Reviews (3)

Great physic reference
This is an excelent tool for student that are taking Physics and also for people that just want to refresh many concept of the science.

Good Learning Aid
You can learn more in 2 hours than you could in 2 weeks. It's a great way to start learning the subject.

Not your father's old Physics class
Excellent and entertaining way to learn and understand Physics. These two DVDs are every well put together, explaining from basics to more challenging different laws and formulas of Physics. You can view different subjects, or view the whole program and later take exams on your DVD to see how much you learned from the program. It's a great way to review for CLEP testing, or to be entertained and learn about Physics. ... Read more

Description

Math has never been mightier!Interactive testing and drill-style quizzes will help people of all ages ace those math tests! This set includes: Algebra 1, Basic Math 1, Pre-Algebra 1, Geometry 1 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Standard Deviants, funny, well informed - My kid loves it!
My son watched the algebra 1 dvd many times, and even in preference to cartoons on a sick day. He learned to solve all of the problems presented on the interactive quizes laughing out loud all the while. I have a degree in math, and have worked in math intensive engineering work for many years, and I am impressed with the intuitive and amusing treatment of polynomials, definitions of functions, relations, solving equations, and many vocabulary terms the kids need. It is all too rare that a group can make good math this fun. I hope that the Standard Deviants will do many more. Buy this for your kids! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The 3-disc set, The Standard Deviants English Pack contains:

The Standard Deviants - English Composition
As with other Standard Deviants videos, this one begins with the warning that English Composition is meant to be used in conjunction with a class, not as a replacement. Well, for once, ignore them. Sure, nothing can replace an English comp class, and everyone should take one, but this video is probably the most valuable one you could watch before beginning your high school or college career. In fact, even for those in the real world, English Composition can help you brush up on your writing skills. Whether you need to write a lab report, a critical review, or a case study or summarize professional articles, this video gives you the know-how to write an effective paper from brainstorming through revision.

Nathan is your typical college freshman. Through confessional-style interviews, we learn of his traumas and achievements writing his first university assignment. From the moment his teacher gives him his assignment, we watch Nathan as he churns out--and rejects--a number of ideas. We share his satisfaction when he narrows his choices down. We share his pain at his not-great critique. We share his joy at his final rewrite. Okay, so maybe we're getting a little carried away--but using Nathan, humorous skits (including a genie who grants wishes), and clever graphics, the Standard Deviants cover characteristics of academic prose, getting started, collecting information, outlining, rough drafts, feedback, and lots of revision in a jocular way. Included with the tape is an insert that shows not only Nathan's assignment but the three versions of his paper, which incorporate the changes he's made. --Jenny Brown

The Standard Deviants - English Punctuation, Part 1
The rules of punctuation may not seem enjoyable or entertaining, but the Standard Deviants can at least help out in making the rules memorable with a cast of enthusiastic young performers who specialize in lighthearted but academically sound treatments of serious subjects. In The Untamed Worlds of English Punctuation, the troupe dons costumes (such as the uniform of a traffic cop) and hams it up while presenting lessons that begin by answering the basic question "What is punctuation?" The major "end marks" are then covered in a series of lessons that focus on the rules for employing periods, questions marks, and exclamation points. The uses of commas, semicolons, and colons are covered in a similarly lively manner, with useful tips, such as the "Furthermore Rule" to test the suitability of a semicolon. Following each set of lessons is a quiz that the student can take or skip, and the "Exclamation Exam," a comprehensive test covering all the material on the DVD, can be taken at the finish. There's only so much that can be done to make punctuation exciting, but the Standard Deviants do offer a multitude of offbeat examples. And fear not, the material included has all been approved by a serious academic panel. --Robert J. McNamara

The Standard Deviants - English Grammar, Part 1
English grammar is serious stuff, and there's only so much that can be done to make it entertaining. But the Standard Deviants, an energetic troupe of young performers whose specialty is making serious academic subjects engaging, happily dive into what they call "The Split-Infinitive World of English Grammar." The lessons on this DVD have been prepared by a panel of serious academics, but flashy graphics abound. And the performers do their best to liven up presentations of basic concepts. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other parts of speech are explained with some offbeat examples (for instance, a film of a lizard is used to demonstrate why "gecko" is a common noun). While introducing a section on verbals, a young woman mentions that a "funky thing" verbs can do is function as other parts of speech. Eventually all parts of speech are covered, and basic sentence structures are introduced. At the end of each set of lessons a quiz is presented, which a student can either take or skip. After proceeding through all the lessons on this DVD (which contains about two hours worth of material), a student can take the "Gram Slam," a comprehensive exam. English grammar will never be a barrel of fun, but the Standard Deviants deserve credit for making this review course as engaging as the subject is ever likely to get. --Robert J. McNamara ... Read more

