What I'm seeking in our bilingual homeschool

[Paul's Gal]

Thanks for all of your replies. I'm looking for upper-level Spanish only materials (7th and up). I'd really like some high school grammar books. We already speak Spanish, and the kids have schooled 95% Spanish only from the beginning, so we're DOING Spanish, not learning it. I have about decided to purchase classic readers translated into Spanish and try to pull vocabulary/grammar from them, unless someone else on the board has another suggestion. I'm hoping to avoid paying huge shipping fees from out-of-country. Any thoughts?

Tonya

http://meanolmama.blogspot.com/

[Renai]

That's our homeschool as well. (I'm no help when it comes to 2nd language Spanish, which is why I asked :)). Are you living mostly outside or inside of the US? I missed that information.

 

Santillana USA (http://www.santillanausa.com) has Spanish materials. As a Spanish publishing house, they are international, and have all materials from K-12. I'm currently using math from them, and will begin using their language arts this year or next (I still have hand me down materials for dd's 3rd grade year, but am kind of writing my own). Rod & Staff has materials, but not through grade 12. They have discounts if the materials are being shipped outside the US. Other publishing houses to look for are Fernandez Editores and Arco Iris. I know there are others but can't think of them right offhand. I'll check my group file and get back with you.

[Patricia in WA]

I found some downloadable books in Spanish here. Also we have used some audiobooks in spanish from Audibles.com.

 

HTHs,

[Paul's Gal]

We live in south Georgia (USA), so we don't have much access to upper level Spanish except on-line, catalogs, etc. I have friends who could send me workbooks from MX, but I want to see them first, ya know? I think I have things figured out in terms of how I'm going to do 8-12, but I want to avoid re-inventing the wheel if possible...

Tonya

[Renai]

Here are math books that can be downloaded free: http://www.sectormatematica.cl/libros.htm

[Ohdanigirl]

I have a question. I live in Mexico and homeschool in English. Although my children are bilingual I think we need to begin some formal study of Spanish (reading, writing, etc). My boys are 7 and 9, what worked for you when your children were smaller?

 

Danielle

[jenadina]

I have a question. I live in Mexico and homeschool in English. Although my children are bilingual I think we need to begin some formal study of Spanish (reading, writing, etc). My boys are 7 and 9, what worked for you when your children were smaller?

 

Danielle

 

:lurk5: We live in Mexico and homeschool in English too. I think we are just going to double up on language arts and leave everything else in English.

[Ohdanigirl]

Exactly what I have been doing. Let me know if you find anything worth looking at.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I think we are just going to double up on language arts and leave everything else in English.

 

I would avoid this. I'm schooling in English and French, not English/Spanish, but it should still be similar. Doubling up on language arts is busy work. An exclamation is an exclamation is an exclamation. If you know it in one language, you know it. Period.

 

We do language arts in the language that requires the most grammar, in our case French. For English language arts, all we did was read, read, read, and learn poems. No grammar, no text comprehension, nada .

 

I intend on picking up the advanced English grammar in high school, not before that (gerunds and stuff like that). We're also doing Latin, which has even more grammar than French. So the concepts are there, at grammar and middle school levels.

[Renai]

I would avoid this. I'm schooling in English and French, not English/Spanish, but it should still be similar. Doubling up on language arts is busy work. An exclamation is an exclamation is an exclamation. If you know it in one language, you know it. Period.

 

We do language arts in the language that requires the most grammar, in our case French. For English language arts, all we did was read, read, read, and learn poems. No grammar, no text comprehension, nada .

 

I intend on picking up the advanced English grammar in high school, not before that (gerunds and stuff like that). We're also doing Latin, which has even more grammar than French. So the concepts are there, at grammar and middle school levels.

 

I don't know where I've been- how'd I miss this thread? I completely agree with Cleo on this: a period is a period, a noun is a noun, a verb is a verb. We are doing grammar study, and the rest of language arts, in Spanish. There is more grammar in Spanish- gender, etc. In English, we read and do spelling (she wants to still spell English using Spanish phonics). I will present the English grammar somewhere around the 6th or 7th grade.

 

Most of our curriculum is in English, so I incorporate as much Spanish into our studies as possible. The memory verse she has in English, is copywork in both languages, but dictated in Spanish (her stronger reading/writing language). Subjects we study are presented in both languages when possible, math is done in Spanish, Spanish is in Spanish :tongue_smilie:. But language arts: full Spanish, then read in English is enough.

 

I've considered what I'd do if we were in Mexico (that's where my dh is from), and figured I'd still do things the same way. Except "maybe" reverse (since Spanish is the dominant language there)- English grammar, read read read in Spanish, then around the 6th/7th grade give the Spanish grammar. It's the same thing: no busywork necessary.

