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Teaching French without videos/dvds/computer  

post #1 of 12
10/15/07 at 9:32pm
Thread Starter 
I've been wanting to learn french for a long time (since i was in middle school - long story but my parents forced me to take chinese instead of french). Anyways, dd#1 has expressed interest in learning either french or spanish. I took 2 years of spanish in high school (don't ask me why I didn't take french then). I know spanish will be a more useful language for dd#1 (living in CA) but my love is with french (I've taken a couple of 10 week classes but don't speak it at all).

So how can I/we get started? We're a no tv/video family (has been so ever since dd#1 was 1). I'm having a hard time finding a curriculum that doesn't the computer or videos. Any suggestions? I think we'll start with listening to french songs and such. (CD suggestions?)
post #2 of 12
10/15/07 at 9:47pm
We use the Learnables. Their programs are availabe on CD-Rom OR (the format we chose!) CD and book. You listen to the CD and follow along in the book. We LOVE it!


www.learnables.com
post #3 of 12
10/16/07 at 12:00am
Raffi.
Yes, I am serious.
We learned all of his French songs and now spend
one Saturday a month with a local French club --
folks from babies to grandparents chatting in French
over coffee for 2-3 hours. I have learned so much
in these last 8 months and am, by any means, a whiz!
peace,
teastaigh
post #4 of 12
10/16/07 at 11:24pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks! I'll take a look at both.
Funny, I have one of Raffi's CDs and the girls and I have been singing fais do do non-stop!
post #5 of 12
10/17/07 at 12:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by teastaigh View Post
Raffi.
Yes, I am serious.
We learned all of his French songs and now spend
Anyone have something like this for Spanish?
post #6 of 12
10/17/07 at 6:26am
Powerglide is a cd based language curriculum.
http://www.homeschooldiscount.com/po...s_complete.htm
Here's a page with some reviews of online or cd courses:
http://frenchcoursereviews.com/
post #7 of 12
10/17/07 at 8:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emmeline II View Post
Anyone have something like this for Spanish?
Jose-Luis Orozco. He has CDs and DVDs. We have his Diez Deditos CD, and got the book (same title) out of the library so we could learn some of the hand motions -- these are traditional "Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America" so we wanted to do the motions, too.
post #8 of 12
10/17/07 at 11:13am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by riversprite_ca View Post
Powerglide is a cd based language curriculum.
http://www.homeschooldiscount.com/po...s_complete.htm
Here's a page with some reviews of online or cd courses:
http://frenchcoursereviews.com/

Thank you! I think I'll get the Rosetta Stone French course for myself and play some french nursery rhyme cds at home for the kids (just to get started).
post #9 of 12
10/17/07 at 11:43am
We use Nallenart and my kids LOVE it.

http://www.nallenart.on.ca/
post #10 of 12
10/17/07 at 2:18pm
I think Michel Thomas is amazing. I got his CDs on French when I was going to be taking a trip there by myself. I didn't even put much time into it, but the time I did got me through quite nicely. It's not as if I could really carry on a conversation or anything, but I could at least figure out how to ask basic questions in a pretty comfortable and confident manner. He slowly and methodically teaches you how to think it out word by word without doing a lot of rote memorization. I gave his set of Spanish CDs to some friends who were about to spend a lot of time in Mexico, and they loved them - they bought the more advanced ones to continue.

I found one scathing review among the 16 positive ones about his French CDs on the Amazon page, and I'd like to know more about the criticisms from that person, because he wasn't specific. I would imagine it might be that Thomas, not being French, speaks it with an accent that isn't accurate. Nevertheless, it does give you a feel for how to begin to think in French. Lillian

post #11 of 12
10/17/07 at 2:56pm

Wow - more on Michel Thomas!

I got curious and looked online to see what nationality Thomas is. I ran across an absolutely fascinating and amazing biography!
Michel Thomas

Not only has he lived in France, but he was in the French army in WWII, served in the intelligence corps, was in infamous concentration camps (one of which he escaped from), worked in the French resistance, and was tortured for informatin by the Gestapo and French police but didn't break down. He went on to be a lieutenant of the French Forces of the Interior, and commanded a group that destroyed telephone lines in coordination with the landing of the Allies in Normandy. And on and on and on - there's even a book about him by Christopher Robbins called A Test of Courage!

So I'm feeling pretty suspicious about that one review on the Amazon site that says he's not teaching "real French" in his CDs ! In fact, right now I'm feeling inspired to dig out those CDs and start listening to them all over again!

Lillian
post #12 of 12
10/17/07 at 4:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Queen Gwen View Post
Jose-Luis Orozco. He has CDs and DVDs. We have his Diez Deditos CD, and got the book (same title) out of the library so we could learn some of the hand motions -- these are traditional "Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America" so we wanted to do the motions, too.

Thanks. I put it on my shopping list at amazon so I don't "lose" it.
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