Spanish curriculum....I'm clueless, please help

[Momof1plustwins]

I would like my 10yo to start learning a foreign language this year. We decided to start with Spanish. I had first decided on Rosetta Stone, simply because it isnt necessary for me to know the language and I can actually learn with him. But I had read some previous threads that didn't always speak highly of RS. It's quite expensive, so if there is a better option that doesn't require me to know the language, I would like to know what it is. Also, what is the immersion method? Is this a good thing? What is another method?

 

I would like to know what you think is a good Spanish curriculum and why you like it.

 

Thanks so much,

Robin

[amydavis]

:lurk5:

I need help with this, too. My dd is 14 and I would really love to add in spanish this year.

[Pata]

Immersion method means that you hear the language and see what their talking about, but don't get an English translation (I think :)). Immersion is the best way to learn a language, but usually that means that you are living/working in the environment where the language is spoken so it's all you hear. Eventually you learn it, just like babies learning to talk. Does that make sense?

 

We used Platiquemos before we moved to Peru and were very pleased with it, made the transition much easier. At the site I linked you can download a level for $25, much more affordable than RS.

 

Also, have you seen Spanish for Children? I haven't actually used it, but it seems interesting. Hope that helps!

Edited August 6, 2010 by Pata

[kwickimom]

:bigear: I have read every Spanish thread and looked at every curriculum and could not find one that I like. I am hoping to hit a gem at some point!

[nansk]

I found the following links in my list of free resources, but haven't looked at them yet. You may find your "gem" in these :-)

 

Buensoft Spanish

Find all these FREE programs/downloads at http://www.buensoft.com/english/download.htm

It teaches through flash´em (speaking flash cards) , Match´em (classic matching memory game), Scramble´em (unscramble the words), print´em (print the phrases you have learnt), shoot´em (arcade style shooting game), hang´em (hang man, learn´em (it says the phrase in Spanish you click on the English version), type´em (practice typing and Spanish together), find´em (guess the phrase, compete with computer), quiz´em (written Quiz), snake´em (snake has to eat the correct letters in order) search´em (word search). Also a English - Spanish Dictionary

 

literactive.com An online reading program (free) for Pre-K through1st Grade with great interactive phonics games.

 

Learn Spanish online - www.livemocha.com

 

BBC Languagues http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish

[Sue G in PA]

I had planned to use La Clase Divertida for my elementary ages children. We already own Tell Me More by Auralog and I do like that for the older children, but will add in a written program that focuses more on grammar. After much research, I decided to use Galore Park's So You Really Want to Learn Spanish. It looks sound. My thought is that with combining the written with the computer-based listening and speaking, my kids will get a solid program. I do think Galore Park's program is more for the middle-high school years. HTH.

[Aubrey]

Has anybody seen Galore Park's Spanish? (I haven't, but I think their stuff is worth looking at, & I'd love a review!)

[Ohdanigirl]

Has anybody seen Galore Park's Spanish? (I haven't, but I think their stuff is worth looking at, & I'd love a review!)

 

This one looks like the best. I plan on getting it real soon, just trying to find out where would be the best place to find it. I know there is a level 1 bundle, but not sure if the same bundle is available at the free US shipping sites or if I will have to purchase each component individually.

 

Danielle

[CalicoKat]

someone posted a few links about free Rosetta Stone-like online programs.

 

One is Mango Languages. See if your local library is offering it. You log into it from your library's website.

 

That's what we're going to use this year instead of buying additional curriculum.

[Momof1plustwins]

Thank you all so much for your help.

 

Can anyone tell me about La Clasa Divertida (sp?) or Powerglide? How do you use the program? I guess what attracted me to Rosetta Stone was the fact that it could be used independently. So I would like to choose a program that can be used without my help.

[adrienne]

We recently started a live, online one-on-one tutorial thru 121Speech and have been very happy with it. My kids are in 6th grade and able to work independently. They meet with a spanish teacher online throughout the week (you can schedule as many sessions as you want, roughtly $10/1-hr session), receive assignments and practice orally with the teacher. To me, it's like an immersion experience.

 

In addition, this is the first year we tried an immersion summer camp/school. They will get back tomorrow night so I can't yet comment on how much they learned; however, their letters home indicate they're having a great time.

 

hth,

Adrienne

[Sue G in PA]

An FYI for those of you thinking about ordering Galore Park's Spanish...you can get them from horriblebooks.com at a 20% discount off the US$ equivalent of the British lb. So, for instance, the Homeschool bundle sells for $39.99 x 1.6 x .8 gets you $51.19 for this pack in US$. Ray is making an order very soon and I believe if you get your order to him by Aug. 9 (midnight), he will ship out on the 12th. or so. FREE SHIPPING! http://www.horriblebooks.com

 

HTH somebody. I'm putting my order in this weekend.

