How I Used Reading A-Z to Access Spanish Books

Finding grade level Spanish books for Spanish readers can be a bit of a challenge for parents raising bilingual kids. When my daughter first entered a dual language school in kindergarten, I had a difficult time finding Spanish literature to read at home to ensure she stayed engaged in reading. I remember visiting our local libraries, and after a couple of visits, there weren't that many Spanish books to check out. The school did not seem to have enough Spanish speaking books available in their library. On Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites, paperback books had a higher price because of the limited availability. It seemed like these websites knew that parents of bilinguals were desperate for materials to use at home.

My search continued until I found a website called Reading A-Z. Reading A-Z (see purchasing link below) is a website that contains thousands of reading materials to use and download, covering reading skills that help with reading instruction. The online reading program provides hundreds of leveled readers spanned across 29 levels of difficulty in English, Spanish, French, and British English at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Once accounts are set up, students can listen to the audiobooks, read along as they listen or read the books on their own. Please note that I have no affiliation with the company Reading A-Z. I am writing about this website because it helped me over the years.

What I like most about the website is its large number of available books that can be read on a tablet and its printing capabilities. Audiobooks are a great way for children to listen to books. Most books contain a quiz that students can take after listening to or reading a book. The quizzes help build comprehension skills when listening or reading depending on the format used.

Listening Feature

One way to use the listening feature is to have your child listen to books that contain the speaker icon signaling the listening feature. If you are a native English speaker that's unable to read to your child in Spanish, this particular tool reads to your child allowing him/her to take a quiz at the end of the book. Doing this on a regular basis will provide your child with ongoing practice and model reading in Spanish. Each quiz assesses listening comprehension requiring students to pay attention to the story that's read out loud.

Reading Feature

The reading feature provides students hundreds of fiction and non-fiction colorful leveled books to choose from covering multiple categories. Each time students enter the program they are given access to multiple books to select from to read. Some of the categories that are covered are science, social studies, animals, everyday things, and much more. A reading level should be assigned to your child's account depending on his/her reading level. Talk to your child's teacher to figure out which level to start with or use the below image to make an informed decision. Check with your child's classroom teacher to see if they are already using Reading A-Z in their classroom.

Reading levels for Reading A-Z

Purchasing Options

To purchase a subscription for Reading A-Z, I signed up for a website called Homeschool Buyers Co-op. Homeschool Buyers Co-op is the worlds’ largest buyers club for homeschooling families. They use purchasing power to get members the best deals anywhere for a homeschool curriculum for free. As a member of the homeschool buyers co-op, you can purchase a subscription to the Reading A-Z program for $69.95 instead of paying $109.95 for a class subscription. Up to 5 children can use the $ 69.95-year long subscription in your household, and it includes the same benefits given to a regular classroom subscription. Although I was not "homeschooling" my kids, I found this to be a great way to get a discount on educational resources I was going to purchase anyways. Some schools use this online program to support their reading programs in schools, and your child might have an account already. Inquire with your child's teacher if, by any chance, they are already using this program before you purchase your accounts.