Speedy Spanish Level 1 Review

This year, my children and I began learning Spanish together. I had studied Spanish all through college. I was, however, at a real loss as to how to effectively begin to teach my children the language. My friend introduced us to Speedy Spanish. So far, I am very impressed with what the children have learned.

Speedy Spanish

“Just as you first learned to speak English and then studied grammar, so Speedy Spanish I is geared to teach speaking first. Then later Spanish can be taken as a high school course where you can learn grammar. This course is intended to be self-teaching and self-correcting when used with the audios and the teacher’s guide.”

Speedy Spanish is written by the Bechtel Family. The students learn Spanish through memorization, Christian songs, Bible verses and games. This program is very simplistic and level 1 is most definitely a level 1 program – meeting your entry level child at his placement.

This is a very inexpensive curriculum. The total cost is approximately $30 for the workbooks that the children all share and the Teacher’s Guide.

For around $85 you can order the Speedy Spanish book 1 set which includes:

• two student workbooks – Each student workbook contains three units. Book A contains Units 1-3 and the corresponding tests. Book B contains Units 4-6 and tests.
• a vocabulary word card packet
• audio files
• Teacher’s Guide – contains reproductions of the workbook pages and the tests with answers, but it is more than an answer key. It contains lesson plans with helpful information and ideas for successfully teaching this course.

How Speedy Spanish is Organized

The workbook is divided into chapters 1-30 as well as a Monday-Friday sequence. Each chapter begins with the vocabulary for that lesson in addition to Hear It, Say it, Practice It, and Match It sections. {Please Note: This curriculum was updated in 2023 and is now split into 2 workbooks}

This Speedy Spanish 1 workbook includes instructions to the student, vocabulary words, practice sentences, matching exercises, grammar explanations, and a review and test after every five lessons.

Once that is accomplished, the parent and the child will move onto the Memorize It and Sing It sections. These two parts are my FAVORITE! The child will memorize a verse in English and then Spanish. Also, they will learn to sing a song in English and then in Spanish. The songs are hymns, worship songs or Children’s Bible songs. In all honesty, the singing on the other end of the CD is a little too old fashioned sounding for me. Yet, that is merely a preference and not a deal breaker.

Finally, the lesson ends with a Bible Word Match and Review It section. With any foreign language, it will always help if you know how to pronounce the words to your child. Yet, again, with the $69 value, a parent can receive the book of CDs where the authors will go over the pronunciations with you. As I mentioned earlier, I speak Spanish so I did not order the pack of CDs. However, if you do not, I would highly recommend this!

Depending on the ages of your children (mine are quite young), you could have them do this independently or together. My children enjoy the program, the songs and learning Spanish. We look forward to slowly working our way through the program and moving through the various levels. This is a much cheaper option than Rosetta Stone. I feel that it is a great option for parents who want to expose their children to Spanish but are not quite sure how to do so. Dios le bendiga!

More Spanish Resources

5 Best Language Learning Apps for Kids to Learn Spanish at Home – In this article not only do we take a look at 5 of the best language learning apps for kids, but we are also going to talk about what things to look for when evaluating these learning apps. 

Teaching Spanish Can Be Fun with Speekee Spanish – Teaching Spanish doesn’t have to be hard! It can be easy, fun and engaging with Speekee®! Make Teaching Spanish Easy and FUN with Speekee®! Have you ever heard of Speekee®? It is a Spanish program for young children ranging in age from two to 10.

Mas Spanish Video Based Spanish Homeschool Curriculum – Are you wanting to teach your homeschooler Spanish but don’t have the time to learn Spanish yourself? Are you looking for a program that is video based and easy to access from anywhere? Then Mas Spanish might be the perfect fit for you!

Spanish Fun Activity Calendars from Flip Flop Spanish – The aptly named Spanish Fun Activity Calendar from Flip Flop Spanish uses a Charlotte Mason methodology to teach Spanish.

The Easy Spanish or El Espanol Facil – With a Charlotte Mason style of learning the approach of this curriculum is multi-faceted with listening, narrating aloud, and then writing in Spanish. 

~ Originally posted July 2012, Written by Amanda