Older Explorers

Older Explorers is a beginning Spanish course for fourth graders through seventh graders. The philosophy behind Exploring Spanish is to make learning a second language an active and fun experience in a home environment.

Please note: Parents are required to remain at Exploring Spanish and are responsible for the safety and well-being of their child(ren). That said, parents should feel free to bring reading material, knitting needles, etc., while they wait in a comfortable adjacent room.

Materials: The Older Explorers class combines seatwork and conversation in a relaxed environment. Once the roster is filled for a class, I'll email the parents about the book they will need to purchase. (The book choice varies, depending on the ages of the children.) At the end of each class, the student will receive an optional homestudy assignment and reading materials.

Supplementing Your Child's Learning: We strongly urge you to go through the materials in your child's binder every week, so you can help reinforce the classroom learning. Because you will be nearby during your child's class, you will hear the pronunciations of different words and be able to assist them in their practice. It is up to your child and you to extend the lessons learned in the class to maximize their retention. Make sure to make it fun, though!

If you would like to supplement your child's learning at home, we recommend:

• the "Teach Them Spanish" book series (School Specialty Publishing)
• the Spanish Reading Comprehension Series (School Specialty Publishing)
• "First 100 Words in Spanish" (Usborne)
• "Usborne Internet-Linked Spanish Dictionary for Beginners: Latin American Edition" (Usborne)

Many local libraries also have a nice-size collection of Spanish readers in their children's section. The newest books now also are bilingual with Spanish on one side and English on the other.

For details and registration information, please email Veronica Maria at Exploring_Spanish@Hotmail.com