When you study vocabulary you need to input the vocabulary in many different ways into your brain. You need to read it, say it, spell it, hear it, say it, write it, make a movement for it, put it to music….as many different ways as you can imagine AND as frequently as you can. (Just studying once before a quiz doesn’t cut it.) Do at least one of these activities each night.
1. Create flash cards (3x5” cards with the English word on one side, the Spanish word on the other) and hang the cards around the house in places you frequent (the fridge, the computer, the videogame console, the bathroom mirror, the door to your room….). Every time you walk by the word, you must say the word in both languages.
2. Write each word down on paper three times as you say the word out loud.
3. Draw the word as you say the word
4. Create a movement for the word as you say the word
5. If the word is an object that you have in the house, have someone point to the word and you say the word in Spanish.
6. Have someone say the word to you in Spanish, you repeat the word in Spanish and spell it out letter-by-letter out loud.
7. Use quizlet.com to create your own flashcards. Then use the ‘speller’ activity on quizlet.com.
8. Get a tray and cover it with salt or flour. Say a word in Spanish and spell it out with your finger in the salt or flour.
9. Write out each word in big letter. Remove (erase or cover up) the letters that always give you trouble when you spell it. Try and write in the letters you have removed.
10. Take a familiar tune (Row Row Row Your Boat, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, etc.) and sing the word and it’s spelling to the tune. (ex: To Twinkle… el ojo o – j – o, el brazo b –r –a –z –o, etc)
If you come up with another activity that works for you, let me know what it is so I can add it to the list.