Dear Bluedorn Family,
I am writing from Spain. Sorry for my English — it’s not very good, but I hope you understand me. Congratulations for your web page, it is really very interesting, and in my country it is very difficult to find a similar page because homeschooling it is not very common in my country. I have just read some pieces of advice about how to teach reading, translated into Spanish, and I would like to know if you know some book or guide in Spanish to teach my son to read (in Spanish) in a phonetic way. I looked for something on the Internet but I did not find anything. There are several books in English but I need in Spanish. Anyway, I am very happy with your site and I am learning a lot.
Que Dios les bendiga
Anaruth Reizábal Amutio
Barcelona, Spain
Hello Ana Ruth:
In the next link is a “Silabario” from 1931.
This one look exactly the same as the one which I learned to read and the one that bough for Octavio a couple of years ago.
In Spanish, the first step is to teach the five vowels sounds and then directly to go to make syllables with those vowels: ma me mi mo mu (then form words with those syllables); next teach pa pe pi po pu (form words that use the m and p syllables) etc, following the “silabario” order.
You can always teach the consonants sounds (as we do in English phonics instruction), but since in Spanish the consonants never need be voiced alone, you can go from vowels to syllables without problem.
People that has teach their children both languages ( English/Spanish) has told me that it is more easy to teach to read first Spanish and then English, because Spanish has less sounds and it is very regular.
After the five vowels sounds, you can make games to teach the syllables,
Example: after teach few sets of syllables, you can make 3 or 4 set of each syllables and play with the child to form words, first silly words and then try to make the child discover with syllables form certain words. In other words, any game of the English phonics books also apply to Spanish.
Bye for now
In response to Anaruth, Barcelona Spain
Re: Spanish Phonics
Dear Anaruth,
I believe what you are looking for is called a “silabario”. I have an old pamplet that my mother used, it is titled, “Cartilla y Silabario Ilustrado: Para uso de las escuelas primarias”
It was published in Puerto Rico in 1959. I learned to read and write Spanish with that and have taught my kids also. It starts out with lessons on the alphabet then uses syllables with each vowel, then uses words. I have not been able to find anything like it…but it is very similar to the one that Perla has linked to.
Thanks for your answers. I recommend “Cartilla Palau”, método fotosilábico.