1, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
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Getting Started
Thanks for purchasing Max and Max Spanish Fluency Builder 1. It has very special ways
of guiding and tracking performance. This document will get you off on the right foot and
save you some headaches.
Fluency is just as much about knowing how to work with words as it is about knowing
vocabulary. When the focus is on how to work with words, Max and Max tends to use
well-practiced vocabulary. In this first product, animals, colors, adjectives and numbers
are used more extensively than some words because they are famous favorites among
people of all ages. You might already know many of the words. Many people who know
them don’t pronounce them correctly and can’t say them at will. They don’t really know
them.
This is the first screen you’ll see after installation is complete.
Click here to start immediately.
Click here to listen to
Max and Max really rumble.
2, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
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Click here to get this screen. Now you see the
Maxionary™, Library and certain settings. The
Library holds Getting Started, Glossary, Updates
and Website. Click on the Library button to open
the Library in your web browser.
“Bypass” is the default mode. It
lets you go wherever you want in
the software. Unclick it if you want
to move through the software in a
more disciplined order. That will
make sure you don’t miss anything
in the Introduction sessions that
you’ll need for later. It can also
make sure you practice better.
3, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
This is the Maxionary™. Explore it
and see what it will do. Find your
own ways to learn from it.
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4, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
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Age Group Buttons
Choose from three age groups.
Click on an age group. A really
sharp 4-year-old might start with
6 to 8. A really sharp 7-year-old
might start with 9 to 11. But
there’s no need to try to prove
anything. We already know
you’re a genius.
People with slower reflexes
may prefer to start with
younger age groups. There’s
nothing wrong with that.
Younger children usually need guidance in
getting accustomed to the system. Very
young ones may need you to work through
the lesson Intros for them or with them.
Intros must be completed in one sitting—
15 to 20 minutes. In fact, we advice you to
let very young children start out in Bypass
mode and go straight to Practice mode, if
they prefer.
5, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
Sign-In Buttons
Sign in by clicking on a button
of your choice. This sign-in
screen is for ages 6 to 8.
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6, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
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Pausing and Continuing
Press the space bar to pause the program.
After a certain amount of idleness or mischief or after certain errors, this start screen will
appear and the activity will have to be restarted.
Notice the words “Go back”.
Sometimes you will see this screen when you don’t respond soon enough.
Sometimes you will see it after certain errors.
Either way, click on “Go back” to restart an activity.
If you are idle for too long in an activity, you
will have to restart it. It’s very important to be
brave and respond quickly.
The restart feature has a number of important effects on performance in any activity.
7, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
6-10-10
The Fluency Builder has eight levels, or clusters of tracks. A track is an activity, just as a
track on a music CD is a song.
Select an available (colored) button.
This picture shows that only Level 1
Introduction is available to the student.
After you complete the introduction, the
Level 1 Tracks button will light up,
giving you access to the practice session.
8, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
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This is how the screen looks when you you click on “Bypass”, which bypasses the
mandatory practice times. All eight levels are immediately available and you can go
anwhere you want in the software.
9, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
Click here to let someone else
sign in, or to return to the first
screen, where you can click Quit
if you want to.
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Click on a little bitty button and
you hear a message from the nice
Spanish teacher.
10, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
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The number “1” will appear on a track button when the minimum practice is met on that
track. You can continue to practice and run the number up. Like almost everything in
the Fluency Builder, the minimum practice is determined by a number of factors that
guard your performance.
Click on any track you wish during the practice
session. Remember, when you have practiced
the minimum number of times on the track, its
counter will show the number 1. The count
will increase each time you practice the activity
after that (up to almost 999). Practice as many
times as you wish.
Click here to go back
to the levels screen.
Response times and other things
will occasionally change as you
continue practicing.
11, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
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The Mouse-Over Information
When you hold the mouse pointer
over an activity button, information
about the activity will appear near
the top of the screen.
In this case, you can see: Drag descriptions to animals. “I’m a
black cat.”
“I’m a black cat” is something you would hear in a puppet
show, a TV animal program, or a kid’s book. If you can say
this kind of sentence fluently, you will be able to say many
everyday things that follow the same sentence structure. Older
language students are always surprised to find that saying such
seemingly simple things actually takes skill.
We leave activities of this type in the 12-adult version. You
never outgrow the need for the vocabulary and sentence
structure. (And we don’t want anyone who uses the younger
versions to know something the older students don’t.)

Text will appear more frequently with pictures and audio in the later levels of some
products, after the student has spent plenty of time hearing the language. This is done
to avoid overdependence on text and to avoid long-lasting phonetic collisions inside
the head. Some adults want text far too early. Children are more patient about it. If
12, Copyright 2010, Max and Max Language Software, LLC, New Palestine, IN
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you feel you must see a word that is not displayed, look it up in the glossary in the
Library where this Getting Started document is located. (See a picture above.)

People will find different ways to make activities work for them. For instance, at
least by Level 5 of Fluency Builder 1, many students will spontaneously begin
speaking along with activities, even when the instructions do not say to speak. This is
really important in acquiring language. Speak along whenever you feel like it.
When you are willing and ready, try speaking before, with or after the things you
hear, and you will develop different skills. Most people need at least five months to
do the Fluency Builder right.

The voices that you hear in Fluency Builder 1 will differ in speed, clarity and
pronunciation. You will become adept at comprehending them as time goes by.

Sometimes you may see certain word patterns and think, “Why would I need to know
this?” For instance, you may wonder if you need to be able to say “three dogs and
two boys.” It is impossible to determine the exact combinations of words that people
will need in their different corners of the universe. It is possible, however, to know
the sentence constructions, because those are more limited. “Three dogs and two
boys” is a common construction that everyone uses: number + noun + conjunction
+ number + noun. Consider the following:
I counted three dogs and two boys in our backyard.
The news report was about two men and a dog.
I’m going to draw a picture of two horses and two girls.
I saw a cat and two women in the car.
The next step could be to include other kinds of vocabulary of your choice:
The monster in the movie had three eyes and two teeth.
Does anyone have two dimes and a nickel for this crazy vending machine?
The greeting card she gave me had two thorns and a rose on the front.

Become fluent in the patterns in Max and Max Spanish. When you get used to the
flow, you can substitute other words without slowing down to think very much about
them. That’s the secret right there. No matter how hard you practice a language, you
cannot predict what new combinations of words will come at you when you find
yourself face to face with a need for them. At times like that, you might feel stupid,
but you are not stupid. All foreign language students go through this.

We have run thousands of tests on our software, but if you detect a technical
difficulty in the Fluency Builder, press the “PrtScrn” (Print Screen) key on your
keyboard one time. This will take a picture of the computer screen. Open up a
wordprocessing document, paste the picture into it, and email it to:
[email protected]. We’d really appreciate that. We fix things fast.