The Pop-up Concise Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary

www.ifinger.com/download.asp

KS3 - KS4 (Years 7 - 11)

Modern foreign languages

This product is distributed by Oxford University Press (Tel: 01865 556767)

This is a small but useful program in the right context, and it fulfils its simple purpose very well. It sits in the background of any Windows-based program and offers English or French translations at the click of the mouse. It might be useful to have the software loaded onto a few computers in the French Department. The program is extremely easy to work with and is instantaneously available. It could be invaluable to students with specific learning difficulties, who would appreciate the ease with which they could look up words. However, it is likely that its main use will be to older students of French or business people, rather than in the Key Stage 4 classroom.

The Oxford–Hachette French Dictionary is an extremely quick and accurate classroom resource for teachers and pupils wishing to use a computer to translate between French and English. Entries within the dictionary are frequently detailed and some pupils may find them too complex to use unaided. The program is unobtrusive and runs in the background of any Windows software until required. There is, however, an assumed understanding of how to read dictionary entries and if pupils do not have this skill, then the program may be too confusing to be efficient. The program would appear to be of more use at Key Stage 4 and above, as there is no built-in configuration to let the user simplify dictionary entries for younger or less experienced pupils.

I used the French dictionary with Year 7 and Year 9 pupils learning French. Pupils enjoyed using the dictionary and thought it was ‘cool – much better than a proper dictionary!’. Pupils used the dictionary as a tool just as they would a paper-based dictionary (but with a lot more enthusiasm) to look up key words to enable them to complete a task about Harry Potter using a French website.

I used the Pop-up French dictionary with a group of Year 10 pupils. By using the search facility we could practise our dictionary skills, find new words and look at foreign web pages for research purposes. We are currently building towards creating a piece of GCSE coursework about school and school life, so it was decided that the pop-up dictionary would ably assist pupils in finding ideas to link in with this. It was very successful and the pupils enjoyed using the program.