (which is just an alphabet book coloring book)

Inside the Milet Mini Picture Dictionary (has the all important articles!)

and inside Qu'est-ce que c'est? Which can be made into a game, there are other books like this that use the question words.
This book has flaps that open.


AUDIO & ACTIVITY

Okay now back to talking about Baby Einstein. I found these at Toys'RUs. They are Language Nursery Flash Cards.
I covered the English on the front and put the French word instead. We review these everyday and Danny loves them, especially the car, truck, fire truck and train flash cards!

On the back of them is multiple languages with pronounciation

I put the sticker right underneath the French so I could locate it quickly but I've got these memorized now.
That is what we do daily so far: read a book, review these flashcards, the posters and watch one of the videos. We're about to start The Easy French or Le Facile Français Jr. Level, I just finished putting the notebook together after printing out the activity sheets and combining them with The French Copywork K-3 from www.HomeschoolEStore.com.

I'm still in the planning stages of what songs, poems, nursery rhymes we'll memorize for the year and what order we'll learn them but we've been playing with Hop, Skip and Sing French which is quite fun!

Pictured: Aventures French Language Learning Program for Elementary Schools Book 1 set. (Private schools use this, I'm not sure I will just yet), Play and Learn French, Un Deux Trois: First French Rhymes, Teach Me French, Twin Sisters French, Teach Me French Spiritual Songs and Springboard to French.

There are some things I have too much of, such as I didn't realize that Springboard to French and Un Peu de Tout would be so similar in content. Thankfully, each is a little different. I've collected these those private sales, 4 for the price of 3 deals on Amazon, www.bookmooch.com, www.powells.com

Useful link about teaching elementary children
http://k6educators.about.com/library/bltips1.htm

French Links that I have bookmarked that will help you do anything you'd like teaching/learning French

When I have a schedule ready for what we're learning, I'll share it. I'm currently reading up different techniques for teaching elementary aged children. I'm also working on developing a sequence of concepts, I need a plan. : )
I feel like this is very disjointed but it's hard to share something when you haven't got it all figured out for yourself just yet. The idea right now is to keep the "concepts" or "theme" the same but use:
-songs
-nursery rhymes or poems
-books
-activity sheets
-learn vocabulary and use vocabulary
-possibly copywork
to learn/teach the concept or theme.

I'll post more about this later. I hope this helps someone else and I haven't caused confusion!

Yes, I'm Learning French

Warning: This post is going to be very informative but also very long.

Grab something to drink and maybe a snack.

What I’m currently studying and using:

Side-by-Side French & English Grammar
by C. Frederick Farrell Jr.

ABOUT THE BOOK: The Side-by-Side Grammar books present explanations of the essential elements of Spanish or French grammar alongside their English-language equivalents. This method allows students to build on what they already know; not only do readers learn grammar for a new language but also enjoy the added benefit of strengthening their grammar skills in their native tongue !

Each lesson clearly explains functions and uses of the different parts of speech and includes abundant examples for each entry. Because the vocabulary is limited to frequently used words, students can concentrate more on a sentence's structure instead of becoming tangled in its meaning. A "Quick Check" section summarizes main ideas in each section and helps readers retain the most important information. New to these editions are exercise sections to further reinforce students' comprehension. Also available: Side-by-Side Spanish and English Grammar.

HOW I'M USING IT: Let's be honest, it's been a while since I studied grammar. Camille is only 6, so teaching her grammar is not really reviving my memory of the more complicated terms. This is helping me, it gives the grammar term on the left side in English and explains it well with examples. Then, it explains in English about French grammar- how it is the same as English grammar or different and how. I'm using this to refresh my memory and to learn about French grammar. I'm not forcing myself to memorize grammar rules just yet, only to familiarize myself. I am slowly going through this, taking one or two weeks per subject/chapter as I feel comfortable. I read the selection everyday, there are exercises but I don't do those until I feel confident in what I learned from reading.



Schaum's Outlines French Grammar 4th ed.
by Mary E. Coffman Crocker

ABOUT THE BOOK: At last, a guide that explains points of French grammar and structure simply, then clarifies each with concrete examples. The examples use the language of real-life situations. This new edition also makes difficult topics, like the difference between mood and tense, even easier to understand. Numerous fill-in-the-blank and other exercises with delayed answers help cut down the time it takes readers to gain proficiency and confidence communicating in French. Also available: Schaum's Outlines (German, Spanish, Chinese, Italian and Latin) Grammar

HOW I'M USING IT: I'm using this book as an extension of the first one, it doesn't have the explanations of English grammar the Side-by-Side book above has but it has more exercises and French. Whatever I'm studying in Side-by-Side, I'm also studying it in this book. Same time schedule, as I learn.


Easy French Reader
by R. de Roussy de Sales

ABOUT THIS BOOK: These unique guides are based on the premise that the best way to learn a language is to start reading it, immediately. Suitable for raw beginners to intermediate-level language learners, the new editions of these popular titles feature engaging readings of progressive difficulty that allow learners to rapidly build comprehension.

Easy French Reader begins with the adventures of two friends, an American and a Parisian, as they learn about their respective cultures. This is followed by readings on the history of France, from ancient Gaul to the present. The final section features four abridged short stories by famous French authors.
Also available: Easy Spanish Reader, Easy Italian Reader (by different authors).

HOW I'M USING IT: I have to say, I LOVE this book! What a boost of confidence! It really is easy to read and understand, the back of the book has a dictionary in case you come across a word you don't understand. There are three parts to each chapter: first- you read a narrative, second and third are exercises regarding the narrative. ALL in French. I'm using this daily, reviewing the last story before I read the new one. I'm only moving as quickly as I understand, if I can't answer the questions 100%, then I stay with that narrative until I do. So far, it's been a narrative a day but the book progresses from beginner to intermediate level, so I may be slowing down after a few narratives. This is increasing my vocabulary as well!


