¡Voy en camino!

Reviewed by slav gratchev, Professor, Marshall University on 12/18/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This is the first time when I see such a comprehensive textbook. It follows the traditional steps, that is presents material in a simple and logical way. The course is divided into "unidades" similar to "modules". There are seven of them, and each "unidad" is divided into two or three parts. Each part starts with a comprehensive list of vocabulary, then moves to grammar, then to reading/discussion section that covers one cultural topic.
Therefore, the book is easy to follow for both the instructor and students. The authors were successful in explaining grammatical material: brief, concise and to the pint.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I have not noticed any inaccuracies. The only thing that caught my attention is that authors intentionally ignore the form of "Vosotros". This is what could be considered unacceptable. This form is an authentic Spanish form that is widely used in Spain, and it should not be ignored. Our students must be presented to the realities of Spanish language, and nothing should be hidden from them, or ignored. When traveling, they will encounter a serious gap in their language education and they will blame that instructor who did not explain this important grammatical form to them.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Content of the book is relevant to the most frequent and typical situations that any student/tourist finds himself in. It is nice that authors tried to cover all possible topics of interest for anyone who studies Spanish. I also noticed that the choice of vocabulary tends to be quite relevant to the topic being discussed.

Clarity rating: 5

The simpler is the structure of the book, the clearer it is. The structure of this book is simple, typical but professionally justified. Each unit sets its goal and moves in the right direction to achieve this goal. Therefore, it is easy to follow the logic of the module; material is presented clearly; it is not too wordy and not excessively short either.

Consistency rating: 5

What I liked about the book from the start is its uniformity. Every "unidad" is divided into the same number of parts, and for the instructor it is easy to predict the next move. Knowing what to expect from the next unit and how the material will be explained is important, if the instructor wants to assign some self-directed study of a unit. Consistency of this particular book is its strong point.

Modularity rating: 5

As it was indicated few tiles already, the book is divided into seven equal units; each unit is divided into parts, and each part has its own designated vocabulary and grammar sections. This simple modularity helps the instructor and students to orient easily through the content of the book.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This book should be praised for excellent, simple and comprehensive organization. Topics are not repetitive; vocabulary is relevant; grammar is necessary and usually explained well. The book is extremely well organized and easy to navigate through.

Interface rating: 5

To my surprise, I finally found the book whose interface keeps me smile all the time, but in a good way. This friendly interface will certainly put students in a good mood as well, and the instructor as well. Drawings in the book are funny, and this is good. Students should be entertained a little when they study such typical topics as food, cloth, travel, etc. Pictures of landscapes were awesome. It is important to present attractive pictures when we are discussing culture, or culture related topics.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

As I have already commented, the book explains grammar very well. I found it easy to follow their own explanations of familiar grammatical points, and I have to admit that authors have done a very good job.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This book dedicated a sufficient amount of time to discussing culture. I also liked the choice of topics that slightly deviates from the usual path and makes this book more enjoyable. It is nice that they try to expand students' knowledge about Hispanic culture in every possible way, not just focusing on well-bitten topics like sport's stars, Frida Kahlo, etc. This book offers many more interesting cultural topics to get familiar with, and this is good.

Without hesitation, I would recommend this book for adoption. I also would like to say that in the Fall 2025 I am going to adopt this particular book for my SPN 102 classes.

Reviewed by Ines Rojas Avendano, Visiting Assistant Professor, Drake University on 12/6/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text covers key areas of grammar at the level of Introductory Spanish. It has a table of content, a glossary at the end of the book and a very useful appendix that covers the most important verbs, conjugations, and nouns that are known to be hard for learners of Spanish as a foreign language. The book offers texts, videos, links, and embedded practice for students/users to study and learn the grammar, listen and watch people speaking Spanish, and do interactive activities to practice the language they are learning.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content of the seven units of the book covers the most important aspects of an introductory language course. It includes introductions, descriptions of things/people/places and daily routines, and stories using the present and past tenses of regular and irregular verbs in Spanish. I did not find any grammatical mistakes nor typos. The videos and external material are very appropriate to the content of each unit and can easily be substituted if other material becomes more useful.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is relevant and up to date. It offers a section that provides a versioning history anytime some sections are updated. I think this is very useful in case a new topic or video becomes more relevant for any of the units/sections. Because the grammar content is accurate and appropriate to the level of language, the update of external content can be done easily and/or substituted by the instructor using this book.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is written in English and Spanish, and it is very easy to understand. The grammar sections are both in English and Spanish, which is very helpful for beginner students; it uses very simple language and many examples, tables, and charts that help the users understand the grammatical explanations. The only technical language are the names of the different tenses in Spanish, but in each unit and in the Appendix there is an explanation of what the tenses mean and their uses, which makes it easier for the users to understand the function of verbs rather than their names.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework. The units and its subsections are color-coded throughout the whole book, so it is easy to find the vocabulary in blue, the grammar in green, and the cultural aspect in orange.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is very well organized into seven units and each unit is logically introduced with an overview of the objectives. Each unit is divided into three parts, each one with three sections: vocabulary, grammar, and culture. This division within each unit allows users to focus on one topic at the time, its vocabulary, grammatical explanation, and cultural use. I think this is the major strength of the book as users can see how language and culture interact. This section provides excellent examples of language use from different countries where Spanish is spoken, which allows for an understanding of the diversity present in the Spanish-speaking world. It is also a plus for instructors as each unit/subsection can be easily revised and remixed as needed.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics in the text are organized in a way that it starts with the basic introductions, personal information, likes and dislikes and routines, and it closes with more complex topics that introduce irregular and reflexive verbs, and finally stories to use the past tense of verbs in Spanish. The topics are very interesting, fun, and culturally relevant. Students can relate to their college life and experiences. The interactive exercises in each unit allow students to practice Spanish by comparing and contrasting their culture with the Spanish speaking-culture.

Interface rating: 5

The web version of the book offers many accessibility features for screen-reader users, options to change the font size, and video captions, among others. The online text presents no interface issues; all charts, images, and videos, and interactive tasks are displayed correctly. However, on the PDF version, there are links that say that the interactive elements of the books can be accessed there, but they were not working, at the time of this review.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There are no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The treatment of cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking countries is very well done, culturally relevant, and language oriented. The variety of videos allows for an appropriate representation of the people that inhabit the Spanish-speaking countries.

I'm very pleased with this book and highly recommend it for an introductory level of Spanish. I will be using it next semester!