Tout un Monde: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Intermediate French

Reviewed by Karen Quandt, Assistant Professor of French, Wabash College on 4/22/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This is a surprisingly comprehensive language textbook, given its relatively short length; there are only three chapters, but they each include an impressive amount of material. All of the important grammar structures are covered, and there is a wealth of vocabulary and accompanying exercises woven in. There is an index, which lists the major topics and structures, but I think it would have been more helpful to include a table of contents instead. The glossary is extensive and attractively laid out.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content is accurate and unbiased. I think I noticed only one minor typo.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

One of the strengths of this book (recently published in 2019) is that it offers topics and material that are completely relevant and interesting to university students. It is especially helpful that it offers material related to modern professions and fields; this will be very appealing to a wide range of students. I really like how it includes a number of exercises that require searches online, or further investigation of certain websites (links are embedded in the textbook). These engaging activities add a nice interactive touch.

Clarity rating: 5

Everything is clear and well written.

Consistency rating: 5

The framework of the textbook is consistent.

Modularity rating: 5

There is a clear pattern to each chapter, and each one begins with a list of the vocabulary topics and the grammar structures. Within each chapter, exercises are marked by letters, and a clearly visible blue bar introduces new topic headings. It would be very easy to refer to pages and exercises without any confusion.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

At first glance, it may seem that the material in the textbook is presented in a random or haphazard fashion. However, when going through it more carefully, I realized that it actually flows very well; it departs from the traditional rigid framework of language instruction textbooks (it's more about flow than it is about sections), and I find that to be very refreshing. This is more like an engaging book to read through and interact with than it is a book full of vocabulary sets or dry grammar drills.

Interface rating: 5

The interface is wonderful and there are no issues with it whatsoever. The images are beautiful and one of the highlights of the book. The book is handsomely designed overall.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not notice any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

One of my primary critiques of this book is its lack of a wide range of Francophone cultures. A few are touched upon in passing here and there, but the primary emphasis is on France and Europe. This is quite surprising for a recently published textbook. If I were to adopt this textbook for my intermediate French class, there is no question that I would have to supplement it with material related to non-European Francophone cultures. That said, the content related to French culture is excellent; there are poems interspersed here and there, along with art works, a wide range of historical figures, and references to scientific fields.

Comments

One of the great achievements of the book, in my opinion, is that it offers grammar review without making it obvious; in other words, the grammar becomes interesting by virtue of the interesting themes and topics. When teaching at the intermediate level, I often find myself struggling to use textbooks in creative ways, and this book allows breathing room for a multitude of follow-up lessons or activities. Despite its admirable amount of content, I do think the book could have been a bit more comprehensive; I suspect that I would have to supplement with a good deal of my own material in order to make it work in the classroom, but this is not necessarily a big drawback. All in all, I think that this offers an engaging resource for students and opportunities for instructors to be more imaginative and up to date with course content. If this textbook is updated in the future, I hope to see more inclusive material related to non-European Francophone cultures.

Reviewed by Frédérique Grim, Professor, Colorado State University on 4/6/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

There are definitely a multitude of topics covered in the textbook, over three long chapters. However, there is no table of content, which makes it difficult to know what to expect of the book and its organization. I like the variety of themes, that are unique to this textbook.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The grammtical, lexical and cultural content appear accurate and I didn't notice mistakes or typos.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

The textbook is from 2019 with very professionally-oriented themes, so very relevant for our students' population. The professional focus is important as our students need to be more prepared for a career, with strong foundations in French. The topics can easily carry through time and will not age quickly. However, there is a definite lack of personalization of the activities. Some topics seem a little off, for example under "se construire une meilleure vie" there is an activity about mosquitoes, which would be okay but there is no context to the subtopic.

Clarity rating: 5

The language is very accessible for 2nd or 3rd year levels.

