Coats, gloves, and hats are essential for any snowy adventure! Gear up for a visit to the Arctic with Noah and learn the Spanish words for winter apparel. View the webisode Breaking the Ice and then dress your own Noah Paper Doll! What should he wear today? Color and design Noah’s clothing with vibrant colors and cool patterns.
Spanish
Check out new Spanish vocab resources from OH NOAH!
Oh Noah!, the fun and funny PBS KIDS GO! web series (formerly known as Noah Comprende), is rolling out a line-up of new animated interactive videos and games that introduce kids to Spanish. Games embedded in the videos, together with other interactive challenges and adventures on the website, provide children ages six to eight with an engaging introduction to Spanish vocabulary and common phrases.
The videos star nine-year-old Noah, who is staying with his grandmother in a community where everyone speaks Spanish. A series of misunderstandings launch comic misadventures for Noah, as he tries to communicate with others who don’t speak English. In Noah’s new adventures, language misunderstandings take him to the Arctic in a madcap search for a mama polar bear, to a dude ranch, where he lands on the back of a bucking bronco, and to the circus, where he finds himself part of a daring trapeze act. Somehow Noah always manages to solve the problems he’s created, learning Spanish in the process. Kids and their parents laugh and learn along with him.
“A goal of Oh Noah! is to help young children benefit from learning more than one language at an early age,” says Mariana Swick, bilingual educator and advisor to Oh Noah!. According to the Center for Applied Linguistics, the benefits include improving a child’s understanding of his or her native language, having a positive effect on intellectual growth, enriching and enhancing a child’s mental development, and promoting more flexibility in thinking, greater sensitivity to language, and a better ear for listening.
The bilingual dialogue of Oh Noah! introduces Spanish to English speakers and also offers English language learning support to Spanish speakers. Changing demographics in the United States make clear the importance of learning Spanish. According to the 2009 United States Census, Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 48.4 million people age five or older. The United States is the world’s second-largest Spanish-speaking community, second only to Mexico.
Lesson Plan: Noah Comprende teaches new Spanish vocabulary
Noah Comprende is a fantastic online series by PBS Kids that teaches Spanish vocabulary. In the new webisode,”Down the Drain,” Coco sends Noah on a mission to get her ball (“pelota”) from the sewer. When Noah descends into the darkness, he finds a crocodile and retrieves it, assuming that’s what Coco meant by “pelota.” Through viewing the webisode and corresponding games, viewers have the opportunity to learn the Spanish words for crocodile, playground equipment, and numbers.
Activities for Parents: In this activity, children will practice Spanish vocabulary through an assortment of number games and a color-by-number sheet.
Lesson Plan for Teachers: In this lesson, students will practice Spanish vocabulary through a mapping activity, color-by-number sheet, and an assortment of number games.
NOAH COMPRENDE teaches kids Spanish vocabulary
Did you know that PBS is a source for Spanish learning activities?
Have fun learning Spanish! Check out Noah Comprende a new online series about the comic misadventures of a boy visiting his grandmother, who lives in a community where everyone speaks Spanish and no one speaks English. Noah Comprende introduces children to Spanish through wacky animated videos, games, and activities that help build vocabulary. And don’t miss the great activities for families and teachers. Here’s just one of Noah’s many adventures!
Update: “Here For Each Other” Guide Also Available in Spanish
Earlier this week, we posted the “Here For Each Other” Guide from Sesame Workshop as a resource for families to deal with emergencies. Today, with the help of our friends from Sesame Workshop, we’d also like to share the Spanish version: Cuidándonos uno al otro.
A link to the English version can be found here.
Noah Comprende: New PBS Resource for Learning Spanish
Noah Comprende is a web-original series about a 9-year-old boy visiting his grandmother in a community where no one speaks English. Noah is trying to learn Spanish, but sometimes gets it wrong. In each animated video, a misunderstanding launches a comic adventure for Noah and his pet mouse Pequeno. With Pequeno’s help, Noah always manages to solve the problems he’s created, learning Spanish in the process. 
Although kids — like Noah — may not understand the Spanish dialogue, they can comprehend the story told through rich visual storytelling. Each video features opportunities for kids to roll their cursor over objects on the screen to hear the Spanish translation.
Additionally, the website features:
- Three different vocabulary-driven, arcade-style games that reinforce learning and help build vocabulary
- How Do You Say…?, a game that helps kids learn common expressions in Spanish, like greetings and things to say in a restaurant
- Hands-on activities developed in partnership with El Museo del Barrio and additional resources for kids, parents, and teachers can be found here:
- Activities for Kids
- Activities for Parents
- Activities for Teachers