Oct. 8, 2008 - A multisensory approach to language learning

Being the awesome homeschool mom that you are, you have probably read and are familiar with the concept of multisensory learning, and have given some thought as to what learning styles best work for each of your children.  In contrast, in my quest to find the golden nirvana of Spanish teaching materials and methods, I hear the same thing again and again: auditory immersion.  How do I reconcile the fact that a child who is not a strong auditory learner is going to have limited success with an auditory approach to learning Spanish?

When I look at the research presented by language programs to support their approach, I am constantly confronted with the fact that each of us learned our native tongue first by hearing it.  We were immersed in it since day one, and gained a wide range of understanding before we could even speak.  On the surface, it does sound like auditory learning was square one for us all.

But dig a little deeper... wasn't that auditory immersion imbued with visual and other sensory stimuli?  Let's say I have my little one in a stroller and am walking down the path pictured above.  I am having an ongoing talk with my baby about the sunshine, the flowers, the smells... I am pointing out colors and insects I might see.  If I know the name of a particular flower I will say it.  I may encourage my child to touch and not pick, and compare the textures and feeling of different plants.  I will also likely notice if the sun is in my child's eyes, and adjust the stroller shade, all the while talking to my child about everything I am doing.  This child is being given loads of multisensory stimulation, and to just look at the auditory component is to not see the whole picture.

How does that translate to teaching Spanish or any other language?  The ideas are unlimited, and I would like to present a few to you here in this and other entries.  Yes, there are always my old trusty flash cards, they add a handy visual.  But let's see what else we can come up with...

Have everyone take turns rolling dice, and then saying the number that comes up in Spanish.  It is ok to have a cheat sheet handy and to help anyone with the numbers who needs it!

Gather a variety of stuffed or toy animals and learn animal names.  We have a toy farm, so I might present the animals in this way:

Esta es la________ This is the_____(for a feminine noun)
Este es el________ This is the______(for a masculine noun)

So it would look like this:

Esta es la vaca - this is the cow
Este es el gallo - this is the rooster
Este es el caballo - this is the horse
Esta es la oveja - this is the sheep

Now I can encourage my kids to get hands on (as if they need an invitation):

Toca la vaca - touch the cow
Toca el gallo - touch the rooster

Here is a similar game with fruit - get a basket with a variety of fruit.  Maybe your kids have some plastic toy fruits you can use.  You may even want to print out pictures of fruit, or have the kids draw and cut out pictures of fruit that they can label in Spanish.

You can introduce the fruit names just like you did with the animals:

Esta es la________ - This is the (insert feminine noun)
Este es el_________ - This is the (insert masculine noun)

for example:
Esta es la manzana - This is the apple.
Este es el durazno - This is the peach.

For fruits or any other food it is a natural to ask if they like it:

 ¿Te gusta la manzana? - do you like the apple?
¿Te gustan las uvas? - do you like grapes?
¿Te gusta el durazno? - do you like the peach?

This is just a start, but please don't hesitate to give this a try, and feel free to contact me if I can help you put together the verbiage for a multisensory lesson for your kids.

More to come!

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Sep. 23, 2008 - Top 10 - clothing words

Drumroll please.... it's the.....
Spanish top 10!!!!!!!!!!
(aplausos, aplausos)
Not as funny as David Letterman, but much more useful!

10. hat - el sombrero/la gorra

9. shirt - la camisa

8. pants - los pantalones

7. swim suit - el traje de baño

6. dress - el vestido

5. blouse - la blusa

4. jacket - la chaqueta

3. gloves - los guantes

2. shoes - los zapatos

1. boots - las botas

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Sep. 1, 2008 - Vote today!

Yes, I have given into this bit of internet silliness, and admit to being a total pushover for web silliness!  However, if you do a little deductive reasoning, and make good use of a dictionary, you will come up with the correct answer!  Learning and internet silliness can go together!

Editing to add: the term for a traffic jam in Spanish is "Un lío de tráfico".  To that one witty person who voted for "El traffic jam-o", you are kicked off this blog!    I can't help you - there's no hope!

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Aug. 29, 2008 - Top 10 - Foods/comida

Drumroll please.... it's the.....
Spanish top 10!!!!!!!!!!
(aplausos, aplausos)
Not as funny as David Letterman, but much more useful!

