Online/self-grading Spanish rec's? (round 2) First two years have been a bomb...

[Dianne-TX]

DS will be 11th next year and our attempts at Spanish have been a bomb.  We did BJU dvd's 9th, but our personal life was chaotic that year with moving and a tragic family accident/death and it was a struggle to keep things going that year and then hard to bounce back, so that was a bust.  I then got SOS Spanish 1 to let him to do this year, but he's done awful with it.  I couldn't even honestly take half of BJU and half of SOS and create a grade because he doesn't really know anything about Spanish and can't speak it.  He's not interested.  We're just trying to fill the 2 year FL requirement.  I know about Duolingo, but that is just supplemental, so he couldn't just do that and we call it a credit.  My thoughts are to do one of the following:

 

1.) find an online/self-grading course that keeps him on track and teaches him and go through Spanish 1&2 his last two years of HS. 

 

2.) Do Duolingo, a beginning Spanish workbook (like this:  https://www.christianbook.com/spanish-middle-school-high/cynthia-downs/9780887247583/pd/47585?event=CBCER1#CBD-PD-Description ) to finish out Spanish 1 and then start up Spanish 2 with an online/self-grading course.

 

3.) scrap Spanish and do ASL for two years or whatever would be considered completing it as a language and count the credit.  Less intensive than a FL that has grammar, pronunciation, etc., but is a very useful and helpful "language".  

 

Thoughts?  Advice?  He needs to be independent, yet directed by someone else or at least a schedule that keeps him on track and grades for us.  Thanks!

[freesia]

After our rough Spanish 1 year, I happily and successfully signed him up for Homeschool Spanish Academy.

[RootAnn]

Well, if you can afford it, something like Homeschool Spanish Academy is probably best. If not, Easy Peasy High School has a Spanish 1 & Spanish 2 track. You'd want to add in some actual speaking of Spanish with something like italki - once per week after you get to the equivalent of the second semester of Spanish 1? He should set his timer for an hour a day and work through the lessons until the timer goes off. He should be able to get through the Spanish 1 faster than a year that way.

 

[mjbucks1]

Love Homeschool Spanish Academy! Dd does not find it difficult but is learning a lot, plus she enjoys it!

[lmrich]

Another vote for Homeschool Academy. It is getting the job done, and I hear my dd talking in Spanish more and more.

[freesia]

Another vote for Homeschool Academy. It is getting the job done, and I hear my dd talking in Spanish more and more.

 

and I am so pleased at my son's accent.  It' s much better than mine ever was.

[Dianne-TX]

Do you pay for all the classes at once or monthly or each time you schedule and take one?  I see that they are broken down into 60 classes, 45 classes, etc.  How do I determine how many?  What do you all do?  Thanks.

[lisabees]

We loved Live Lingua.  With Live Lingua, you are assigned one teacher and are scheduled regularly.  With HSA, we could never get scheduled with our favorite tutors and there wasn't much connection.  

 

DD stopped Spanish to concentrate on Latin.  She will be doing Lukeion in the fall.  Just an idea for you...

Edited April 8, 2017 by lisabees

[mjbucks1]

For Homeschool Spanish Academy, they recommend twice/week for a high school credit. You buy a group of classes at one time (and it is cheaper the more you buy). You then schedule your classes. If you need to cancel, it is no problem to cancel and reschedule. We only had a slight difficulty getting my daughter's preferred instructor, but some of that is due to our busy schedule. But Dd has had the same instructor all year, except for maybe 3 classes. And they really do work on the kids' accent!