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--- Forwarded Message from TennesseeBob Peckham <[log in to unmask]> --- >Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 11:52:19 -0700 >To: [log in to unmask] >From: TennesseeBob Peckham <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Beginning French program (TBob) ------------------ We are planning for the eventual replacement for Portes Ouvertes (an outstanding beginning college French textbook, which will probably not see a second edition). I just finished looking at the CD of another popular book, and it was clearly and devastatingly inferior to Portes Ouvertes. The wooden characters are the worst of Jack Webb impersonators, and dorks to boot, with those eye movements are characteristic of unwilling actors, still discovering a script. I keep waiting to see other members of the "Night of the Living Dead" cast appear, or for one of them to suddenly animated and utter "Live from New York...". Hey, maybe they are there "en attendant Godot". As director of the language resource center (an all Mac lab), I am responsible for 40% of the time of all of our language students from sand-pile through 2nd year. I am looking for a beginning French book which could be used for 3 semesters, one with a thorough CD and web program with exercises whose scores or transcripts can be printed out. I want engaging exercises, reflecting developmental realities and expectations in text type, topical variety, grammar, etc. Situational realism is important. It must have good video (no dorky talking heads) and accompanying activities, which could be used in listening comprehension tests. Materials should be integrated so that serious use could be made of each, and so it would be obvious that they were all part of the same learning experience. Our successful lab program required 100 minutes of hard work per week in the lab. Students get zeros for slack time. The textboo0k itself needs to be right also. Do you know of such a product? TBob -- ========================================================== Look it up in the Andy Holt Virtual Library http://www.utm.edu/vlibrary/vlhome.shtml ========================================================== Robert D. Peckham, PhD Director, the Globe-Gate Project Director, the Muriel Tomlinson Language Resource Center Department of Modern Foreign Languages Univ. of Tennessee-Martin http://globegate.org/french/globe.html