Français interactif
Français interactif is a popular, award-winning, and thorough textbook of 347 pages, ideal for first-year French, but also useable for the first semester of second year. It includes fourteen chapters, organized thematically, plus a glossary. Each chapter includes the following components: vocabulary, phonetics, preparation exercises, online video clips of three types (introduction, vocabulary presentation, interviews), online grammar, pair exercises, class or group exercises, listening comprehension exercises, homework/writing exercises to turn in, cultural notes, interactive grammar, and song exercises "Chansons exercises." There are many components to choose from, thus it would be difficult to cover them all in one semester. The simplest and most logical way to divide the content would be to cover seven chapters per semester (0-6 and 7-13), but one could also use it over three semesters (0-4, 5-9, 10-13) and add a supplement like a reader for the last semester.
The textbook appears accurate and unbiased throughout. I found one typographical error, the word "acess" instead of "access" on page 3.
The vocabulary and content are mostly up to date, but the book is centered around French culture of continental France. The organization and structure is flexible enough, however, that aspects of diverse francophone cultures (Louisiana, the Antilles, Africa, the Pacific) could be easily integrated. It needs some updating as far as the content. For instance, instructors would have to explain or omit the Simpsons, the Teletubbies, and Lance Armstrong and replace them with something more contemporary.
The book is clear and concise in both its English sections (“Grammaire active” instructions and grammatical side notes) and French sections (“Cultural side notes”). It has a significant amount of graphic organizers (photos, lists, graphs, grids) that make it flow well.
There is a nice combination of consistency, balance, and variety. The first page of each chapter clearly states the learning objectives in four sections: Vocabulary, Phonétique, Grammaire, Vidéos. Several pages of vocabulary begin each lesson and there is the right balance of listening, speaking, reading and writing exercises throughout. In fact, each chapter offers an average of thirty exercises aimed at strengthening the four skills.
Because of the flexible structure and the fact that each chapter can be downloaded as a PDF, material can be easily moved around and assigned in a different order if desired.
The structure is quite logical. As stated earlier, the material can be easily rearranged if need be.
The only problem was a time issue in navigating between the different components of the book, from the pages of the chapters to the videos, to the online exercises, to the audio files, and back again. Instructors will have to anticipate these issues in order to make his/her classes run smoothly. Those with real technological skills will perhaps want to embed the videos and mp3 files directly into the textbook so as to avoid potential navigational problems.
I did not find any grammatical errors, only the typo on page 3 stated earlier.
The textbook is not very culturally or ethnically diverse. As stated earlier, it could use a much broader presentation of the Francophone world.
What this book most lacks are connections to the Francophone world outside of continental France. But it is particularly strong and comprehensive in the areas of vocabulary, grammar, and phonetics. Indeed, I greatly appreciate the number and variety of exercises. What my students need most is the opportunity to practice and this textbook certainly offers that while also accommodating different types of learners. The fact that the chapters can be downloaded as separate PDFs makes it user-friendly and easy for the instructor to supplement and rearrange with his/her own content and activities. Well done!