Description

Whether you need help with high school biology, need to review for a college biology class, or you're studying for the AP Biology Exam, the Standard Deviants can help! Put away your microscope and dissecting kit - this clean and easy biology tutorial covers everything you'll need to know: cell structures, DNA, photsynthesis, endocytosis, mitosis and meiosis, and much more! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Informative
This is a great intro to cells and cell structure. However, if you are using this for CLEP, be mindful that this tape covers only a relatively small portion of what is covered on the CLEP biology test.

Order It At Once!
This is a MUST for anyone who is struggling to pass a Bio test. I can tell you it was a deciding factor allowing me to pass my Bio Clep test last month. It is supremely entertaining and covers key areas. I found that its focus on DNA and RNA were particularly key for questions I later encountered on the test. I would also recommend Jack Rudman's Biology review, REA's Problem Solvers book in Biology, and the Online Biology Book at

http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookTOC.html
Voila! That is my formula - along with prayers - for passing the Bio test. Study hard.

A good, light-hearted look at biology
This video is very funny, yet covers the major subjects in biology very well. It is a must for anyone having a hard time with the subject. The cast and crew make an attempt to repeat the important concepts over and over again and in many different ways...including some cheesy songs and weird skits, but it all works together to help the student remember what is being taught. ... Read more

Description

Lost in a sea of variables?Master the intricacies of Algebra with our complete, FOUR disk series at a discounted price:Pre-Algebra 1&2 and Algebra 1&2. ... Read more

From the Publisher

Follow the mathematical adventures of Idaho Bones and hissidekick Boise as they search the darkest reaches of Algebra to find thecorrect answers for bewildered students everywhere. Topics coveredinclude functions, algebraic properties, linear equations, and many more.
(Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes). ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Very good
I recommend this to anyone having trouble in Algebra. It walks you through problems and gives you the terminology of the subject. Great for reviews.

Savior
I found the tapes helped me a great deal, considering I have been out of school for 20 years and never learned algebra in high school. The animations are wonderful and most of the time very clear. Of course with anything, you have to do it over and over again until you retain the information, but I will definitely say "Do not start school with out the tapes." There's only one catch, Standard Deviants recorded the tapes so that they build upon one another and you'll need to buy the entire math collection if you want a totally clear understanding. I live by Standard Deviants. Good Luck...

Pretty good overall for beginners or if having difficulty
I am a High School Freshman just finishing Algebra I & II. I found the tape boring, since it was all review. The little skits reinforced things I already knew. They misrepresented the length. At the beginning of the tape, they said "Part I" would be two hours, but it was only one hour and twenty minutes. If it was all new to me, I would consider it pretty good, since it covered everything, and showed me short-cuts I already knew. The animation was very good. It would probably be very useful to someone who was having problems in Algebra, or just beginning in Algebra. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The 2-disc set The Standard Deviants - Spanish Parts 1 & 2contains:

The Standard Deviants - Spanish, Part 1
The first hint that this isn't your normal, staid Spanish review course is the subtitle that's flashed across the screen: the "Salsa-riffic World of Spanish." The Standard Deviants, a cast of ebullient young performers who believe no joke is too bad as long as its memorable, bring their talents to a course in introductory Spanish in this video. Lots of flashy graphics keep things lively, but the course material itself is rock solid--it's been approved by an academic panel. Following some basic information on where Spanish is spoken, the real lessons begin with instruction on pronunciation and the Spanish alphabet (which, of course, uses some typographical symbols not used in English). A bit of vocabulary is imparted as the pronunciation lessons progress, and after some pointers on capitalization, simple lessons in practical conversation begin. The video proceeds to the inescapable bane of many language students, conjugating verbs. While this production won't be a substitute for an actual course in Spanish (and the cast specifically points out that it doesn't intend to be), the presentation is consistently energetic, with the lessons easy to remember. Someone who is interested in learning (or reviewing) basic material will no doubt gain from watching it. --Robert J. McNamara

