Finding literature that promotes bilingualism is not an easy task, but if you are in search of some of the best, BookLingual is a great resource for you. Their e-books are perfect for beginner readers and will challenge students to use both languages. The stories are written in both English and Spanish. Their books also do a nice job of inviting parents to become active participants in a child’s learning process and development as a bilingual person. Each book is presented in a way that helps out parents that might feel frustrated or inadequate when they don’t understand the story in a book, and gives them a figurative pronunciation (let’s face it, a lot of the challenges our children face come from parents’ own feelings of inadequacy or fear, conscious or not). Each book also includes animated audio in English and Spanish to read along. Their books come in four levels and can be used with children ages 2 years to 8 years old.
The characters in the stories are fun and invite children to continue reading the stories to learn more about each of them. Some of the books use real pictures – a plus when teaching young learners. Many of the stories are based on everyday situations will can help children make connections and comparisons with real life. Some of the situations could have been experienced by the children, which will make each book even more meaningful.
One of my favorite books in the set is this guessing book. I think it is a good way to play with language and get everyone involved, plus the pictures are just amazing!
Each book also includes games where children have to guess words, find what could be wrong in pictures, and respond to basic questions. The set also comes with a parent guide that will give you support and ideas on how to explore and use the books. It also includes a pronunciation guide and basic grammar for parents and educators who are interested in expanding their knowledge.
The best is that the books can be used anywhere and on any device with the right app: iPods, iPad’s, iPhones, smartphones, tablets, Nooks and Kindles, etc.. You can even print each book!
Whether you are an educator or a parent, BookLingual will support your interest and wish to raise bilingual children. To learn more about BookLingual, visit their website or/and like their Facebook page to stay tuned.
Here is also an opportunity for you to have their fantastic materials! BookLingual is giving away their Complete Spanish for Kids Set – 32 E- Bilingual Books . Just enter below to participate. The winner will be announced on June 19th, 2013. This giveaway is open to anyone world wide!
Nothing is more exciting than finding great resources for Spanish class (okay, other than maybe traveling to Spain or Latin America on an extended, stress-free vacation …). Conversa books will get any teacher ready to teach Spanish and will help you present the language in a fun way. What I like the most about Conversa books is that the language is not presented as several isolated vocabulary words. Conversa does a great job of presenting the language in context. This helps teach students to identify main and important words in a sentence and learn how to decode them to find meaning. These books are good for classroom use or to extend learning at home. They can be used with children who are exploring the language or with native speakers. The sets are divided into elementary and middle school levels which will help you transition and have a consistent program. The program starts in 1st grade and goes all the way up to 8th grade. The illustrations are clear, fun and engaging.
This is a teacher’s dream! Every story in these books invites movement and taps clearly into TPR. Each book includes a teacher’s guide with tons of ideas and games that will save you a lot of time when planning for your classes. The teacher’s guide states the objective for every lesson, the materials needed, how the lesson should be introduced, gestures for each story, engaging activities, questions to ask while presenting the story, cultural information, simple crafts to make, and a lot of learning and fun! It also suggests songs for every lesson. The books provide a lot of repetition and model the Spanish language to invite students to later create their own compositions and stories.
Another important feature about this program is that there is no need to be an experienced storyteller or know everything aboutTPR to use these books in your classroom. Conversa Books will show you everything and will guide you through every step!
Visit Conversa Books to learn more about the program. Stay connected on Facebook to receive updates about sales, freebies for teachers, teaching tips and more!
Giveaway Time!
I know you would love to have this set for your classes. Here is an opportunity for you to have it! Conversa Books is giving away their Elementary Teachers’ Starter Kit. Just enter below to participate. The winner will be announced on June 12th, 2013. United States only.
A review to share with you, and a giveaway (read on to learn more about the giveaway!)
Music with Sara is at it again. Sara´s sweet voice and her music album called “Canciones en Español“ is all you need in order to welcome la primavera into your classroom. It’s a collection of 15 songs that will add richness and wonder to any Spanish class.
