What is elementary spanish?

[kristinannie]

I see this on a lot of siggy's and I can't figure out what it is. Do you like it and is there a link? I am looking for something to do for spanish!

[2cents]

It is the Spanish program that is available on Discovery Streaming (aka. Unitedstreaming). It is 50 videos and there are printable worksheets avail too. Homeschoolbuyerscoop.com offers a discount on Discovery Streaming. There is also a Middle School Spanish on Discovery Streaming too. :) These programs are by the University of Arizona.

[golfcartmama]

Not sure where you live, but I was able to get it for free in GA. It lists the states on the Buyer's Co-op page that can access for free. I had to send in my letter of intent and will have to renew yearly, but SO worth it!

[2cents]

Georgia, Arkansas, and Alabama homeschoolers are so lucky! They get the basic plan for free if they contact the pbs station. If you are looking specifically for Elementary Spanish just be sure that program is offered through whatever plan you choose.

[Satori]

We love Elementary Spanish. We got it through HSBC (Homeschool Buyers Co-op.) It's actually 300 videos I believe, plus the middle school years. I started blogging about it, but don't have much up yet. I hope to post a few more entries this year.

http://satorismiles.com/tag/es/

[kristinannie]

Thanks!!!

[crazyforlatin]

Is Elementary Spanish more like Rosetta Stone where you learn by immersion or more structured with clear grammar rules?

 

Also, what do the videos show? Puppets? People? Or is it a teacher speaking directly to us?

[mom2chaney_girls]

Is Elementary Spanish more like Rosetta Stone where you learn by immersion or more structured with clear grammar rules?

 

Also, what do the videos show? Puppets? People? Or is it a teacher speaking directly to us?

 

:bigear:

[onaclairadeluna]

Is Elementary Spanish more like Rosetta Stone where you learn by immersion or more structured with clear grammar rules?

 

Also, what do the videos show? Puppets? People? Or is it a teacher speaking directly to us?

 

The early years taught by immersion but the middle school level teaches explicit grammar rules.

 

The videos contain a little bit of everything; songs, stories, activities, culture, geography. Sometimes the teacher is speaking (or singing) sometimes a short cartoon sometimes children are present.

[crazyforlatin]

The early years taught by immersion but the middle school level teaches explicit grammar rules.

 

The videos contain a little bit of everything; songs, stories, activities, culture, geography. Sometimes the teacher is speaking (or singing) sometimes a short cartoon sometimes children are present.

 

I don't have Rosetta Stone, but the early years of Elementary Spanish seems to be something similar. I've resisted buying Rosetta Stone because I don't think immersion would work for us. Since I'm not proficient in Spanish, I don't think I can teach it without some grammar rules. Do you think it's too difficult for a 6-year old to learn Spanish watching the middle school level? I like GSWS and GSWL (as well as Henle, Latin Prep) because grammar is taught in the beginning. I was hoping for a grammar-based Spanish program on video.

[2cents]

My girls are currently in FLVS Middle School Spanish II and a few times they have linked to the UnitedStreaming middle school Spanish in the lessons. We also did the UnitedStreaming MS so that was a pleasant surprise! The US Spanish for Middle is a very traditional approach, especially if you do the worksheets. :D

[Elfknitter.#]

You can also order the dvds online, but it's not cheap. Discovery streaming via HSBC would be a better route. http://esp.extended.nau.edu/PlaceOrderESIndividuals.aspx

 

We're doing SALSA instead since it's free. http://www.freelyeducate.com/2011/01/free-spanish-lessons-for-elementary-students-k-2nd.html has instructions on accessing the videos online. If you go to http://edu.wyoming.gov/Programs/standards/foreign_lang_content_and_standards.aspx and click on Salsa materials, there's a curriculum guide to each episode.

[Cindyg]

We loved Elementary Spanish. Loved Sr. Morris. Happy memories.

[crazyforlatin]

Thank you for the link to NAU's website. I looked at the video and I get the sense that it is similar to Salsa. I've seen Salsa and it looks great, but it's not grammar based, which makes it more difficult for us to learn. My Spanish is not good enough to catch the sentences and repeat it for DD.

