Spanish Online Lessons To Revolutionize Your Spanish

Marcos & Olivia from Spanish Classroom Revolution Present The...

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2 TI CK PAC ETS TO PAR KY We O A Ulti Leave T UR B DISE: A mat o e Sp night GS anis f h Jo or the urne y!

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SPANISH CLASSROOM REVOLUTION

“Busco Mi Camino Siguiendo Mis Sueños...”

Learning Spanish is a lifelong journey, but we’ve put together this quick guide to put you on the fast track to success! Marcos & Olivia

DEAR FRIEND AND SPANISH SPEAKER We write this report to you today as people who truthfully care about your success. In life, in speaking spanish and all of your personal relationships, we simply care. Even if we’ve never met and shook hands in person, we still want the absolute best for you in your lifetime. What you are about to read may shock you a bit. Some of it may even piss you off. The sad fact is more than 95% of people learning spanish will never make any substantial progress, and most get overwhelmed and confused. We pray that you are one of the 5% that is proving them wrong, or actually has a shot, but if we are to be totally truthful, your chances are quite slim unless you heed the advice that follows in this report.

La Sierra Nevada Mountains - Granada, Spain

Chillin with friends in Guatemala

Busco mi camino en todas partes del mundo...

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Tango in Buenos Aires?

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What We Learned As Non Native Spanish Speakers Living Abroad Toward the beginning of our Spanish speaking endeavors we were both taking lots of classes in the state of New Mexico. While researching and studying Spanish we consistently ran into a big problem...

MANY OF THEM WERE FULL OF CRAP AND BLATANT LIARS! Our intention here isn’t to name or shame any of our past teachers, but rather to serve as a consumer advocate for those of you wanting to get a legitimate head start in the sometimes confusing world of learning Spanish. As Spanish students our job is to learn the language sufficiently in order to travel and live in other Spanish speaking countries, or to just be able to communicate once and for all! And when we got started learning Spanish, we tried to take the same philosophy to our Spanish learning that we did when we began traveling and actually seeing Spanish first hand. To be honest, we weren’t doing the traveling and research to help you or other Spanish speakers at the time. We were selfishly

digging deep into the truth because we wanted to have success with learning Spanish ourselves. We didn’t have time to screw around trying fifteen different classes and online courses that were boring and ineffective. Having had been on our fi r s t t r i p s t o o t h e r countries, Panama and Mexico, we knew how we Puerto Peñasco, MEXICO (after the TRIATHLON wanted to learn Spanish. Living in Albuquerque, New Mexico also helped us to quickly realize that language is learned in life, not classrooms. When we first started “They can analyzing all the Spanish courses because they available that we could learn from, think they can” we were overwhelmed, and very -Virgil skeptical about who really had our best intentions at heart. So many Spanish language programs focused on things that we just weren’t interested in; we wanted useful information that we could actually apply in our travels, not book Spanish that is hard to learn and even more impossible to use. There a r e m a ny S p a n i s h l a n g u a g e www.SpanishClassroomRevolution.com

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Friends in Juarez, Mexico

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Costa Rica Paradise!

programs available, and believe us we’ve tried more than our share, but none of them gave us the authentic experiences we wanted. Having had traveled already to many Spanish countries, we knew we wanted a course that taught us the language that native speakers actually speak. The truth behind many Spanish language products is that they do not teach you want you need to know if you are planning to travel and speak to the locals.

even if you could learn a language in a few weeks, which you can’t, it would be impossible with their programs. Many programs are missing the essentials necessary for effectively learning a language, reallife examples, authentic interaction, the perspectives of individuals who have been in your shoes, and a balanced combination of audio, visual, and kinesthetic methods for learning.

WHAT THE OTHER PROGRAMS ARE MISSING

If you have ever tried learning Spanish via classes or online you know by now that it's hard. In fact, nine out of ten people fail miserably in their first attempt to learn Spanish, even the professionals. And to be honest, we hated learning

We can name hundreds of Spanish language programs that make incredible claims about learning the language, and while many of their claims are flat out lies to begin with,

HOW DO WE KNOW

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“Perro que no camina, no encuentra hueso” - Spanish Proverb

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Mulhacen, TALLEST mountain in Spain

Enjoying the PLAZA...

Spanish at first too. We found the language to be too complicated and were overwhelmed with the amount of information that we were expected to learn in such a short period of time. We were knee deep in frustration and wanting to change our minds about this whole learning Spanish thing. Maybe water polo or learning how to make sushi would be a better use of our time? What we realize now is that there were two major keys that were missing when we started, making it impossible for us to effectively learn, passion and a well-structured program. Without these two keys, we were setting ourselves up for failure.

