Spanish for You- TOS Review

 

Spanish for You! is a unique, fuss free curriculum designed to teach Spanish. It is based on "themed units" that build your language acquisition through vocabulary, pronunciation, syntax, conjugation and grammar. This is done through a combination of speaking, reading, and writing.  Each unit can be used as a stand-alone, or for quicker acquisition, done more than one at a time.

To date there are 2 units, Fiestas  (which we used) and Estaciones.

 

Fiestas teaches Spanish by gaining an understanding of the language used during certain celebrations. The festivals listed in this book include The Day of the Dead, Carnival, Holy Week in Spain, The April Fair. One of the aspects I really appreciate about this program is that it teaches within a context that makes sense to the student. Everyone loves a party, right, and the elements; food, theme, activities, purpose, etc. contextualize well vocabulary and grammar. Love that.

 

Debi Arnett, the creator of Spanish for You! designed the program to be fun, affordable and effective.  Which is exactly what we found it to be. And simple. Have I mentioned a time or two that I am all about simple? It's as simple as listening to the download, follow along as you listen to the audio and doing the worksheets as needed. It's straightforward enough that if you have older/responsible kids, they can do on their own, which is how we used it.

Each unit comes with the following products: 

• -paperback book or e-book
• -24-30 week lesson guide PDF download (24 weeks for Grades 5-6 and 7-8, and 30 weeks for Grades 3-4)
• -Self-checking PDF download worksheets
• -mp3 audio file downloads Flashcard/activity pictures PDF download

Spanish For You! is affordable.
Grades 3-8 - $64.95
Grades 3-4 - $39.95
Grades 5-6 - $39.95
Grades 7-8 - $39.95
Extra books - $12.95

One of the aspects of this program that I absolutely LOVE is that you can use it with multiple students and they can jump in whenever without finding themselves behind. In addition, while Debi recommends doing 3-4 classes a day, you can certainly go at a speed that works for you without losing what you've learned, Feeche cruised right through while Cub and Flower went at a more reasonable pace.  And it's always a thrill (for me, anyway) when you catch a student responding in Spanish, just for the sheer fun of it.

You know I'm all about memory work, and there is plenty of opportunity to create flashcards. The kids make their own, further reinforcing vocabulary learning. There are also ideas for games and activities, included within the lessons.

Want to check it out? Click the links for free samples:
Spanish For You! Fiestas
lesson guide
sample worksheets
mini lessons
 
Content - excellent
Presentation - good. We found the original downloads confusing but the author amended them even as we reviewed the program. This is one that is just going to get better and better.
Organization - Each area of the program was well organized and the ability to make sense of the pieces became better organized even while we used the program.