Second Language/Rosetta Stone/Mango Languages
Starting in Grade 5, students are required to learn a second language. Students can choose any language they wish! One option is to try this free website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/
This site offers lots of great interactive activities, worksheets, vocabulary lessons, etc in a variety of languages...it's free, and I'd definitely recommend checking it out to see what you think.
Rosetta Stone
However, if you're looking for more structured and comprehensive second language learning, I would recommend Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone is a highly-regarded online second language system offering learn-at-your-own-pace instruction in a language you choose. It includes listening, speaking, and writing activities and is very interactive and self-guiding. The added bonus of this program is that it records and stores student progress, so I am able to go in and see how your child is doing which is very handy come reporting time!
Go to http://www.rosettastone.com/ to check out the program, and let me know if you would like to order a subscription; once an account has been created for you, the office will send you an email with your login/password information as well as the program link. The cost is around $115 for a one-year subscription and will simply be deducted from your child's funding allocation. This program does require the use of a microphone headset, which you can purchase using your child's funding (generally you can find a good headset for between $20-$30, EBUS will allow funding for up to $50 for a headset).
**Please note that if you have two or more children taking the same second language, it might be more cost-effective to order a complete home-based Rosetta Stone program for all to use. Each set of the program costs around $300, but can usually be used for two or three years and can be used by multiple students, whereas an online subscription can only be used by an individual student. Complete Rosetta Stone programs can be purchased from www.shopatsmarts.ca.
Mango Languages
Mango Languages is a language program that some libraries in BC carry free to holders of a library card. If you live in the following areas (Surrey, Victoria, Richmond, Castlegar, Coquitlam, Vancouver Island, Fort St. James) you can use this program for free. Otherwise, you can purchase it online for $79. This program works on Macs and PC and you can also get the app.
Here is the link if you are interested in a demo http://www.mangolanguages.com/store/try-mango/
Starting in Grade 5, students are required to learn a second language. Students can choose any language they wish! One option is to try this free website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/
This site offers lots of great interactive activities, worksheets, vocabulary lessons, etc in a variety of languages...it's free, and I'd definitely recommend checking it out to see what you think.
Rosetta Stone
However, if you're looking for more structured and comprehensive second language learning, I would recommend Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone is a highly-regarded online second language system offering learn-at-your-own-pace instruction in a language you choose. It includes listening, speaking, and writing activities and is very interactive and self-guiding. The added bonus of this program is that it records and stores student progress, so I am able to go in and see how your child is doing which is very handy come reporting time!
Go to http://www.rosettastone.com/ to check out the program, and let me know if you would like to order a subscription; once an account has been created for you, the office will send you an email with your login/password information as well as the program link. The cost is around $115 for a one-year subscription and will simply be deducted from your child's funding allocation. This program does require the use of a microphone headset, which you can purchase using your child's funding (generally you can find a good headset for between $20-$30, EBUS will allow funding for up to $50 for a headset).
**Please note that if you have two or more children taking the same second language, it might be more cost-effective to order a complete home-based Rosetta Stone program for all to use. Each set of the program costs around $300, but can usually be used for two or three years and can be used by multiple students, whereas an online subscription can only be used by an individual student. Complete Rosetta Stone programs can be purchased from www.shopatsmarts.ca.
Mango Languages
Mango Languages is a language program that some libraries in BC carry free to holders of a library card. If you live in the following areas (Surrey, Victoria, Richmond, Castlegar, Coquitlam, Vancouver Island, Fort St. James) you can use this program for free. Otherwise, you can purchase it online for $79. This program works on Macs and PC and you can also get the app.
Here is the link if you are interested in a demo http://www.mangolanguages.com/store/try-mango/