Parents and Children
Q: My child has never had Spanish before. Will this be a problem?
A: Not at all. Elementary Spanish students should jump right in and have fun with these programs. They're designed for beginners. Children who have some Spanish language background may wish to move into programs that are ahead of their age or grade level.
educación española students simply begin at Lesson 1. The instruction begins with assumptions that students have no past experience or education with the Spanish language.
Q: How can we view your programs?
A: All of our Elementary Spanish programs and educación española program are viewable on the DISH Network™ broadcast satellite system on channel 9411, The Universityhouse¨ Channel. You need to be a DISH Network™ subscriber. If you are not a DISH Network™ subscriber, please visit the The Universityhouse® Channel or DISH Network™ for information about subscription and equipment packages. Check our most current broadcast schedule for times.
We now offer all of our Elementary Spanish programs on DVD for home school students. So you can watch our lessons whenever you want with ease and with the high quality of digital video on either your television DVD player or home computer (make sure your home computer does have a DVD drive installed).
We hope to have the educación española program on DVD in the near future. Email or call us to be placed on a notification of when this product does become available for home schoolers.
Q: Do parents need to speak Spanish to implement these programs?
A: No. They were designed to be a complete program with televised instruction and the At Home Workbook. The parent’s role is to become an active facilitator, participant, and learner with the students.
Q: What programs do you offer?
A: We offer six years of instruction for Elementary Spanish: Elementary Spanish at Home for Grades 1-2, Grades 3-4, and Grades 5-6. Each of these programs has a two-year alternating curriculum cycle, so there's a total of six years of language learning available, depending upon how you choose to use these programs.
We also offer the two years of educación española At Home developed for the junior high school (Grades 7-8) and the older student. You may purchase these as educación española (Lessons 1-50) and educación española (Lessons 51-100). Workbooks are now available as well. This program is intended to be viewed in a linear, continuous fashion- begin at Lesson 1 and work your way through Lesson 100. Designed to be more challenging with a greater emphasis on grammar, this program will help you to take your Spanish language skills to the next level.
Q: I notice your Elementary Spanish programs are combined grade levels. What does that mean?
A: We have three separate programs: Elementary Spanish at Home for Grades 1-2, Grades 3-4, and Grades 5-6. Each of these programs has a two-year alternating curriculum, called either Units 1-5 or Units 6-10.
They're designed to offer a logical progression through six years of language learning with programs that build on each other in terms of language learning and concept recycling. Some families will want to follow this six-year process; others may prefer to skip the alternating year of a given program and move instead to more advanced programs, again, depending upon individual interests and needs.
Q: What program should I buy?
A: Buy the program that matches your child's age or grade level or interest. Our programs were created to facilitate children's entrance at the program that matches their age or grade, which is developmentally appropriate. But, parents know their own children best. We suggest that if you are already a DISH Network™ subscriber, you may want to watch all three programs back to back and then select which program is most appropriate for your child and family.
If you have a student older than the typical sixth grader age, we suggest that you purchase the educación española At Home program. The curriculum is designed for students capable of comprehending language deconstruction (nouns, verbs, tenses, etc.) with more of an analytical approach to foreign language learning versus the communicative approach taken by the Elementary Spanish programs.
We suggest that if you are a homeschool parent or teacher and would like to enhance your Spanish language knowledge on your own, that educación española is perfect for the older student. Learn Spanish at the adult level while your child is learning at their level. This can greatly appreciate the speed and accuracy in both of your Spanish-speaking skills.
Q: Which year of the Elementary Spanish curriculum will air when?
A: Our Units 1-5 and Units 6-10 will alternate broadcasting every other year. Please check our most current broadcast schedule.
Q: Does this mean we need to start with Units 1-5 for Elementary Spanish? What about educación española?
A: No. Elementary Spanish students start with whatever program is airing when you're ready to begin. Our programs are deliberately designed to allow students to start lessons at the beginning of either year of instruction. We always review for children who have had our lessons before and introduce new materials for children who've never had our lessons before.
