I am a teacher who works with many latino students. What is the best way to learn functional Spanish?

Question

I would like to become fluent in Spanish somewhere down the road, but my main priority for right now is to learn enough Spanish to be able to communicate with my students' mono-lingual parents. Are there any good books/tapes/cd-roms/dvds/etc. that would provide kind of a quick fix? I can read Spanish pretty well, but cannot speak, write or understand spoken Spanish very well.

I'm not interested in opinions about whether students should speak English in school; that was clearly not the question. I would like to communicate with my mono-lingual parents, so that their students have the best possible opportunities for success, and thus would like to know what the best way to learn Spanish quickly is, so that I can accomplish that. Also, I'd like to put out there that being literate in more than one language increases your intelligence, your ability to communicate and your ability to understand other cultures and other languages.

And, by the way, I teach Language Arts/Reading

Answer 1

Best way to learn Spanish is to go to Mexico for a trip and immerse yourself in the language. However, that might not be realistic for you...so here is an awesome free website from the BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/

Answer 2

I would recommend the Assimil Language Series. I am also trying to learn a language and it is one of the best language books in my opinion. A whole set includes a book and either CDs or cassettes. The book even has this pronounciation guide tailored for english speakers - it tells you how to pronounce the spanish words through english sounds.

Anyway, just try it. Your book would be Spanish with Ease. Goodluck!!

Answer 3

Wow these people are rude! Its insane!

Maybe try taking spanish classes at your local community college. To pick up the language skills fast talk toyour spanish speaking friends in spanish ALL THE TIME. If you dont have spanish speaking friends make some.

I really dont get all this negativity towards immigrants. There are alot of 3rd, 4th, 5th generation immigrants who choose to speak 2 languages and hold on to their culture. Nothing is wrong with that. Everyone is not supposed to be the same. Embrace diversirty people!

Answer 4

I've heard great things about a language course in Mexico called (in?) Cuernavaca (sp?) It is apparently very reasonable, with a home-stay and morning lessons.
Rosetta Stone is the only software that I've heard consistently good things about.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to find a Fluency Fast (Google Fluency Fast--I know there will be some in Denver)class this summer, which, despite its admittedly over-hyped name, can give you a basic feel for the language in about a week's worth of lessons, and will support your skills in reading Spanish (as you know, we get most of our vocabulary from our reading, not listening, once we are adults.)

Answer 5

i do admire you interest in trying to communicate with Spanish speaking students. learning grammar can only take you so far,plus it would bore you to hell. watching novelas (soap operas ) would be my first choice in your quest to learn Spanish ( record them from univision or telefutura, them burn the audio in a CD so you can listen to it in you car, since most of these soap operas carry closed caption you would be able to read what they´re saying. now the important thing is not so much to learn words themselves but to learn PHRASES or complete thoughts because they communicate ideas,then ask a friend or a student to help you with their meaning or translation. there is a computer program that writes everything being said, you should check on it. another way (slower ) is to record a movie or program from a movie you really enjoyed (HBO or STARZ) and start learning vocabulary, that is to change the audio to Spanish and read the close caption in English. the nice thing about soap operas is the drama which they are spoken and that is exactly what you hearing sense needs in order to understand another language(the intention of the sound) . there are many other tools to learn a language but most are like buying a DVD to lose weight, you´ll eventually lose interest on it. if your specialty is History in school, then check Encarta or wikipidia and see how a specific topic is given in Spanish.
after you grab the meaning a phrase or complete sentence, practice it with a student of your trust ( he´ll probably give you some feedback) then practice it in every change you get, especially with Latino students (once they notice your interest in learning their language, they´ll be more than happy to help you)
if you need help real badly send me all your questions and i´ll be happy to help you with it . [e-mail]

Answer 6

I understand your dilemma. I also work with many latino students and must rely on another teacher to interpret for the parents. The best software I have come across is Rosetta Stone. It's pretty expensive, but it's a wonderful program for all types of learners and helps you learn quickly!

Answer 7

I would go to the nearest college and see if you can get a tutor there. Or even publicize on the campus that you will pay.. most college students are looking for ways to earn money and they are learning spanish as well. Use that resource.Once you start learning: REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT!!!!! I've found that the only thing that helped me was using notecards and rehearsing! Good Luck!

Answer 8

My wife always says, the best way to learn a language is to use it.

Answer 9

you should have a district or state coordinator for ELL who could provide opportunities for professional development that would meet your needs

Answer 10

Well, if your a spanish teacher you figure it out, you went to college for hopefully 4 years or 6 and got a BA or MA.

Hola, Y Stupida - Mañana es blanco!

Since you seem stupid, I said

Hello, Your Stupid - Tomorrow is white.

Its a riddle figure it out