The A*ttitudes AS level French course is now out there. 1 931 schools will have received letters invited them to use the trial username and password to log in to the Voyages, Vacances et tourisme sample unit. The resources can be used within the moodle VLE, downloaded and used as normal word files or the VLE version of the course can be downloaded and put into Fronter, uniservity etc. First sale came on the first day of release, paraxodically to Australia and for 7 units which was a good start to the launch. If other heads of department are like I used to be it might be a year of looking, checking out, coming back to it before I would take the plunge. Meanwhile we'll just keep on improving the content and getting nearer to what the generality of people, students and teachers, want.
Un Sac de Billes is becoming the clear leader in the most popular texts stakes; I would say it is beginning to overtake L'étranger resources as the most popular. I think my message about No et Moi is getting out and strangely outside the UK it is picking up quicker than here. Bonjour Tristesse as I have said before, outwardly is an appealing book to study but I think people lose their confidence with it - there have been lots of sales of resources in the last month or two indicating that teachers suddenly become desperate that the students haven't "got it".
Un village français the TV series on FR3 about an occupied village-actually a small town-is now in its third series so I'm looking forward to watching the DVD of that when it becomes available. I guess it would be too long to watch the whole series for students but for teachers wishing to immerse themselves in the period it's got most of the moral dilemmas you might wish to learn about to back up you knowledge for Le silence de la mer or Un Sac de billes.
I received an interesting question from a user of the alevelfrench.com resources the other day, asking whether Kiffe Kiffe Demain and No et Moi made a good tandem of books to study. I guess they do as Kiffe Kiffe Demain relates to the immigrant experience and the self help way of life experience by the typical Maghrébin family and how this blends in with the welfare state-against this we have the well off culturally rather isolated middle family of Lou in No et Moi where there is an equal amount of suffering alongside the failings of the state to help people like No-the young female SDF. So really a nicely balanced experience reading the two I would say.
Un Sac de Billes is becoming the clear leader in the most popular texts stakes; I would say it is beginning to overtake L'étranger resources as the most popular. I think my message about No et Moi is getting out and strangely outside the UK it is picking up quicker than here. Bonjour Tristesse as I have said before, outwardly is an appealing book to study but I think people lose their confidence with it - there have been lots of sales of resources in the last month or two indicating that teachers suddenly become desperate that the students haven't "got it".
Un village français the TV series on FR3 about an occupied village-actually a small town-is now in its third series so I'm looking forward to watching the DVD of that when it becomes available. I guess it would be too long to watch the whole series for students but for teachers wishing to immerse themselves in the period it's got most of the moral dilemmas you might wish to learn about to back up you knowledge for Le silence de la mer or Un Sac de billes.
I received an interesting question from a user of the alevelfrench.com resources the other day, asking whether Kiffe Kiffe Demain and No et Moi made a good tandem of books to study. I guess they do as Kiffe Kiffe Demain relates to the immigrant experience and the self help way of life experience by the typical Maghrébin family and how this blends in with the welfare state-against this we have the well off culturally rather isolated middle family of Lou in No et Moi where there is an equal amount of suffering alongside the failings of the state to help people like No-the young female SDF. So really a nicely balanced experience reading the two I would say.
