Science of Reading–aligned.
Built on research.
Most early-literacy curricula aren't designed with the structure of Spanish in mind, and materials simply translated from English don't reflect the differences between the two languages. Hola Books is built around the structure of Spanish — and supported by the Science of Reading research that districts already trust.
Prepared by Mamatha Chary, Ph.D. — translated here from an academic framework into something you can read and share.
Spanish literacy requires instruction designed for Spanish.
Spanish’s consistent letter–sound relationships support accurate decoding early on. Instruction emphasizes syllable structure, including consonant–vowel patterns, alongside individual sounds and letters. English places greater emphasis on phonemes and onset–rime patterns.
This isn't a minor detail. Instruction grounded in English-centric models can overlook how reading develops in Spanish, and materials simply translated from English won't reflect the differences between the two languages.
The same word, decoded two ways
Four syllables — mur·cié·la·go — decoded left to right. Even a long, playful word is predictable: Spanish has a relatively transparent orthography, so sound–symbol relationships are more consistent. Children blend predictable syllables in order.
Consistent enough that decoding tends to move efficiently toward accuracy.Short and tidy here — but English letters shift word to word. The same "a" spells four different sounds in bat /æ/, ball /ɔ/, made /eɪ/, and about /ə/. Because the mapping is less consistent, phonemes and onset-rime patterns are more central when learning to read in English —
while Spanish gives strong attention to syllable structure.Toggle the languages above to compare how each is decoded.
Explicit. Systematic. Spanish-first.
Hola Books takes an explicit, systematic approach to phonics-aligned reading instruction — with the goal of supporting transfer to English literacy.
Built in Spanish
An explicit, systematic phonics curriculum — lesson plans, slide decks, guides, decodable books, and workbooks — aligned to the structure of Spanish: its syllable patterns alongside phoneme–grapheme correspondences. Never a translation of an English program.
Built to transfer
Strong decoding, fluency, and language comprehension in Spanish can support reading in English when instruction is consistent and coherent across both languages.
Built for belonging
Materials are culturally relevant, inclusive, and representative of Latinx culture — because culturally relevant materials are more effective for bilingual learners. Over time, students strengthen their bilingual identity and sense of belonging.
What the approach looks like in the daily literacy block
Review & anticipate
Flip to revealTeachers review the lesson before class, anticipate vocabulary and sight-word practice, and identify key moments for instruction.
Teach the daily lesson
Flip to revealA focused 20–30 minute daily lesson, taught with the lesson plans and slides, delivers explicit, systematic phonics-aligned instruction.
Choose the right text
Flip to revealTeachers decide whether each student uses decodable books or workbooks, based on the specific skill being targeted and the student's current level of mastery.
Practice in groups
Flip to revealStudents move into small-group instruction, independent reading, or partner work — decodable books for fluency and independent reading, workbooks for encoding and writing.
Observe & assess
Flip to revealTeachers observe students reading decodable texts for accuracy and fluency, and review completed workbook activities — skill checks and quick assessments — to decide what to focus on next.
Regroup & respond
Flip to revealGroups are re-formed and skills flagged for reteaching or reinforcement — then the loop returns to step 03 to match each student with the right materials.
From first sounds to biliteracy
- Students will show increased phonological awareness in Spanish.
- Students will show improvements in letter-sound knowledge in Spanish.
- Students will show improvements in decoding accuracy and fluency in Spanish.
- Stronger orthographic mapping and the ability to read grade-level texts independently in Spanish.
- Students will start to show transfer of the same skills in English reading.
- At the school level, this may be accompanied by an increase in dual-language classroom models.
- Students will continue to develop literacy in both languages, while strengthening their bilingual identity and sense of belonging.
- Over time, schools may shift toward more asset-based views of multilingual learners — seeing home languages as critical resources for learning rather than barriers.
Strong skills built in Spanish can carry into English
- Decoding
- Fluency
- Language comprehension
- Orthographic mapping
Research continues to show that strong foundational skills in Spanish — particularly decoding, fluency, and language comprehension — can support literacy outcomes in English when instruction is consistent and coherent across both languages.
Cross-linguistic transfer documented in Cárdenas-Hagan et al. (2007) and Ramírez (2000) — see the research below.
The evidence behind the approach
Click any source to expand the finding and full citation.
Found that early Spanish skills predicted English outcomes at the end of kindergarten, even after controlling for early English skills — Spanish competence mediates the acquisition of English.
Cárdenas-Hagan, E., Carlson, C. D., & Pollard-Durodola, S. D. (2007). The cross-linguistic transfer of early literacy skills: The role of initial L1 and L2 skills and language of instruction. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 38(3), 249–259. https://doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461(2007/026)
Shows that very young children bring to the initial reading task knowledge of skills in their primary language that transfer to reading in a second language, such as English.
Ramírez, J. D. (2000, April). Bilingualism and literacy: Problem or opportunity? A synthesis of reading research on bilingual students. In Proceedings of A Research Symposium on High Standards in Reading for Students From Diverse Language Groups: Research, Practice & Policy (Vol. 33).
Argues that biliteracy should be nurtured through its own pedagogies, curriculum, materials, and assessments — the basis for the logic model's assumption that culturally relevant materials are more effective for bilingual learners.
Hopewell, S., & Escamilla, K. (2014). Biliteracy development in immersion contexts. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 2(2), 181–195. https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.2.2.02hop
A case study of how children begin to read and write words in Spanish. Because Spanish has a relatively transparent orthography, early reading tends to move efficiently toward accurate decoding, with strong attention to syllable structures alongside phoneme–grapheme correspondences.
Diuk, B. (2007). El aprendizaje inicial de la lectura y la escritura de palabras en español: un estudio de caso. Psykhe (Santiago), 16(1), 27–39.
Shows that orthographic mapping facilitates sight word memory and vocabulary learning — the basis for the logic model's expected gains in orthographic mapping and independent, grade-level reading.
Miles, K. P., & Ehri, L. C. (2019). Orthographic mapping facilitates sight word memory and vocabulary learning. In Reading development and difficulties: Bridging the gap between research and practice (pp. 63–82). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Frames reading fluency as the bridge between decoding and reading comprehension — the basis for the logic model's expected gains in decoding accuracy and fluency in Spanish.
Pikulski, J. J., & Chard, D. J. (2005). Fluency: Bridge between decoding and reading comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 58(6), 510–519. https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.58.6.2
Spanish-First
Screenshot this badge to drop into a slide deck, or use Print / PDF to download the full Logic Model.
Adiós a las dudas. ¡Hola a la solución!
See how a Spanish-first, research-grounded curriculum fits your classrooms. Request a sample set or talk with our team about your district.
