What should I do for Spanish?

[Aras]

I have a son who is starting 8th grade, and he wants to learn Spanish. I have the Destinos book and a workbook which is meant for high school and I also have Descubre Español F which is meant for 5th graders. He says likes the cartoonish look to Descubre, but I'm afraid it might be too easy. I speak Spanish so either program won't be difficult for me to teach. 

 

Should I let him use Descubre and have an easy Spanish year before things "count" for high school. Or, since I'm planning on using Destinos for his high school language requirement, should we just start on that but go slowly? 

 

Does anyone have any insights that will help me make a decision?

[heartlikealion]

I don't know but just throwing this out there... is he using Duolingo? And is he interested in Rosetta Stone? Because we currently have a Time4Learning.com account and they offer high school and I heard that Spanish with Rosetta Stone is being added soon. Just something to think of. I am speculating it might be cheaper to do RS through T4L than buying RS. And Duolingo is free. So just an idea as supplements if you are using one of the other programs as your core.

[Miss Tick]

My thoughts are to let him stay with the eau program he is interested in. Then in high school it should feel similarly easy, hopefully. Plus, that gives him a feeling of control over the choice.

 

Unsolicited supplement ideas: 8th grade boy seems unlikely to get excited about the comic strip For Better or For Worse, but there is a book called Laugh 'n' Learn Spanish that used that comic strip. Comic Mnemonic had cartoons to help remember verbs (not all are great, but for learned, maybe) Spanish Now! is a soft cover Spanish 1 that has done cartoon chapter introductions that appealed to my younger kids for a while.

 

Buena suerte.

[deerforest]

We are using Español Santillana and it has Spanish 1A and 1B designed for middle school before starting Spanish 1 in high school. Does Destinos have a level like that? We will complete those both by the end of 7th (this year) so I have decided that I would just start with high school level 1 in 8th.

[lisabees]

We are using Español Santillana and it has Spanish 1A and 1B designed for middle school before starting Spanish 1 in high school. Does Destinos have a level like that? We will complete those both by the end of 7th (this year) so I have decided that I would just start with high school level 1 in 8th.

 

You've mentioned before how much you like this program, but you've pointed out that the student must work with someone fluent in Spanish.  I lost all of my Spanish - even though it was my first language.  How fluent must the teacher be in the first years of teaching this program?  How is this program different than the rest?  And how involved is the teacher?

 

DD13 would need Spanish 1A, I would assume.

[deerforest]

You've mentioned before how much you like this program, but you've pointed out that the student must work with someone fluent in Spanish. I lost all of my Spanish - even though it was my first language. How fluent must the teacher be in the first years of teaching this program? How is this program different than the rest? And how involved is the teacher?

 

DD13 would need Spanish 1A, I would assume.

I'll send you some pics of the guides later this week. We are out of town for a few days. If you've had previous Spanish experience you might be able to cover the early ones. It's just not at all designed to be done independently. It's clearly designed for schools with a Soanish teacher so it takes a little tweaking for 1:1.

 

I looked at so many middle school to high programs, and I can't even remember what I didn't like about others. I like that this one starts with verbs like ser, estar, tener, which aren't easy to conjugate but it gets conversations and writing possible right away. DD liked the pages which aren't as busy as some we looked at. They are quite clean yet modern looking. We like how they've incorporated culture into every lesson. They use a mix of accents. They teach vosotros and mention other variations like vos too. It just seems to be quite comprehensive yet interesting even at level 1A and B. DD has little tolerance for busy work but the workbook has a mix of activities not just the same fill in the blank thing over and over. There are some great listening exercises. But I don't see how a non Spanish speaker could correct pronunciations. I also like being able to share funny stories about my experience with Spanish (I have a BA and lived in Spain for 9 months).

 

She likes pairing it with Dualingo too but she is learning far more than Dualingo on its own.

 

But, I imagine that any middle through high curriculum is likely to be very similar. This just has a lot of nuances we really appreciate. It is $$ so I feel badly advocating for something that probably would be overkill for most people!

 

(Sorry for thread hijack!)

Edited August 13, 2016 by deerforest

[lisabees]

Duh - I just realized you were both talking about the same Spanish curriculum - just different levels.  So, yes, sorry for the hijak!

 

Thanks deerforest.  :)

[Aras]

I am aware of both Rosetta Stone and Duolingo, but I have serious reservations about the programs. Rosetta Stone is very expensive, Duolingo is a much better price- free! But I have not heard any success stories from people who have only used those programs, and by success, I mean fluency. I have tried these programs out myself and while they are helpful in vocabulary retention, there is no grammar instruction. To use a baseball analogy, I compare these programs to using batting cages. They are helpful for learning to swing at a ball, but there are many other skills a player needs. I think only using Rosetta Stone or Duolingo gives a learner a false sense of accomplishment. They don't cover writing in Spanish, reading comprehension, Spanish grammar, and conversational skills.

 

I don't want to buy anything else for Spanish this year, because I feel I already have two good, solid programs. And I paid a ridiculous amount of money for the Descubre Español set a few years ago- it was just so new and shiny. One is easier and more cartoony, and meant for a classroom. The other is meant for independent learners at a high school or college and it's strength is listening comprehension. 

 

I really go back and forth about whether to give him an easier year or just start him on what we will be using for high school.

 

eta: Heartlikealion, I know you meant Rosetta Stone and Duolingo as a supplement not as a core program. I hear about it all the time and it is just not for us.

Edited August 14, 2016 by Aras

[deerforest]

I'd just use Descubre then this year. I just didn't bother with the elementary level from them when I ordered it, and I didn't know if Destinos had a middle school equivalent like Español Santillana does.

[Peaceful Isle]

We are starting BJU Spanish for my daughter in a few weeks. It is pricey.

[lisabees]

OP, I reviewed Descrube as much as I can.  I agree with deerforest - do the 5th grade version.  It looks like plenty.  And you have it already!  And you can teach it.

 

I have decided to do Homeschool Spanish Academy with duolingo as a supplement.

[RootAnn]

I would use the Descubre and speak Spanish every day during a short set timeframe (lunch or sometime when he's not stressed or tired).

 

Sometimes, DD#1 & I will switch to the spanish voice track on one of the kids' favorite movies for a little while. Everyone knows what the characters are saying already, but DD gets a little more practice listening to Spanish. (I've been known to switch Ever After to the French track as that's my favorite language, but I'm the only one who enjoys it that way.)

 

Then, start up high school with the other program but he has his fun intro & things will be easier for him then because of the prep you did this year.

 

:grouphug:  And don't stress too much. You aren't going to ruin him by using an easier program this year. 

[Aras]

Thank you everyone who replied. It really helped me to think this through.

 

I talked to him about it, we looked through all the components of both programs together, and he decided he want to do Descubre this year and Destinos next year. Having a willing kid will make language learning more fun ;)