The Standard Deviants - Spanish, Part 2
In the opening jingle, the oddball lyrics "Careful or you're speaking Spanglish, then your grade will cause you anguish" provide a glimpse into the premise of this production from the Standard Deviants. In this, their second trip to the "Salsa-riffic World of Spanish," the energetic young cast performs skits and unleashes some clever and elaborate computer graphics while providing a reliable review course in the Spanish language. Starting with what's billed as "Really Basic Stuff," the cast reviews practical matters such as how to count, talks about what time it is, and discusses the weather. Moving into more advanced material, there are pointers on grammar, with a focus on the rules of particular verbs. It should be noted that the curriculum has been approved by a panel of professors, but the cast members tend to present the material in a relaxed format, which often involves the use of costumes and some bad (and hopefully memorable) jokes. Each major portion of the program is followed by a quiz, which the student can either take or skip, and the entire DVD concludes with an exam titled "La Tormenta." This DVD isn't a substitute for classes in Spanish, but as review material the unorthodox presentation would be helpful to a student. --Robert J. McNamara ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Breath of fresh air
I was struggling with Spanish, but these DVD's rock. They really slowed it down for me, and it was useful hearing other English speakers and Spanish speakers do it at the same time. Besides, the video parts are really funny. It's like Saturday Night Live decided to teach Spanish.

Bad instruction
The DVD could be a great medium to teach spanish basics, but this is just plain silly. Even as a beginner, I spotted mistakes like in incorrectly accenting "esta". Who knows how they chose the vocabulary -- some words are presented that you really wouldn't ever use. They start to teach ser and estar, and then go into why it's OK to leave out the subject pronouns. Aside from my specific gripes, it's all too silly, aiming for a 4th or 5th grade slapsick level. DVD is 99% english (and even most of that is unneeded and a waste of time) and 1% spanish. Perhaps people would enjoy the silly images, but I'm sure that there's no spanish language teaching here.

Phenomenal stuff
If you need to learn spanish and have no clue what you are doing, these Standard Deviants shows are for you. The Standard Deviants are made up of a group of young, fun guys and gals who explain the ins and outs of spanish. I was particularly pleased with the sections on the alphabet, ser and estar. I am following this up with a purchase of the advanced box set, but disappointed to see they dont make that on DVD.

A fun way to learn - it's true!
I recently picked up the Standard Deviants Spanish 1&2 on a lark. I took Spanish in High School (far too long ago for me to remember anything, not that I was all that good at it anyway). I thought the tapes covered the basics in a way that kept my attention, without being too juvenile or silly. Unlike the previous reviewer, I LIKED the use of English and Spanish... it helped me pair the words and their meaning more easily. I fscholl had been more like this, I probably would've paid more attention (and remembered more today)!

not so salsa-riffic
I'm not impressed with these videos. I've been a Spanish teacher for 17 years so I've seen lots of materials. There's too much boring narration in English... "Pato means Duck...Abogado means Lawyer..." Why have video if they're not going to use it? Just show us the picture and say the word in Spanish!

Ok, and here are some more gripes...the Spanish that is heard in the video is often spoken with a less-than-authentic accent. The written Spanish had errors within the first two minutes of the video. And worst sin of all..mixing Spanish and English in the same sentence! and why spend all that time on capitalization rules? in the very first lesson?

All in all it's pretty boring and repetitive in a way that's really not very effective. I was disappointed. Hoped to use the videos for beginning students, but I doubt very much that I'll subject anyone to them. I haven't even mentioned the dopey stereotypes..but I should have been ready for them given the title of the video. Sorry I put out the dough for this one. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

New Math Made Simple
As with all of the Standard Deviants educational series, the presentation is zany, and what you need to know is simply explained. It holds your interest so you don't get bored with the dry subject matter.

To compare DVD format to regular video, the DVD has much more versatility because of its interactive testing capabilities. The viewer has an option to test and review the subject matter by using the remote keypad. These little tests are helpful for making sure you understand the points covered.

