Back to School:  Workbooks for Spanish Speaking Students

Fisher Hill has many workbooks for Spanish Speaking students.  These workbooks are appropriate for an entire class or for one or two individual students.  Often a teacher will have only one or two non-English speaking latino students who need to learn English.  These workbooks are excellent for them or an entire class.

In this blog, I will talk about our English Reading and Spelling for the Spanish Speakers Series.  It consists of six workbooks to teach English reading and spelling to Spanish speakers. The workbooks use the Orton Gillingham approach to teach reading and spelling.  The Orton Gillingham approach is a very systematic, explicit, structured approach to teach the forty-four English speech sounds to read and spell. Eighty-five percent (85%) of words in English are phonetic.  The workbooks also present many of the commonly used words, called sight or high frequency words, that do not follow spelling expectations.

This book is bilingual since the word list for each lesson is presented in English and Spanish.  There are pictures to go with many of the words in the lists.  Each lesson emphasizes one or two new speech sounds. Each lesson’s word list begins with words that contain the speech sound that is being emphasized in that lesson. The last word or words in the list are sight words.

Practicing English speech sounds, sight words, and their spellings will help Spanish speakers learn English reading and spelling. Knowing the spelling of the English speech sounds will help students with their fluency in reading.  Fluency is important for reading comprehension.

If you have any questions about our English Reading and Spelling for the Spanish Speaker series, please email us at therst.com.  Go online at www.Fisher-Hill to see all of our workbooks.

¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?

Fisher Hill has an excellent series for English speakers to learn Spanish. The series is called Spanish Made Fun and Easy and consists of two workbooks. There are twelve lessons in each book.  Each lesson deals with a common theme, i.e., Breakfast, Telling Time, Shopping, Sports, etc. At the end of the book are two dictionaries:  Spanish-English and English-Spanish.

Each lesson is divided into eight parts.  First, there is a vocabulary list.  Beginning Spanish is included as well as the vocabulary of the particular theme.  The definite article is placed in front of each Spanish noun on the list, letting the student know whether it is a feminine or masculine noun.  Then there is a conversation in order to use the vocabulary in a common situation.  Next is a story related to the theme which reinforces the vocabulary and the conversation. The fourth page of each lesson is an exercise that requires choosing a word from the vocabulary list and then writing it in a sentence that is missing that word.  The next three pages are a variety of activity pages.  At the end of each lesson are the answers to the exercises.

It is recommended that the student do one lesson per week but the you can go through the book more rapidly if you so desires.  The speed at which a student learns Spanish depends on the student.  It would be useful to read the conversation and story out loud to gain smoothness.

Also, you should listen to television in Spanish.  In the beginning the you should listen to ads, cartoons, and news.  It is very important to listen to and speak with Spanish speakers.  This will help the student greatly.  He or she will be able to practice Spanish and also improve his or her accent.  No one is ever going to learn Spanish without practice.  Children learn quickly to speak another language.  The reason for this is that most children are not bothered by the mistakes they make in speaking.  It is important to take advantage of every opportunity to speak.

These are fun workbooks to use to brush up on your Spanish or to begin learning Spanish. Summer isn’t over yet! Take the workbook to the beach or work on it in your backyard. Summer can be a good time to work on learning a second language.

If you have any questions about our Spanish Made Fun and Easy series, please email us at therst.com.  Go online at www.Fisher-Hill to see all of our workbooks.

CDs to Learn English

This week while I was driving in the car, I listened to Fisher Hill’s CDs to learn English . They are great CDs! There are four CDs to go along with the four workbooks called English for the Spanish Speaker. Like the workbooks, each CD has eight lessons. The CDs cover the vocabulary list, conversation and story for each lesson. This way the listener can hear the pronunciation for the words. There is also opportunity to repeat the English. The CDs for workbooks 1 and 2 cover everyday themes. The CDs for workbooks 3 and 4 have four lessons each with everyday themes and four lessons each of history or government themes. These CDs are a great way to improve English and learn about U.S. history and government. The CDS are great for people who are working on becoming a U.S. citizen. A person can listen to the CDs over and over again to learn the pronunciation of the English.