 

Does the teacher's guide to Elementary Spanish provide the grammar rules or the exact translations in each episode (and not just a summary of what is taught)?

 

You can also order the dvds online, but it's not cheap. Discovery streaming via HSBC would be a better route. http://esp.extended.nau.edu/PlaceOrderESIndividuals.aspx

 

We're doing SALSA instead since it's free. http://www.freelyeducate.com/2011/01/free-spanish-lessons-for-elementary-students-k-2nd.html has instructions on accessing the videos online. If you go to http://edu.wyoming.gov/Programs/standards/foreign_lang_content_and_standards.aspx and click on Salsa materials, there's a curriculum guide to each episode.

[ccouch]

This looks great! I think my girls would really enjoy this - - and I'm loving the whole FREE thing! :lol:

 

Does anyone know how the Salsa videos compare to the Elementary Spanish videos?

[ccouch]

One more quick question to clarify - - are the worksheets & teaching materials that you use with Elementary Spanish available as free downloads with the Discovery Education streaming or do you have to buy those separately? Thanks!!

[warriormom]

:) bump

[Satori]

Yes, the huge teacher's manual and worksheets are free downloads if you have Elementary Spanish through Discovery Education Streaming.

[crazyforlatin]

Yes, the huge teacher's manual and worksheets are free downloads if you have Elementary Spanish through Discovery Education Streaming.

 

Hi Angela:

 

Does the teacher's manual provide the exact translations or grammar rules? Salsa doesn't do this so I was hoping to find a similar program but grammar-based. It looks like the middle school ES program does according to pp, but that may be too advanced for us.

[Satori]

The teacher's guide is so huge, I could only print out up to Unit 5, and it still takes up a huge binder. In the beginning of my binder, the first 50 pages list things like:

 

It lists all the songs/poems with translations.

It lists vocabulary and useful phrases for teachers with translations.

It has Grammar Highlights for the teacher (about 6 pages).

It has Spanish for Parents to use at home (such as Time to wake up).

 

On page 55 the Unit 1 Lesson 1 begins. Each lesson has about 2-4 pages. The first page lists the Sequence of Class Procedures, and Recommended Follow-up Activities. The second page lists Vocabulary introduced (and review) with translations. There are Activity Sheets next if included in the lesson.

 

Each unit includes tests at the end. (They're super easy IMO as there's lots of review built-in the lessons.)

 

I could take pictures this week to show you more.

[crazyforlatin]

The teacher's guide is so huge, I could only print out up to Unit 5, and it still takes up a huge binder. In the beginning of my binder, the first 50 pages list things like:

 

It lists all the songs/poems with translations.

It lists vocabulary and useful phrases for teachers with translations.

It has Grammar Highlights for the teacher (about 6 pages).

It has Spanish for Parents to use at home (such as Time to wake up).

 

On page 55 the Unit 1 Lesson 1 begins. Each lesson has about 2-4 pages. The first page lists the Sequence of Class Procedures, and Recommended Follow-up Activities. The second page lists Vocabulary introduced (and review) with translations. There are Activity Sheets next if included in the lesson.

 

Each unit includes tests at the end. (They're super easy IMO as there's lots of review built-in the lessons.)

 

I could take pictures this week to show you more.

 

Thanks for the details, Angela! I have a better idea now.

[MusicMama]

Hi Angela:

 

Does the teacher's manual provide the exact translations or grammar rules? Salsa doesn't do this so I was hoping to find a similar program but grammar-based. It looks like the middle school ES program does according to pp, but that may be too advanced for us.

 

I love the Salsa program, and more importantly, so do my kids! I think it is more appropriate for the pre-k level that Elementary Spanish. Salsa has a teacher's guide with a short teacher's script for each episode, games, coloring sheets and activity pages, vocabulary used in each episode, and an interactive web site for kids to practice. I don't think they offer any grammer resources though. They also provide a transcript of each episode in english. If you are interested, you can find them here. The transcripts are under each episode, and the link for free teacher's materials is under "order now" http://www.gpb.org/salsa

Here is the kids site http://www.gpbkids.org/salsa/

 

And it's all free!