The Pre-Algebra DVD covers math terminology, explaining each term so that it's easy-to-understand. Then they show you how it works. It takes the mystery out of math terms that intimidate all of us who didn't learn the "new math" during our school years. By viewing this DVD, I experienced a personal breakthrough in my struggle to learn the "new math". It was a tremendous help to me. I highly recommend it to others who struggle with this subject, especially parents and grandparents who found themselves unable to understand their kid's math homework. This subject brings it together for us so we can understand what our kids are learning. ... Read more

Description

Understanding properties of matter, compounds, and bonding can sometimes be difficult. This DVD will give you everything you'll need to understand basic chemistry, including the Periodic Table, the Law of Conservation of Mass, empirical formulas and more. Using computer graphics and memory-enhancing skits, this DVD will help you relax while you tackle important chemistry concepts. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Attend Class Every Day, Read Your Chem Book Ahead of Time...
... and then, and only then, should you give Standard Deviant's Chemistry a look. First, the topics and the way they are covered is pretty basic. Second, not much is said in regards to the most common mistakes that chem students make (not reffering to Kelvin temp. in terms of degrees and Sig. Figs. are mentioned.) Third, the Deviants are somewhat distracting but hilarious nonetheless. But overall, these are excellent review and supplemental aids for they help impress upon you what is critical, but only slightly effective on their own and by themselves. Good luck with Chemistry!

FUNNY! Explains the subject matter very well.
Makes chemistry very entertaining. Remember, sigma does not equal beer!

Wonderful chemistry learning tools.
This series of tapes is great. They have a sense of humor without clouding the details of the science they are teaching. They present the topics in rapid fire action that prevents any thought of boredom. Great learning tool that makes learning chemistry easy and fun. Good for elementary through college levels. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I love this stuff
What an excellent way to learn numbers. The songs are fun and the info is spot on. Learning with the Standard Deviants is the way to go. ... Read more

Description

Do you have a little bit of background with the Spanish language, but want to build on that foundation? Then !Estes el programa para ti! (Translation: This is the program for you!) First, the award-winning Standard Deviants will review the basics of Spanish, like gender, agreement, conjugation all the stuff you should already know. Then they ll go over irregular verbs, new verb constructions, making comparisons, adverbs, prepositions, direct and indirect object pronouns, and even prepositional pronouns. In short, a whole bunch of stuff. This program is also chock full of fun scenes and conversations that will help you master the concepts covered.

The Standard Deviants Advanced Spanish: Building on the Basics covers review, gender, masculine, feminine, definite articles, indefinite articles, demonstrative adjectives, subject pronouns, possessive adjectives, verbs, infinitives, conjugation, present tense, adjectives, agreement, the impersonal hay, irregular verbs, conjugation patterns, stem-changing verbs, the present progressive tense, the immediate future tense, helping verbs, present participles, irregular present progressives, comparisons, mas + adjective + que, menos + adjective + que, tan + adjective + como, adverbs, -mente ending, prepositions, direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns, prepositional pronouns, the personal a, pronoun placement, multiple pronouns.

With our DVDs, you can jump around with the touch of a button and skip over those sections you have already mastered. These highly interactive DVDs also permit you to interact directly with the tutorial through drill-style quizzes and multiple-choice tests. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Small segments of this dvd were extremely valuable.
Is is difficult to review this DVD because there are so few video language DVD's on the market. The valuable part of this dvd are a few troublesome area's of Spanish, such as 'direct and indirect pronouns'. I found that section to be most valuable. For example, as best I recall, they explain how to convert ' Juan escribe unas cartas a Marie y Jose', into 'Se los escribe'. These pronoun substitutions are a tricky yet prevalent part of the language.

As for the remainder of the DVD, there were alot of grammer lessons which I found a bit boring. I'm not sure what audience this dvd was written for, at times too easy. However, I did find a few sections to be useful, therefore, I would have to say that you should consider buying this dvd if you want alot of stuffy grammer lessons, or if you want to improve areas like indirect pronouns. Overall, I would recommend this dvd.

The Standard Deviants - Learn Advanced Spanish
I can't imagine why anyone would want to learn a language from a source that is not accurate! These people try hard but they mispronounce or stress the wrong syllable in many words. I would not recommend this product to anyone learning or reviewing spanish.