[jenadina]

I would avoid this. I'm schooling in English and French, not English/Spanish, but it should still be similar. Doubling up on language arts is busy work. An exclamation is an exclamation is an exclamation. If you know it in one language, you know it. Period.

 

We do language arts in the language that requires the most grammar, in our case French. For English language arts, all we did was read, read, read, and learn poems. No grammar, no text comprehension, nada .

 

 

Most of our curriculum is in English, so I incorporate as much Spanish into our studies as possible. The memory verse she has in English, is copywork in both languages, but dictated in Spanish (her stronger reading/writing language). Subjects we study are presented in both languages when possible, math is done in Spanish, Spanish is in Spanish :tongue_smilie:. But language arts: full Spanish, then read in English is enough.

 

You ladies are correct, and I didn't think it through before I posted about doubling up...the Spanish language arts books available to me are broken down into separate books for separate things: Orthografia, Gramatica, Lectura, etc. I would be buying only Lectura books and alternating between writing in English and in Spanish. There ARE different rules for writing in Spanish vs. English, so I do think it is important to learn and practice both, though not necessarily on the same day!

 

My main goal is for my son to be able to communicate well in both languages, and I'd like him to be able to read any literature originally written in Spanish IN Spanish.

[Renai]

You ladies are correct, and I didn't think it through before I posted about doubling up...the Spanish language arts books available to me are broken down into separate books for separate things: Orthografia, Gramatica, Lectura, etc. I would be buying only Lectura books and alternating between writing in English and in Spanish. There ARE different rules for writing in Spanish vs. English, so I do think it is important to learn and practice both, though not necessarily on the same day!

 

My main goal is for my son to be able to communicate well in both languages, and I'd like him to be able to read any literature originally written in Spanish IN Spanish.

 

Yes, I own several different resources for both languages as well, and we have the same goal. We live in a bilingual household, Spanish is my second language. I taught her reading in Spanish first, as it is the "minority" language. Being biliterate is a primary goal- one reason why we homeschool - we want her to speak, read, and write both languages with proficiency.

 

Please remember that these skills transfer readily from one language to another. The research that concludes this only takes into account mostly monolingual children learning a second language, so our children have a distinct advantage. Children in a dual-language learning model appear to be behind in the beginning, but around the 5th/6th grade, shoot up and many times advance ahead of their monolingual peers- in all subjects. This is a reason double the language arts really is not necessary. Learning one thoroughly will make the transition to the other very easy. Reading Spanish in Spanish only requires knowing vocabulary, if they can read well in English already. Writing is pretty much the same. Yes, there are some different punctuation rules, but that doesn't take years to learn, maybe 10 minutes, if they are proficient in one language. But, I could be too immersed to see much of a difference right now. Academic language is different however, and that is where the 5th/6th grade quote comes from above, that's about where both academic languages are learned to proficiency (remember, monolingual children learning second language).

 

What I'm doing with her is working at her level in each language. This means, she's in 3rd grade, doing 3rd grade Spanish language arts, and 1st grade English (her current level). She is getting more intensive direct Spanish grammar and writing instruction (using Classical Writing), but more of a Charlotte Mason approach for the English (I'm using Primary Language Lessons). So she'll working with the same concepts in English, but not getting the names, and not as intensively. I still think it's double the work, but the lessons are very short (5-10 minutes) and doesn't require much writing (I'm cutting out some of the writing as she's getting it in other places in our curriculum, including copywork). She also does spelling in both languages (right now, just in Spanish, but once phonics are complete, she'll get it in English too). I may just cut out PLL altogether, but we'll see. There are two grammar books geared to the 7th/8th grades that will probably work just fine (Applications of Grammar, and something else I can't remember, I'll get it through MFW). I can just do Spanish grammar thoroughly and she'll get the English grammar in 6th and 7th grades. We'll see.

 

Having said that, have you looked at Classical Writing? It is easily adaptable to both languages. I've implemented some with the Spanish. I use native language Spanish materials for models and have a list of skills she should be learning in the 3rd grade (I have a workbook someone gave me, but it's written in). In January, I'll implement it completely, as right now we are working on different skills.

 

It looks like this in our house: mornings are mostly in Spanish- Bible is both, then math, reading, and other writing/grammar instruction. After 10am break, it's mostly in English- geography (although some books are also in Spanish), science (ditto), and right before or after lunch is English phonics and reading. Phonics includes some writing, and will be replaced with spelling (2x a week for now) and PLL (3x a week). I spread out her actual reading times to distinct periods on purpose. Our readalouds (we're reading missionary stories from YWAM) are available in both languages, so I read the English in the daytime, and the Spanish at night with my dh.

 

Well, I've written a book and spoken through both sides of my mouth :tongue_smilie:, do it, but don't :lol:. I think approach will make a difference on how it will work out.