[crazyforlatin]

A few months ago I looked at Salsa but didn't realize that there were transcripts until the pp linked it here. I would like to finish all the videos and then eventually move on to Elementary Spanish (transcripts hopefully?). We're simultaneously working through GSWS, so that will give us some basics in grammar.

[MusicMama]

A few months ago I looked at Salsa but didn't realize that there were transcripts until the pp linked it here. I would like to finish all the videos and then eventually move on to Elementary Spanish (transcripts hopefully?). We're simultaneously working through GSWS, so that will give us some basics in grammar.

 

 

That is my plan exactly! I hope that they will be able to recognize and use basic spanish words and phrases after the Salsa program. I watched the first Elementary Spanish episode, and it was a bit much for my kids. But it looks like a great program, and I look forward to using it in the future. Free is my best friend! DH is a teacher and gets a free subscription to Discovery Streaming, so it is one of the perks we can take advantage of. :)

[Haiku]

We used Elementary Spanish for two years and I have to say that it was a bust. My kids learned very little from it. It's basically a bunch of units that focus on some vocabulary for that unit (body parts, rooms of the house, birthdays and holidays, etc). Yes, my kids know a bunch of disconnected words, but they learned nothing of real substance about how to speak the language or understand its structure. ETA: A major flaw in Elementary Spanish, to me, is that once a unit is over, that's it. There is no ongoing built-in review.

 

We recently began GSWS, and I have to say that my kids have learned more about Spanish, and are more excited about Spanish, and actually use Spanish, now than they ever did with Elementary Spanish.

 

On the suggestion of some kind person here at TWTM, I also ordered Scholastic's bilingual magazines for K and 1st graders. We spend three days a week on GSWS and the fourth day on the magazines. The kids are amazed that they can figure out the meaning of simple paragraphs in Spanish when they use what they have learned in GSWS, context clues/pictures, and cognates (which I carefully point out).

 

Imo, Elementary Spanish is cute, and might be a nice supplement to another Spanish curriculum, but it got us nowhere. The activity sheets were extremely short and not challenging in any way.

 

Tara

Edited March 14, 2011 by TaraTheLiberator

[Lovedtodeath]

Tara, what is GSWS?

 

I am trying to decide. I was sold on Elementary Spanish, and now I see that there is a free one and a bad experience.

[crazyforlatin]

Tara, what is GSWS?

 

I am trying to decide. I was sold on Elementary Spanish, and now I see that there is a free one and a bad experience.

 

It's Getting Started with Spanish by William Linney (found here) and I highly recommend it because it's simple to use with short, gentle lessons, and there's a free audio mp3 download to follow along. It's a grammar-based program, so it's perfect for someone like me who learns best with this kind of approach.

 

I also like Galore's So You Really Want to Learn Spanish (comes with a cd) which I plan to use after GSWS.

[Haiku]

It's Getting Started with Spanish by William Linney (found here)

 

Yup. Love it.

 

I wanted to add that an example of the extremely unhelpful "activity sheets" to be found in Elementary Spanish was one where the kids cut out little pictures with the Spanish name for a season on them, colored them, and then pasted them on a paper in the correct space, which they determined to be correct by looking for the exact same picture they had just colored. I realize that this was in the first grade section of the series, but geez ... my then-2nd and 1st-graders thought it was really dumb.

 

Tara

[JadeOrchidSong]

We used Elementary Spanish for two years and I have to say that it was a bust. My kids learned very little from it. It's basically a bunch of units that focus on some vocabulary for that unit (body parts, rooms of the house, birthdays and holidays, etc). Yes, my kids know a bunch of disconnected words, but they learned nothing of real substance about how to speak the language or understand its structure. ETA: A major flaw in Elementary Spanish, to me, is that once a unit is over, that's it. There is no ongoing built-in review.

 

We recently began GSWS, and I have to say that my kids have learned more about Spanish, and are more excited about Spanish, and actually use Spanish, now than they ever did with Elementary Spanish.

 

On the suggestion of some kind person here at TWTM, I also ordered Scholastic's bilingual magazines for K and 1st graders. We spend three days a week on GSWS and the fourth day on the magazines. The kids are amazed that they can figure out the meaning of simple paragraphs in Spanish when they use what they have learned in GSWS, context clues/pictures, and cognates (which I carefully point out).

 

Imo, Elementary Spanish is cute, and might be a nice supplement to another Spanish curriculum, but it got us nowhere. The activity sheets were extremely short and not challenging in any way.

 

Tara

This is very good information. It is wonderful if you can apply what you learned in a meaningful context.

[JadeOrchidSong]

I love the Salsa program, and more importantly, so do my kids! I think it is more appropriate for the pre-k level that Elementary Spanish. Salsa has a teacher's guide with a short teacher's script for each episode, games, coloring sheets and activity pages, vocabulary used in each episode, and an interactive web site for kids to practice. I don't think they offer any grammer resources though. They also provide a transcript of each episode in english. If you are interested, you can find them here. The transcripts are under each episode, and the link for free teacher's materials is under "order now" http://www.gpb.org/salsa

Here is the kids site http://www.gpbkids.org/salsa/

 

And it's all free!

I'll have to check this one out. Thanks!

[Satori]

Tara, have you checked out later years of the Elementary Spanish? I can see where you'd think the first grade activity sheets are too simple and easy. I'm just used to everything being easy for first grade, so I thought it was pretty appropriate. My daughter does laugh at how easy the tests are in the program, so I'm wondering if all 8 years are also too simple and easy. I was hoping things would get more advanced in the later years. We're already using GSW-Latin and I just ordered GSW-Spanish. While this series is great, I can't help but want something that offers more... Is that my only option in your opinion?

 

Elementary Spanish is still very effective for my 6 year old, she's been speaking Spanish a lot lately, in whole sentences, and that's the only program we're using. We're only in Grade 1, unit 3. We'll definitely keep going with it, but at a more accelerated pace than I originally planned. I'll add GSW-Spanish as well.

Edited March 14, 2011 by Satori

[Haiku]

Tara, have you checked out later years of the Elementary Spanish?

 

On my way out the door to work, but the short answer is that I have watched videos from all levels of the series, and from the middle school level as well, and I remain unimpressed. The main thing that struck me at the middle school level is that most of the videos were in English. Not good, imo. By that point the videos should be mostly in Spanish. I took high school German for three years with a teacher who conducted class mostly in English. I thought I had learned a lot until I got to college and took classes with a prof who conducted classes entirely in German. My word! What a difference in how much I learned!!

 

Tara

[Satori]

Ah, thanks for the information. I majored in Spanish in college and went to Spanish immersion camps, took native classes in other countries, so I see your point. I think we'll probably need something else down the road.

[MusicMama]

We used Elementary Spanish for two years and I have to say that it was a bust. My kids learned very little from it. It's basically a bunch of units that focus on some vocabulary for that unit (body parts, rooms of the house, birthdays and holidays, etc). Yes, my kids know a bunch of disconnected words, but they learned nothing of real substance about how to speak the language or understand its structure. ETA: A major flaw in Elementary Spanish, to me, is that once a unit is over, that's it. There is no ongoing built-in review.

 

Yikes! This is what the hive mind is for! I don't have a strong knowledge of Spanish so I doubt I could add enough to flesh it out. I looked at Calico Spanish, which is an incredible immersion program. But again, I don't know enough Spanish myself to facilitate it. I think I am seeing a trend, and need to take lessons over the summer myself...:tongue_smilie:

[Lovedtodeath]

We have been doing Elementary Spanish for a little over a year now. Our progress is agonizingly slow. Spanish is the first thing dropped if we get busy, and I feel like there is so little to do aside from watching the videos. The worksheets take us about 3 minutes. Our schedule thus far as been watch the video one day, do the worksheet and play some review game another day, and do a review of some sort a third day. I just feel like there is not enough there, but the kids love the videos.

