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Search Results for: foreign language

What Benefits Does BJU Press Spanish Offer Homeschool Families?

May 23, 2017 by Meredith


Most of us took some time in high school or college to study a foreign language. For me, the only option available in high school was Spanish. So I took my required foreign language courses—all three of them.

By college, my understanding of the Spanish language helped me test out of first semester Spanish. And truth be told, my textbook from second semester was full of tic-tac-toe and other word games. But my final grade proved I already knew that material too.

I’d like to share how the BJU Press secondary Spanish curriculum contributed to my success as a language learner because I know it can give your junior high or high school student a solid foundation in the Spanish language too.

3 Benefits of BJU Press Spanish

The courses focus on developing communication skills, but they don’t neglect the vocabulary and grammar skills that make clear communication possible. By emphasizing clear communication, the curriculum seeks to prepare your son or daughter to share the gospel with Hispanics in their own language. And to do that effectively requires mastery of both the words and the syntax.

Vocabulary

Your teen is introduced to everyday words in groups by focusing on specific contexts, for example family relationships, talking on the phone, or cultural events. The words are seen on paper (usually with an illustration) and heard on the included recordings. Opportunities for students to listen to and model their pronunciation after native Spanish speakers come in the CD sets included with the subject kits. Also included in the back of the student text are reference tables and a glossary. These pages provide additional help for vocabulary words such as the calendar months, numbers, and the gender of a specific word (masculine, feminine, or neuter).

Grammar

A high school student who becomes familiar with the new words and sounds can also begin to understand Spanish grammar. The verbs are covered in depth since they must agree with other parts of speech, especially the nouns and pronouns.

Each lesson in the student text presents key verbs and other parts of speech for your child to learn. Examples of grammar concepts are given in the context of how they should be used. The student activities manual includes more oral and written exercises for your high school student to apply what he or she is learning. And all the correct answers are provided too!

When I began to learn the structure of Spanish, my understanding of English was also strengthened. How everything works together became clearer. Your high school student will probably have a similar experience—and maybe his or her English grade will go up!

Learning clear communication (vocabulary and grammar) allows your high school student to see the structure of the Spanish language and understand it. It also engages your child in critical thinking because the curriculum provides a grid to use in choosing the best part of speech by understanding the proper tense and gender. But there’s also a third unique benefit to BJU Press Spanish curriculum.

Video Lessons

If you have any hesitation about teaching your teen Spanish, it will probably ease your mind to know that someone else is available to teach these lessons. BJU Press offers Spanish video lessons that your high school student can use. Our Distance Learning teachers are fluent Spanish speakers, but they also speak in English so that the student doesn’t become frustrated during the lessons. The video sessions are around thirty minutes in length, and each course lasts a whole school year. Meet Mrs. Kuhlewind, our newest Spanish teacher.

Today it amazes me the words and conversations I can recall and understand when I happen to hear something in this beautiful language. Much of that understanding can be attributed to the thorough education I received using the BJU Press Spanish curriculum. My belief is that it can benefit your high school student the same way it did me.

Filed Under: Successful Learning Tagged With: benefits, foreign language, Spanish, video lessons

¿Hablas español? Misconceptions About Teaching Your Kids Spanish

March 21, 2017 by BJU Press Writer

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your kids could learn a second language as they’re growing up? There are some great benefits—especially in today’s increasingly globalized society. When my wife and I began homeschooling our three boys, I had high hopes of teaching them Spanish. After all, I had majored in it and had a graduate degree in language teaching. But in spite of those advantages, it didn’t happen. My plans fizzled out before we even got started—mainly because I didn’t make learning Spanish a priority for the boys but also because I had some misconceptions that got in the way.

If you want to give your kids a good foundation for learning another language, don’t allow the following four misconceptions to keep you from making Spanish part of your homeschooling or to derail your efforts in the early stages.

“If they hear lots of Spanish, they’ll just naturally pick it up.”

It’s true that the best way to bring up fully bilingual children is to immerse them in both languages from the very beginning. Ideally both parents speak the two languages, and the children have plenty of opportunities to interact with a variety of native speakers. But few families have those ideal circumstances.

Work with the resources you have, but remember that unplanned, unstructured exposure to the language probably won’t have much impact. What will help learners of any age is input they can understand about activities or topics they are interested in. (And by all means, if you do know Spanish, speak it to your children often!)

“I should have started sooner.”

Younger kids do very well at picking up pronunciation, but school-age children (and even teenagers) have definite advantages when it comes to other aspects of language learning. For example, they understand better how language works, and they’re more skilled at deducing patterns. So no matter what age your child is, the best time to start teaching him Spanish is now. Thinking that some magic moment of opportunity has already passed may be just an excuse on your part.

“It’s too hard to teach a foreign language.”

