Spanish II help

[48820592]

My son has completed Spanish I at a co-op.  He has done well and wants to continue with Spanish II, however, the co-op will not offer it. I could drive him to our ps every day to take the class or possibly take Spanish II on-line.  I'm not thrilled with having to drive back and forth to school every day and I don't know how effective an on-line class is for learning a language, especially the conversing component.

 

Does anyone have some wisdom and advice for me?  

 

Thanks,

Mary

[duckens]

You are correct, OP, to recognize how important speaking is to learn a language.  The part of our brain that hears a language and the part of our brain that speaks a language are two separate parts.  The speaking is important.

 

-------------------------------------------

How old is your son? 

 

What is your expectation of the Spanish 2 class?  Do you want high school credit?

 

Or do you simply want your child to:

--not lose what he has learned so far?

--continue a subject he enjoys?

--expand his language abilities?

You don't need  to answer any of they questions here.  It's none of our business; but it may help you to find solutions to what you want.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Our experience:

Dd7 is finishing first grade.  We have worked on Spanish and Chinese this year.  We will continue both next year.

 

I learn the languages with dd. 

 

Dd

--fills out her Spanish workbooks

--plays many (homemade) Spanish games

--interacts conversationally with me.  We talk about what we are eating for lunch, where we are going in the car, and list the toys and play animals she has.

As the mom, I:

--use a computer curriculum for me

--watch youtube videos

--use online dictionaries to find words and pronunciation

--accost [foreign language speaking] strangers in my community to ask grammar rules

My Chinese is much less developed, so I have found someone to practice with me.

 

My Language Exchange is an internet program that matches people learning languages to practice together via Skype.  One can register for free and explore the site, but to actually contact people and find a match, you need to pay the $24 for an annual membership.  I have had no problem with people contacting me to practice their English. 

The young gentleman that I have been practicing with speaks MUCH better English than I speak Chinese, so don't be afraid that you will be matched to someone who knows no English.  That is possible, but if it is not a good fit, then find a different partner.  It's not personal.

 

Disclaimer: I would never recommend that your child interact on the internet with a stranger unattended by you.  If I set my teen or tween up on the internet with this program, I would be present at all times.

 

------------------------------------------------

If you are looking for high school or pre-college credit for Spanish, look at the rules for your local schools/colleges.  I have heard  a rumor that Rosetta Stone is unacceptable because it does not teach grammar.  I have no idea if this is true or not, but before dropping $$$ and making my teen study for a year, I'd find out in writing what the institution's expectations are.

[J-rap]

Several of my kids took online courses in a foreign language when it wasn't available anywhere else.  We tried doing it completely on our own, but learning a foreign language requires so much discipline and consistency or it just doesn't get very far.  (And for some reason it was hard for us to keep it up at home!)  Online wouldn't work if that's the only method ever, but as a filler year to at least be making some progress, it actually worked surprisingly well for us.  The teachers were very creative and the kids had opportunities to speak it, write it, hear it, and read it, and even converse with other students online from time to time.  We also streamed radio programs from the countries whose languages they were studying, read children's books (stories they were already familiar with) in the other language, and watched familiar children's movies that had been dubbed in the foreign language.

 

 

[Rebel Yell]

My son has completed Spanish I at a co-op.  He has done well and wants to continue with Spanish II, however, the co-op will not offer it. I could drive him to our ps every day to take the class or possibly take Spanish II on-line.  I'm not thrilled with having to drive back and forth to school every day and I don't know how effective an on-line class is for learning a language, especially the conversing component.

 

Does anyone have some wisdom and advice for me?  

 

Thanks,

Mary

 

My thoughts:

If this is high-school credit, I think it stinks that the co-op can't/won't offer Sanish II.

 

How close are you to the high school?  For me, its a 20-minute drive one way, with NOTHING to do nearby, so I'd have to sit in the car for 47 minutes while she was in class, so nearly 2 hours out of our day. Gas alone would cost me $450/year JUST for the class- not even figuring in I'd now have to make 2 round trips (rather than having her drive herself) for my DD commuting to college just to have the car for the day, so I'm sure I could find something not as disruptive to our schedule for the same or lower cost. We would also have to quit our Friday co-op since DD would then be on the school district schedule.

 

Also- for ps classes, you will have to be vigilant about finding out any changes in bell schedules for assemblies, delays, and early dismissals. And also be aware of the school's rules- many schools do not allow backpacks, and pocket knives and ibuprofen can get him in MAJOR trouble.

 

What are his goals for the language, and requirements at the college he'll likely attend?  Our first-choice school is Community College, so there is no language requirement, and if it is needed for a transfer program, it can be taken at community college.

 

Depending on your answers to the questions above, you can then decide if an online course is a good fit. No class will be prefect or ideal- but you can pick the best option out of the reasonable ones available.

[PeterPan]

Some of the online options right now are VERY good, so I'm surprised you're so down on them.  Gamache's La Clase Divertida is terrific.  My dd has done Spanish 1 this year and plans to keep going.  They get about 3 hours a week in class and then form study groups, etc.  

 

You can also pay for online conversation tutors.  You pay by the hour and get a native speaker.  Someone mentioned this one over on the high school board.  http://www.121spanish.com  

[audreyinboston]

My children are currently using online tutoring with http://spanish.academy/ .  You pick a tutor and set up a schedule; they will work at your level.  The teachers are all located in Guatemala (hooray for native speakers!) and they work online through Skype.  The price is VERY reasonable.  We have used 3 different tutors in the program and each of them has been really nice.  Since you are working one-on-one, you work at your own pace and get plenty of conversational practice.  They send you homework to complete and turn in as well.  I highly recommend it and suggest signing up for two sessions per week to get more conversation practice.

[48820592]

Thank you for your responses.  I really like the looks of Spanish Academy and La Clase Divertida, however, I am wondering how to know if a clase like one of these lines up with the state standards.  My ds has done well in Spanish I this year and wants to continue all the way through high school, eventually taking AP Spanish or dual enroll.

 

[PeterPan]

Gamache of La Clase Divertide uses a college text spread over three years.  You're covering totally standard content that way and should test well assuming you actually master the material.