A unit of the course: the story, then chapter by chapter — sections, numbered lessons, a source or the numbers to read, three checks each — a review per chapter, and the wrap-up at the end.
Drawn scene: a sunny house patio with a dog, a cat, a parrot on its perch, potted geraniums and an open window showing a bed and a lamp
3Unit
El and La: Naming Things
Nouns
Everything has a name. Your mom, your dog, your chair and your book all have names. In this unit you learn Spanish names for the people, pets and things around you.
In Spanish, a little word comes before each name. It is el or la, and both mean the. You will learn the -o and -a clue that helps you pick. Then you can say Esta es mi mamá and Es un libro.
The story of the language
Step 1
Say la mamá, el papá and el bebé
Step 2
Name brothers, sisters and grandparents
Step 3
Name pets: el perro, el gato, el pez, el pájaro
Step 4
Learn that el and la both mean the
Step 5
Use un, una and mi: Esta es mi mamá
Step 6
Name things at school and at home
Step 7
Use the -o and -a clue to pick el or la
Step 8
Ask ¿Qué es? and answer Es un... or Es una...
5
Chapter
My Family and My Pets
Family
Big questionHow do we name the people and animals we love in Spanish?
The story
Name Tag Day
Everyone at the family photo gets a name tag, even the cat.
It is photo day for the Soto family. Lucía has a box of name tags. She wants to put one on everybody. She holds up the first tag. It says la mamá (the mom).
Lucía puts la mamá on her mom. She puts el papá (the dad) on her dad. Her big brother gets el hermano (the brother). Grandma smiles at her tag. It says la abuela (the grandma).
Then the baby crawls in. Lucía laughs. "Es el bebé (It is the baby)!" The dog barks. The cat hides under a chair. Lucía makes two more tags: el perro (the dog) and el gato (the cat).
Click! Everyone is in the photo. Lucía points and says, "Esta es mi mamá (This is my mom)." Every tag has a little word in front. Some say el. Some say la. Lucía wonders why.
Talk about itWhy do you think some tags say el and some say la?
Section 1
People in My Family
5.1
Mom, Dad and the Baby
Main ideaLa mamá is mom, el papá is dad, and el bebé is the baby.
Look at a family photo. Point to the mom. Say (the mom). Point to the dad. Say (the dad).
Now point to the baby. Say (the baby). Listen to the end of mamá, papá and bebé. The last part is loud. The mark on top tells you.
Words to know
la mamá
the mom — the mark on the last a makes it loud: ma-MÁ
el papá
the dad — say pa-PÁ, loud at the end
el bebé
the baby — say be-BÉ
Check yourself
1. What does la mamá mean?
Why: La mamá means the mom.
2. Which word means the dad?
Why: El papá means the dad.
3. Which word means the baby?
Why: El bebé means the baby.
5.2
Brothers, Sisters, Grandparents
Main ideaA boy is el hermano, a girl is la hermana.
A boy in your family is (the brother). A girl is (the sister). The words look alike. Only the end is different: -o for the boy, -a for the girl.
Grandpa is el abuelo (the grandpa). Grandma is (the grandma). See it again? -o for the boy word, -a for the girl word.
Words to know
el hermano
the brother — ends in -o
la hermana
the sister — ends in -a
la abuela
the grandma; el abuelo is the grandpa
Check yourself
1. Your sister is...
Why: La hermana is the sister. El hermano is the brother.
2. What does el abuelo mean?
Why: El abuelo is the grandpa. It ends in -o.
3. Which word is for a girl?
Why: La hermana ends in -a and means the sister.
Section 2
Animals at Home
5.3
The Dog and the Cat
Main ideaEl perro is the dog, and el gato is the cat.
Woof! That is (the dog). Roll the rr in perro. Your tongue buzzes: pe-rrrro.
Meow! That is (the cat). Both words start with el. Both end with -o. Many -o words go with el.
Words to know
el perro
the dog — roll the rr
el gato
the cat — a pet that says meow
Check yourself
1. What does el perro mean?
Why: El perro means the dog.
2. Meow! Which animal is it?
Why: A cat says meow. El gato is the cat.
3. Which little word goes with perro?
Why: We say el perro. Perro ends in -o and goes with el.
5.4
The Fish and the Bird
Main ideaEl pez is the fish, and el pájaro is the bird.
A fish swims in a bowl. It is (the fish). Pez is a short word. Say it fast: pes.
A bird sings on a branch. It is (the bird). Say PÁ-ja-ro. The mark on the first a makes it loud.
Words to know
el pez
the fish — a pet fish in a bowl
el pájaro
the bird — say PÁ-ja-ro
Check yourself
1. What does el pájaro mean?
Why: El pájaro means the bird.
2. It swims in a bowl. It is...
Why: A fish swims. El pez is the fish.
3. Which part of pájaro is loud?
Why: The mark on the á makes PÁ the loud part.
Section 3
El, La, Un, Una, Mi
5.5
El and La Mean The
Main ideaEl and la both mean the. Each name has its own one.
In English we say the. In Spanish there are two words for the: and . We say el papá. We say la mamá.
Each word has its own partner. El perro. La hermana. Learn the little word with the name, like a pair of shoes.
Words to know
el
the — goes with words like papá, perro, gato
la
the — goes with words like mamá, hermana, abuela
Check yourself
1. Which is right?
Why: Mamá goes with la: la mamá.
2. Which is right?
Why: Gato goes with el: el gato.
3. What do el and la mean?
Why: El and la both mean the.
5.6
Un, Una and Mi
Main ideaUn and una mean a. Mi means my.
El goes with (a). Say un perro (a dog). La goes with (a). Say una abuela (a grandma).
Now make it yours. means my. Mi gato is my cat. Say it with a smile: "Esta es mi mamá (This is my mom)."
Words to know
un
a — un perro, a dog (for el words)
una
a — una hermana, a sister (for la words)
mi
my — mi papá, my dad
Check yourself
1. What does mi gato mean?
Why: Mi means my. Mi gato is my cat.
2. Which is right?
Why: Hermana goes with la, so it uses una: una hermana.
3. Which is right?
Why: Perro goes with el, so it uses un: un perro.
Chapter review
My Family and My Pets
0 / 6
1. What does el hermano mean?
Why: El hermano means the brother.
2. Which is right?
Why: Abuela goes with la. We say el papá and la mamá.
3. Esta es mi mamá means...
Why: Esta es means this is. Mi means my. Mamá is mom.
4. Woof! Which animal is it?
Why: A dog says woof. El perro is the dog.
5. Which is right?
Why: Abuela goes with la and una: una abuela.
6. What does el pez mean?
Why: El pez means the fish.
Send it to your teacher
6
Chapter
Things in My Room and School
Things
Big questionHow can a word's last letter help us guess el or la?
The story
The Classroom Treasure Hunt
Señor Díaz hides a clue on every thing in the room.
Señor Díaz has a game today. He hid clues all over the classroom. "¡Vamos! (Let's go!)" he says. Tomás and Rosa run to find the first clue.
The first clue is on el libro (the book). It says, "Look under la mesa (the table)." Rosa looks under the table. She finds the next clue taped to la silla (the chair).
The chair clue says, "Go to la puerta (the door)." Then la ventana (the window). Tomás finds the last clue inside a pencil cup. It is on el lápiz (the pencil).
The treasure is a box of stickers! Rosa holds one up. "¿Qué es? (What is it?)" Tomás smiles. "Es un pájaro (It is a bird)." They named every thing they found.
Talk about itLook at the words el libro and la mesa. What do you notice about the last letter?
Section 1
Things at School
6.1
Book, Table, Chair
Main ideaEl libro is the book. La mesa is the table. La silla is the chair.
Open your book. It is (the book). Put it on the table. The table is (the table).
Now sit down. You sit on (the chair). Say it: SI-lla. The ll sounds like y, so say SI-ya.
Words to know
el libro
the book — you read it
la mesa
the table — ends in -a, so la
la silla
the chair — ll sounds like y: SI-ya
Check yourself
1. What does la mesa mean?
Why: La mesa means the table.
2. You sit on...
Why: You sit on a chair. La silla is the chair.
3. What does el libro mean?
Why: El libro means the book.
6.2
The Pencil
Main ideaEl lápiz is the pencil. It ends in z, not -o.
Pick up your pencil. It is (the pencil). Say LÁ-pis. The mark on the á makes LÁ loud.
Lápiz ends in z. It does not end in -o or -a. So we just learn it with its partner: el lápiz.
Words to know
el lápiz
the pencil — say LÁ-pis
Check yourself
1. What does el lápiz mean?
Why: El lápiz means the pencil.
2. Which is right?
Why: We say el lápiz, with a mark on the á.
3. Which part of lápiz is loud?
Why: The mark on á makes LÁ the loud part.
Section 2
Things in My Room
6.3
Door and Window
Main ideaLa puerta is the door. La ventana is the window.
Knock, knock! Open (the door). You walk in and out through the door.
Look outside. You look through (the window). Both words end in -a. Both go with la.
Words to know
la puerta
the door — you walk through it
la ventana
the window
Check yourself
1. What does la ventana mean?
Why: La ventana means the window.
2. Knock, knock! You open...
Why: You knock on a door. La puerta is the door.
3. Which is right?
Why: Puerta ends in -a and goes with la.
6.4
The Bed
Main ideaLa cama is the bed. You sleep in la cama.
