lesson
Updated 6 days ago · 2 views
You already know how to say words like sol (sun) and gato (cat) out loud — but what happens when those same sounds appear on a page?
Reading in a new language creates an oracy-to-literacy bridge. Your brain connects printed text to words you have already mastered aloud through songs, choral repetition, and conversation.
This path from speaking to reading creates an oracy-to-literacy bridge. Reading takes root fastest when it builds directly on words you have already practiced through songs, conversation, and choral repetition.
📊Interactive diagram
How do small letter sounds slide together to make a whole word? Let's look at one letter at a time.
Sounding Out Simple Words
To read a new word, say each letter sound slowly, then slide them together. In Spanish, letters like s, o, and l make the exact sounds /s/, /o/, /l/ to build the word sol.
Let's try another one you might know: /p/ - /a/ - /n/. When you blend those three sounds fast, you get pan, which means bread!
📊Interactive diagram
What about words with two beats, like the names of animals and places around your home?
Reading Two-Syllable Words
A syllable is a single clap or beat in a word. You can break bigger words into two bite-sized chunks to read them easily.
For example, clap the word ga-to (cat). First read ga, then read to, and put them together to read gato!