Posts Tagged ‘romantic streets’

Overview

Here at Mon Beau Sapin we are definitely Francophiles; bona fide lover of all things French.  Even when I was a little girl, I would daydream about visiting the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, and wandering the romantic streets of Paris.  When I finally had the opportunity to take some French classes in high school, I was so excited!  The only problem was, well, I couldn’t seem to get the hang of the language.  What a disappointment!  I barely passed.

My close friend Camille, born and raised in France, told me about Rocket French a few years ago, which rekindled my interest in learning French.  She had taught some French classes on-and-off, and thought the Rocket French curriculum was really top-notch, as well as much more affordable than the most popular course on the market.  The program is designed to encourage users to speak and improve their French during each and every lesson, doing so naturally, while building a useful French vocabulary.  Plus, there are plenty of interactive quizzes and self-tests to monitor improvement as you proceed through the lessons.  I was definitely intrigued, and decided to give it a try.

Review

Forget those boring textbooks from your high school French class; Rocket French is definitely a step up from dry, old-fashioned classroom curricula.  Rocket French has a host of great features and a solid underlying French curriculum, but its real appeal is in how it manages to be so fun to use.

Learn Where and When You Want

Rocket French contains 33 full lessons, which are comprised of interactive activities accessible from anywhere.  I listened on my mp3 player, but other options included on the computer, in the car, or even at the gym.  Rocket French goes with you, which makes practicing your newfound language skills convenient and easy.

Audio courses are essential, in my opinion, for learning a new language.  Tuning the ear to the new language and hearing the pronunciations of native speakers allows for a better command of the language.  Rocket French, of course, has this audio angle covered, but also helpfully includes the written transcripts of each audio clip.  Being able to see the French written words helps you become fluent in speaking and reading the language.

Tips on Understanding the French Culture

Rocket French includes interesting forays into the culture of France.  For those preparing for a future trip to France, this is especially useful.  Those who haven’t had the chance to travel in France may be surprised that there are different cultural norms for eating out, traveling, celebrations, and etiquette.  Rocket French will prepare you for all these situations, giving you insight into the French way of life.

Vocabulary Building Software

Download the MegaFrench software to help you build your French vocabulary and to test your ability to recognize spoken French.  It’s also especially useful for learning French verbs, which can be a daunting task for some.  I found that if I couldn’t get it right the first time, I could just repeat the games as many times as I needed to really reinforce the learning.  I found that revisiting games every few weeks helped me to retain the information and access it from my memory more and more quickly.

A Few Drawbacks

Rocket French does claim that users can become fluent in French in three months, which is probably true for those who have a natural affinity for learning languages.  I didn’t find that after three months I was necessarily ready to hop a plane to France and start chatting with handsome Frenchmen.  However, I can definitely say that I had come further in three months with Rocket French than I had in two torturous years of high school French.

Another minor complaint is that the explanation of grammar rules could be more complete.  Grammar isn’t something you should be too worried about when just starting out, but if you intend to get serious about French, it will definitely be something you’ll need to understand eventually.

If you’re still not sure if Rocket French is for you, they do offer 6 free lessons on their site, complete with audio, lessons, and activities to give you a taste of the course.

The Bottom Line

My old friend Camille was right when she recommended Rocket French to me.  Rocket French is a solid and enjoyable course for those looking for an affordable and accessible French language course that also happens to be fun.  Even if you’ve had trouble with traditional methods of language learning, Rocket French can help you overcome past failures with an innovative teaching method.  The integrated approach combines learning French culture with the French language, resulting in a truly comprehensive language-learning package.

Tags: classroom curricula, eiffel tower, french classes, french curriculum, french vocabulary, interactive quizzes, notre dame cathedral, romantic streets, streets of paris, top notch