What to use for Spanish?

[Guest praiseHim16]

Hello! I'm new here to the WTM forums. I am 16 years old, have been homeschooled my entire life, and live on the East coast of the US.

 

I have a great interest in teaching, and recently I have been thinking and praying about the possibilty of having a teaching career in a Latin American country. Although I have been taking Spanish classes since I was 8, I am not fluent by any means. For the past two years, I have taken Spanish at my umbrella group, but the classes focused mainly on grammar and writing. I am strong in reading and writing and translating Spanish, but very weak in oral comprehension and speaking. I am naturally shy, so this compounds the problem even more.

 

However, I am willing to do almost anything to strengthen my oral skills in Spanish. For my 11th grade year, I am trying to decide between two programs for Spanish III - Rosetta Stone and Tell Me More. I have heard good things about both programs. We have friends who own the newest version of Tell Me More, and it looks much improved over the older version!

 

Has anyone used TMM for Spanish? If you have (or are currently using it), what did/do you think about it? Was it comprehensive? Did it include frequent oral practice? How thorough was the grammar component? For RS users, do you feel as though it provides enough practice?

 

Any comments, etc. would be very helpful! Thanks!

 

~Nicole :D

[Cleopatra]

Nicole,

 

My dd is 11 and is using Tell Me More for both French & German (though not exclusively). IMHO, it is a much better program than RS, having many more components to it and being much stronger in grammar (and not so confusing). You seem to be more interested in the oral and comprehension and it provides practice in each; pronunciation exercises, answering questions, etc. It even has role playing: you watch a scene and then you can play the scene over with you playing one of the people in the scene. A very useful exercise has you listen to a newscast in the language and then you have to answer questions afterwards. If you choose the guided option, the program will not let you progress until you have mastered whatever you are working on.

 

Is it possible that you could audit some Spanish courses at a university near you? (but make sure they teach them in Spanish and not in English) What about finding someone you could get to know whom you could speak Spanish with? Any Spanish churches in your area? A short missions trip to Mexico or Latin America? Perhaps buy some CDs in Spanish. My Swiss friend learned English by listening to English CDs and by watching English DVDs!

 

I'm sure someone else will pipe up with better advice than mine but I hope that gives you some information! Best wishes in your choice of a career; teaching is a most rewarding experience as I'm sure everyone on these boards will agree! :D

 

Blessings ......

[jamnkats]

Look into Rocket Spanish and Fluenz.

[Guest st8homom]

I just ordered Spanish for Children by Classical Academic Press. It is laid out a lot like Latin for Children.

I used to teach Spanish and this program looks excellent. Lots of grammar and construction alongside of conversation.

The price is right, too.

I haven't used it yet, though.:)

[mom22greatkids]

We also ordered Spanish for Children. I talked with a very nice person at the company and they will have Spanish for Children II out later on this summer, I think.

 

If you go through both, I believe she said it would be worth 1 high school credit, but you should re-check that information. I have been checking into things like this because my kids are in or near middle school.

 

It is designed for elementary and up.

[StillStanding]

Hello Nicole,

I am a Spaniard native. When I was learning English I was very much in your situation. Strong reading, writing, and translation skills (lots of grammar) and poor speaking/listening comprehension skills. To learn to communicate in a foreign language you need to speak to native speakers. If you can't visit a Spanish speaking country (I have a friend who work as a nanny in Spain for a year and took classes while the kids where in school), I would recommend watching TV in Spanish or DVDs in Spanish. Volunteer somewhere (clinic, schools, Catholic Refugee Services, etc..where you will be in contact with native speakers).

I have never used any of the programs the ladies here are recommending, so I haven't got a clue if they work or not. When I first came to the states I worked at a Berlitz Language Center and I can say it works (it is expensive but maybe not as expensive as a trip to Mexico!). ;)

[Guest naters]

To use would be usar.

In order to say use as in "you should USE an umbrella", you would say usan.

Or you could say deben usar, which means you all should use an umbrella.

I hope this helps =]

[cycle1667]

There is no substitute for immersion with native speakers, but you might try the PBS Spanish channel VeMe.

VBS

Edited July 21, 2010 by cycle1667

[Guest Chipper]

I have heard that this is a good site for Spanish and it's FREE! I haven't used it as I have just begun investigating how to teach my kids Spanish.

http://www.learner.org/resources/series75.html

[jplain]

To the original poster, if you come back: if you are serious about learning Spanish, browse the how-to-learn-any-language forum. A fair number of teenagers post there, along with adults who are pursuing self-study of languages.

 

Regarding the link in the post above this one, Destinos on learner.org is a fun resource. I'd say it is appropriate for high schoolers and perhaps motivated middle schoolers. Keep in mind that it is a soap opera, albeit G-rated, so it has farfetched and sometimes annoying (to me anyway) plot elements. (Why did she leave Jaime alone again? Use your head Raquel!)

 

Destinos can be used in many ways. It can be used informally, by simply watching the episodes found here. Scroll down for video links, which will open in a pop-up window. Spanish subtitles can be turned on if desired, by clicking the CC link in the corner of the video.

 

Alternatively, you can make it a little more formal by adding in the Student Viewer's Guides, which provide additional information about the characters, as well as practice exercises. No audio component is needed to use the Student Viewer's Handbook. Used copies can be obtained fairly cheaply on Amazon Marketplace. The Student Viewer's Guides are intended for the situation in which Destinos is being used as a supplement to another curriculum.

 

ISBNs (use the number to search, as the titles are incorrect on Amazon and other bookselling websites!)