Consistency rating: 2

I am not sure how to answer to this. In some ways, there is a consistency as the themes move quickly and the subsections are short, but at the same time, I don't know what to expect as I move along the textbook. Sometimes, it is about grammar, sometimes vocabulary. Sometimes there are several activities to practice the grammar and vocabulary, sometimes there are very few.

Modularity rating: 2

One point I was surprised not to see was a table of content, with a layout of how the scope and sequence was organized, as well as a clear objective-based outline. Without the table of content, it makes it very challenging for the instructor to know what to plan. The book is also not based on either the American or European proficiency frameworks, which I am surprised about since it dates from 2019. The fact that it is targeted to intermediate levels is not justified by the author. The fact that the grammar section appears at the end of the main chapters is not condusive to ease of teaching and lesson plan organization.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 2

The book is divided into three large chapters, which is unusual, but at the same time, it appears to make a lot of sense as well based on the themes. Because the 1st page of each chapter is hyperlinked to the secondary section, it makes it easy to navigate the content. In order to bring students to notice sections, bright orange tables are used. The communication focused piece of the book is not clear. By adding a introduction to guide the learners in their journey for each chapter might be helpful. I find it very interesting to bring up some of the grammatical features within the explanation of activities. However, the practice uin the 1st half of the chapters is very limited and it seems that students would not be able to acquire much based on those activities alone. I do like the Analyse inductive sections and I think they should be present a lot more. The last section of the chapters is all about grammar but is completely decontextualized from the rest of the chapter. A lot of my comments above would possibly apply here as well.

Interface rating: 5

I didn't notice any issues with the interface.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I didn't notice any issues with the grammar.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

There are definitely good references of cultural aspects that could be viewed as "non-traditional" as it talks about historical origins or just general topics that would be very relevant to learners at a college level. The pictures are a great cultural source and bring a lot of support to the content of the book.

Comments

I think there are a lot of positives to this textbook. However, there is a definite lack of oral communication opportunities. The activities are very focused on short answers, with no push for language proficiency and personal answers. Despite the wealth of the topics, I find them somewhat eclectic at times (for example, one activity goes from macrophagis to Giverny gardens), without giving enough time to explore them, either grammar wise or lexis wise. I would recommend the book as a secondary source but NOT as a textbook for a class.

Reviewed by Peter Eubanks, Associate Professor of French, James Madison University on 2/17/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The textbook covers the grammar at this level quite well, and covers many different facets of French culture and history. While there is also some emphasis on Quebec, the text could be more comprehensive in including more Francophone topics. The glossary is extensive, though I am not sure it is really needed.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I saw no errors or bias in the text, unless one counts the emphasis on France to the exclusion of other French-speaking areas in the world as error or bias.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The textbook is from 2019, and the cultural discussions and references are very contemporary.

Clarity rating: 4

The textbook is very clearly written, and entirely in French. The text could use some more explanations when discussing grammar.

Consistency rating: 5

The text builds on vocabulary and topics presented, and does so in a way that is consistent.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections, and the internal links facilitate this fact. The text can be studied in its entirety or it can be broken up for use in various other contexts or with other texts or topics.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics in the text are presented in a logical and clear fashion. The striking images, clear explanations, and engaging exercises aid this presentation.

Interface rating: 5

I found no interface or navigation problems whatsoever. The visual aspect/presentation of this text is quite stunning, actually.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found no grammatical errors. Grammar explanations could be clearer at times, however, though I appreciate that these explanations are always in French.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

While the cultural material on France and Quebec is extensive and very engaging, there is virtually no emphasis on other Francophone cultures.

Comments

What a beautiful and relevant/contemporary book, with striking images and engaging exercises of all kinds (grammar, literature, history, contemporary culture)! I plan to incorporate this book in my teaching this summer, for my Intermediate II course. Would there had been discussions about French cinema (though the discussion about French commercials was great) and more discussion about possible essay topics and writing assignments. Oral exercises to accompany the written exercises may also have been useful. But a stunning achievement, really.