HOW TO FIND PASSION

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In order to be successful at learning Spanish, we have come to the conclusion that half of the equation involves being passionate about the language or what you will get out of knowing it. Now that we have developed a passion for Spanish, learning comes more easily and it’s actually enjoyable. Without passion, you will find that the language is impossible, that it is too complicated and too overwhelming. From firsthand experience, let us tell you that this is not the case. Compared to English, Spanish is a very basic language with few irregularities and many similarities to the language you already know. The obstacle many people experience while learning Spanish is not its c o m p l e x i t y, b u t r a t h e r y o u

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“A wise man will create more opportunities than he finds” -Francis Bacon

REVOLUTIONARY! convincing yourself that it’s hard because you are not passionate about learning it. So how do you create a passion for learning Spanish? There are many avenues, but the key is to focus on all of the benefits you get from learning the language. Knowing Spanish opens doors to traveling the world, meeting and making relationships with people of dif ferent cultures, understanding new genres of literature and fascinating aspects of history, making new contacts for business and pleasure, and the list goes on and on. Passion stems from wanting, a definite major aim or pur pose. If you want to do something and you know that Spanish will make doing that easier for you, that’s your passion. For example, we love to travel and knowing how to speak Spanish fluently has made traveling a million times more enjoyable and has allowed us to experience things abroad that someone who didn’t know the language couldn’t do, like taking tango lessons and cooking classes in Spanish in Argentina and Spain. Let us just make it simple for you, if you do not have a passion for learning Spanish, if you do not have a real reason for learning, you might

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as well stop reading this now. Without a passion for Spanish, you are wasting your time trying to learn the language. Try water polo.

WHY DOES SCR BLOW EVERY OTHER SPANISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM OUT OF THE WATER? We aren't like those other guys who only sell "How to speak Spanish" stuff. We've traveled to 10 Spanish speaking countries, over thirty La Alhambra, Granada Spain countries total, and spent a combined two years living abroad in far away Spanish cultures! To be honest, most “How to speak Spanish” companies have no idea what it’s like to actually “El que la sigue, la learn and use the language that they consigue” are selling. Let’s face it, there are a million ways to get information -Spanish Proverb about the Spanish language online and in books, copy and paste, and sell the information packaged in a way that fools consumers into thinking it’s something special. In fact, we could create a Chinese language product by simply doing this, but really, how much could we possibly know? Would we know what’s really important and what’s www.SpanishClassroomRevolution.com

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Dancing til 7am at Granda Diez, famous discoteca nightclub

not, what order the information needs to be taught in, the differences in dialects, and what the culture, history, and people are really like? Absolutely not! It’s products like these that give online language programs a bad name. Of course it would be difficult to learn a language if the people who are teaching it no absolutely nothing about it! That’s why SCR is different. We are truly experts in the Spanish language. We know the ins and outs of grammar, practical uses, regional differences and, more importantly, we have learned so much about the people who speak the language- and not people just from one part of the world! We have friends from Chile, Guatemala, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and

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Ferria en Malaga

Puerto Rico that we still talk to on a regular basis. These “intercambios” (language and cultural exchanges) allow us to stay current in the language and be kept abreast of all of the important issues on a global scale. In addition to our frequent “intercambios”, we are constantly reading in the language, listening to music (check out Macaco on iTunes if you want to hear some of the most current and groundbreaking Spanish music), and watching Spanish television and movies. Even cooler, by living in New Mexico, we are constantly surrounded by Spanish at stores, on t.v., on the radio, and at restaurants, giving us a perspective that no other Spanish program can offer. By traveling and living abroad, we have

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“There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something” -Henry Ford

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Ronda, Spain - a small town rich with culture and beautiful scenery

gotten to know what the Spanish language is really about. Trust us, this is not something that you can learn in books.

SOMOS ÚNICOS If you have researched other Spanish language programs online, or even local classes in your neighborhood, you have probably noticed that most of their advertisements sound the same. They all claim that their program is unique and ground breaking and, more interestingly, they all brag about their programs being taught by native Spanish speakers. Don’t get us wrong, we know that in order to fluently learn Spanish you must have interactions with native Spanish speakers (hispanohablantes).

Native Spanish speakers can teach you things about the language that no one else can. They are experts in slang, are professionals in culture, and can tell you exactly how to say something in the language. There is a problem however when you learn a language from a native, especially a native who has never been instructed on how to teach the language. Native Spanish speakers can always tell you how something should be said, but have a difficult time explaining why it is said that way. Think about it, just because you know how to speak English doesn’t automatically qualify you to teach it as a second language. Could you explain why the past tense of “run” is “ran”, but the past tense of “learn” is “learned”?

