Fluency Builder 1
Fluency Builder
Main
Fluency Builder 1
Description
Fluency Builder 2
Description
We now offer a version of this software that can be installed and updated at a single location on the school network (for WINDOWS computers). We are also making major improvements for younger students to use the program independently.
Spanish Fluency Builder 1 is an introductory learning tool that can be used alone or with other language programs. It cultivates a vocabulary that people can use together. It uses everyday categories of animals, numbers, colors, adjectives, clothing, body parts, people, pronouns, greetings and good manners in common constructions like these:
| Fine, thank you. |
Bien, gracias. |
| I like blue. |
Me gusta el azul. |
| I don't like the little one. |
No me gusta el pequeño. |
| three yellow ones |
tres amarillos |
| Good afternoon, Mr. Morelos. |
Buenas tardes, Señor Morelos. |
| My hand hurts. |
Me duele la mano. |
| Does your head hurt? |
¿Te duele la cabeza? |
| Where is my shirt? |
¿Dónde está mi camisa? |
| Where are your shoes? |
¿Dónde están tus zapatos? |
| Where is Mary? |
¿Dónde está María? |
| She's at the store. |
Está en el mercado. |
| two women and a cat |
dos mujeres y un gato |
| I want three green ones. |
Quiero tres verdes. |
| I'm tall and good-looking. |
Soy alto y guapo. |
| My dog is short. |
Mi perro es bajo. |
| Dawn is a pretty girl. |
Alba es una muchacha bonita. |
| Bob is not well. |
Roberto no está bien. |
| The house is small and brown. |
La casa es pequeña y café. |
Fluency Builder 1 consists of 8 levels, or clusters of activities. Each level has an Introduction that is followed by a Practice Session. In the Practice Sessions you will become accustomed to: 1) shorter response times, 2) items presented in more complex sequences, and 3) more voices speaking at a natural speed.
Because Introductions take 15 to 20 minutes to complete, your schedule may require you to use the Bypass mode from the start. You can make your way through Practice Session activities in any order, and you can work them as often as you please. In Bypass mode you can ignore Introductions, but you could be bypassing procedures and information that you'll wish you had for the Practice Sessions.
The most difficult part of the Fluency Builder is getting past the urge to second-guess oneself and go at a self-determined pace, especially with the goal of avoiding all errors. The psychology underlying the program uses a supervised pace that is designed into the activities. Errors disappear in the process. Once students move past any initial frustration, performance rises. Young children do learn to cooperate with a supervised pace. Most five-year-olds probably should start out in Practice Sessions until they’re comfortable with the supervised pace. They often refer to the activities as games. In Practice Sessions, they are free to wander in the best way.
In most of the more than 100 activities of this software, the voices, colors, layouts, pictures and, most importantly, sequences and guidance keep changing to make it impossible to predict exactly what will happen. You can go back and practice the activities as often as you please without seeing and doing the exact same things over and over.
A video of Fluency Builder 1 in motion
Orienting students to the Fluency Builder
Scrolling Tour of Fluency Builder 1