10. beef - la carne

9. fish - el pescado

8. sandwich - el sándwich

7. soup - la sopa

6. drink - la bebida

5. salad - la ensalada

4. chicken - el pollo

3. vegetables - las verduras

2. fruit - las frutas

1. ham - el jamón

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Aug. 27, 2008 - Cute and easy elementary Spanish games!

What's better than cute & easy?  I was just on www.apples4theteacher.com printing addition flash cards, and noticed that they have some easy little Spanish games.  Check them out!  You have to have macromedia flash to play them.  Your kids will be able to play with minimal guidance, and will get to see and hear every new word or sound.  Children learn numbers by clicking on a dot-to-dot and hearing the number said... all the while making a picture.  They can learn parts of the face by dragging and dropping parts onto the face while a native speaker says the words.  Have fun, and check Spanish off your list for today!

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Aug. 22, 2008 - We're having fun with Bingo!

It's funny, and perhaps a tad ironic, how in this age of computer graphics and visual over-stimulus (or is it over-stimulae?  Hey, I never said this was a LATIN blog!), kids of all ages still enjoy a game of bingo.  Bingo can be a great learning tool, and that is why I was excited to find this set on Rainbow Resource for a mere $7.50.

The cards themselves are bigger than any bingo cards I have ever used, and they are filled with photos and not drawings.  The set contains 36 bingo cards (hey, we're taking this to our co-op class!) , 100 vocab words and calling cards for each, 500 bingo markers, and a reproducible vocabulary chart.  This is just set one, there are two more sets that teach additional words. 

The vocab presented includes: numbers, food, family, body, classroom, colors, days of the week, and school words.  What a great start!  It's fun, multisensory, has true educational value, and is a painless way to learn - the kids and I are thrilled.

And no, I don't own stock in Rainbow Resourse or Edupress, I am just happy to sing the praises of anything this simple and fun that makes my homeschool day brighter.

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Apr. 17, 2008 - Tú or Usted, that is the question!

Spanish is one of several languages that is problematic in the translation of the simple word "you".  Before we angloparlantes (that is the Spanish word for English speakers) throw any stones, remember that it wasn't too many centuries ago that we had more than one way to say "you" as well.  If you need your memory refreshed, just read some Shakespeare or crack open a King James Bible.

There are two principle ways to say you in Spanish: tú and usted.  Please note that usted is frequently abbreviated Ud.  It is used in the plural form as ustedes or the abbreviation Uds.  In most of the Spanish speaking world, Uds. serves as the plural of the tú form as well.

So what is the difference between these two forms?  When do you use one and not the other?  Simply put, tú is an informal form, and Ud. is more formal.

Once upon a time, every Spanish student was told to just use the Ud. form with everyone, and switch to tú when given permission.  There is actually a verb in Spanish for using tú with one another: tutearse.  You might be asked, "Vamos a tutearnos, ¿no?" (Let's just use tú, ok?).  Or... "¿Por qué no me digas tú, está bien? (Why don't you just call me tú, ok?).  The system of waiting for permission to say tú will certainly keep you out of trouble.  It will also keep you sounding like a Spanish student.

Another rule of thumb that is more realistic is to call someone tú if they are someone you would normally call by first name.  Someone that you would address with a title or call Mr. or Mrs. would be Ud.  If you meet someone in a social situation, and they are roughly your age or younger, you are safe to use tú.  Talking to a minister, professor, or the doctor?  Start with Ud.  Have your kids respectfully address adults with Ud. , but feel free to use tú with most kids.  Tú is safe for your family members.  Interestingly, the internet has become a great equalizer, and in chat rooms or message boards, tú is commonly used for everyone.

Another note about the tú and Ud. dilema... think about how our society is getting progressively more informal and casual.  The same thing is happening in the Spanish speaking world.  Senior citizens will call almost everyone, even their best friends, by the Ud. form.  They use tú only with family and little kids. 

Exceptions?  Well there are many.  In Spain, the plural form of tú is vosotros.  You will also find this form in many Bible translations, and classic literature and poetry.  As you advance in Spanish, it is well worth familiarizing yourself with this form.  If you plan to travel to Spain, it is essential.  Despite its familiar connotation, it is popular and in widespread use.  If you were to say something like, "You Spaniards are such nice people!" it would sound more friendly with vosotros than with Uds.  Read more about vosotros here.

