Who are we?
Sube Learning Language thru Art, Music & Games was founded in 1996 in Taos New Mexico. We are an independantly owned publisher providing materials and services for elementary Spanish programs. Our materials are age-appropriate for preschool through 5th grade students. We also offer ESL Instructional Materials for English language learners.
What is Sube?
Sube is a thematic curriculum based on multisensory materials and activities that incorporate successful and research-based teaching strategies. The Sube methodology is a balanced curriculum that provides opportunities to develop comprehension, speaking, reading and writing skills simultaneously in each unit. This approach creates a safe and creative environment that nurtures the students confidence, and develops a positive self-esteem around their new language.
Who developed Sube, and what are the credentials of the developer?
Sube was developed by Agnes Chavez, a teacher, artist and mother. She had a bachelors degree in Art, and over 10 years experience teaching art and Spanish when she started developing the Sube curriculum. Inspired by her son when he was 2, she started an afterschool program in her neighborhood of Taos, New Mexico with the idea that children need to be taught in a playful and multisensory way in order to get them motivated to want to learn Spanish. The program was so successful after a year that she was hired at a private school to be the spanish teacher for PK -5th grade. It was here that she decided there was nothing else like this on the market and decided to organize the activities and the methodology into a curriculum for schools. After a few years she started placing the curriculum in public schools and getting feedback from teachers on what worked, further adapting the curriculum for different classroom environments. In 2004 she hired a TESOL certified specialist to analyze the curriculum, identify and fill any learning gaps to assure it met the TESOL and NM state standards. In 2006 the ESL curriculum was studied by a NYC teacher and curriculum developer to create NYSELAT based unit tests, further enhancing the Sube curriculum in our latest version 3.1. This version was also adapted and enhanced to meet Asian standards with additional activities, a curriculum map and new topics.The Sube curriculum is constantly being upgraded by experts in the field to assure the most up to date, research-based and field tested system available to teachers.
Which languages and levels are available?
There are two programs available. Spanish Sube to teach Spanish as a second language and English Sube to teach English as a second language.
The Elementary Spanish program offers two levels; Level A-Beginner and Level B-Intermediate. The English program has Level A available. Level B is currently under development. Both levels have been field-tested and are age-appropriate for preschool through 5th grade students. Any other grade level would need adaptation.
How do I choose the right Spanish level kit?
Sube levels are based on proficiency rather than grade. This means that whether your students are preschoolers or 5th graders, if at the beginner level they would use the same Level A Beginner kit. We have incorporated adaptation tips throughout the manual to help you adapt the activities to the appropriate grade level.
What does Sube include?
Included are all the materials you need to teach Spanish throughout the
year to preschool and elementary grade students. This easy-to-use resource kit eliminates
hours of teacher prep time. Each
kit includes free phone and email support. We will work closely with
you as needed to assure successful implementation in the classroom.
What is the methodology of Sube?
SUBE utilizes a multisensory approach that teaches academic and social language skills through games, music, art, role-playing, and spontaneous conversation. This approach assures that the diverse modalities of your class are being addressed, so that each student is engaged and learning.
We believe that the most important element in teaching children a second language is to provide a creative and nurturing learning environment that builds self esteem and confidence in each child. The multicultural curriculum stresses the importance of respecting and appreciating diverse cultures.
For a detailed description of the research-based methodology
What makes Sube unique?
There are two things that make Sube unique. One, is that it is a multisensory approach that integrates the curriculum and the materials. The curriculum is divided into thematic units and for each unit there are a series of multisensory activities; a bingo game or other card game, an art project, movement, worksheets to practice reading and writing, and an interactive music video. This method reinforces the vocabulary through all the modalities.
Two, the art, music and games are fun and motivating for the child, but also become strategic teaching tools that develop the four major skills needed to acquire fluency: reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Field-tested and research-based strategies are applied to each Sube game and activity so that you are consistently providing opportunities to develop these specific skills.
How is music incorporated into the curriculum?
The Learn Spanish DVDs for children are the highlight of the Sube curriculum. There is a short three to four minute video/song for each unit. In Spanish Sube, each video features a song with a musical style from a different country in Latin America; salsa from Cuba or Ranchera from Mexico. All of the Spanish videos depict real kids engaged in activities that kids love; playing dress up, going to the zoo or playing with friends.
Can Sube be adapted for specific classroom models?
Whether you teach in blocks of time throughout the week, or you integrate your second language into the core curriculum such as math, geography, social studies and health, SUBE is adaptive to your unique classroom environment and the challenges of todays changing demographics.
Sube
started as an afterschool program and still excels in this model due to
the art, music and game approach. Since then it has been field-tested
successful in bilingual classrooms (45 minutes a day), in dual-language
schools, as an enrichment program or for pull-out programs. We offer
free phone or email consultation to help you determine whether Sube is
right for your specific classroom needs. Our Teacher Forum also provides a place to talk to other teachers using the same classroom format and share ideas.
Is Sube easy to use?
SUBE's easy-to-use lesson plans are designed for the experienced language specialist, as well as for the classroom teacher who has limited proficiency in a second language.
For
beginning teachers or classroom teachers with little experience in
teaching Spanish to children, it is a tremendous resource and time-saver.
Years of research and testing have been organized into step-by-step
lessons that require very little prep time. For the experienced
language specialist the Sube kit can be easily integrated into the core
curriculum. Suggested correlations are included in the lesson manual.
The lesson manual provides an overview planner for the year as well as monthly and weekly planners. It even includes monthly letters to the parents to keep them informed, and supporting your work at home. All the materials you need are either in the kit or can easily be found in your school or classroom.
Is Sube aligned with National standards?
The SUBE program is aligned to the TESOL standards and the New Mexico state standards (see Research and Standards). These standards are comprehensive and can easily be correlated to your state standards. An alignment chart references each Sube activity to its corresponding standard. In addition, each Sube activity description clearly states ts objective and the skills that are developed within that activity.
Is there a Scope and Sequence chart for Sube?
The Benchmark Evaluation Chart (pdf) provides the academic benchmarks for each unit. We will soon be releasing the new Spanish Sube Version 3.1 which includes an additional scope and sequence breakdown for each unit. Please visit us again for release dates or join our mail list for updates.