[Ohdanigirl]

An FYI for those of you thinking about ordering Galore Park's Spanish...you can get them from horriblebooks.com at a 20% discount off the US$ equivalent of the British lb. So, for instance, the Homeschool bundle sells for $39.99 x 1.6 x .8 gets you $51.19 for this pack in US$. Ray is making an order very soon and I believe if you get your order to him by Aug. 9 (midnight), he will ship out on the 12th. or so. FREE SHIPPING! http://www.horriblebooks.com

 

HTH somebody. I'm putting my order in this weekend.

 

Oh I just saw this today. Well, I will email him any how. I can pick up in San Diego.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Danielle

[StephanieZ]

Has anybody seen Galore Park's Spanish? (I haven't, but I think their stuff is worth looking at, & I'd love a review!)

 

We love it!

 

In fact, I am on the internet at the library right this moment while our spanish tutor is working with the dc. :)

 

My 13 yo is in level 2; 11 yo is 1/3 through level 1. One level per year seems a moderate pace for an older logic stage or high school student. Maybe a bit slower for 5th - 6th grade. (Assuming about 20 min/day 5 days a week. . .)

 

There are 3 levels. I get the impression that they are roughly equivalent to 3 or 4 high school years, or 2 college years. You can see samples, etc on the website. . . Frankly, I'd love it if someone more familiar with US curricula could confirm/adjust those estimates for me, so I know where to place them in college spanish when they finish level 3!

 

FWIW, you do need the audio CD or download (unless you are a fluent speaker.)

 

One level per year seems a reasonable pace. It is probably most appropriate for 6th grade & up. My ds started in 5th grade and that was just fine, but he has had quite a bit of spanish in the past.

 

We meet with a native speaking tutor every two weeks for 30 min per child. She goes over any questions that have, previews upcoming topics that might be challenging, and practices orally. This costs me $25 for 90 min (30 min x 3 kids). . . So, $50/mo. . . and I am confident my dc are learning much more than they would in any high school class, or possibly even a college class.

 

Now, if you were up to learning spanish yourself, or already spoke spanish, then you wouldn't need the tutor. I guess lots of people teach foreign language w/o knowing it themselves, but I am too intimidated by foreign languages to try that, and so I am grateful for the tutor.

 

FWIW, it is structured similarly to Latin Prep, but does not have the extra workbook.

 

One downside: this is Spain Spanish, not Latin American. . .

 

HTH

[Ohdanigirl]

I believe most Spanish texts are Spain Spanish. I think it is usually the teachers that tweak things in class. Many of the texts add in Spanish from other countries when they discuss that culture. If you are able to speak Spain Spanish, then Latin American Spanish shouldn't be so hard.;)

 

Danielle

[oldskool]

Wondering if anyone has tried Spanish for Children?

 

Lesley

[Sweet Home Alabama]

We began using Rosetta Stone Latin-American Spanish last year. (I bought the 3-year homeschool version). It's fine for learning vocabulary, but not so much for grammar. We tried using the worksheets, but they were very confusing to my (then) 4th and 6th graders.

 

We are doing year 2 this year, but I'm supplementing with Getting Started with Spanish by Bill Linney. (Also the author of Getting Started with Latin). You can read fantastic reviews at Amazon. You can also find more information at www.gettingstartedwithspanish.com.

 

It is for beginners, but it is appropriate for both children and adults. I do not know if it would carry a beginner as far as Galore Park or Spanish for Children. I wanted to use it specifically to help us get through the 3 years of RS I bought. I can't imagine not using it since it was so expensive. We just needed something to clarify grammar for us.

 

Yet GSwS is so EASY to use!!! Linney introduces one new concept per lesson. There are free pronunciation examples on line. It's not expensive, and gets GREAT reviews!!!

 

My kids are really enjoying it!

Edited August 13, 2010 by Sweet Home Alabama
Editing to add that it can be used by both kids and adults.

[Britomart]

We're using ¡El Español Fácil! this year. Since we haven't started it yet, I can't tell you how it works out in practice, but I'm very pleased with how it's set up. It uses a mix of Spanish and English, so that children have context they understand as they use the language, and gradually the mixture becomes heavier on the Spanish and lighter on the English.

 

I was looking for something for elementary students that didn't involve crafts. :)

 

This one does have the option of lapbooking, but we're going to skip that, and just notebook instead. It's also set up to be done with a parent for younger children and independently for older ones. That does make it a bit tricky to figure out which activities you're supposed to be doing each day, but I appreciate the amount of options, and it didn't take too long to go through it and decide which parts I was going to use and which I wasn't.

 

I also like that it comes with both an audio cd of the lessons, and a cd with all of the worksheets on PDFs, so I can print out just the stuff I want.

[Guest chungaboo]

Thanks for all the great resource suggestions.  If you have very young children (toddlers and Pre-K) that are interested in learning Spanish, I'd welcome any feedback/suggestions on our bilingual apps.  I'm a co-founder at Chungaboo, a family-oriented company based in Austin, TX, and we work closely with Spanish educators to develop our products.   By the way, here's a blog article from this past week on the benefits of bilingual education.   We are currently working on a new project that is specifically based around the montessori method and incorporates total physical response techniques.