Spanish Recommendation

[HRAAB]

Yesterday I tried out an used copy of Rosetta Stone Spanish I picked up at a curriculum fair. The box says 'homeschool version', but I don't think it is. Not that it matters much, because after I got SMS part loaded the language CD wouldn't work. :mad: So much for that.

 

A couple of years ago we tried Powerglide. I couldn't grasp it. I need a logical progression as did that dd. So I sold it.

 

I want to try again. My dd is 11 going into 6th grade. Computer based is okay if it has a workbook. Textbook is fine, too. It needs to make sense to linear thinkers. It needs to cover grammar. I would prefer Latin American Spanish although I'm not sure it makes a lot of difference. We live in an area with a large Hispanic population (Mexico and So. America). Some fun/entertainment wouldn't hurt either. And oh, I can't pay $200 + for it.

 

Suggestions?

 

Thanks,

Janet

[HRAAB]

bump

[TravelingChris]

I would suggest going to a local bookstore and checking out books. I use La Clase Divertida for my then 5th grader now 6th grader. It is a DVD, workbook, activity book, etc. It costs about 85. It definitely does some grammar but lightly. Otherwise, I can recommend books like Spanish the easy Way or something like that. You would probably need to check out audio tapes at the library to make sure of pronounciation at first. These aren't fun but they do work.

[Stacia]

I haven't totally made up my mind on a Spanish curriculum, but am very interested in Espanol Para Chicos & Grandes. It is probably what I will end up buying for us.

 

There is also a new program, Spanish for Children, by Classical Academic Press. You may want to check those samples too.

 

I'm planning on supplementing with The Fun Spanish.

[cout7]

I haven't used either program. I do know a little about Spanish. From the website for Espanol Para Chicos & Grandes I see no grammar included. The Spanish for Children looks to have a good amount of grammar for kids.

 

By grammar I mean the inclusion of any conjugations of verbs. As for European Spanish versus Latin American Spanish, the pronunciation is different. It is the famous lisp where the "s" is pronounced as a "th". If you are wanting your DD to converse with folks from Latin America, learning to pronounce words appropriately would be very helpful. The vocabulary varies a little as well. Although I don't believe this is too significant.

 

HTH,

 

Olga

[rafiki]

.

[HRAAB]

Thank you ladies for your help. I'm checking into Spanish for Children and So You Really Want to Learn Spanish. They seem to be more of what I'm looking for right now.

 

Wish I had my money back for that used copy of Rosetta Stone!:crying: Not the first nor the last mistake I will make.

 

Janet

[Guest cbroberson23]

Has anyone used Tell Me More Spanish, or Visual Link Spanish? I haven't seen a demo of the Tell Me More program, but it gets really good reviews. It's pretty pricey and I have to wonder if it's worth the expense. Like one of the other posters, my children and I are linear learners and I think my kids need more than a fun, abstract program. Visual Link Spanish uses a lot of repetition and graphics to help children, but I can't get a sense of how solid the grammar instruction is. My son is 8 and my daughter is 11. The Tell Me More program says it's for age 11 and up so it wouldn't work for my son. I really don't want to buy two separate curricula to teach the same subject. The Visual Link Spanish doesn't indicate the appropriate age. Can anyone shed some light on either of these programs?

[stacey05]

I just ordered SOS elementary spanish and SOS spanish 1 for my high schooler. I have heard good things about these programs.

[GailV]

As for European Spanish versus Latin American Spanish, the pronunciation is different. It is the famous lisp where the "s" is pronounced as a "th". If you are wanting your DD to converse with folks from Latin America, learning to pronounce words appropriately would be very helpful. The vocabulary varies a little as well. Although I don't believe this is too significant.

 

 

Latin American Spanish leaves out the conjugation for vosotros.

 

You know, when I was in college we used a British show for some of our work -- Zarabanda (pronounced more like "tharabanda", of course) -- and it was a "Spain" Spanish. I wonder, since SYRWTL is British, does SYRWTL Spanish focus more on Spain and include vosotros? NOt that it would influence my decision, just a quirky little question going through my head this morning.

 

We're using Spanish for Children. Dd likes it. We had also used Rosetta Stone. She was sick of it, and wanted some grammar.

[HRAAB]

I like what I've read about this program so far. Is it Spain or LA Spanish? I can't find it on the website although I could have missed it.

 

Thanks,

Janet

[GailV]

I like what I've read about this program so far. Is it Spain or LA Spanish? I can't find it on the website although I could have missed it.

 

Thanks,

Janet

 

Hmmm, it has the vosotros conjugation, although the type is lighter to show that it isn't used as much (I guess -- I don't know if they spell that out somewhere in the book, and dd isn't around to ask -- gees, I'm so uninvolved in my children's schooling, it seems). We never listen to the CD, so no clue about that.

 

ETA: Okay, I just put in the CD, and it starts by saying that it has the Latin American pronunciation.

[nmoira]

Visual Link Spanish uses a lot of repetition and graphics to help children, but I can't get a sense of how solid the grammar instruction is.

Visual Link isn't really for kids... more for the business traveler. However, my 6yo loves it; the cute pictures make up for the occasional, "I have to read the documents later," or "I need to take a taxi to the office in one hour." There are also games and quizzes to mix things up a bit. We don't use it as a standalone program, but I'm shocked at how quickly (and well) it got DD speaking. It more than lived up to its billing.

 

There's not much in the way of formal grammar, but the program teaches basic sentence construction in such a way that it starts to come naturally. A few verbs are conjugated: to want, to need, to like, to have, to be able to/can, to know, to hope, to go, to prefer, etc. Many verbs are taught in the infinitive form.... so you end up with "I want to go... " or "I have to read..." The differences between ser and estar are covered briefly. Level 1 is almost entirely in the present tense.

 

Overall, I recommend it.