La Clase Divertida

Whenever someone asks for "fun" Spanish, I steer them to La Clase Divertida. The video lessons, songs, craft projects, use of Spanish names and cultural/geographic content makes for an action-packed lesson for parents/teachers to do with their students. Yes, you will be doing Spanish together. No, you don't have to know Spanish. Not crafty? It's ok, the videos teach the art projects. This is a program you can do. Your kids will look forward to their Spanish lessons every week!

Each level includes DVD(s) with all 15 lessons being taught by Senor Gamache, an audio CD with pronunciation practice and songs, teacher's manual, 2 consumable student workbooks, and craft supplies for two students.

NEW FOR 2023: You can purchase the Level 1-3 kits with the same teacher manual, workbooks, and craft supplies with a code inside the teacher book to access the video/audio content online rather than on DVD/CD.

The teacher manual suggests how to do a little bit of Spanish every day, spending 10 days with the content from one lesson. It sounds like a lot, but it is very simple to do and the repetition is then your scripted Spanish practice for the day. The student workbooks have exercises that reinforce the material learned in the video lessons, and there are flashcards to cut out and use for your practice time too. There is a cooking project in each lesson that you will have to get supplies for, but these items should be in most grocery stores. As the teacher, read the lesson and gather any materials you need for your lesson beforehand. There is some Christian content in each level, though I would not call it an overtly Biblical curriculum.

Here are some highlights from the various levels. LEVEL 1: (1 DVD) names, vowels, Mexican flag craft, colors, fried plantains, alphabet, puppet stories, map of Mexico, galletas de boda, body parts, yarn craft, counting to 10, quesadillas, question words, animals, tissue paper flower, fried ice cream, pinata, and family members. It all comes in a black, canvas zippered bag. LEVEL 2: (2 DVDs) map of Spain, Spanish coat of arms, puppet story of Don Quixote, spelling names, review numbers, telling time, make gazpacho, seasons, months, birthdays, make castanets, weather, holidays, make paella, Columbus/Queen Isabella/King Ferdinand, ordinal numbers, las torrijas, decorate tiles, animals, restaurant, fan craft, make a pinata and a flan. It all comes in a nice, red zipper bag. LEVEL 3: (includes 3 DVDs and a Spanish/English dictionary) formal/informal, regular verbs, house vocabulary, dialogue to memorize, numbers to 1000, pottery craft, more conversation, noun/adjective agreement, Central America map/flags, pastel de tres leches, Caribbean countries, cooking plantains, Panama Canal, mola craft, Cuban sandwich, friendship bracelet, baseball, drinks, guitar, and make a pinata. It all comes in a blue canvas zipper bag.

Extra student packs include all consumable materials needed for one extra student. You will want each child to have their own supplies for sure; sharing would not be a fun experience. There is a workbook, any additional activity pages and craft supplies to make all crafts in that level. You can also choose these materials with an additional audio CD, which is a great option for a classroom or co-op group so that students can practice at home between instructional times. ~Sara