New Homeschool High School Resource: Breaking the Barrier Online for French and Spanish (Updated Review)

This review has been updated as of June 2022, with additional information on Breaking the Barrier’s expanded offerings.

*I was compensated for my time for this review. Opinions expressed are my own.

If you have spent some time on this blog, or perhaps participated in my Homeschool Language Challenge last January, you know how often I stress the importance of regular, daily practice of foreign languages in your homeschool.

If you want to help new grammar and vocabulary “stick” with your children, there’s literally no more powerful tool for your family.

For that reason, I am happy to announce that Breaking the Barrier has developed a new tool to help homeschooled high schoolers practice French and Spanish more effectively.

Introducing….the Breaking the Barrier digital platform:

What is Breaking the Barrier Online?

With this product, Breaking the Barrier has taken their practice-rich curriculum—which I’ve reviewed previously—and transformed it to a digital model. Now, its signature textbook-workbook model, which combines direct instruction with practice exercises, is enhanced by native speaker audio and video embedded directly into it.

This digital format has a few great advantages:

• It provides great audio support to learners, with easy-to-access native speaker examples and exercises.

• It is visually appealing, and the additional instructional videos included will help students “see” the new concepts they’re trying to master.

• It’s streamlined. Now, students’ materials can all be found in one place—no more shuffling between the textbook, a CD, and flashcards. All of those are integrated.

• It may offer advantages to students who struggle with writing, or who simply prefer to complete coursework on a computer rather than in a written format.

The digital format also allows students to practice over and over again, until they’ve mastered the grammar or vocabulary that they’re learning. They can enter their answers, compare them to the answers suggested by the program, and erase and re-do as needed. This kind of repeated practice can help students develop the skill of self-correction, which is critical for speaking a new language.

Finally, the multimedia format of Breaking the Barrier’s new offering enhances students’ cultural education by including engaging cultural videos and articles that capture the richness and diversity of Spanish- and French-speaking countries. The videos in the Spanish curriculum introduce students to traditional Argentinian music and Mexican chocolate art, among other topics, and I love that they go beyond Cinco de Mayo and tacos. High schoolers probably don’t need to read any more about those, but they will benefit from learning about other facets of the Spanish- and French- speaking worlds. 

How Does Breaking the Barrier Online Work?

Breaking the Barrier Online is available as a standalone product, but I recommend that homeschooling families use it as a part of the homeschool package offered by Breaking the Barrier, which remains incredibly affordable at only $140/year.

The homeschool package offers two additional products that will be helpful to homeschooling families: a pacing guide and a set of chapter tests with an answer key. The pacing guide helps students stay on track throughout the year—you can’t “cram” language learning!—while the chapter tests can measure your students’ learning (after plenty of practice in the online tool, of course). The tests also provide an easy way to calculate a grade for your children’s transcripts.

What About Extra Conversation Practice?

Regular, structured conversation practice is essential for language learners to reach fluency—and Breaking the Barrier knows this! Thanks to the company’s new partnership with Time2Talk, as of June 2022, Breaking the Barrier students can schedule on-demand conversation sessions with pre-screened and experienced conversation coaches. The Time2Talk tutors are native Spanish speakers who are familiar with Breaking the Barrier’s curriculum and they have wide availability to match your teen’s schedule. For more about how Time2Talk works, and to see a video of the app in action, visit this site.

And remember: conversation practice is most effective when it’s done in shorter, more focused, and more frequent sessions. That’s why I love the fact that teens can schedule conversation sessions with Time2Talk coaches that last only 15 minutes. For a high schooler who really wants (or needs) to learn a second language, a few of those sessions each week will really give them a boost!

And of course, if you have any questions about Breaking the Barrier Online, don’t hesitate to let me know--drop your questions in the comments!