Below are the lessons for each workbook and CD.

Visit our website at www.Fisher-Hill.com to learn more about our workbooks and CDs to learn English. If you have any questions about our books or CDs email us at [email protected].

Never Too Old!

This past week, friends and I climbed Mt Baldy in California. There were four of us:  two were 73 years old, one was 70 and I was the baby at 65.  We had no problems. Older people are doing all kinds of things they enjoy.  Granted if you have your health, you are blessed.

Fisher Hill’s books are geared toward older students. Older students like our workbooks because the pace is reasonable, print is large, directions are in Spanish, and the content is for older students.  Teachers like our books because everything is ready to go!

English for the Spanish Speaker is afour workbook series.  Each book in the series has eight lessons.  In Books 1 and 2, the lessons are about every day activities. In Books 3 and 4, four lessons are about every day activities and the other four are about United States history or government.  The print in the workbooks is large.  The reading level in Book 1 is at the first and second grade level.  The books get progressively more difficult.  The reading level for Book 4 is at the fourth grade reading level.  Each lesson begins with a vocabulary list, then a conversation, story, activity pages, and finally an answer key. The lessons are bilingual with the word lists, conversations, and stories presented in Spanish and English.  The directions for the activity pages are in Spanish but the activities are in English.  There are two dictionaries at the back of each workbook: a Spanish dictionary and an English dictionary. There is a CD available for each workbook so the student can listen to the vocabulary lists, conversations and stories in English.

Fisher Hill also has an excellent English literacy program for Spanish-speaking teens and adults who want to learn how to read and write in English.  How does our literacy program work?  We have four different series in our literacy program.  Each series has six volumes.  Each volume is a workbook.  These four series can be used in conjunction with each other.  The very first book to use would be English Reading and Spelling for the Spanish Speaker Book 1.  This series introduces students to reading in English.  The series uses a very systematic, explicit approach to teaching the forty-four speech sounds used in the English language.  After completing English Reading and Spelling for the Spanish SpeakerBook 1, students are ready to practice their beginning reading skills by using English Reading Comprehension for the Spanish Speaker Book 1.  They can also begin practicing writing by using English Writing Composition for the Spanish Speaker Book 1.  English Vocabulary for the Spanish Speaker Book 1 reviews the vocabulary presented in English Reading and Spelling for the Spanish SpeakerBook 1.  After completing the Book Ones in the series, students can begin the Book Twos. The four series, each with six workbooks, were written to be used together.  By using the four series together, students get a good foundation in English literacy.

Visit our website at www.Fisher-Hill.com to learn more about our workbooks for older students. If you have any questions about our books email us at [email protected].

Mr. Rogers

Today I saw the movie Won’t You Be My Neighbor. It was about the life of Mr. Rogers and his television show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.  My two boys used to watch Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. He had kind messages for children and often visited great places for the children to see. His show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, was a good educational program for children.

Fisher Hill has educational workbooks for Spanish-speaking teens and adults who want to learn English. They have a four workbook series called English for the Spanish Speaker English for the Spanish Speaker. This series comes with CDs so students can listen to the English pronunciation of the new words, conversations and stories.  This series also includes many activity pages to help students learn English.Fisher Hill has a two workbook series called Spanish Made Fun and Easy.  These workbooks are for English speakers to learn Spanish.Fisher Hill has a literacy program  of 24 workbooks, six levels with four workbooks at each level.  Each level has a Reading and Spelling workbook, a Comprehension workbook, a Writing Composition workbook and a Vocabulary workbook.

Fisher Hill has a two workbook series called U.S. Citizenship for the Spanish Speaker.  Book 1 provides information to help applicants pass the American government questions on the Civics Test and Book 2 provides information to help applicants pass the American History questions on the Civics Test.

Fisher Hill has four workbooks called United States of America Stories, Maps, Activities in Spanish and English.  These workbooks provide information on U.S. history and geography.Visit our website at www.Fisher-Hill.com to see all of our workbooks. If you have any questions about our books email us at [email protected].

