Happy Wednesday!
I thought it might be good to introduce you to a few of the resources that I have linked to this blog, which you may not have checked out yet. Several resources in the Language section have a French audio component, which is really great for developing vocabulary. They are definitely worth a look! In class, at least 2 students use the computers every day. When it is their turn, I help them get started on one of these sites.
Centre Soleil
When you click on Centre Soleil, you immediately meet Carmen who sings an introductory song. She speaks to you using fairly simple language, and not too fast. I think many children will understand her instructions, but if not, it's an easy site to navigate. You can colour, play games, or read stories. When you click on the bookshelf, you then have the choice of 3 books to read with Carmen. Once you've clicked on the book you want, she asks you if you want her to read you the story, or, if you want to play with the pictures and the words. If you ask her to read to you, the words light up, karaoke-style, so you can follow along. If you ask to play with the words, you can click on underlined words to hear them, or click on the pictures to hear the associated word. This is an amazing site!
Themed Dictionary
When you click on Themed Dictionary, you get a list of themes (e.g., l'école, l'hiver, l'alphabet etc.). When you select a theme, there are pictures of commonly used words for that theme. As you run the mouse over them, it will say the name of the object to you. This is very simple for learning vocabulary at home.
Grade 1 Vocab (with audio)
When you click on Grade 1 Vocab (with audio) you see a user-friendly menu with choices like songs, sight-words, the sounds of the alphabet and much more. Click on the image beside the choice to continue. If you select sight-words, the numbers, or the alphabet (possibly others), you just scroll over the word Écoute, and it will speak to you. Click Prochain to move on to the next word. If you select songs and poems, it will give you another list of choices to listen to. Again, this sight is great for beginners, and children can probably use it independently after they know how to get on.
BBC French
When you click on BBC French, you are taken to a visual menu where you can select what you want to hear, they have the numbers from 0 - 21, and other key phrases, such as "Quel âge as-tu?" What I like about this site is that it is children speaking, and each bit of spoken text is accompanied by a little animation which makes it fun to watch and understand.
The other fun site is Stories with Sam, however, all the children have now had a turn on this site, so I don't think I need to explain it. This site is super fun for them, there are videos with French narration, and games to play. The only drawback is that there is no written text with the videos, so you can't follow the words while you listen. Still fun though, and there is more variety of stories on this site than any other. Also check out the Toronto Public Library site, linked. They have a "Hear a Story" section, and if you follow the prompts, you can find French stories on there too!
I hope that this encourages you to check out these sites and use them at home. I know that a long list of links seems like a lot to explore, so I thought giving you a little tour might help you decide where you want to begin.
Have fun!