Spanish for You! Estaciones
A Mosaic Reviews Product Review for Grades 3-8
Spanish for You! by Debbie Annett
I was given the opportunity to review Spanish for You! by Debbie Annett. My son "Batman" is a very accomplished six year old is a bit young for this program but I wanted to give it a shot. He knows his numbers and a few words in spanish. I thought if anything I would just take things a bit slower then the recommended 30 week course.
The Spanish for You! curriculum is available in either celebration or seasonal themes. I was given the Estaciones theme which is the seasonal package. These can be used for a home or classroom type setting for grades 3-8. A "travel" theme will be introduced in June of 2013.
All Spanish for You! packages come with the following:
*Soft cover book or e-book (currently only trial packages)
*24-30 week for grades you need (24 weeks for G5-6 & 30 weeks for G3-4)
(pdf download)
*Self-checking worksheets (pdf download)
*Audio files of entire book (MP3 download)
*Flashcards/activity pictures (pdf download)
*Teacher lesson plans must be purchased separately
Theme packages are available from $39.95 (grades 3-4, 5-6, or 7-8 to just $64.95 for grades 3-8. There is a money back guarantee if you aren't happy with the program.
I received everything I needed to proceed via download from Debbie at Spanish for You! Note: I didn't receive anything in hard copy like you would if purchased. The lesson guide suggests spending 10-30 minutes a day with your child on a lesson. Each week is broken down by day with simple instructions on what to do. The children start the program each day using flashcards that are simply drawn and easy to use. Students can then listen to the downloadable audio files to learn the correct pronunciation of a word. They then work on new vocabulary. This is a good time to use the self-checking worksheets to review themselves. There are optional games and activities to use to further learning and I found that to help reinforcing what Batman had just learned.
When I first started the program we did it about 10 minutes a day. We definitely worked on it for the recommended four day schedule. A few days here and there we were able to a bit more. Some days, not so much. I took my cue from Batman on just how into it he was for the day. The lessons are pretty easy and fun. I really liked how ours was corresponded to the seasons which made it that much easier to teach. I found that simply reviewing key words throughout the day helped a lot.
Here is a picture of Batman reading one of his worksheets to me.
PROS
*This is a simple, no fuss program. It's easy to use and the lesson plans are easy to understand and implement.
*The audio is a great resource and one to definitely incorporate to your lesson.
*Do at your pace.
*Price-very affordable!
*I love downloadable items!
CONS
*It's done all in black and white which to me is a pro and a con. I love big, glossy pictures because they engage a reader more. I had my son though color in his worksheets and flashcards and he had fun doing that.
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