Curriculum Review: Speedy Spanish

We began homeschooling our oldest child when she entered kindergarten. From the very beginning, Spanish instruction was part of our curriculum. Back then, I had big, big plans. We would achieve fluency in Spanish before junior high then dabble in French during 7th and 8th grades. In high school, we would get a working mastery of German and the rudiments of Latin and Ancient Greek.

You are probably not surprised that things haven't worked out quite the way I planned. In the beginning, the kids couldn't even grasp the concept of a foreign language. Why would you call it a "gato" when it was plainly a "cat"? We practically had a mutiny when I brought home a Spanish-language Blues Clues video from the library. So much for the theory that it is easy for little kids to learn a foreign language. I had swallowed that one hook, line, and sinker.

Along the way I've spent a fair chunk of change on Spanish curricula that I hoped would get us closer to my vision of multi-lingual high school graduates. I've tried the biggies (PowerGlide and Learnables) along with some of the lesser-known ones. We've tried paper-and-pencil lessons and computer games. Nothing stuck. The kids just didn't care, and Spanish always seemed to get relegated to the back burner of our studies.

As I planned for this school year, I did one last desperate internet search for the perfect Spanish curriculum for elementary school children. I saw a few mentions of a program called Speedy Spanish. Looking at the sample lessons, I began to think this program could actually work for us. Once again, I plunked down my credit card and ordered Speedy Spanish I with CD's.

We have begun our 6th week of study with Speedy Spanish, and I have to say I am pleased. I have two children using the program: a 4th grader and a 5th grader. There is very little teacher prep involved. The lessons are driven by the student workbook and the accompanying CD's. We have been disciplined to use the program daily. Part of our success is due to the fact that each day's lesson rarely takes more than 15 minutes to complete. So far, the lessons have been conversation- and vocabulary-oriented with little or no grammar instruction.

The program could definitely use a little more professional polish to improve the graphic design and remove a few minor inconsistencies and typos, but overall it is a great program. It has exactly what I was looking for in a Spanish curriculum: simplicity and consistency (daily lessons).