daydrmgirl's Full Review: Pierre J. Capretz, Marie-Odile Germain, Beatrice A...
What is French in Action?
It's a set of introductory French material. It follows the journey of a young American, Robert, in Paris and his friendship with a young French woman, Mireille. The method/material was developed by Pierre Capretz of Yale University. The set includes a video for each lesson (52 lessons total, I believe), a textbook, a workbook, and an audio portion that accompanies the workbook.
Method
The French in Action method emphasizes learning from comprehending, that is, without translating or thinking in English first. Thus from the very beginning, the video program is entirely in French (same goes with the textbook). The workbook instructions and explanations are in English up to lesson 5 or 6, then it's entirely in French also (same for the audio program). The program also emphasizes speaking ability.
Each lesson usually starts by watching the video (before reading the text). Our professor requires us to watch it twice. Once on our own and once with the teaching assistant (TA). Then we do the first part in the workbook using the audio program (still without reading the textbook). The audio program reads the text in portions and ask us to repeat certain phrases or answer questions. Then there are pictures for us to relate to phrases. Until we finish this part, we are not allowed to read the textbook.
Even afterwards, the textbook does not play an important role in the course. We usually work with the workbook, which covers grammar, common usage, phrases, etc. At least 4-5 hours are needed for each lesson.
Video/Textbook
The video was produced in the 1980s, I believe. The story is very typical-- A young American guy falls in love with a young French gal while traveling in Paris. The video will first present a dramatized version of the text (~15 minutes). Then the professor (Pierre Capretz) comes out to explain key points and grammar while the video is presented again in segments (~15 minutes). No English is used in any part of the program. The textbook includes a text (conversations/dialogs in the video) and pictures/drawings/comics on the side to explain vocabs/common usages. There are related materials (comics, poems, essays, etc.) at the end of every lesson.
Since the video was produced in the 1980s. People dressed like the 1980s, and they talked like the 1980s. Some phrases, according to my teaching assistant (who is French), are not used any more! The pace of the story is VERY slow. It takes the pair almost a semester (15 lessons) to finally meet each other! The no English method works well at the beginning when all the words we learn describe physical things. When we get into more abstract vocabs, we usually have trouble comprehending the word from the video and the professor or TA will give us the English definition of the word.
Workbook/Audio
The workbook usually starts with pronunciations, since French pronunciation is fairly hard to grasp for beginners. After that, it moves on to common usage and grammar. Some sections requires the audio program, some do not. The lesson usually ends with a dialog which our professor asks us to memorize and perform in class. After the dialog are supplementary exercises to be used in conjunction with the textbook. The exercises come in the form of question and answer (the questions are printed on the workbook and read on the audio program, and the answers are given in the audio program), fill in the blank, or just explanation of usages/grammars.
A lot of emphasis are placed on speaking and listening. Out of some 40 sections in each lesson, only a hand-full do not need the audio program. This certainly forces us to read aloud to ourselves and read along.
The effectiveness of French in Action
So far, I've had one year of French in Action (25 lessons). We've covered present, imperfait, passe compose (though not how to use it), future, and some other points in grammar. We've covered topics including families, physical descriptions, comparisons, French food, etc. I am not totally confident about speaking French, but I'm not afraid of it. My stomach always give a lurch when someone throws French at me, but I pick up words here and there and when needed, I believe I can strike a useful conversation with people in French.
I took a placement test at the local French center and they placed me in 202, a mid-intermediate level in their courses. The French center uses Reflets and has three levels in their course - beginners (4 sub levels, 101~104), intermediate (3 sub levels, 201~203) and advanced (1 level, 300). I didn't do particularly well in my French in Action class, but I seemed to place fairly well in the French center levels. Maybe this will give you an idea of how French in Action compares to other introductory French material.
Update: 7/13/2004
I ended up taking 201 at the French center, starting at the beginning of Reflet 2. I needed the grammar review and more conversation practice. I would say that French in Action and Reflet are almost side-by-side in terms of covering grammar and usage. While I used to think French in Action's storyline is cliche, it's actually MUCH more interesting than Reflet's.
OVERALL
French in Action employs the language learning method that comes most natural to us -- observing and imitating. I think this method is successful. However, the video and some usages should be updated for use in the modern days. I highly recommend this set to anybody who is interested in learning conversational French but does not want to sacrifice grammar.
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