Supplementary Workbooks for Social Studies Adoption 2018

This year California is adopting new Social Studies textbooks for schools.  Fisher Hill has an excellent supplementary bilingual series of workbooks to help students learn about U.S. history and geography. The four workbook series is called United States of America Stories, Maps, Activities in Spanish and English.

Each workbook was written to help students learn about United States history and geography.  The series is written on a 4th grade reading level in bold 16 point type. It is especially good for students learning a second language, for students who have difficulty with reading, or for older beginning readers.  Each book includes stories, maps, and activities.  The books are for ages 10 to adult.

Each state is presented by a story, then a vocabulary and comprehension page, next a map with questions, and finally a chart, table, graph, or other type of activity which presents information to the students.  Most stories deal with a historic topic.  The stories are about people from different racial groups who have helped build this nation.  The vocabulary and comprehension page is to be used in conjunction with the story. The map shows the major cities, rivers, geographic areas, and products of that state.  The charts, tables, and graphs present information for students to read and use.

When students finish the series, they will have an overview of United States history and geography.  The series is intended to be fun and easy to use whether it is done by an individual or by a class.  If done by a class, the author hopes students will help each other to do the readings and activities.  At the end of the book are an answer key and index.

If you have any questions about our United States Stories, Maps, Activities in Spanish and English workbooks, please email us at therst.com or go online at www.Fisher-Hill to see all of our workbooks.

Summer is a Good Time to Prepare for the U.S. Citizenship Test

Part 3

Fisher Hill has an excellent series to help Spanish speakers prepare for the U.S. Citizenship Test and Summer is a Good Time to Prepare for the U.S. Citizenship Test Part 3. U.S. Citizenship for Spanish Speakers series consists of two workbooks. The workbooks help Spanish speakers pass the English writing, reading and civics portions of the U.S. Citizenship Exam.  To pass these three sections, the applicant must be able to write correctly one sentence dictated by the interviewer; read out loud correctly one sentence given by the interviewer; and answer six out of ten of the civics questions given by the interviewer.  Applicants will have three opportunities to write correctly a dictated sentence and three opportunities to read out loud correctly a sentence given by the interviewer.

Summer is a Good Time to Prepare for the U.S. Citizenship Test Part 3

U.S. Citizenship for the Spanish Speaker Book 1 provides information  and practice to help pass the American government questions on the Civics Test. Book 1 also provides practice to help pass the reading and writing tests. Workbook 2 provides information and practice to help pass the American history and integrated civics questions on the Civics Test. Book 2 also provides practice to help pass the reading and writing tests.  The Civics Test includes 100 questions about government, history and integrated civics.  Applicants will be asked 10 questions.  The Civics test is an oral test.    One or more of the 10 civics questions may be about the current people holding different government offices.  Applicants will need to know the names of these people holding the current government offices.

Summer is a good time to practice and prepare for the U.S. Citizenship Test.

If you have any questions about our U.S. Citizenship for Spanish Speakersseries, please email us at therst.com or go online at www.Fisher-Hill to see all of our workbooks.

Summer is a Good Time to Learn a Second Language

Part 2

Fisher Hill has an excellent series for English speakers to learn Spanish. The series is called Spanish Made Fun and Easy and consists of two workbooks. There are twelve lessons in each book.  Each lesson deals with a common theme, i.e., Breakfast, Telling Time, Shopping, Sports, etc. At the end of the book are two dictionaries:  Spanish-English and English-Spanish.

Each lesson is divided into eight parts.  First, there is a vocabulary list.  Beginning Spanish is included as well as the vocabulary of the particular theme.  The definite article is placed in front of each Spanish noun on the list, letting the student know whether it is a feminine or masculine noun.  Then there is a conversation in order to use the vocabulary in a common situation.  Next is a story related to the theme which reinforces the vocabulary and the conversation. The fourth page of each lesson is an exercise that requires choosing a word from the vocabulary list and then writing it in a sentence that is missing that word.  The next three pages are a variety of activity pages.  At the end of each lesson are the answers to the exercises.

