Short Stories in Spanish
I purchased this book for high-beginners and have just finished the first story. It feels like an accomplishment to get to the end of a (very short) chapter and answer comprehension questions, all in a new language! I have six more stories in this book, and I think I’ll definitely purchase another one.
Songs in Spanish
On Spotify there are several playlists with names like “Songs to Learn Spanish”, so I just sample them and find a few that I like and repeat until I can understand it. Something funny about Spain- they play a lot of English music in public places and they do not edit out the bad words! I think they like the songs, but not everyone knows the language so they don’t realize it’s not a radio-edit version.
Teachers Pay Teachers
I’ve used this resource as a teacher and for homeschooling, and I recently had the great idea that there are probably Spanish elementary resources on here. And I was right! I get to color, read short articles, and make myself an interactive journal. It’s definitely cringe to my family, but it absolutely generates JOY for me to make little crafts and journal entries. So I’m definitely going to continue with this.
Pimsleur Audio Lessons
I just graduated to LEVEL FOUR! That means I’ve completed 45 hours of lessons this way. I’ll absolutely keep this up because it’s helping me respond more naturally to common questions and I pick up on little phrases and idioms.
Flash Cards
This one is a little boring, but I read a book called Fluent Forever, which suggested studying the 625 most frequent words in any language. So I’m working my way through these. Each day, I have a few different levels of cards. If I forget a word from level 3, it drops all the way back down to level 1. I review my level 1 cards almost every day, level 2 every three days, and level 3 once a week. The idea is to review words just before you’re about to forget them. And it is PAINFUL when you forget a word from level 3 and have to send it all the way back to the level 1 pile! Sometimes I test myself, or have my neighbor or Chris quiz me.
Textbook Lessons with Chris
Chris and I go out for a morning café con leche together after dropping the boys at school. We spend an hour working through our textbook, which has an answer key in the back. It’s been a good, solid review of what I learned in high school (of which I’ve retained maybe 30%?), and we’ll keep working through it.
AND NOW… Actual Language Classes!
I am VERY EXCITED AND NERVOUS to report that starting this week, I’ve gotten into actual language classes in Barcelona! They’re at the A2 level, which I don’t think I’m quite ready for yet. However, A1 was way too easy, and I think with some studying I’ll be able to catch up and keep up with the class.
Classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10–12 in Barcelona, in the city. I’m looking forward to walking five minutes and catching the metro on those mornings, and hopefully exploring the city a little on my own afterwards.
After so many years of being the teacher, I’m really looking forward to being a student again. My boys cautioned me to not be such a Hermione and raise my hand too much, but I can’t promise that.
The Other Carrolls
Colin and Will are taking 10+ hours a week at their school. They are also on sports teams with mostly Spanish speaking kids, so they are trying to speak more and more with new friends. They also watch movies in Spanish during the week, since we don’t do screen time on school days (UNLESS it’s in Spanish!).
Colin recently remarked that language learning is not as painful as he expected. No one is making fun of him for not knowing how to speak Spanish, or mad at him for only speaking English.
Will says he is “almost fluent” in soccer Spanish, “60%”. It’s easier than he thought it would be.
Chris would like to share that he is proud of his ability to get some thoughts across in a new language. He can say more than, “Como estas?” and “Y tu?” He’s able to string together a 3 minute conversation with other soccer parents and comment on the game from the sidelines. He is looking forward to playing sports with Spanish speakers. He also agrees that Pimsleur audio lessons are somehow magically working.
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