Welcome to Learning Spanish!
This page allows my Spanish students and their parents to find the information they need to have a successful journey learning Spanish. Lesson plans and assignments are listed in the order presented. There are links (Sorry if they do not work. Try coping & pasting link into your browser.) to resources, libraries, lessons, exercises, games, songs, activities, and cultural information. Also, after years of teaching Spanish in public school, private schools, and in my home, I am hoping to share information to homeschoolers to learn Spanish at home, or as a resource for Spanish students in any setting. I hope you find the information I have compiled helpful. Let's begin with a few tips I have found helpful.
TIPS FOR STUDYING SPANISH
MEMORIZING
1. Make flash cards with the word in the target language on one side and in English on the other side.
2. Write a word with a drawing or symbol on one side of a card, and write a synonym or definition on the other.
3. Create vocabulary study sheets by folding a sheet of paper and writing the English equivalent on one side and the word in the target language on the other side.
4. Practicing for several nights in a row.
5. Look for cognates and patterns.
6. Write the new vocabulary or verb tense repetitively until you remember.
7. "Chunk" words together that have something in common (i.e. masculine/feminine).
8. Make associations with the words (example: Baile=dance, so think of a ballet).
PRACTICE ALOUD
1. Don't be embarrassed. Relax. Try. Don't get discouraged.
2. Use the words you do know.
3. Speak daily, even if it sounds like "baby talk".
4. Repeat words. Practice new sounds.
5. Act a little. Try to visualize the situation.
6. Listen for cognates.
7. Use the dictionary.
8. Don't translate word for word.
9. Learn the alphabet and the phonetic sounds in your language.
10. Take notes, even if "it's in the book".
STUDY
1. Practice with a parent or classmate.
2. Study out loud in front of a mirror.
3. Tape record yourself speaking.
4. Find a quiet place without distractions.
5. Practice every day.
6. Outline what's in the book.
7. Go through the chapter or lesson and think up possible questions or use the study guides at the end of the chapter.
8. Review flash cards or the day's lesson for fifteen minutes every evening.
WRITING
1. Look for patterns and cognates.
2. Learn to use a dictionary.
3. Double check spelling.
4. Avoid translating English idioms and colloquialisms (phrases that don't translate directly), as well as slang into the other language.
5. Do not write in English and then translate into the language of study; think and write in the target language.
READING
1. Guess the meanings of words from the context - you don't need to know/look up every word.
2. Take notes on what you've read. Summarize each paragraph in one sentence.
3. Be careful when translating. Do not take every word literally!
4. Use reading tips learned in your own language.