Review: Song School Spanish

I keep meaning to introduce some foreign language studies into our curriculum, and this past month I finally had the chance to get serious about that goal!  The kids and I have been trying  out Song School Spanish, by Classical Academic Press.

Song School Spanish is a very gentle introduction to the Spanish language, designed for the K-2 grade age range.  As implied in the title, there is a musical component to the program to make it more fun, and hopefully memorable, for the tikes  There is both a student and teacher's manual available as well as an additional card game you can purchase for more practice and reinforcement of the words learned.

How does the program work?  The book is divided out into 30 chapters and they are intended to be completed weekly.  On the first day of the week we pull out our book and look at the new vocabulary words of the week, and read the short lesson of the week.  We also listen to the new songs of the week while we follow along in the book to learn the words!  On Wednesday we pull our book back out and do a work page while we listen to the songs, and sometimes an activity too (there are puppet shows, stories, connect the dots, flash cards, and more).  Lastly, on Friday, we listen to our songs again (sometimes with crazy dancing from at least one or two of the children) and we fill out the "Show What You Know" quiz at the back of the chapter.

What I Like:

• The program is designed specifically for young children!  It is hard to find good language programs aimed at this particular crowd.  I know because I'm always looking, and I find it odd since research has shown, time and time again, that foreign languages introduced at a young age do marvelous things for young brains.  Song School Spanish strikes a nice balance with their tone - it's not too cutesy, but it's still fun enough to easily interest the five year olds.
• The songs!  Once in a while I catch my oldest humming them which must mean some of the material is really being internalized, right?!  :)
• The additional mp3 pronunciation guide available.  Learning how to pronounce the letters of a new language correctly is tricky stuff, and I need all the help I can get.
• The worksheets!  They are just the right length, and a mixture of fun (draw a picture of your teacher, for example) paired with practice.

Other Thoughts:

• I think this program would be slightly harder to implement if I only had one child using it.  Many of the activities call for interaction involving multiple kids.  Not an issue for me, but it might be for others.
• The scope of this program is rather limited - 100 words.  Along the way you do learn quite a bit about the Spanish language though - so if you keep in mind that this program is intended as a fun introduction to the language and not so much a serious study of it?  You will be happy with it!

In summary - we liked it!  I never had to cajole TOO much to get the kids to the table for Spanish time, and that is a strong point in favor of the curriculum.  I am looking forward to continuing with the program, and to also trying out Classical Academic Press's Song School Latin!  This program is a great first introduction to a language and is an "open and go" type of curriculum which I love.

Interested?  The student's textbook is $24.95, and the teacher's edition is the same price.  The teacher's edition is basically the same as the textbook with one exception.  The front of the book is the same as the student's textbook but with the answers to the questions from the worksheets filled out.  However, in the back of the book there are a number of great supplemental worksheets (40) and resources.  Can you do the program without it?  Yes, it's pretty basic and I don't think you need the answer key to grade your child's worksheets.  But if you're an overachiever (just kidding!) you will probably really enjoy the extra resources in the back of the teacher's edition.  The Spanish Amigo Match card game is $26.95, it's a fun supplement you can use to play Memory/Go Fish/Old Maid and practice your Spanish words from the textbook.  I'm considering purchasing it because I can't resist supplements.  You can get a bundle with all three products for $66.95.

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**** I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.