Frantastique is a creative and engaging online French language learning program created by Gymglish. Gymglish was founded in 2004 with a mission to provide innovative and entertaining online language learning experiences. The founders, a diverse group of language and technology enthusiasts, started by developing English courses before expanding to include French, driven by a desire to offer effective, enjoyable, and personalized language education globally. To date, the program has attracted over 7,000,000 users worldwide, demonstrating its popularity and effectiveness​ (Gymglish)​.

Differentiation:
Frantastique stands out with its unique narrative-driven approach, using humorous stories and cultural references to enhance learning. Each lesson features a mix of videos, audio recordings, text, and comics, often centered around whimsical characters, like aliens who explore French culture with historical figures like Victor Hugo. This not only makes learning French engaging but also ensures that vocabulary and grammar are remembered more effectively​ (FluentU)​​ (Lawless French)​.

How to Get Started:
To begin with Frantastique, users can sign up for a free 7-day trial, which offers a taste of the program’s unique teaching style. Each lesson is designed to be short—typically 10 to 15 minutes long—making it ideal for busy schedules. The lessons are delivered daily to the learner's email, facilitating regular practice without overwhelming the learner​ (Lawless French)​.

How It Works:
Frantastique’s lessons are designed for daily engagement, with each session taking around 15 minutes to complete. The program is highly personalized, adjusting to the learner’s level based on initial assessments and ongoing performance. Lessons include a variety of interactive content such as fill-in-the-blanks, multiple-choice questions, and contextual exercises that relate directly to the video and audio clips provided. This setup supports both independent learning and minimal parent involvement, depending on the learner’s age and proficiency​ (FluentU)​​ (FrenchCrazy)​.

Educational Content:

  • Comprehensive grammar and vocabulary exercises

  • Listening and pronunciation practice

  • Cultural insights through multimedia content

  • Regular reviews of previously learned material

  • Personalized feedback and corrections via email

What’s Good About It:
Users appreciate the engaging and interactive nature of the lessons, the cultural immersion, and the program’s use of storytelling to make learning memorable. The daily lessons are short enough to fit into a hectic schedule but substantial enough to ensure steady progress in language skills​ (FluentU)​​ (FrenchCrazy)​.

What Could Be Improved:
While the program is generally well-received, some users find the cartoonish visuals a bit juvenile for adult learners. Additionally, the cultural references, while enriching, can sometimes feel disconnected from the learning objectives. Some users also note that the absence of a more structured speaking practice component is a limitation for those looking to enhance conversational skills​ (FrenchCrazy)​.

Advice from Parents:
Parents recommend integrating the lessons into the daily routine to build a habit of regular practice. They suggest supplementing the Frantastique curriculum with additional speaking practice, either through conversation with native speakers or using other resources focused on oral skills to round out the learning experience​ (FrenchCrazy)​.

Who It’s an Ideal Fit For:
Frantastique is perfect for learners who thrive with a structured, daily routine and those who enjoy learning through stories and multimedia content. It suits students who are visually and audibly engaged and can benefit from a context-rich learning environment​ (Lawless French)​.

Who It’s Probably Not a Fit For:
This program might not suit learners who prefer traditional learning methods with less emphasis on digital interaction or those who need a more rigorous focus on speaking skills from the outset​ (FrenchCrazy)​.

Grades:
Suitable for learners aged 15 and up.

Cost:
Frantastique offers various subscription plans starting from around 10 euros per month after the initial free trial period​ (Gymglish)​.

Ways to Get It:
Frantastique can be accessed through its website, with options for both web and mobile platforms, ensuring flexibility in how and where users choose to learn​ (Gymglish)​.

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Manisha Snoyer (co-founder of Modulo)

For the last 20 years, I’ve taught over 2000 children in 3 countries (of all socio-economic backgrounds). I pioneered an English language program in a conflict region in the Middle East. I’ve worked as a bilingual public school teacher at some of the highest and lowest performing public schools and in all five boroughs of NYC. I’ve tutored 18 subjects in three languages to some of the wealthiest families in NYC, San Francisco and Paris to make up for shortcomings in private schools they were paying up to $60,000 a year to attend.

Since 2015, I’ve helped hundreds of parents start microschools (way before this was a household buzzword). I founded CottageClass, the first marketplace for microschools and learning pods that was part of the Techstars 2018 class. In 2019, I created a virtual learning program to help families through the pandemic, a free online math tutoring program (masteryhour.org), and schoolclosures.org, a hotline developed in collaboration with Twilio and 80 other partners including Khan Academy, Revolution Foods and the Crisis Text Line, that served 100,000 families impacted by school closures.

I’ve climbed trees with children in forest schools in San Francisco, and tested new digital apps with kids in seven countries.

I’ve also coached dozens of families at different stages in their homeschooling journey. Most recently, I founded Modulo with homeschooling dad, best-selling author and tech entrepreneur Eric Ries, to help families curate their children’s education, social and childcare experiences drawing from a diverse array of in-person and online resources.


During the last three years, I’ve devoted much of my time to reviewing and testing secular homeschooling curriculum and other resource. I’ve spent the last three years talking to thousands of secular homeschooling families, and poring over tens of thousands of secular curriculum reviews and testing physical curriculum and digital apps for with hundreds of students to find the highest quality, most engaging, personalized learning materials for every type of learner.

I’ve spoken about homeschooling and modular learning at multiple venues including SXSW EDU, NY Tech Meetup, and on the LiberatedEd podcast.

In 2022, Modulo was one of 8 organizations who were awarded the Bridge Grant from the Vela Education Fund to expand access to homeschooling and modular learning to under-resourced communities.

My experience in education and homeschooling has led me to believe that there is no perfect education for every child, but families have an extraordinary amount of wisdom they can apply to building the perfect education for their individual child.

My goal with Modulo is to make it possible for any family to easily build a customized education that their child will love, and that will empower the whole family to thrive, taking into account, social, emotional and academic needs.

I love to answer questions from parents and receive feedback on how we can improve Modulo, so feel free to reach out anytime! I personally answer all the questions and comments readers leave on my blogs.

In my free time, I like hiking, traveling the world, tasting ceremonial grade matcha, enjoying dark chocolate.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University with highest honors, with a double degree in French Literature and American Studies and minors in Environmental Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies.

And I love to learn!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-snoyer-5042298/
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