Coucou les French learners,
We are back from our Easter break! And although we have taken a few days off travelling and eating (too many) chocolates, we have also had time to launch the Teen Stage, youpi !
Overlooking the Douro River
This stage is different from the Baby Stage and Infant Stage. It is is carefully crafted for intermediate learners. In the Teen Stage, you get to write a diary in French, how exciting!
Writing is an excellent way to start outputting or producing in French.
Why ? Because it is an activity you do on your own, at your own pace. There is no pressure to respond to someone else. There is no stress. You write what you want, when you want. Writing helps you produce in a relaxed, stress free atmosphere.
In each session, I answer a question about myself like where I live, what I do during the day, things I love and things I hate… I type my answer on a document and comment it as I go along. When I type the sentences, you can copy them in your most beautiful handwriting. This helps you develop automaticity over French prosody. Your hand is the extension of your brain so handwriting will help you develop fluency.
When the session is over, you can write down your own answer about yourself. BUT don’t worry about the spelling or the grammar. Let it flow. You will be impressed at how much you can write in French already.
There are already 10 sessions with videos, scripts and audio.
Christine commented:
Absolutely LOVE !!! the direction of this next stage of acquiring French. I feel like you are writing a letter to us, giving each session a totally different feel, like a friendship, connection, more personal. And I really appreciate the usage of the various verb tenses in the First Person. I will always appreciate the Baby Stage and Infant Stage. They will remain close to my heart and be revisited de temps en temps. They’re my roots! Through all of your work, they gave me the strong foundation that Teen Stage, and future Stages, will continue to build upon.
#trusttheprocess
QUOI DE NEUF ?
Chanter en français
We continue the series of videos to motivate YOU to acquire French toute l’année, all year long. Each video focuses on one tip or trick to keep acquiring French no matter what!
Our last video helps you to sing in French. Yes, you read me right: Chanter en français !
The initial stage of language acquisition happens through watching, listening to stories and songs. It is called the “silent phase” whereby the child (and often times the caregiver) begin developing an ear for the language as well as the proper mouth movements to produce specific sounds. With this silent phase begins the development of word and meaning association for both the tangible and imaginary.
Research supports the use of singing for language acquisition regardless of age and musical ability. A study published in 2013 in Psychonomic Society, Inc. by Karen M. Ludke, Fernanda Ferreira and Katie Overy adds to earlier research that showed simple and catchy melodies in a native language can improve memory recall. Their study went on to show how singing simple and catchy melodies develop phonetic aspects of an unfamiliar language thereby directly transferring important speaking skills in that language. More importantly, their research also found that singing helped participants learn and more quickly recall vocabulary in an unfamiliar language than did “listen-and-repeat” exercises and rhythmic speaking exercises.
Read more about why singing is important for language acquisition.
Do you know a catchy French song?
Maggy Aly commented:
Coucou Alice Je sais la chanson de Frère Jacques (as I heard it from a friend). I also love the french song called ” Belle ” by three French singers.
Let’s imagine a story together!
This coming Friday April, 22
5pm UK / 6pm France / 12pm EST / 9am PST
We will spend the first 30 minutes co-creating a character and plot together. We will then write and discuss. This will get the story in written form, and through the process we will read the story again and maybe even embellish it!
Gain New Friends and Get Involved with the French Learners Community #youarenotalone
Increase your vocabulary and comprehension #storyispower
Reduce your stress #relax
Spring live classes
Do you need a one hour weekly push to keep up with your French?
I have your back! Starting on April 25, choose from three weekly classes for three different levels!
Build a strong foundation and acquire the most frequent French words and structures used in everyday conversations. These super words and expressions will allow you to communicate in the greatest number of contexts. They will also help you understand the general gist of most conversations. They are super useful!
Get a massive dose of rich comprehensible input. Co-create and listen to compelling stories. Engage in conversations about your interests.
There will be framing and scaffolding for everyone to understand the class. The goal is to develop fluency as well as the ability to process the language spontaneously.
All classes are recorded, so you can watch at your leisure if you need to miss a class.
Diane who joined the Intermediate Winter sessions said:
Express Fluency classes are not only educational but great fun. We benefit from her well prepared lessons that include selections from great literature which we listen to and then discuss. This and the other techniques she uses helps us develop our communication skills. I am amazed with my progress, my ability to speak French has dramatically improved.
Happy French acquisition!
P.S. Got friends, family, colleagues or clients who want to become fluent in French? Share this with them, they’ll thank you for it!