DoubleAMom Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I'm trying to decide on a Spanish language arts curriculum for 1st grade. Currently, the two front-runners are R & S and Hagamos Caminamos. Has anyone had experience with either of these programs? What are your thoughts? Does anyone have recommendations for other programs? Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linguistmama Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 We're using R&S currently. I like that it is a very thorough phonics program and has plenty of reading practice along with writing, grammar and spelling. It is VERY religious if that is an issue for you. We don't have an issue with most of it, it's just boring after awhile. So we use the TM, but we do our own reading with Scholastic readers. We are also going to start using pacoelchato.com. It's a ton of books used in Mexican schools. It isn't open and go though and I can't find grammar for the early levels so we will continue R&S for a good foundation. I haven't seen Hagamos Caminos in person, but it seems to be basic reading and writing, correct? I'll be ordering levels 3 and 4 of R&S soon and I hope that it will be a complete language arts program for upper levels as well. I really wish I could win a giveaway of Hagamos Caminos as I love the author and would prefer something secular. I just don't want to take the plunge sight unseen. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleAMom Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 Thanks so much for your response and information! This might be a newbie question, but what is TM? We use lots of the Scholastic readers, also. I'm a big fan of Scholastic. Someone else in this forum wrote that R&S didn't have grammar exercises. Is that incorrect? I'm really intrigued by the Hagamos Caminamos, but I would like to be able to look through it before I buy it. Wish there was a way to see a few sample pages. :crying: Right now I have my son enrolled in Educazion.net, and I think we'll stick with it through this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linguistmama Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 TM is teacher's manual. That might have been me. :tongue_smilie: It doesn't have near the amount of grammar I would expect from R&S, but as I looked for other options I decided it was the best I could find. Do you like Educazion.net? I would love to hear more about it. Is it very complete, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleAMom Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 So far I'm pleased with with Educazion for Pre-K and K, but it definitely isn't enough on its own. I have to do quite a bit of suplementing, which I don't mind at this level, but prefer not to do beyond 1st grade. I don't know how it is beyond Kinder, but the lady who runs it is very responsive. If you emailed her to ask her about curriculum/standards for a particular grade, she'll get right back with you. For me these are the main pros/cons. Pros: The quizzes are given orally online from a native speaker (I am not a native speaker). The curriculum is Christian-based and follows Mexican grade level standards. I feel like you definitely get your money's worth at $37ish (500 pesos) per class, at least for Kinder (Preschool 3). Cons: The classes come with a downloadable book, but you have to print it out. (Not a big deal) For Kinder there are weekly activities, but they are broad. I prefer specifics. For example: One activity might be something like, "Work with your child this week on letter sounds." Whereas I would prefer it to list specific activities to work on letter sounds. Not a big deal, because I am creative enough to come up with activities, but I sort of feel like it should be part of a program. I wrote a full review of the program and how it works on Mommy Maestra here, if you're interested, and I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have. BTW: How many languages do you speak and which is(are) your native(s)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linguistmama Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Thanks for the link to the review! I'm from the US/native English speaker and we live here. DH is from Mexico and we speak Spanish at home since I am fluent. I was an exchange student in Brazil a long time ago and learned Portuguese by immersion there. When I got back I started learning Spanish. Now my Portuguese is so rusty that I use Rosetta Stone to help teach my kids. :tongue_smilie: At least they speak Spanish without accents because of DH and other native speakers at church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItoLina Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Anyone have a link to a website with info about Hagamos Caminamos? I would love to check it out. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegirlwhopaintedtrees Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 What is R&S? The only thing I can think of is Rod and Staff, but I don't think this is what you are referring to. We went to Costa Rica last year and stocked up on their school books for DD, but I am always looking for other resources to add. I don't do a good job of making sure my kids end up trilingual (I speak French and my husband Spanish, but I end up speaking English mostly to the kids, while he at least speaks to them in Spanish). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegirlwhopaintedtrees Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Oh and I did a search for Hagamos Caminamos and couldn't find it. I would also love a link to that. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Don't know about it, but the right name is Hagamos Caminos, and here's a review: http://www.mommymaestra.com/2012/04/hagamos-caminos-review-giveaway.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linguistmama Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 R&S is Rod and Staff. They have a Spanish curriculum that I have purchased from rodandstaffbooks.com. We've used levels 1 and 2 and they worked pretty well. I just got 3 and 4 in the mail and it's not what I'm looking for at all. It has plenty of reading and vocabulary with a tiny bit of writing instruction. I'll be sending it back as I feel comfortable doing reading and vocab on my own. I was looking for a program that would include grammar and writing instruction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItoLina Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I just found these anthologies. They also have leveled readers. The website sucks as far as giving you any information. I was lucky enough to be able to look at some things in person because my father-in-law buys curriculum for a school district in California and he had a bunch of stuff that he let me brows through. I am going to try them out this school year and see how it goes, but I like how they look. The anthologies are basically a story, some comprehension activites and a writting activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleAMom Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 Thanks for the link to the review! I'm from the US/native English speaker and we live here. DH is from Mexico and we speak Spanish at home since I am fluent. I was an exchange student in Brazil a long time ago and learned Portuguese by immersion there. When I got back I started learning Spanish. Now my Portuguese is so rusty that I use Rosetta Stone to help teach my kids. :tongue_smilie: At least they speak Spanish without accents because of DH and other native speakers at church. That's so wonderful that you have so many native speakers to influence your children! I spent several years studying Spanish in high school/college then lived in Costa Rica/Honduras for a total of a year. My Spanish was decently fluent. Then we moved to Japan for 3 years (husband in the military). When we came back to the States, I found myself telling a waiter at a Mexican restaurant, "Arrigato." Funny how our brain goes with the most recent info! Good luck with everything! --Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleAMom Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 Don't know about it, but the right name is Hagamos Caminos, and here's a review: http://www.mommymaestra.com/2012/04/hagamos-caminos-review-giveaway.html Thanks for the correction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.