Reviewed by Cecile Barnhart, Associate Professor of French, Louisiana College on 5/4/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

This book does not comprehensively address the language content and skills typically addressed in an intermediate-level French textbook. It is as though this is "part 1" of a 2-part project, or this book could be used in conjunction with other resources (to address aural and reading skills) in a first semester Intermediate French course. Instructors may be more apt to use this resource if it included an additional three similarly-conceived chapters for the second semester of Intermediate French. It could then be considered truly comprehensive.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content that is presented in the book appears to accurate, error-free, and unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is up-to-date and grounded in a historical and literary context (especially through the choice of vocabulary and images/illustrations) that will cause it to have longevity for all students as well as particular relevance for students who plan to continue their student of French to include French and francophone literature and culture.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is written in simple, clear French. This is advantageous because it allows the intermediate French student to "capture" grammatical and historical terms in context.

Consistency rating: 5

The textbook has a consistent format that allows it to be predictable in its presentation of vocabulary, grammatical concepts, and the practice of the same.

Modularity rating: 5

This textbook could easily be reformatted to be used in conjunction with other materials (aural practice, reading passages, additional grammar instruction/review, etc.). If such reformatting was done, this text could possibly be used for two semesters of Intermediate French.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This textbook presents information in a logical, clear fashion.

Interface rating: 5

The downloaded pdf displayed the textbook clearly and easily.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text is free of grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text appears to be culturally inclusive and not euro-centric. For example, cultural references and images include those from francophone Europe as well those from the French-speaking world.

Comments

The textbook does not include current images of individuals. If it did, it would make it have less longevity, of course. But on the other hand, it would make it more culturally relevant and attractive to students. Students would be able to connect visually with images of people similar to them (or different from them). Of course, instructors can supplement the text with video resources and others to help with this. In addition, it is unclear as to whether or not there are ancillary resources such as testing resources, audio-visual resources (such as audio files online or corresponding videos), or practice exercises (such as a practice workbook) available to go along with this textbook.

Reviewed by Cynthia Laborde, Assistant Professor of French, University of Texas at Arlington on 3/3/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The textbook contains a very appropriate and exhaustive glossary. The three chapters cover their area appropriately, with many interactive and communicative activities for the students. The grammar is a review is limited to the different verbs tenses and the different pronouns in French.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

All the information is accurate and all pictures are recent.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The textbook focuses on vocabulary and grammar points through 3 main themes : building a successful future, cultivating your garden and your taste, describing your vision to reach your destination. Each of these broad themes are divided in 3 sub sections. All the themes and sections are contemporary and apply to nowadays society in a broad way.

Clarity rating: 5

The textbook uses both inductive and deductive methods of learning. There are lists of vocabulary given with both French and English, and grammar charts but no explicit grammar explanations. Students learn through a set of activities, from reading to matching exercises but also doing specific searches online. The book gives students the tools they need, students learn by using the tools. This requires the instructor of the course to be a mediator and a guide.

Consistency rating: 5

The book is very consistent in its structure and way of approaching new material. New vocabulary is in blue charts. Grammar points are in orange charts. Two to four pages are dedicated to each grammar point or new vocabulary words.

Modularity rating: 5

The book is very modulable, 3 chapters with 3 parts each revolving around different grammatical points and thematic vocabulary.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Since the book isn't for beginners, the flow of information isn't as important. Each chapter works around a specific theme. They could potentially be done in a different order. "Second year" means students have already seen the grammar points, but maybe not as much in depth. The textbook offers a good grammatical review of verb tenses and pronouns, while introducing new vocabulary, all of which are used in context and together.

Interface rating: 5

No interface issue. The images used as illustrations are sharp and colorful. The use of colors is helpful for students who are visual learners.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The book isn't culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. However it also doesn't particularly broach on that subject. It does try not to focus exclusively on France by integrating different francophone cultures.

Comments

It's a great book that can be used on its own, or as a base for a class where an instructor also provides their own material to complement the textbook. The textbook is entirely in the target language (French), aside from the English translation of some of the vocabulary.