VOCABULARY GUIDES CORE VOCABULARY
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The First 1000 Words of Spanish
 First Thousand Words
There are many ways to get started learning a language. One series of books that we find useful for getting started is the "First Thousand Words" series by Usborne (Portuguese is pictured above). That's because the pictures are pretty and the lists are thorough. You could use these in a traditional way by using a piece of paper or a thumb to cover up the words and practice them that way, but we like flash cards. And these books make the best flash cards. Here's how. Equipment 1. You'll need two copies of the First Thousand Words in Spanish, but will probably want three. Three copies of the same book? Yes, because you are going to cut two of them up to create a terrific set of flash cards for only a little over $20. Alternatively, you could make photocopies of each page and cut them for your personal use, but I think it's more efficient to use the books. 2. 1000 Index Cards. We use 3x5 cards, lined on one side. 3. 35 zip lock bags (or rubber bands--some way to keep each category separate) 4. Several glue sticks. Preparing the Cards 1. Cut out the small pictures on the perimeter of each page--without the identifying word. 2. Use a glue stick to mount them onto the blank side of the index cards. 3. On the reverse (lined) side, write the vocabulary in English and Spanish like this, one line for English, the next for Spanish: Eng - bread Spa - pan You can use the remaining lines to add languages and still use the same set of cards.
We use these a lot and make up games and time ourselves to see how fast and accurately we can name the items. This is one way to get off to a good start. For more vocabulary building tools come join us at Language Safari. -Scott
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