Vos is another exception that can be found in Argentina, Uruguay, parts of Colombia, the highlands of Honduras, and other places I am probably neglecting to mention.  Vos is used in these countries instead of tú, and sometimes is an all-purpose substitute for Ud. as well.  It has its own verb endings.  People who use vos will understand you if you address them with the tú or Ud. form, so don't worry about not being understood.  If you plan to travel to an area that uses vos, it is worth familiarizing yourself with it.  Read more about the use of vos here.

A little confusing at first?  Take comfort in the fact that most Spanish speakers are pretty forgiving of any error, and understand that you are trying to learn the language.  ¡Vale la pena! - It's worth it!

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Mar. 13, 2008 - A resource well worth looking into!

Loralin, a homeschool buddy from FIAR, introduced me to a great resource for free online Spanish lessons!  It is called Live Mocha.  Thanks Loralin!

This site is designed for people age 13 and up.  You can choose from several languages to study, and lessons are done using visual, auditory, and review of your work by a native speaker.  A sort of buddy system is employed in which your written or pronunciation exercises are sent to another student, who is a native speaker, for correction.  To return the favor, you correct the work of someone learning English. 

IMs and online friends are a key feature of the site.  This is the reason children are not permitted, and teens (or anyone else for that matter!) need to proceed with care.  I tested out all the features before offering my recommendation, so here is my two cents:  Everyone on the site that I "talked" to was appropriate, respectful, focused on learning, and encouraging.  Of course people are people, and abuse of the system is possible.  This site does allow you to report any inappropriate emails or IMs.

When you are online working on the lessons, IMs will pop up as people look for others to practice with.  You can always refuse an IM.  You don't have to add any friends, and you don't have to accept any friendship offers from anyone else.  I took the plunge, and everyone has been fine so far.  But I don't want to recommend the site without letting you know...

The lessons themselves were great.  I was so amazed that this stuff is FREE!  One user said that the setup is similar to Rosetta Stone, in which you have pictures, and hear a native speaker saying phrases related to the scenes.  I read somewhere on the site that it will eventually become a fee-based site.  Get in and give it a go while it is still free!  This site will be especially useful to parents who wish to teach Spanish to their kids, but need to get up to speed themselves.

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Mar. 7, 2008 - Stress!!!

So which syllable do you put the accent on when sounding out a Spanish word that is new to you?  A fellow Spanish geek (and I mean that in the best possible way) and I discussed just that this week.  Ok, so.... do you want the long and complicated list of rules with every subtle nuance and crazy exception, or do you want the quick and easy to remember version?  Yea, I thought so.  First, gaze upon this cute lizard.  You'll see why in a moment.

• día - DÍ-a
• Córdoba - CÓR-do-ba
• común - co-MÚN
• inglés - ing-LÉS

• joven - JO-ven
• mesa - ME-sa
• semejante - se-me-JAN-te
• enero - en-ER-o

• ciudad - ci-u-DAD
• comer - com-ER
• hotel - ho-TEL
• actriz - ac-TRIZ
  

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Feb. 26, 2008 - If you are interested in Rosetta Stone...

**Editing to add a note/bummer: Rosetta Stone is discontinuing its library program.  Libraries that offer the program have yearly contracts, and they will not be renewed when they expire this year.  If you are thinking of using the program at the library I linked, please contact them first and see when it will expire to decide if the expense is worth it to you.  Sorry!

Interested in Rosetta Stone, but don't want to cough up the $dinero$ ?  Here is how you get it for $35...

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Feb. 26, 2008 - Basic Greetings

Professor Jason is back with a lesson about basic greetings in Spanish.  By the way, I discovered his set of helpful videos on youtube, and I encourage you to take a look at them.  Bravo to Professor Jason for making this resource available free to everyone!


