Product Description
This beginning French text balances a four-skills approach with communicative-oriented instruction. It emphasizes everyday life and culture in France and Francophone countries through explanations, cultural notes, authentic cultural readings, and authentic documents linked to the author web site. Program components are integrated with the student text and are flexible enough to be adapted for a variety of different class schedules…. More >>
Rapports: An Introduction to French Language and Francophone Culture
Tags: Culture, Francophone, French, Introduction, Language, Rapports
I teach French in a school community and used this book for two semesters, before phasing out. The exercises in the text (and exams) are not very concentrated – rather students are forced to handle many different grammar points at a time so you never really get the circulation in the main structure of employment (even when introduced). The book is boring and monotonous – reminiscent of French grammar exercises found 25 years ago. Many of the grammar explanations are unnecessarily complicated or complex, adding to the confusion of students. Vocabulary in each chapter is never used or integrated manner, both students and teachers, the lists seem superfluous after the first chapters. No effort is made to try to get students to communicate effectively – is entirely driven by the grammar (bad). The cultural lessons do not work – students complete information banal guess they can not find anywhere in the text and wait for the teacher to respond. The evidence that accompanies this book are the best of the poor – seems ridiculous that students begin to make – I rewrote the chapter all the exams! />
Finally and most importantly, the pace of the book (publishers second stimulation) is problematic. Students are required to know and master the distinction between the imperfect and passe compose (plus the introduction to the thesis) in a lesson (!). Every aspect of the subjunctive is covered in two lessons. On the other hand, sometimes spend an entire lesson, which introduces a verb (in the second half of the book.) They introduce topics in a strange order – many of which does not seem entirely necessary for freshmen and, consequently, students do not short change, allowing them to practice and master the material really important.
As a teacher, I found that you spend most of my time trying to complete my work in class with more focused textbooks I used in previous work. Unless you want to spend more time to compensate for a poor text, instead of using it, I would avoid it.
Rating: 2 / 5