My 8th grader is plugging right along learning in a Spanish Course from Middlebury Interactive Languages.
Middlebury Interactive Languages
Middlebury Interactive Languages curriculum currently offers training in four language Courses: Spanish, French, Chinese, and German. Each course is offered at various age and skill levels from grades K through 12th grade. Each course is a semester long, and can work progressively with the previous course taken. The info graphic below shows the courses offered by grade levels in each language.
Spanish 1 Course And How We Used It In Our Home:
We were given a semester (6 month subscription) to Middle School Spanish 1 Course, grades 6-8, by Middleburry Interactive Languages for the purpose of trying it out and writing an honest review.
Middle School Spanish 1 is an interactive beginning Spanish language course designed for students in grades 6-8. It retails for $119 per semester. It is designed to efficiently teach the four key language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The course is aligned to national standards as set forth by ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
Using authentic native speaking materials and situations to apply the language helps to motivate kids and build their confidence. Spanish 1 uses multimedia activities, various exercises, vocabulary, grammar and sentences, conversations.
Kids are self motivated to learn. Kids are introduced to life in Spanish-speaking countries, such as history, food, and literature, conversations, and this helps to cultivate an appreciation of the Hispanic world. Spanish 1 utilizes guided learning to help students acquire language proficiency. Successful completion of Middle School Spanish 1 provides a solid foundation for future Spanish learning and travel to Spanish speaking countries.
My son practiced everyday for the past six weeks on the program. He really likes it and will definitely continue on and finish the course. There are a total of 90 lessons for the whole semester. The goal was for him to complete a lesson a day, but he did not always complete the full lesson at each sitting, and sometimes the lesson carried over into the next day. It is challenging for him and I am pleased with his progress and motivation to keep going.
When he logs in, he gets a list of options on his dashboard for each lesson. He can listen to the computer speak in Spanish, practice warm ups, listen to the native speakers, learn the alphabet and pronunciation of each letter, practice speaking, record your speaking and compare it to the native speakers, various grammar skills, flash cards, conversation, and so much more.
He can view his lessons from a calendar format, table of contents format, or just simply when logging in the dashboard shows him the next lesson. That is how he usually accesses his lessons and keeps track of his progress. He does have to remember to click the submit button at the top right corner of the page after each portion of the lesson for it to record his answers and progress.
Did you know that 40 countries around the world speak Spanish, and that the Spanish language is second in line for the most native speakers, second only to Chinese? Wow, growing up in the USA and speaking English only, without exposure to other languages, one might never know that English is not the dominant language in the world. One thing that is really cool about this language learning program that it takes you on a virtual journey to other countries and cultures to immerse your learning process in the language you are studying and prepares you to travel to distant lands and speak with native speakers if you desire to do that.
Videos:
Here is an introductory video to Middle school Spanish Courses through Middlebury Interactive Languages:
Here is a student talking about how learning Spanish through Middlebury Interactive Languages program prepared him to take a trip to a Spanish speaking country and immerse himself in the language and culture.
Media Links
Be sure to check out Middleburry Interactive Languages media links for all the latest updates and news:
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Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/middinteractive/
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Be sure to check out what other families on the Schoolhouse Review Crew had to say about these great language curriculum products from Middlebury Interactive Languages.