Now for educación española, the lessons do build one onto another so you will need to start with Lesson 1 and continue through sequentially.
Q: How many lessons are there per program and how long are they?
A: For Elementary Spanish there are 5 units consisting of ten lessons each totaling 50 lessons that form one year of programming. Each Elementary Spanish lesson averages about 20 minutes long.
For educación española there are a total of 50 lessons that average about 45 minutes in length.
Q: What curriculum model do you use for Elementary Spanish?
A: We use what's called a "content-enriched FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary School) model" for our Elementary Spanish programs. This means that we believe that you cannot teach language in isolation by just memorizing vocabulary words. We teach Spanish by teaching it within the context of a thematic unit, i.e. the family, our country and our neighbors, sports, music and instruments, farm animals, plant habitats, weather and geography, etc.
This way we are accomplishing two things: teaching a foreign language, and also reinforcing areas of study or interest with which children are already familiar in English. Since we focus on communication, children are learning language they can use and use right away.
Q: What is the basis of your curriculum development for educación española?
A: Instruction for educación española is based on a comparative/contrastive analysis of Spanish vis-à-vis the English language. We incorporate the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning within the context of a culturally rich environment. This approach to teaching language allows us to teach Spanish while also reviewing key language concepts of English. We incorporate an extensive authentic cultural strand throughout our curriculum focusing on history, cultural, and contemporary life.
Q: Do you incorporate the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning?
A: Yes we do for all of our Elementary Spanish programs. These are very broad guidelines that are intended to form the basis of a lifetime of language learning. They focus on communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities.
The goal is that students will be able to express themselves in languages other than English, learn about other cultures, expand their knowledge of other topics while they are also learning a foreign language, gain insights into the nature of language and culture, and use the language, in the learning environment and beyond, hopefully as a life-long learner. For more about the Standards, please visit the ACTFL web site (http://www.actfl.org).
Q: Where can we expect our students to be after these two years of educación española instruction?
A: A student successfully completing both years of educación española (lessons 1-100) can expect to have the knowledge acquired in a high school or college-level Spanish I course.
Q: What about Hispanic culture?
A: We include a strong cultural component in each of our Elementary Spanish and educación española programs so children can learn about the many cultures of the Hispanic world. This includes a special Day of the Dead lesson in all of the Elementary Spanish programs which airs as the second lesson (Units 2 and 7) in the second unit of instruction every year. In these lessons, we explore the history and customs of this beloved Hispanic holiday from a cultural perspective, with a particular focus on how it is observed in Mexico.
Other cultural components, such as when family mealtimes are shared in Spanish-speaking countries, popular sports and pastimes in Hispanic nations, music of Hispanic countries, etc. are also explored in both educación española and the Elementary Spanish programs.
Q: Can I purchase your Elementary Spanish programs on DVD for home use? How much is it?
A: Yes. We now offer DVDs for each of our six Elementary Spanish programs. One year of programming consists of 5 DVDs (one unit per DVD) for $500. This purchase also includes one Elementary Spanish At Home Workbook for the program year you purchase. These are the exact same lessons that we broadcast on The Universityhouse¨ Channel. This is a huge reduction in price compared to our schools prices. We also now offer educación española on dvd.
Q: What Elementary Spanish products are available for learners at home?
A: We now offer DVDs of all of the Elementary Spanish programs that include one Elementary Spanish At Home Workbook for the program year of your choice. You may also purchase only the Elementary Spanish At Home Workbook and follow along with our televised broadcast.
The Elementary Spanish At Home Workbook contains curriculum with more than 150 pages of activity sheets, vocabulary, pre- and post-tests, answer keys, recipes, songs, poems, Spanish for Parents, and more.
With the purchase of an Elementary Spanish At Home Workbook you have the right to videotape the televised lessons and keep them for a period of up to one year from the date that you first taped the show for educational use in your home and not for distribution or copying for sale.
We also have two CD-ROMs available that work on both Macintosh and PC computers. One is for all Elementary Spanish grade levels for Units 1-5, and the other is for all Elementary Spanish grade levels for Units 6-10. These are great ancillary materials that reinforce the thematic units studied in each grade level.
