Culture projects focus on landmarks, beliefs, customs, traditions, geography, food, art, music, sports, and realia/ artifacts from the target language. These projects naturally morph into center work. Students playfully incorporate their knowledge of Spanish-speaking countries and cultural tidbits into whatever they are doing.

In PK3 and PK4, we introduce a handful of Spanish-speaking countries via said culture projects. Although fewer in number, the projects are meant to be memorable and leave a lasting impression. For example, a highlight of PK4 is when we “travel” to Puerto Rico to explore bioluminescence. After learning about the unique phenomenon, students scribble on their hands with yellow highlighters and then see them glow under a blacklight, which produces an effect very similar to bioluminescence.

In kindergarten through fourth grade, students delve more deeply into culture projects, working to build associations and a feel for each country—tango dancing, dulce de leche, and yerba mate tea become synonymous with Argentina, while flamenco, El Camino de Santiago, and Don Quijote grow to embody Spain. Animals endemic to certain regions as well as different currencies pique the interest of many. We look at product labels and clothing tags to begin noticing imports and exports from Spanish-speaking countries, and have the opportunity to taste many foods, including Mexican hot chocolate, gazpacho, fried insects, flan, and plantain chips. We even play soccer (rather, fútbol) in the target language.

As students advance through grade levels, they ask more pointed questions about culture; these meaningful conversations are woven into the fabric of the curriculum and surface naturally, as opposed to being directly taught on a specific day (e.g., coffee, late lunches and dinners, sobremesa, time differences, tapas, 24-hour clock, calendar days, besos as social greetings, personal space, etc.).

Last but not least, students in kindergarten through fourth grade learn the names and locations of Spanish-speaking countries by jumping on two large Floor Maps. We start with one or two countries the first day, and then just keep adding on, utilizing the idea of spaced repetition for long-term retention. The year ends with mastery of the material via timed “Floor Map” competitions; both speed and accuracy count here. During center work, the floor maps are often referenced (“I’m building my [Lego] house in Mexico” and/or “No! You can’t sit there! You’re in the water/ocean!”). 

No matter the age, classes are immersed in culture from all angles, and begin to develop a love for travel, languages, foreign lands, and new perspectives and ways of seeing and understanding the world.

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Grades K-4: Culture Projects & Songs

• Recognize well-known classic songs in the target language.
• Memorize chorus lines and quote clips of said songs.
• Match English meaning to Spanish lyrics and input into class stories and everyday conversation in meaningful contexts.
• Appreciate the foreign sounds of another language, without necessarily understanding all of the words.

• Locate country on the map and identify as Spanish-speaking.
• Combine and relate new and old ideas (both Spanish>Spanish and Spanish>other disciplines).
• Point to cognates in the target language (e.g., arte, hotel, volcán, tomate, sal, instrumentos).
• Explain, retell, or demonstrate understanding or mastery of new information.
• Create a relevant product pertaining to said Culture Project (both group and/or individual).

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NOTE: Some projects are “School Projects” (e.g., Guatemala- Sawdust Carpets), where everyone in Lower School participates, while others are grade-specific.