I was very satisfied
While it's true that I wouldn't label the DVD "Advanced Spanish" I also wouldn't label it "Spanish Review for Kids." In fact, it is more like an intermediate Spanish review. While I already knew everything they teach, they still use some tips I wish I had heard when I was taking formal college courses. The visual element is compelling - far more useful for imparting and retaining information than audio tapes and textbooks alone. I bought the whole series, and I almost felt like I had gotten to know the actors personally. I hated it when the last DVD came to an end. Sure they speak with American accents - they're mostly Americans! It's not like they're unintelligible. By the time you get to the end of this DVD, you're speaking some pretty darned sophisticated Spanish. The interactive element is great - there are opportunities for self-testing and the DVD format offers chances to review sections much easier than with VCR tapes. I would like to see another DVD that covers past subjunctive, conditional, and the other perfect tenses that were left out of the series. Also, I'd like to see a discussion of por versus para and other tricky grammatical constructions. There's definitely room for at least one more DVD in the series. How about it Standard Deviants? Make it and it will sell.

Juvenile, not advanced!
The title is misleading. This really is not advanced Spanish. They spend the first quarter of the program reviewing basics (noun genders, adjective agreements, etc.) so that's wasted. By the time we reach the end, we're just learning about direct and indirect object pronouns. These are the things you learn in an Intro II Spanish course at the local community college. (The proof is in the syllabus of a course I took!)

Another gripe is the presentation. They use a kind of silly, juvenile format with embarrassingly bad, scripted comedy. It's like something you'd see on Saturday morning cartoons.

Last, of the six or so youngsters who deliver the course (they all seem to be about 19 years old), only one or two of them has a good (i.e., native) Spanish accent. The others all speak with that flat, nasal American sound that sounds so bad in Spanish! And one of the presenters made a bad grammatical faux-pas when he said, "No problema" which is a Bart Simpson-ism. It should be, "No hay problema".

Apart from the bad accents I would have no qualms with this DVD if they'd just labeled it correctly, for instance, "Spanish Reveiew for Kids".

Unbelievably easy to use
I desperately needed help with Spanish because of my job. I'm not a rocket scientist when it comes to picking up a new language and all of those audio tapes are so damn boring. These DVD's really work - they're fun and really useful. Besides, the Standard Deviants silly troupe is also filled with hotties. What a way to learn! ... Read more

From the Publisher

Follow the mathematical adventures of Idaho Bones and hissidekick Boise as they search the darkest reaches of Algebra to find thecorrect answers for bewildered students everywhere. Topics coveredinclude functions, algebraic properties, linear equations, and many more.
(Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes). ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Very good
I recommend this to anyone having trouble in Algebra. It walks you through problems and gives you the terminology of the subject. Great for reviews.

Savior
I found the tapes helped me a great deal, considering I have been out of school for 20 years and never learned algebra in high school. The animations are wonderful and most of the time very clear. Of course with anything, you have to do it over and over again until you retain the information, but I will definitely say "Do not start school with out the tapes." There's only one catch, Standard Deviants recorded the tapes so that they build upon one another and you'll need to buy the entire math collection if you want a totally clear understanding. I live by Standard Deviants. Good Luck...

