~Spanish, what the heck do I use?~

[mommybee]

I can't figure out what is the best direction for the study of Spanish for my 9th grader.

 

Rosetta stone is way out of my budget right now and WTM doesn't really have that many recommendations.

 

I thought when the time came this would be easy since I have seen so many Latin homeschool courses.

 

Any suggestions?

[Miss Marple]

I chose to wait until my dss could do languages concurrently at the local university. I tried Rosetta Stone, SOS, and Galore Park. Problem was...it just never got done. Not much help, sorry.

[gingersmom]

I just ordered Breaking the Barrier Spanish (http://www.tobreak.com).

[Moni]

Good luck!

 

Wish I could help you.

I gave up.

We are just going to do Spanish at the CC.

 

:seeya:

[Starr]

We also do Spanish at the local university. I have friends that teach some at home to get her children familiar with a foreign language and then has them take the course at college. They find this easier.

[Ibbygirl]

I use Spanish Now with my 12 yo dd. I don't know if it would be too "young" for your 9th grader, but it's a fun approach to the language. You can "look inside" the book here. http://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Now-Level-1-CDs/dp/0764177745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251290669&sr=8-1 Good luck to you! :)

[K-FL]

We also do Spanish at the local university. I have friends that teach some at home to get her children familiar with a foreign language and then has them take the course at college. They find this easier.

 

Dd#2 is doing Spanish I this semester w/o any prior class. Dd#1 took it & said they assume you've never taken hs Spanish.

 

Another plus (besides out-sourcing :)) is that they both get the hs credit which fills the college entrance reqs, but also the college level class which fills the college graduation reqs. I love getting 2 for 1.

[mommybee]

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

I guess maybe I look into some correspondence courses or something.

 

I know some spanish and I want him to be familiar with it before he gets out of high school. I'm not ready for him to hit CC just yet. We have discussed going in his junior year though, so maybe then.

[Jean in Wisc]

I can't figure out what is the best direction for the study of Spanish for my 9th grader.

 

Rosetta stone is way out of my budget right now and WTM doesn't really have that many recommendations.

 

I thought when the time came this would be easy since I have seen so many Latin homeschool courses.

 

Any suggestions?

 

I suggest you google SOS Spanish (Switched on Schoolhouse by Alpha Omega) on these boards. It is a computer program that is complete with spoken, written, and grammar components. It prepared my dd for college Spanish very well. I do it open notebook--anything they write in their notebook can be used for quizzes and tests because the program in intense with vocabulary! This has worked well for us. They are now saying to start with Secondary Spanish and move into Spanish I and II for 3 years of high school credit.

 

Jean

 

Some links:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95377

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88464

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80459

[Susan C.]

We have started Spanish with dd in 10th grade. We are using Mango Languages (free at library), Standard Deviants DVD Basic Spanish, and Practice Makes Perfect workbook called Basic Spanish (got DVD and workbook from Amazon). So far, so good. My college aged son also started beginning Spanish this week at college (he lives at home). He said the class is easy, and could be done without any previous Spanish. (He did Rosetta Stone for two years in our homeschool.) His book is only 12 chapters, and it will cover THREE semesters. So I am not at all worried anymore about doing this at home. I do have the benefit of my son taking a class, my husband being able to help with pronunciation (he took a little at college), and dd's friends who have taken Spanish to help her.

 

My goals for Spanish 1 are basics, greetings, 8-10 groups of words (things around the house, things around town, etc.), and grammar basics.

[mommybee]

I'll have to check out SOS.

 

I was recently looking at BJU spanish 1, but again these programs are so expensive. I've never used any BJU products so not sure if it's something I would like or not.

 

I do have the benefit of having spanish speaking in my family, although I suck at it, but I have the correct pronunciations down pretty well, so I'm not really worried about handling it I just hoped for a good complete program.

[Jean in Wisc]

I'll have to check out SOS.

 

I was recently looking at BJU spanish 1, but again these programs are so expensive. I've never used any BJU products so not sure if it's something I would like or not.

 

I do have the benefit of having spanish speaking in my family, although I suck at it, but I have the correct pronunciations down pretty well, so I'm not really worried about handling it I just hoped for a good complete program.

