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We are proud of the fact that homeschoolers represent the fastest-growing segment of our business. As users of our series know, we firmly believe that a solid grounding in grammar provides the fastest path to true fluency. Many programs today on the market make rather incredible claims: spend a small amount of time on a computer program with colorful videos and achieve total fluency without ever even having to conjugate a verb or memorize vocabulary!
At Breaking the Barrier, we have found that most of these programs leave users dissatisfied. Students often pick up a few words and phrases, yet they simply do not understand how the different components of language work together logically. Their path to fluency is unpaved and torturous. We believe strongly that “Grammar is the bone structure of language. Without it, you’re relegated to expressing yourself in gestures and infinitives.” Our approach gets you speaking and understanding right away.
Recently, we’ve been reaching out to homeschoolers, partly in response to the level of enthusiasm that our current homeschooling families have shown for the series. In the summer of 2007, we sent our colleague Barbara Peterson to Alaska to check out the wonderful homeschooling network there. The response was overwhelming, and Barbara headed back in 2008. We plan to attend more homeschooling conferences in the near future.
What resources are best for my homeschool child?
Our Self-Learner Package, available in Levels I and II – both in Spanish and French – comes with everything you need to teach your children and yourself! In addition to the text itself (which is a core text and workbook all-in-one), the package comes with a full answer key booklet, a double audio CD set recorded by native speakers (introducing vocabulary, offering oral practice in question and answer format, acting out the wonderful adventure series) as well as a handy pocket phrase book designed for travellers called “Oasis,” which can be ordered with an audio CD set that helps users practice pronunciation and quiz themselves. Finally, we are currently working on audio CDs for our Level III books. These will be available in June 2010 and will allow us to offer Self-Learner Packages in Level III as well.
We publish a free quarterly newsletter called "Breaking News," full of great ideas for language learners. Sign up here.
Series editor John Conner is a monthly columnist for Think Spanish! magazine. Take advantage of his helpful hints about grammatical topics in this archive of his past articles.
Which level is best for us?
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- Our Level One (Beginner) corresponds with a rigorous, one-year high school course.
- Our Level Two (Intermediate) corresponds with a rigorous second-year high school course.
- Our Level Three (Advanced) corresponds with a rigorous, third and/or fourth year high school program. It is also used in many secondary schools as a preparation/review for the Advanced Placement Examination or SAT II Subject Tests.
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What other resources do you have available?
On line, we have made available free additional exercises to supplement all chapters in the book! They are arranged logically by chapter and grammatical topic: Free Exercises
Homeschool families are also encouraged to purchase our testing program, available both in hard copy and in electronic format, which contains detailed evaluations that correspond to each chapter of our textbooks. Answers, of course, are included! (The testing program is available for purchase by telephone, email or fax. This resource is not available for purchase on line.) These tests are great for formal evaluation or extra practice.
Series Editor John Conner is a frequent speaker at conferences. Click here for an in-depth look at ten great language-learning activities that comprise his "Ideal Lesson Plan."
 What about the cost?
Our products cost a tiny fraction of what you would pay for language courses from competitors like Rosetta Stone and Tell Me More. Check out the price table below to get a sense of how affordable Breaking the Barrier is! We know that homeschooling parents are on a budget, and we produce the highest-quality Spanish and French products for the lowest price:
- Rosetta Stone – $259.00
- Tell Me More Homeschool – $299.99
- Powerspeak (formerly Power-Glide) full year – $330.00
- Pimsleur – $274.00
- Breaking the Barrier Self-Learner Package with core-text and workbook, two audio CDs to accompany the text, answer key booklet, Oasis phrase book and companion CDs-- $70.00! (Add the hard copy testing program and we are still only $90.00.)
How do I order?
Click here for our order form with a full list of prices and ISBN numbers: Order Now
So whether you’re a homeschooling family or just a curious self-learner, we think that Breaking the Barrier is the perfect tool to help you in your quest to true fluency.
Comments on Breaking the Barrier from homeschooling families:
To see a published review of Breaking the Spanish Barrier from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, click here.
"Breaking the Spanish Barrier is, by far, the best Spanish program I have found for learning Spanish. As a homeschooling mom, I have spent a lot of money over the years trying out expensive programs to teach my kids Spanish, that just didn't deliver on their promises. Not only is BTB very affordable, it makes what can seem like an overwhelming task--teaching a foreign language--simple and very doable for parents that don't speak the language. John Conner does a great job of organizing the class into simple step-by-step lessons that are easy to understand and fun for the students. The best part is that if you have any questions about any lesson, they are right there to help you. I am now using the program to teach Spanish to a homeschool coop and all the kids tell me it's their favorite class! In just a few short weeks, they are speaking, reading, writing and doing oral presentations to the class in Spanish. As their teacher, it's so rewarding and exciting to see them so immersed in the language in such a short period of time!"
-Connie in Florida
“Our family educates at home, and our 16-year-old son has gathered some of his buddies together to study Breaking the French Barrier. They’re having a great time! … I’d personally love to see Breaking the Barrier at homeschooling conferences so you could free these unsuspecting home educators of Power Glide and Rosetta Stone!”
-Kendra in CA (See what Kendra wrote about Breaking the Barrier on her personal homeschooling blog: Click Here)
“The grammar is excellent and provides helpful hints to remember verb conjugations and new vocabulary.”
-Denise in PA
“Wonderfully straightforward with the most easily understandable explanations I’ve seen in any text. These books give you everything you need to truly understand a language. I couldn’t believe how well I was speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish after just two semesters. Breaking the Spanish Barrier is the best textbook I’ve ever used, bar none.”
-Will in MA
“[BTB] is simple to use, fun, concise, and teaches words and grammar that the students can actually use!!!! What I love most about the textbook is it’s “cool.” The examples and sentences use modern day language and examples that make the kids laugh and make them want to create their own sentences. They feel proud after doing the exercises because they could actually understand the activities and readings.”
-Jennifer in TX
“By far, the most unique, most practical, most useful tool for learning Spanish grammar that I’ve come across.”
-Edwin in GA
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Homeschoolers