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Albaicyn, Granada

“Lo que en los libros no está, la vida te enseñará” -Spanish Proverb

REVOLUTIONARY! Probably not. When you are beginning to learn a language, you need to understand why things are said a certain way sometimes and a different way in other situations. It doesn’t help if someone tells you “just because” or “it just sounds right”. At SCR, we are not native Spanish speakers and we are not afraid to admit it. In fact, we believe that not being native Spanish speakers makes us more qualified to teach the language than someone who is. Why? We understand exactly what you are going through. We have been in your “English-as-afirst-language” shoes and know what makes learning Spanish particularly hard for native English speakers. We understand why the difference between “ser” and “estar” is so difficult for English speakers to comprehend, something that a native Spanish speaker wouldn’t be able to empathize with. We can explain things to you that native Spanish speakers couldn’t because t h ey d o n o t h ave t h e s a m e understanding of the English language and they haven’t tried learning their language since they were children. Furthermore, we actually have degrees to prove that we are qualified to teach Spanish.

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Teaching a language is more than just knowing a language and the hundreds of hours we have put in at universities in New Mexico and around the world have taught us exactly how the brain works when it learns a language.

APTITUDE FOR LEARNING SPANISH Is there such a thing as an innate aptitude for learning a language? Although some people seem to be able to learn a language faster or with more ease than others, Traditional Argentinean Food there is no evidence that certain people are born with an advantage. The human brain is miraculous to study and the way that our brains learn a new language “Tarea que agrada is fascinating. Think about how you presto se acaba” learned your first language. Did you start by picking up a dictionary and -Spanish Proverb listening to grammar lessons on tape? Doubtful, considering that from the time you are born you are beginning to lear n language. Learning a language is not done by memorization, but by practice, re p e t i t i o n , m i m i c k i n g, a n d immersion. The reason a language is learned this way and not through

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La Veleta, Granada, Spain (After hiking to the top and grabbing some hot chocoloate)

memorization is explained by how the brain is built. There are three ways that the brain is used when you l e a r n n e w i n fo r m at i o n . T h e information can be stored either in the sensory or working memory sections or in the section for longterm memory. The sensory memory is what is used when the brain immediately receives input. Looking at an address as you enter a friends house and then immediately using the information to relay the address to someone on the phone is usage of the sensory memory. Working memory, or short-term memory, functions as a notepad in your brain. By paying attention to information that enters your sensory memory, you can recall phone numbers, names, and movie times for some

time after you initially received the information. Working memory, however, erodes quickly because when you are alert, your sensory memory is constantly adding new infor mation to your working memory. On average, information stored in your working memory erodes within two hundred milliseconds and has a very limited capacity. So how do you get information to transfer from your working memory to you long-term memory? It is not by memorization, but rather by authentically using the new information. Think about the things that you know how to do easily; the things that are secondnature and take no thought, perhaps driving a car, dialing your home phone number, or driving to school

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After a triathlon in Andalucia, Spain

“El éxito llama el éxito” -Spanish Proverb

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Cabo de Gata, Spain (Natural reserve -San Antonio)

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Barcelona, Spain

or work. Now think about how many times you have done these things. The information that is stored in your long-term memory is information that you have used hundreds or even thousands of times. Your long-term memory is what you want to store a new language in, but how do you get that information there?

ACCESSING LONG-TERM MEMORY WITH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Storing a new language like Spanish in your long-term memory requires more than a book or someone talking at you. In order to effectively learn a language and put that knowledge in a permanent and easily accessible section of your

brain, you must use the language. Using the language implies hearing, speaking, reading, writing, and comprehending. You must use all of your senses and play with the language in different ways and in different settings. This does take time and effort, but it is the only proven way to actually learn and become fluent in a foreign language. If your like us, you are thinking there must be a way around this; there must be a way to learn a language with minimal effort. As individuals who have looked for this “El Dorado” of the language world, we can tell you that after twelve years of attempting to learn Spanish with minimal effort, the shortcut to learning a language is just as mythical as a passage in your closet

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“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined” -Henry David Thoreau

REVOLUTIONARY! leading to Narnia. In order to store Spanish in your long-term memory you must actually use it. Without using the language you cannot understand the language and therefore, you cannot store it in your long-term memory. If you’ve taken Spanish or any language course before and have been unsuccessful in learning the language, it is because you did not effectively use the language in its different forms (spoken, written) and you did not expose all of your senses to the language ( s e e i n g, h e a r i n g, t a s t i n g, touching, smelling-yes, all of theses senses pertain to learning a language). When your body and brain are completely overwhelmed by something, in

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t h i s c a s e l a n g u a g e, i t i s impossible not to be affected. Your brain cannot ignore all of this infor mation that is constantly being processed through your sensory and working memories. It is only a matter of time before the language becomes an integrated part of your long-term memory.

