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TOS Crew Product Review ~ The Easy Spanish Level I from Great Commission Languages


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.The Easy Spanish Level I (from Great Commission Languages) is a whopper of a book at 414 pages and 2 Cd's. Using this foreign language program for 36 lessons, following each portion of each lesson, WILL give your student the tools they need to speak Spanish (and by that I mean they can actually communicate with those whose native tongue is Spanish).

This curriculum can be parent led, or can be done individually - which is the ideal option for homeschooling parents because it makes it easy to adapt to younger children or easy to "hand off" to older children. I'm using The Easy Spanish with my junior in high school and my 8th grader. Using The Easy Spanish through completion counts as 2 years of high school foreign language. I should also note that this curriculum has a STRONG Christian emphasis (hence the publisher's name Great Commission Languages!) and the end aim of the product is at making and equipping missionaries. Can I just say, very loudly, HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!

For the most part, everything you need is included with this curriculum, but some of the activities may require a trip to the library. And I would also suggest laminating the phonogram flash cards to help them last longer through lots of use.

The lessons in The Easy Spanish are divided into sections as follows:

~ Story ~ (told in a Spanish weave) ~ Students listen to the Story daily
~ Vocabulary ~ Students listen to vocabulary daily
~ Activity ~ (primarily for younger students) ~ many Activities have a corresponding activity sheet
~ Narration ~ (follows Charlotte Mason's theories for foreign language) ~ this section is not intended for use with independent learners
~ ¡Soy Yo! It’s Me! ~ a special activity for those using the Charlotte Mason method that makes a nice keepsake upon completion
~ CM Activity ~ primarily for the independent learner
~ Teacher Helps ~ written for the parent or the independent learner
~ Scripture Memory Work ~ suggested for use every 2 lessons
~ Cultural Note ~ provides a deeper understanding of the culture
~ Trivia ~ interesting facts about the culture
~ Notebook ~ all student work goes into the student notebook
~ Front Cover Work ~ this is only for the younger child

Well, I know that the above list may look like a whole lot of work, but take it to someone who has taught foreign language using a variety of different curriculum - this method is not at all overwhelming and it works really well. It's easy to implement once you read through the introduction and create each student notebook. And I love hearing my daughter's speak in complete Spanish conversations. As a matter of fact, just this evening my 13-year-old translated a commercial that was all in Spanish and she was kind of in shock that she completely understood everything they said!




High school students keep a journal written entirely in Spanish (my 17-year-old balked at this, but now she really enjoys it). They write about everyday life, and since it's a no-pressure assignment in regard to the quality of the writing it's a very doable activity.

Some other awesome features of The Easy Spanish are the checklists for younger and older students, the lesson planner templates, and sample CLEP tests to help students prepare to "test out" of Spanish. My girl's favorite part of the program is the Scripture memory activity. Being able to quote the Bible in Spanish means the most to them, as they take a mission trip to Ensenada, Mexico every 2 years. What a fantastic gift to give my daughters, which they in turn can "re-gift" again and again and again!





To learn about The Easy Spanish for yourself, visit their website at www.TheEasySpanish.com.

The product I received (free of charge for review purposes) is priced at $139.95. Individual portions of the curriculum are available for prices ranging from $10 to $69.95. Great Commission Press also sells The Easy French ($139.95).

To read what other members of the TOS Crew had to say about The Easy Spanish, click HERE.

Seriously consider this product if you have an older student who needs a foreign language credit, or a younger student who would like to learn Spanish (or French). It's an excellent product with a Christian perspective and I'm so blessed to have been able to review The Easy Spanish from Great Commission Languages.

Lord bless you and your family this Christmas season!

Day 136 done :)

Jan L. Burt
www.HomeschoolingMothersBibleStudy.com
www.SavanasClayCreations.com

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