It is recommended that students do one lesson per week but they can go through the book more rapidly if they so desire.  The speed at which a student learns Spanish depends on the student.  It would be useful to read the conversation and story out loud to gain smoothness.

Also, students should listen to television in Spanish.  In the beginning,  students should listen to ads, cartoons, and news.  It is very important to listen to and speak with Spanish speakers.  This will help the learners greatly.  They will be able to practice Spanish and also improve their accent.  No one is ever going to learn Spanish without practice.  Children learn quickly to speak another language.  The reason for this is that most children are not bothered by the mistakes they make in speaking.  It is important to take advantage of every opportunity to speak.

These are fun workbooks to use to brush up on your Spanish or to begin learning Spanish. Take the workbook to the beach or work on it in your backyard. Summer can be a good time to work on learning a second language.

If you have any questions about our Spanish Made Fun and Easy series, please email us at therst.com or go online at www.Fisher-Hillto see all of our workbooks.

Summer is a Good Time to Learn a Second Language

Part 1

Fisher Hill has an excellent series for Spanish speakers to learn English. The series is called English for the Spanish Speaker and consists of four workbooks and four CDs.

Each workbook has eight lessons and a Puzzle Fun section.  In Books 1 and 2, the lessons deal with a common theme, i.e., breakfast, telling time, shopping, going to the bank, etc. In Books 3 and 4, four lessons are about every day activities and the other four are about United States history or government. The print in the workbooks is large. The reading level in Book 1 is at the first and second grade level.  The books get progressively more difficult.  The reading level for Book 4 is at the fourth grade reading level. The lessons are presented in English and then translated into Spanish. All the instructions are in Spanish. Puzzle Fun includes crossword puzzles, jumbles, and word searches.  At the end of each workbook, are two dictionaries: English-Spanish and Spanish-English, as well as an index.

Each lesson is divided into seven parts.  First, there is a vocabulary list.  Beginning English is included as well as the vocabulary of the particular theme.  Then there is a conversation that makes use of the vocabulary in a common situation.  Next is a story related to the theme, which reinforces the vocabulary and the conversation.  The fourth page of each lesson is an exercise that requires choosing a word from the vocabulary list and then completing sentences that are missing one word.  The fifth page requires that the student write the English translation of a Spanish word.  The sixth page requires the pupil to put the vocabulary in alphabetical order. The seventh page deals with English grammar rules and requires the student to write simple sentences in English. The answers to the exercises are at the end of each lesson so that the student will be successful.

From time to time it will be necessary to use words in the conversation or story that are not presented in the vocabulary list.  In this case the student can find the meaning of the word in the accompanying translation, or also in the dictionary at the end of the book.  Sometimes it is not possible to exactly translate an English word into Spanish or vice versa.  These cases will be noted in the dictionary.

Here are some suggestions for the pupil.  It is recommended that the student do one lesson per week, but the pupil can go through the book more rapidly if he or she so desires.  The speed at which the student learns English depends on himself or herself.  It will be useful to read the conversation and story out loud.  This will help the pupil gain smoothness.

Also, the student should listen to television in English.  In the beginning the pupil should listen to ads, cartoons, and news. (The student should be familiar with the news in Spanish.)  It is very important to listen to and speak with Americans.  This will be a great help to the student.  He or she will be able to practice English and also improve his or her accent.  No one is ever going to learn English without practice.  Children learn to speak English quickly, the reason for this being that most children are not bothered by the mistakes they make in speaking. It is important to take advantage of every opportunity to speak.

The student should also buy a Spanish-English and English-Spanish dictionary.  This will be helpful.  Also, this will help the student learn extra words.  The pupil should also have a notebook to write down additional words he or she has learned each week.

Summer is a good time to work on learning a second language Part 1.

If you have any questions about our English for the Spanish  Speaker series please email us at therst.com or go online at www.Fisher-Hill to see all of our workbooks.