The Student Book is the heart of the Risas y Sonrisas program and can be a great complement to the Classroom Program.

The full-color Student Book uses a variety of presentation methods to present and reinforce the material along with the activities on the CD-ROM, the songs on the Music CD and the hands on Domino Game.

The Student Book includes several types of units which are described below.

Pictures of the Sounds of the Letters in Spanish

One of the most basic parts of learning a new language is learning how the letters sound so that you can correctly pronounce words. English has thousands of words in common with Spanish – the only difference is the pronunciation. The book helps the student learn the sounds of letters by associating them with a picture and a familiar English word.

Vowel Stress in Words that are Similar to English (Cognates)

Another element in learning Spanish is to know where to place the vowel stress. The book has a very concise explanation of three rules, using three different colors. Students learn the concept by reading several examples with familiar English words (cognates). Each word has vowels color-coded according to the rule that it follows. This helps the student to understand this concept and easily place the stress on the correct vowel.

12 Vocabulary Units with 24 Pictures/Words Each

Pictures and color-coded words are a highly effective way to reinforce vocabulary. The Student Book makes use of hundreds of original cartoon drawings designed to be fun and engaging for children. All of the words are color-coded to distinguish masculine and feminine nouns, adjectives, numbers, personal pronouns and verbs. These 12 units include a Domino Game: Numbers, Body, Opposites, School, Verbs, Food, Farm Animals, House, Clothes, Places, Wild Animals and Occupations.

7 Smaller Units of Extra Vocabulary

These units expand upon the units above. They have beautiful pictures and words that can be followed with the songs on the Music CD. They are also included on the CD-ROM along with the other vocabulary units. These units do not include a Domino Game: Colors, Directions, Family, Days of the Week, Months and Seasons, Personal Pronouns and Time.

Colors with Picture Associations

It is easier to remember something when we can connect it to something that we already know. Each of the eleven colors is associated with something that sounds like the color in Spanish. For example, “Ho, Ho, Ho – Red Santa” for rojo (red), or “Lazu – the blue dog that sneezes Azoo instead of Achoo” for azul (blue), etc.

Song Lyrics

The Student Book includes all of the lyrics to the 39 songs found on the Music CD. The vocabulary in the songs is presented in the same order as in the book’s vocabulary units, so children can follow the pictures in their books while they listen to the songs.

26 Short Dialogues with Questions & Answers

Students can learn practical Spanish conversation skills and improve their vocabulary using the Student Book's Question and Answer activities. The exercises are designed to use the vocabulary that students are learning by substituting underlined words in common questions and answers. Students may also view the conversations on the CD-ROM, where they can hear them spoken by native speakers to learn correct pronunciation.

Unique Presentation of Verb Conjugations and Other Grammar Concepts

It is rare to find a children’s Spanish program that introduces verb conjugations. Risas y Sonrisas does it successfully! Students learn the personal pronouns with their respective pictures. Then, each pronoun is presented with the present, past, and future tense endings. Students know which pronoun to choose when they want to speak in each tense because they are color-coded. The color is related to a traffic light where red is present (where you are), yellow is past (where you were) and green is the future (where you will be/are going to be). Other grammar concepts that are introduced with creative visual aids are Maculine/Feminine and the use of Ser and Estar (To Be) and Tener (To Have).