 

My undergraduate degree was in Spanish. I find this program to be so much better than many of the programs out there. I'm sure other programs are good, but for the money (somewhere around $70), I think this does a good job of grounding the children.

 

I've never used the Secondary Spanish--we always started with Spanish I. This fall my my youngest child is going to use it and I will see if I like it as much as the Spanish I and II. My middle child felt as though he had landed in the middle when he started Spanish I without the Secondary Spanish, and I had to work with him more, but my older child did Spanish I without a glitch. She did Spanish I plus 3 or so chapters of Spanish II and discovered she had to take her college placement exam--and tested out of the equivalent of 3 years of high school Spanish. She decided not take to the chance, and enrolled for the 3rd semester of Spanish rather than going according to the placement test...and found that she did not have anything new in her class. This to me says the program is well done--especially since she is my "independent" child who did not want me to help her with the program. She did it completely on her own.

 

HTH,

Jean

[mommybee]

My undergraduate degree was in Spanish. I find this program to be so much better than many of the programs out there. I'm sure other programs are good, but for the money (somewhere around $70), I think this does a good job of grounding the children.

 

I've never used the Secondary Spanish--we always started with Spanish I. This fall my my youngest child is going to use it and I will see if I like it as much as the Spanish I and II. My middle child felt as though he had landed in the middle when he started Spanish I without the Secondary Spanish, and I had to work with him more, but my older child did Spanish I without a glitch. She did Spanish I plus 3 or so chapters of Spanish II and discovered she had to take her college placement exam--and tested out of the equivalent of 3 years of high school Spanish. She decided not take to the chance, and enrolled for the 3rd semester of Spanish rather than going according to the placement test...and found that she did not have anything new in her class. This to me says the program is well done--especially since she is my "independent" child who did not want me to help her with the program. She did it completely on her own.

 

HTH,

Jean

 

Thanks Jean, that's good to know. This high school stuff sure did sneak up on me fast:)

[Aretemama]

We've given up on Rosetta Stone and are trying the local community college this year:)

[Tea Time]

My undergraduate degree was in Spanish. I find this program to be so much better than many of the programs out there. I'm sure other programs are good, but for the money (somewhere around $70), I think this does a good job of grounding the children.

 

I've never used the Secondary Spanish--we always started with Spanish I. This fall my my youngest child is going to use it and I will see if I like it as much as the Spanish I and II. My middle child felt as though he had landed in the middle when he started Spanish I without the Secondary Spanish, and I had to work with him more, but my older child did Spanish I without a glitch. She did Spanish I plus 3 or so chapters of Spanish II and discovered she had to take her college placement exam--and tested out of the equivalent of 3 years of high school Spanish. She decided not take to the chance, and enrolled for the 3rd semester of Spanish rather than going according to the placement test...and found that she did not have anything new in her class. This to me says the program is well done--especially since she is my "independent" child who did not want me to help her with the program. She did it completely on her own.

 

HTH,

Jean

 

Hi Jean,

 

I've followed your posts about SOS for a couple of years now, and I have appreciated your advice.

 

My son will finish SOS Spanish II at the semester point. I understand this is now considered covering 3 years of high school Spanish. Where were you able to find this information? I want to get it right on his transcript. He did both levels of SOS after a semester of Spanish at the public school.

 

He works with a tutor now about once a week. This is such a great program because the tutor doesn't have to worry about planning or paper work. He just grades the stuff the SOS can't grade and answers questions, as well as makes sure pronunciation is right. It's great!

 

What are your suggestions for going beyond this? We live on the border, but can you believe that the CC doesn't offer Spanish? You would think it would help in learning Spanish to live here, but not so much.

 

It is tempting to stop after this since the "credits" will be enough, and there are a lot of other things that could use time and attention; but that would be such a shame. He has worked so hard and spent a ton of time. I feel it will all be largely wasted if he stops now! I will also check out the links you posted. I probably read them before, but I will go refresh my memory! Thanks again for the input!

[Brindee]

What are your suggestions for going beyond this? We live on the border, but can you believe that the CC doesn't offer Spanish? You would think it would help in learning Spanish to live here, but not so much.

 

It is tempting to stop after this since the "credits" will be enough, and there are a lot of other things that could use time and attention; but that would be such a shame. He has worked so hard and spent a ton of time. I feel it will all be largely wasted if he stops now!

