pronunciation and dialect of a native
speaker at a faster pace. The flashcard
pictures are utilized quite often during
game time and interactive vocabulary lessons. Black and white illustrations limit
the amount of ink used while offering
children the option of coloring them. The
bonus flashcards saved us so much time
because my student didn’t have to draw
every picture, which would have taken my
detail-oriented daughter a lot of time to
complete. The illustrations enable the child
to connect the meaning to the word. (. . .)
The short, quick lessons worked well
in our homeschool environment. My
daughter learned and retained the vocabulary words and phrases each week
before moving on to the next lesson. The
repetitiveness and built-in review were
beneficial and allowed her to master the
lesson’s vocabulary in a short amount of
time. Several of the concepts were review
for my daughter, but with young children
repetition helps solidify learning.
I appreciated the emphasis on the
cultural components and traditions. It
is difficult to find a Spanish curriculum that teaches authentic information
and vocabulary related to the culture of
Spanish-speaking individuals while still
covering pronunciation, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, syntax, and more. I also
noticed that my daughter attempted to
speak Spanish more often in public, beginning conversations with employees at
restaurants and in stores.
The guide indicates that the worksheets and audio files are clearly labeled,
yet I found it difficult at times to locate
the worksheet material necessary for
each lesson. I think the worksheet files
could be more organized for the user
and easier to locate if grade levels were
separated into individual folders. It is
also easier to locate materials when files
match the text order exactly, eliminating
the need to search through each lesson
reading every worksheet title to find the
worksheet necessary.
Having flashcards that contain the
words and text would enable younger
children to participate in lessons while
reducing the time spent creating them.
This gives parents the option to differen-
tiate by having their children handwrite
or print the cards, depending on their
age or grade level. Several games, such
as Around the World, may be more ap-
propriate for larger families with multiple
www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
children. These games might need game
substitutions or modifications for fami-
lies with only one child.
Project Passport: The Middle
Ages
Amy Pak
Home School in the Woods
www.homeschoolinthewoods.com
585.964.8188
History has always been a great subject
to teach and learn. Well, that is if you
know how to make it fun. Boring old
textbooks that we grew up with did not