At night you are sleepy. You get into (the bed). Cama ends in -a, so it goes with la.
Sing it: la cama, la mesa, la silla. They all end in -a. They all go with la. Hear the pattern?
Words to know
la cama
the bed — you sleep in it
Check yourself
1. What does la cama mean?
Why: La cama means the bed.
2. You sleep in...
Why: You sleep in a bed: la cama.
3. Which is right?
Why: Cama ends in -a and goes with la.
Section 3
Clues and Rule-Breakers
6.5
The -O and -A Clue
Main ideaMost -o words go with el. Most -a words go with la.
Look at the end of a word. Libro ends in -o: el libro. Mesa ends in -a: la mesa. The last letter is a clue.
It is a clue, not a rule every time. Most -o words go with el. Most -a words go with la. A few words break the clue.
Words to know
el
the — most words that end in -o use el
la
the — most words that end in -a use la
Check yourself
1. Ventana ends in -a. Which fits?
Why: Most -a words go with la: la ventana.
2. Which is right?
Why: Libro ends in -o and goes with el.
3. What is the clue for el or la?
Why: The last letter, -o or -a, is the clue.
6.6
Two Rule-Breakers
Main ideaDía ends in -a but is el día. Mano ends in -o but is la mano.
(the day) ends in -a. But it goes with el! Buenos días means good morning.
(the hand) ends in -o. But it goes with la! Wave your hand. Say la mano. These two break the clue.
Words to know
el día
the day — ends in -a but uses el
la mano
the hand — ends in -o but uses la
Check yourself
1. Which is right?
Why: Mano breaks the clue. We say la mano.
2. Which is right?
Why: Día breaks the clue. We say el día.
3. What does ¿Qué es? mean?
Why: ¿Qué es? means What is it?
Chapter review
Things in My Room and School
0 / 6
1. What does la silla mean?
Why: La silla means the chair.
2. Which is right?
Why: Mesa ends in -a and goes with la.
3. ¿Qué es? Your friend holds a book. You say...
Why: Libro goes with el and un: Es un libro.
4. Which word breaks the -a clue?
Why: Día ends in -a but uses el.
5. What does el lápiz mean?
Why: El lápiz means the pencil.
6. Which is right?
Why: Mano breaks the -o clue. We say la mano.
Send it to your teacher
★
Unit wrap-up
El and La: Naming Things
Twelve words, twelve meanings
0 / 8
Tap a word, then tap its meaning. A right pair locks in green.
Words
Meanings
Unit test
Fifteen questions across the unit
0 / 10
1. What does el papá mean?
Why: El papá means the dad.
2. Which is right?
Why: Hermana ends in -a and goes with la.
3. Meow! It is...
Why: A cat says meow. El gato is the cat.
4. Esta es mi abuela means...
Why: Mi means my. La abuela is the grandma.
5. Which is right?
Why: Silla goes with la and una: una silla.
6. What does la ventana mean?
Why: La ventana means the window.
7. Which word breaks the -o clue?
Why: Mano ends in -o but uses la: la mano.
8. ¿Qué es? It is a dog. You say...
Why: Perro goes with el and un: Es un perro.
9. What do el and la mean?
Why: El and la both mean the. Un and una mean a.
10. Which is right?
Why: Día breaks the -a clue. We say el día.
Send it to your teacher
Spiral review
Five questions from earlier units
0 / 5
1. (Unit 2) Which word means twelve?
Why: Doce is twelve.
2. (Unit 1) How do you say helado?
Why: The h is quiet in Spanish.
3. (Unit 2) What does cinco mean?
Why: Cinco is five. Quince is fifteen and cuatro is four.
4. (Unit 1) What does hola mean?
Why: Hola means hi or hello.
5. (Unit 2) What does ¿Cuántos? mean?
Why: ¿Cuántos? means how many?
Send it to your teacher
Write it
Draw your family or your room. Label three people or things with el or la, like la mamá or el libro. Then say one sentence: Esta es mi... (This is my...).
Use words from this unit.
Check el or la for each word. Look at the last letter.
Remember the rule-breakers: el día and la mano.
Say your labels out loud to a friend.
0 wordsSaved on this device as you type.
Practice rooms
Rooms already on the site that belong to this unit — cards, quizzes, a lab.
Every lesson keeps its own three checks; a lesson is ticked when all three are right. Chapter reviews, the unit test and its spiral review (five questions from earlier units in this band) score on the page. When the site is connected to your sheet, or the link carries ?dest=, each one also has a Send box: the first-try score, the standards, the supports used, the attempt number and the minutes go to your sheet as an IEP data point.
Print this page for a paper copy of the readings, the sources, the words and the questions; the answers print as dashed boxes under each question.
Fact-check notes for this course live in the handoff: quotes marked (paraphrased) were set that way on purpose.