Pretty good overall for beginners or if having difficulty
I am a High School Freshman just finishing Algebra I & II. I found the tape boring, since it was all review. The little skits reinforced things I already knew. They misrepresented the length. At the beginning of the tape, they said "Part I" would be two hours, but it was only one hour and twenty minutes. If it was all new to me, I would consider it pretty good, since it covered everything, and showed me short-cuts I already knew. The animation was very good. It would probably be very useful to someone who was having problems in Algebra, or just beginning in Algebra. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Algebra is destined to be regarded as a subject that many, if not most, students regard as agonizing, and trying to make it entertaining seems hopeless.But the Standard Deviants, young performers who use skits, bad jokes, horrendous puns, and flashy graphics to make serious academic subjects memorable, succeed in making both pre-algebra and algebra easier to grasp than anyone would have reason to expect. The two DVDs in this package take a generally irreverent approach, but the actual academic material has been reviewed by an academic panel, so what's presented on the screen is solid math, even if the young actors and actresses are taking part in parodies of movies and TV shows while they are providing the lessons. The DVDs move progressively through the lessons, and each section, for instance on factors or algebraic properties, will be followed by a review and a quiz that the student can take or skip. The general idea behind Standard Deviants programs is that no joke is too bad to use if it makes the material being expressed memorable, and so the mnemonic devices, and the flashy graphics which accompany the lessons, should combine to help a student coping with the challenges of algebra to get a much better handle on the subject. --Robert J. McNamara ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Standard Deviants are always great!
I am a non-traditional college student. I began using the Standard Deivant video series for my Spanish, and then math classes. The humor on these programs is what makes them easy to understand. The process (in this case, algebra) is made clear because you are given simple step-by-step instructions. You don't get overwhelmed or bored because between learning, you are laughing. I bought the DVD version to use with my 13-year-old son. He was behind in math, and I wanted him up to par in Pre-algebra before starting his Algebra 1 class in the Fall. The DVD version is better than the video version because you can skip directly to the areas you need help with. Also, there are interactive tests so that you can rate your progress and understanding of what you have learned. I highly recommend any Standard Deivant DVD program. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Didn't help
I saw this in the bookstore and bought it, hoping that maybe my French skills could improve. I was taking French 101 in college and needed some help (if being tutored by a female, I'd get no work done). The humor was so distracting and dumb. Ah, Standard Devients, you're breakin my balls. If you search the web for free French lessons, you'll find tons of em. The Standard Deviants breeze through their lessons, leaving a French-Canadian like myself cross-eyed in the dust. Maybe foreign languages aren't my thing, but I watched the DVD twice (with a twitchy eye the second time) and still got a C in the class, and I paid complete attention. I went to class everyday and did the workbook, too. Maybe some good-looking actresses would help this video, and perhaps somebody who knows about proper video lighting/coloring, or maybe better content organization. It goes over the bare-minimum basics, and unless you're five years old and/or can learn a foreign language easily, I'd stick with searching the Internet and/or buying cassette tapes. As they stated at the beginning of the video, it's just a supplement; you should go to class and blah blah blah. You'd be better off watching some French foreign films-- or maybe watch movies that have French audio-tracks with French & English subtitles. Memorize the movie in English, then re-watch it in French. I learned more using that method than by watching 10 people jack around in a plotless video for 90 minutes.

And yes, I'm Canuckian.

Great for those who know zero french
I strongly reccomend this DVD for those who are just starting to learn French. This DVD covers the very basics that will be needed to understand anything French. It introduces the viewer to understanding that a verb in French (like "go" in english, "aller" in French) is different based on who is doing the action. If I "go", then "go" is written "vais"; if we "go", then it is written "allons" and pronounced differently. I found this element of learning French painful at the start, that instead of learning one word for "go" I had to learn six. But once I became accostumed to it, learning became much easier. You can also expect to learn a little about numbers and colors, and a few verbs and nouns.

This DVD in no way will leave you knowing enough French to go and speak it. This DVD, and part II, leaves the student with enough basic information so that learning will become much easier. For example, I used the TV series "French in Action". At the start of my studies with lessons 1-6, I had a great deal of trouble understanding what was going on. After watching the Standard Deviants DVD it became much easeir.

One more thing about this DVD. It was entertaining and enjoyable to watch. I did not feel like I was working to learn, rather I felt more like I was watching a show and everything was sticking, that I was remembering what they taught. I highly recommend this for the absolute begenner.

Good Content - Poor delivery
I purchased the DVD to bring with me to learn French while in France (unplanned extended trip). The content is more useful than the audio CD I purchased, however the delivery makes it very difficult to learn. The "humor" noted in other reviews is annoying, but could be overlooked if it were easy to rewind and review - but on a PC, viewing the DVD you cannot rewind in short segments as you can with a remote control/TV DVD setup. There is almost no repetion and the words flash across too quickly to absorb without rewinding. If you have the patience to rewind rewind rewind, there is useful information to be learned.

informative funny, not for learning accent
Its two videotapes each about 80 minutes, progressing in both difficulty and knowledge.
They clearly teach you how to pronounce and conjugate verbs paying attention to tricky verbs ( nous mangeons, vous appelez, teach about adjectives, adverbs, reflexive verbs (to wash), how "the" is complex in French, such as le-la-les, ce-cet-ces, Etc,. each chapter was followed by review conversation that were all excellent. Also each tape came with very handy useful informative insert card.
I used this course to refresh my French, and recalled and regained good information, especially with humorous examples. Unfortunately some times as the other reviewer mentioned was "overly corny".
I did not at all like the idea of learning French from non native speaker, the French accent and pronunciation is difficult with those nasal voices and different "e, eaux..",. Despite the actor great effort but they remain far away from real French. This what force me to give it only three stars, rather it will be four, this is my only take on this informative fun to watch course.