My favorite song on this album is called “La Llorona,” a traditional song from Mexico. Sara did a beautiful job keeping this song simple for young children, still preserving the richness of the Mexican music – not an easy feat but oh so important for the use of music in teaching and learning. Another fantastic song is “Mi Cuerpo.” Her version is very lively and catchy and gets everyone up and dancing in class. My students’ favorite is “Patito Patito” which is short and fun – plus there is a nice video that goes along with the song
Sara also created a video for the song “Te Quiero Mamá” that has some awesome animation.
“Canciones en Español” is a music collection that will bring a lot of fun to your classes while you celebrate and welcome the arrival of spring. To learn more about Sara and her music, please visit her website www.musicwithsara.com
The Giveaway
I am so happy to share this opportunity with you! Two lucky readers will to get this awesome music from Sara to play at home or in their classrooms.
Would you like this set of songs for your own classes? Just enter below for a chance to win. You have until March 30th, 2013!
I have been using these mini-libros with my students and they love them! I used them at the end of the units for them to keep as “pictonaries.”
The Giveaway
I am so happy to share with you that 5 lucky readers will get to have this complete set. This set is currently available in the TpT store. Click HERE to learn more about these mini-books.
Would you like this set for your class? Just enter below for your chance to win. You have until Friday, March 1st at 6PM Eastern time.
I am extremely excited to share that I have partnered with Tabitha at FlapJack Education Resources for this freebie! I love all her materials and asked if we could combine forces to create this awesome giveaway for our Facebook “likers.”
You will be able to have one of my songs, “La Cancion de los Sentimientos,” and a set of printables to teach the song.
This is how it works:
1. Share via FB, Twitter, blogs, other social media, e-mails, etc.
3. Once I have reached the magic “500 Likers” number, I will publish the links where everyone can download the printables and song! There will be a limited time for the materials to be downloaded.
In a recent summer trip to Colombia, I had the opportunity to meet Freddy Morales, an early childhood educator who teaches music and movement classes to young children.
I had the opportunity to experience a class myself as a parent with my daughter who at that time was three years old. As a teacher of young children myself, I was impressed with how talented Freddy was in his ability to make connections with the children. Since I had a wonderful experience in his classes, I later discovered that he was teaching music and movement classes for babies at a learning center called Tralalá and happily enrolled my second child in a class just for babies! This time I learned that Freddy had his own music CD’s, and the main focus was to teach “music and movement” through multiple intelligences. My baby not only had a fun and educational time in his classes, but he also get to benefit from his music CD at home, where he dances to it in his high chair on a daily basis!
Freddy’s CD, “Mi Clase de Música”has 13 tracks, and each track is geared toward exploring one or more intelligences. This music CD also has a lot of repetition, something that is very important for young children. It includes some Colombian rhythms and is full of a lot of fun. I have used some of the songs with my own students and they enjoy this production a lot. This music CD has been recorded in Colombia and is only in Spanish, a plus if you are looking for authentic materials to bring to your classes or use at home with your children.
The Giveway!
We would like one of our Facebook “likers” to be the first one to get a copy. We will be giving away the “Mi Clase de Música” CD so you can sing our songs in your classroom with your students or at home with your child.
Here is how to enter: 1. First, make sure you like “us” and “Mi Clase de Música” on Facebook. 2. Once you know you are liking us on Facebook. 3. Like our link about the giveway on both pages “ours” and “Mi Clase de Música”.
4. Feel free to comment! We would love to hear from you!
Giveaway ends on January 31st, 2012 10:00 pm Eastern time
Only one entry per person. No anonymous entries are permitted. The winner will be chosen randomly. We will announce the winner on February 1, 2012. Entries submitted after 10:00 pm Eastern time are not valid. We will give the winner 48 hours to claim their prize. United States & Canada ONLY!