Here are the greetings that he teaches in this lesson:

• hola - hi/hello
• buenos días - good morning
• buenas tardes - good afternoon
• buenas noches - good evening/night
• ¿qué tal? - how are you?
• ¿cómo estás? - how are you?
• ¿cómo te va? - how's it going
• ¿cómo te llamas? - what is your name?
• ¿de dónde eres? - where are you from?
• ¿dónde vives? - where do you live?
• ¿cuántos años tienes? - how old are you?
• ¿cuántos años tiene Ud.? - how old are you (formal)
• mucho gusto (en conocerte) - nice to meet you
• hasta luego - see you later
• hasta mañana - see you tomorrow
• nos vemos - see you later
• chau - bye
• adios - goodbye

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Feb. 20, 2008 - Dreams and wishes

Dreams can be so vivid and unusual that we just have to tell someone about them.  Let's stretch our Spanish muscles and try to say a little bit about a dream using Spanish.  This will likely require you to refer to a dictionary, but don't let that intimidate you!  I'll help you get started.... a dream in Spanish is un sueño.  To ask what someone dreamed about, you say, ¿con qué soñaste?  To say that you dreamed about something you say, soñé con....  Here are a few examples:

• Soñé con un conejo gigante - I dreamed of a giant rabbit.
• Soñé con un viaje a la luna - I dreamed about a trip to the moon.
• Soñé con una montaña de helado - I dreamed of a mountain of ice cream.

This is the kind of exercise that will inevitably lead to drawing pictures at my house.  Have your child draw a picture of a dream, and talk about it in Spanish, or write a sentence about the dream as a caption.

Fun slang tangent... One emphatic way in Spanish to say no or state an objection to something is to say, ¡ni en sueños!, which means "not even in dreams!".  For example... Would you like bugs on your sandwich?  ¡Ni en sueños!

Often in English we use the words dreams and wishes interchangeably, and it is likewise an opportunity to learn some new vocab in Spanish.  One way to talk about wishes in terms for our future hopes is to use the word quisiera to mean "I wish .....".  It can also mean, "I would like to....  For example:

• Quisiera ser una bailerina - I wish I were a ballerina.
• Quisiera ser un bombero - I would like to be a fireman
• Quisiera aprendar a tocar la guitarra - I would like to learn to play the guitar.

When this wish comes true, or you reach your goal, it becomes un sueño hecho realidad, or a dream come true.

Once again, this is an opportunity to make use of the dictionary and practice saying what we wish or would like for our future.  Drawing a picture would work great for this exercise too.

So how about your basic, plain old wish?  It is called a deseo.  Here are some uses for it...

• When someone is blowing out candles on the birthday cake it is common for everyone to chant, "pide un deseo, pide un deseo, pide un deseo..." (make a wish)
• You can also say pide un deseo as you hand someone a coin to toss in a fountain. 
  
• So what did you wish for? ¿Qué pediste? To say that you say, Pedí.......  For example: pedí un caballo - I wished for a horse.  Pedí una muñeca - I wished for a doll.

And as an appropriate finishing touch to this entry, here is how you say "sweet dreams!" in Spanish: ¡Que sueñes con los angelitos!

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Feb. 7, 2008 - Family vocabulary and phrases

Professor Jason is back to help you pronounce some new vocabulary words!  I have written down all the vocabulary from the video into a handy list for you to practice from and use.  Let's take a look at this lesson....

• los padres - parents
• mis padres - my parents
• el padre - the father
• la madre - the mother
• mi papá - my dad
• mi mamá - my mom, momma
• los hijos - children
• mis hijos - my children
• mi hijo - my son
• se llama - his/her name is.....
• mi hija - my daughter
• los hermanos - siblings, brothers and sisters
• ¿Cuántos hermanos tienes? - how many brothers and sisters do you have?
• Tengo seis, tres hermaons y tres hermanas - I have six, three brothers and three sisters
• los abuelos - grandparents
• mis abuelos - my grandparents
• el abuelo - grandfather
• la abuela - grandmother
• abuelito/a - grandpa/grandma or any other affectionate name for grandparents
• ¿Dónde viven tus padres?
• Mis padres viven en ......?
• ¿Cuántos años tiene tu hermano? - how old is your brother?
• Mi hermano tiene....... - My brother is ...........
  
• ¿Cuántos años tiene tu papá?
• Mi papá tiene...... - Mi Dad is.......
• ¿Cómo se llama tu hijo? - what is your son's name?
• ¿Cómo se llaman tus hijos? - What are your children's names?
• Se llaman...... - Their names are......
  
• ¿Tienes animales? Do you have pets?
• Sí, tengo un gato - Yes, I have a cat
• Sí tengo un perro - Yes, I have a dog.

• Mi mamá es cariñosa - My mother is loving.
  
• Mi papá es simpatico - My father is nice.
  
• Mi hermana es amigable - My sister is friendly
  
• Mis hermanos son listos - My siblings are smart.
  

