Rating: - Disappointing, not for Kindergarden; not fun
We bought the Spanish Junior version for K-3. I expected that my 3 year would be too young for this, but my 5 year old is a very bright and attentive kindergardener and she does not want to do this (and she loves other Spanish videos and audio CDs). The pace is far too slow for young children (and even my husband and I think it's boring/no fun). The books are really geared towards children with advanced reading... maybe better for grade 3+ (Amazon lists reading level as 9-12). The premise is great (an adventure on an island) and maybe the learning methods are well-researched, but they aren't worth much because it's just not much FUN! I like the idea of mixing English and Spanish, but the pace needs to be quicker, I think.

The black and white books just aren't that exciting to look at and they are NOT marked as to what track on the CD is on what page in the book, so I've had to mark each one separately as we go along, so I can get back to it later ... very frustrating. BUT the CD that came with it is good... keeps my daughter's interest much better and is interactive. It's just short, so there's not much content on it.

I can't speak for whether the Spanish is correct because I am not a native speaker and am just learning the language too. I'm going to keep searching for something better than this! I wish we hadn't spent so much money on it!

All in all, if I were given it free, I would probably still search for something else.

 

Rating: - The under 11 crowd.
My child received the Power-Glide Elementary Spanish 1 program thru their cyber charter school to use for kindergarten. There are several levels that can be purchased seperately OR you can purchase an ultimate course. I was skeptical at first but my child who was age 5-6 during the programs length LOVED it! The program I had acess to was the ICOMBO version with an online school and record book. (this can be purchased directly thru power-glide if that is what you are looking for.) While the stories called diglot weaves may be confusing to an adult it is very easy and natural for a young child.....Remember this program IS created for the way young children learn. My child never even asked why they were written that way. We had acess to online games and review session that are similar to rosetta stone. I think RS is a great program too but Power-glide is a better choice for younger children. My child has learned many spanish words and actually uses them!!! How great is that??? I think we will continue with the Spanish Elementary 2 in the coming year. I have even considered purchasing the Latin version myself. My child acually taught themselves and it took very little oversight from me....this alowed me a a 45 minute window to prepare for the next subject of the day. The ICOMBO course has 180 lessons in each level....my child picked things up so rapidly we completed the lessons faster. And I still can not drag my child away from the online school.

 

Rating: - My daughter loved this!
My daughter finished the Latin product, and especially asked for this Spanish course. She found the adventure story very interesting and was quite pleased at all she could understand.

While some have commented that the mixture of Spanish & English words may seem confusing, I've read a variety of research to back it up. When school children were told a story a day, each day adding just a few new foreign words (in the case of the study the words were Russian!), they had no trouble remembering or understanding and by the end of the year had impressive results.

 

Rating: - Mormon and Pychic based program
I was shocked to find out that this program is filled with Mormon theology. It is based on such theories as Suggestology, which is listed under Pychic studies in Amazon search. This is just not a program that I think any child or adult should expose themselves to.

Here is a list of the other theories this method is based on and where the information can be found:

Suggestopedy by Loranov
Total Physical Response by Asher
Silent Way by Gattengo
Comprehension Approach by Krashen
*As described in Dr. Blair's book Innovative Approaches to Language Teaching.


 

Rating: - Confusing
It was kind of hard to find what you were supposed to listen to in the CD. They also mixed Spanish and English together in sentences. I think it is best to make the whole sentence in Spanish. It makes it easier to understand. On the songs, the words did not fit with the rhythm of the music. They also should have used native Spanish speakers because it would have been more accurate. But the stories were good for people who love mysteries.

Rating: - Excellent language course for young children
Power-Glide's Spanish language course for grades pre-k-4 is the perfect tool for teaching a second language at an early age. Parents don't need to know Spanish for this program to work. An audio guide leads the student who follows along is his colorable workbook. Level one provides a parent's guide, complete with transcript.

Spanish words are inserted a bit at a time into interesting stories, acclimating students to their meanings by explanation paired with in-context use. Students begin speaking with the first lesson and are able to tell a story completely in Spanish early on. Repetition reinforces new words and concepts in interactive lessons using stories, diglot weaves, scatter charts, puzzles, matching, and tests (levels 2 & 3). The audio characterizations are done well and the activities easy-to-understand.

A supplemental computer program complements lessons with additional games and exercises while the supplemental card pack teaches over 200 nouns in 22 categories and six languages. The colorful, sturdy cards come with an audio guide so parents don't need to guess at pronunciation. Power-Glide provides flash card games on their website for variety and more learning fun.

Levels two and three continue to reinforce concepts and build new skills so that by the time a student completes the course, he or she will have learned to communicate in Spanish with confidence.

Unlike traditional language courses that focus on spelling, writing, and grammar, Power-Glide truly accomplishes its goal of making students foreign language communicators. If this is what you want for you or your children, Power-Glide's foreign language courses are the ones to choose. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

Rating: - Power-Glide Junior Adventure
My son is starting the Power-Glide Ultimate Adventure. He is in 5th grade. It has taken him 2 months to almost complete the hole program. He has enjoyed the Adventure with the two kids. This program is not for anyone who is older than 6th grade. This is one program that we can not turn off, so it has been worth it. He prefers this program over Rosetta Stone, but we will be using that program next year. We are using these programs for homeschool.

 

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