| Term | |
| 1 | This term, students in third grade sat wherever their password card appeared each day. Third graders also memorized the equivalent of “Eeney, Meeney, Miney Moe” in Spanish (Pito, pito colorito) along with a tongue twister called Pepe Pecas; participated in their own Game Show (¡Tú ganas!/You win!); shared their interests and skills via a class Talent Show (luces, cámara, acción, redoble, por favor/ lights, camera, action, drumroll, please); predicted the future in Spanish (va a/is going to); invented a story about a conejo/rabbit; and began a conversation unit. Students heard a Sr. Wooly song called ¡PAN!/BREAD! intermittently throughout the quarter as well. Gracias for a great start to the year. |
| 2 | This term, students in third grade learned more Spanish rhymes, and alternated between conversation days and story days. On conversation days, students explain what they want to do and why, and then must answer follow-up questions with pre-taught, formula responses in the target language as they are playing. Student-made, bilingual flip-cards (with sample questions and answers) further reinforce reading and comprehension. On story days, third graders hear about the great adventures of Pato—the day he jumped in a bucket of water instead of waiting patiently for Señorita to finish her conversation (and subsequently got in a lot of trouble); the time he was accused of robbing the bank and failed to provide a reasonable alibi; and the night his arch-nemesis stole his favorite toy. Gracias for another great quarter. |
| 3 | This term, students in third grade continued with their storytelling unit. Sample plots include: Developing an epic plan for Pato to get his juguete favorito/ favorite toy back from his enemy; calling a superhero (Naso: Súper-Pato, el rey/the king; Lipowski: Mermaid Man), when the epic plan suddenly became not so epic; and the night Pato had a horrible nightmare/ pesadilla—rhymes with quesadilla— about Justin el castor/Justin the Beaver. To clarify the latter, beavers like to eat patos, and Justin the Beaver specifically wanted a Pato sandwich. Third graders also worked in small groups and later presented a mini-play to the class; focused on internalizing gerunds via a new ‘actions’ routine (¡Estoy saltando!/I’m jumping!); read ¿Quién está durmiendo?/ Who Is Sleeping?, El misterio del queso/The Cheese Mystery, and Debajo de las olas/Under the Waves; made Spanish fortune tellers, or comecocos; identified words they recognized in various picture and chapter books, which boosted their confidence with the language; and selected many impressive words for their new personalized passwords, including sarcophagus, griffin (the mythological creature), and artichoke. Gracias for an amazing quarter! |
| 4 | This term, students in third grade began with a class story about Fred, the invisible hummingbird. Because Fred loves to dance, third graders were obliged to learn the basic steps to the Salsa, Merengue, and a line dance. They also talked about the major difference between translation (written) and interpretation (spoken), and then were given the opportunity to become actual translators. Students translated in both directions—from Spanish to English as well as English to Spanish—using the walls of La cueva de español as a resource. Additionally, students memorized a catchy song about losing items called Botas Perdidas; mastered another challenging tongue twister: otorrinolaringólogo (ear, nose, and throat doctor); and created their very own password cards. As a culminating wrap-up, third graders circled back to the beginning of the year Play Days, but this time around, they were no longer permitted to speak any English. While initially quite the challenge, students adjusted and began realizing just how much they could say. Kudos to all for a job well done! |
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