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High School Spanish Program Recommendations
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Can anyone give recommendations for Spanish programs for high school? I’ve read both positive and negative reviews for Rosetta Stone. I’ve looked at other programs as well. I’d really like to hear from those that have used high school level programs, if you liked/disliked them, and why.
Thanks!
Only have a minute, but I preferred Visual Link Spanish over Rosetta Stone. And there are some good books for specific aspects — I think it’s Practice Makes Perfect series or something like that? Those are on Amazon and there are quite a few. Some people have used some online interactive courses. That is probably the best if you can afford it.
Thanks for the suggestion of Visual Link Spanish. I’ll take a look at that program and see what it’s like. It looks like they give you a good bit of free lessons that you can try out. What is it that you like better about it versus Rosetta Stone?
*bump*
Has anyone used PowerGlide Spanish High School course?
What is it that you like better about it versus Rosetta Stone?
You know, I think Rosetta Stone is great for some vocab and *thinking* of those words in the target language (as opposed to translating back and forth in your head). I can’t remember how it is in the newest versions, but some of their sentence structure was archaic in the previous version. I know there are people who love RS and that’s great, but I guess in my mind it was a rather overpriced one-trick pony.
Visual Link has it’s deficiencies as well — everything does. But I felt like the coverage was better, the variety was better, and the price was certainly better. I still get email offers from them regularly, although we own a bunch of their stuff. Definitely buy on a sale, I’d say. Sign up for their email offers if you’re thinking of buying. Right now they are offering the Digital Learning Library (or something like that — basically, online lessons with “lifetime access”) for $40 instead of $100, through this Friday. But these kind of sales come around once in a while. TBH, I get confused by some of their offerings. They used to sell primarily “levels” that you install on your computer, and that’s much of what we have. Some mp3s, some interactive computer lessons. But I think they’ve moved to much of their stuff being online (active Internet connection needed for that).
Both VL and RS have free trials — I would go with that and see what you like. And of course there are other programs out there as well. Hope that helps a tiny bit!
Personal favorite, after using RS (I liked it, but the kids weren’t retaining as much as I would have liked), I chose to use Guion series. CM used his methods in her foreign language classes. At any rate, it works really well – in part, I think, because you use a series of actions that go together, and they are also things that the student has performed. That combination seems to be a winner – at least in our house. I get the side benefits of learning two languages since my youngest two are learning German and French. Best of all, the method I employ is completely free. It only involves my time with the girls and the use of Google translate.
@ blue j…so you’re using Guion for more than Spanish, by way of Google? Isn’t Guion the one mentioned maybe last summer? Fairly new resource? Or, am I confused? We are studying French with a curriculum. Love it, but wouldn’t know where to start with Spanish, or other languages. This may be a resource I should consider for future language studies.
TailorMade,
Are you thinking of maybe THIS thread talking about the new program from Cherry Dale Press? I do believe that program uses the Gouin method. The program from Cherry Dale Press is for 1st-8th grade I believe.blue j,
So how are tracking this for credit at the high school level? I actually wondered about using the Cherry Dale Press program at a faster rate coupled with another program like Living Language for high school. I wonder if that would work okay for high school. MFW also has lesson plans to go along with Rosetta Stone that you can use that is a high school level course for credit.The reason I went with Gogle was because Cherry Dale Press doesnt have a German resource yet. My high school daughter REALLY wanted to learn it, so after some seminars @ the CM convention last year, I screwed my courage up to just give it a go. I chose kitchen/ food as our starting point, and have been so thrillrd with the results.
I started the French about a month after my older daughter had been learning German as she was the guinea pig. My jr. High student isn’t as gifted with languages as my older daughter, and she is still learning well and remembering, which is a big change for her. Truthfully, she may b3 as gifted, but the other method did nothing for her, that’s for sure.
At any rate, I want my daughters to both be fluent speakers, and next year, we will work on spelling with my older daughter. I am going more slowly with my younger daughter. As we work though the series, Lu is figuring out the grammar rules on her own. I think I will endbup ordering CDP’s French at some point in the relative near future for my younger dd just for my own sake as I am more intimidated by the French language than the German.
As far as credits go, older dd will get at least 2 credits for foreign language with the possibility of more as I compare her progress wirh standard equivalents in the ps.
Hth,
~jacqleene
This is very interesting! Hmmm…so jacqleene, do you think my thought of using Cherry Dale Press at a faster rate coupled with something like Living Language maybe could work for high school credit? Or maybe even the Cherry Dale Press volumes 1 and 2 could be enough for one credit and then do something else for the second credit? Any thoughts?
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