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Jan. 30, 2008 - A primer on Spanish nouns

I find About.com to be a great source of Spanish info, and have included a link to their Spanish resources page in my Links entry.  A few features on that page were recently brought to my attention.

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Jan. 28, 2008 - Spanish pronunciation exercises - by popular demand!

I recently made a presentation to a group of homeschoolers about getting started teaching their kids Spanish.  One request I received was to create pronunciation video or audio to include on my blog.  That got me to thinking... since everything else is on YouTube, maybe someone already did the work for me! 

In this video Professor Jason gives you a run-down of pronunciation of the Spanish alphabet.  He says a few things differently than I do, but hey, the Spanish-speaking world is a big place, and you will not go wrong following his example.  I especially like how he gives examples of sounds in the context of words, and pauses to let you practice.  So get that tongue warmed up, and repeat after Professor Jason.....

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Jan. 21, 2008 - Parachute

For the friendly little boy who asked me today, a parachute is a paracaídas.  I looked it up on Wordreference, my favorite online dictionary.  Paracaídas is a compound word in Spanish.... when you break it in two you have the words para (for) and caídas (falls).  Now that makes sense!

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Jan. 19, 2008 - ¡Say hola to Spanish!

For those of us who are unwavering book lovers, I wanted to share a series with you that is chock-full of Spanish Vocabulary.  Say Hola to Spanish is the first in the series.  I also own Say Hola to Spanish Otra Vez, and Say Hola to Spanish at the Circus.  If you do a search for these titles on Amazon, other Spanish-English books by the same author will come up.

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Jan. 18, 2008 - Enchanted Learning - a homeschooler's gold mine!

I have long turned to Enchanted Learning for a supplement to many subjects we have studied. As you may be aware, there are numerous free items available, and additional resources for subscribers.  I have never subscribed, but those who have say it is worth it.

• Print the Spanish Alphabet book to familiarize your child with the alphabet, and build some vocab.
  
• Print holiday books and activities to correspond to celebrations and seasons.
• Print books about animals, camping, clothing vocabulary, etc, to match your student's interests or current studies.
• Print flags and maps to educate kids about Spanish speaking countries.
• Print the Spanish Word Book so that kids can practice writing a vocabulary word, and draw a corresponding picture.  This would work great with vocabulary flash cards!
• Teach colors, numbers, the calendar - it's all there!

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Jan. 15, 2008 - Las Mascotas - Pets

The fondness and love for pets is something that transcends language and culture.  The Spanish word for a pet is la mascota. 

Here are some popular pets:

• los peces - fish
• un gato - a cat
• un perro - a dog
• un conejo - a rabbit
• un pajaro - a bird
• una marmota/ un hámster - a hamster
• una tortuga - a turtle

Here is a printable book of pets in Spanish.  Just a small amount of digging will yield an amazing amount of free Spanish resources on that site! 

Did I leave your pet off this list?  Look it up here!

Let's make some sentences talking about our pets!  Remember that un/una mean a/an, and that it needs to match a masculine or feminine noun.  El gato is the cat, and un gato is a cat, regardless if your cat is a boy or a girl.

• Tengo un/una____________ - I have a _________.
• Tenemos un/una_______________ - We have a _______________. (See how the verb changes in Spanish when the pronoun changes in English?)
• Me gustan los/las______________ - I like ________________ (Here you drop the un/una, and put a plural noun in the blank.  You are saying that in general, you like a certain animal.  For example: Me gustan los gatos - I like cats)
• Mi mascota se llama____________ - My pet's name is ____________
• Mi mascota es amigable - My pet is friendly.
• ¡Amo mi mascota! - I love my pet!

For the daring:  Here is a guide to animal sounds in Spanish!

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Jan. 8, 2008 - ¡Está Nevando! - It's snowing!

Ok, so it's not really snowing here.  It's windy - hace viento.  The phrase about snow is from my Spanish Phrase-A-Day calendar, and it inspired me to write about weather expressions.


El tiempo is the Spanish word for the weather.  Using the chart above you could fill in the weather into this sentence:

• Es un día soleado - It is a sunny day.

• Es un día ________ - It is a __________ day.

• Está nevando - It's snowing.
• Está lluvioso - It's raining
• Está nublando - It's cloudy.
• Está oscuro - It's dark.

