A Review of Storyplayr, a Digital Library of Childrens eBooks in French

June 15, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Language Learning, French Resources, Teaching French

As a parent, I'm glad to live in the Internet Age--particularly when my children ask me questions about the world that I can't sufficiently answer. And as a parent trying to raise bilingual and biliterate children, I'm grateful that technology provides a convenient way to supplement our language learning. We recently signed up for a free two-week trial of Storyplayr, a subscription site featuring hundreds of quality children's ebooks in French, and I was truly surprised by the richness of this site. If you're looking for more French books for your children, read on.

Bilingual Progress Update: Before Our France Trip

June 02, 2015 by Michele Cherie in French Culture, French Language Learning, Travel

Bonjour! It's been a while, hasn't it? May was a whirlwind--amidst the beauty of spring, it was my husband's busy season of coaching track, but thankfully we'll have more time together soon. This past month I've figured out some details for our first trip to France as a family. It's an extended trip stretching from July to the end of September. We figured if we're going to pay for all of us to go (we opened a savings account last year towards this goal), we might as well stay as long as possible. Without a visa, we can stay close to 90 days.

I'm really curious to know how much fluency our children will gain from their time in France! Here's where they are currently at in their French knowledge and acquisition, along with my hopes for their experience:

Review of Bayam, the Online French Educational Game Site for Children

April 15, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Language Learning, French Resources, Learning Resources

Bonjour les amis! If you're interested in a French educational game site for children, you'll want to know about Bayam. My six-year-old daughter enjoys playing on Bayam once or twice a week because it's a fun and educational French resource. Here's how it works:

From Exchange Student to Mama in France: Looking Back and Ahead

March 10, 2015 by Michele Cherie in French Culture, French Language Learning, Travel, Cultural Reflections

Ten years have passed since I was an exchange student in France; seven years since my husband and I last traveled there. Now I'm planning our first visit to France as a family--an extended trip this summer through autumn. We'll start in Paris as tourists, stay with friends in the countryside, and finish in Lyon as inhabitants while my daughter begins school alongside other young francophones.

Tips for Leading a Young Bilingual Playgroup

February 18, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Language Learning, Learning Resources, Teaching French

Bonjour les amis! Last fall I told you about a conference I attended for teachers of foreign languages, the ACTFL conference in San Antonio, Texas, and it was full of information about supporting language learning (of course!). One of the sessions I attended focused on "Playing to Promote a Second Language in Toddlers and Preschoolers," presented by Raul Echevarria of CommuniKids. If you've ever thought about starting a simple class or playgroup to support language learning, you'll want to read Raul's tips:

Beginning French Lesson 6: Likes & Dislikes Project

February 09, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Language Learning, Teaching French

One of my favorite activities to do with beginning French students is to help them create a likes and dislikes chart. The chart is fun and colorful, but what I love most about it is what it enables students to do afterwards: it provides a context for learning how to use a bilingual dictionary and helps students grasp basic French sentence construction. Essentially, this activity moves students beyond the early language stage of memorizing basic phrases and towards a solid understanding of how to create their own original sentences in French.

Little French Steps Forward: Ages 2 & 5 Language Update

December 17, 2014 by Michele Cherie in French Language Learning

Bonjour les amis! I wrote about my children's French language use this past June, but in the six months since then I've been encouraged by my kiddos' continued language progress. My son in particular has made some solid French strides. He still talks predominantly in English, but right at the 30-months of age mark (a language milestone mentioned by Dr. Gorman in this podcast), he started using more French vocabulary, and more importantly, he became much more willing to repeat French phrases. (Perhaps we're saying au revoir to the more headstrong moments of the terrible twos?). Amusingly, he also adds his own silly tweaks to the language, saying things like "poo-poo-plaît" instead of "s'il te plaît."

Beginning French Lesson 5: Numbers, Likes, & Dislikes

December 04, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Language Learning, Teaching French

This lesson was the fifth weekly class for beginning French students (ages 8-12) after a two-week break. We focused on reviewing conversational phrases and playing BINGO to reinforce numbers through 79. We also began an activity that helps students learn basic sentence structure and gives them familiarity with using a bilingual dictionary (online and printed versions). This lesson was designed for a 50-minute class.