Would you like your child to learn a semester's worth (12 weeks) of Spanish on their own schedule?
Would you like your child to be immersed 90% of the time with the Spanish language?
Would you like your child to feel comfortable using the Spanish language in a more private setting?
Would you like your child to learn reading skills from a certified Spanish teacher?  
Would you like your child to receive valuable feedback on their written and oral work from a certified teacher?
Would you like your child to receive high school credit for taking this course?
 
This is the right class for you!  In this class, learners will receive pre-recorded videos of each week's lessons.  The lessons will include daily conversation prompts, readings, discussion questions, study guides and online quizlet flashcard access to practice vocabulary.  There will be optional written and oral assessments available as well. This class includes the FOUR important elements to learn a new Language: Vocabulary + Grammar (Writing) + Reading + Conversation (Speaking and Listening). This course will be great for students that have not had any exposure to the Spanish language. 

In this semester-long Spanish self paced class (no live meetings), your learner will be immersed in Spanish 90% of the time.  NOTE: This class has NO live meetings and follows a "flexible schedule format", allowing learners to work at any time during each designated week and for the duration of the course. The teacher can always be reached through the Outschool classroom and through messaging on Outschool if a learner needs specific help. Before registering for this class, please discuss with your learner the importance of practicing the language both during each class meeting, as well as at home each day. I always tell my classes that my best learners are the ones who are not afraid to speak during class and they take the time to review and practice what they have learned each week. Activities will build upon the previous meetings and learners will gain confidence with each passing week, as they are able to understand and speak more and more Spanish! Powerpoint presentations, games, class novels, videos and more will be used during each class meeting. 

Stories, laughter, and games make compelling forces in language-learning! In this class, near the beginning of their Spanish-language journey will practice different kinds of structures and phrases each week while engaging in games and activities while listening to two simple class novels. The novels are called Edi El Elefante (Edi The Elephant) and Capibara con Botas (The Capibara with boots). No previous Spanish knowledge is required.

Each week, learners will:
1. Receive an engaging educational video of me teaching the week's content.  The video is interactive and encourages students to repeat and participate. The video will include class talking topics, games/activities, stories/novels and comprehension questions. 
2. Receive a link to online flashcards for students to review and practice at home!
3. Receive a study guide or practice activities for reinforcement of what we learned in class. 
4. Receive a follow up communication with the teacher about assignments, communication opportunities (via Outschool Platform) and feedback about class work, assignments or assessments.   
*There will be midterm and final  assessments.  Assessments will be over speaking, reading, writing and listening. 

Though this version of the course includes no live class time, please see below the various ways we will interact over the course of this learning experience:

~Interaction Through Instructional Videos~
 I will post a video introducing the new structures and vocabulary for the week.  I will also read the chapters for the week and provide comprehension questions.   Students will have opportunities to show their understanding through various methods and activities.  The teacher will provide constructive feedback on responses.

~Interaction Through Reinforcement Games and Activities~
Each week features a chapter of the story that practices that week's structures and vocabulary. I share a video of myself reading the chapter.  I recommend that students read that story to a person at home, SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) or record themselves and share with the teacher for additional practice.  There will be fun interactive games to practice for each chapter.

I use Google Slides to teach this unit.  I teach with a focus on Comprehensible Input and not grammar since that is not how language is naturally acquired.  Comprehensible input Spanish readers are a game changer in the classroom. Leveled readers in Spanish tell captivating stories and incorporate repetition of high-frequency language making them an extremely effective way to engage students.  We will read a novel entirely in Spanish, have discussions in Spanish and play games/activities to expose students to the target language. The focus will be on developing skills in the areas of listening, speaking and reading.

Many people are new to Comprehensible Input, so let’s start with a general question. Why is reading important in the CI classroom? How does it complement the input students get listening? Reading is essential to growth in proficiency. It allows students to process the language with their eyes at their own pace. They can change speeds, read a passage multiple times and more easily decipher meaning of unknown words. It also allows teachers to vary the delivery of input.  Students need to hear many different voices in the target language. As they read, the input comes from the voices in their heads. Reading invites us to create pictures in our imaginations. Doing so forces students to engage with language in a new way. It also exposes students to the flow of natural language and many current and historical cultural themes.  

There are TWO class novels for this class.  They are called Edi El Elefante and Cabibara Con Botas. They are perfect novels to start learning Spanish because they are filled with common repetitive phrases, structures and vocabulary words to help students acquire the language. 

Edi El Elefante Book Description- Edi is a talented elephant, but he is very small. Edi does not want to be talented or small;  he wants to be BIG! One day, Edi discovers that a small animal can solve a big problem and that being small is not so horrible after all. This book is beautifully illustrated by the author herself. It is strategically written and illustrated with only 55 unique words and 100 fully  illustrated pages! This highly comprehensible reader is absolutely perfect for beginning language learners. The exceptionally low unique word count and high frequency factor (the number of times core structures are embedded in the text) in the Comprehension-based™ reader, ‘Edi El Elefante’, make this an ideal read for very beginning Spanish students. Each page is loaded with cognates (words that are similar in English and Spanish), recycled vocabulary, and illustrations, which makes this read highly comprehensible. Enjoy the story! The more you enjoy it, the more you will acquire Spanish without even realizing it! We hope you enjoy reading your way to FLUENCY!

Capibara Book Description- Join Carlos, el capibara on his adventure through Ecuador and the Amazon Rainforest. This is a perfect book for beginning language learners for elementary, middle school, and high school classes. Students will learn more about South American animals, the water cycle, and deforestation as Carlos finds his way through a story with science and social studies cross-curricular content with only 55 new words in Spanish