News in Slow French

The transcripts provided and language used therein serves as a great tool to bridge the gap between beginner and advanced levels. For this I highly recommend the application. However the content of each show is rather depressing (as is commonly the case with news in general). Although the commentators speak excellently clear French, they are for the most part rather negative themselves and if I had to listen to these stories all the time I’d probably lull myself out of depression and hopelessness. Thus don’t let this be your only source of French content ;)

Slow News in French is an app that I would love to use with my upper level high school students. It is a weekly podcast which provides current event stories in French at a pace that is easy to understand. It comes with an extensive vocabulary list which is indicated as flashcards. It is a wonderful way for students to listen to authentic French and a diverse group of accents. The stories are current and cross disciplines with other classes that the students may be taking. You can also listen to the podcasts while driving your car or offline which takes the learning outside of the classroom. However, the app only allows you to listen to the podcasts. The other features, such as grammar tutorials, are only available through their website. The largest drawback of the app is that in order to hear an entire podcast, you must pay for the app. Otherwise, you only hear the beginning of the podcast and then the recording stops. I would not be able to ask my students to pay for the app. You must also have a subscription if you want to use the website. The subscriptions start with the bronze level and as your level increases, so does the subscription amount and the features that you recieve. Although I think that the podcasts are engaging and very relevant, I cannot endorse this app due to its limitations based on the subscription rate.

I have really enjoyed this app. I took French years ago and am trying to brush up on the language prior to a trip. While I am far from understanding much of what they say, this style of listening has allowed me to be an interactive learner through listening and reading along. I hear French words that I should recall and look them up immediately. While I only have the free version I am contemplating buying the full app.