Bien/Bueno/Buen (Good)

Recess: Peers can model how to encourage each other during recess games by saying bien hecho, buen trabajo (well done-good job) or bueno or muy bueno (very good).  This can be done on a playground communication display or manual board if the student doesn’t have his/her device at recess.

“Feeding” an Animal or Monster: While engaging in pretend play to feed an animal or monster, talk about how it is good to take care of our pets.  Talk about bueno (good foods) for them to eat and foods that are no bueno (not good).

The adult can also facilitate this activity using “Feed the Monster Clip Art” available for free on the teacherspayteachers website.

“BUENO/No BUENO Bingo Game”:  This game is a variation of Bingo.  There are 4 Bueno (bingo) cards that have bueno (good) choices on them such as healthy foods, exercise, good hygiene, and ways to be helpful.  The deck will have matching pictures for the good choices but will also offer choices that are “no bueno.”  Students will decide whether the choice on the card is bueno or no bueno and, if it’s bueno, they will look for it on their BUENO card and cover it with a token of some sort. BUENO/No BUENO Game.

Bueno Memory Game:  A memory game where students pair an object (masculine, feminine, singular, plural) with the correct form of bueno (bueno, buena, buenos, buenas).  There are three objects for each form and enough word cards to match.  Choose the number of cards that you want for your students and place into 2 groups, one for objects and one for the corresponding words.  Have a student choose one card from each group.  If they are a “match,” the student keeps the pair. Bueno Memory Game.

Here are some suggested books that can assist in teaching the core word:

Monolingual Spanish Books:

(These books are also available in English which may be easier to support for the monolingual educator or therapist).

• Algo Bueno: by Robert Munsch
• OR Something Good: by Robert Munsch
  • This is a story about 3 children who go grocery shopping with their father.  While he puts many foods that are good (buenas) for you in the cart, Tyya thinks he hasn’t put any “good” (bueno) things in the cart, so she proceeds to shop for ice cream, candy, etc.  The language in the text is advanced but it can be simplified.  Additionally, there are many opportunities to comment using “bueno” and “no bueno.” 

• Un Huevo Muy Bueno:  By Jory John and Pete Oswald
• OR The Good Egg: by Jory John and Pete Oswald
  • This is a story about one egg out of a dozen who is a “good egg” (un huevo bueno).  It paints a picture of how to be helpful and make good choices as well as pointing out choices that are not good.  A couple of idioms are used in English that can be discussed, specifically “good egg” and “cracking up.” 

• Está Bien Ser Diferente: by Todd Parr
• OR It’s Okay to be Different:  by Todd Parr
  • This book reinforces that it’s okay (está bien) to be different, from differences in abilities to difference in appearance and differences in preferences.  It also reinforces the fact that it´s ok to experience different feelings.  In the Spanish version, each page starts off with the phrase “está bien.”

Bilingual Books:

• Three Billy Goats Buenos: By Susan Middleton Elya –  Read aloud available on YouTube
  • This story is primarily in English but incorporates Spanish words, often into the last word of each line of text as part of a rhyming scheme.  Although “buenos” is part of the title, it’s not used in the text.  However, there are many opportunities to comment using “bueno” and “no bueno.”

• Dora’s Camping Trip: By Wendy Wax – Read aloud available on YouTube
  • This story is primarily in English but incorporates Spanish words. There are many opportunities to comment using “bueno” and “no bueno” and at one point, Dora says “muy bien.”  Explore other Dora books on Youtube as well.

• Custom Core Word Books
  • Use the book in this video as an example for reinforcing the words bueno and/or bien in a variety of contexts with simple sentences in Spanish.  If possible, incorporate photos of the students making good choices or being good friends.  Choose screenshots of favorite movies, books, or songs to add to the book.

• El Perrito Bueno: by Debbie W. – Available via file sharing.
  • This is a PPT story about a good puppy who listens to every command given except to stop barking.  There is repeated-line text of “Es un perrito bueno.”

• Mi Buena Familia: by Debbie W. – Available via file sharing.
  • This is a PPT story about the family members and what they are good at doing or being.  The focus is to demonstrate the use of the appropriate form for bueno (buenos or buenas) in context. 

Social Interactions:  Adults can model and support appropriate greetings throughout the day including “buenos días,” “buenas tardes,” and “buen día.”

Modeling: The adult can model how to find the words “bueno” and “bien” on the student’s communication device and model how to combine the core word into multi-word utterances.

Explore different sensory bins and textures and comment on how it feels.  “Que bueno” or “No me gusta – no bueno.”

There are many opportunities to talk about choices that are bueno (good) and no bueno (not good) within academic contexts.  How to be a good citizen, whether recycling/littering are bueno or no bueno, types of food that are bueno or no bueno for our health.

Students can sort superheroes and villains into “bueno” and “no bueno” and talk about what makes the superheroes bueno.

• El Lobito Bueno: A simple song about the things children may dream about including a good wolf.

• Buenos Días by José-Luis Orozco - To the tune of “Are you Sleeping?”, this song offers verses in Spanish then repeated in English.  Students can practice buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas noches and bien.
  • A sing-along version
  • This version incorporates a pause rather than the repeated line so that students can participate

• San Serenín
  • A children’s song about the buena vida (good life).        

• ¡Come Bien! Eat Right! by José-Luis Orozco
  • This is a song about choosing the right foods to “come bien” (eat well). 

• Buen Amigo by 123 Andrés
  • This is a children´s song that teaches how to be a buen amigo (good friend). 

• Hola a Todos
  • Another song with greetings to practice buenos, buenas, and bien. 

• Let’s Learn!  Core Word “Good”
  •  Watch this video with students and talk about how to say “good” in Spanish. Pause along the way to model and provide opportunities to use the words “bueno” and “bien” while watching the video.

Art Activity: Paired with the song “El Lobito Bueno”, students can draw or paint something bueno that they dream about.  Also, within any art activity, adults can model positive feedback using the phrase “bien hecho”, ¨buen trabajo” (well done. good job).

Bueno/No Bueno Poster:  Students can print or cut out images of good choices (e.g., fruits, drinking water, exercise, clean bedroom) and choices that may not be so good, (e.g., potato chips, drinking soda, littering, messy bedroom) and add them to a poster under the columns of bueno and no bueno.

Science Activity:  Try this conductor/insulator experiment to talk about which items are bueno (good) and no bueno (not good) for conducting electricity.

Science Activity:  Talk about the 5 senses and provide opportunities that may feel/taste/smell bueno and no bueno.  TPT resource (Los 5 Sentidos - $1.00) can be a platform for creating a lesson.  

Tarheel Reader: Students can use Tarheel Reader to read and write books about the importance of making buenas elecciones (good choices) or being a buen amigo (good friend). 

¿Qué es bueno para la salud?: By Rahmanali – Available on Tarheel Reader

This is a simple text about food choices and activities that are good for your health. 

Creating Videos: The adult can collaborate with students to record videos that model how to be a buen amigo (good friend).

WORD WALL: Create a Word Wall and add bueno and bien to the list.

READING and the Word Wall: Sound out the letters together. Have the students find the word on the AAC system.

WRITING and the Word Wall: Using a pencil or alternative pencil, have students try to type the word on the keyboard, adapted keyboard or write the word together.

Choosing Words for the Classroom Word Wall with Dr Caroline Musselwhite Video. Courtesy of Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium