Français interactif
Français Interactif combines a PDF textbook with a complementary online platform to introduce vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and culture to students of elementary French.
The PDF textbook is error free. Some external links on the textbook website are broken. In terms of bias, Français Interactif focuses mainly on French spoken in France and French culture with hardly any mention of the larger Francophone world.
Because the textbook was developed for students at the University of Texas-Austin, it has a lot of cultural references to places and people around Austin and Texas that might be lost on students at other schools. For example, one of the characters in the grammar activities is a dim-witted squirrel named Joe-Bob from College Station. Apparently there is a rivalry between UT-Austin and Texas A&M, which is in College Station. This detail had been lost on me until a student from Texas explained it to me. There are also references to Stubb's Bar in Austin, typical weather in Dallas, making travel plans to Louisiana, Lance Armstrong, and Tony Parker. When using this textbook to teach, I've simply replace their Texas references with people and places that are more relevant to students in Oregon.
The text is clear and accessible. Instructions in chapters 0 and 1 are in English, but in French in all subsequent chapters. The consistency and continuity within the chapters, however, allows for a smooth, hardly noticeable transition for students.
Every chapter is built using the same framework. They each have their own website with a link to the chapter PDF, a brief introduction to the chapter and introductory video, a list of vocabulary with an auditory function so students can listen and repeat vocab words on their own time, a pronunciation lesson, links to TEX's grammar activities that are relevant to each chapter, and a series of videos which use the chapter's content in authentic contexts.
Within each actual textbook chapter are a variety of reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities. The activities build on each other and are well scaffolded, which contributes to a strong sense of continuity between chapter and activities.
Due to how both the chapters build on one another in terms of grammar and vocabulary presentation, I think it would be difficult to divise the chapters or to change their order without significant adjustments. However, the activities in each chapter are divisible and easy to rearrange.
Français Interactif is well organized and consistent from chapter to chapter. Each chapter begins with some activities which incorporate thematic vocabulary and introduces the theme of the chapter. These activities are then followed by some interactive grammar activities which use examples from the preceding exercises to contextualize the grammar. Interactive grammar activities are normally followed by speaking and writing exercises which focus on interaction through group or pair work.
The only chapter I have found to have organization/flow issues is chapter 6 because it presents the passé composé through an interactive grammar activity at the beginning of the chapter but doesn't follow up with any practice until the much later, toward the end. Instead, the passé composé interactive grammar activity is immediately followed by an activity with regular -re verbs in the present tense.
The interface is pretty clear cut but the chapter homepages can be overwhelming for students at first as they are learning a new language and how to navigate the online platform at the same time. I take time in class to walk my students through the Français Interactif textbook website and where to find different activities.
I have not detected any grammatical errors. In the textbook, grammar is presented inductively through interactive activities which allow students to infer rules through use. TEX's grammar provides a more deductive grammar presentation that students can consult outside of class and is an excellent resource for new students who are learning a certain grammar point for the first time. It's also a good resource for more advanced students who are looking to brush up.
The textbook focuses mainly on France and French culture and would benefit from incorporating a more Francophone perspective through readings, photos, and cultural comparisons between different French speaking countries.
Français Interactif is a solid, high quality textbook. The textbook activities are conducive to communicative in-class activities and promote grammar and vocab acquisition. In my experience, students have found the cultural notes interesting and the activities engaging.