Customer Reviews

Instant Immersion French - Deluxe Edition Workbook (French Edition)

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I was excited to purchase this product as it was for our homeschool student (high school). I liked the idea of a workbook with cd, dvd & mp3 downloads & flashcards for my student. I had also purchased the MAIN software (product the same as the workbook same publishers, program, etc..) @ a local electronic store as it was compared to Rosetta Stone. It was NOT what I had expected. All it had (the software product) was a chart of "categories" to choose from. Once selecting the category it only gave you the words for that category & that was it. There was no integration, limited interaction and no REAL instruction. I was intending on using this workbook as a "supplement" to the main software program to add to the curriculum & reinforce what she was learning, however, it did NOT agree with or rather coincide with what she was learning in the software bundle. They both had a different order of learning various areas & categories and additionally, it didn't have a "comprehensive" way of teaching the language. For most learning of languages, there is a process that you follow, learn the basics, alphabet, counting, colors, shapes, etc...then intertwine that with learning the language mechanics, construction, conjugation, useage, etc.. but that is not what this goes into. I guess it would be ok if you need to quick learn something fast, however, it is NOT comprehensive & it is organized in a bit of a "scattered" style. It is a bit hard to find out where you should start, go next & end up at. But if you like that kind of a set up then this would be for you. I am a former teacher & teacher's assistant etc..and so I guess I have different experiences in learning languages. I was looking for something HIGHLY interactive, multimedia, less "lecturing" and more hands on learning & practical learning (not spending time of things you will never really use). So I did like the workbook & all the EXTRAS, but you do NOT want to use this as a regular stand alone course for the more serious minded or "school" learning minded people. It would be great if they could of had these other essentials tied into the program or workbook, then it would of been Excellent...but otherwise it was ok & I would much rather have this then some of the other EXPENSIVE programs & "cheap" programs out there that are worse than this. This would be a good choice to start with or supplement with if you are good at knowing the "process and/or intinerary" (no scope of sequence etc..)of what to learn when etc... It is one of the better choices for learning this language if budget and time are of your most pressing issues.

I bought this workbook as a guide for tutoring a 12 y/o girl. I love that it is full of color photos (very important for stimulating memory) and has conversations to supplement the vocab, but the vocab is presented in a confusing order (teach amie but not ami in Chapter 2?). The DVD doesn't correspond at all to the text, but gives many useful examples from native speakers as well as in German, Spanish, Japanese, etc. If you are a cunning Linguist you'll enjoy this set.

The size of this book is not intimidating which is another reason I like it. The introduction is short and sweet, hinting at the keys to mastering French rhythm and open syllabic structure. This won't overwhelm the young beginner.