What do you recommend for Spanish?

[plain jane]

I'm out of the languages loop as my kids have only studied Latin and French. I have a niece who really wants to learn Spanish and I could use some solid recommendations to pass along. She's 12 and starting grade 7 soon. No formal study of Spanish to date but some of her extended family is fluent so she's had exposure and the interest and desire to learn/work is strong. TIA

[ByGrace3]

We are in our second year of Middlebury Interactive -- expensive but you get a slight discount through the HSBC. My daughter likes it, I like that she can work it independently and then I can spend my time with her practicing conversation. This is our first year with the middle school level so I don't know how it compares to the elementary, but so far so good.

[HomeAgain]

Duolingo.  It's free, easy to use, and lets her decide the pace.

[hedwigtheowl]

I am looking at this myself. A friend has had success with Rosetta Stone. I'm veering towards Fluenz. Starting off with Duolingo and/or some game apps. 

[Dmmetler]

Check your library. My library system has Mango Languages, which is pretty good, and my mom's has Rosetta Stone. Also, many public libraries will have books in Spanish at a range of reading levels.

[Vida Winter]

We are going to work through Alpha Omega's high school Spanish slowly (dd going into 7th grade), using Anki as a review flashcard system. I finally sat down and set up Anki the other day so we'll give it a try. They use a timed repetition system which sounds useful. I liked the short lessons in Alpha Omega as well as quizzes and exams (and alternate exams if a second chance is needed).  I also have a few fun resources - Laugh 'n' Learn Spanish (learning Spanish through "For Better or For Worse" cartoons, and Listen 'n' Learn Spanish with your favorite movies. I may pick one movie per semester to watch. Since it is 7th grade we can take it slowly and take two years to work through one year of high school Spanish.

 

After I purchased the Alpha Omega Spanish I discovered they have a very good course on the Great Courses Plus -- video streaming lectures/pronunciations with a workbook that you can download and print. That would have worked, too, taken slowly, but we probably won't use it since it would be overload.

 

We used Duolingo for French -- that's a good one, too.

 

 

[Jackie]

I agree with using DuoLingo to get started. It's free and gets people up to speed with very basic conversations quickly.

 

I also recommend Breaking the Barrier, especially if she has an iPad and can therefore use the iBook version. The iBook version costs only $15 per level (vs a much more expensive physical text) and let's you self-correct as you go along.

 

I'm assuming with fluent family members she can get the speaking practice through them? If not, then Homeschool Spanish Academy is another great option. They are 1-on-1 Skype lessons with native speakers. Obviously more expensive than the other options I mentioned, but quite reasonable if you buy the classes in bulk packages. My daughter loves these classes!