ktgrok Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I am expecting a newborn in September, and will have a 2 1/2 year old as well. I'm trying to make next year as independent as possible for my rising 7th grader, just to help with sanity. We are using Spanish for Children primer A right now, but I'm thinking a more formal Spanish I for next year would be good. He plans on going to public school for highschool so something that is labeled Spanish 1 that he can get credit for would be what i'm looking for. We tried the FLVS for beginning spanish and it was awful, so I'm not looking to them for this. Any other suggestions? Money IS a factor. And I won't support BJU with my monies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 well, a foreign language is difficult to do independently because so much involves talking and scripted conversations etc. I would check my local library to see if Mango is offered. I have had my son go through the 'basic' level in spanish (very basic) and then move to complete Spanish. It is similar to Rosetta Stone..lots of reading and talking back to the computer etc. He also watches one episode of "Mi Vida Loca" at BBC spanish every week. If Mango is not a free option through your local public library, I would strongly consider buying a subscription to Discovery Ed Streaming and having him watch those streaming Spanish classes. There are also things like Power Glide and Learnables but they are not available free. But, they are independent. I have never used them, so I have no idea how good they are. Oh, I make my kids watch movies with Spanish Dubbing and English Subtitles. They have picked up quite a lot that way. It also helps them to develop an ear for how Spanish sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverland Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I have not yet done this, but others have posted about Rosetta Stone access for $99 through OnlineG3. That is a great deal! Scroll to the bottom of the page. http://www.onlineg3.com/mod/page/view.php?id=3222 Setting the audio to Spanish for TV, DVD's, etc. is also an excellent technique to become familiar with the sounds and rhythm of a language. The Discovery Education Spanish is a decent program, but a bit spendy if you don't already have access. I know there is a discount through HSBC and the Online G3 for Discovery Ed. Visual Link is pretty affordable and independent. If you chose to use it, call the company directly for a better price than posted. I am always getting 30%-50% off emails from them. https://www.spanishprograms.com/visual-link-spanish-products.php I know you didn't ask, but for your 2.5 yo, I strongly recommend Salsa. Fantastic, free immersion videos. Your 7th grader would also learn a lot from these. http://www.gpb.org/salsa/term/episode I know there are more options, but I'm pressed for time right now. I'll try to post again later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I'm thinking of Avancemos next year for dd 5th. It's one of Holt's Spanish programs. It has a 1 or a 1A/1B, which is book 1 split into two for middle schoolers. It's easily found used on Amazon or any of the other used book sites, and if you go to School Zone you can benefit from their WEALTH of free, online activities, which include plenty of listening and speaking (if you have a microphone) experience. You can also order directly from Holt. A one-year subscription to book 1 online is $18.50. Alternatively, you could use Getting Started with Spanish, which is less than $20 and has free audio files on the website. You could supplement with Scholastic's kids' magazines in Spanish and some Spanish workbooks/library books. Another interesting supplement is The Fun Spanish from Lulu.com HTH! Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverland Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I'm thinking of Avancemos next year for dd 5th. It's one of Holt's Spanish programs. It has a 1 or a 1A/1B, which is book 1 split into two for middle schoolers. It's easily found used on Amazon or any of the other used book sites, and if you go to School Zone you can benefit from their WEALTH of free, online activities, which include plenty of listening and speaking (if you have a microphone) experience. Tara My dd has used the first 3 levels of Avancemos. It is a great textbook and has superb online support. It is a textbook, though, so it might be more difficult to implement as an independent study course than a video/computer type course. It would depend on how motivated the student is, but I do think there is enough online support that one could do it on their own. And, if you are trying to justify a high school credit, I can tell you that our local private college-prep high school with very high standards uses this series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 My dd has used the first 3 levels of Avancemos. It is a great textbook and has superb online support. It is a textbook, though, so it might be more difficult to implement as an independent study course than a video/computer type course. It would depend on how motivated the student is, but I do think there is enough online support that one could do it on their own. And, if you are trying to justify a high school credit, I can tell you that our local private college-prep high school with very high standards uses this series. Cool. I don't mind checking up on him, I just need something he can mainly do on his own. Also looking at Lifepacs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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