Whistlefritz Spanish For Kids

Description

These practical and well-designed lessons are easy for parents to follow using the Whistlefritz series. The Lesson Plans for Kids book contains forty lessons using creative and interactive projects like making puppets, trying new recipes, making play dough, and drawing pictures of family. Each new lesson refers back to past learning, helping the new vocabulary and phrases stick. Fritzi is a cartoon mouse found throughout the program and he is darling. The lessons guide a parent/teacher, telling them exactly what to say and do. The pronunciation help comes from the DVDs (make sure you know the correct pronunciation too so you model it correctly). In the lesson plan book are vocabulary words to have your student repeat and practice. These lessons reference specific videos in the series. Don't worry, they are very fun and engaging videos! In the videos, you see a person's face as he/she says a word. Children can imitate how the person looks as they are making sounds that are not in English. This is something you don't see with other language videos. Each 25-minute immersion DVD contains a variety of short scenes including live action, animation and puppets. The series features plenty of repetition, slower-paced conversation, and an easy-to-follow format that is helpful for parents and kiddos. Several short songs are included as well. Expect each lesson to take 30-40 minutes, including the videos and activities. You are only watching a part of a video for the actual lesson. Scripted plans mean very little planning for you! You can assemble materials for the project and get the DVD ready and voila - time for your Spanish lesson! Every single lesson has the following categories: description of lesson, goal, objective, vocabulary, materials, time, focus, teacher input, guided practice, independent practice, closure and extension activities. If this sounds like it was written by a classroom teacher, it was, several very talented ones. Pages may be reproduced for a single classroom/family use. There are several pages you will want to make copies of for the activities. I love that this is a hands-on program without requiring a student to be able to write just yet. This is a good in-between step, from a beginner's initial exposure to a foreign language, and doing something with a written component (aka workbook.) You will need all of the DVDs to get the most out of the lesson plan book. You could, however, use the videos without the plans. All of the voices are native speakers on the Whistlefritz materials, which helps your children develop an authentic accent as they imitate what they hear. The Spanish Matching Card Game is a fun way to practice vocabulary and has a little fox character named Rito demonstrating the words, as well as the printed word with pronunciation help. The 50 cards can be turned face down to play a matching game. Be sure to have your kiddos say the word when they turn up a card! I like the idea of a proper lesson once or twice a week and having the kids watch the videos for fun on other days. Keeping it light and fun, your children will be asking for Fritzi! Educator's Collection includes: Spanish Lesson Plans for Kids, Spanish La Gran Coleccion, Buenos Dias Spanish Learning Songs CD, Spanish Matching Cards and La Musica DVD. La Gran Coleccion is a boxed set of songs and learning videos on 5 DVDs and 4 CDs. The Deluxe Spanish Collection includes: the La Gran Coleccion set, plus the Buenas Dias Spanish Learning Songs CD and the La Musica DVD. It also includes the Spanish Matching Cards. ~ Sara

Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.