Virtual Trips

Spanish I is discovering the great cities of Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla and Granada in Spain as they take "virtual" trips to the country. Small groups have been given tasks to complete: Travel Agent, Trip Planner, Culinary Expert and Activities Coordinator. With the help of Matt and the library resources, students are planning trips to Spain. Soon they will create presentations featuring their "visit" to share with the class. I can't wait to see what students chose to see, explore and buy when they were "abroad"!

4/5 Class

The 4/5 class has been using greeting words to create small skits! They are so much fun you might just see one or two of them show up at an upcoming assembly. This week we began talking about where Spanish came from and how so many countries ended up speaking the language. We have been practicing our Spanish pronunciation and map skills as we learn the names and the capitals of these countries. I love to hear the students asking great questions like "What is the English name for El Salvador?" And, "Why is Spain so far from the other Spanish speaking countries? Global discovery is such an exciting part of learning a new language!

2/3 Fall

The 2/3 students have been studying school supply vocabulary this month. We have been experimenting with studying the words using a new online vocabulary system and with flashcards. In class, we are playing games using the supplies and talking about other fun ways to acquire new words. The school supply words are opening the door for us to begin talking in Spanish about classroom needs. Already, the students are really enjoying trying to name as many things in the room as they can! 

K/1 Spanish

K/1 students are exploring the colors and signs of autumn as they begin their unit of study on the seasons. Rosalba and I have been reading stories and doing crafts with the children to reinforce the new vocabulary. Students are also learning a few fall songs and a welcome song in the language. Later this week we will design paper monarch butterflies to send to school children in Mexico. We will be collecting pennies to help to send Spanish picture books to schools in Mexico so that they too can learn more about the paths of the Monarchs. We are looking forward to watching via internet for the butterflies to arrive in the sanctuaries of Mexico later this fall! 

Bienvenidos Fall!

Welcome Fall and welcome back to La Clase de Espanol! I am looking forward to a great year working with your children as they explore Spanish language and culture! I am so excited to also welcome new faculty member Rosalba to the Spanish team. She is a native speaker from Mexico and will be working in the PreK 3 and 4 classes with our Integrated Spanish program. She will also be joining me in the K/1 class. Rosalba brings wonderful ideas to the group and we are already off and running with many new plans! Stay tuned for more updates! Hasta Pronto! Erin

Iron Chef - Mexico!

4/5 students showed their food genius and strong team work while simulating Iron Chef for their end of the year celebration! Cilantro, leche condensada and limes were no match for the talents of this group. Small groups competed in the categories of appetizers, entrees, desserts and snacks. Each round was more impressive than the last as students came up with innovative food -from microwave fudge with a banana-Tia Maria topping to a black olives stuffed with jalapenos. They were rated on presentation, taste and use of the secret ingredient. It was fun to be a taster and even more fun for the kids to eat all the leftovers at the end of the day! 

2/3 Celebration

As a culminating project for the Latin American Celebrations unit, students from the 2/3 class prepared authentic Mexican recipes to share at our class fiesta. Meanwhile, another group from the class is rehearsing with instruments for their Mariachi ensemble to share from the music unit and others are practicing traditional dances.