Free French Books Online

[ElizabethB]

In my phonics research, I came across a website about France's version of Whole Language/Balanced Literacy type of method, called the "Global Method." This website promotes syllabic phonics: http://www.lire-ecrire.org/

It has a link to free pdf files of two books used to teach beginning reading in France using syllabic phonics. The books are Manual de lecture and Manual d' ecriture (click on Ecriture tab to get to second book.)

(I think they're still free, I was able to download them for free about 6 months ago, I don't speak any French, but my Spanish knowledge allowed me to figure out how to send my e-mail, click on the link they sent, and download the books for free.)

http://www.lalibrairiedesecoles.com/

[AudreyTN]

Wow, that is awesome! Thank You! :)

[CleoQc]

Actually I'm looking for a global method free book, not a syllabic one :)

I discovered by mistake that it's much easier to learn a second language via the global method, and a first language via the syllabic method.

The global method means the same words come over and over again, so they're easier to learn for someone who already knows how to read. And Phonics work best when you learn to read your first language.

[CleoQc]

Oh, and just in case anyone is interested, La librairie des écoles, cited above, sells Singapore math in French.

[Sweetpeach]

Hi there, welcome to the boards . . . and thanks for the great French link. Why is that I feel so much more motivated to work on a new subject when the material is free? My sick mind . . .

[Mamagistra]

Oh, and just in case anyone is interested, La librairie des écoles, cited above, sells Singapore math in French.

:eek: Quel amusement! :lol:

[ElizabethB]

I discovered by mistake that it's much easier to learn a second language via the global method, and a first language via the syllabic method.

The global method means the same words come over and over again, so they're easier to learn for someone who already knows how to read. And Phonics work best when you learn to read your first language.

You're right, that is the case, and not many people realize that!

They have horrible readers in most of the public schools that have the same words over and over again, they're mind-numbing and don't improve the student's vocabulary at all. Plus, I've remediated a lot of children who have suffered from too many sight words, and I believe that these readers are a big part of the problem. They need to send all these leveled readers (sometimes called accelerated readers or some other name) to 3rd world countries for English language practice and/or use them here for ESL purposes.

However, I recently read a study that showed that the best predictor of foreign language success was how well you pronounced the language. Syllables are a great way to learn the sounds well, these books could be used to learn the sounds as syllables. (Letter sounds are only approximations, except for vowels and a few consonants like m and n. Syllables are true unbroken sounds that sound the same in words as in isolation.)

[CleoQc]

However, I recently read a study that showed that the best predictor of foreign language success was how well you pronounced the language. Syllables are a great way to learn the sounds well, these books could be used to learn the sounds as syllables. (Letter sounds are only approximations, except for vowels and a few consonants like m and n. Syllables are true unbroken sounds that sound the same in words as in isolation.)

You may be right, but this hasn't been my experience, and I am a bilingual individual who raised two bilingual kids. I am not however a true 'study group ' :tongue_smilie:
The ability to pronounce the language properly comes with direct contact with the language. Not with reading. When English phonics was used on me it was a complete waste of time. I *knew* how to read already, and it's more important to know the word, than to do its phonics rule.

There's some sort of magic that goes on. Once you can read one language in our standardized alphabet, you're set for all languages using that alphabet. I was never shown phonics in Spanish, nor German. There was a very very brief attempt at phonics in English, but the teacher realised it wasn't necessary. If a student knew the word, the reading part of it comes very quickly. I have never used phonics on either of my kids. Now my son, age 10, is going through Sonlight Core 6 as his ESL lesson. And my daughter, age 8, is handling core 1+2. I never instructed them in English reading rules. I pointed out a few differences, and that's it, they're going! They did get French méthode syllabique to learn to read their first language though.