One word at a time...
At the beginning of the year, a great way to begin practicing a foreign language is to simply describe the day. Make flash cards of the days of the week in the target language. Lay them out in order, and have say together "Today is Wednesday."
One sentence at a time...
After repeating it three times, you can add to it with the weather. Again, make flash cards (just three this time, not seven) and choose "It's hot," "It's cold," and "It's raining," in the target language. Lay the cards on the table, draw pictures or doodle while you're saying your words, and then put the sentence together with the day. You suddenly almost have a paragraph!
One thought at a time...
Suddenly, you have ten words to conquer by next week! Can you play speed? How many can you get right in 20 seconds? Can you say the Spanish word if someone points at the calendar day? What about the forecast? Give the forecast on each day.
After a week of practice, begin to add in the season and month (Just September, and just Fall... if we do ALL the seasons, or ALL the months, it gets confusing quickly.)
Require that each person say one sentence as you sit down at a meal. Here are some examples in Spanish:
Hoy es miércoles. Today is Wednesday
Hace calor. It's hot.
Es otoño. It's autumn.
Es septiembre. It's September.
Your student need only choose ONE of the sentences to say. If this method works for you and your family, begin adding nouns of interest. Learning a language does not have to be expensive or time consuming. Keep it fun, for the most retention. Buena suerte!
Senora Gose
