Two years of high school Spanish taught me very little. Working with students of limited English taught me a lot – it would be very helpful to know Spanish! When the review came up for “No-Work Spanish,” I was curious.
No-Work Spanish audiobooks are stories read with each sentence said first in English, then in Spanish. At the end of each chapter, the chapter is repeated entirely in Spanish. According to the developer, as you hear the repeated sentences, your mind starts linking the two. The more your listen, the more Spanish you will pick up.
Momma C’s Thoughts:
This is a very unusual teaching technique. I have never tried this teaching style before but there is merit to it. I was surprised how many words popped out as I listened. This technique allows you to hear the language instead of just read it. Very helpful!
I do feel the “no work” description is deceiving. For the audiobook to work, you must listen; pay attention. This is not something that you can do while reading emails, talking to your child, or checking Facebook. If you really want it to work, I would suggest printing off the text and following along while the story is read.
There are currently three stories available. I listened to Yaks March on Washington and Poster Girl
Yaks March was quite the story. Although they fit in the context of the story, I learned some words that I would have preferred not to know in a different language; definitely not words I want our kids to know! Poster Girl introduced the listening to key words before each chapter. This was helpful. Because of the “school” context of this story, this would be a better story for teachers.
Curious? Give it a try. You will receive the first three chapters of a book!
This is a Mamabzz review.
