French the natural way: listen to stories!

Coucou les French learners,

Last week, I mentioned a story I co-created with a learner to help her remember a list of words she had to memorize. I strongly believe in the power of stories because when your mind listens to a story, it generates multiple connections.

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accuracy4 acquire50 acquirefrench76 active listener94 ci145 compelling39 complexstructures1 comprehend52 comprehensible100 comprehension250 confidence92 enjoyable39 fable59 fables21 fle269 fluency107 free voluntary reading32 french for free4 french input13 french stories5 frenchvocabulaire113 Great Story Reading Project11 IB9 language acquisition229 learnfrench20 lefrançaisnaturellement92 listeningfirst20 listentofrench6 listentostories41 online french22 online french tutor4 power15 powerful6 pureci43 rangeofvocabulary3 reading252 reading skills1 retell3 retelling4 self confidence54 self french205 Spanish33 spanish input3 spanish story3 stories40 story script6 storylistening142 structures7 TCI74 teachfrench12 understanding22 untargeted structures1 vocabulary256 weekly french33 weekly input15 writing skills1 youtube channel52

French the natural way: the only cure is more input!

Coucou les French learners,

Last night, I was tutoring a 12 years old French student and she had to learn a list of vocabulary about all the different rooms in a school: la cantine, le gymnase, la salle des profs, le laboratoire… Instead of having the learner memorize each word and repeat them after me,

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acquire french11 acquisition process41 apprendslefrançais91 belles histoires1 challenge22 challenge de la semaine1 children magazine2 children story15 ci145 ciworks1 compelling input31 comprehensible100 comprehension250 daily french3 daily french input12 easy french51 Education20 enjoy48 enjoyable39 fle269 french acquisition12 french children books8 french for free4 french immersion23 french teacher4 frenchstorytime26 language acquisition229 learnfrench20 lefrançaisnaturellement92 listen283 messages3 natural approach59 online tutor3 online tutoring6 podcast127 read40 self french205 setting2 setyourself3 spanishplans1 Stephen Krashen11 stories40 TCI74 teachfrench12 Tuesday french stories3 understand67 watch52 weekly french33 weekly videos55 youtube67 youtube channel52

French the natural way: l’armistice

Coucou les French learners,

Novembre, November is un mois sombre, a dark month. Last week I mentioned La Toussaint when the French commemorate the dead. Tomorrow the French commemorate the end of la Première Guerre Mondiale,

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11novembre3 armistice5 audio55 audio file10 bank holiday1 bedtime3 bedtime stories2 biography40 celebration20 ci145 cimetière2 commemoration1 familiale2 family164 first week2 firstworldwar2 fle269 french learner6 french poem8 french traditions7 frenchculture295 google drive1 guerre3 Jacques Prévert10 languageacquisition49 learnfrench20 lefrançaisnaturellement92 listen283 listening52 Mario Ramos1 mp39 natural approach59 november3 novembre2 onze novembre1 poem71 poème43 Première Guerre Mondiale4 pureci43 quiestleplusfort1 record3 recording1 remember1 remembrance1 remembrance day1 sad53 sadness15 self french205 teachfrench12 veteran1 veterans1 war30

French the natural way: la Toussaint

Coucou les French learners,

This week was special in France. Not because of Halloween, but because of La Toussaint which literally means All Saints Day. France being traditionally and historically a Catholic country, the French celebrate all the saints, known and unknown. In the Western Christian practice,

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acquirefrench76 agir en français1 all saints day3 apprendslefrançais91 article46 auvergne4 catholic12 celebrate26 celebration20 celebrities5 cemetery2 children book18 children story15 christian33 ci145 cimetière2 compelling39 day of the dead4 dead5 death18 familylife12 frenchculture295 frenchfamily6 frenchvocabulaire113 funeral2 halloween6 horror1 interactive quiz27 learnfrench20 lefrançaisnaturellement92 massif central2 natural approach59 paris69 père lachaise1 personal13 petit ours brun1 pureci43 quiz18 quizlet9 reading252 religion48 scary25 special occasion1 spooky16 story listening19 story reading3 storytelling39 tics fle1 toussaint4 vocabulary256