• Hace frio - It's cold
• Hace calor - It's hot.
• Hace viento - It's windy.
• Hace sol - It's sunny.
• Hace fresco - It's cool
• Hace mal tiempo - It's bad weather.
• Hace buen tiempo - It's good weather.

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Jan. 1, 2008 - The ABC's

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Dec. 31, 2007 - ¡Feliz 2008!

• Hoy es lunes (or other weekday)- Today is Monday
• Estamos en enero (or other month) - It is January
• Hoy es el 23 de mayo del 2008 - Today is May 23rd, 2008
• Mañana es martes (or other day) - Tomorrow is Tuesday
• Mi cumpleaños es el 13 de octubre - My birthday is October 13th.
• La fecha es jueves, el 26 de junio - the date is Thursday, the 26th of June.
• ¡Tengo un calandario en español! - I have a calendar in Spanish!
  

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Dec. 14, 2007 - Describing people-parte uno

When you talk with Spanish speakers, sooner or later you will be called upon to describe someone.  You will also need to understand when someone is described to you.

This blog entry could turn into a book (if I had the time - ha!), so I have purposefully simplified it.  This is just parte uno, and there will be parte dos, parte tres, etc, in the future. 

Let's start out with a basic list of people to talk about:

• el hombre - the man
• la mujer - the woman
• el niño - the little boy
• la niña - the little girl
• el/la chico/a - the kid
• el/la adolescente - the teenager
• el/la bébe - the baby

• listo/a - smart
• simpatico/a - nice, friendly
• alto/a - tall
• bajo/a - short
• aburrido/a - boring
• dulce - sweet
• guapo - handsome
• hermosa - beautiful
• gordo/a - fat, chubby
• delgado/a - thin, slender
• amable - kind
• cariñoso/a - loving

• El bébe es gordo.
• La mujer es lista.
• Los adolescentes son simpaticos.
• El chico es guapo.
• El hombre es alto.
• La niña es cariñosa.
• Las mujeres son amables.
• Los bébes son dulces.
• Los hombres son simpaticos.
• La adolescente es baja.
  

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Nov. 12, 2007 - Resources I like

It is my contention that you can happily teach elementary Spanish for a couple of years with little more than a deck of flash cards.  See my list of flash card activities for ideas on how to use them.  If you really want to add a few more things to your list, try these:

• Let's Learn Spanish Coloring book - This is a beautiful coloring book with a vocabulary word for each letter of the Spanish alphabet.  A pronunciation guide is at the back of the book.
  
• The Complete Book of Spanish - This book may still be available at Sam's Club for around $8.  If you get this book, I suggest that you start on page 84 with lessons about colors.  The beginning of the book may be too much grammar for most kids, although mom can read over it to familiarize herself with it.  The bulk of this book is valuable for the fun activities that teach basic vocabulary.  There are cut-out flash cards at the end. 
  
• Bilingual Reading Comprehension - These inexpensive workbooks have a reading comprehension exercise in English on one side of the page, and in Spanish on the other.  Topics include: what is the weather? why are farms important? Colors, Dinosaurs, and The Zoo.  This is a great way to increase vocabulary.  You may want to read and complete first in English, and then in Spanish.  Highlight some key vocabulary, and use the pages to learn some interesting terms.  There are even little drawings that kids can color. 
  
• ¡Hablo Español! - This is a reproducible cut & color activity book full of fun, hands-on ideas for Spanish learning.  For example, kids learn the names of fruits, color the pictures, cut them out, and put them in a little basket.  Kids color a backpack, and then color & cut school supplies to fill it up.
• 25 Spanish Emergent Reader Mini-Books - This product was not designed to teach Spanish, it is designed to teach Spanish kids to read.  Like other emergent reader material, it has a lot of repetition and context clues.  The 25 little readers can keep you busy for a long time, plus they are fun for the kids to color.  Scholastic also publishes a similar book of English-Spanish bilingual readers.
  
• Spanish Every Day - This volume was designed with the older elementary/junior high student in mind.  However, it is a great springboard for a parent who would like to pull vocab and lesson ideas from the book and teach them to younger children.  Cut-out flash cards are offered in the back.
  
• Say Hola to Spanish - This book, and others in its series are great vocabulary builders for visual learners.  The Spanish is woven into English text, and the pages often rhyme.  Cute illustrations provide context clues and reinforce memorization.  Look for other books in this series by the same author!
  
