Language Learning for Homeschoolers: Free Spanish Resources

Language Learning for Homeschoolers: Free Spanish Resources

This post will be the first in a series of learning foreign languages in a homeschool environment. I'm going to start with Spanish, then German, then French. If there are more languages that people are interested in, contact Melissa and she'll pass those requests on to me.

Spanish is probably the easiest language to teach in a homeschool environment, simply because so many things nowadays are available in Spanish at little to no extra effort. Many kids' shows such as Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, and Maya and Miguel incorporate Spanish words and phrases. Most DVDs have a Spanish language option as well. If you're teaching Spanish, you can also contact your local library to see if the library system has books in Spanish, or the bilingual books that have both English and Spanish. You can also check Meetup'>http://www.meetup.com">Meetup to see if there are language conversation groups near you. Other sources may also offer conversation groups, such as nearby colleges or cultural centers (in our area, Barnes & Noble also hosts conversation groups).

Here are some online resources that provide lessons, mini-lessons, or ways to practice:
Vocabulix'>http://www.vocabulix.com/">Vocabulix - mini-lessons for vocabulary and verb work; also offers a store for more resources
Spanish'>http://www.spanishromance.com/spanish-language/">Spanish Romance - topic-based lessons such as phrases, alphabet, and more
Study'>http://www.studyspanish.com/freesite.htm">Study Spanish - a mini-curriculum that incorporates grammar and vocabulary; also a paid option for more practice
BBC'>http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/">BBC Spanish - put out by the BBC and includes a great course designed to give travelers the basics, but also includes many other resources
Lingolex'>http://www.lingolex.com/spanish.htm">Lingolex - huge list of free resources
Speak'>http://spanish.speak7.com/">Speak 7 Spanish - grammar-based lessons
LiveMocha'>http://www.livemocha.com/">LiveMocha - incorporates the ability to connect with native speakers as well as lessons

Here are some great ways to practice listening to the language as well:
Streaming'>http://streamingradioguide.com/">Streaming Radio Guide - scroll down to find the Spanish language stations
Broadcast'>http://broadcast-live.com/espanoles.html">Broadcast Live - list of Spanish radio stations at Broadcast Live
Univision'>http://www.univision.com/content/channel.jhtml?chid=19641">Univision - Univision's video list (site in Spanish)
Online'>http://www.onlineradiotv.com/watch-tv-online/live-tv-streams/spanish-language-tv-online/">Online Radio TV - list of radio and TV stations from around the world that stream online

Bekah
motherhood-moment.blogspot.com

Spanish Review, Valentines Day History

Why do we celebrate Valentines Day, and what is the history. Go here to watch a short video from the History Channel explaining it. This will be part of our History lesson for tomorrow.

We have been studying some Spanish words, for a whole quarter. I have a disc I purchased, but I do not care for it much. I do like the feature where I can print off the words, and their meanings. We studied, and wrote them every day until we memorized them. Now we need to learn to speak it properly. Below are three videos we will be watching everyday, until the end of the school year. They are numbers 1-10, colors, and food and utensils. We also learned body parts, but I can not find a video for it yet. Feel free to use them as you wish.




Lesson Plans for 2/11/09:

Reading: Chapter 9 of Ghost Town at Sundown
Social Studies: Flat maps and globes, Valentines Day
Language Arts: Capitalization, punctuation
Math: Using tables, multiplication, division
Writing: The best thing about school is
Vocabulary: Lesson 19- think of a synonym for each vocabulary word
Spelling: Lesson 19- write each spelling word, and circle the vowels
Spanish: review videos