When children tell someone about a story, describe a character, or say why they like a book, it helps them understand the story better and remember the language. Visualizing and retelling are excellent ways of thinking about a story. That is what children do when they read in Spanish and then share the book with others.
For beginning learners, help them share the book they read in Spanish by providing model sentences they can complete. The sentences can be as simple as:
Este libro se llama…
En el libro hay… (with a short list of things in the book).
Me gusta el libro. / No me gusta el libro.
For children with more Spanish, you can get them started with:
Este libro se llama…
En el libro hay…
Mi parte favorita es cuando…
Me gusta el libro porque…
Ways to Read in Spanish and Share
Kids can:
- Send a photo of themselves and their book to a friend or family member and tell that person something about the book they read in Spanish.
- Call a friend or family member and tell that person about the book.
- Have a book pal. Kids have an email (or text or postal mail) exchange where they write a few lines about what they read in Spanish and send it to their book pal. That person comments or asks a question, writes a few lines about what she is reading, and sends the letter back. The letter keeps going back and forth with new information each time.
- Use sticky notes to share books within your household. Give kids sticky notes to mark favorite pages or pictures when they read. Do the same with books you read to them or whatever you are reading. Talk about your marked pages at a time that fits your family routine, such as before bed or while you have a snack.
And if your child doesn’t know someone who speaks Spanish to tell about her book? Let her pass along a little of what she is learning!
The wonderful book in the photo, Maya’s Blanket / La Manta de Maya is published by Lee & Low Books. The screen shot is from the same book.