• The cheap used Spanish book that you pick up at a curriculum sale - yes, for a super-low price, these can be surprisingly useful.  Use them for vocab, lesson ideas, grammar explanations, and a springboard to cultural lessons.  These books can be well worth the change in your pocket.

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Oct. 28, 2007 - Some favorite links

Can I just say that I love the internet?  Yes, I know there is a lot of garbage on it, but it has had such an amazing impact on how I homeschool and communicate.  I even have a part-time job tutoring on the internet, and I always wanted to work somewhere where I could do my job in my jammies.

There are a wealth of sites to help you and encourage you in learning Spanish.  Here are a selection of favorites:

• ¡Qué bien se come en casa! - People from all over the Spanish speaking world share their favorite recipes.
• Wordreference - A fantastic online dictionary.
• What's for eats - An English language guide to world cuisine.
• Study Spanish - You can't beat free Spanish lessons.
• Spanish Pronto - a great site with resources to help you improve your Spanish.
• Mundo Recetas - Recipes, recipes, recipes!  All you need is a Spanish dictionary and a metric converter to get cooking!
• Metric Conversions - The Spanish speaking world is on the metric system.  This site will help you understand weights, measurements, and temperatures.
• Learn Spanish - A great way to build vocab.
• BBC Spanish - The UK's BBC Network has some great Spanish resources.
• ABC España - Not to be confused with our ABC network, this is a premier news organization in Spain. 
  
• El Rincón de Margarita - an amazing collection of links to language resources, including comics, music, cultural information, grammar help, webcasts, news, and artists.
• About.com Spanish - There is more free information here than one human mind can take in!  Great information for people at all levels of Spanish.
• Cliffs Notes - Who knew they had a grammar review that covered 1st and 2nd year Spanish?  All the grammar you can handle, and more!  Beginners will especially want to check out the thematic vocabulary lists.
• Free Sight Word booklets! - You have to scroll down a bit on the page to find these free printable sight word booklets.  They are available in English, Spanish, and French!  They are short books with pictures as context clues.  Some students may enjoy coloring the pictures.
• Learn to say and pronounce the Spanish Alphabet at SpanishBooster.
• From Enchanted Learning - free printable calendar pages with a theme and vocab lesson built right in!
• Enchanted learning Spanish theme page - fasten your seatbelt and warm up your printer; there is enough here to keep you busy for a long time!
• Time for Kids Around the World - Nine Spanish-speaking countries are featured on this kid friendly site, with lots of pictures and information about each country.  Well worth a visit to make the Spanish-speaking world come alive!
• The Colouring Book of Flags - View, print, and color flags from most any country in the world.  A great addition to any study of the Spanish-speaking world.
• The UN Cartographic Section - The drop-down menu on the left of the page lets you scroll through an amazing list of countries.  The maps are very detailed and accurate.  A great source of maps for notebooking, reports, and coloring.
  

• el internet - I don't need to translate that do I?
• la red - the web
• un sitio web - a web site
• correo electronico - the word for email in Spanish
• un email - what everyone really calls an email
• el enlace - link

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Oct. 22, 2007 - R's R us

The most problematic sound for the English speaker who is learning Spanish is undoubtedly the "R" and the "RR".  Those, by the way, are considered two different letters in the Spanish alphabet!

Wait a minute, you say, the single "R" is easy!  It's just like English.... right?  Actually it is not.  To make the "R" sound in Spanish, you tap the very tip of the tongue to the gum ridge right behind the front teeth.  One quick tap is all it takes - do you hear the difference from our "R" that is formed more in the middle to back of the mouth?  Here is an example: consider the Spanish phrase "para ti" (meaning "for you").  In Spanish, "para ti" would be pronounced like "pot o' tea". 

The stronger "RR" sound occurs when you see two "r"s together, or when "R" begins a word.  Once again, this "R" is formed by tapping the tongue on the gum ridge behind the front teeth, only this time the tongue "trills" and taps many times very quickly.  One tip in forming this sound is to start with the breathy "H" sound.  Try it: hhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrr.  See?

Now let's practice.  Pronounce the following words, being careful to properly say the single or double "R", and pronouncing words that begin with "R" as if they were a double "R".

