Search - Rock 'N Learn: Spanish on DVD

We love this one the most.

Olivia | 11/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"About two hours of words, phrases and sentences. Rather intense, but extremely useful and is done in an entertaining way of rock songs. My three-year old can sing the color song, count to 20, point to his facial features and body parts, tells the weather, ask for "el pan"...

We are very serious about learning Spanish. So we own Learn Spanish with Carlos and Chiquitita; the Travel Linguist; Hola Amigos; the Standard Deviants. All these are good for different things. But we love Rock 'N Learn the best!

For lack of better words, it crams in the most vocabulary in the shortest period of time and still somehow made it very easy and fun. I think the upbeat songs and dances really helped."

Best Spanish learning video

Shuping Lu | 04/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's fun. It's easy. It teaches a lot. I love it. I own quite a few learning videos, including Chinese and Spanish. None is better than this one. They should do it in other languages as well."

Calor y Frio

Amanda Richards | Georgetown, Guyana | 04/25/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Some facts about this DVD



1. Volumes I & II are both on one DVD

2. There are 26 sections, for a total running time of 55 minutes

3. It's a useful revision tool for beginners learning Spanish

4. Some sections are more helpful than others



This DVD is useful for helping students to remember basics such as the parts of the body, numbers, colors, the alphabet, and simple phrases. The music is catchy, and the pronunciations are clear. The actresses are pretty attention grabbing also.



In some of the other sections however, they rattle off the most peculiar phrases that you'll never, ever remember or need to know, and we often just skip over these. I also think that they go a little too fast sometimes, but at least you can listen to the correct pronunciation of the words.



We generally just show the section relevant to what the child is doing in school to complement his class work, and reinforce what he's learned.









Amanda Richards, April 24, 2008

"

Fun, but annoying backgrounds

Jennifer Bogart | Alberta, Canada | 06/18/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Here in Canada the status quo second language of choice for elementary school instruction is French. With two official languages, French seems to be the natural choice for Canadians, but with only Quebec, France and a few other small countries utilizing it as a first language it seems wise to study a more widely used modern tongue. After picking up a few words and phrases from Dora the Explorer my daughter was confidently exclaiming, "I know Spanish!" It was most certainly time to bring in some further instruction. With Spanish spoken widely in South America, Central America, Spain and by minority groups in North America it seemed an excellent language to pursue.



The DVD version of Rock `N Learn - Spanish Volumes I & II contains the 26 lessons found in their original audio CD/book combinations Spanish Volume I and Spanish Volume II presented in a highly visual DVD format. While not presenting a full course in Spanish, the disc teaches Spanish vocabulary and basic phrases through song, rhythmic speech, colourful visuals and cheerful performers. The content is similar to the phrases and vocabulary typically learned in a first year foreign language course including: greetings, numbers, alphabet, colours, school vocabulary, calendar, seasons, useful questions, directions etc.



Native English speakers to the side of the screen against a colourful background say a word or phrase in English, which appears in print on the screen beside them. After a pause in which the student can fill in the answer in Spanish, a native Spanish speaker supplies the Spanish answer. For the more complex phrases video clips are shown, or computer graphics are supplied along with the English and Spanish text being spoken.



At 55 minutes in length, the disc is best viewed in short sessions. Picking a lesson or two to view several times in a row seems to work best for retention and maintaining interest levels. Attempting to view all of the lessons at once becomes somewhat droning towards the end. Because the lessons proceed at a fairly rapid pace, it takes a few viewings to become familiar enough with the terms to join in the fun. The excellent menu navigational tools offer a pictorial preview of each lesson in the scene selection feature, making it easy to focus in on specific groups of vocabulary words.



Some of the sentences are very complex, and aren't necessarily intended to be memorized in Spanish, but rather provide a translation of an English explanation on the DVD itself. Others do not seem to be commonly used, but rather provide reinforcement and some exposure to Spanish sentence structure. Parents of children with visual sensitivities or attention difficulties may want to pass on this disc, as the background colours behind the performers often include, swirling psychedelic patterns. These aren't too offensive when monochromatic (only blue for example), but when they include blue, yellow, pink etc. and the computer graphic character is wearing red, it can be quite overwhelming visually. These over the top, continually present, backdrops are my main pet peeve with the disc, the other being female performers dressed more provocatively than one would expect in a children's educational DVD.



That being said, the songs and even rhythmic speaking to background music has proven to be highly infectious in our home. Before bed I often find myself singing some of the songs with my children, and they run through my head continually. There's obviously some learning going on here. Spanish Volumes I & II is a fun and easy way to reinforce first-year Spanish lessons or pick up some simple vocabulary before taking a trip.



I would have rated the disc higher if it weren't for the backgrounds!"