Enjoyable French Review and Refresher
As a person who studied French in school but never mastered it, I loved the Standard Deviants' French 1 tape. It gave a brief but comprehensive review of all the basic important parts of speech. It also emphasized pronunciation, an aspect of French not properly represented in the classes I'd taken in high school and collage. The tape says it can't be used to learn French. It's correct. It really needs to be used with a French course, or some other method of learning the language. As a resource to aid in learning comprehension, or as a refresher course for folks like me, however, I give it full marks. Most of the actors and graphics are engaging. A few things were overly corny. I could have done without the weird, old-fashion cowboy guy yelling at me, or the girl talking out of her passport picture. But, these were minor momentary irritants that didn't take away from the effectiveness of the tape...besides the cowboy guy sort of grew on me after a while. The Standard Deviants' tape did one thing I really liked. Learning a foreign language requires repetition. Most tapes I've seen in the past either offered too much repetition for me, which left me bored and uninterested in continuing, or not enough repetition, which left me confused. The Standard Deviants' found a solution to this dilemma. At first, I was surprised at how quickly they covered each subject. Then, I realized why. It's a video tape. One can rewind it as often as one desires. They covered each thing once with nearly no review and then urged the viewer to rewind the section as many times as they needed. This left it up to each individual viewer to decide how much repetition they wanted. A very clever idea! Overall, I found the tape helpful and enjoyable. ... Read more

Description

Beyond the Basics provides you with the tools you need to expand your understanding of the language. In this tape, the Standard Deviants will teach you the numbers 100-120, adjective placement, -ar, -er, and -ir verbs, expressing time, date, and weather, and more. Using the Standard Deviants unique and effective learning style, you will soon be packing your bags for Spain so you can show off your new language skills!

Habla Espanol: Beyond the Basics covers: The number "100", when to use "cien", when to use "ciento", the numbers 100-120, multiples of 100, multiples of 1,000, multiples of 1,000,000, expressing the time, expressing the date, expressing the weather, using "hacer", using "estar, adjective placement, gender and adjective, adjectives that end in consonants, practice using adjectives, demonstrative adjectives, -ar verbs (conjugation, practice sentences), -er verbs (conjugation, practice sentences), -ir verbs (conjugation, practice sentences), irregular verb "tener", uses of "tener", the irregular verb "querer", conjugating "querer", uses of "querer", negation words, constructing negative sentences, possessive adjectives (singular forms, plural forms), the seasons, the months, the days of the week.

With our DVDs, you can jump around with the touch of a button and skip over those sections you have already mastered. These highly interactive DVDs also permit you to interact directly with the tutorial through drill-style quizzes and multiple-choice tests. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

May not work in your DVD player...
I have a one year old Zenith 5 disc DVD player and it doesn't work for me.

Only for the basics.
I found the format of this DVD both distracting and not very effective. There seemed to be more animation than actual learning content. I did learn a few phrases but the DVD fails to combine words and phrases into valuable conversation topics. This DVD is best suited for children, not for adults who actually want to learn to speak Spanish.

Please make more of these.
Standard Deviants Spanish, Part 2 is a good way for a beginner to learn a little more vocab, learn the basics of verb conjugations, and some basic conversational Spanish. I feel that there was not very much information on the DVD; but I did gain a good understanding of everything they taught. These lessons are great and I plan to see many more.

Standard Spanish Gift Pack
The two tapes .... but wait there is more! A high lighter, a cool box and pencil, and a notepad. On the surface these tapes can seem dumb and annoying, but then the next day when I'm sitting in Spanish class - budda bing - the stuff on the tape has lodged in my head. How do they do that!?!?! ... Read more