While it is more difficult to teach than some skills because language involves a complex set of abilities, making Spanish a part of your homeschool curriculum is likely more doable than you think. It’s essential to have reasonable expectations and to use the most productive approach. Your goal should not be for your child to master a certain number of vocabulary items or verb tenses.

A better initial goal might be to create lots of positive “Spanish-friendly” experiences that can set the stage for later learning. Instead of mind-numbing drills and endless lists to memorize, think in terms of playing with language—having so much fun with Spanish that your child will pick it up almost without realizing it. Of course, on your part it will take discipline and a good bit of work (thinking, planning, arranging, etc.) to make it happen.

 “I can’t teach a language I don’t know.”

This is a big hurdle but not an insurmountable one. Obviously it will be easier and you can do more if you do speak Spanish, but here are some balancing points to keep in mind:

  • You can commit to learning along with your children. Homeschooling parents often have to do this in other subjects they have no expertise in, whether it’s geometry or economics. It’s not easy, and we all have limitations, but for the sake of our children’s education, we tackle these subjects. (Warning: If you take this on, set a realistic goal and be sure you’re willing to stick with it. If you give up before reaching the goal, your student will have little motivation to keep trying.)
  • See yourself not as the teacher (as the expert who provides content) but as a facilitator (one who provides access to content). In language acquisition, the learner’s success largely depends on receiving comprehensible input (i.e., hearing and reading authentic, understandable communication in the target language). This is something you can do without knowing the language.
  • Similarly, an essential part of your facilitator role is to guide the learning by means of an organized, systematic approach. Usually that means using a curriculum that is designed to present things in a logical sequence. It should provide a framework without being rigid and limiting. In a future post, we’ll take a look at one such curriculum.

Perhaps you’ve had more success in teaching your children another language than I did with mine. What has worked for you?

• • • • •

An editor at BJU Press until 2020, Dennis and his wife spent seventeen years homeschooling their three sons. Dennis occasionally teaches at their church and in his spare time enjoys running, playing racquetball, and interacting with their five grandchildren.

Filed Under: Successful Learning Tagged With: foreign language, Pasaporte al espanol, Spanish

Why Distance Learning Is Perfect for Learning Spanish

February 14, 2017 by Justin

 

When I was in school, my experience in my foreign-language class was not so great. I didn’t feel like my teacher knew the language well or how to teach it. Even though she did her best, I discovered when I got to college that I was behind the other students in my class. I didn’t enjoy the subject and was frustrated because I had a lot of catching up to do. I want a better foreign-language experience for my kids, and I’m sure you do too. Our Distance Learning courses for Spanish can make that happen.

Spanish Is Important

The United States now has more Spanish speakers than any other nation except Mexico, and the number of Spanish speakers is expected to increase dramatically in the near future. Getting a foundation in Spanish at a young age has never been more important. Learning Spanish can open the door to a new world of employment and ministry opportunities. Consider other benefits of studying a foreign language.

Spanish Can Be Scary

I won’t beat around the bush. Teaching Spanish can be hard, especially if you (like most parents) aren’t fluent in the language. And knowing the right way to say things can be difficult even if you are. This could be one of those times when it’s best to delegate the teaching of a particular subject to an expert. And who has more expertise than a native Spanish speaker who also has a strong teaching background?

Meet Mrs. Kuhlewind

Let me introduce our newest Spanish teacher, Mrs. Aida  Kuhlewind. Originally from Venezuela, where her parents are missionaries, she is a fluent speaker of Spanish and has first-hand experience with Hispanic culture. She’s also an accomplished Christian teacher. Señora Kuhlewind teaches our new Spanish 2 Distance Learning course. When we asked her about the course, she couldn’t stop talking about her goal of getting kids to love using Spanish so much that they want to use it outside of their academic course.

Inviting Mrs. Kuhlewind into your home means your kids will learn not just the language, but also about Spanish-speaking countries, their culture, and history. It’s like taking a field trip right in your living room. Your kids will love the lessons, and you’ll be confident they’ll be ready for advanced Spanish.

Ready to get started? Check out Spanish 1 with Señor Cancino.

Interested in Spanish 2? Check out the video below to see Mrs. Kuhlewind in action.

Filed Under: Simplified Homeschool, Successful Learning Tagged With: distance learning, lessons, Spanish, teaching, video

Getting Through College Sooner

January 19, 2017 by Guest Writer

As a mom, you’re always looking towards the future, thinking about the timetable of the next twenty years. Traditionally, kids are expected to be done with high school at 18, done with college at 22, finished with the master’s degree at 23, done with the doctorate at 26. We all know that the perfect timetable is just a general guideline, not a hard-and-fast rule that can be applied to everyone. Some children take more time to complete certain grades or phases of school. For others, education can be accelerated. Have you thought about encouraging your child to finish with college in just three years? Discover some ways that you can help your young adult move through those years of higher learning more swiftly.

