Génie Publication has a full library of worksheets and curriculum – all downloadable. The site is divided into 2 sections – curriculum to buy individually (prices vary depending on the item) and worksheets that come with the subscription service. An annual subscription with unlimited downloads from the subscription section costs just $10.99 per year (price going up slightly in September).
What I like about the annual subscription
Colourful worksheets with engaging content
Sheets are well designed and will draw the kids in. I found a fun one about cats that I’m going to use with our upcoming cats & dogs unit.
Solutions are included
So often you need to pay separately for the solutions. In this case, they are included with the download, so watch for that – don’t print the whole thing and give it to your student without looking.
Price
Pay once, get unlimited downloads from the subscription section of the site for a year. New worksheets added weekly.
Great search features & subject coverage
If you have something specific in mind that you need a worksheet for, you can quickly find it by choosing specific subjects, grade levels, or both. Within the français subject category, you can further refine by sub-categories: grammar, oral practice, etc. if you have something specific in mind. You can also do a keyword search if you’re looking for a specific topic:
I clicked on science for first grade here as an example.
Subjects available on the site:
- Français (French language)
- Math
- Science
- Celebrations/special days and ethics
- English as a second language
- French as a second language
- Educational resources (classroom and student organizational-type stuff)
- Music
Subjects other than French as a second language are geared for students whose first language is French, but that doesn’t mean that those who are just learning can’t use them.
Full previews
You can see the full catalog of worksheets even without a subscription (you just can’t download anything until you pay). This is fabulous because you can go through it, look at the previews, figure out how much stuff you’ll actually use and decide whether or not it’s worth it for your family.
Ways to use this site
French as a second language section
This is the most obvious way – check out the French as a second language section in both the subscription and catalog and see if any of the worksheets could help you with vocabulary development. When I logged in, there were about 24 different sheets in this area of the subscription section – a few grammar ones, a few on animals, winter, expressions, and others. New sheets are being added all the time.
Français (French language) section
If you have beginner-level students, choose the younger grades for this subject regardless of how old your kids are. The sheets in this subject are geared to students whose first language is French, but there are puzzles and vocabulary-building activities that could be very helpful for English students learning French.
For example, this J’ai, qui a (I have, who has) activity in the subscription section could encourage students to practice speaking specific words. You could grab the objects referred to from around your house and give the visual cues to associate with the words while you play.
If you have older students with more advanced knowledge, you can start to pull sheets from the older grade levels for more in-depth vocabulary, grammar practice, and many other applications.
Enseigner les expressions et les proverbes
These sheets can be used with students of varying ages. Each one gives a French expression, explains what it means (in French), and then asks the student to write a short text with the expression. For beginner levels, you could just talk about what the expression means and try to use it in everyday life. I think I may just do that with my kids – pull one a week and give them points every time they use it (properly) and at the end of the week, the person with the most points wins. Or we could collectively see if we can reach so many points together and reward ourselves with a fun movie (in French!) if we do.
Univers social-Éthique (special days/celebrations)
Kids love celebration days – birthdays, Valentine’s Day, start of spring, etc. These can be great opportunities to pull in worksheets on those themes. Discuss the vocabulary and practice using it. The site has word searches and simple puzzles to do for special days and other themes. Don’t let the age of 1st and 2nd grade be a deterrent. Older Anglophone children will find these fun and just at the right level of challenge.
Math practice with vocabulary development
You could pull some sheets from the math section, covering math practice and vocabulary development at the same time. You could help develop your student’s vocabulary just by going through the instructions and making sure you both understand what to do. The example I looked at had a girl who needed to trace her way through a path by choosing even numbers. I never knew that “even number” in French was “nombre pair” – I guess I never had the chance to use that expression before. Now I know. And that’s just one sheet.
Do some science experiments in French
One of my friends used to practice French with her son by doing science experiments together in French. Her son really loved science, so she thought it was a great way to practice French too. So smart!
This site has quite a few experiment sheets with instructions in French. If your kids like experiments, maybe you could add one of these per week to your routine.
Each sheet has clear instructions and an explanation of the results of the experiment. Either you or your child will need to be able to read French to do these. If you have the situation where your child was in immersion in public school for a few years for example, why not get them to tell you what to do for the experiments?
Science sheets (advanced students)
In the science section, you’ll find a number of topical worksheets. If you’re studying a particular topic in English, you could add some French worksheets to go with it as a supplement.
Grammar practice (advanced students)
If your student needs some extra grammar practice or review, you’ll find a large offering of worksheets to help with this.
Potential challenges with the site
It’s a supplement, not a structured curriculum
When you get curriculum in a book (even a downloaded one), it comes in a specific order and you just follow the pages and progress in a logical fashion. This site isn’t organized that way, so if you’re looking for a structured program, this isn’t it. Check out the catalog section of the site instead where they sell downloadable curriculum books. The subscription service acts more as a supplement to what you’re doing elsewhere.
Remembering to use it
When I need a grammar supplement, I need to remember to look here first before going elsewhere. Of course, that’s a me issue, not a Génie Publication issue!
Is it worth it?
If you can use even just one or two of the ideas I’ve noted above, then yes, I think it’s worth it. The price is $10.99, which is very reasonable for what you get.
Thank you to Génie Publication for providing me with a subscription for the purposes of this review. All opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced by the publisher in any way.
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Sounds like a great resource, especially for francophone homeschoolers.
It is! Lots of possibilities for French immersion as well.
sounds like a very useful program for the learning of french. 🙂