 

Can anyone give me some tips on how to expand upon Elementary Spanish, some supplemental books/workbooks we could use, or another program entirely that we could try? I was at my German teacher friend's house the other day and I picked up a copy of the high school text she uses in her classes and read through it and, aside from being pleasantly surprised by how much I remembered, I was struck by how orderly and organized it was compared to ES (and yes, I know there is a difference between materials for high schoolers and materials for 7 and 8 year olds).

 

Tara

 

We love Elementary Spanish but we do it at an accelerated pace because I want my kids to learn at a much quicker rate than this program schedules. Ds9 started 1/2 in first grade and we pretty much did two lessons per week for the first 2 years. Starting in 3rd grade ds watched a video 4 days a week along with the intended worksheet each day. That way he finished the entire 3/4 unit in one year and this year he will complete the entire 5/6 grade unit in fourth grade. This has been a much better pace for us. My boys also watch videos in Spanish 3-4 times a week as well. It may be programs I recorded on Spanish PBS (V-Me) or one of the regular videos they have put on the foreign language track. We have several Spanish games/activities they can do as well although lately I have been really bad about getting to them. I did 2 blog posts on all our supplemental Spanish goodies if you are interested.

 

I think ES is an excellent introduction to Spanish but the pace is just too slow if you want any serious language acquisition imo.

.

[Lovedtodeath]

It's Getting Started with Spanish by William Linney (found here) and I highly recommend it because it's simple to use with short, gentle lessons, and there's a free audio mp3 download to follow along. It's a grammar-based program, so it's perfect for someone like me who learns best with this kind of approach.

 

I also like Galore's So You Really Want to Learn Spanish (comes with a cd) which I plan to use after GSWS.

 

Yup. Love it.

 

I wanted to add that an example of the extremely unhelpful "activity sheets" to be found in Elementary Spanish was one where the kids cut out little pictures with the Spanish name for a season on them, colored them, and then pasted them on a paper in the correct space, which they determined to be correct by looking for the exact same picture they had just colored. I realize that this was in the first grade section of the series, but geez ... my then-2nd and 1st-graders thought it was really dumb.

 

Tara

Thank you both!

 

I tried the first Salsa episode today. DS3 loved it. DD8 hated it.

[rolandgill037]

The Elementary Spanish Program offers children's Spanish classes in Boulder and surrounding area schools. E.S.P. is the largest local organization, independent of Boulder Valley School District, that focuses specifically on teaching Spanish to young children. For over 33 years, they have introduced thousands of children to the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures.

[Lovedtodeath]

Just a note: DD8 hated the Salsa video and loved this one:

There are many options, but here is one that is free, online and can get you started...

KnowitAll offers 4 Spanish video programs. The order is this:

First Step Spanish

(~~optional: First Step Spanish Again)

Next Step in Spanish

Another Step in Spanish

 

We're going to start using these videos soon in our Spanish program. They have manuals online you can read as PDF or print too.

 

There are many other sources, and if you want more options (online, books, products, etc) I'll be happy to post them, but sometimes I find that 'less is more' when you're uncertain about a topic/subject.

 

I have a ton of Childrens Learning Spanish books that I could recommend if you prefer that route.

Good luck.

 

She likes it! :hurray:We did the first lesson today!

[Felix]

We recently began GSWS, and I have to say that my kids have learned more about Spanish, and are more excited about Spanish, and actually use Spanish, now than they ever did with Elementary Spanish.

 

On the suggestion of some kind person here at TWTM, I also ordered Scholastic's bilingual magazines for K and 1st graders.

 

I am looking for introductory Spanish curriculum for my DS12 (rising 7th grader). What is 'GSWS'? I am not familiar with the many abbreviations used in the messages.

 

I LOVE the idea of subscribing to a bilingual magazine! Thanks for sharing this idea. I will have to look into something appropriate for my son. I'd appreciate any suggestions - both on curriculum and magazine options. I swear, this foreign language research (Latin & Spanish) is making my head spin.

[Felix]

I guess I should have read further. I now know what GSWS is. :)