We offer an Elementary Spanish Grades 1-6 Units 1-10 Songbook with words, translations, and sheet music for piano and guitar that contain all of the songs presented in all of our Elementary Spanish programs. Your choice of an accompanying audiocassette or compact disc also comes with each Songbook. On the first half of the audiocassette and CD are the songs performed by Señor Morris with vocals. On the second half we provide the music without the vocals so that your students can sing along with the music.
We also have other Cultural Videos on VHS videotape only. The three-part Mexican Holiday Video Series (intended for general audiences) offers an in-depth look at how the Mexican people celebrate three of their most cherished holidays with passion and pageantry. A Resource Booklet comes with each Holiday video. It includes a detailed history of the holiday, a thematic vocabulary list, extension activities for use both before and after viewing the video, other resources related to the topic of the video, and the applicable National Standards for Foreign Language Learning. The fourth video, “A Weekend in Mexico City,” whisks lower elementary students (grades 1-4) on a whirlwind tour of this major capital city to discover what youngsters their age may do and enjoy on a typical weekend.
Q: What educación española products are available for learners at home?
A: Our new educación española At Home Workbook is now available for students to participate with our televised broadcast on The Universityhouse® Channel. Check our current broadcast schedule for showing times.
The educación española At Home Workbook contains curriculum with more than 200 pages of activity sheets, vocabulary, tests, answer keys, songs, and more.
With the purchase of an educación española At Home Workbook you have the right to videotape the televised lessons and keep them for a period of up to one year from the date that you first taped the show for educational use in your home and not for distribution or copying for sale.
Q: What are the prices of all of your products?
A: Viewing the broadcast of the Elementary Spanish and educación española programs wware FREE to subscribers of the DISH Network™. View prices and information on how to order our videotapes or DVDs of our televised programs, along with other additional materials, please visit our Prices and Ordering section. All shipping and handling charges (we ship by FedEx) are $5.00.
Q: Do we have to have anything else to receive your programs?
A: Yes. In order to watch the programs on television you need to be a DISH Network™ subscriber. If you are not a DISH Network™ subscriber, please visit The Universityhouse® Channel or DISH Network™ for information about subscription and equipment packages.
Q: Where is there ordering information?
A: Please go to our Spanish At Home Order page.
Q: What payment do you accept?
A: Visa and Mastercard (U.S. dollars only).
Q: How do you ship?
A: Federal Express, so we have to have a physical mailing address. No P.O. Boxes are allowed for Shipping Addresses.
Q: How can we receive our Elementary Spanish at Home lessons?
A: Our lessons are carried by direct broadcast satellite from the DISH Network™. If you are not a DISH Network™ subscriber, please visit The Universityhouse® Channel or the DISH Network™ for information about subscription and equipment packages.
Q: Can we resell these workbooks or DVDs?
A: No. Your purchase of any year of any program includes a home school site license that permits use of our products in your home. Our programs are copyrighted with all rights reserved.
No copying or redistribution or resale of any Elementary Spanish At Home or educación española At Home products are permitted with one exception: you have the right to videotape the televised lessons and keep them for a period of up to one year from purchase date for educational use in your home and not for distribution or copying or sale.
We ask for your help in honoring and respecting our copyright.
Q: What is the guitar music that airs between and after the Elementary Spanish lessons?
A: The music is performed by Tom Sheeley, School of Performing Arts faculty, at Northern Arizona University, and is from his CD-ROM entitled "Guitar Music." Mr. Sheeley has performed nationally and internationally as a soloist. He has also been featured in chamber music concerts, national symphony concerts, and various international festivals and competitions. He was also honored with his selection as a member of the Artistic Ambassador Program of the United States Information Agency and Arts America.
Q: Where can we buy Tom Sheeley’s CD?
A: Contact Mr. Sheeley at 1109 S. Plaza Way #203, Flagstaff, AZ, 86001,
or call (928) 779-6072 for purchasing information.
© 2006 Northern Arizona University. All Rights Reserved.
