Publisher's Synopsis
The greatest difficulty that children face in learning a new language is in creating sentences. While many young learners are able to learn individual words - particularly in themed groups, such as numbers, colors, or food - they are unable to string words together to make even the most simple of sentences. I Can Read and Speak in French is a unique course that facilitates developing language structures through the intermediary of symbols. Consisting of a brightly illustrated storybook, accompanied by a recording on CD, detachable flashcards and stickers, the course guides the learner through three stories, composed of simple sentences using basic vocabulary and key verbs, such as be, play, see, eat and go. New vocabulary is introduced in manageable batches before each chapter, and a photo-story representation accompanies each sentence in the storyline.;Exercises reinforce the language learning after each chapter, guiding the child to: recreate the sentences spoken on the recording with symbol stickers; connect the sentences spoken on the recording with the photo-story picture; create written sentences with symbol flashcards; Over 60 basic words are introduced and learned over the three storylines. Using the same method as presented in the book, young learners are then able to create and read their own sentences and stories, using the individual flashcards provided for each word.;The symbols - both visually appealing and non-threatening - provide a particularly strong link between meaning and foreign word; this association has far greater resonance in the mind of the child than that between foreign word and English - making it easier to memorize the French term and, most significantly, manipulate the Spanish words into established sentence structures. Narrated by the author and developer of the method, the CD has a liveliness, enthusiasm and authority that is missing from actor-narrated recordings. Enhanced by fun sound effects, the recording includes pronunciation of all the words and sentences - providing models for the learner to follow. With clear guidance on how to work through the book and use the stickers and flashcards in exercises, the CD makes the course ideal for the home environment, and allows the child to progress with the minimum of parental involvement.