Advanced Placement 

With Advanced Placement (AP), a high school student can take a course and receive college credit. After the course is complete, your teen takes a standardized AP exam, administered by the College Board organization, to verify that he has done college-level work. Check the AP website for more information about exams in areas such as science, math, English language and literature, foreign languages, social studies, and fine arts. Under each of those categories, you’ll find exams for specific subjects, like biology or computer science.

College-Level Examination Program 

The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is similar to AP, except that your teen doesn’t have to take a course. This type of standardized exam gauges proficiency. Basically, if your student already excels in a particular subject, he or she doesn’t need to study that same material again at the college level. CLEP exams are available in all the subjects for which AP is available, plus several others such as accounting, marketing, and management. Visit the College Board website for more information.

Summer School

Summer school is a popular way of shortening a student’s time in college. Students stay around on campus after the school year ends to continue their education over the summer. Since the cost for summer courses is usually lower than those taken during the school year, this is a great way to save money on tuition, room, and board.

Online Courses

Many colleges and universities offer distance-learning courses. Not all courses are available in this form, of course, but your student may be able to check off several classes by completing them remotely from home. Plus, taking courses online typically allows schedule flexibility so that your student can keep working on his education while still earning money from a summer job.

Considerations of Maturity and Responsibility

Before you encourage your teenager or young adult to pursue summer school, online courses, CLEP exams, or AP classes, consider a few important factors. Maybe your son or daughter has the intellectual prowess to churn through college at a faster rate, but does she have the emotional maturity to handle the extra pressure? Does he have the mental maturity to really take in what he is learning and benefit from it, or is he becoming burned out? Sometimes, a teenager may simply be too young to handle the rigors of an accelerated schedule, and that’s okay. Young adults develop at different rates. In fact, older college students tend to take learning much more seriously than the younger ones. They often apply themselves more diligently and spend less time on other pursuits.

Colleges and universities are about learning, but there are also extracurricular activities involved. Students who accelerate through high school and arrive at college at age 15 or 16 may have limited opportunities for certain sports or other team activities because they’re simply too young, too inexperienced, or not as strong and tall as the older students. This issue is not an insurmountable roadblock to the idea of accelerated education, but it is something to consider.

Young people in America today have lots of options, and accelerating college is just one of many. For some teens or young adults, it may be wiser to take life more slowly and to mature gradually, both intellectually and emotionally. For others, moving quickly through college may be ideal—the right way to begin a life of glory to God and service to others.

• • • • •

Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

Filed Under: Simplified Homeschool Tagged With: accelerated education, advanced placement, AP courses, CLEP, college, distance education

We’ve Updated Our Distance Learning Ordering Process!

April 23, 2015 by BJU Press Writer

Here’s some exciting news about Distance Learning! We’ve streamlined our online ordering process to make purchasing the Distance Learning courses you need quick and easy.

screen shot of bjupresshomeschool.com Grade 1 Online with Books product page

Finding a Course

It’s so easy to find the products. To order any Distance Learning product, just go to Distance Learning and select either the grade or the subject you’re looking for. (The Distance Learning link is also located on bjupresshomeschool.com in the menu at the top.)

Learning About Your Options

The layout of the product pages lets you see all the information at a glance. At the top there’s a picture of what’s included. Just below the picture are sample videos for the grade or subject you’re viewing.

Want to know more? Click the Details, Contents, or Instructor tab located just above the sample videos to get answers to questions you may have about the course.

If you’d like to order the course without books or you need it on DVDs or a Hard Drive (available for Grades 1–8), you can select those choices from the Other Distance Learning Options box to the right of the sample videos.

For some upper-level grade kits, you can choose to include a foreign language course at no extra cost.

For Grades 1–12 (in the Online or DVD format), you can substitute up to two courses (from Grade 1 or above) up or down two grade levels by clicking on Customize my kit. For example, if your child is ahead in math, you can order Grade 1 Distance Learning Online, but substitute Grade 2 Math for Grade 1 Math.

Ordering Your Selection

Once you’ve decided what you would like to order, simply click the Add to Cart button to the right of the product picture.

As part of the checkout process, you’ll need to agree to the terms. Online classes also have a student registration process that sets everything up for access to the online courses.

Check out our Distance Learning courses on bjupresshomeschool.com, and choose the ones that are just right for your kids!

Filed Under: Simplified Homeschool Tagged With: distance learning, DLO, homeschool, website

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The BJU Press blog publishes content by different writers for the purpose of relating to our varied readers. Views and opinions expressed by these writers do not necessarily state or reflect the views of BJU Press or its affiliates. The fact that a link is listed on this blog does not represent or imply that BJU Press endorses its site or contents from the standpoint of ethics, philosophy, theology, or scientific hypotheses. Links are posted on the basis of the information and/or services that the sites offer. If you have comments, suggestions, questions, or find that one of the links no longer works, please contact us.

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