PREPARE YOUR SENSES SCR is different than all the other Spanish language prog rams available online because we take your senses for a ride. Our information is given to you by means of video, audio, and written information. We let you hear the language, see the language, speak and write the language, and understand the

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language through cultural insights. We g i v e y o u opportunities that other courses don’t because we actually understand what needs to take place in order to effectively learn the language. We’ve been there before! We know that it’s ineffective to try to learn a language through text books and monotone instructors who can’t even tell you the differences between “hispanos” and “chicanos” and who won’t tell you what things like “joder”, “coger”, “puta”, or “mierda” mean. (Yes, they are explicit and yes, you need to know them.) As we traveled and lived throughout multiple Spanish speaking countries, we realized that the more things we experienced in

Waterfalls at the peak of Mulhacen, Mountain in Spain...

La Veleta, (mountain right outside of Granada, Spain)

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A few of my Spanish room mates...

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Riding my MOTO scooter in Spain...

the language, the easier the language became to learn. For example, taking tango lessons in Spanish in Argentina was tremendously helpful in learning the language because you were required to physically react to and interpret the language. By incorporating kinesthetic (body) stimulation with audio stimulation, the language was able to enter long-term memory with more ease. Everything we experience in Spanish, from cooking classes to canyoning tours, yoga and horseback riding, helps us to learn Spanish faster and easier than it would be if we were just trying to learn in a classroom or from a book and professor. And let’s face it, doing all of this is a good time as well. Talk about finding a passion!

When you are being given directions in Spanish just before you jump thirty feet off cliff and down a waterfall, tuck your legs so you don’t break them, twist your body to the right to avoid that rock that will crush your skull if you land wrong; learning a language has never been more fun! And believe us, your desire to learn and understand a language has never been more overwhelming than when your wellbeing is at stake. If your not a risk taker, you’ll still see how learning a language through your senses is effective. There’s something about hearing the language and then reacting to it immediately, whether it’s through dance, cooking, or simply getting directions in Spanish on the street, that makes learning

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“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” -Helen Keller

REVOLUTIONARY! easier and a heck of a lot more fun. Once you start, you will find yourself hunting for opportunities to use and experience the language in every way possible.

NO MORE EXCUSES So maybe you’re thinking to yourself, sure this sounds great, I’d love to travel to Spain and jump off a cliff, but it’s just impossible right now. Maybe your career is tying you down or maybe your finances at the time just aren’t going to allow you to travel abroad or maybe your spouse thinks your nuts about backpacking through Andes and h eliboardin g in Bariloche, Argentina. It’s okay. We’ve been there too. We know that traveling and living abroad isn’t always

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easy and sometimes it’s just straight up impossible. This doesn’t mean that you can’t learn Spanish effectively. Of course total immersion is the best and most time-effective method for becoming fluent in Spanish, but there are definitely ways to learn the language well without having to leave the country. This is exactly why we developed SCR. We wanted to give people like you the opportunity to learn Spanish in an way that was fun, structured way that is proven to work. SCR is designed in a manner that simulates what you would experience if you were to travel to a Spanish speaking country. We are taking all of our travel journeys and lessons and rolling them into one awesome course that allows you to see the

La Iglesia de Recoleta - Recoleta Neighborhood, Buenos Aires

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world in the way you would if you were traveling yourself (real spanish speakers included!). Our goal is to authenticate SCR in a way that indulges your senses just like the real world does, through visual, audio, physical, and mental stimulation. Take it from two people who have gone from knowing nothing about Spanish and hating the process of learning it to becoming fluent and wanting to learn more every day, we know what it takes to be successful in your Spanish learning journey. This is what SCR is all about, putting the world at your fingertips and letting you explore and play with the language as we guide you through the g rammatical structure in fun and exciting ways.

Tango Instructors at the University

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“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Benjamin Franklin

BOOZE AND SPANISH? Real quick, let’s get on the topic of the juice. The sauce. The bottle. The booze. The good ole... “Cold Squeezer” A.K.A. “Una Cervecita”. Alcohol is the freaking almighty power drug and ultimate truth serum that could potentially make or break your career in just a few short hours. When traveling and talking with other Spanish speakers at a bar or club, the opportunity for true bonding are dramatically increased by hanging in the bar as opposed to the classroom. You might not believe us, but there is such a thing in Spain called a “Botellón” - a GIANT mass of people all congregated in one Plaza all sharing rum n coke, cerveza, you

name it! All talking, hanging out for hours before the night begins. It’s something you’ve got to see! (We talk a lot more about “Botellón” inside Spanish Classroom Revolution.) So, where were we? Yeah, so People let their guard down. They are in a better mood. They are relaxed, happy and typically much more liberal with sharing their feelings and emotions with a drink in hand. Not always, but most of the time. Before we go any further, please let me say that we’re not an advocate of alcohol abuse. Addiction is a nasty beast and I’ve seen it ruin many people and even my own family. If you can’t drink like a mature, responsible adult, then don’t drink at all. That’s all I’ll say on that. And oh yeah, take a cab!

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People Tell The Truth When They Are Really F***** Up! Remember when Mel Gibson lost his marbles and screamed all kinds of anti semitic slurs to Malibu Police officers a few years ago? Do you think for some odd reason that it was the Miller High Life’s fault that Mel hated Jews that evening? I mean I’ve said some pretty dumb stuff when drinking Tequila, but I’m pretty sure no amount of alcohol would allow me to go on bigoted tirades about an entire race of people. It sucked. I mean, here we are talking about Mad Max. William Freaking Wallace. We all loved this guy. The a few drops of the old truth serum and baam, he turns into a mini Hitler. Way to go Mel. That really sucked. But I’m glad I know the truth. And hey, we’re forgiving people, so hopefully Mel gets some help and chills out. The point I’m trying to make is alcohol will get people to say the things they’ve secretly been holding back inside. When talking to Spanish speakers, they tend to talk more and you might end up

learning a lot more than you ever imagined! And sometimes, this information is incredibly important or valuable. You might pick up some very cultural insights, things you would otherwise never learn inside a classroom. But to get a little deeper about why the bar connection is so important, we should look at the unique experience it can offer. Most people we know trying to learn Spanish are always trying to land new words, vocabulary, etc. via books and classroom settings, but they are neglecting the “unique experience”. The truth is the bar and discotecas (Spanish clubs) are great, but even tossing back a few brewski’s at the bar isn’t always enough to get the job done and learn some great Spanish from the natives. Sometimes you need even more. Here’s what I mean...

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Huge Tip: Normally Spanish Speakers begin their night around 10-12pm. Meet up at a bar, see how they respond when they are 5 drinks deep. You’ll learn more Spanish in one night than all year taking classes!

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Let’s say you go travel to a Spanish speaking country and you get invited to someone’s house for dinner (hey it could happen, these people are generally pretty friendly). You have a good time, toss back a few drinks and you share some conversation about your travels and what your doing in their country. Everything is going good so far right?

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Spanish speaking countries when going out). When leaving the club, you are blinded by the rays of daylight and don’t even started about the stench of that foreign cab driver. All in all, pretty wild night. Now which example do you think is going to get you closer to the prize? Of course that is somewhat of a outrageous example.

WRONG! If you get invited to a Spanish speakers house for dinner and you start jabbering away trying to use the latest Spanish phrase you just learned you’ve just shot yourself in the face. Here’s what you should do... “Share a unique experience.” How unique is it for the Spanish speaker to have dinner with you at the table? Not very. He does it all the time. it may be exciting for you,but he may forget in 30 minutes when he’s back at the bar tossing back Rum & Cokes ( Ron y Cola in Spanish). And how unique is it for him to hear your trying to speak your Spanish. Sorry, the truth sucks. Now let’s take this example... Let’s say you go to a Spanish speaking country, get the invite to dinner and you listen intently on what everyone is doing later on that night. They are going to a bar and then to a club to go dancing. Since you’ve been cool, listening, and not jockeying for position all night they invite you along. And lets say you guys have a wild night out until 7am in the morning (this is actually very normal for most

But don’t worry, your unique experience doesn’t have to be XXX rated or involve intoxicating substances. Maybe your daughter has Autism and so does the Spanish speaker your trying to connect with. that is a unique experience. Better yet, maybe the Spanish speaker your connecting with has some desire to learn some English ( or whatever languages you speak) and as your talking you can teach them a thing or two about your language or culture as well. That’s something unique. There are lot’s of ways you can find the common characteristic so you can achieve this unique experience. The easiest way is just by listening and paying attention. Soon enough you will find a common characteristic that you can leverage in your favor. However, you’ll likely only find it if you are ready. You must be aware. You must be interested. And you must contribute in some sort of way. Be smart. Recognize that most Spanish speakers are actually really cool and willing to share a conversation or a good time.

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Social Media for Spanish! Sites like Twitter, Facebook, etc. now make it easier than ever to connect with Spanish speakers from around the world and see how they are using the language.

Learning Spanish with Twitter? Because of all the social networks and communication sites like Twitter, Facebook, etc, etc, it’s easier than ever to connect with Spanish speakers from around the world and see how they are using the language. (Note: we look at this a lot during the 6 month Spanish video coaching in Spanish Classroom Revolution). If I were trying to start a conversation with a Spanish speaker, first I’d examine to see if there was any unique connection that I shared that most others didn’t. Let’s say I was practicing a certain Spanish word or phrase, all I would have to do is use a special search function on Twitter and

baam! Tons of Spanish speakers all using those words right before your very own eyes. That’s going to make is super easy to learn and practice the language. You have to think about this stuff in a smart and calculated fashion, and that’s what we’re about to show you in Spanish Classroom Revolution. In fact, each week we’ll have a new social challenge where we venture out into the Spanish community online and pick out key words and phrases that we’re learning that week. It’s real time! and it’s a great way to see the language first hand and practice throughout your day.

