FAQ

• We provide a qualified Spanish teacher on a daily basis at the time you specify; we work around your schedule.
• We follow the rules and guidelines set forth by the State Department of Education for accreditation purposes providing a “Virtual Classroom” using Moodle.org.
• We focus on conversation; we use a “communicative” approach while still teaching reading, writing, listening and culture.
• We teach everything needed to cover all state standards.
• Your students have an actual teacher to interact with.
• Our costs are a fraction of what it would take to hire a full-time teacher, saving you literally thousands of dollars.

BASICALLY SPEAKING, THIS PROGRAM IS LESS COSTLY, YET MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OTHER DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS THAT DO NOT PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH DAILY INSTRUCTION FROM A LIVE TEACHER.

• A high-speed internet connection with a Skype connection
• A computer
• A webcam

The first year only, you will also need to purchase a classroom set of Rider Classroom Spanish materials. This includes Student Workbooks, pre-recorded video sessions, Enrichment Activity Binder, Exams and Keys, reading and writing activities and assessments and much more at our Moodle site.

An adult should be in the classroom to address any behavioral issue.

*The video sessions are not intended to take the place of a Certified Spanish Teacher. They are only a supplement to the entire comprehensive program. The sessions include lots of opportunities to listen to a variety of complete, grammatically correct questions and answers in a classroom-style format. There are seven Spanish teachers involved in the video sessions, including native Spanish speakers.

Contact us directly for more technical specifications.

We are now a “Virtual Classroom” distance learning program. We use “Moodle.org” (a Virtual Learning Environment) IN COMBINATION with daily instruction online from a Highly Qualified Spanish Teacher via Skype in “real time” covering all State Standards for Spanish I and II.

To name just a few benefits of using Moodle: all Lesson Plans, Worksheets, DVD sessions, Ramiro Readings, Answer Keys, and many other activities are installed for easy reference; exams and worksheets can be graded to provide immediate feedback to the students; scores can be tracked, and various activities can be done online, enhancing the overall program. Your students will also have the advantage of a “live” teacher to guide them in conversational drills and other activities such as reading, writing, pronunciation, and culture.

The lessons are short. Research proves that keeping the lessons short help build the skills and confidence of the student. The lessons also build on “prior” knowledge. Vocabulary is taught in context. Grammar is explained when appropriate. The students will learn to speak, read and write in “complete” sentences, and not simply saying a few words in isolation.

In addition to daily classroom instruction, we provide the student with lots of activities to reinforce what they are learning in class. We want them to speak the language and to have long-term retention of it.

Each class is divided into two parts daily: synchronous and asynchronous instruction. One half of the class will be live with the Spanish teacher; the other half will be the students working on activities directly related to what they are learning in class.

1. Correct pronunciation of Spanish, the alphabet, and the phonetic nature of the language
2. Participation in basic dialogue on various general “life” and “survival” Spanish
3. Understanding sentence structure and agreement of Spanish
4. The present tense of regular, irregular and stem-changing verbs
5. Subject pronouns, direct object pronouns, adjectives, prepositions, numbers, the verb
   ‘gustar’, and interrogative words
6. Using strategies to speak, read and write with the main focus being on conversation
7. Being able to form complete sentences in Spanish
8. Introduction and usage of the past tense of regular and irregular verbs

We keep in mind the Profession’s goals of: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities, and everything else that should be covered in Spanish 1 and Spanish 2!

In summary, not only do we meet state and national standards for the first two years of foreign language instruction, we focus on the “everyday” speech that the students will be able to use long after graduating from high school. This means we teach practical and relevant language the students need for real-life situations.

Our pre-recorded video sessions are a supplemental tool for the students to use while the teacher is not live. It consists of hours and hours of practice that correlate to the lessons being taught in class. Several Spanish teachers are featured in the videos to allow the students to hear a variety of grammatically-correct responses. To accompany the videos, we have numerous other worksheets and activities to cover all the objectives for Spanish 1 and 2, focusing on speaking the everyday language that the students will be able to use outside the classroom.

Furthermore, our instructors do not share your school’s class times with other schools. In other words, they are dedicated to spending your allotted time with only your students.

In compliance with the rules of the State Department of Education, the combination of a “Virtual Classroom” with Certified Spanish Teachers providing live daily instruction in real time allows the students to receive the best of both worlds. Our Spanish teachers will also integrate and connect their daily lessons to the content being covered on Moodle. We want to reinforce the students’ skills in all aspects of the Spanish language.