Levels in the My Second Language Series

THREE LEVELS OF LEARNING

Which level is best for your child?

Uno y Dos are One and Two

"Uno y dos are one and two.
Rojo is red. Azul is blue."

(Spanish)

Level One

In the beginner books, Beginner's Level One, the primary and second language are part of the same sentence.

Arriba is Up

"Arriba is up.
I'm going up, up and away!"

The vocabulary word and its definition are given in the same sentence. You've read the word, the word is now part of the children's vocabulary. You've helped to immerse the youngsters in the target language just by reading a simple sentence.

The books are colorfully illustrated; the illustrations helping to grab the children's attention while they learn the vocabulary.

The level one books are perfect for babies at bedtime and for preschoolers and kindergarteners at story time.

The earlier you start immersing your children in a second language the more likely they will be to learn a 'second language' instead of study a 'foreign language' like you did in school...

Be sure to tell your daycare or early years teachers about the series!

Level Two

The same story-line and images from the level one books come back in their Level Two companion books.

So, what's new in the Level Two books?

For starters, there is a vocabulary list on each page which gives the new vocabulary. The children are also given the chance to review previous vocabulary throughout the book as the new words become part of the illustrations.

In the Level Two books, take your youngsters on further learning adventures. Children will absorb verb conjugations without all that studying that you had to do!

Your children will create full sentences, make questions and eventually even put the vocabulary into other tenses. Being guided little by little into the new usage of the vocabulary, they will be able to follow along and answer or even create a question, for example:

Un helado is an ice cream.

This one is mine!

"¿Te gusta el helado?"

"Do you like ice cream?"

The level two books are perfect from the early years up to about seventh grade! You can read them on several different levels. Read the storyline, add some of the fun sentences, browse through the vocabulary, quiz your youngsters on the vocabulary, quiz your youngsters on the sentence translations, make up new sentences...

Teachers can have great fun turning the level two books into textbooks and may enjoy making their own worksheets to go along with the text. Children absolutely love the "Fun Sentences" under each image and put in lots of effort to give their own guess at translating the sentences, discovering the correct translations of the sentences and making up their own new sentences.

Little Bird - Pajarito

Level Three Photo-Storybooks

The storybooks may or may not be companion books to earlier levels. Basically, you have a story translated into both languages.

Like the level two books, they also offer a vocabulary list on each page, a translated sentence and conjugated verbs in several tenses.

The sentences show translations that are no longer 'word for word' but rather 'idea for idea' as many languages use different ways of getting the same point across. For example, instead of saying 'word for word' - "How old are you?" the child may learn to rephrase the idea in the second language - "How many years do you have?" to get the same point across in the correct translation.

Parents and teachers who are bilingual will enjoy reading the storybooks to children at any age. Students in the first years or semesters of a foreign language will benefit from this level.

Seeing sentences in context and reviewing the vocabulary is great for anyone!

How Do You Raise A Child To Be Bilingual?

So, you're wondering why I think it is possible to raise a bilingual child, especially if you don't know a second language! I know it is fully possible, why? Because my parents spoke only English, however I was completely fluent in three languages by the time I graduated from high school, even graduating top of my class in the foreign language classes.

If you'd like to raise your children to be bilingual, you'll have to show some interest in the language and culture that you'd like them to learn. Start early, as close to newborn as possible! Learn some vocabulary, nouns especially. Look up a couple of nouns, maybe start with the food groups, sports, holidays, numbers... and use those words in your daily life. When you ask your child if he wants an apple, say apple, then repeat it in the second language. Do this often, eventually you'll not only be able to think of the words in a heartbeat, but your child will also be familiar and accustomed to the words! Next, use simple phrases in your daily lives; wake up, eat, let's go, what's up... Let your child become familiar with these words. When the words are familiar and recognized, the children will then have a much easier time understanding them in context with a fluent speaker. Just think about it! How many words do you already know that are foreign, however you are completely familiar with them and can pick them out of a sentence spoken in a foreign language; rendez-vous, hors d'ouevres, hasta luego...

Another important part of learning is immersion. I had no problem being immersed in languages because I grew up in close proximity to Montreal. It may be a challenge, though, for most monolingual parents to find a way of immersing their children in the language. Look around in your community for groups that have many bilingual participants. Buy books in the second language that are also available in the primary language. Watch videos in the language. Eat at restaurants that specialize in the foods of that culture. There are lots of opportunities out there!

From Angela: This is Miranda. She is about 3 years old. Little enough to still be in diapers, big enough to love the books! Un Velero is A Sailboat is her favorite at the moment, but she really loves Arriba is Up, too! Thank you for sharing this with us!