• caro - expensive
  
• carro - car
  
• pero - but
  
• perro - dog
  
• revista - magazine
  
• red - net
  
• agarrar - grab
  
• libro - book
  
• comer - eat
  
• arruinar - ruin

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Oct. 21, 2007 - Since it's Sunday

As a bilingual person who is a Christian, I like to read the scriptures in English and Spanish.  I have a wonderful Bible that offers side-by-side text of the NASB and La Biblia de las Américas.  Reading the Bible in both languages helps me deepen my understanding of both the scriptures themselves, and the languages they are written in.

Let me first make clear that this entry is not just geared toward Christians.  Whatever your faith is, there is probably a copy of your holy books available in Spanish.  I use the Bible for illustration in this entry, because it is what is near and dear to me.  Three of the world's great religions figure prominently in Spanish history and culture, and a great melting pot of cultures and ideas find their home in the Spanish-speaking world.  Whatever your faith, it can be enriched by studying it in Spanish!

Here is a great site for translating Bible verses.  There are several Spanish translations available.  Reina Valera Antigua is similar to King James, and Reina Valera 1960 compares to Revised Standard.  La Biblia de las Américas is close to our NASB, and Nueva Versión Internacional is like our NIV.  Biblia en Lenguaje Sencillo means The Bible in Plain Language. 

If you or your child has a favorite verse, or a memory verse, look at its equivalent in Spanish.  You may even want to memorize a small portion, such as "El Señor es mi pastor"  - "The Lord is my shepherd" Psalm 23:1

By the way, here is how a verse is referenced in Spanish... as in English you put the name of the book then chapter - comma - verse.  Psalm 23:1 will look like this: Salmo 23,1

Here is a site with Torah resources in Spanish.

Here is a site with the Quran in Spanish.

If you are interested in purchasing an English-Spanish bible, there are plenty available!

Ahhh.... just have to throw this in from Bible Gateway:

Juan 3:16 (Reina-Valera 1960)

Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960)

Copyright © 1960 by American Bible Society

De tal manera amó Dios al mundo

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Oct. 19, 2007 - This is the way we wash our clothes, wash our cloths...

Whew!  I just got back from a long trip, and boy do I have some mountains of laundry to plow through!  I actually found myself humming under my breath, "this is the way we wash our clothes, wash our clothes...".  Oh man, talk about a "you know you're a mom when" moment!

But it occurred to me that this little song can be useful for teaching Spanish.  Think about it, most kids know the song, and we use it to teach them about our daily routines.  What if we sang it like this:

     This is the way we wash our clothes, lavamos la ropa, wash our clothes.  This is the way lavamos la ropa, so early in the morning.

Get it?  Just insert the Spanish phrase in, and let your kids learn from the context.  Here are translations for other verses:

• we wash our hands - lavamos las manos
• we brush our hair - cepillamos el pelo
• we wash our face - lavamos la cara
• we brush our teeth - cepillamos los dientes
• we take a bath - nos bañamos
• we iron our clothes - planchamos la ropa
• we sweep the floor - barremos el suelo
• we bake the bread - horneamos el pan
• we go to church - vamos a la iglesia

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Oct. 7, 2007 - ParentSpeak

It happens to every parent... that chilling realization... you say something and realize as a shiver goes down your spine - YOU SOUND JUST LIKE YOUR OWN PARENTS!  Eek!

It happens in Spanish too, and Spanish speaking kids get a great primer in command forms this way.  A problematic topic for the person learning Spanish, it is to the native Spanish speaker just one more thing Mamá and Papá taught them.

Why not plug a little ParentSpeak into your Spanish lessons?  Note: all examples are given in the singular form, i.e., as if speaking to one child.

• ¡Pórtate bien! - behave yourself!
  
• Lávate bien las manos - wash your hands really well
  
• ¡Fíjate! - watch out!  Usually followed by a warning to avoid a mud puddle, make sure a door is shut, feet are wiped, etc.
• ¡Ten cuidado! - be careful!
• ven acá - come here
• Coma tu cena - eat your dinner
• no te olvides que... - don't forget that.....
• ponte el abrigo - put on your coat
• apaga la luz - turn out the light
• tráigame el/la... - Bring me the.....
• deja de molestarle a ...... - quit bugging (insert name/noun, such as: your sister, the dog, etc)
• cuéntame de..... - tell me about......
• cierra la puerta - shut the door
• ¡Silencio! - quiet!
  

• vamos a orar - let's pray
• vamos a comer - let's eat
• vámanos - let's go

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