nonfiction

As a beginnng Spanish student, I find the book cluttered and overwhelming. Also, a more organized approach to the subject would help. My foreign language background is French, so I am familiar with how to study a different language.

This is by far the best beginning text that I have found in twenty-four years of teaching. The high-interest level of the text with the easy-to-understand explanations and interactive activities make this book very accessible to even the student with no prior background in Spanish. At the same time, the wealth of activities including proverbs, cartoons, business Spanish, dialogues, open-ended conversations, problem solving, cultural information along with the CD's, videos, and internet activities, also challenge and interest the student who may already have some knowledge of Spanish. The text uses a communicative and personalized approach that allows the student to develop skills in speaking, reading, writing, and listening comprehension. The writing assignments and classroom drills are not dry and boring as in some texts but very creative and often humorous which helps make teaching with this text a joy. Each edition of the text has incorporated new material to meet the needs of our students. I especially like the segments in this edition on computer technology, letter writing, medical Spanish, and environmental and social discussions. After completing this text, most of my students are inspired and encouraged to continue their study of Spanish. Many of my Spanish majors enjoy this text so much that they keep it for reference instead of selling it back to the bookstore. I have built several successful Spanish programs using this text and have many fluent students who adored the text. The bottom line is that this text has personality as well as being highly useful. I love it!

I watched this book grow from drill and kill in earlier editions to its present, bloated 6th edition. I have taught out of the 5th and 6th editions of this book for 4 years. The students absolutely hate it. It is cluttered and confusing. The order in which grammar and vocabulary are presented defy logic and all current research in second language acquisition. This book has been torn down and put back together so many times, that it is a hellish mess. Language methodology has changed and evolved over the nearly 25 years this book has been in use, and now this book doesn't know what it is or wants to be. The exercises in the book are worthless. All the instructions are in Spanish from chapter 1 on, and the students cannot interpret them, which renders the activities useless. Dicho has had a good, long run. It's time to shelve it and move on. The only reason I still use it is because I have no choice in textbook selection where I teach.