I know you weren't asking me, BUT :iagree: that it would be a waste of time to just stop now! Does he have friends that speak Spanish? Are there any Spanish-speaking churches or clubs or something like that in the area? I'm thinking immersion in some way would be GREAT for him right now!

 

Jean, I have a question too: What age would you say would be good to start the Secondary Spanish?

[Jean in Wisc]

I understand this is now considered covering 3 years of high school Spanish. Where were you able to find this information?

 

I called Alpha Omega and asked specific questions about credits. The person answering the phone asked me to wait on the line while she called to ask their Spanish teacher who works for AO if, for certain, Secondary would be a full credit as well as Spanish I and II. The response was that if a student did all 3, it would count as 3 credits on a transcript. Spanish II is their 3rd year of Spanish.

 

What are your suggestions for going beyond this?

 

If you have Spanish TV, I'd suggest finding a couple of children's programs where you can turn the text on. It is a great way to hear the language and connect it with the written word. I llisten to Mopatop in Spanish a lot this summer. (I'd consider the whole thing nasty in English, but I UNDERSTAND it in Spanish and I am easily pleased. LOL!)

 

If you have it, Dish TV has some Spanish programs on NAUHS--their website will not let me get on it tonight, but you can look around at http://www.universityhouse.nau.edu for them. They teach several classes of Spanish, and even though you don't have the textbook, listening on the spoken language and the work can be great. Some classes are better than others, so check them out. A couple of years ago they had high school Spanish I and II classes where they had a number of guests come in and talk about various subjects. Very well done. It would have been hard for students to understand who are just taking Spanish I and II, but someone like your child might get some great things out of it!

 

For the 4th year of Spanish, I would suggest you have him do some reading in Spanish. I am currently reading the Bible in Spanish to brush up on the language. There are other books--one that often is used is Rosaura a Las Diez ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/888423.Rosaura_a_las_diez ). If it is too hard to understand, have him read it in English at the same time so that it makes better sense and makes translation easier. I often read both side by side in college--portions of Don Quixote in Spanish was beyond my comprehension--I still did the translation, but I understood it soooooo much more. LOL! A short book report would be appropriate, too.

 

Many books are translated into Spanish. I have The Three Little Pigs, Aesop's Fables, Peter Rabbit, and other books in Spanish. These are fun, too, but do re-check the difficulty level of the English version prior to ordering them--some kids' books have a higher level of English than we think!

 

Having the child do a review of grammar is good--one can usually pick up a grammar book or workbook at Barnes & Nobel or Borders that would help him go through the grammar quickly and catch things that were missed or forgotten.

 

I'd have the child do some reading about the countries where Spanish is spoken--geography, culture, history, food... This can be done in English or Spanish (if available in the library or where ever). From this reading, I would have him write paragraphs and short (very short) papers in Spanish as his written work.

 

It is tempting to stop after this since the "credits" will be enough, and there are a lot of other things that could use time and attention; but that would be such a shame. He has worked so hard and spent a ton of time. I feel it will all be largely wasted if he stops now!

 

I did 8 years of Spanish and then did not use it for 30 years. I am amazed at how much I've retained. I can't listen and understand the TV as well as I'd like, but I can understand a large % of the little kids' programming. LOL! I know that I would not recall so much if I had not kept studying it each year. I highly recommend he keep on going!

 

Do you have access to a Spanish newspaper? If you do, your tutor could pick out a few articles to read and discuss. Your child could translate the article ahead of time and then discuss the topic with the tutor. We use to use Ann Landers this way (am I showing my age?). Erma Bombeck was fun, too.

 

Well, I'm going to go find something else I can do that does not require me to move my head. I have inner ear problems and movement causes my whole world to turn upside down. :blink: Hope this gives you some ideas. I'd probably get together a few materials and have him work/listen/read/write for something between 120 and 180 hours and call it a credit rather than trying to put together a day-to-day schedule. One can never tell how long a translation is going to take!!! I'm buying a stop watch for English this year. LOL! This might work for you, too. :D

 

HTH,

Jean

[Jean in Wisc]

I know you weren't asking me, BUT :iagree: that it would be a waste of time to just stop now! Does he have friends that speak Spanish? Are there any Spanish-speaking churches or clubs or something like that in the area? I'm thinking immersion in some way would be GREAT for him right now!