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Learning Spanish just got Easier... check this out!

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WE’RE NOT CALLED REVOLUTIONARY FOR NOTHING! FLASHBACK TO 1995 SCR is exactly what it sounds like, it’s a revolution taking place in Spanish classrooms. Fifteen years ago, if you walked into a Spanish classroom at your local high school you would see rows of desks facing a chalkboard and a woman in a jumper and clogs preaching to her students, O, AS, A, AMOS, AN, over and over again. The students in the classroom would undoubtedly be pounding their heads on against the wall, hoping to somehow knock the clock down, change the time, and convince Mrs. Diaz de Alvarez López that class was over. Slightly exaggerated but you get our point, Spanish classrooms fifteen years ago were not effective. There are several reasons why their approach to teaching a language was ineffective, but let’s just focus on a few biggies. The goal of Spanish language instruction used to be simply learning the

language. Teachers wanted their students to be able to produce sentences and paragraphs in Spanish. If they were able to do this, they knew the language. Being able to teach students how to write Spanish sentences requires very tailored and basic instruction. First, you must memorize some key verbs. In Spanish, just like in all languages, a few useful verbs will allow you to express yourself in various situations, although isolated. Second, you must learn how to conjugated this handful of verbs. This is where students are introduced to the lovely chant of, O, AS, A, AMOS, AN, and if your teacher is ambitious, you will be required daily to repeat and memorize, O, ES, E, EMOS, EN. Once you have some basic conjugation down, all you need is a few nouns, let’s say we pick to teach you the words for “school”, “house”, “car”, “apple” and “dog”, and you will www.SpanishClassroomRevolution.com

know the language in no time. Right? Wrong. This approach to learning a language was created decades ago when traveling was more difficult and most people who wanted to learn a language wanted to do so because it was novel, not because it was useful. Learning a language in this manner is not learning a language at all. Being able to say that you know a language means that you are able to carry on a conversation without restraints, you can read and write with ease, and you can hear the language being spoken and understand what is being said. Learning how to construct basic and, let’s face it, useless sentences does not prepare you for actually using a language. With this type of instruction, all you are prepared to do is entertain a few strangers at a cocktail party with your ability to say, my dog eats apples- and even they will lose interest soon.

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La Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) - Iguazu Falls, Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil

OYE CHE! In the world of things that are revolutionary, Che Guevara is probably at the top of the list. He went against all things that were socially accepted and considered the norm in order to help others and create change in the world. (Don’t k n ow wh o C h e G u eva r a i s ? Probably one of the coolest revolutionaries of all time. Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, he made a trip on a bike throughout South America and ended up in Cuba melding his ideals with Fidel Castro with the newly shaped 26th of July movement. He was eventually executed by the U.S. government for his actions. Check out the film “The Motorcycle Diaries” for a better explanation of

who Che is - English subtitles available for you Spanish newbies.) Just as Che took part in a revolution, albeit a much more dangerous one, SCR is the leader in the revolution in the world of learning and teaching the Spanish language. Remember the classroom from 1995 that was totally ineffective for teaching Spanish? Today, you will still find 99% of all Spanish courses being taught in the same way. It’s true that people teach the way they were taught and most likely they were taught poorly. It’s ironic that although many people hated the way that they were taught Spanish, they continue teaching it the same way, putting their students through endless hours of torture that results in anything but learning, if I had to

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Monte Video, Uruguay

“Mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo” -Spanish Proverb

REVOLUTIONARY! when learning Spanish, so will you! That’s not the way we think at SCR.

SCR ACTUALLY WANTS YOU TO LEARN SPANISH! Learning Spanish has changed our lives and we want it to do the same for you. We’re willing to take the risk of sounding a little like a contestant at the Miss America pageant by saying that if more people learned Spanish, the world would be a better place. We no longer live in an an isolated community, but rather a global one. In order to serve the global community we must do our part and become responsible citizens. How? Well learning another language is a great place to start. Being multilingual shows respect. Maybe you haven’t thought about it, but when people in other countries learn English in addition to their native language, they are demonstrating their respect for our language. They have put time and effort into learning how to communicate with us and last time I checked that’s pretty incredible. If we at SCR can help you learn Spanish, we know that not only will it change your life, but it will change the world we live in. If you can’t communicate with

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the people around you, how can you solve problems, and more importantly, enjoy what you are doing?

