The Angelina Ballerina DVD, Mousical Medleys, will be released tomorrow. This new video features high-quality Spanish audio, along with audio tracks in English and French. Watching this DVD in Spanish can be an excellent language-learning experience for children. and will be available on DVD, Digital Download and Video on Demand.
The Spanish audio is intended for native speakers, but is also valuable for children learning the language. It is important for children to be exposed to native speaker Spanish at a natural rate. If you have a little one who loves to dance and is learning Spanish, this DVD is an excellent choice. Making language relevant is key to engaging kids, and there is no better way to do that than tapping into their interests.
Angelina Ballerina: Mousical Medleys has five short episodes, making it manageable for language learners. If your child is just beginning to learn Spanish, she will get the most out of the video if she watches with the English audio first. Then, change the audio to Spanish and let her absorb sounds, structures and vocabulary as she watches Angelina dance. Regardless of their level, children will learn more Spanish and have more fun if parents provide support. Try these simple steps to help your child get the most out of the video in Spanish.
Suggestions for Using the Video with Spanish Language Learners
Watch short segments at a time.
There is a lot of language in even a small amount of video. Be sure not to overwhelm your child. Watch for just a short time and keep the video fun and special.
Use words your child knows to talk about the video.
Much of the vocabulary in the video will be familiar, even to beginners. Use words your child knows to talk about what you see. You can pause the video and comment with simple Spanish sentences: Cantan muy bien. Van a bailar. Les gusta bailar y cantar.
Use the images to teach new words.
Children will associate the language with the images on the screen. You can pause the DVD to point to objects or repeat what a character said. You can also rewind and watch again. One or two new words at a time is plenty. You can always add more later.
Sing.
Singing is an excellent way to practice Spanish. Help children learn a line or two in the songs. You do not have to sing the whole song. For example, in the first episode, Angelina y el teatro musical, the characters welcome everyone to their show singing Muy bienvenidos sean a nuestro show. The tunes are catchy and fun to sing. Choose a couple of lines and sing the song with your child as you go about your daily routine.
Watch again.
Repetition is essential for language learning. Children learning Spanish will not understand all of what they hear, but as they watch the video again they will understand and remember more.
Move.
Movement enhances language learning, and Angelina Ballerina is about moving. Several of the episodes have movements combined with simple language that children can do. For example, in Angelina y el desfile de Camembert, an episode about a parade, the characters march and count. This is a simple movement to combine with language.
Also, in the first episode, Angelina y el teatro musical, the characters learn a sequence of kicks:
derecha, izquierda, derecha, izquierda / right, left, right, left
rodilla y patada, rodilla y patada, / knee and kick, knee and kick
derecha, izquierda y patada / right, left and kick
Watching the video, kids will understand the words and see the movements. Doing the movements and repeating the words, they will process the language at a deeper level.
Play a listening game.
Once your child is familiar with the story, choose an important word and listen for it. A few of the key words for each episode are listed below. When you hear the word, do a quick action that will not distract from the flow of the story – clap, drop something into a box, repeat the word, etc. If your child is good at this, you can each listen for different words to see who can hear more.
Follow up with related activities.
Use the vocabulary and structures from the video when you do other activities. For example, if you are painting with your child, you can use words from Angelina y el show de arte like pintura and pincel. If you go to a parade, use the words from the parade episode. Give the words more context by reminding your child of where she heard them: Es un desfile como vimos en el video de Angelina. Veo un tambor.
The Angelina Ballerina website in Spanish has a variety of fun printable materials. The coloring pages (hojas de colorear) are excellent for talking about the characters and using the vocabulary from the video. There are also printable door hangers (colgadores de puerta) and postcards (postales) with Spanish text. It is important for children learning Spanish to be exposed to the language in print as much as possible. The door hangers and postcards have simple phrases that are perfect for language learners. Children who have more Spanish will also enjoy the songs on the website. There is a reproductor de música with a number of songs in Spanish.
Examples of key vocabulary in the episodes
These are a few of the important words children will hear in each episode:
– Angelina y el teatro musical: bailar (to dance), cantar (to sing), la patada (kick), derecha (right), izquierda (left), la estrella (a star)
– Angelina y el show de arte: el arte (art), el dibujo (drawing), la imaginación (imagination), la pintura (paint), el pincel (paint brush)
– Angelina y el desfile de Camembert: el desfile (parade), la banda de marcha (marching band), marchar (to march), la fila (line), el silbato (whistle), el tambor (drum)
– Angelina y el bailatón: el periódico (newspaper), el papel (paper), reciclar (to recycle), el árbol (tree), la Tierra (Earth), la promesa (pledge, promise)
– Angelina y su ópera: la historia (history), recordar (to remember), el día (day), el queso (cheese), la rueda (wheel)
There are positive messages about friendship, hard work and patience carefully woven into the video, and these messages are meant to apply to more than ballet. Like dance, a language is a skill that takes time, practice and patience to learn. Also, like learning to dance, learning Spanish is fun – a process to be shared with friends and full of small accomplishments to celebrate. The DVD Angelina Ballerina: Mousical Medleys can be an engaging, valuable part of that process.
Disclosure: The company sent me the DVD to write this article. All of the ideas and opinions are my own.
