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Speekee Español (home use)

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	Price: £95.00 In stock: yes Delivery: Free DVD Format: PAL (16:9) DVD Region Coding: All regions
Contents 4 DVD video discs, 34-track audio CD plus 70 page guide. Return policy If you are not 100% satisfied that this is the best Spanish course for children then return within 30 days for a full refund.

What do independent reviews say?

You can Google reviews yourself (please do!), but here are some pointers:

Reviewers at Little Linguist say "The methods used are ingenious, the songs incredibly catchy (I'm driving my husband crazy humming them) - I'm really impressed"

Mums at The Babywebsite.com give Speekee 5 out of 5.

Madhouse Family Reviews says Speekee gets cinco / cinco! (5 / 5) "The first time I pulled out the box set, I called over the girls to watch one episode with me and see what they thought. They watched all three episodes on the first DVD in one go and wanted to watch some more the next day (luckily it was a weekend!)"

How will Speekee teach my child Spanish?

Speekee is without rival in its field, using the most modern, most successful language learning methodology to teach Spanish to children. But the comments of people using Speekee say more than we ever could:

"Brilliant, my children ages 2 and 4 love it and straight away started to repeat the words. We couldn't be happier with the Speekee pack. I will be recommending Speekee to all my friends." (Debbie, UK)

"Thank-you. My son loves the music CD and it goes everywhere with us. We all enjoy the songs very much and my son has become very good at Spanish." (Jennifer B, USA)

"This is a lovely positive way to learn" (Judy D, UK)

Repeat after Speekee

Repetition is one of the keys to language learning.

For Spanish learners, hearing a new word once is no guarantee that it will sink in. Hearing it twice, maybe. Three times should be enough. But hearing each new word three times can get boring! So the process of repetition has to be interesting and stimulating.

In each Speekee episode there are three occasions when the viewer is asked to actively participate in the learning process by repeating Spanish words or short phrases immediately after Speekee says them.

These ‘repeat after Speekee’ moments are carefully constructed, using the most important vocabulary in the series – vocabulary chosen as the most useful for children to be learning.

Repeat after Speekee works like this: First the viewer hears a Spanish word or phrase spoken by one of the characters in the series. Then Speekee appears and repeats that word or phrase.

Next Speekee gestures to the viewer and says, ¿Y tú? (And you?). An icon also appears on the screen. All this is the cue for the viewer to repeat.

Speekee allows just the right amount of time for the word or phrase to be repeated, before praising the viewer for their efforts. These are the praise words you will hear Speekee use:

• Muy bien
• Fantástico
• Perfecto
• Estupendo
• Genial
• Fenomenal

Essentially, these all mean ‘Great!’

And these are the words and phrases (in order of appearance) Speekee asks the viewer to repeat in the ten-episode series:

• Hola - Hello
• Me llamo (Speekee) – My name is (Speekee)
• Muy bien – Very well
• Me gusta – I like it
• Me llamo (Speekee) – My name is (Speekee)
• Gracias – Thank you
• Mi osito – My teddy
• Aquí está – He is here
• No lo sé – I don’t know
• Un elefante, dos elefantes – One elephant, two elephants
• Gracias – Thank you
• Sí, me gusta mucho – Yes, I like it a lot
• Hola, soy (Speekee) – Hello, I am (Speekee)
• Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco – One, two, three, four, five
• Cuidado – Be careful
• Sí, por favor – Yes please
• Muy bien – Very good
• Gracias- Thank you
• Es un coche – It’s a car
• De nada – You’re welcome
• No lo sé – I don’t know
• Quiero un helado – I want an ice cream
• España - Spain
• Estoy aquí – I am here
• Cinco, cuatro, tres, dos, uno, cero – Five, four, three, two, one, zero
• Sí - Yes
• Diez - Ten
• Adiós - Goodbye
• Es Victoriano – It’s Victoriano
• Tengo (cinco) años – I am (five) years old

(You may have noticed that Gracias appears three times!)

Imagine going on holiday to Spain with your children. How much of the language above might come in handy for them?

All of these words and phrases, along with how to pronounce them, are listed in The Guide which comes in the Speekee pack. The Guide is a 70-page book which explains the thinking behind Speekee, and includes activities complementing the series that parents can try out with their children. These activities are a great way to help your children get the most out of their Spanish language learning.

Does Speekee use 'standard' (Castilian) Spanish?

Yes, Speekee uses Castilian Spanish - the Spanish spoken in Spain, and the most widely used type of Spanish in the world.

