I have always loved Spanish.  

For that matter, I have always loved any foreign language.  The unique sounds and rhythms of each language have always intrigued me.  In light of that fact, I knew foreign language study would be a part of our learning life.  I also knew I wanted to go beyond the required.

When I was in Estonia, on a mission trip, I found myself in a conversation with one of the local high school students.  He was shocked and amazed to find out that in the United States, we only learned one foreign language (if that).  When I asked how Estonia did it, he explained that by the time Estonian students graduate they know three languages.  The first language is studied in elementary, a second language in middle school, and a third language in high school.

I love this.

Since Builder is in fourth grade, I mentioned this method of learning languages to him and he was all onboard!  He started planning which languages he would take in which grades.  He decided: Spanish in 4th grade, French in 6th or 8th grade, and Dutch (why Dutch, not sure) in high school.

His plan, his passion, let’s do it!

So, this year, we are starting Spanish.  During my ten years of teaching in the public schools I was fortunate to teach across from a very good friend who happened to teach, you guessed it, Spanish.  Not only that, but I loved the way she taught the subject.  I knew I wanted to use the curriculum she wrote as one of the main components of Builder’s Spanish learning.   I also decided to take a peek on the internet to see what kind of online resources are available (in the free arena).

At this point, these are the two resources we will be using heavily to dive into our Spanish learning time:

Step-Stone Spanish

This is the curriculum created by my teacher friend.  There is a free demo unit available that covers colors.  Four additional units round out the learning experience.  I decided to bypass the Foundation Stones unit and start with unit 1 – The Spanish Alphabet.

This unit can be purchased at teacherpayteachers.com and includes a PowerPoint with audio option, the handouts required for the unit, four interactive student activities, and assessment.  It also includes four detailed lesson plans.

The description states that this unit will cover five class periods (which I believe are 45-50 min).  We are planning to take an estimated ten days to cover this unit.

OnlineFreeSpanish

This is a free online resource found at onlinefreespanish.com.  There are four levels – beginner, intermediate, advanced, holidays/celebrations.

We are starting with beginner which provides learning and practice for the alphabet, basic vocabulary, and “I feel” phrases.

Inside each lesson are games and activities to learn and practice that specific area of the language.  We have just started lesson 1 and are through the first two activities, which Builder enjoyed.  And a bonus, Princess was really drawn into the games as well, and already knows several of the Spanish alphabet sounds!

I, myself, love Spanish and am absolutely ecstatic about getting to start down this part of our learning path.  Hopefully these resources will help you or someone you know along their foreign language journey.

And You? ~ What language(s) do you know?  What language would you like to learn?