“Bonjour Dewi” is now teaching children French on Youtube. Episode 1 had been tested a few years back at Ysgol Gymraeg Aberaeron and now has been tested in Dewi’s hometown of Aberystwyth.
The results show that children below year six (about fifth grade, 10-11 years old) might struggle to grasp some of the concepts in the video, but they generally enjoyed it anyway. With the aid of the Bonjour Dewi work sheet, most of the class did get general gist of the vocabulary. In the hands of a professional teacher, it could be an excellent resource even for pupils in year four (about third grade, 8-9 years old).
At year six or above, the video has been successfully been used as a teaching aid to introduce vocabulary.
We did not screen Episodes 2 through 4 in either school. We suggest parents and teachers review Episode 2 before showing it to students. The show was built to be suitable for children of all ages, but there is peril in Episode 2 that may disturb children who have recently been through similar trauma. (So, we will not be screening Episode 2 at any schools in the near future.)
Episode 1 is below, or watch Bonjour Dewi on youtube.
All feedback will be greatly appreciated. Please be honest, thorough and polite in your suggestions, so that we can make “Bonjour Dewi” the best teaching resource it can possibly be.
