| SEMESTER 2 Week 00: Students worked on memorizing lines for their class play. It is not only about being able to pronounce and read words in another language, but also knowing when to say these lines! Fourth graders warmed up their brains at the start of class by completing a lesson or two on the Duolingo app at their own pace; any work here will only benefit their language study. Week 0: Students continued working on the Duolingo app, but took a well-deserved break from their class play this week. Instead, they practiced writing in the target language about what they wanted to do… and then did it–revisiting Center Work from previous years. Week 1: Students continued working on the Duolingo app. They also practiced writing in the target language about what they wanted to do (paint, build, play, etc.), and then did it–revisiting Center Work from previous years. They will return to the play this coming Monday, but–dare I say–have thoroughly enjoyed their break from the routine! They also watched cartoons in the target language–(a great listening activity)–when I was out sick. Week 2: Students buckled down and started working on their Spanish play again. After looking at the calendar, they realized that it is GO TIME!–and resumed rehearsals with a new zest for the stage. HOMEWORK: Fourth graders’ homework for all of February is to practice reading their lines aloud at home as much as possible. Any work outside of class on Duolingo is also strongly encouraged! Week 3: Students ran through their entirety of their play on Monday (with the sub)–for the first time ever! Congrats! Later in the week, a parent (who used to dance on Broadway) came in to teach choreography for the ninja-dance scene section of their play. All of the pieces are falling into place! Week 4: Students read and acted out the entire play again on Monday. On Thursday, the parent (who used to dance on Broadway) came in again to teach PART TWO of the choreography for the ninja-dance scene section of their play. Week 5: Students continued rehearsing the ninja-dance scene section of their play on Thursday with the choreographer. On Friday, they finally had a chance to go over their lines again! (Fourth graders missed two classes due to the winter break.) Week 6: Students started brainstorming costume ideas for their play (don’t spend a lot, if anything! Let’s be creative instead!) and focusing on stage placement and expression: it is time to be overly dramatic (and memorize your lines!!!). Fourth graders had their final rehearsal for the ninja-dance choreography Monday, and spent the next two classes integrating that scene into the rest of their play. Week 7: Students did not have any classes this week. Week 8: Students focused on rehearsing the second half of their play. They discussed adding sound effects (police sirens, etc.) and worked on “freeze-framing” whenever the music stopped. As the performance nears, fourth graders are fine-tuning their pronunciation, body language, expression, intonation, and acting skills. Please encourage your child to practice saying their lines with expression at home–we miss three classes in a row next week due to conferences and the Easter break. I am more than willing to send home recordings to practice with, if necessary. Week 9: Students only had one class due to conferences and the Easter break. On Monday, they talked about costumes and then rehearsed their entire play out in the courtyard. Only five classes left before showtime! Please encourage your child to practice saying their lines dramatically and with expression at home! Week 10: Students continued with their last few rehearsals, working again on expression, stage placement, transitions between scenes, and integrating props into the show. Please encourage your child to practice saying their lines dramatically and with expression at home. Week 11: Didn’t update?– Students continued with their last few rehearsals, working again on expression, stage placement, transitions between scenes, and integrating props into the show. Please encourage your child to practice saying their lines dramatically and with expression at home. Week 12: Students performed their Spanish Play–in front of two different audiences (including their PK4 buddies). They memorized 15 pages of Spanish, coordinated movements and gestures, added hilarious expression and intonation to their lines, performed ninja dance choreography, danced the Salsa, switched costumes, and were in charge of both tech/ sound and over twenty props. WOW! Fourth graders ROCKED IT! It was truly spectacular! HERE is a video of Wednesday’s show. Kudos to EVERYONE! On Thursday and Friday, students talked about what they will be doing for the remainder of the year (primarily Middle School Spanish prep, with a brief introduction to French on the side!). Week 13: Students were given an introduction to Middle School Spanish. They translated lines from the play, and then began noticing patterns in the target language (i.e., verb conjugations). Fourth graders know A TON already, and now it is a matter of categorizing said knowledge. Is language a science or an art? I would argue BOTH: words must go in a certain order (this is called syntax), but how you frame a conversation or write a story is ultimately a creative process. When students give me 100% attention as a class for the grammar bit, they have time for “center work” (from years past)–to explore activities they enjoy with their friends, all the while quoting nonstop from the Spanish Play. They also added a French course to their Duolingo accounts, and began playing around with that! Week 14: Students continued prepping for Middle School Spanish. Their focus this week was on -AR verbs in the first person: if hablar means to talk/ speak, what do you do to the verb to make it I speak? Take off the “-ar” and add an “-o” (yo hablo/ I speak). The overarching goal here is not necessarily mastery (although some have already demonstrated this), but rather trying to see the big picture of how language is organized (i.e., finding patterns). Whether fourth graders take Spanish or French next year, they will without a doubt encounter the Wonderful World of Verb Conjugations, and I would like for them to have had a little experience with this beforehand. When students gave me their full attention this week, they were able to spend the second half of class playing Spanish Soccer outside or doing Center Work. Some also practiced the Floor Map, a blast from the past! Week 15: Students explored Spanish songs from the entire year on the Spanish Songs Playlist I created for them. This way, they can listen to their favorites all summer long… and beyond! They also continued preparing for Middle School Spanish and identifying grammatical patterns (esp. -AR verb conjugations). On Friday, they finally had time for center work again. Week 16: Students had their last official Spanish class of Lower School (**sniff, sniff!!*). I have known many of the fourth graders since they were first graders, and will truly miss all of them (as will Pato, of course). On Friday, as a fourth grade tradition, students received a bilingual laminated wall word sign, to “take a piece of the Spanish classroom with them”, along with some Duolingo goodies and a laminated image of a Spanish-speaking country. Best of luck in Middle School and beyond! If they get nostalgic over the summer, here is the Spanish Songs Playlist again. |
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