GET INTO THE WORLD! The reason SCR is revolutionary in the world of learning Spanish is simple, our goal is not to teach you the language, but to teach you how to communicate with the language! We want you to throw away text books, step out of the classroom, and join Scooters on the Beach - Colonia, Uruguay the revolution that is happening in the real world, online and outside your door. For decades people have struggled with learning Spanish and we want “He who hesitates is to end this cycle. Learning a lost” language doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, some of the most fascinating -Traditional Proverb multi-lingual people we have ever met are illiterate! So don’t tell us that you have to be some sort of genius at an ivy league school to learn Spanish, people are learning how to communicate every day in the real world, without pouring over books and investing thousands. Don’t you want to get into the world and join our revolution? www.SpanishClassroomRevolution.com

REVOLUTIONARY!

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Olivia and friends arriving in Uruguay

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Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo - B.A.

YOU WANT TO LEARN MY Spanish. We asked him where he was from and he began to tell us his LANGUAGE? There are a million and one reasons why you should learn Spanish, and to be honest, whatever your reason is, be it selfish or humanitarian, we are thrilled. You know who else is thrilled? All of the hispanohablantes (Spanish speakers) in the world. They truly think it’s incredible that you, an anglohablante (English speaker), want to learn Spanish. Don’t believe us? Let us share a little story with you. A few years ago we ran into a man from El Salvador at a local restaurant. We got into a conversation about hiking in New Mexico with him while waiting for tables and immediately recognized his accent as someone who speaks

story of growing up in San Salvador. Being addicted to traveling, we were immediately enthralled in the culture, geography, and history that he was sharing with us. Noticing are not so subtle excitement, our new restaurant friend began to ask us questions. Why were we so intrigued about his life in a tiny Central American country? We told him about our travels, about our experiences abroad, and how we study Spanish and teach the language to other English speakers. I don’t get it. Why would people who know English want to learn my language, he asked. He told us how important it was for him to learn English, how his most treasured

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“Knowledge of what is possible is the beginning of happiness” -George Santayana

REVOLUTIONARY! book as a child was a guide to speaking English, a gift from his abuela (grandmother). Knowing English could get you places, what could Spanish do for you? We told him how Spanish opened the world for us. How it allowed us to travel, to make new friends, to experience things that we would never be able to if we only knew English. We explained how Spanish was our passion, how our learning the language was a lifetime commitment. And you know what happened? He began to cry. He couldn’t believe that his language was so important to us and that there were other people

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like us who dedicated themselves to learning Spanish. If only other people in his country knew, they would be so moved. He thanked us, wished us well, and has become someone that we will never forget.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE US TO LEARN SPANISH So here you are, ready to learn Spanish, excited for what awaits. Or are you? For us, learning Spanish is a life-long mission. It’s something that we enjoy to the fullest and look forward to doing every day. Don’t worry, we know we might be a little weird. Learning Spanish does

Asia de Cuba - Popular Restaurant, Bar, and Discoteca in Buenos Aires

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take commitment, but it doesn’t have to consume your life. In fact, learning Spanish with us at SCR is going to be super enjoyable, easy, and the great part is that it only takes up as much time as you want it to. We know you have lives, that you are dedicated to all sorts of different things, and that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn Spanish. Whatever the reason you have for le ar n in g Span i s h an d however much time you have to commit to it, we know that you will find success at SCR. We are dedicated to Spanish so you don’t have to be. That is, unless you want join us...

Reflection of Buenos Aires Capitol Bldg

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The Secret to Learning How to Speak Spanish PERSONAL THOUGHTS FROM OLIVIA

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED As a middle school Spanish teacher I see students struggle every day with learning how to speak the Spanish language. The moment I begin a lesson on imperfect conjugation, I see heads drop to the desks, eyes roll into the back of heads, and every head turning to see how much time is left in class. Students constantly come up to me after class asking why learning how to speak Spanish is so hard to learn. In fact, many think it’s flat out impossible. I tend to laugh at these students because I know from personal experience it is not impossible. I didn’t begin learning how to speak Spanish until high school and, yes it wasn’t easy. It took time and lots of practice to become fluent in Spanish and even now as a Spanish teacher I still don’t know everything. I ask my students what they are struggling with in particular and

the answers vary as much as who has a crush on who on a day-today basis. Some say it’s the conjugation while others swear that it’s the verbs that are confusing. Some tell me that it’s physically impossible for them to pronounce the words correctly and a handful think that the number and gender of adjectives is just the dumbest thing they’ve ever heard. My all time favorites though are the students who come up to my desk and say, Miss, I just can’t do this. It’s like Spanish is totally foreign to me. Foreign? Apparently they did not notice that Spanish is listed as a “foreign” language when they registered for my class. If you’re like my students who are learning how to speak Spanish and finding it difficult, you can probably list several reasons why you are having a hard time. But let me ask you a question, can you list the reasons why you want to learn to speak Spanish? www.SpanishClassroomRevolution.com

The reasons why you are enjoying learning how to speak Spanish? I ask my students these questions often because I believe that knowing the answers is the best way to overcome the difficult parts about learning a language. Motivation in any area of your life can help you to overcome difficult situations, but motivation for learning a language is even more powerful.

THE MIND BLOWING POWER OF LEARNING HOW TO SPEAK SPANISH Learning how to speak Spanish in particular opens up a huge portion of the world to you for traveling, business, friendships, relationship, music, movies, art, history, etc. Millions of people have learned how to speak Spanish and all of them will tell you that learning how to speak Spanish is life altering. If you keep this in mind while you are

REVOLUTIONARY! encountering the difficult parts of Spanish, such as verbs, imperfect and perfect tenses, adjective agreement, etc., you will quickly see that these issues aren’t as impossible as you thought they were. encountering the difficult parts of Spanish, such as verbs, imperfect and perfect tenses, adjective agreement, etc., you will quickly see that these issues aren’t as impossible as you thought they were.

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL ON YOUR SPANISH LEARNING JOURNEY "The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who

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is willing to do and dare” –Dale Carnegie I don’t know if Dale Carnegie ever tried to learn Spanish, but if he had, he would have learned faster than most. Learning Spanish is not a magic trick and it’s not difficult. Everyone and anyone can learn Spanish. Why, then, is it more difficult for some to learn it and others seem to catch on super quick? The answer is not that some people are just born with an innate knack for learning languages. The key to learning Spanish successfully and faster than everyone else is summed up in Mr. Carnegie’s wisdom, doing and daring. It’s no surprise that

El Día de la Bandera (Flag Day) - Argentina

the students who are willing to act and take risks learn Spanish faster. These students are the ones who are always volunteering to participate in whatever is thrown at them, they are the first to try to speak to someone in Spanish (even if they don’t know what they are saying), and they are always willing to try again. As a teacher, I have witnessed these students in class and, although sometimes a bit obnoxious, they are always the first to catch on and the first to succeed in Spanish. Unlike the students who try to memorize all of the verbs, new vocabulary, and rules for Spanish conjugation, the students who are the “doers”

Estancia in Cordoba, Argentina

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REVOLUTIONARY! spend their time using the new language, whether it’s talking to people, writing notes, or listening to Spanish music and television in their spare time. The “doers” not only learn faster than the other students, but they enjoy learning way more. Take note, doing is way more fun than studying! The reason that the “doers” tend to learn more Spanish faster than the “studiers” is because they are using different parts of their brains. The “studiers” are using the short-term memory part of the brain, the part that is activated when you are memorizing information. It’s no wonder that these students have a difficult time learning Spanish! Everything they are learning is only being stored shortterm and then they have to try to learn it again. It takes a lot of time before pure memorization becomes a part of your long-term memory and by that time, you’ll have probably given up on Spanish and written it off as too hard. The “doers”, on the other hand store their knowledge of Spanish in the long-term memory part of their brains. By doing they are activating several parts of the brain at once, helping them better understand the

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information and process it in a way that makes sense to them.

RIDDEN A BIKE LATELY? Look at it this way, when you learned to ride a bicycle, did you sit around your house analyzing your bicycle, the width of the tires, the color, the sound of the bell? No. To learn how to bicycle, you got on the bicycle. You had no clue what you were doing, but with the help of someone you trusted, you learned how to do it. La Universidad de Palermo - Buenos Aires And it probably didn’t take you that long either. Now think about where you would be today if as a child you memorized how a bicycle worked, but never actually “Lo que siembres did a bicycle. You wouldn’t know cosecharás” how to ride a bike any better than someone who never had and all of -Spanish Proverb your useless studying would probably just have made you bitter towards all bicycles in general. Doing and daring. Yes, these are the keys to being successful at learning Spanish. Just like anything else, if you don’t do it, you can’t effectively learn it. And if you aren’t daring while you’re doing it, you will never find the success you desire! www.SpanishClassroomRevolution.com

Why Wait Any Longer?

Thank You, Thank You Very Much! Grab your free DVD and get instant access to the 6 month Spanish video coaching we’ve put together for you. - Marcos and Olivia . (We’ll see you on the inside!)

DE: MARCOS SOR O L IV IA W IA N O & ACEK A lb u q u e rq ue, New M e x ic o

REVOLUTIONARY

We want to thank you for spending your time reading this report. We hope that you are beginning to see how much we love Spanish and how we would be thrilled to have you join us in our Spanish journey. Don’t wait, join the Spanish Classroom Revolution now!