{Review} Spanish for You! Estaciones - Affordable Multi-Level Learning!

¡Hola!

Have you incorporated foreign languages studies at the elementary level yet?

At the elementary level, our family is studying Latin with a concerted effort and we are dabbling in learning Spanish. I have a couple of Spanish curriculum programs that are traditional textbooks. To be completely honest, I am not able to make heads or tails of the teacher's guide. I took two years of Spanish in high school and that is the extent of my language development. My desire is to eventually reach Spanish fluency, so that we can better communicate on future family mission trips.

As such, I was pleased to receive the Spanish for You! Estaciones package to review for the Mosaic Reviews team. This themed package covers the seasons of the year. Spanish for You! offers several themes from which to choose that can be completed in any order and used with an individual student or multiple students working at different levels.

The Spanish for You! Estaciones package (and other themed levels) includes:

• Softcover text (e-Book available)
• 24-30 Week Lesson Guides (Grades 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8) (sample)
• Audio MP3 Files for Lessons (English and Native Speaker Options)
• Flashcards/Activity PDF
• Lesson Worksheets (self-checking) PDF (sample)

Things I enjoyed about Spanish for You! Esticiones:

• It is affordable! A full package for an entire year is under $65.
• The font size of the softcover text is large and easy to read.
• The lessons plans are very flexible. Each lesson is 15-30 minutes a day.
• The lesson plans are straightforward and simple. I could easily understand them!
• Each themed package can be used for several students at different grade levels.
• The schedule is suitable for a 4 day learning cycle to allow for a co-op day.
• The illustrations are simple in design and feature child sketches.
• The curriculum is adaptable for any homeschooling method.
• Classical homeschoolers will appreciate the grammar level incremental learning.
• The curriculum includes a mix of auditory, visual, and kinesthetic activities.
• The digital files included with the curriculum only took around 30 minutes to download and organize on my computer for future printing and use.
• The games included within the curriculum and on the website are interactive and engaging.
• This curriculum can be used in individual families and in other co-op or class settings.

Things You Need To Know Before Purchasing:

• The softcover text is only one component of the curriculum.
• If you choose to purchase, you will need to download all of the components.
• The downloadable items include audio files, PDF worksheets, and the Lesson Plans.
• After purchase, you have 120 hours or 5 days (whichever comes first) to download.
• The curriculum covers a full year of Spanish learning, but the design is simple and focused on the basics of language development.
• The key to the affordability is the simple design which includes cute child sketches and black and white pages. 
• Be sure to check out the many samples available on the website.

After reviewing this curriculum, I plan to use Spanish for You! Estaciones as part of our 2013-2014 academic line-up. We will be homeschooling at the 6/7th, 1st, and Preschool grade levels beginning in the fall. I appreciate the flexibility and adaptability this curriculum offers for multi-age learning. As a classical educator, the simplicity of design appeals to me in that I can open the book, follow the structured lesson plan, and focus on the grammar level of Spanish language development. I view this curriculum as a suitable stepping stone to additional Spanish studies that we will build upon in high school years.

Product Details:
Title: Spanish for You! Estaciones
Author and Publisher: Debbie Annett
Format: Softcover books with digital downloads
Retail Price: Individual product and package prices available

From the Publisher:
Most curriculums spiral with their content which means that you must complete level 1 before you can move on to level 2 and so on.  Spanish for You!, on the other hand, teaches the key foundational concepts of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and verb conjugation consistently from chapter to chapter and book to book in a way that students learn Spanish as language components to be put together in different ways, much like building blocks.  Because of this the books can be done in any order, and the more books students do, the more they are able to communicate in Spanish in more complex ways.

This is especially helpful in classroom use because it allows new students to be seamlessly integrated in with students who have been studying Spanish.  These new students can begin the school year using Spanish for You! with experienced Spanish for You! students at their same grade level.



Additional Media:
Free Worksheets
Free Mini Lessons

About the Author:
Debbie Annett has taught Spanish for grades kindergarten through high school for 14 years. She has taught Spanish enrichment classes for grades 1 through 8, and all levels of high school classes for homeschool students.

Debbie is an Illinois State Certified Teacher with a bachelor's degree in Spanish from the University of Illinois and a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Northern Illinois University. She has studied in Seville, Spain, and has 8 years of international business experience prior to becoming a teacher. She teaches Spanish classes for Tri-City Enrichment Homeschool Coop. for grades 3 through high school, as well as tutors students privately and provides after-school Spanish enrichment classes.

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Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this product from Spanish for You! to help facilitate the writing of a frank and honest review for Mosaic Reviews. This author was under no obligation to offer a favorable review. All opinions shared about the product are the honest responses of Sharra Badgley. Your results and opinions may vary. 

Hasta luego!