What is Level 1?

Level 1 is the first level of the BookLingual program. The levels distinguish the difficulty of the foreign language (Spanish) AND the reading level. Some more defining information about Level 1:

• The Spanish vocabulary and grammar are at a very basic, beginner level
• The stories follow a highly repetitive pattern – designer for early readers
• Level 1 books can be read by beginning readers (age 4-6) or read-aloud by their parents or the audio (if younger than reading age)

So you must realize that BookLingual levels are not just for the difficulty and advancement of the foreign language, but also the challenge of reading in the base language, English.

Champion Goals

Champion goals are what you are helping your little champion to accomplish. By completing all champion goals, and completing the BookLingual Champion charts for each level, your child can be awarded the BookLingual Champion Certificate of Completion. (You can find the printouts for these charts on your member dashboard, online – or on your CD)

Champion Goals for Level 1

1. I can play the games at the end of each book on my own.
2. I can remember words from the story in Spanish, and use them all by myself.
3. I can read all Level 1 Books, five times each.

Coaching Tips

At Level 1, you and your child are both getting acquainted with the way BookLingual books function. Below we have broken down tips into two categories: for reading age children and pre-reading age.

Reading Age Children (age 4-8)

If your child is of reading age, BookLingual books take on two purposes: learning a new language and practicing reading development. If your child is just starting out (say Kindergarten), make sure your child only reads one language. So, only have your child read the books in English. BUT, you can still have the “talking audio” in both languages, and use these as language tools. They become more utile with two purposes. Here are some tips for reading age children:

• Have them read the book to you (only in English if beginners). Or, have them read the book to you in English….and then re-read the book in Spanish (if they are already comfortable English readers, reading Spanish is a natural progression).
• Use the “talking audio” as a way to learn the Spanish words, and play the games at the back of the book.

Pre-Reading Age Children (age 2-4)

With younger children, you will want to mix using the “talking audio”, reading aloud yourself, and interacting with your child. Here are some tips:

• First, use the “talking audio” for the entire story, while making connections and having fun with your child.
• Next, re-read the same book, but with your own voice. Not only will this give you some pronunciation practice (which will help coach your child), but will give your child more confidence in learning the language as well.
• Have your child take part in the games at the end of the book, and don’t move on to another book until they get a few answers correct.

Fun Ideas

Below are some fun ideas for Level 1 books. It is a good idea to stick to one book per day. This book will give you a great “learning theme” to go on. This learning theme will create a great deal of repetition, which leads to remembering the new words and grammatical structures.

• While reading “What do I Hear?” – after each page, ask your child if they can make that noise. This can be very fun (and noisy too).
• After reading “Can You Guess What I Am?” – grab a magazine, a picture book, or some family photos. Place a page or photo on a table, and cover up most of the photo with paper, except for one feature. See if your child can guess what it is. See if they can answer what it is in Spanish.
• After reading “Shapes, Grapes, & Cakes” – ask your child what shape something is around the house, and have them answer in Spanish.
• After reading “Taste the Food Rainbow!” – ask “¿De qué color es….?” for anything that you see around the house. Continue this for at least a week to instill the names of colors. Also, raid the fridge with your child, and pull out different types of food. See if you can name these foods in Spanish.
  • If you want to get really academic, write the names of each food on a sticky note (English & Spanish), post that note on the food.
  • After reading “This Dog is Different” continue to use the new adjectives anywhere you can. See if your child can remember how to say tall, short, dark, light, dirty, clean, etc.
  • After reading “What are you Doing?” – continue to practice this conjugation method. Ask your child “¿Qué estás haciendo?” – and have them answer. Simple phrases such as “Estoy comiendo”, “estoy caminando”, and more. This will help to cement in this common grammatical necessity.