Michel Thomas' Speak French for Beginners

ABOUT THE PROGRAM: No books. No writing. No drills. And nothing to memorize-- ever! With his patented method, Michel Thomas has taught languages to top celebrities and--through his bestselling audio programs--more than a million everyday learners around the world. At the end of this ten-CD beginner’s program, you will have acquired:

* A full working vocabulary
* Essential comprehension skills
* Complete language confidence

Don't try to memorize specific words or expressions. It is a basic principle of the Michel Thomas™ method that the responsibility for the student’s learning lies with the teacher. With Michel Thomas as your teacher, your learning will be based on understanding--and what you understand, you do not forget! Also available: Italian, Spanish and German.

HOW I'M USING IT: This is amazing, I've listened to quite a few audio products but when I'm attempting to formulate a sentence or thinking about how to say something, my mind goes back to Michel Thomas' voice. I should say that I don't have this set of cds, I have the older 8 cd set but they are the same with the exception that two of the cds in this 10-cd set are review cds.

Michel Thomas is teaching two people, a man and a woman in the program, they are learning alongside of you, mistakes and all! Now, I think anyone who listens wants to strangle the woman on the cd at some point, especially when you're listening and you think you have the right answer and she's not doing it right. I listen to the same track 3-5 times or until I can use the information M.Thomas has taught and then I move on. It's less frustrating (I've found) to listen to the same one until you're ready to move on instead of listening to multiples and then going back to review. I've been thinking about taking notes about what I'm learning with this, just to see it on paper. I just put this on my ipod and take it with me everywhere, listening 3-5x a week.

French 1
The Standard Deviants

ABOUT THE VIDEO: Never fear, the fun-loving smart people at Standard Deviants have created this video tutorial that will help you master the basics of the French language in no time flat. Subjects covered include basic vocabulary, the French alphabet, vowel sounds and accents, verb forms and conjugation, gender, definite articles, formal and informal constructions, and much more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Also available: Italian, Spanish

HOW I'M USING IT: I try to watch this 1-3x a week, but lately with the travelling I haven't been able to and I've found that it does pay to take notes and pause the video. I don't have the DVD, I have the VHS tape that I bought YEARS ago and found it recently tucked into a closet. This program is available on UnitedStreaming.com if you have access or you can rent it through Blockbuster or Netflix.


French in Action
The Capretz Method

ABOUT THE PROGRAM: This series uses active participation to increase fluency in French, while introducing French culture. Pierre Capretz’s proven language-immersion method is presented within a humorous teleplay with native speakers of all ages and backgrounds. The storyline of an American student and a young Frenchwoman's adventures in Paris and the French countryside is reinforced by Dr. Capretz’s on-camera instruction. The series is also appropriate for teacher professional development. Watch the videos free here.

HOW I'M USING THIS: I'm watching this 3x a week, at first I didn't make it through the first one because I got frustrated. I had immersion frustration! I went back and watched it again and realized towards the end, it is explained with words on the screen and it made much more sense! I found the book to go along with this on BookMooch but I haven't started using it yet. I keep forgetting to grab it. I might put the book into my daily reading so that I'm prepared when I watch the video. Oh, best part- it's free! Click on the link above to get immersed!


SparkNotes French Vocabulary Study Cards
(the Grammar set is waiting in the wings)

ABOUT THE CARDS: There's 1000 vocabulary cards, on the side where the French word is displayed, it also tells you whether the word is a verb, masculine/feminine noun, adjective, adverb, preposition, interjection, conjunction.
Also available: English, Spanish-may be more...

HOW I'M USING THEM: These are perfect for on the go studying, I grab 20 at a time and just flip through them for a week until I can look at the English word and "know" the French equivalent! I also have the grammar study cards waiting to be used but I'm reserving those for after the two grammar workbooks mentioned above.

I like that I can organize these by grammar if I wish without risking being wrong. I can also use these for the children if I wish, maybe as we study new words I can put them up for them to see the spelling. I purchased these for myself and the ones below for both my children and I.


French Vocabulary Flash Cards by QuickStudy

I also have these flash cards which I currently use with Camille. They are organized by subject which makes it easier on me. Here's what it contains.

ABOUT THE CARDS: Box of 1000 Flash Cards include color coded tabs on the top of the cards to easily remove and replace cards in the proper section. Also available: Spanish and possibly other languages.

Card Categories include:
·Adjectives ·Adverbs ·All Verbs ·The Body ·Food and Drink ·Sports/Entertainment ·Studies ·The Family
·Habitat ·Weather ·Time ·Travel ·Greetings ·Bank ·Color ·Clothes ·Measurements ·Numbers


So with the above, I am reading French, studying syntax/grammar, vocabulary, watching & listening to native speakers, listening and practicing with a renowned language teacher but that's not all I'm doing. With all this, I'm watching the children's French videos, our own movies in French or with French subtitles, I'm reading simple French children's books to my children or listening to one of their audio/books with them.

I'm also:
-Applying what I'm learning by talking to my children in the French I do know or teaching them some of the vocabulary I've learned.
-I'm repeating the lessons, rewatching the French in Action, listening again to Michel Thomas until I have a firm grip on the material before moving on. I'm writing in a notebook instead of in the workbooks above.
-Meeting with my "tutor" once a week to speak French and receive constructive criticism.
-Learning through my children's materials as well: books, videos, songs, games, creating learning posters for them, flashcards, etc.

I'll post what I'm doing with the dc in a couple of days. I hope you've found this helpful, there are many wonderful resources out there, the key is finding what will work for YOU.