I live in the USA. Is there a large difference between Latin American Spanish and 'Spain' Spanish?

As stated above, Speekee uses Castilian Spanish - the Spanish spoken in Spain.

Meanwhile, our American customers may like to know...

"Because this product comes from Great Britain, the Spanish here is of the variety you'll hear in Spain rather than Latin America. But that shouldn't be of any concern even if you're more interested in Latin American Spanish. None of the vocabulary here would be out of place wherever Spanish is spoken. And the pronunciation differences are so slight that if the children can understand what's in these lessons, they'd have no difficulty understanding the same things said with a Mexican or other Latin American accent." Gerald Erichsen, About.com

You can read the full review here:

http://spanish.about.com/od/review1/fr/speekee.htm

Is Speekee available in French/Italian/German?

Sorry, no. You will find some language programs that started life in one language and have been dubbed into others. We think that approach is generally wrong, and work on the principle of 'do one thing and do it well'. Maybe we will create Speekee in another language one day, but if we do it will be created in that language from first principles, rather than being a quick translation of the Spanish version.

I am a teacher. Can I use Speekee in school?

Yes. You can buy a school licence and Scheme of Work. Read more here.

Do the DVDs work in the USA/Canada?

The Speekee DVDs are produced in Europe and use the PAL format for colour encoding. US / Canadian systems use the NTSC format as standard. Many, but not all, North American DVD players are capable of playing PAL media. If you are based in North America, please check your equipment before purchase.

The DVDs are not region coded.

What is the DVD playing time?

The 10 Speekee episodes run for about three hours, and are split across the first three DVDs in the pack.

The playing time of DVD 1 is approximately 53 minutes. This consists of El parque (13:50), El café (18:58) and La casa (20:37).

DVD 2 includes El zoo (19:56), La clase (18:33), El mercado (16:40) and La estación (16:13), making a total play time of 71 minutes.

The last three episodes are La playa (16:35), El jardín (17:43) and La fiesta (18:32), making DVD 3 play for around 53 minutes.

The fourth DVD includes the music videos from the first three DVDs - great for just dancing to!

More about why Speekee works so well

Speekee follows good practice models of learning known as a 'spiral curriculum', where previous learning is revisited (and therefore reinforced) at regular intervals. Each episode has several listen and repeat opportunities, and every moment of the Speekee DVDs engages your child and encourages them to participate.

But Speekee also goes further. By incorporating songs, movement to music, actions, activities, games and other interactive learning and teaching strategies, it embraces and exemplifies the latest educational techniques, ensuring that learning is both enjoyable and effective. Children are encouraged to learn in an active, rather than passive, way. This active learning is also known as kinesthetic learning, which takes place when we learn through touch, space, and motion, and by physically doing. During these types of activities, the part of the brain called the cerebellum is much more active. Kinesthetic learning has been shown to improve children's cognitive development and increase the rate at which they learn new things. This is part of the broader Accelerated Learning philosophy which is leading much of the innovation in education today.

Accelerated Learning is an approach to learning and teaching methods drawn from a wide range of fields such as neuroscience, psychology, and learning theory. More and more, scientists are discovering that children's brains are able to achieve far beyond expectations using the techniques of Accelerated Learning, which is built on the philosophy surrounding an understanding of how learning takes place, rather than what is to be learned, with a strong focus on positive motivation and learning environment.

One element of Accelerated Learning is the theory of multiple intelligences. Developed in 1983, the theory suggests that the traditional concept of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, is far too limited. Instead, several different types of intelligence are proposed, accounting for a wide range of potential in children (and adults). These different types of intelligence are commonly known as linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, kinesthetic, musical, naturalistic, interpersonal and intrapersonal.

Whether or not the theory is technically correct, and whether or not you agree with it, most people agree that it makes sense to vary the way in which new information is presented to learners, to keep them interested and to appeal to different learning styles, interests and aptitudes. Accordingly, Speekee uses a range of styles and media to appeal to the different 'intelligences' listed above. In every Speekee episode you will find a combination of new language, music, physical activity, visual puzzles and patterns, as well as interaction between the characters, and quieter, more reflective moments.

When studying children who watch Speekee we've found that different children do indeed focus more strongly of different parts of the programme. Some children start singing the songs after one play; others are more interested in copying what Ana Belen or Antonio do and say. Every child is unique, but whatever their preference, Speekee has something to engage them.