Customer Reviews

Destinos Student Edition w/Listening comprehension Audio CD, 2nd Edition

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This review is for the "Second Edition of the Alternate Edition." I am unfamiliar with the earlier or other editions. I have, however, been told by others that items with the title "Nuevos Destinos" or "Destinos Handbook" should not be purchased since they are not the right materials.

The textbook cover all 52 episodes with 52 chapters. I've only completed 12 chapters / episodes. You read and do the exercises in the "before viewing" section of each chapter. After viewing the video episode, you return to the textbook and complete the exercises. The answers to the exercises are in the back of the textbook. The textbook is very well laid out and easy to follow. It is also very instructive.

This textbook was designed for the student who is doing distance learning AND with classroom instructions. Each chapter has exercises that you are to practice with your fellow students. If you are doing strictly distance learning or independent studies, I've been told that the 1st edition textbook of Destinos will work for you, but the earlier edition does NOT have the audio CDs. You can, however, still use this textbook if you're doing independent studies.

If you buy this textbook used, be sure that you get the 7 audio CDs that accompany the textbook. I've seen this textbook being sold on eBay without the 7 audio CDs, but sold separately. This is not right! You need the 7 audio CDs to complete the exercises in the textbook. You should not have to pay extra for the 7 audio CDs.

In addition to this textbook, there are Workbook / Study Guides Volume I and II. I have Workbook / Study Guide Vol. I which covers episode 1-26 (be sure that its ISBN 0-07-249711-4 since there are other similar Workbook / Study Guides out there). For Workbook / Study Guide Vol I, there's also audio CDs or audiocassettes that accompany it. The audio CDs for the Workbook / Study Guide are different than the 7 audio CDs for the textbook. You do have to buy the Workbook / Study Guide AND the audio CDs or audiocassettes separately or the Workbook / Study Guide will be useless.

If you can afford it, I highly recommend getting the Destinos series on DVD. On DVD, you have the option of Spanish subtitles which makes it easier to understand. I view each episode twice - once with the subtitle and once without it.

Unless you have a good aptitude for foreign languages, I do NOT recommend Destinos for those who are self-studying without any background in Spanish. Destinos isn't the "silver bullet" to mastering Spanish, but it does help in the listening and comprehension aspect of the learning process.

One final thing. . . don't get frustrated with Destinos. Oftentimes, I view the episode, do the textbook and the Workbook / Study Guide and I find myself doubting my learning ability. I feel as if I can't learn anything. I would get so frustrated that I would linger for a long time on a particular chapter or episode. I've learned to accept that I won't know or learn everything covered on each chapter / episode. Instead I move on. Eventually, those things that I haven't learned in that chapter or episode will be covered again and again later on.

THIS TEXTBOOK is the first component needed for the DESTINOS Program, 2nd edition 2001-2002. The accompanying 7 CDs are for TEXTBOOK COMPREHENSION only. They are NOT for use with the Student Workbook/Study Guides.

THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS ARE NECESSARY TO SUPPORT THE 2ND EDITION 2002 DESTINOS PROGRAM:

DVDs.

The 52 episodes are available for FREE online, in the interest of public education. Just do a search for 'Destinos video-on-demand'.

You can borrow the DVDs from your library, watch the scheduled episodes on PBS channels, or they are available for purchase at community colleges and elsewhere.

WORKBOOK/STUDY GUIDE Volume 1. 2002. ISBN 0072497114.

Covers Lessons 1-26. Disposable. One is needed for each student.

WORKBOOK/ STUDY GUIDE Volume 2. 2002. ISBN 0072497122

Covers Lessons 27-52. Disposable. One is needed for each student.

STUDENT AUDIO CD Program Part 1. 2002. ISBN 0072504382

These CDs are used with the Workbook exercises for Lessons 1-26. One set of these CDs is necessary for use with the Workbook/Study Guide Volume 1.

STUDENT AUDIO CD Program Part 2. 2002. ISBN 0072504390

These CDs are used with the Workbook exercises for Lessons 27-52. One set of these CDs is necessary for use with the Workbook/Study Guide Volume 2.

IF YOU CHOOSE, YOU MAY USE THE FOLLOWING AUDIOCASSETTES INSTEAD OF THE AUDIO CDS:

STUDENT AUDIOCASSETTE Program for Part 1. 2002. ISBN 0072504404

These audiocassettes accompany Workbook/Study Guide Volume 1 exercises for lessons 1-26.

STUDENT AUDIOCASSETTE Program for Part 2. 2002. ISBN 0072504412

These audiocassettes accompany Workbook/Study Guide Volume 2 exercises for Lessons 27-52

THESE ARE ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS FOR THE DESTINOS 2ND EDITION PROGRAM:

CD-ROMS (COMPUTER DISCS - these are NOT audio CDs)

(Please note that the following two interactive COMPUTER CD-ROMs have small imbedded text that cannot be enlarged for laptop viewing and use. In my opinion, they need a complete revamping to make them a worthwhile purchase.)

Student CD-ROM Program Part 1. One Disc. 2002. ISBN 0072525371

Student CD-ROM Program Part 2. One Disc. 2002. ISBN 0072857870

ORIGINAL MUSIC CD FROM THE DESTINOS PROGRAM. 1999. ISBN 0072346493

I have been told that the audio music CD is for use with both 'Destinos' and the more advanced 'Nuevos Destinos' programs.

THERE ARE TWO ADDITIONAL STUDENT HANDBOOKS AVAILABLE which are designed FOR INSTRUCTORS using the DESTINOS DVD/Video programs as an enhancement to their regular classroom Spanish study programs and texts. They are:

Student Viewers Handbook 1 (3rd Edition). 2002. ISBN 0072497092

Student Viewers Handbook 2 (3rd Edition). 2002. ISBN 0072497106

THERE IS ALSO AN EXCELLENT FACULTY GUIDE AVAILABLE

The 348 page paperback Faculty Guide covers all 52 lessons (it's printed on acid-free paper). It contains suggested lesson planning, episode summaries and additional testing materials. It is well worth the purchase for any home education program or self-study program.

FACULTY GUIDE 1st edition (1992) ISBN 007002071X is available through Amazon Marketplace Sellers.

FACULTY GUIDE 2nd Edition (2002) ISBN-10: 0072501405 or ISBN-13: 978-0072501407 is available through Amazon Marketplace Sellers.

I bought Second Edition of the Alternate Edition of Destinos for a Spanish 101 class at my local community college because I wanted to learn Spanish in person rather than online or on my own. I never studied any foreign language prior to this. I am also pursuing a Master's degree at Denver, but I wanted to pick up a language before I graduate. I think that this book is very effective in teaching and learning Spanish, but you really do need the cds that go with the book-- they come with it if you buy the book new. Don't try to do this without the cds because I think that you really need them. You also need to watch the episodes of the movies that go with each lesson. (More on that in a moment).

I also highly recommend the "Workbook/Study Guide I" if you are just starting out with Spanish. The book that you want is ISBN-978-0-07-249711-3. The "Workbook/Study Guide I" covers the first 26 lessons in the Destinos book. You have to get a second workbook for lessons 27-52. I don't know what the correct ISBN is for that, because I'm not there yet! At the community college, lessons 27 - 52 are the intermediate levels of Spanish, and they are taught over two semesters. The first 26 lessons are also taught over two semesters. I'm telling you this so you can gauge how deeply you can learn Spanish from Destinos. You can get two years of college level Spanish for beginners and intermediates in this book!

Another reviewer mentioned that you should buy the dvds with the Destinos episodes. You do NOT have to do this! Believe it or not, you can watch them for FREE online with Windows Media Player 11! Just go to http://www.learner.org/resources/series75.html# and register yourself for free, and then you can watch any and every episode of the movies-- and they don't spam you to death, either. Free is far better than paying a few hundred dollars for the complete set of episodes. Make sure your media player is updated so you can actually see the picture. The episodes are really interesting, not cheesy as you might expect.

A real strength of Destinos is that you are exposed through the episodes to rapid conversational Spanish in addition to "academic" Spanish. You don't have to actually study conversational Spanish, but you actually begin to understand a lot of it, and far sooner than you might think. You also get good listening comprehension skills, learn proper Spanish, and get a lot of cultural information about various Spanish speaking areas of the world. You hear Latin American Spanish as well as Spanish from other areas-- which can be different. Each lesson in Destinos builds on the previous lesson, so make sure you "get" the first lesson before you move on!

At first, it feels like you don't understand anything but stick with it and you will be amazed at how quickly you can learn-- and speak-- Spanish! From the very first episode you will understand much of the Spanish conversation. :-) I honestly think that I could have just bought this book and the study guide that goes with it and managed to learn everything myself--but it helps me to have a professor (and native speaker) listen to my words and correct my pronunciation and accent if necessary. Destinos makes learning Spanish easy and fun, and my professor said that you get a more comprehensive understanding of Spanish than if you just focus in on Latin American.

I can't recommend this book highly enough! The cost of Destinos and the study guide may initially seem high, but when you consider that you are getting the cds and that you are also learning two years worth of college level Spanish, it is a great value and well worth the money spent. I think it would also be well spent for anyone who wants to brush up or who wants to move from a beginning to intermediate level. As I said, I have no language experience, but Destinos makes it easy to learn-- you just have to spend the time to read it page by page if you are an absolute beginner, and do the activities on the disks and in the book and workbook, and watch the episodes. You will speak, understand, and be able to write Spanish in no time!

There is just one caveat if you buy "workbook/study guide I." The "Workbook/Study Guide I" also requires a 7 CD set that does NOT come with the workbook. I got mine from the college, which sold copies of the cds at a discounted price. I looked here on amazon to see which set set of cds you would need to buy for the workbook, and it as though there is a lot of confusion on that point. I don't want to make a wrong recommendation, so you will have to figure that out for yourself. In any case, I still highly recommend both Destinos and the "Workbook/Study Guide I."

I just wanted to let everyone know that the shows that the above review talks about are available for free on PBS You which is on DirectTV and Dish Network. Also check your local colleges for TV courses because they may broadcast locally as well. In Chicago for example the show is on PBS locally.

I have enjoyed learning Spanish with the Destinos program. The "soap opera" format makes it much more engaging and natural. I was surprised to find, however, that the grammatical instruction is presented more in the workbook than in the textbook, which is the opposite of programs I've used before. Usually the lessons are presented in the text book and the workbook is for practice exercises. Despite that little quirk, I definitely recommend the Destinos series for anyone who wants to learn Spanish.

I purchased Destinos Student Edition for my spanish class I was taking online. The material is so easy to follow and understand as well as interesting. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning a second language.

This book is an excellent text for studying Spanish. It doesn't tell where one can access the online video episodes. If I hadn't previously known, I would have been very upset. Otherwise it is an excellent text and the practise CDs that accompanied the text are very helpful.

Raquel despertó y salió de cama. Ella podría caminar apenas y ella se movió muy lentamente. Ella miraba afuera para ver donde ella estaba, y a su consternación ella estaba no más en un país de habla hispana. Ella giró la televisión y descubrió que todos los canales estaban en inglés, a excepción de Univision. Ella también vio banderas americanas afuera. Raquel estaba en los Estados Unidos, pero ella wasn' t que vive en Los Ángeles; ella estaba en una zona rural. ¿Era toda la un sueño? Debe haber sido, porque ella didn' t habla una palabra de español. Ella didn' t tiene cualquier familia en México, cualquiera. De hecho, ella no tenía ninguna familia inmediata; eran todos muertos. Ella miraba en un espejo y notó que había un contraste entre su cara verdadera y qué ella parecía en sus sueños. Raquel era una no señora joven, sino una mujer geriátrica que se descomponía lejos en una granja con sus compañeros felinos. Ella nunca encontró amor en su vida real; Arturo era apenas el hombre de sus sueños, y ella podría vivir no más sin tenerlo por su lado. Ella dijo, " I' de d quemadura algo en Hades' ¡parrilla que viva otro minuto sin mi Arturo querido! " Éstas eran sus palabras pasadas antes de que ella cayera en un sueño eterno debido a su sobredosis en Lortab.

I am offering a review about the VHS tapes on the series. Currently, I am checking them out at a local library...fantastic! My son and I have learned so much and enjoy the storyline! I highly recommend them.

Wonderful story line, easy to follow. In my opinion, not for the beginning beginner, but perfect for one who has had a year or two of basic spanish. Also great that you can watch the videos for free online and at your leisure.