Student Viewer's Handbook Volume 1 (Episodes 1-26): 0072497092

Student Viewer's Handbook Volume 1 (Episodes 27-52): 0072497106

 

Finally, if you want to use Destinos as a formal Spanish course, there are accompanying materials which can be obtained used fairly cheaply on Amazon Marketplace. The audio for the first edition can be found free here. The audio is essential if using the text and workbooks. If you don't have access to the audio, skip the text/workbook and use the Student Viewer's Guide instead. If accessing the audio files from the link above, I'd recommend downloading the files to your own computer, as there's no guarantee that they'll stay up on that server!

 

ISBNs

Textbook: 0070020698

Workbook Part 1: 0070020728

Workbook Part 2: 0070020736

 

The text and workbooks listed above correspond with the audio link above. There are also newer, revised editions of the text, workbook, and audio. In the newer edition they've separated the audio for the text from the audio for the workbook. However, it would be a LOT more expensive to put those materials together, even used, so I'm sticking with the 1st edition.

 

Optional materials

Videoscript: 0070672024 (Definitely not necessary, since you can turn on subtitles. I found it cheap on Amazon Marketplace, but right now it would actually be cheaper to buy it directly from McGraw Hill!)

Destinos Faculty Guide: 007002071X (I haven't seen this myself, but I've read positive reviews.)

 

Important note: In my opinion, Destinos is best used as a supplement and/or with a tutor or parent who has experience with Spanish. Although the first edition was intended for both classroom and distance learners, I feel that the text and workbook aren't thorough enough to be a stand-alone course for home study.

 

Assuming you are using the 1st edition materials, here's the intended sequence of activities:

1. Do preparation exercises in textbook, using audio if any of the exercises call for it. Write down ending time for audio or pause it, so you can resume at the right place. (It was originally produced on cassette, so restarting at the correct spot wasn't an issue!)

2. Watch episode. Rewatch as many times as desired, remembering that you aren't expected to understand every word of each lesson.

3. Return to text and complete the chapter/lesson, including audio exercises as directed.

4. Proceed to workbook, and complete the lesson in the workbook, including audio exercises when instructed.

 

If anyone is interested in the newer program by the same authors, Sol y Viento, I can provide info about that one as well! :)

Edited August 22, 2010 by jplain

[cathmom]

.

 

Regarding the link in the post above this one, Destinos on learner.org is a fun resource. I'd say it is appropriate for high schoolers and perhaps motivated middle schoolers. Keep in mind that it is a soap opera, albeit G-rated, so it has farfetched and sometimes annoying (to me anyway) plot elements. (Why did she leave Jaime alone again? Use your head Raquel!)

 

 

 

I love Destinos! I plan to use it as Spanish 3 for my dd and I already have the text and workbook. The text is nice to have because it gives some explanations for things you might not catch just by watching, or cultural things you may not know.

[Guest MamaCarrie]

Hi,

I'm a mom who studied Spanish for 5 years back in the day (high school and college) and I am much more proficient in reading and writing than listening and talking in Spanish. I found a method called the Michel Thomas method that has been a great help to me in hearing the language and speaking it as well. It starts out very basic, as in " I want it." And quickly teaches you to build sentences like, " Why don't you have it? I need it today. This is not acceptable for me." Literally in minutes.

Michel Thomas was a war hero that did so well with different language learning that he could blend in with various groups of people during WWII. After the war, he decided to teach languages, and is know for teaching actors, ambassadors, diplomats, etc. And supposedly he could teach to fluency in something like 8 hours.

He offers many languages - amazon has them. But the best deal I found if on iTunes. You can download the Michel Thomas app for free and it has a sample lesson. Then you download the hour long lessons for $4.99 when you need them. It ends up being cheaper than amazon that way, and you are not out much money at a time to try it.

Of course, a tutor would be best, and if you decide to go that way, I've think that http://www.care.com might be a good way to find one near you.

Best of luck!

Carrie

[JadeOrchidSong]

Hi,

I'm a mom who studied Spanish for 5 years back in the day (high school and college) and I am much more proficient in reading and writing than listening and talking in Spanish. I found a method called the Michel Thomas method that has been a great help to me in hearing the language and speaking it as well. It starts out very basic, as in " I want it." And quickly teaches you to build sentences like, " Why don't you have it? I need it today. This is not acceptable for me." Literally in minutes.

Michel Thomas was a war hero that did so well with different language learning that he could blend in with various groups of people during WWII. After the war, he decided to teach languages, and is know for teaching actors, ambassadors, diplomats, etc. And supposedly he could teach to fluency in something like 8 hours.

He offers many languages - amazon has them. But the best deal I found if on iTunes. You can download the Michel Thomas app for free and it has a sample lesson. Then you download the hour long lessons for $4.99 when you need them. It ends up being cheaper than amazon that way, and you are not out much money at a time to try it.

Of course, a tutor would be best, and if you decide to go that way, I've think that www.care.com might be a good way to find one near you.

Best of luck!

Carrie

This sounds very interesting.

I can read French but can't speak much now. So I will try this method.

J

[jplain]

But the best deal I found if on iTunes. You can download the Michel Thomas app for free and it has a sample lesson. Then you download the hour long lessons for $4.99 when you need them. It ends up being cheaper than amazon that way, and you are not out much money at a time to try it.

I agree that Michel Thomas materials are worth looking into. And I believe the first lesson can be downloaded from the Michel Thomas website. But if it seems like a good fit, don't spend any money before checking the library. Mine had several programs, and lots of others are available to me through interlibrary loan. Pimsleur can be found at many libraries as well, and their programs are also worth trying.