Semillas: Elementary Spanish I

Reviewed by Andrea Colvin, Associate Professor of Spanish, Ohio Wesleyan University on 6/11/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Semillas covers most of the grammar topics that are usually included in first-semester textbooks including some that tend to be introduced later. The range and order of topics covered is logical and appropriate to the communicative needs of beginning Spanish learners. Each unit (module) is structured in the same way, and there is an index that allows for easy navigation. However, the index does not tell you what is covered in terms of grammar and vocabulary in each section. You have to go to that section and scroll through to see what's included in terms of vocabulary and grammar.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content is relevant, accurate, and engaging. It includes readings, short videos as well as audio clips, allowing students to practice all skills equally. Video and audio clips feature both native and non-native Spanish speakers, exposing students to a variety of accents. Grammar and vocabulary are integrated and practiced in a way that feels very natural and helps students see the relevance of what they are learning. The book uses the feminine as the base form on vocab lists and introduces students to non-binary endings. Cultural information is incorporated in each module. My critique here is that the majority of cultural content focuses on Spain. There are a few readings that focus on Chile or another Latin American country, but some regions in Latin America are never covered or mentioned. I would have liked to see more variety in the cultural examples provided. When compared to commercial textbooks, Semillas obviously offers a lot less content overall (in terms of the number of activities, readings, worksheets, listening exercises and cultural videos), but there is enough to work with. Some of the exercises/assignments focus on Iowa, given that is where Semillas was produced, but instructors should be able to easily adapt them to their own geographical context if desired.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is up-to-date and at the same time focuses on topics that will always be relevant to Spanish-language learners. It may be necessary to update some of the cultural information from time to time, but those changes should be relatively easy to make.

Clarity rating: 4

The content is very accessible overall. New grammar topics are introduced through videos in which an instructor narrates a PowerPoint and explains the grammar along the way, giving examples along with English translations. In my opinion, some of the videos could be a bit more polished and the explanations could be presented more clearly. It is helpful that downloadable and printable PDFs of the slides are also provided. I found the instructions given for assignments and projects to be very clear and helpful.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent in its organization, inclusion of non-binary endings/pronouns, and its approach to presenting and practicing vocabulary and grammar.

Modularity rating: 5

The text can easily be divided into small chunks, and the various sections could be covered in the order in which they are presented or a slightly different order. Depending on the length of class, instructors can choose to cover more or less content as part of each lesson. It seems highly adaptable in this regard.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics are presented in a very logical and clear fashion. Some grammar topics are reviewed at appropriate times, thus recycling content and allowing students to continue practicing vocab and grammar that they already learned. Topics build on each other in a very logical way, and texts and exercises become increasingly complex as learners acquire more knowledge and confidence.

Interface rating: 5

The text is easy to navigate. One has to scroll a bit within each section, but other than that it’s quite user-friendly. Everything worked as it should (videos, audio recordings, auto-graded quizzes etc.).

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

This is an area that could be improved. I encountered a number of errors throughout the text (missing accents, missing words on a slide, occasional grammatical errors in English and Spanish). The text needs more careful editing.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The authors were clearly intentional in being inclusive in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and cultures. As mentioned above, I wish that it covered a greater number of Spanish-speaking countries in the cultural readings and assignments as well as references to communities that are often overlooked in traditional textbooks, including the (Afro-)Latinx community and indigenous populations.