 

Jean, I have a question too: What age would you say would be good to start the Secondary Spanish?

 

Well, this year is the 1st year for me to try it, so I can't speak from experience. We've always started with Spanish I. AO claims it is for 7th on up. I always thought Spanish I would be hard to do in 7th grade!!!!! But I'm guessing they probably are right with their Secondary Spanish being easy enough for 7th or 8th. I don't think it has much true grammar in it--but what they teach will probably fill that gap that my son experienced when starting with Spanish I. In a year I'll know more. :D

 

Jean

[Brindee]

Well, this year is the 1st year for me to try it, so I can't speak from experience. We've always started with Spanish I. AO claims it is for 7th on up. I always thought Spanish I would be hard to do in 7th grade!!!!! But I'm guessing they probably are right with their Secondary Spanish being easy enough for 7th or 8th. I don't think it has much true grammar in it--but what they teach will probably fill that gap that my son experienced when starting with Spanish I. In a year I'll know more. :D

 

Jean

Thanks Jean! Hope you feel better soon! :grouphug:

[Tea Time]

Hey thank you both for the thoughts! It seems like we should be able to find some kind of group or something for him to go to in our town that might give him some immersion. Mostly the native speakers here want to speak English if an English speaker is around them, but maybe I could look into a Church outreach or mission organization that he could work with. That might be great for several reasons.

 

I really like the idea of doing some Spanish TV and literature for a Spanish IV class. That seems very doable from where he is going to be finishing, and it would not be overwhelming to plan. SOS has definitely spoiled me in that regard!

 

A combination here would be really good, so thanks so much for the ideas.

 

Have any of you looked into foreign exchange programs? We have thought about that, too. I haven't ever seen any threads on this board discussing the idea. I am not sure I could part with my baby for a year. My dd left to college (about 8 hours away) a year early, so I already had to let go sooner than I expected to one. I do think it would be such an amazing experience if we could get it worked out.

[Jean in Wisc]

Have any of you looked into foreign exchange programs?

 

I attended school in Spain and in Mexico--they were summer programs. I'm certain that those experiences made a big difference in my Spanish skills. An exchange program would be great if you want to do it. Otherwise, I'd suggest looking at the overseas summer programs or semester programs that a lot of colleges offer.

 

Have you seen this one?

 

http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/newsite/about1.php

 

I'd LOVE to attend something like this!!!!

 

Jean

[Tea Time]

Have any of you looked into foreign exchange programs?

 

I attended school in Spain and in Mexico--they were summer programs. I'm certain that those experiences made a big difference in my Spanish skills. An exchange program would be great if you want to do it. Otherwise, I'd suggest looking at the overseas summer programs or semester programs that a lot of colleges offer.

 

Have you seen this one?

 

http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/newsite/about1.php

 

I'd LOVE to attend something like this!!!!

 

Jean

 

Thanks for the link! I will look at it more. I found this one, which is a year exchange but also has some summer programs.

 

http://www.asse.com/United_States/exchange_student.htm

 

This will be good for comparison, plus I'll have to look for more. A summer program seems more managable to me, but the cost is a factor. It seems like if you are going to spend all that money to get over there, it might be good to take the longer time. I'm glad to hear that a summer program might be enough to cement the language. I would be ever so much more comfortable with that!

 

Yep, I feel jealous! This would be so much fun! Thanks again. Your posts have inspired confidence as we have been struggling along this path. Foreign language is such a tough subject, not just for homeschoolers, but the public school struggles with it, too!

[abcmom]

I am having mine use this website this year. It seems to be like Rosetta Stone and best of all, it is free. www.livemocha.com

[Susan C.]

I am having mine use this website this year. It seems to be like Rosetta Stone and best of all, it is free. www.livemocha.com

 

Well, we tried Live Mocha, maybe we did something wrong, it seemed a lot like FaceBook. The first thing that happened is that an Arab guy wrote to my dd and asked her to teach him English..... So no more Live Mocha!

[Brindee]

 

Well, we tried Live Mocha, maybe we did something wrong, it seemed a lot like FaceBook. The first thing that happened is that an Arab guy wrote to my dd and asked her to teach him English..... So no more Live Mocha!

Really? :001_huh: Yikes! I was thinking it looked pretty neat........guess not! :glare: