It is crucial to have a vision for your classroom. Sometimes we can get lost in the pixelated view of a single day or week; but we need to think bigger as educators. Can you paint a picture of how a perfect day would look, in terms of routines and the lesson itself?
There is no such thing as perfect, of course, but imagine if all of your students participated and were enthusiastic. (Although enthusiasm is rarely an issue in Lower School – more like, how do we bring the decibel level down?!) Imagine if all of your students behaved decently and were kind human beings. Imagine if you didn’t have to say on a regular basis, “Please don’t lick that marker,” or “Six-seven is only permitted in Spanish class if you say seis-siete (and 42 for older students, i.e., 6×7).
I attended a language conference this past weekend, and it really helped me to refocus and define what I want and don’t want to see in my classroom. So today, I’m going to paint you a picture of an elementary school Spanish classroom. We only meet 2-3 times per week for 30 minutes each time, so the expectations and goals might be different from yours, particularly if you are at an immersion school where every subject is in the target language. That said, let’s dive in.
Students in all grade levels line up outside of my classroom each day. They are required to say the “Spanish password” to me upon entering. These are typically high-frequency rejoinders, which change each week. First through fourth graders started with, “password” (contraseña) the first week. The second week was, “Tell me the password” (dime la contraseña) so that from that point on, the doorholder could “demand” the password from his/her peers, with yours truly overseeing. So now the routine looks something like this (with weekly variations) – and just keeps evolving:
DOORHOLDER: “Tell me the password or you can’t come in!” (¡Dime la contraseña o no puedes entrar!)
STUDENT: Seriously? I don’t remember! Banana? (¿En serio? ¡No me acuerdo! ¿Plátano?)
It is a fun way to teach expressions and natural language, and we insert these expressions and rejoinders into conversations whenever we can. In my ideal class, this takes about two minutes, and everyone walks nicely to their assigned seat on the carpet and gets to listen to a song playing on the board until the whole class is seated. In reality, some days it does take two minutes, and other days it takes eight because children have brought emotional baggage from recess arguments, and we have to resolve them before we can get started.
So before the lesson even begins, everyone has already said something in Spanish, and we’ve listened to a song. Most classes sit on the carpet to start, where they have assigned colors (part of the carpet design). Either myself or a class leader takes attendance by pointing to and naming the colors on a poster, and students respond with, “Presente” (present/here). We sometimes use a color wheel to switch it up.
Younger grades will do a minute or two of TPR (Total Physical Response) here to get their wiggles out and practice starting, stopping, and following directions (corre, salta, nada, camina, marcha, da la vuelta/ run, jump, swim, walk, march, turn around). Older students jump on and name Spanish-speaking countries on the Floor Map. If everyone has a turn, this can take a bit longer.
On days we skip the Floor Map, there is more time for gesture-storytelling. Here, we add a sentence or two each class to an ongoing saga about one of my stuffed animals or another character we’ve invented. Each grade level has a different story. In my ideal class, I spend more time asking students personalized questions (PQA) rather than simply pushing the plot forward. I know how valuable this input is, and I want to improve here (shoutout to TPRS Fluency and LatinFluency for reminding me of this).
We go on wild adventures with the characters, all while students acquire meaningful, high-frequency chunks of language. I try to make the words “trend” (as though it were a social media phenomenon), and will do whatever it takes to make a vocabulary structure memorable. Sometimes, the vocabulary or expressions taught are silly and meant to increase engagement; but most times, the vocabulary is versatile and can be applied or manipulated in other ways.
For example, one week, we “taught” my stuffed animal duck how to fly in PK4. The PK4 aid held up the higher part of a long string, a student knelt down and held the lower part, and my stuffed animal Pato sang, “I believe I can fly!” (Sé que puedo volar) repeatedly as he “flew” down the zipline. Since everyone wanted a turn to hold the string, we got in a lot of reps. This is a silly phrase to learn, but later we extended the language to ask which animals can and cannot fly; moving forward, we could add in more content-based material here (or cause and effect–e.g., when does a baseball fly?).
My ideal class comes full circle; so while flying a stuffed animal down a zipline is humorous and students do acquire language, we can “level up” by integrating this moment into a bigger story. We can transform our classrooms with little tweaks. When I think of “multisensory lessons,” for instance, this is the picture that comes to mind:
We turn off the classroom lights and add a pine scent to the diffusor: suddenly, we are in a forest at night. We hear some singing (I press an audio recording). Who is singing in the forest at night? We don’t know yet, but it is a famous Celia Cruz song! What is she saying? I spot something white at the front of the room, err, forest. Everyone gets a small taste: it is sugar! Celiz Cruz is known for saying, “¡Azúcar!” (Sugar!) in her songs – it is kind of her trademark.
But who is singing? The singing stops. Now we are worried (Worry Doll tangent?). Perhaps something has happened, or the person/ animal is lost. Let’s get a map and find whoever is lost. But it is dark and it starts to rain (me misting students with a spray bottle). There is a storm. Oh no! KAH-BOOM!
In five or ten minutes, we have not only incorporated language and culture into our lesson, we have also engaged the five senses: sight (lights), smell (pine), hear (song), taste (sugar), touch/ feel (rain).
Next, we will pretend that the forest is in a Spanish-speaking country, create a character and backstory for why s/he is singing this song, and follow a trail of sugar cookies to see where the character goes. Students might color and cut out pictures of cookies to make an actual trail, or taste real alfajores, or we will just pretend. Maybe the trail is very long, and we need a birds’ eye view to see the length of it — perhaps this is where the flying stuffed animal comes in. Or maybe, just maybe, your students have a better idea of how to combine the two.
My ideal class ends with some sort of cliffhanger, where students are excited to come back to class to find out what happens, or to continue with a project or activity. Some days, we extend the story and keep the creativity flowing, while on other days, we pause for Center Work and cultivate positive character traits like responsibility (cleaning up) and self- control (stopping an activity even when we’re not finished).
Either way, the time has been maximized to allow for a great deal of comprehensible input as well as opportunities to communicate with others in the target language. We touch on different cultures, build respect, and explore other perspectives (e.g., Aymara).
As students are leaving, they tap a number on a vertical number line by the door. A “diez” (10) means they are feeling great, a “cinco” (5) is an average day, and an “uno” (1) is terrible. This gives me an idea of how the lesson went, and I can check in with students who are below a five to find out what’s going on. This is especially nice for the quieter students or ones with poker faces that you can never read.
To conclude, then, my ideal classroom includes listening and speaking (with reading and writing for older students), incorporates all of the senses, and has moments and activities that connect to a bigger picture: it might be a ridiculously hilarious story, a story with a moral, or a story with a hands-on activity and game. It might be a conversation where students are emotionally engaged, want to know more, and forget that their teacher is speaking in the target language. But no matter what, it is a lesson where all of the laughing and tangents and projects lead us home and back to the reason we are here: to learn and fall in love with Spanish (and all languages), and to have fun along the way.
ACTFL’s five pillars sum it up best: communication, cultures, communities, comparisons, and connections. But my favorite is connections: connections to ourselves, connections to the world, connections to each other. This is the meat and potatoes of acquiring another language because without connections, sans relating to others, what is the point?
This is my ideal classroom and dream. What is yours?
Every year, fourth graders memorize and present a play entirely in Spanish for Lower School students and their families. The play has a completely different plot each year and is based on the adventures of my stuffed animal duck, “Pato“.
ACT 1: The play director signals the start of the play–but oh my, do interruptions abound! There is a woman who always has an idea, actors who forget their lines, and continuous musical outbursts as key words remind everyone of songs they know.
The play itself begins with Pato (the duck) and Oso (the bear–his best friend) fishing on a lake in Canada. But it is not your ordinary fishing trip. This becomes obvious when a book starts talking. Although honestly, this is not so surprising… I mean, wouldn’t you think books would have a lot to say? They are chock full of words.
Our main characters spring into action when a radio station announces something about a “Hamster in a piano”. This is a complete misunderstanding from the start because IRL, there is a Parry Gripp song that went viral called, “Hamster on a Piano.” But because “en” can mean both “in” and “on” in Spanish, Pato assumes the worst, and sets out on an adventure to save the poor hamster allegedly “trapped inside a piano.”
Complete with enough twists and turns to make you think you’re on a roller coaster, Pato and friends travel the world and meet many new friends along the way. From the Muppets and Cookie Monster to a paper drawing of a dragon that comes to life and a director who is increasingly frustrated by the actors’ constant interruptions, there is no room for boredom in Stuffed Animal Land.
AUGUST 22: ¡Hola! This week, students in fourth grade began learning class rituals and routines. They started with a password to enter the Spanish room (dime la contraseña/ tell me the password), went to their assigned table numbers, and had a quick class meeting. Our first order of business was to discuss their primary task for the year: to memorize a play in Spanish, which they will present for the entire Lower School community. The catch? This year, the play will be performed in February (earlier than usual). Time to get to work! Fourth graders jumped into their first mini unit, focusing on expression and showing, not telling. For example, they had to “dive into a pool, be a rock, fall down dramatically, play basketball, army crawl, run in slow motion,” etc. The overarching idea was to begin thinking about stage presence and how to communicate a plot to an audience that might not speak Spanish.
Every year, the play’s plot is based on the adventures of Pato (my stuffed animal duck), so naturally, he had to make an appearance. We tried to teach him some Spanish, but he came to class out of uniform and kept misinterpreting everything we said. Oh my. The principal is going to talk to him about the uniform situation (LOL). I will keep you posted. P.S. HERE is a link to the fourth grade Spanish page and playlist on my website–please bookmark for future reference.
AUGUST 29: ¡Hola! This week, students in fourth grade continued learning class rituals and routines. They added on to their password from last week, where one person asks and the other responds, one by one: Dime la contraseña/ Tell me the password. No me acuerdo/ I don’t remember. Later, they had an easy, “¿Qué prefieres?/what do you prefer?” question (los tenis/ sneakers OR las chanclas/ sandals, etc.), and if you didn’t answer, we dramatically said, “¡Contesta la pregunta!” (answer the question!). We continued focusing on expression and showing, not telling, and acted out short scenes individually in front of the class. Last but not least, we looked at a draft of their Spanish Play, and were coached to read between the lines. What is on stage for this scene? Do we need any props? How could we show this without translating?
Gracias for another great week! HERE is a link to the fourth grade Spanish page. And for anyone looking that far ahead, the Spanish Play performance this year will be on February 4, 2026 right after Flag.
SEPTEMBER 5: ¡Hola! This week, as has become our Friday routine, students in fourth grade played the whisper [telephone] game to learn the new Spanish password… which was, “¿Qué dices?” (What are you saying? What do you mean?) Students began leading the, “¿Qué prefieres?/what do you prefer?” daily question en lieu of yours truly. Then, we launched into play rehearsals. Right now, we are still getting our feet wet with how to read a script and working with a draft of the play. We are fiddling with and revising parts and roles, and adding as we go. Students do have assigned lines in class, but nothing is set in stone yet, especially since we are still on page one. We practiced “interrupting on purpose” in Spanish this week — Maestra, espera, espera, espera (teacher, wait, wait, wait) — and being overly dramatic, which has been great fun! Your children are AMAZING AND HILARIOUS!!
SEPTEMBER 12: ¡Hola! This week, students in fourth grade learned the new password: “La contraseña es… la manzana” (the password is… apple). On Monday, fourth graders were having trouble pronouncing, “tiburón” (shark), so we listened to the Spanish version of “Baby Shark”. Now, this is a song that, personally, I can only handle listening to once a year, as the earworm never leaves your brain. EVER. This quickly became a class joke, of course, so I have been singing it all week long whenever I see fourth graders–and Coach even played it as their warm-up song in PE. It will–of necessity–make its way into our play. Don’t you worry. On Friday, fourth graders were introduced to a new scene in the play. They have been working on ‘self-starting’ during class (initiating the task of beginning rehearsals independently), and also reviewed the Floor Map from years’ prior.
SEPTEMBER 19: ¡Hola! This week, students in fourth grade learned the new password on Friday: “Dime la contraseña o no puedes entrar” (tell me the password or you can’t come in!). They also reviewed the Floor Map again (país/ country). However, our main focus was on introducing more scenes and characters to their play. I will send along a general synopsis once we get a little farther along. Although we are still in the beginning stages, students have been very productive. They come to class with great energy and enthusiasm! The Spanish Play performance this year will be on February 4, 2026 right after Flag.
CUBA: Below you will find videos about four unique animals found in Cuba–Polymita (Painted) Snails, Spinner Dolphins, Bee Hummingbirds, and El Tocororo, Cuba’s national bird.
Students could do all sorts of art projects with these beautiful creatures, or simply take one and make it the main character and hero of a class story. Do you think the Polymita Snail might be friends with Marcel the Shell?
CUBA: René Portocarrero was a self-taught Cuban artist. His paintings earned him international awards and success.
Third graders made colorful replicas in art class of his Landscape of Havana painting. The original plan was to laminate and glue all of their work onto tri-fold boards, thereby creating the “streets of Havana” in Spanish class. Students could build walls to their houses and businesses, and then fold them back up at the end of class for an easy clean-up. We wanted to create an authentic town, as part two of the second graders’ town simulation. However, the hurricanes this year had different ideas, and I became a traveling Spanish teacher–thereby putting this plan on the back burner. But their artwork turned out really well!
My school does our “International Studies” unit a little differently every year. We are still tweaking and finding the best way to make this meaningful for students. The Enrichment/ Specialist team (music, art, etc.) is in charge of this task since we teach all students. I am listing the following thoughts purely to document and so that I can remember. I’ve included a few ideas from my other schools as well. If it is helpful to someone else, great!
In 2019-2020, I did a Museum Exhibits project and invited parents to visit which, while unofficially International Studies, was along the same lines.
One year, every grade level classroom was assigned a country or region of the world, and students learned about and decorated their room accordingly. The final presentation included everyone (students and parents) visiting all rooms and getting their “passports” stamped.
Several grade level classrooms regularly invite parents to give a presentation on some part of the world that they either know about personally (grew up there), or have traveled to. They will bring in food, do projects (e.g., Ebru/ Turkish art of marbling and HERE), and talk about different language(s), music, sports, traditions, and customs of the country. I honestly wish I could attend all of these presentations, but alas, I need to teach in my own room!
In 2018-2019, I invited parents to give country presentations. I would love to get back to this.
In 2022-23, each Enrichment teacher was assigned a country or region of the world, and we studied some aspect of that place. This culminated in a presentation. I collaborated with the STEAM teacher, and we did a unit on Mexico and Chichen Itza. Second graders also did a presentation on Volcano Boarding in Nicaragua.
One year, we all forgot about International Studies because the year had been so crazy. However, for “Teacher of the Day,” or when a student acts as yours truly and shadows me for the day, we put on a skit. Here, I said (at Flag, or our ‘Morning Assembly’), that I “didn’t feel like teaching” (as a joke), and that someone else would have to do it. A student ran up to me with “names of applicants for the Spanish teacher position,” and I “interviewed” them in front of everyone.
Each student said a few words in another language (either from their ethnic background that they had learned, or a language they spoke at home with their families)–and I would reply, “Wow, you speak [Arabic/ Polish/ French/ ASL/ Greek/ etc.]?! That’s amazing. But I’m looking for a Spanish teacher…” The very last student in line said something in Spanish in the microphone, and — obviously relieved — I answered, “Oh, phew! You can teach Spanish for me today!” It ended up being a very “worldly” skit, and while I hadn’t thought of it as “international” at the time, my colleague pointed out that it most definitely was.
For the 100th Day, we also did THIS one year (related).
In 2023-24, we chose a country — Iceland — and each Enrichment teacher tapped into said culture from his/her own subject area. Initially, this was a little tricky for me, the Spanish teacher, as not many people in Iceland speak Spanish. However, I put on my thinking cap, and ended up focusing on word loans.
Based on actual historical events, first graders acted out a comical script about what it would have been like for a Spanish-speaker to show up in Iceland, that is, “what happens when two languages meet” (e.g., concepts and loanwords like tortilla are transferred/ borrowed). The skit was about Christopher Columbus (who knew Spanish) showing up in Iceland, after repeatedly asking the Catholic monarchs–Ferdinand and Isabella–for money to fund his overseas voyages. There is historical evidence that he may have landed at some point in Iceland, but as far as I could tell, this has not yet been definitively proven. Students learned about the Northern (and Southern) Lights and that the zorro/fox (arctic fox, specifically) lives in Iceland.
Glancing up from my laptop, I noticed that it was already evening. How had that happened? I had been working, and then working, and then working some more–and somehow, the time had slipped away. My thoughts became dark and cloudy as I realized that life was becoming a checklist. I didn’t like this, not at all. Something had to change. A single tear rolled down my cheek, quickly morphing into a torrential downpour, a childlike meltdown.
The tears weren’t random. I had been awakening at 2am for the past few weeks months, questioning what I was doing with my life. Being in your late thirties will do that to you. I knew that I was living too passively, working too much, playing too little, caught up in the day to day. Simply put, I wasn’t writing the script to my own life anymore, and that was a problem. So after my boss told me that I needed to take a vacation, coupled with the startling realization that twenty years had already passed since high school, I started researching travel groups.
You see, I loved traveling and exploring new languages and cultures, but I had pushed pause on that for several years simply because I was tired of traveling solo. My friends could never join me either because they were married with kids or financially unable, and I didn’t want to travel anymore if I had to go alone. I was perfectly capable; I just didn’t want to.
Thankfully, the algorithms led me to OWR. Their philosophy fit me like a glove. It was so on point, in fact, that I kind of thought some AI robot was playing tricks on me. OWR had a trip to Greece leaving in two weeks. That was a pretty tight timeline, but after verifying that the company was legit (it is!), I jumped and booked it. It was time to make some changes, and here was the perfect opportunity. Was it a rash decision? Probably. Was it worth it? One thousand percent yes.
I arrived a day early to Greece to help with jetlag. The airport transfer to the hotel was incredibly helpful because after a long international flight, it is nearly impossible to think clearly or pretend that you know how to read Greek airport signage.
My very first impression of Greece was breakfast at the hotel: after one bite, I texted my friends to tell them they needed to fly here immediately, just to taste the avocado toast. It was extraordinary. I walked around a bit during the day, and decided that I wanted to move to Greece because of the toast.
Still tired that evening but inspired by the fact that I was actually in Athens, I went to an Open Air Ancient Greek Theater performance. The backdrop was the Acropolis lit up at night. Was this real? The performance was hilarious–and even more hilarious was the fact that right before it started, I was about to ask the guy beside me if he had seen it before; however, it was good that I didn’t have time to, as he turned out to be one of the principal actors!
I walked back to the hotel that evening, soaking in the bustling nightlife, eating my first Greek gyro, and feeling very alive, despite the jetlag. After asking the gyro vendor how to say, “delicious” in Greek, I was delighted to learn that it was the same word that the actors had told me after the show when I asked how to say, “amazing”. In both contexts, you can say, Υπέροχο[ς]/ “e-PAIR-roh-hoe[s]”. I love BOGO words in a new language! Wonderful, amazing, delicious… this was an excellent start to the trip. I let the foreign sounds reverberate on my tongue as I drifted off to sleep. Υπέροχος…
The following evening, I went downstairs with my new roommate (Sophie) and met my eleven new travel companions. I don’t know how our tour leader, Aris, did it, but within 12 hours, it was as though we had known each other for years. We laughed and talked and laughed some more.
I think the idea of “next level” started that first evening at the Welcome Dinner. Aris would frequently mention details about Greek culture and how to do things “the Greek way” throughout the trip, and liked to say, “Let’s take this to the next level”. The first lesson was 1) to break up the Feta cheese before eating a Greek salad; and 2) to soak your bread in the vinegar at the bottom of the bowl after you finished your salad. Υπέροχος! Delicious!
One of my takeaways from this trip was “leveling up”. I could keep plodding along in my life, working the 9-5 and then the 6-9 after work; or, I could take it to the next level, and start actually living life. Little did I know, the adventure had just begun.
Every day after that first dinner was better and better, as if Aris and OWR had intentionally created a schedule in which we “leveled up” each day. First, we took the metro to visit the Acropolis (Parthenon) with a tour guide, were given Greek god and goddess names, and learned all about the history behind the ancient landmark. Our tour guide was fun and informative.
After a delicious lunch with the group (I could not get over how rich the flavors were in every meal — even a single tomato slice was a flavor explosion, an experience), Sophie and I walked around Monastiraki Square and Plaka, and then got lost in the gardens behind Parliament. We knew many others in the group had gone to the gardens, but we couldn’t find them; and just kept walking and walking — past chickens, birds, goats, lemon and orange trees, beautifully maintained paths, flowers, palm trees, and more — until we eventually found our way out. We immediately bought something to drink; it was in the 90s that afternoon (32 Celsius).
That evening, some of us hiked up to see the sunset. We stopped partway down the hill and sat, talking until it was dark like we were best friends, and watching the Acropolis begin to glow in the distance. Walking back to the hotel, we all bought gold crowns, and I accidentally told a store owner in Greek that I loved him — instead of what I meant, which was that I loved the crown. All of the girls and I couldn’t stop giggling after that.
I fell asleep in my comfy bed at the hotel that night with a huge smile on my face.
The next day, we took a three or four hour long ferry ride to the island of Paros. I was nervous about being seasick and had imagined a dinky little 10 foot wide “ferry”. How wrong I was! The ferry was massive and basically a cruise ship, with cars below. There was no need to worry. I wrote and enjoyed the time to reflect, and began indulging in my newly formed Greek habit of drinking a Freddo Cappuccino (iced coffee) at any time of the day.
We toured an organic farm that afternoon, and the raw beauty of Greece began to reveal itself. I couldn’t believe how vibrant the colors were. The olive trees and grape leaves and capers weren’t just “green” — they were emerald and jade and forest green. The water wasn’t just “blue” — it was sapphire and cerulean and azure and turquoise and cobalt and teal. In Paros, the flowers weren’t just “red” against the whitewashed buildings, they were scarlet and raspberry and salmon. My eyes couldn’t get enough, and neither could my stomach. We talked and laughed over dinner at the farm, rich flavors and colors alike bringing everything to life, nourishing the spirit. The friendships forming were warming my heart.
The hotel in Paros was different than in Athens, but equally charming. I liked the minimalist chic vibe and easy walk to town. I slept like a baby.
The following day was spent on a catamaran, sailing around the Cyclades Islands. We anchored near Naxos and — after some serious persuasion — I was able to jump into the water. I will jump into languages, cultures, buy a flight to who knows where; but jumping into water? Not so much.
The captain’s wife had chatted with me by this point, so when she saw me hesitating, she squatted down beside me and said in Greek, “Τρία, δύο, ένα, πάμε!!“(“Tria, theo, ena, pame”/ 3-2-1, let’s go!). That did the trick — I jumped, swam to the beach, sat under a tree on a rock, and let the peace and serenity of the place seep into my veins. Elizabeth (another woman in the group) pointed out the shimmering water. It literally sparkled in the sunlight–truly magical.
We took a ferry to Santorini afterwards, and had an amazing dinner that night overlooking the most iconic part of the island. I did not understand until arriving what it meant when people said that the island was formed out of a “volcano crater” or caldera. The island went straight up, and the only way to get to the top from the port was on a zigzag road. Unbelievable!
A group of us decided to go on a kayaking tour to the black, white, and red sands beaches for our free day to explore. We visited the “Mouth of the Dragon” cave, and I began to understand why people love being on the water. It is a different type of freedom than on land. The sea — in Greece, it’s the sea, not the ocean — stretches out before you, the wind ripples the waves, peace abounds: it’s lovely, as my kayak buddy and friend Mandy would say!
That night, we had a cooking class, and it was so much fun!
On the last day of the tour, we took a six-mile hike from Thira/Fira to Oia early in the morning (to beat the sun). “Leveling up” yet again, the views were incredible. I was a bit scared of the height, but every time I felt anxious, I kept reflecting on what Aris had said.
You see, he told us that the Greeks have a “blind trust” mentality, where they trust that you are a good person with good intentions, and treat you with nothing but kindness — unless you disrespect them or cross a line. I could feel this goodwill and hospitality in every single one of my interactions throughout Greece. People weren’t nice because they were being paid to act that way for tourists; it came from their heart — the kindness was genuine.
So I was going to trust Aris that I would be safe on this hike, safe climbing up the steep cliffs without a railing. Safe jumping into the water off of a catamaran. Safe kayaking for the first time. Safe in a foreign land. And you know what? I really did feel safe the entire time I was in Greece.
That evening, we had our last catamaran sail and dinner. I had moussaka and fell head over heels in love with the aubergine lasagna–my newest favorite food. There was a beautiful tangerine sunset over the water; but Aris had to interrupt our conversation to point this out because we were all so absorbed in talking with one another that the setting had slipped away. Time had slipped away–but this time, in the best of ways.
As a linguist, I picked up a lot of Greek vocabulary while in Greece. Aris always said, “Σιγά σιγά/ sigá, sigá” (slowly, slowly), which is a great reminder to live life and not just rush through it. But my favorite phrase sums up my time there: Αυτό είναι ένα τέλειο όνειρο. / This is a perfect dream. (“af-TOE e-nay ena tell-E-oh oh-NEAR-row”)
Greece, I will be back. You can count on that. And in the meantime, I will make sure to take every day to the next level. “Τρία, δύο, ένα, πάμε!!“(“Tria, theo, ena, pame”/ 3-2-1, let’s go!).
Thank you (Ευχαριστώ) to OWR, Aris, Elizabeth, Liz, Loren, Mandy, Sammy, Sophie, Crystal, Diana, Harriet, and Ming for everything!
P.S. I traveled to Crete after the OWR tour. Highlights included the Lighthouse of Chania, an ATV Quad Safari tour, and a day at Elafonisi Beach — you travel through a gorge to get to the latter, eek! But it was still awesome.
Highlights:Athens-Open Air Ancient Greek Theater Performance, Hop On/Hop Off Bus, National Archeological Museum, Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, Changing of the Guards; OWR tour, Acropolis (Parthenon), Monastiraki Square, Plaka, ferry ride; Paros- Naoussa Village, Organic Farm, Parikia Village, catamaran and swimming off of Naxos and Small Cyclades, ferry ride; Santorini- sunset, kayaking to black, white, and red sand beaches, Thira/Fira to Oia 6-mile hike, private catamaran and swimming and snorkeling, ferry ride; Crete- transfer from Rethymno to Chania, Lighthouse of Chania (Venetian Harbor), ATV Quad Safari tour, chicken gyro with peach tea, Hop On/Hop Off Bus (Chania), Topolia Gorge, Elafonisi Beach, Chania sightseeing.
My Dear Friends, Fellow Linguists, and Citizens of the World:
This summer, find one or more activities to complete on the Spanish Summer Choice BoardHERE. Anything underlined on the chart is a link. It is also embedded below, but this seems to only work on iPhones–and freezes on Androids. The link above, however, works for everyone. Browse through older summer packets for even more ideas.
I have been teaching Spanish for 17 years now. As a result, I know a good deal about children ages 3-10, and the importance of routines and rituals in the classroom. I know how to simplify concepts so that students understand, and I know how to make children laugh when they are crying. I also know that while it is important to plan, many times, plans go awry; and I often wonder why I bother to plan in the first place.
This year has been challenging in many ways, and so, I must be transparent here: there are currently 6.5 days of school left in the year, and I am beyond exhausted. The aftereffects of the hurricane, along with countless events in May, have taken their toll on everyone. In fact, this past Monday, I truly believed that the following day was Friday. (Spoiler alert: it was not.)
If you haven’t been in an elementary school classroom the week before summer break — which, this year, also conveniently happens to be a full moon week — then you will just have to trust me: it’s rough. I adore my students, but it’s rough. Emotions are everywhere. Overreactions abound. Rules are forgotten or only selectively heard. And it is with this picture painted that I walked into PK4 Spanish today without a lesson plan. I had printed out pictures of a gingerbread house, but that was it. Were we studying gingerbread houses? No. Was it Christmastime? No. Why did I do it? No idea.
But the crazy part is, it all worked out; students saved the day. Now don’t get me wrong: planning is crucial to building a predictable and creative classroom environment. But sometimes, just sometimes, you can give yourself permission as an educator to go with the flow. You know what you’re doing. You know your kids. So instead of fighting upstream against the current of last-week chaos, relax and see where the raft leads you downstream. It might just surprise you, in the best of ways.
When I visit the PK4 classroom, students like to greet with me a very excited, “¡Sorpresa!” (surprise!). They are really quiet (hard for four-year-olds), and the surprise is that they are sitting and ready for Spanish class. I act floored every time, and then ham it up, thanking them profusely — ¡Mil gracias! (a thousand thanks)
I had no idea what we would do next on this particular morning, so I stuck with the routine. Surely, this will lead somewhere interesting, right? We did our warm-up action commands, and I asked them how they were. A girl said that she was cold (Tengo mucho frío/ I’m cold), and the silliness began: “Cold like an ice cube? Oh no! Abracadabra, ¡chiquitipuf! Are you an ice cube?!” because exaggerating is like gold with this age group. It’s not just big, it’s BIGGER THAN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE! It’s not just cold, it’s SO COLD THAT PENGUINS WEAR SCARVES! And so on and so forth.
Point being, we decided that no, the student had not turned into an ice cube, but that a nearby — perfectly square — chair certainly looked like an ice cube. It was a peculiar shade of green, but no matter.
AND THEN, the magic happened. Someone shouted out, “Tell us a story!” and I thought to myself, now we have a destination. So we began. I didn’t have a story, but we already had a character–and off we went, sailing into the horizon.
When you have established a character, that’s all you really need. I love the TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) method of asking a story, and thus proceeded accordingly in the target language.
Class, what do we know? We know that there’s an ice cube. How is he feeling today? Sad? Oh no! Why? What is he doing? He’s running? Why is he running? He’s running away from his house. Poor little thing! What is his house like? It’s big? With a thousand windows? Wow! That’s a lot! There’s a door, too? Oh, and a little door for his puppy?
I can’t draw worth bananas, so I “hired” a student who loves dogs to take ten seconds and draw a dog on the whiteboard. I thanked her, told her to curtsy afterwards, and we all applauded enthusiastically. With older students, I would have them draw a box around their artwork, write Picasso at the bottom, and then have them cross it out and write their name–and milk this moment a little more; but these kiddos are only four, and the applause was enough to put a big smile on her face.
As it turned out, our protagonist Mr. Ice Cube was running away from home because he had a fight with said puppy. Fred the Puppy Dog allegedly threw tomatoes at Mr. Ice Cube, which made him sad and a little angry. Where did Fred find these tomatoes? He took them from one of our students! Poor Jacob was about to bite into a big, juicy hamburger — we had practiced miming the action command, “come una hamburguesa” (eat a hamburger) at the beginning of class, so this fit in perfectly — when Fred stole the tomato right out of his hamburger! And thus ensued a serious tomato fight (I could have brought up La Tomatina here, but wanted to focus on the story).
So Mr. Ice Cube runs away with tomato goo still on his face, and climbs up a tree. In the tree, there is a butterfly, an ice cream cone, and a fish in a fishbowl. This was because students noticed some random magnets on the board (I’m a traveling Spanish teacher this year, so this wasn’t my room), and there were fish, butterfly, and ice cream cone magnets. When they asked if I could put the other “people” magnets in the tree, I replied, “Who are they?”
And the class replied, “GINGERBREAD MEN!“
I almost fell over — and then took out the gingerbread houses that I had printed right before their class. “The clock struck twelve,” — literally, the class ended at noon — and… mic drop out. The teacher assistant looked at me with wide eyes: how in the world did you plan that? Teeheehee. I didn’t.
Sometimes, you can plan down to the minute, and it works out. Sometimes, you can plan down to the minute, and it falls apart. Sometimes, you can not plan, and it doesn’t work out.
But every once in a while, you can not plan, and it does work out. I wouldn’t bank on this method. However, I would like to believe that when you trust in yourself and go with the flow, the chances increase that everything will come full circle.
“Everything works out in the end. If it’s not working out, it’s not the end.”
SPAIN- Catalonia: April 23rd is called “El día del libro y la rosa” (The Day of Books and Roses), or Sant Jordi/ Saint George, and is a very special tradition in Catalonia, among other places. On the day of Saint George, friends exchange books and roses. In Catalonia, this accounts for sales of close to 2 million books and 7 million roses. Wow! HERE are a few more details. It is my newest favorite holiday!
The “book” part of The Day of Books and Roses has its origins in the fact that three widely acclaimed authors — namely, Miguel de Cervantes (Don Quijote), Shakespeare, and Garcilaso de la Vega — all died on the same date: April 23, 1616. Because they were all writers, friends and loved ones exchange books on April 23rd each year, also known as World Book Day.
The “rose” part stems from a legend about Saint George. “There once was a very big, green, fire-breathing dragon. Everyone was scared of it. One day, a very brave knight came and killed the dragon. From the blood of the dragon a rose grew. The knight gave the rose to the princess. From that day on, nobody was scared.” —Sant Jordi I El Drac; here is a version in English. While the story is a legend, Saint George himself is the patron saint of Catalonia and was also martyred on April 23rd.
In class, second graders tried to make beautiful roses out of cucumbers, radishes, and even pepperoni (see videos below). While this was fun, eating the foods was even more fun. Students also colored beautiful pictures of roses and a few even made miniature books to give to their friends. Next year, we will try to make tissue-paper flowers and have a writing/ book contest. Maybe we will even set up little book stands to sell books around school!
Every year, fourth graders memorize and present a play entirely in Spanish for Lower School students and their families. The play has a completely different plot each year and is based on the adventures of my stuffed animal duck, “Pato“.
Soundtrack
The “Pato” Play (2024-25)
Third graders perform a skit in Spanish, saying rhymes and playing a soccer game at recess. Later, they decide to go out to a restaurant to eat, where they see some startling “Breaking News” on TV.
Second graders pretend to star in this “Breaking News” segment, but the reporters have trouble staying focused and being professional. They do their makeup, drink Cuban coffee, and take personal phone calls on live TV. One call informs the world that Pato Malo has stolen Pato’s sock pajamas.
Fourth graderstake over from this point to theatrically explain how and why this occurred. Play synopsis as follows:
ACT 1: Pato (Duck) does not show up for the first day of school. The narrators try to explain why, but also note that it is “a long story”. This explanation begins with a dramatic entrance by the “Evil Fruit Gang” (including Bad Apple), of which Pato Malo (Bad Duck, aka Pato’s evil twin) is the leader.
ACT 2:Pato Malo is arrested for chewing bubble gum in Singapore (selling gum is illegal there). There is a trial, but he is thrown in jail. His first call is to his brother (Pato) who doesn’t answer the phone. The second phone call is to his “Evil Fruit Gang” buddies. They help him escape, and to get back at his brother for not helping him, Pato Malo steals his brother’s lucky sock pajamas and jets off to Thailand.
ACT 3:Pato (Duck) calls his #BFF Oso (Bear), and the two work together to track down the pjs. They end up recruiting Spain’s Army to assist in the mission. Along the way, and while floating down the Amazon River in Peru, they chance upon the DOOR to EcuaDOR. After that, everything just falls into place. Because in Stuffed Animal Land, it always works out in the end.
Pato (Duck) and Pato Malo (Bad Duck): identical twins. AI-generated versions of my stuffed animals.
In Depth…
The play begins this year in a typical classroom setting. Students notice that their classmate Pato is absent (allusion to the first month of the year, when he was MIA), and inquire about his whereabouts; this murmuring interrupts the lesson, much to the teacher’s frustration. The narrators explain to the audience that in order to answer where Pato is, they need to start from the beginning, as it is a Very Long Story.
You see, one day, Bad Duck (aka “Evil Pato”) is roaming the streets of Singapore with his rotten-to-the-core Fruit Gang, while chewing gum. Unfortunately for him, chewing gum is illegal there (#truestory), and he is arrested and brought before a judge. Despite hiring the best defense attorneys, he is sentenced to jail — or in Stuffed Animal Land, The Dreaded Time-Out Chair.
He makes a call from jail to his identical twin brother [the ‘good’ Pato], but Good Patois singing in the shower and doesn’t pick up. This makes Bad Duck very angry. “I tried to be good, but it’s no use!” and he goes back to the Fruit Gang. The Fruit Gang is playing MarioKart and Bad Apple is winning when the phone rings. They come up with a plan to get Bad Duck out of jail. At this point, Good Pato has no idea that his brother is mad at him.
We get a feel for the sense of the humor embedded throughout in the Fruit Gang dialogue here: Orange is always making ridiculous knock, knock jokes; everyone looks at their Apple iPhones EXCEPT for Apple when the phone rings; etc.
After Bad Duck escapes from jail, he makes a beeline for Good Duck’s house, for the sole purpose of stealing his sock pajamas. Once they finds the pjs, Bad Duck runs back to the getaway vehicle, while the rest of the gang does a celebratory dance at the scene of the crime. Whoops! A chase scene ensues shortly thereafter, as Pato realizes that his brother is at fault.
NOBODY touches his pajamas, and the rest of the play is about the adventures surrounding how Pato gets them back. His sock pajamas are his lucky charm, and he is very attached to them. What no one knows at this point is that Pato is trying to write a novel, and he needs his pajamas to accomplish said task. Ergo, the task is interrupted as he goes on a whirlwind chase around the globe — mission possible, just not likely — trying to track down the pjs (when all he really wants to do is sit down and write).
Where was Pato for the first month of school? It’s a Very Long Story. You see, it all started a long time ago. He was walking in the mountains of Chile when…
As you may already know, Chapter 2 of this story is where we first meet the monster Fluphball. There is a monster under the bed, and at first, Pato is scared; but then they chat, and it turns out that Fluphball is pretty nice. Pato is in the middle of looking for the door to EcuaDOR, and decides to ask for Fluphball’s help. The monster is curious and ends up going with Pato.
In second grade, students meet another character named Bob the Beetle. The stories begin to intersect when the monster Fluphball innocently takes Bob’s jacket in order to complete his Jacket Collection. But Bob is very cold without his jacket, and wants it back!
Bob the Beetle makes so much money by selling his collection of jackets on Amazon, that he is suddenly very rich. He buys a Volkswagon Bug (aka Beetle) along with some very fancy shoes, and asks if Pato would like to join him on a hike across the country. It is a very famous hike called El Camino de Santiago.
While walking, the two catch wind of news making all of the headlines in the paper: Evil Onion Steals Princess’ Slippers.
Pato has been obsessing over the Spanish masterpiece Don Quijote during the walk, and is very motivated to “save the world” when he hears this (just like the main character in the novel).
My Dear Friends, Fellow Linguists, and Citizens of the World:
Much like the image above, there can be an air of mystery surrounding the subject matter I teach. There is actually a reason for this intangible, nebulous aura: you might not be able to see the whole picture. You see, when someone asks what we do in Spanish class, I like to remind them that “learning Spanish” includes a lot of things: first, there is reading, writing, listening, and speaking the language; then, there is the food, sports, music, art, and traditions of a culture; and third, “Spanish” isn’t simply one culture–it is the culture(s) of 21 Spanish-speaking countries. Spanish encompasses a lot!
In my classroom, we tap into these categories from all different angles and perspectives. This summer, pick a category you would like to work on each day, week, or month. Use the links below to guide you.
Language
READ
Visit the foreign language children’s section of your local library. Find books in Spanish and look for any words you know or can guess what they might mean.
Are you watching a movie with your family? Turn on the Spanish subtitles or closed captioning (“CC”), and pause the video every once in a while to see if you know any words.
Work on the Duolingo app. Log in with your school account so that you get credit for any lessons you complete over the summer.
Try the Spanish Wordle. Visit this page to spell some of the wall word signs that students are used to seeing in my classroom.
To read along with fairy tales in Spanish and English, click HERE.
WRITE
Instead of a pen or pencil, choose a unique medium–spaghetti, dot markers, fingerpaint, PlayDoh, etc.–to practice spelling words or sentences in Spanish.
But maestra, I like writing in pencil! Great! Try journaling in Spanish. Write a word a day. Or track the weather in Spanish.
WEATHER VOCAB:hace frío (it’s cold); hace calor (it’s hot); hace mucho calor (it’s really hot); está nevando (it’s snowing); está lloviendo (it’s raining); está nublado (it’s cloudy); hace viento (it’s windy); hay una tormenta (there’s a storm).
FUN FACT: Did you know that Pablo Picasso’s first word as a baby was lápiz (or pencil)? He spoke Spanish!
Make a Spanish graffiti wall of all the words you are learning. Find a good place in your house for this (or with chalk outside on the sidewalk).
LISTEN
Listen to music in Spanish! The Spanish Song Playlists are on each grade level page linked below. For even more music, click HERE.
Play the Ear Training Game(and guess the language!). We play this mostly in third and fourth grade, and it is a great challenge.
Watch Movies & Cartoons in Spanish. Pick a series you enjoy in English and watch in Spanish instead. For example, Bluey is a favorite among many.
Visit my new YouTube channel to see if I’ve posted a video about Pato (#SummerProject). Subscribe for notifications.
SPEAK
Go to a Spanish-speaking restaurant and ask the waiter how to order. Please don’t assume your child knows something or pressure them into speaking–rather, encourage them by learning together and being vulnerable yourself. Speaking another language takes a lot of courage.
NOTE: Personality and confidence play a large role here. I have some students who understand every word I say, but rarely produce any Spanish in class, and I have others who cannonball into the language and will try to say anything and everything, even when they don’t understand. It varies significantly from child to child.
Talk to yourself in Spanish. Hang post-it notes around your house with labels or phrases you know, and say those words whenever you are in said room. Visit this page for a few ideas to get you started.
Culture
FOOD, SPORTS, MUSIC, ART, TRADITIONS
Try a new food, meal, or recipe you haven’t before. I like pairing a radio station with a meal (esp. with radio.garden — all of the green dots are cities, and you click on one to hear a radio station from that country). For example, if you are making spaghetti, tune in to Italy. If you are eating empanadas, tune in to Argentina.
Play soccer/fútbol or learn about Chapitas (Venezuela); pick a route and then go hiking (Spain); build with or play dominoes (Dominican Republic).
Click on the Culture Guide images below to learn something new!
Look for names of Spanish-speaking countries on tags and labels of items around your house and at the store. Chart HERE.
Look at world maps. Plan a trip somewhere!
This year’s packet is short and sweet because there are already so many resources on my site. Feel free to spend some time exploring! For instance, if you would like weekly tasks or challenges, click HERE. If you want to read more, check out Summer Packets from other years. And if you were curious, the ‘mysterious’ image at the top of this page is from Viñales, Cuba. Have an amazing summer, and see you in the fall!
Gracias,
-Your Resident Linguist❤️
Song Playlist- Student Favorites
Culture Guide
For more information organized by country, visit the Travel Guide page. Click here for Country Flags.
Kneeling down, she let her fingertips glide over the bead’s curved surface, marveling at the intricate detail, only halfway conscious of the murmur of marketplace chattering around her. The beads were wooden, of various shapes and sizes, and hand-painted. Her eyes paused on an unfamiliar word painted in tiny black letters: gorrión. A quick mental search, hippocampus1 struggling to locate a definition encoded long ago, brought up a depressing ‘no results’. She stood inert, mind blank, wondering. An audacious surge of confidence ran through her veins and she opened her lips to ask, the question forming before she had time to reassess.
There was a hoary tinge to the white locks of hair that fell past the woman’s shoulders, an image redolent of experience and insight, silvery streaks magically leading to the fountain of wisdom. When the owner of the tresses spoke, the words flowed effortlessly, that distinct and beautiful Argentine cadence spilling out, and the girl strained to focus on the meaning behind the words in lieu of the harmonious euphony. She felt ecstatic and overwhelmed, but rejected both sentiments, desperately trying to stay in the present, in the moment.
And yet, it was too much; the woman’s melodic voice wound about her like snowflakes in a terrific blizzard, enveloping, distracting, encouraging her to concentrate on the pauses and blanks, the spaces amidst the imaginary precipitation: “Carlos Gardel, French Argentine Tango singer and songwriter… gorrión, a type of bird [sparrow]… profound sadness, melancholic nature of the lyrics…”. It was so easy to drift away; she must learn to control the hippocampus, that visceral ‘sea monster’ supposedly in command of her spatial navigation and long-term memory. For now, q-w-e-r-t-y-u-i-o-p and a long-overdue message to a dear friend would have to preserve this moment.
1Hippocaampus: “named after its resemblance to the seahorse, from the Greek, ἱππόκαμπος, ‘seahorse’ from ἵππος hippos, ‘horse’ and κάμπος kampos, ‘sea monster’” (Wikipedia)
The posts below are language tips written for anyone taking the Adult Duolingo Class.
Most Recent
WEEK #14: Around the holiday season, I like to declutter and clean in preparation for a new year. Some of this is inspired by a Cuban tradition–for New Year’s, many Cubans mop their houses from top to bottom, and fill up a bucket with the dirty water. Next, they dump this water in the street, as a symbolic gesture to “throw away” all of the bad stuff from this past year and begin anew.
I’m sure this is not limited to Cubans (the Japanese have a similar tradition), but the idea of ‘decluttering’–getting rid of the excess, the superfluous–got me thinking about language. When you are initially learning a new language, you have to pare down your sentences. You can’t always use fancy adjectives or be as precise as you’d like.
In essence, you have to declutter what you say, get to the meat of your thought, take down the decorations in your mind of how you want to be perceived (e.g., highly educated, relatable, etc.)… and just spit it out. Learning a language is humbling: you become a diamond in the rough, clay not yet molded, marble not fully sculpted. But your moment is coming! So declutter your sentences, and focus on what’s truly important in your message. A word uttered here or there in a language you aren’t expected to speak can make someone’s day.
Archives
WEEK 1: Integrate your language study into your thoughts and conversations. For example, if you know that verde is green in Spanish, every time you see any shade of green today–while you are driving, at the grocery store, on the soccer field–say the word verde to yourself. Make the language come alive. Actively search for the words you know out in real life.”
WEEK 2: Don’t simply repeat words robotically on the app–add expression, snuggle up and get comfy with them. They are becoming a part of you, no matter where you are on your language-learning journey.
EXTRA: If you would like to go down the linguistics rabbit hole, check out this page for some thought-provoking articles.
WEEK 3: Pacing. This week, pay attention to pacing. Just like in a marathon, you can’t go out in a full sprint–and maintain that speed for 26.2 miles (or at least most of us can’t). Some of you may have started out pretty hardcore, but your pace has begun to slow. Don’t beat yourself up about it; just find the right rhythm for you and your schedule. The most important factor when learning a language is frequency. It is much more effective to study in little blips throughout the week, than a cram session on Saturday. I know the cram session is tempting, but it won’t get you where you want to go. #fluency #proficiency
EXTRA: Check out the main Adult Class page for more tips HERE.
WEEK 4: This week, reflect on WHY you are learning your target language. Do you want to travel and be able to communicate with people in that country? Would it make your job easier if you spoke XX language? Do your in-laws speak another language and you’d like to feel more like family when you are around them? It is important to have a strong reason to fall back on when your language study begins to plateau or you notice yourself losing interest.
If you want to travel, be specific–what do you want to see? Dream it! Visualize it! Write it down! And maybe, just maybe, buy a ticket! THIS site is also fun to play around with, either to click on all of the states/ countries you’ve visited or the ones you would like to visit someday. So… WHY are you learning your language in particular? And do you know how to say why in the language you’re studying??!
EXTRA: Check out this language-based post re: Columbus Day from last year, in case you missed it.
WEEK 5: Are you skipping the “repeat aloud” lessons on Duolingo? Yes, I’m looking at you! Do you click the, “can’t talk now” button? DON’T! This week, be courageous. Repeat the sentences aloud… maybe even when you don’t have to. It will build your confidence. Just do it. (#FunFact- did you know that “Nike” comes from the Greek νίκη [níkē], meaning victory?)
EXTRA: Watch this [FUN!!!] video about “what English sounds like to foreigners” (guy at top of page)
WEEK #6: This week, consider “journaling” in your target language. This might mean writing down three words you remember. For example, if you had coffee sometime today, write “coffee” in the language you’re studying (if you know it). If you know, “I drink coffee” (or “I don’t drink coffee”), write that! Don’t worry about verb tenses–“Well technically, it should be I drank coffee…”. NO! Your goal is to get out a thought or two on paper. (Or the shower stall glass door when it’s fogged up: write a word there, don’t just draw a smiley face!) Did you greet anyone with, “Hello” or “Good morning” today [in English]? Then write the equivalent in your language to indicate that. If you’re ready for a full sentence or two, try that on for size. Work at your own level and pace.
The most important takeaway here is to use what you already know. If you don’t know the word, move on. Use a word you do–the word might not be precise, it might not be perfect, but it will get the job done. Not sure about truck? Say car. Not sure about toast? Say bread. We have to train ourselves to get to the point a little faster in the language we are studying. “Me! Bread! Now!” It’s not pretty–perhaps, pretty humbling!–but you’ve made your point, right?
EXTRA: Oh, so you think you’re hardcore?! Send me a photo of your handwritten scrawls in another language! (I won’t grade you, promise.)
WEEK #7: This week, let’s extend a bit to culture. Have you tried cooking a dish from your target language’s culture? If you don’t have time to go all out on a full-fledged recipe, order out a meal you haven’t tried before. I like to have weekly, broad, ‘international’ themes at home sometimes, where if I am making empanadas, I’ll put on Spanish [Argentine] music. If I am making samosas, I’ll stream a radio station from India. If I am making spaghetti, I’ll listen to Italian. Surround yourself with the language AND culture. Language is more than words!
EXTRA: Check out radio.garden to stream radio stations from anywhere in the world (all of the green dots are cities).
Click HERE for recipes from Spanish-speaking countries.
WEEK #8: Are you making connections, or is your language study tucked away in a drawer? Do the words in your target language only surface in your mind when you are on the Duolingo app– and then remain dormant the rest of the day? If that is the case, don’t ask, “Why can’t I remember?” Ask instead, “How can I connect my daily activities with my target language?” Our brains are unique search engines, and will actively look for answers… which means that we have to make sure we are asking thoughtful questions.
In fact, our brains will no doubt tell us a million reasons why we can’t remember, but that is not productive: it just makes us feel bad. However, if we pose a better question, our brains will get to work and start thinking of ways to integrate our language study into our daily lives. So, ask your brain! I bet it will come up with some creative answers!
EXTRA: Earn DOUBLE the XP you normally do in a week.
WEEK #11: This week, think about those catchy code phrases where people say, “The eagle has landed” or “We have a code red” or “Mission accomplished” or “The eagle has left the nest”.
Now, using the same tone of voice–while talking into your invisible handheld walkie talkie–repeat a Duolingo phrase: “He’s eating an apple.” “Bread, please.” “Good morning, Mr. Rodriguez.” Make it a game with your family! #SecretMessages #Codes #FunLanguageGames
Calling all Word Enthusiasts! The Wordle is back! Rather, I abandoned the Wordle for several months and was just reminded of its utility in learning another language. Thus…
WEEK #13: This week, check out the “Guidebook” icon on the Duolingo app, and scan the units you’ve completed to see if you know a handful of five-letter words in your target language. If you know a few–in Spanish, for example, mujer/ woman, cinco/ five, queso/ cheese, vamos/ let’s go, dónde/ where, guapo/ handsome–try guessing the word of the day!
THIS PAGE is the link to search for the Wordle in any other language you may be studying.
NOTE: If you’ve never played before, you have six chances to guess a word. After you choose a word and press enter, green means the letter is in the correct location; yellow means it is in the word, but in the wrong location; and gray means that letter is not in the word.
EXTRA: Reach out to another parent/ faculty member who is studying the same language as you, and text them your “The eagle has landed” secret code phrase from the other week. If you don’t remember what I’m talking about, click HERE.
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.
This semester, students reviewed some basic Spanish language trivia (e.g., how many languages are there in the world?), and had a more advanced linguistic discussion about endangered languages (do they ‘count’, in the tabulation?). Next, they jumped right into learning on how to Salsa dance. Why Salsa? Well, Salsa dancing is very important in Cuba, and the third grade curriculum starts with a history lesson in the target language that takes place in Cuba.
Students learned about the 1715 Shipwreck of a Spanish fleet traveling from Cuba back to Spain, which was not only a nice way to review geography, but also eased them back into an immersive classroom environment with a lot of cognates, easily identifiable vocabulary, and words with Latin roots (la isla, la historia, el huracán, la tormenta, el tesoro, el territorio, el rey, el dinero, Cuba, España, por qué, porque, el control, el barco, el grupo, el problema, [el marinero/ mar]). Third graders had fun acting out the story–adding in a class song, Para bailar la bamba(“Soy capitán”)–but when a realhurricane canceled classes for a few days, we took a break from this and moved on to another unit for a while. Too close to home!
Here, third graders were introduced to the Duolingo app. When some reached a lesson about “el” and “la” words (i.e., masculine/feminine nouns), we stopped and talked about it. In class, I frame the noun discussion as “boys GET this” (el helado/ ice cream) and “girls GET that” (la pizza). This makes it a fun “competition” and exciting for students to see “which team” a noun belongs to. It’s also fun for them to test me: can you find a word I don’t know in Spanish yet?! While I am fluent in Spanish and have taught for 16 years, I think it’s valuable for students to remember that teachers are always learning, too: we are human and don’t know everything.
Students demonstrated a strong interest here, and so the grammar study continued with cognates(famoso, inteligente, impaciente, etc.). The 1715 Shipwreck was referenced once again, and we returned to the story, this time with a little more distance and perspective.
Ultimately, the goal was to build a fiction story out of the non-fiction historical account of the shipwreck (Cubby the Cuban Cube), but this attempt fizzled, due to schedule interruptions and canceled classes. The semester ended with a classic third grade culture project about Easter Island (Chile), where students delved into a study about Rongorongo tablets and the mysterious Easter Island statues. One student made a connection with the Nazca Lines (Peru): don’t the shapes of the (small) characters on the Rongorongo tablets look similar to the (massive) geoglyphs? Well, yes, they do! Great observation!
Last but not least, third graders played a “Guess the Language” game (ear training), and had a few center work days to break up the routine.
SEMESTER 2
Week 1: Students have been building a “Spanish Soccer” unit in class this month. They are working as a team to pass through a series of warm-up levels (no English!!), in order to get to play real soccer games outside. This week, however, they took a break to help out with a Lower School project about the Panama Canal–building cardboard boats and loading them up with cargo, after discussing the iconic piece of maritime history and how our stuff (toys, food, etc.)finds its way onto store shelves.
Week 2: Students resumed their “Spanish Soccer” unit (fútbol/ soccer). Class begins at the tables with a formal lesson (listening/ comprehension focus), and then continues with students lining up in two rows (facing each other). Here, one student is selected as “Coach” to lead soccer players in several warm-up exercises, where the team counts together in Spanish (either 1-10, or 1-100 by tens). Next, they have a controlled passing activity, where the most important rule is ¡No inglés! (no English!). Key vocabulary at this point includes the following: por acá (over here), pásala (pass it), la pelota (the ball), ¿cuántos? (how many [exercises]), próximo (next), and a chant: “Este partido, lo vamos a ganar” (we’re going to win this game!). They are working to pass certain levels (as a class) so that third graders can go outside and play real games. Class ends with a few minutes to complete a Duolingo lesson on the app.
Week 3: Students continued with their “Spanish Soccer” unit (fútbol/ soccer). The description below is similar to last week, in case you didn’t read it yet. We keep building, building, building on this routine–and each day, there is more Spanish, less English, and greater awareness/ identification of cognados (words that sound similar to their English equivalents–e.g., famous/ famoso, art/ arte, etc.), which ultimately facilitates comprehension and understanding.
Class begins at the tables with a formal lesson (listening/ comprehension focus), and then continues with students lining up in two rows (facing each other). Here, one student is selected as “Coach” to lead soccer players in several warm-up exercises, where the team counts together in Spanish (either 1-10, or 1-100 by tens). Next, they have a controlled passing activity, where the most important rule is ¡No puedes hablar inglés! (you can’t speak English!). Key vocabulary at this point includes the following: por acá (over here), pásala (pass it), la pelota (the ball), ¿cuántos? (how many [exercises]), próximo (next), and a chant: “Este partido, lo vamos a ganar” (we’re going to win this game!). They are working to pass certain levels (as a class) so that third graders can go outside and play real games. Class ends with a few minutes to complete a Duolingo lesson on the app.
Week 4: Students continued with their “Spanish Soccer” unit (fútbol/ soccer). We keep building, building, building on this routine–and each day, there is more Spanish, less English, and greater awareness/ identification of cognados (words that sound similar to their English equivalents–e.g., famous/ famoso, art/ arte, etc.), which ultimately facilitates comprehension and understanding. The vocabulary list has been updated below. Third graders also reviewed the names of the Spanish-speaking countries on the second Floor Map on Thursday. Key vocabulary at this point includes the following: ¡No puedes hablar inglés! (you can’t speak English!), por acá (over here), pásala (pass it), la pelota (the ball), ¿cuántos? (how many [exercises]), próximo (next), la tengo (I got it!), apúrate (hurry up), and a chant: “Este partido, lo vamos a ganar” (we’re going to win this game!).
Week 5: Students continued with their “Spanish Soccer” unit (fútbol/ soccer). They focused on eliminating English from their speech and instead replacing it with the following vocabulary: ¡No puedes hablar en inglés! (you can’t speak in English!), por acá (over here), pásala (pass it), la pelota (the ball), sugerencias (suggestions), ¿cuántos? (how many [exercises]), próximo (next), la tengo (I got it!), apúrate (hurry up), and a chant: “Este partido, lo vamos a ganar” (we’re going to win this game!). Both classes also leveled up to adding short sprints to get the ball–¡Corre! (Run!). Last but not least, they began hearing a legend from Cuba about fútbol.
Week 6: Students have focused heavily this year on identifying cognates, or words that are similar in both Spanish and English (Latin roots); however, they learned from their Cuban legend this week that there are also some ‘trick words’. For example, ratón or ratoncito means mouse in Spanish, even though it sounds like rat (which is actually rata). They also continued with their “Spanish Soccer” unit (fútbol/ soccer). As part of the “next level”, third graders had the opportunity to paint tiny flags of any Spanish- speaking country on each others’ faces or hands. The goal here was to work on being considerate of others (Honor Code) and slowing down for a detail-oriented task.
Week 7: Forgot to update. Students acted out and finished hearing the legend from Cuba about fútbol. The moral of the story was, it pays to learn another language.
Week 8: Students reviewed some language trivia; worked on Duolingo, the Spanish Wordle, and naming countries on the Floor Map; and continued with their soccer unit. They are working on asking, “¿Qué vamos a hacer?” (What are we going to do?) and “¿Qué más?” (What else?), and saying a new chant, “Ganamos, perdimos, igual nos divertimos” (we won, we lost, either way we had fun). Soon, they will be heading outside to play real games!
Week 9: Students only had one class due to conferences and the Easter break. On Monday, they reviewed their food passwords (la manzana/ apple, la piña/ pineapple, el pollo/ chicken, la zanahoria/ carrot, la naranja/ orange, el queso/ cheese, la cebolla/ onion, el durazno (el melocotón)/ peach, la fresa/ strawberry, la leche de chocolate/ chocolate milk, el plátano/ banana, las papas fritas/ French fries). This has been a warm-up game in class recently because students wanted to use my plastic food, but I said that they had to know the names of the food they were holding; so it became “a thing” (#Spanish #Trending #FoodPasswords #LOL). Later, third graders traveled outside to the courtyard to play their second official Spanish Soccer game (Argentina vs. Los Estados Unidos/ USA). They did an AMAZING job and spoke in only Spanish almost the whole time! (Anyone who speaks in English gets a penalty and has to sit out for 10 seconds.) ¿Qué vamos a hacer?” (What are we going to do?); ¡Vamos a jugar al fútbol! (We’re going to play soccer!!); ¡Soy portero(a)!/ I’m goalie!
Week 10: Students reviewed their food passwords and found out who their “password twin” was in the other class; revisited a language-guessing game from the fall (ear training); and then traveled outside to the courtyard again to play another official Spanish Soccer game. ¿Qué vamos a hacer?” (What are we going to do?); ¡Vamos a jugar al fútbol! (We’re going to play soccer!!); ¡Soy portero(a)!/ I’m goalie!; casi (almost); ¡Buen partido! (Good game!) P.S. It is partido, not potato.
Week 11: Students worked on either Duolingo or the Spanish Wordle; reviewed their food passwords (#hilarious); and learned about the difference between translation (written) and interpretation (spoken). Third graders acted out examples of both, and had great questions about the two professions. Later in the week, they took a look at some “translations gone wrong”–something was definitely lost in translation here! We took a break from soccer this week because of the solar eclipse viewing and storms. Click HERE for Semester Updates.
Week 12: This week, students attended the Spanish Play (an annual event put on by fourth graders–and all about Pato). They had reviewed the plot in detail last week, so combined with their Spanish vocabulary base, they understood a great deal and thoroughly appreciated the show. When I asked them on Thursday about their favorite parts, they couldn’t wait to share (compartir/ to share)! Third graders also worked on inflection in the target language (¿Vamos a jugar al fútbol?/Are we going to play soccer? vs. Vamos a jugar al fútbol/ We are going to play soccer), and watched an episode of THE PATO SHOW, just for fun! Third graders also requested that I send out links to a number of songs they have seen in class this year: HERE is their class page on my website–they should be able to navigate from there–and THIS is the Song Library (student favorites are at the top of the page).
Week 13: This week, students learned a Spanish card game [isolating numbers out of sequence], and got so into it that they played for almost the entire class period! They did not have class on Thursday due to ERB’s.
Week 14: This week, students continued working on asking questions with proper inflection and intonation in the target language (¿Podemos jugar al fútbol?/ Can we play soccer? and ¿Vamos a jugar al fútbol?/Are we going to play soccer? vs. Vamos a jugar al fútbol/ We are going to play soccer). They earned a point for every Spanish-Soccer expression they could think of, and then finally got to go outside to play again! (It’s been a while, due to ERB’s, etc.) They shouted in Spanish (spontaneous output) and listened to new soccer songs (e.g., La Roja Baila). Their overall comprehension and ability to follow class conversations and answer questions in Spanish has improved tremendously this year. Kudos!
Week 15: This week, 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!They also played Spanish soccer and the numbers card game again, and worked on asking more questions in the target language–not only with “jugar/to play”, but rather substituting that infinitive [jugar] with other center words. (Basically, they built more vocabulary into these types of sentences: ¿Podemos jugar al fútbol?/ Can we play soccer? and ¿Vamos a jugar al fútbol?/Are we going to play soccer? vs. Vamos a jugar al fútbol/ We are going to play soccer).
Week 16: Students continued working on stringing longer sentences together (e.g., Hola, me llamo _____. Tengo una pregunta. ¿Vamos a bailar y cantar y hablar y jugar al fútbol [hoy]?”/ Hello, my name is… I have a question. Are we going to dance and sing and talk and play soccer [today]?). They also enjoyed dancing and having a Spanish Party, using icing to decorate cookies, eating Spanish candies, and playing “pin the sombrero on the llama” with the Spanish Teacher of the Day on Wednesday. If students are bored over the summer, please direct them to the Spanish Songs Playlist!
This semester, students started with a few basic facts: What is Spanish? A LANGUAGE. How do you say Spanish in Spanish? “¡Espa-ÑOL!” How many languages in the world are there? Seven thousand! How many Spanish-speaking countries are there? Twenty-one! And perhaps most relevant to our second grade curriculum: are 50 pesos the same as 50 dollars? NO!
You see, the first semester of second grade is spent building a class town. Here, students sign up to work at various businesses in a town. This is an extension of first grade, as “center work” becomes associated with a specific locale. For example, students can choose to work at the bank (quiero trabajar en el banco/ I want to work at the bank); buy items at the supermarket (quiero comprar XXX al supermercado/ I want to buy XXX at the supermarket); color in the museum (quiero colorear y dibujar en el museo de arte/ I want to color and draw in the art museum); take trips around the world by building airplane seats with the classroom chairs (quiero construir un avión [aeropuerto] y volar a España/ I want to build an airplane [airport] and fly to Spain); and so on and so forth. The more creativity, the better! Students’ interests shine here and the play-based, student-agency environment fosters a highly engaging learning environment.
Not only that, there are myriad opportunities for follow-up questions in the target language: Is the bank open or closed (abierto o cerrado)? What materials do you need to color? Markers and paper (marcadores y papel)? Is that for sale (se vende/for sale)? Where is your money (¿Dónde está tu dinero?)? Students even make paper wallets one day to stash all of their cash in, and talk a little bit about currency conversions (pesos vs. guaraníes vs. colones vs. euros).
As the town continues throughout the bulk of the first semester, mini conversations are introduced to begin and end lessons, in order to grow their vocabularies even further and explicitly address trickier words (e.g., oye/hey vs. hoy/today). Sample conversation: Hola, ¿cómo estás?/ Hi, how are you?/ Estoy bien, todo bien. / I’m good, it’s all good./ OYE, ¿sabes qué? / Hey, you know what? / HOY es martes / Today is Tuesday. (No es lunes/ It’s not Monday.) Es obvio./ It’s obvious./ ¿Hablas español?/ Do you speak Spanish? / Sí, yo hablo español-NOL/ Yes, I speak Spanish. To end class, students enjoy “surprising” their teacher by lining up before she arrives: ¿Está aquí? ¿Todavía no? ¡Lo hicimos!/ Is she here? Not yet? We did it! (there’s a dance that goes with the last part) This extends itself to telling a classic second grade story: Bob the Beetle, in which “Sé que puedo volar” (“I believe I can fly”) becomes #ASongThatNoOneEverForgets. #LongStory
A handful of culture projects are sprinkled in with the town unit as well. Second graders learn that one of the most colorful towns in the world is in Colombia, and so take a few classes to paint tri-fold boards with bright, colorful, happy designs. They practice naming colors, teamwork, and patience, leaning into the idea that taking your time is a good thing. Second graders also learned about Mercados (Argentina), Día de Muertos (Mexico), Chocolate (Mexico), Radish Festival (Mexico), and different holiday traditions (Cuba)
SEMESTER 2
Week 1: Students took a break to help out with a Lower School project about the Panama Canal–building cardboard boats and loading them up with cargo, after discussing the iconic piece of maritime history and how our stuff (toys, food, etc.)finds its way onto store shelves. They also worked on the FunSpanish app on their iPads (when yours truly was out sick) and watched cartoons in the target language (a great listening activity).
Week 2: Students are currently in an “introductory” phase. They have been learning about a wide variety of topics: Tango dancing/ Argentina; Volcano Boarding/ Nicaragua; Tightrope Walking over a volcano/ Nicaragua; practicing counting to 100 by tens in Spanish (whilst doing exercises simultaneously); writing in the target language; and sharing silly stories and facts with yours truly (Quiero compartir/ I want to share; yo dije… [‘yoh DEE-hey’]/ I said…). This will all come full circle once second graders begin telling PART TWO of their “Bob the Beetle” saga: the skies will clear, and all of this seemingly unrelated material will suddenly make sense.
Week 3: Students talked about how learning a language is about learning BOTH the language AND the culture–different words and expressions, different perspectives, different ways of living and looking at the world around us. Spanish has a lot of layers–like an onion!–because there are 21 Spanish-speaking countries, which includes more than 400 million people! They learned about how some people in Mexico still make a special type of paper their ancestors used, called amate (“ah-MAH-tay”), and saw the fascinating process in a video HERE (from 1:56-4:38). They also colored authentic designs along with the different flags of Spanish-speaking countries (with the sub).
Week 4: Students practiced giving the weather report in the target language, and then returned to CHAPTER TWO of their “Bob the Beetle” story. Recap: The monster Fluphball goes back to his home planet, realizes that family is more important than stuff, and that he doesn’t need the jackets. He sends his collection of jackets to Bob, who also doesn’t need so many, and sells the collection on Amazon. He becomes very rich and buys a Volkswagen Bug (this is a joke, since Bob is a beetle…) with the money, but is sad because it is raining and he doesn’t like the rain. He starts crying, and an entire lake forms with his tears. Poor Bob! Second graders also reviewed the names of the Spanish-speaking countries on the second Floor Map.
Week 5: Students practiced giving the weather report in the target language, and extended this to create their own “Class News Show” in Spanish. The problem is, no one is ready! The newscasters haven’t finished putting on their makeup or fixing their hair, someone gets a phone call on live television, everyone wants more coffee, and the director keeps yelling, “Cut!” even though he can’t really stop the show. On Friday, second graders continued with the news show, suddenly realizing that it was a show within a show–now students are both on tv and inside their Bob the Beetle story!
Week 6: Students practiced calculating sums in the target language; answering true/ false questions (cierto/ falso); and signing up for center work without using visual aids. They took a moment to talk about the rich variety of Spanish accents throughout the Spanish-speaking world, focusing on the “ll” sound (‘yah’, ‘shah’, ‘jah’, dependent on the country), and transferring this to words they know (lloviendo/ raining; me llamo/ my name is; pollo/ chicken). Finally, they added the canta y no llores (sing and don’t cry) famous lyrics to their Bob the Beetle story, to encourage Bob not to cry (Bob is crying because it is raining and he doesn’t like the rain). On Friday, second graders practiced their News Show again. We are hoping that Bob likes their News Show so much that he stops crying. Poor little guy!
Week 7: Students practiced naming all of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries on both of the Floor Maps. They also continued adding in the target language (isolating numbers out of sequence), and voted on their favorite of two Spanish songs: Chipi Chipi Chapa Chapa OR El baile del perrito (the dance of the little dog/ puppy). The former is a song from Chile that used to be played at children’s birthday parties in the 2000s, but recently made a comeback on Tiktok. Shoutout to Dr. M for bringing this song to my attention! The latter is a Spanish classic. Note that it is El baile del perrito, notburrito as some students initially thought!
Week 8: Students had a great discussion on Monday about what it means to “learn Spanish”. Learning Spanish includes reading, writing, listening, speaking, and understanding words, as well as learning about the sports, art, music, and traditions in each of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. There is a lot of territory to cover! What about food? Is that part of culture? Yes! Second graders made a connection to Mexico with their classroom ‘fried cricket tasting’, and took a minute to look at lunches from around the world. On Tuesday, they returned to the first Floor Map (South America), and built hiking sticks (out of the HotWheels ramps) to “climb” the Andes Mountains. Last but not least, they practiced using Voy a… and Vamos a… (I’m going to/ we’re going to…) in meaningful contexts (e.g., Voy a colorear con mis amigos/ I’m going to color with my friends; Vamos a cantar y bailar/ we’re going to sing and dance). They tidied up my room at the end of class to the Chipi Chipi Chapa Chapa song.
Week 9: Students located Guatemala on the Floor Map and then learned about the sawdust carpets that people make there during Lent (leading up to Easter). They are BEAUTIFUL creations, and second graders spent two days making their own chalk version of a carpet in the courtyard. HERE is a video of the process. The emphasis in class was on taking our time and not rushing the process, for the purpose of creating something beautiful together. Of course, we also listened to Chipi Chipi Chapa Chapa on the Bluetooth while we worked.
Week 10: Students only had one class this week, due to conferences, the Easter Break, and their field trip. On Friday, they learned that they will be watching the fourth grade SPANISH PLAY soon, and were introduced to some of the characters. They also reviewed their [very silly] class News Show, and added a commercial break.
Week 11: Students returned to calculating math sums in the target language (isolating numbers out of sequence); answering true/false questions (cierto/falso); and mastering the Floor Map–all as warm-up exercises to begin class. They were also introduced to the Spanish Wordle, and continued rehearsing their News Show. On Friday, students learned more about the fourth grader’s Spanish Play, which they will attend next week. Click HERE for Semester Updates.
Week 12: This week, students attended the Spanish Play (an annual event put on by fourth graders–and all about Pato). They had reviewed the plot in detail last week, so combined with their Spanish vocabulary base, they understood a great deal and thoroughly appreciated the show. When I asked them on Friday about their favorite parts, they couldn’t wait to share (compartir/ to share)! They also worked on the Spanish Wordle together as a class. Click HERE for Semester Updates.
Week 13: This week, students learned a Spanish card game [isolating numbers out of sequence], and got so into it that they played for an entire class period! They also worked on the Spanish Wordle again as a class, and tried to set up Duolingo accounts with their school emails for next year (this is a work in progress). Click HERE for Semester Updates.
Week 14: This week, students logged minutes for the school Reading Log by reading books in Spanish and recording words they recognized at the start of class. They did a great job with this! Next, they did a one-minute exercise where second graders could only say words they knew in Spanish while talking to their friends, which encouraged more reading and utilizing classroom resources (e.g., my bilingual word signs). They also did a listening activity on Monday, watching Bluey in Spanish, and then returned to center work, which they were very excited about! Another day, we went around the table and I asked a series of pointed questions (different and differentiated for each student), which they were all able to answer. This was great to see and linguistically empowering for second graders (“Wait, I do understand!”/ Espera, yo comprendo!!).
Week 15: This week, 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!They also reviewed the Spanish-speaking countries in South America (a few are working on capitals), and went through their class drawer of papers (#decluttering). On Friday, they tried to log in to their Duolingo accounts again.
Week 16: Second graders logged into their new Duolingo accounts and completed a lesson, in preparation for third grade Spanish. Several practiced leading the class independently, asking about the weather and then playfully ‘calling out’ anyone who was intentionally being silly (e.g., “¿Qué tiempo hace afuera?/ What’s the weather like outside? Está nevando/ It’s snowing.” “Cierto/ true; falso/ false”). As a mnemonic device, they said “SEE-yah later” to their chairs, because “silla”–(yet another word with the tricky double “ll”)–or chair in Spanish, is pronounced “SEE-yah”. If students are bored over the summer, please direct them to the Spanish Songs Playlist.
This semester, students first differentiated between España (Spain- the place) and “¡Espa-ÑOL! (Spanish- the language), and then took an interactive flight to Spain. Why? To hike El Camino de Santiago, of course!
First graders grabbed their mochilas/backpacks, botellas de agua/water bottles, boletos/ plane tickets, and pasaportes/passports; asked for jugo/juice or leche/milk on the plane; hiked around campus with “walking sticks”; stayed at picnic table hotel “bunks”, took a siesta/nap when the temps were too hot (hace mucho calor/ it’s really hot!); went up and down montañas/mountains (staircases); made aviones de papel (paper airplanes) with Spain’s flag, and abanicos (Spanish fans) for the heat; ate tapas or bocadillos at the indoor restaurant when there was a tormenta/ storm; and paid for items with euros they had cut out. Near the end of the unit, a highlight is the “foot pool” day, where students get to take off their zapatos/ shoes and socks, and dip their feet into a pool of water, just like on the real Camino!
As that introductory unit wound down, students began center work. Here, the primary goal is to replace as many of the expressions they regularly say with the Spanish equivalent. They start with “gracias” instead of “thank you”, “por favor” instead of “please”, etc., and add more and more vocab as the year goes on. If I hear a lot of students saying, “Wait!”, they will learn “¡Espera!”, so that they can use the interjection with one another. First graders practice using practical language and expressions, until it becomes spontaneous and natural output. They also wrote said vocabulary and sent it to me “through the post” (noting the differences between American and Spanish post office drop boxes), and started telling a classic first grade story: La cebolla malvada (The Evil Onion). The latter was very successfully presented at Flag!
The second big culture project of the year was to learn about and [literally] build a famous fort/palace in Spain called La Alhambra. The tiles on the interior were originally all hand-painted, so students fingerpainted Moorish tile designs to later cut out and paste on trifolds. They listened to a variety of music as they worked–anything from Rompe Ralph to Feliz Navidad to this–and “charged admission” and entrance fees upon completion of the edifice and gardens.
When first graders finish a culture project as a class, there are some students who invariably want to continue with said project. At this point, the project itself becomes a “new center” so that students can return to it as they wish–while others can add move on to other activities.
SEMESTER 2
**NOTE: First graders began the new year learning about and acting out the famous windmill chapter in Don Quijote (Spain), and then I started writing weekly blurbs about lessons–see below.
Week 1: Students reviewed facts about the Spanish novel Don Quijote; did a map activity; worked on the FunSpanish app on their iPads; and watched cartoons in the target language (when yours truly was out sick).
Week 2: Students listened to the [very] silly song ¿Puedo ir al baño?(Can I go to the bathroom?), and later talked about activities, foods, and sports they love (me encanta/ I love [it]).First graders typically practice writing in the target language one out of every three classes, but because one of their newest sight words is “escribir” (to write), they can either sign up for an activity they want to do (e.g., Quiero jugar/I want to play), or write, “No quiero escribir” (I don’t want to write), which is kind of a class joke.
Week 3: Students moved away from their semester-long study of Spain (España), and traveled to Mexico (México/ “MAY-he-koh”). Here, they learned about how some people there still make a special type of paper their ancestors used, called amate (“ah-MAH-tay”), and saw the fascinating process in a video HERE (from 1:56-4:38). Some first graders extended this a step farther–ripping up paper, dipping it in water, and reapplying the super wet paper aka “moistened bark fibers” to other surfaces. They also continued working on creating more “Me encanta” (I love [a thing or activity]) sentences as well as asking and answering the question, “¿Qué quieres hacer?” (What do you want to do?).
Week 4: Students began CHAPTER TWO of their “Evil Onion” (La cebolla malvada) story from the first semester. Recap: the Evil Onion’s mom demands that he return the slippers to the princess, but the slippers start to dance away… then the wind picks up, and they start flying! The slippers fly all the way to the Tower of Gold in Spain. Suddenly, it starts raining tacos, and since the slippers LOVE tacos, they eat 15 of them and fall asleep. The Evil Onion needs to return the slippers (that he stole) to the castle, but he needs more strength/ fuerza and energy–so he hopes that it rains coffee/ café (instead of tacos), and it does! There is a song in Spanish (with a merengue beat) that is called, “I Hope It Rains Coffee”, and the taco bit is pre-teaching vocabulary so that first graders will understand the fourth graders’ Spanish play in April. Everything is connected and spirals in Spanish class!
Week 5: Students continued adding on to CHAPTER TWO of their “Evil Onion” (La cebolla malvada) story from the first semester. First graders also learned more steps to the Merengue beat of “I Hope It Rains Coffee”, discussed what they would like it to rain–instead of coffee–and some even made miniature tacos out of felt (tortilla, lechuga, carne, queso/ shell, lettuce, meat, cheese).
Week 6: Students hopped on Spanish- speaking countries on the Floor Map #2 (Panamá, Costa Rica, Spain/ España, Mexico/ México), and then applied this knowledge very dramatically during Center Work time: “Ahhh!!! I’m in the agua/ water and can’t get to land! Whoa! Get in the barco/ boat!” (~in the Gulf of Mexico on the map) They listened to their growing list of class songs in the background (humming along all the while), signed up for Center Work without visual aids (i.e., from memory), and tried calculating a few addition [math] problems in the target language. Class song now include: Ojalá que llueva café, It’s Raining Tacos, Don Quijote, ¿Puedo ir al baño?, Me encanta, and Canta y no llores.
Week 7: Students signed up for Center Work again both writing and talking, and worked on more addition problems in the target language. They also practiced giving the weather report in Spanish (hace sol/ it’s sunny; hace mucho calor/ it’s hot; hace frío/ it’s cold; está nublado/ it’s cloudy; está nevando/ it’s snowing; está lloviendo/ it’s raining), and noticed the difference in pronunciation between hace [hace sol/ it’s sunny] and hacer (Quiero hacer todo/ I want to do everything). Class songs now include: Ojalá que llueva café, It’s Raining Tacos, Don Quijote, ¿Puedo ir al baño?, Me encanta, Canta y no llores, Chipi Chipi Chapa Chapa, and El baile del perrito.
Week 8: Students had a great discussion before break about what it means to “learn Spanish”. Learning Spanish includes reading, writing, listening, speaking, and understanding words, as well as learning about the sports, art, music, food, and traditions in each of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. Spanish covers a lot of territory! This week, they learned about the sawdust carpets that people make in Guatemala during Lent (leading up to Easter). They are BEAUTIFUL creations, and first graders are making their own chalk version of a carpet in the courtyard. HERE is a video of the process. The emphasis in class is on taking our time and not rushing the process, for the purpose of creating something beautiful together.
Week 9: Students only had one class due to conferences and the Easter break. They listened to their favorite Spanish songs (esp. Chipi Chipi Chapa Chapa) and helped finish the chalk “sawdust” carpet out in the courtyard. It turned out beautifully! HERE is a video again of the process.
Week 10: Students learned that they will be watching the fourth grade SPANISH PLAY soon, and were introduced to some of the characters, including Billy la bufanda (Billy the Scarf). Next, they started rehearsing a skit of their own for International Studies. Because the region chosen this year includes the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), first graders are building a comedic skit in class that is based on actual historical events–and what happens when two languages meet (no comprendo/ I don’t understand).
Week 11: Students learned more about the upcoming fourth grader’s Spanish Play, which they will attend next week. They also continued working on their own comedic International Studies skit (¿Qué?/ What?; Quiero hablar, pero no comprendo nada/ I want to talk, but I don’t understand anything). Click HERE for Semester Updates.
Week 12: This week, students attended the Spanish Play (an annual event put on by fourth graders–and all about Pato). They had reviewed the plot in detail the previous week, so combined with their Spanish vocabulary base, they understood a great deal and thoroughly appreciated the show. When I asked them on Wednesday about their favorite parts, they couldn’t wait to share (compartir/ to share)! Click HERE for Semester Updates.
Week 13: This week, first graders rehearsed for their International Studies presentation (presentation date TBD–I’ll keep you posted!). Based on actual historical events, they are acting out a comical script about what it would have been like for a Spanish-speaker to show up in Iceland, that is, “what happens when two languages meet” (e.g., concepts and loanwords like tortilla are transferred/ borrowed). The skit is about Christopher Columbus (who knew Spanish) showing up in Iceland, after repeatedly asking the Catholic monarchs–Ferdinand and Isabella–for money to fund his overseas voyages. First graders have also learned about the Northern (and Southern) Lights and that the zorro/fox (arctic fox, specifically) lives in Iceland. Click HERE for Semester Updates.
Week 14: This week, first graders recorded the audio of their International Studies presentation in Spanish. They will be creating a video that will be shared in the coming weeks. They spent the remainder of this week revisiting center work with renewed confidence and energy for the task at hand: speak as much Spanish as possible! Many also jammed out to the Spanish version of THIS SONG from the Trolls movie.
Week 15: First graders 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!They also learned one of their first “trick words” in Spanish: “dime” is spelled like dime in English, but it is pronounced, “DEE-may” and actually means, “tell me!”.
Week 16: First graders had fun with the Spanish Teacher of the Day: they colored and had a crazy amount of fun playing Musical Chairs to THIS, which has sort of become their class song. As a review, they also tried to list all of their sight words without any visual cues; each class remembered at least 15 verbs: [Quiero/ I want]… jugar/ to play; colorear/ to color; pintar/ to paint; construir/ to build; caminar/ to walk; hablar/ to talk, speak; bailar/ to dance; cantar/ to sing; trabajar/ to work; escribir/ to write; dormir/ to sleep; limpiar/ to clean; patinar/ to skate; llorar/ to cry; rodar/ to roll; saltar/ to jump. Great work! If students are bored over the summer, please direct them to the Spanish Songs Playlist.
This semester, students started with the basics: What is Spanish? A LANGUAGE. How do you say Spanish in Spanish? “¡Espa-ÑOL!” Why are we learning Spanish? Because we live in CHILE now! Kindergarteners were immediately introduced to my Floor Map, and chose “where” they wanted to live in Chile each day–the beach/ la playa, the mountains/ las montañas, the desert/ el desierto, or an island/ una isla off the coast. They used a token to mark their house/ casa location on the map/ el mapa, and thus began the adventures! As they moved geographically north through South America, students would stop in each Spanish-speaking country to do a project.
They also told a quarter-long saga about my stuffed animal duck, “Pato” (duck), which tied all of the vocabulary and culture projects together nicely. You can listen to it HERE.
To build in mental brain breaks between the country culture projects, students were introduced to Center Work. The Spanish class routine rotates every other lesson–(more or less, dependent on holidays and whatnot)–in that some days are Project Days (per country), and other days are Center Work. On the latter, students can continue with the same country project from the day prior, or pursue another interest.
Currently, open centers [aka sight words] include: colorear/ to color [relevant coloring sheets], jugar [‘who-GARR’]/ to play [with cars or stuffed animals], construir/ to build [with Hotwheels ramps or dominoes or cards], volar/ to fly [paper airplanes], pintar/ to paint [fingerpaint on the whiteboards & make a print], andhablar/ to talk [with their friends]. They sign up verbally with me re: what they want to do; however, unlike in other classes, students can switch centers as frequently as desired in Spanish–because the more they switch, the more they have to practice speaking the target language! Every once in a while, kindergarteners practice writing “¡Hola!” plus a sight word in the target language.
Some students will change four times in a day, just to keep talking with me, while others will stick with one center (e.g., painting), but go more in depth and learn the names of the paint colors, or say, “¡Mira!/ Look!” when they want someone to look, or request “más papel, por favor” (more paper, please), etc. The goal is an immersive, experiential environment; and students have done a great job this semester!
SEMESTER 2
Week 0: “Pato” tried to teach students about Panama, but he thought there was actual pan (bread) there, which led to a good deal of, err, discussion. Learn more next week!
Week 1: Students learned more about Panama: some painted the Panama Canal, while others brought “shipments” of apples, pineapples, and bread across the room by boat. On Wednesday, kindergarteners reviewed their class story so that they can begin telling Chapter Two in the near future.
Week 2: Students took a Center Week break from culture projects. They practiced both writing and saying words they know in the target language–such as jugar (to play), colorear (to color), pintar (to paint), hablar (to talk), limpiar (to clean), trabajar (to work), construir (to build), and volar (to fly)–and then putting those words into action, that is, into a memorable context.
Week 3: Students learned about Costa Rica from Josie’s mom. They saw beautiful photos of the rainforest and beaches, learned about the currency, participated in a surf lesson, painted Morpho butterflies, and had the opportunity to sample Costa Rican chocolate. Thank you so much for coming in to share your knowledge! On Wednesday, kindergarteners reviewed the Spanish-speaking countries in South America; began CHAPTER TWO of their “Pato” (duck) saga; and practiced writing more center sight words. It is exciting to report that students’ comprehension skills are getting quite good at this point in the year. Great work!
Week 4: Students practiced jumping on and naming Panama and Costa Rica on the Floor Map, and also learned that there is a monstruo/ monster at the beginning of CHAPTER TWO of their class story with Pato (duck). The story hasn’t looped around quite yet to Panama, but it will! A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post describing one of our lessons–[and then promptly got laryngitis and everything came to a screeching halt]–so if you were curious what a class with Pato looks like, feel free to read the article here. I mean, you can read this while you’re on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens in CHAPTER TWO, of course… because I’m not telling until next week!
Week 5: Students only had one class, due to the winter break. Kindergarteners made this a review day: they jumped on and named Panama,Costa Rica, and Nicaragua (“knee-car-agua”) on the Floor Map, and retold part of their class story. In CHAPTER TWO, Pato is running because it is nighttime and he’s afraid of the dark and the monsters. When we ask him [Pato]what he wants to eat (a song), the monster answers that he would like a hamburger, please! Pato wants a taco, but mostly because he likes the song, “It’s Raining Tacos” in Spanish. The monster eats a hamburger and Pato eats a taco–no, wait, TEN tacos! In the morning, Pato asks the monster if he can help him find the door to Ecuador, as Pato really wants to go there! Why, Pato? “Because there are sneezing iguanas there!” #TrueStory ASIDE: It is incumbent upon me to mention that in the slideshow, the monster and Pato have bunk beds. So there you go! CHAPTER TWO is off to a wild start!
Week 6: Students extended the sneezing iguana discussion this week to learn that “Achoo!” in Spanish is “¡Achís!”, and in some regions, people say, “Salud, dinero, amor” (healthy, money, love) each time someone sneezes–one word per sneeze, to clarify. Anyway, after Pato has explained to the monster Fluphball that he needs to find the door to Ecua-DOOR so that he can visit with the sneezing iguanas there, Pato wants to provide a visual and flips through the tv channels. He stops to watch Bluey in Spanish, then listens to a song that says salud-dinero-amor in the first seven seconds, and finally gets to the sneezing iguanas. Fluphball obviously wants to come along for the ride because the iguanas look pretty friendly, albeit a bit gross with the flying boogers and whatnot. (Is anyone reading this?!) They also jumped on Spain (España) on the Floor Map, to make a connection with art class and Salvador Dali.
Above: Pato on the bottom bunk and the monster Fluphball covertly occupying the top bunk.
Week 7: Students only had one class this week. They listened to and voted on their favorite of two Spanish songs: Chipi Chipi Chapa Chapa OR El baile del perrito (the dance of the little dog/ puppy). The former is a song from Chile that used to be played at children’s birthday parties in the 2000s, but recently made a comeback on Tiktok. The latter is a Spanish classic. They also practiced writing Spanish sight words; many seem to really enjoy this!
Week 8: Students took turns “swimming” or making a running jump from Panama and Costa Rica on the Floor Map to land in España (Spain)… where it happened to be “raining” (me misting kindergarteners with the squirt bottle). Next, they sat at the tables and learned that in our class story, the monster Fluphball and our hero Pato travel en route to Ecuador. In the airplane (avión), Pato wants to sleep, but Fluphball wants to party. ¿Fiesta o siesta? (Party or nap?). That is the question. Students took turns answering which they felt more like doing in the moment. After the plane ride, the characters have to take a train–(we paused to watch a short video about crazy train rides in South America)–and Pato takes a siesta/ nap, but has a pesadilla/ nightmare about a quesadilla. Oh no! All of this tied in nicely with their rhyming words unit in their regular classroom. Later, they signed up for center work and tidied up at the end of class to their favorite song, Chipi Chipi Chapa Chapa (me gusta/ I like it).
Week 9: Students were very into the “extreme trains” that they saw last week (link HERE), and as a result, took a mini introductory course in Train Driving 101 this week. You see, my tables are on wheels and have stopper tabs, which I call “los frenos” (the brakes). When you put up los frenos, the tables move… and when you sit on the tables and they move, we call this “el tren” (the train). Now, Train Driving and Train Riding requires a great deal of responsibility, consideration, and spatial awareness, so I do not allow just any class to do this. A class has to earn it and prove that they can handle the responsibility. Anyway, we make a conga line with yours truly leading and ask, “¿Adónde vamos?” (Where are we going?). While we are marching, I sing a song and then I stop and ask–visibly impatient– “¿Ya llegamos?” (are we there yet?/ [“yah yay-gah-mohs”]). Finally, we get so impatient that we decide to take the train. And pile on… and students can sign up for “conducir” (to drive) as a center. And then we play with words and ideas, as play is a huge part of my teaching philosophy. Are you taking a siesta/ nap on the train?? Do you want to color (colorear) on the train? Where are we going? Mexico or Peru?! Etcetera, etcetera.
Week 10: Students continued “train riding” and “train driving”, playing with different ideas of which center activities they could do on a train. As requested, HERE is the link again of the “extreme trains” video they saw. Kindergarteners also chose “to swim” (nadar) or “to jump” (saltar) to Spain (España) on the Floor Map. Last but not least, students spent a few minutes talking about how they learned their first language: just like a baby, it is okay not to understand every word in Spanish class: listening is what’s most important. You will absorb much more than you realize this way.
Week 11: This week, students located and jumped on Guatemala on the Floor Map, and talked about how we are going to send our solar eclipse glasses to children there (following our eclipse), so that they can see an eclipse in August! On Wednesday, they “rode trains” again, colored and painted, spoke lots of Spanglish, practiced writing their sight words, and watched a Pato video (I made a few years ago). HERE is the link, in case they want to watch it again at home. Spoiler alert: it turns out that our dear, sweet Pato has an evil twin! Oh no! Next week, kindergarteners will learn about the plot for the fourth grader’s Spanish Play, and then attend the show on Tuesday. The play is an annual school event, with a brand new plot each year. Click HERE for Semester Updates.
Week 12: This week, students attended the Spanish Play (an annual event put on by fourth graders–and all about Pato). They had reviewed the plot in detail on Monday, so combined with their Spanish vocabulary base, they understood a great deal and thoroughly appreciated the show. When I asked them on Wednesday about their favorite parts, they couldn’t wait to share (compartir/ to share)! Click HERE for Semester Updates.
Week 13: This week, students reviewed their class story about Pato, and were introduced to a new character–Rosie the Pig! (a teacup pig who wears red boots and saves Pato from a quesadilla that is chasing him in his pesadilla/nightmare) They also received glitter “tesoro” (treasure) for their amazing 20-minute long sustained attention during our storytelling part of the lesson. Kindergarteners are awesome! Click HERE for Semester Updates.
Week 14: This week, students focused on center work and added minutes to the Reading Log by reading more of their Spanish story together as a class. While many memorize the sentences (which is perfectly developmentally appropriate), some kindergarteners are actually reading the words now in Spanish! Amazing! They also practiced saying, “¡Chévere!” (cool!/ “CHEH-bear-ray”) in meaningful contexts. I did hear a few arguments about whether you say “Mexico” or “MAY-he-koh”, too, which we will clear up next week (both are correct; one is the English pronunciation, one is the Spanish)–aside: but my Master Plan to grow Little Linguists is working, if that’s what they’re arguing over, mwahahaha! Anyway, there has been a tremendous amount of spontaneous Spanish output in my classroom recently, which is REALLY exciting!!
Week 15: This week, students practiced a dance from Mexico. Why Mexico? Well, in the nightmare/ pesadilla where Pato escapes from a gigantic quesadilla–(who wants to eat him)–on a flying piglet named Rosie, Rosie takes him to Mexico to dance. But you could probably see that coming, right? LOL! Students also wrote their favorite Spanish sight words, and used so many words!! aloud in meaningful contexts during center work time–both with their peers as well as yours truly.
Gradually, over the course of the year, kindergarteners have begun to realize that they get “much faster service” when they speak to me in Spanish (as opposed to English). “Could you make me a paper airplane?” [I dawdle, yawn, walk extra slowly, can’t find the paper, etc.] “Avión, por favor (airplane, please)” [I spring into action, practically sprinting across the room, and they have a paper airplane within seconds! I proceed to bombard them with questions in Spanish about where they’re traveling, but the point is made.] So much of language-learning is about confidence, so getting students to the point where they are asking for basic materials in Spanish without hesitation (or even better, very dramatically–POR FAVOOOOOOOR!!!!) is a huge deal. For your reference, HERE is the Spanish Songs Playlist again.
Week 16: Students talked about the pronunciation difference between Mexico (English) and México (“MAY-he-koh”/ Spanish) to resolve a class argument–you are all correct! It just depends on which language you are speaking! They also reviewed their dance again. On Wednesday, for Spanish Teacher of the Day, kindergarteners either colored or played a game of fútbol (soccer) with their classmates. One class even painted their cheeks with the colors of the Mexican or Argentine flag! They listened to Vamos, vamos, Argentina, and had a great time!
Week 00: Students learned about and then made their own Worry Dolls in class with string, cloth, and Popsicle sticks. For more info and a video, see THIS LINK.
Week 0: Students made a house and tiled roof (ripping paper is a fine motor skill) for the Worry Dolls they had made the previous lesson. For more info, see HERE.
Week 1: Students watched cartoons in the target language (a great listening activity), and played a variation of duck-duck-goose (or, arroz-arroz-pollo/ rice-rice- chicken), when I was out sick.
Week 2: Students voted on a song to listen to (THIS or THIS); played another variation of duck-duck-goose (or, manzana, manzana, piña/ apple, apple, pineapple); and talked about how they were feeling* (very dramatically!). There is a set daily routine, which involves a Q&A*, nap, ‘eating’ plastic food and ordering Chick-fil-A or pizza, and playing a game. Class ends with tesoro/ treasure (or sprinkles of glitter, if they line up nicely!).
Week 3: Students played another variation of duck-duck-goose, or leche-leche-jugo (milk, milk, juice) with the sub and watched Pocoyo and Perro y Gatoin Spanish. They reviewed new and old vocabulary on Thursday.
Week 4: Students began a storytelling unit. They co-created a plot with yours truly, working to include a common pool of vocabulary. In one class, there was a gato/ cat who was so hungry that his tummy hurt! In the other, a hungry lobo/ wolf traveled to Jupiter to find food. Both classes sang and acted out the plot together.
Week 5: Students retold the same story plot from last week, but added more details. The main character’s tummy hurt, so they went to three different places to solve the problem. They also listened to THIS song and watched a few Pocoyo fairytales in Spanish HERE.
Week 6: Students continued retelling the same story from last week, adding even more details. As part of the plot, they pretended to be trees in a “forest”, or bosque, on a windy day, and then built a house/ cave for the main character. They also worked on answering,Tengo sed (I’m thirsty), while dramatically drinking as much pretend jugo/ juice, leche/ milk, and agua/ water as possible: gluglú (glug, glug).
Week 7: Students practiced answering, “¿Cómo estás?” (how are you) with a variety of responses. They also listened to THIS and THIS, and built a casa/ house to shelter in from the tormenta/ storm (an extension of their class story). On Thursday, they took the “train” (my table on wheels) to a few places. They cleaned up to their favorite song of all time, “Ven a la carrera”, and earned tesoro/ treasure for a job well done!
Week 8: This week, the focus was aural comprehension. Students listened to THIS and THIS to start class. Next, they sat at the tables and had a conversation (in Spanish) about which animals lived in a house I had drawn on the board. They had fun drawing their own houses with whiteboard markers on my tables. Later, the class worked together to build a 3D house out of cardboard and blankets that would protect everyone from the storm. Kaboom! They did a great job tidying up the room at the end of class. Bravo!
Week 9: Students only had one class this week due to the Easter break. They listened to THIS and THIS, and then extended their silly conversation from last week about animals (gato/cat; perro/dog; vaca/cow; pato/duck) living together in a very large casa/ house. Later, students drew their own houses with whiteboard markers on the tables again. Some even practiced tracing círculos/ circles to add more details. As PK3 eases into more conversation-based lessons, the goal is to decrease the reliance on visual cues.
Week 10: Students participated in “Backwards Day”, where they did our regular routine in reverse. They went to bed (mantas/ blankets), ate breakfast (jugo o leche/ juice or milk), took the “train” to school, painted (azul, rojo, amarillo/ blue, red, yellow) and requested materials in Spanish, and then either colored or played with the toy frogs. THIS and THIS were the good night and good morning songs.
Week 11: Students continued with their “Backwards Day” routine. They went to bed (song1, song2), ate breakfast (panqueques/ pancakes), took the “train” to school (song3), painted [color practice] and requested materials in Spanish, and then played with the toy frogs. On Thursday, they learned about the fourth graders’ Spanish Play they will see next week. The play is an annual school event, with a new plot each year. Read more HERE!
Week 12: Students watched the Spanish Play (an annual event put on by fourth graders–and all about Pato). They also continued painting and requesting materials in Spanish (color focus), and learned that Pato (my stuffed animal duck) has an evil twin! Oh no!
Week 13: Students were very concerned that “good Pato” was in jail (he was framed by his identical but evil twin), and on Thursday, set off around campus on a mission to solve two problems: save “good Pato” and catch “bad Pato”! They found clues and a map, but so far, no actual sighting of either one. Hmm… Watch THIS for more context!!! 🙂
Week 14: Students drew mapas/ maps and made a plan to save their friend “Pato” (the duck). On Thursday, they climbed a REAL ladder in the office and rescued their dear friend. Phew! Thanks to everyone who helped!
Week 15: Students were relieved to learn that “Evil Pato” has been caught by police! Phew! They celebrated by painting, coloring, and playing with the toy frogs (~coquí frogs). On Thursday, students created their own class movie theater (with chairs, blankets, and stuffed animals or food), and watched Pocoyó: Más Ruido. For your reference, HERE is the Spanish Songs Playlist again.
Week 16: Students painted, danced to their favorite songs, played with the cars, and had a great time! They have grown a lot this year in terms of Spanish comprehension. Be sure to watch a few Spanish cartoons and listen to the Songs Playlist over the summer!
SEMESTER 2: PK4
Week 1: Students watched two episodes of Pocoyo in the target language, and played a variation of duck-duck-goose (or, arroz-arroz-pollo/ rice-rice-chicken), since I was out sick. If there was time, they may also have played manzana-manzana-piña (apple-apple-pineapple), to build vocabulary.
Week 2: Students voted on a song to listen to (THIS or THIS); played another variation of duck-duck-goose (or, manzana, manzana, piña/ apple, apple, pineapple); and talked about how they were feeling*. There is a set daily routine, which involves a Q&A* (conversation and comprehension), ordering Chick-fil-A or pizza (entrega/ delivery), and a class activity (e.g., playing ‘restaurant’ with the plastic food). Class ends with tesoro/ treasure (or sprinkles of glitter, if they line up nicely!).
Week 3: students voted on the order of which song they would hear first (THIS or THIS)–the bigger number goes first (majority rule), but sometimes determining which number is bigger in Spanish is tricky for them, so they’re working on this! They also played another variation of duck-duck-goose (leche, leche, jugo [“WHO-go”]/ milk, milk, juice) with the sub, watched Perro y Gato in Spanish, and discussed on Wednesday–if they were an octopus or pulpo [there is an octopus in the Pocoyo cartoon], what would they draw with their ink? Students took a few minutes in class to draw tiny pictures with their ‘ink’ (markers). The overarching objective here is to build these seemingly random facts into an imaginative and memorable class story. Perhaps an octopus who draws something with his ink that scares him? And he needs a Worry Doll! We shall see! ASIDE: Because I’ve been sick, this process of getting to the actual story has taken longer than anticipated.
Week 4: Students helped co-create and tell a story in Spanish, using a common pool of vocabulary. In one class, Pato (duck) lives in a castle in the forest, but can’t find his friend, Fluffy. He searches all through the forest, finds Fluffy stuck in a tree, and uses a ladder (and helicopter) to help her down! In the other class, a kangaroo named José lives in a cave in the forest, but can’t find his other shoe. He searches all through the forest, finds his shoe stuck in a tree, and uses a ladder (and slide) to get it down! Students got to draw out their version of the ending of the story during the last few minutes of class. On Wednesday, the plot shifted: the ladder broke, so Pato learned to fly on a miniature zip-line, and helped “save” both Fluffy and the shoe, respectively.
Week 5: Students listened to a new song (HERE), and continued co-creating an interactive class story in the target language. To emphasize key vocabulary, students participate in other games and activities for a few minutes, and then return to the story… ad infinitum (the ping-pong nature of said class rhythm tends to match students’ energy levels and attention spans). On Tuesday, they played a, “Look for Fluffy/ look for the shoe” (busca a Fluffy/ busca el zapato) hot-cold type of game, hiding and finding objects with their classmates. On Wednesday, they started adding more details to the plot. For example, is it raining or snowing in the forest (¿está lloviendo o está nevando en el bosque?)?
Week 6: Students continued telling their interactive class story, emphasizing the castillo/ castle in the bosque/ forest (“kah-STEE-yoh in the BOH-skay”). They colored castles on Tuesday and then exercised some excellent teamwork on Wednesday to build a huge castillo out of cardboard, blankets, and chairs. Upon completion, the lights were turned off and they ‘huddled together’ with mantas/ blankets and stuffed animals inside, as a huge tormenta/ storm was heard outside (HERE are the rain, thunder, and wind sound effects). You can’t merely repeat vocabulary; you have to live and experience the depth of meaning behind the words!
Week 7: Students reviewed the question, “¿Cómo estás?” (how are you) along with a variety of possible responses from last year. They also danced, colored, and continued talking about the castillo/ castle and tormenta/ storm. One class even took a “train” (my table on wheels) to a few places: “Where are we going?” Student responses: “New Jersey, Paris, Arizona, the beach”. Obviously.
Week 8: This week, the focus was aural comprehension. PK4 students listened to THIS and THIS to start class. Next, they sat at the tables and had a conversation (in Spanish) about which animals lived in a house I had drawn on the board. What else is in the house? Both classes decided that there was definitely a waterslide from the roof into a pool! They had fun drawing their own houses with whiteboard markers on my tables. Later, the class worked together to build a 3D house of cardboard and blankets that would protect everyone from the storm. Kaboom! They did a great job tidying up the room at the end of class.
Week 9: Students listened to THIS and THIS. As for the latter, some of them really like the number “veinte” (“bane-tay”/ twenty)! After dancing for a few minutes, they sat at the tables again and extended their Spanish conversation from last week. Here, I ask them what I should draw, and am constantly adding follow-up questions (a big or small door? For the cat or the dog? Is the castle in Spain? etcetera). When the class can’t agree on some detail, it becomes their turn to show me their ideas on the whiteboard tables. They request markers and/or paper (papel, por favor) and start drawing! They love explaining their ideas to me and what they are drawing, which gives me more opportunities to ask for more details in the target language. Many will say things like, “Well, the gato lives in the casa over here…” (gato/cat; casa/house), which is music to my ears!
Week 10: Students participated in “Backwards Day”, where they did our regular routine in reverse. They went to bed (mantas/ blankets), ate breakfast (jugo o leche/ juice or milk), took the “train” to school, painted (azul, rojo, amarillo/ blue, red, yellow) and requested materials in Spanish, and then either colored or played with the toy frogs. THIS and THIS were the good night and good morning songs.
Week 11: Students continued with their “Backwards Day” routine. They went to bed (song1, song2), ate breakfast (panqueques/ pancakes), took the “train” to school (song3), painted [color practice] and requested materials in Spanish, and then played with the toy frogs. Next class, they will learn about the fourth graders’ Spanish Play they will see next week. The play is an annual school event, with a new plot each year. Read more HERE!
Week 12: Students watched the Spanish Play (an annual event put on by fourth graders–and all about Pato). They shared their favorite parts with me the next day; continued painting and requesting materials in Spanish (color focus); and learned that Pato (my stuffed animal duck) has an evil twin! Oh no!
Week 13: Students did an amazing job following whole-group class conversations in the target language with minimal visual cues. They talked about the activities they wanted to pursue (paint, color, or sleep), counted how many per group (one student even added a sum for me!), and then practiced requesting materials again in Spanish. Their comfort level, confidence with speaking, and ability to comprehend more abstract ideas in conversation has increased exponentially in the past few weeks, which is wonderful to see.
Week 14: Students continued with their whole-group class conversations in Spanish, reviewing their plans for the day. While one class was more interested in coloring and painting again (color practice), the other became fixated on watching and re-watching “The Pato Show” video (I made during virtual learning a few years ago). Many would even quote and repeat the lines with the characters, which was absolutely precious! Both classes have seen the show more than once; one class just wanted to see it again… and again… and again… (otra vez/ again).
Week 15: Students continue to do a great job following whole group class conversations. Many offer multiple words in Spanish during class time, either in commenting, responding to questions, or requesting materials. For example, one class latched onto the phrase “Me encanta” (I love it!), referencing the new party decorations hanging in my classroom (shoutout to Miss Carla in PK3 for surprising me with this!). On Wednesday, students took a “night flight” to Mexico (using the chairs to build an airplane). My hunch is that they want to track down “Evil Pato”, but for all I know, we are simply sightseeing…
Week 16: Students did an amazing job following whole-group class conversations in the target language with minimal visual cues. They talked about the activities they wanted to pursue (paint, color, or sleep), counted how many per group (one student even added a sum for me!), and then practiced requesting materials again in Spanish. Their comfort level, confidence with speaking, and ability to comprehend more abstract ideas in conversation has increased exponentially in the past few weeks, which is wonderful to see.
The first year I taught about Panama, Pato (my stuffed animal duck) misunderstood because he only heard the first syllable, “pan” (bread) and we went on a wild tangent… which resulted in kindergarteners building a “Bread Castle”. The following year, I decided to try a different approach, and we traveled out to the playground to pretend to “shovel and dig” the Panama Canal in the sandbox with plastic spoons.
When I teach geography, the overarching goal is for young students to make a placeholder or space in their brains for Spanish-speaking countries–and I will do whatever it takes to make the name(s) stick. As they get older, we layer on more culture and language.
This year, I decided that the time had come to develop this Panama mini-unit into something more meaningful, tighter, better. I wanted to build off of the other years and expand the lesson. Kindergarteners had done an outstanding job the first semester, and I wanted to reward their hard work. I brainstormed long and hard until–POOF! There it was! An Idea! A Marvelous, Wonderfully Fantastic Idea! Or so I hoped. Things are rarely perfect the first time around. But I was determined to give it my best.
Following our beginning-of-class dance party (Rompe Ralph), I started reviewing the Floor Map. We had arrived at the *second* canvas map, which was brand new to students, so they were curious from the start. What’s that?! they wondered. I started to say, “Panama”, but was quickly cut off by Pato after the first syllable. Kindergarteners started laughing when Pato and I began arguing. They loved when Pato came to visit.
ME: It’s Panama, Pato. People speak Spanish there.
PATO: Yes, Ta-nah-nah, that’s what I said [ventriloquism has its limits, which provides terrific fodder for memorable mispronunciations].
ME: Um, no, that’s not quite right…
And so on and so forth. At one point, Pato returned to the ‘pan’ (bread) part of Panama, and began ordering individual students to please bring him pan y café (bread and coffee). I reprimanded him: Pato, that’s not their job! He replied in a whiny voice, “Pero tengo hambre” (but I’m hungry).
There is a balance between stretching out the ‘performance‘ here, while not letting it get too silly or drag on for too long. In other words, the hardest part of these ridiculous interactions (with Me, Myself, and I??) is that as an educator, I know that we eventually need to get somewhere!
In this case, our destination was Panama.
Once we clarified this and Pato more or less grasped the concept, he decided that he wanted to gift someone on the far side of the circle–(students were sitting on the floor around the two maps of Central and South America)–the pan/ bread flashcard that I had been referencing. Pato has a good heart, after all.
I encouraged his altruism, and opened a cabinet to reveal the Popsicle stick barco/ boat that kindergarteners had painstakingly made the previous year. Anyone who was in my class remembered immediately. The barco!!! It was a sweet, quick trip down Memory Lane. But back to the task at hand.
Students carefully passed the Popsicle stick boat to one another around the circle, with Pato sitting inside holding the flashcard that said pan. Finally, it reached the student at the other side of the circle.
PATO: Oh no!
ME: What? ¿Qué?
PATO: I forgot, I wanted to give [So-And-So] an apple/ manzana, too. [But that student was on the other side of the circle. So the boat had to be passed all the way around again, from one kindergartener to the next.]
This was starting to take a long time, and I had to be mindful of not dragging it out too long, but still making the point. We repeated the exercise once more. Then I said–
ME: Hey Pato, there’s a quicker way to get there, you know. You don’t have to go around Chile and Argentina: you can go through Panama.
PATO: What do you mean?
We watched this one-minute video to help him understand. The verbiage is advanced for five-year-olds, but I mostly showed it for the visuals. These are not small boats that go through the Panama Canal!
Pato subtlely shifted his language here and started calling the “gifts” to students “shipments”. He decided to ship boxes of manzanas (apples), piñas (pineapples), and pan (bread) to all of his friends in kindergarten through the Panama Canal. He really liked the new shortcut. It saved so much time!
The aforementioned items might seem random to you, but each year, fourth graders perform a play in Spanish based on my “Pato” character–and I try to preteach the vocabulary to other grade levels so that they understand some of the play. The plot is always different, and this year, the play has two bad guys who have teamed up together: “Bad Apple” (aka Manzana) and “Bad Pineapple” (aka Piña). So there is a rhyme and reason to the madness.
When I introduced this last week, the photocopier and I were having A Serious Argument, and I didn’t get to print out tiny pictures of fruit and bread for kindergarteners to cut out, most unfortunately. Instead, we loaded dominoes and blocks (separated by color) into the small, clear plastic boxes, and then pushed them across a bucket of [real] water.
The lesson broke down here a little because not everyone got a turn as quickly as they wanted (#kindergarten #impatient). But I believe that with a little fine-tuning, we can make the assembly lines work!
Next class, kindergarteners will cut out the tiny pictures of apples, pineapples, and bread, load them into boxes and then boats to ship them across the Canal. If I’m really brave, another group will pretend to “dig” the Canal with plastic spoons and sand.
And somehow, this will all eventually loop back into Chapter Two of their class story about The Huge Cup of Coffee.
Around the holiday season, I like to declutter and clean in preparation for a new year. Some of this is inspired by a Cuban tradition–for New Year’s, many Cubans mop their houses from top to bottom, and fill up a bucket with the dirty water. Next, they dump this water in the street, as a symbolic gesture to “throw away” all of the bad stuff from this past year and begin anew.
I’m sure this is not limited to Cubans (the Japanese have a similar tradition), but the idea of ‘decluttering’–getting rid of the excess, the superfluous–got me thinking about language. When you are initially learning a new language, you have to pair down your sentences. You can’t always use fancy adjectives or be as precise as you’d like.
In essence, you have to declutter what you say, get to the meat of your thought, take down the decorations in your mind of how you want to be perceived (e.g., highly educated, relatable, etc.)… and just spit it out. Learning a language is humbling: you become a diamond in the rough, clay not yet molded, marble not fully sculpted. But your moment is coming! So declutter your sentences, and focus on what’s truly important in your message. A word uttered here or there in a language you aren’t expected to speak can make someone’s day.
Calling all Word Enthusiasts! The Wordle is back! Ahem. That is to say, I abandoned the Wordle for several months and was just reminded of its utility in learning another language. Thus…
This week, check out the “Guidebook” icon on the Duolingo app (see screenshot below), and scan the units you’ve completed to see if you know a handful of five-letter words in your target language. If you know a few–in Spanish, for example, mujer/ woman, cinco/ five, queso/ cheese, vamos/ let’s go, dónde/ where, guapo/ handsome–try guessing the word of the day!
THIS PAGE is the link to search for the Wordle in any other language you may be studying.
NOTE: If you’ve never played before, you have six chances to guess a word. After you choose a word and press enter, green means the letter is in the correct location; yellow means it is in the word, but in the wrong location; and gray means that letter is not in the word.
EXTRA: Reach out to another parent/ faculty member who is studying the same language as you, and text them your “The eagle has landed” secret code phrase from the other week. If you don’t remember what I’m talking about and/or just want to look at the Archives, click HERE.
Kindergarteners tell a story about my stuffed animal duck, “Pato” (duck).
English Version
One day, Pato is walking-walking-walking in the mountains of Chile WHEN **POOF** a cup of coffee appears. The cup of coffee is very big. It is really cold there [in Chile], but the coffee is hot.
Pato says, “LOOK!” and drinks the whole cup. Glug, glug, glug. Uh-oh, what a problem. There is no more coffee! But Pato is very happy. Pato goes to Chile and Argentina. And then, he goes to Uruguay and Paraguay and Bolivia. And then, he goes to Peru. But he goes VERY fast.
The police officer says, “Stop, Pato, stop!” Pato says, “I don’t wanna,” and goes to Chile again. The police officer says, “Come here right now!” Finally, Pato stops and says, “How are you?”. The police officer is angry. “Why are you going so fast?”
Pato says, “I’m looking for the door to Ecuador. Where is it? Do you know?” The police officer doesn’t know. “I don’t care. Time out.” Pato says, “Wait a minute.” Why? Because he wants to talk with Oso. On the phone: “Hi, Oso. Where is the door to Ecuador?” Do you know?” Oso says, “Hmm, I don’t know.”
Then, Pato wants to talk with Perro. “Hi, Perro. Where is the door to Ecuador? Do you know?” Perro says, “Woof, woof. I don’t know.” Finally, Pato wants to talk with Gato. “Hi, Gato. Where is the door to Ecuador? Do you know?”
Gato says, “Yes, over there. It’s obvious.” Pato looks at the map. He looks at it again. It’s not obvious. Not at all. He says, “It hurts so much, what can I do?” [his head hurts so much:)]
Spanish Version
Un día, Pato está caminando-caminando-caminando en las montañas de Chile CUANDO aparece **puf** una taza de café. La taza de café es muy grande. Hace mucho frío allí, pero el café está caliente.
Pato dice, “¡MIRA!” y bebe toda la taza. Glú-glú-glú. Uh-oh, qué problema. ¡No hay más café! Pero Pato está muy feliz. Pato va a Chile y Argentina. Y luego, va a Uruguay y Paraguay y Bolivia. Y luego, va a Peru. Pero va MUY rápido.
El policía dice, “¡Para, Pato, para!” Pato dice, “¡No quiero!” y va a Chile otra vez. El policía dice, “¡Ven aquí ahora!!” Por fin, Pato para y dice, “¿Cómo estás?” El policía está enojado. “¿Por qué vas tan rápido?”
Pato dice, “Busco la puerta a Ecuador. ¿Dónde está? ¿Sabes?”El policía no sabe. “No importa. Tiempo fuera.” (time-out) Pato dice, “Espera un momento”. ¿Por qué? Porque quiere hablar con Oso. Por teléfono: “Hola, Oso. ¿Dónde está la puerta a Ecuador? ¿Sabes?” Oso dice, “Hmm, no sé.”
Luego, Pato quiere hablar con Perro. “Hola, Perro. ¿Dónde está la puerta a Ecuador? ¿Sabes?” Perro dice, “Guau, guau, no sé.” Por fin, Pato quiere hablar con Gato. “Hola, Gato. ¿Dónde está la puerta a Ecuador? ¿Sabes?”
Gato dice, “Sí, por allí. Es obvio.” Pato mira el mapa. Lo mira otra vez. No es obvio. Para nada. Dice, “Me duele tanto… ¿qué puedo hacer?” [his head hurts]
CHAPTER 1: There is a bug. His name is Bob the Beetle. The bug lives in a forest in Spain. His house is bigger than five red cars. Bob the Beetle has a [yellow] pickup truck. He doesn’t have a car; he has a pickup truck. He likes to eat chocolate. He says, “I don’t like chocolate. I LOVE chocolate.”
One night, there is a storm. Bob the Beetle is scared, very scared. Bob the Beetle runs and hides. He waits and waits and waits. Poor little guy! He says, “I’m cold. What can I do?” But class, Bob the Beetle doesn’t have his jacket. What a problem! The monster Fluphball has his jacket. In fact, the monster has a collection of jackets.
Bob the Beetle sees the monster in the darkness. The monster has his jacket. Bob says, “It’s not fair! I want my jacket!” Bob the Beetle sings, “I’m thinking, I’m thinking, I’m thinking–and now I know!” [this is from a cartoon] Bob says, “I have a plan”. Bob the Beetle runs. He runs very fast. But Fluphball yells, “I believe I can fly”. Fluphball uses the jacket to fly. Oh no!
Fluphball the monster flies higher and higher in the air, like a balloon. Bob sings, “Let it go, let it go!” and then he says, “Let it go, let it go, please, Fluphy, let it go!” [let the jacket go]
Fluphball flies to the planet Mars. Why? Because his family lives there. Fluphball sees his family and says, “I don’t care about this jacket.” Fluphball sends the entire collection to Bob the Beetle. Bob is happy, but he doesn’t need that many jackets. He sells the collection on Amazon.
CHAPTER 2 (NEW): Now Bob the Beetle says, “I’m rich.” Bob goes to the bank. He takes out a lot of money. Bob goes to the supermarket. He buys a lot of food. Bob says, “I want to buy a Volkswagen Beetle.” Bob buys a Volkswagen Beetle.
**FINISHED STORY (we told and acted this out aurally in class, so the end of the story was not written out). See THIS POST for the full lesson plan and ending.
Fluphball uses the jacket to fly, goes up and up. Bob says, “LET IT GO!” (Frozen reference), but he doesn’t and flies all the way to Mars.
I blew up a red balloon so they would say, “LET IT GO….!!!” and then the first class said the red balloon was like Mars, so… we found an AMAZING ending to our class story!!!!!!!
On the planet Mars, Fluphball sees his monster family and doesn’t care about the jacket anymore; so the jacket collection gets sucked through a portal and goes directly to Bob’s door, so when he opens the door a bunch of jackets fly in, and he doesn’t need all of them, so he sells the rest on Amazon and becomes very rich. THE END.
Spanish Version
Hay un insecto. Se llama Bob the Beetle (el escarabajo). El insecto vive en un bosque en España. Su casa es más grande que cinco coches rojos. Bob the Beetle tiene una camioneta [amarilla]. No tiene un coche; tiene una camioneta. Le gusta comer chocolate. Dice, “No me gusta el chocolate. ¡ME ENCANTA el chocolate!”
Una noche, hay una tormenta. Bob the Beetle tiene miedo, mucho miedo. Bob the Beetle (el escarabajo) corre y se esconde. Espera y espera y espera. ¡¡¡Pobrecito!!! Él dice, “Tengo frío. ¿Qué puedo hacer?” Pero clase, Bob el escarabajo no tiene su chaqueta. ¡Qué problema! El monstruo Fluphball tiene su chaqueta. De hecho, el monstruo tiene una colección de chaquetas.
Bob el escarabajo ve al monstruo en la oscuridad. El monstruo tiene su chaqueta. Bob dice, “¡No es justo! ¡Quiero mi chaqueta!” Bob el escarabajo canta: “Pienso, pienso, pienso, pienso– y ahora lo sé.” Bob dice, “Tengo un plan”. Bob el escarabajo corre. Corre muy rápido. Pero Fluphball grita, “Sé que puedo volar”. Fluphball usa la chaqueta para volar. Oh no!
Fluphball el monstruo vuela más y más alto en el aire, como un globo. Bob canta, “¡Suéltalo, suéltalo!” y luego dice, “¡Suéltala, suéltala, por fa-vor, Fluphy, suéltala!”
Fluphball vuela hasta el planeta Marte. ¿Por qué? Porque su familia vive ahí. Fluphball ve a su familia y dice, “No me importa esta chaqueta”. A Fluphball le manda toda la colección a Bob el escarabajo. Bob está feliz, pero no necesita tantas chaquetas. Vende la colección en Amazon.
CAPÍTULO 2: Ahora Bob the Beetle dice, “Soy rico”. Bob va al banco. Él saca mucho dinero. Bob va al supermercado. Él compra mucha comida. Bob dice, “Quiero comprar un Volkswagen Escarabajo”. Bob compra un Volkswagen Beetle.
Some days, we educators plan our lessons down to the minute. We have an excellent grasp of students’ abilities and how much content can reasonably be covered in a single class period. We have researched our subject, know it backwards and forwards, can predict potential tangents and plans gone awry, jump out of bed with excitement for the day…
And yet somehow, it still falls apart. A first grader loses a wiggly tooth in class and everyone gets excited and starts shrieking. I am interrupted 47 times in a row and can’t remember what our lesson is about. There is a fire drill. An unexpected and sudden thunderstorm causes waterfall tears amongst my most sensitive students. Note that this invariably falls on the first day of the workweek. Oh, Monday, you capricious fool! What is a teacher to do with you?
However, these days fall to the wayside–gently sliding off the cliff of Memories We’d Rather Forget–when a Bright Star appears in the night sky, aligning itself with the Constellation of Awesomeness, and makes everything okay again. In fact, better than okay! What was the magic ingredient? The spice that had the chef exclaiming, “¡Magnífico!”? Let’s find out.
For starters, I have always had the freedom to create my own curriculum. This has had a bag of mixed results: creativity abounds in my classroom, but in years’ past, there wasn’t always a thread holding everything together, and I wanted to fix that.
My classes meet somewhat irregularly–not every day–and when you start canceling them due to holidays or scheduling conflicts, well, there has to be something that connects everything and ties up the metaphorical gift called Spanish Class with a nice, neat bow. Or else, it feels random, too pixelated. What could hold it together?
Enter Storytelling, with a capital “S”.
IT BEGAN ONE SUNNY AFTERNOON, when a second grade boy started telling me all about a rhinoceros beetle. He was so enthusiastic, the passion just oozed out of him. He lit up when he talked about this, well, bug. I had wanted to make a connection with the student so that he would be more engaged in class, and here was my chance. Over time, this tiny character morphed into the hero of a Spanish class saga.
Read the English version below first to get a general idea of the plot–because it gets loco fast–and then check out the commentary farther down for lesson ideas. You can find the Spanish version of this story at the bottom of this post.
BOB THE BEETLE (English Version)
Second graders tell a story about a bug named “Bob the Beetle”.
CHAPTER 1: There is a bug. His name is Bob the Beetle. The bug lives in a forest in Spain. His house is bigger than five red cars. Bob the Beetle has a [yellow] pickup truck. He doesn’t have a car; he has a pickup truck. He likes to eat chocolate. He says, “I don’t like chocolate. I LOVE chocolate.”
One night, there is a storm. Bob the Beetle is scared, very scared. Bob the Beetle runs and hides. He waits and waits and waits. Poor little guy! He says, “I’m cold. What can I do?” But class, Bob the Beetle doesn’t have his jacket. What a problem! The monster Fluphball has his jacket. In fact, the monster has a collection of jackets.
Bob the Beetle sees the monster in the darkness. The monster has his jacket. Bob says, “It’s not fair! I want my jacket!” Bob the Beetle sings, “I’m thinking, I’m thinking, I’m thinking–and now I know!” [this is from a cartoon] Bob says, “I have a plan”. Bob the Beetle runs. He runs very fast. But Fluphball yells, “I believe I can fly”. Fluphball uses the jacket to fly. Oh no!
Fluphball the monster flies higher and higher in the air, like a balloon. Bob sings, “Let it go, let it go!” and then he says, “Let it go, let it go, please, Fluphy, let it go!” [let the jacket go]
Fluphball flies to the planet Mars. Why? Because his family lives there. Fluphball sees his family and says, “I don’t care about this jacket.” Fluphball sends the entire collection to Bob the Beetle. Bob is happy, but he doesn’t need that many jackets. He sells the collection on Amazon.
CHAPTER 2 (NEW): Now Bob the Beetle says, “I’m rich.” Bob goes to the bank. He takes out a lot of money. Bob goes to the supermarket. He buys a lot of food. Bob says, “I want to buy a Volkswagen Beetle.” Bob buys a Volkswagen Beetle.
Class Story
Commentary
CHAPTER 1: There is a bug. His name is Bob the Beetle. The bug lives in a forest in Spain. His house is bigger than five red cars. Bob the Beetle has a [yellow] pickup truck. He doesn’t have a car; he has a pickup truck. He likes to eat chocolate. He says, “I don’t like chocolate. I LOVE chocolate.”
We spent the first 3-5 minutes of class on this each day (or a new sentence or two each lesson), and incorporated whatever projects and vocabulary we happened to be working on. We started off very slowly. Where does Bob the Beetle live? (in Spain, obviously) What does his house look like? (It’s massive) What does he like to eat? (Chocolate, also obvious) Remember, this was 95% in the target language.
For instance, when we decided that he didn’t just like chocolate, he LOVED it, I taught students a chocolate clapping rhyme and showed them a video about beautifully carved molinillos in Mexico.
One night, there is a storm. Bob the Beetle is scared, very scared. Bob the Beetle runs and hides. He waits and waits and waits. Poor little guy! He says, “I’m cold. What can I do?” But class, Bob the Beetle doesn’t have his jacket. What a problem! The monster Fluphball has his jacket. In fact, the monster has a collection of jackets.
There actually was a huge storm one day, which was a great opportunity to talk about fears and make our own Popsicle stick Worry Dolls (Guatemala). My students also say, “Wait!” all the time in conversation, so it was a good high-frequency word to teach. Last but not least, you can get in counting with a good game of hide-and-seek here: listos o no, ¡aquí vengo yo! (ready or not, here I come!).
Bob the Beetle sees the monster in the darkness. The monster has his jacket. Bob says, “It’s not fair! I want my jacket!” Bob the Beetle sings, “I’m thinking, I’m thinking, I’m thinking–and now I know!”
Bob says, “I have a plan”. Bob the Beetle runs. He runs very fast. But Fluphball yells, “I believe I can fly”. Fluphball uses the jacket to fly. Oh no!
When our protagonist had to think about something, I found a translation of the cartoon Pinky Dinky Doo, where a girl thinks and thinks and thinks, and her head literally gets bigger when she has to solve a problem.
This all quickly escalated as suddenly, there was an enemy at large: The Monster Fluphball, who had STOLEN Bob’s jacket so that he could add it to his Jacket Collection. An innocent motive. #Hardly! The Monster Fluphball uses said jacket to fly. Somehow, we progressed from an orange fluffy monster to these flying videos:
And without knowing how it began, I had second graders taking 3-second turns singing, “Sé que pue-do vo-lar” (I believe I can fly), running across the room, pretending to fly, and then epically throwing themselves on the carpet (#fail). This was a big hit. Clearly.
Fluphball the monster flies higher and higher in the air, like a balloon. Bob sings, “Let it go, let it go!” and then he says, “Let it go, let it go, please, Fluphy, let it go!” [in Spanish, the direct object has to change to a la instead of a lo for it to make sense here; so we sang it twice to account for that]
At this point, Fluphball keeps flying high in the sky, so Bob says, “Let it go!” (Frozen reference), and I showed students various translation medleys of the famous song (Frozen- 25 Languages; also, Behind the Mic).
I also blew up a red balloon so they would sing, “LET IT GO!!!” with me, and the first class said that the red balloon looked like Mars. This happened on a Tuesday, so I went to a #TeachableMoment and explained that martes means Tuesday in Spanish, but Marte is the planet Mars.
Fluphball flies to the planet Mars. Why? Because his family lives there. Fluphball sees his family and says, “I don’t care about this jacket.” Fluphball sends the entire collection to Bob the Beetle. Bob is happy, but he doesn’t need that many jackets. He sells the collection on Amazon.
In class, students said that the jacket collection “gets sucked through a portal and goes directly to Bob’s door”, but I simplified the Spanish here. When Bob opens the door, a bunch of jackets fly in, and he doesn’t need all of them, so he sells the rest on Amazon and becomes very rich.
THE END OF CHAPTER ONE.
In Chapter Two, Bob gets a Volkswagen Beetle with all of his Amazon-jacket money; but we’re not there yet. So you’ll have to wait a while to find out what happens next. Spoiler alert: we will probably have to fit in something about a yellow submarine/ submarino amarillo, to the tune of The Beatles…
Man, you give second graders an inch and we wind up on Mars!
So what was the secret ingredient, after all that? Honestly, I think it was the Storytelling Thread that held the lessons together. We connected close to 90% of everything we did to this story, and it took off. The nice, neat bow gave my tangents and those crazy days where nothing went quite right… well, it gave it a purpose and focus, and the kids knew it.
Thanks, Bob.
BOB THE BEETLE (Spanish Version)
Hay un insecto. Se llama Bob the Beetle (el escarabajo). El insecto vive en un bosque en España. Su casa es más grande que cinco coches rojos. Bob the Beetle tiene una camioneta [amarilla]. No tiene un coche; tiene una camioneta. Le gusta comer chocolate. Dice, “No me gusta el chocolate. ¡ME ENCANTA el chocolate!”
Una noche, hay una tormenta. Bob the Beetle tiene miedo, mucho miedo. Bob the Beetle (el escarabajo) corre y se esconde. Espera y espera y espera. ¡¡¡Pobrecito!!! Él dice, “Tengo frío. ¿Qué puedo hacer?” Pero clase, Bob el escarabajo no tiene su chaqueta. ¡Qué problema! El monstruo Fluphball tiene su chaqueta. De hecho, el monstruo tiene una colección de chaquetas.
Bob el escarabajo ve al monstruo en la oscuridad. El monstruo tiene su chaqueta. Bob dice, “¡No es justo! ¡Quiero mi chaqueta!” Bob el escarabajo canta: “Pienso, pienso, pienso, pienso– y ahora lo sé.” Bob dice, “Tengo un plan”. Bob el escarabajo corre. Corre muy rápido. Pero Fluphball grita, “Sé que puedo volar”. Fluphball usa la chaqueta para volar. Oh no!
Fluphball el monstruo vuela más y más alto en el aire, como un globo. Bob canta, “¡Suéltalo, suéltalo!” y luego dice, “¡Suéltala, suéltala, por fa-vor, Fluphy, suéltala!”
Fluphball vuela hasta el planeta Marte. ¿Por qué? Porque su familia vive ahí. Fluphball ve a su familia y dice, “No me importa esta chaqueta”. A Fluphball le manda toda la colección a Bob el escarabajo. Bob está feliz, pero no necesita tantas chaquetas. Vende la colección en Amazon.
CAPÍTULO 2: Ahora Bob the Beetle dice, “Soy rico”. Bob va al banco. Él saca mucho dinero. Bob va al supermercado. Él compra mucha comida. Bob dice, “Quiero comprar un Volkswagen Escarabajo”. Bob compra un Volkswagen Beetle.
As we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season, you might need to adjust your Duolingo goals. It is a busy time, and what began as a daily habit may now have waned to a few times a week of practice on the app. That’s okay! Just keep plugging along at your own pace, and HAVE FUN WITH IT!
This week, think about those catchy code phrases where people say, “The eagle has landed” or “We have a code red” or “Mission accomplished” or “The eagle has left the nest”.
Now, using the same tone of voice–while talking into your invisible handheld walkie talkie–repeat a Duolingo phrase: “He’s eating an apple.” “Bread, please.” “Good morning, Mr. Rodriguez.” Make it a game with your family! #SecretMessages #Codes #FunLanguageGames
Are you making connections, or is your language study tucked away in a drawer? Do the words in your target language only surface in your mind when you are on the Duolingo app–and then remain dormant the rest of the day? If that is the case, don’t ask, “Why can’t I remember?” Ask instead, “How can I connect my daily activities with my target language?” Our brains are unique search engines, and will actively look for answers… which means that we have to make sure we are asking thoughtful questions.
In fact, our brains will no doubt tell us a million reasons why we can’t remember, but that is not productive: it just makes us feel bad. However, if we pose a better question, our brains will get to work and start thinking of ways to integrate our language study into our daily lives. So, ask your brain! I bet it will come up with some creative answers!
EXTRA: Earn DOUBLE the XP you normally do in a week.
This week, let’s extend a bit to culture. Have you tried cooking a dish from your target language’s culture? If you don’t have time to go all out on a full-fledged recipe, order out a meal you haven’t tried before.
I like to have weekly, broad, ‘international’ themes at home sometimes, where if I am making empanadas, I’ll put on Spanish [Argentine] music. If I am making samosas, I’ll stream a radio station from India. If I am making spaghetti, I’ll listen to Italian. If I order in sushi, I’ll watch a show in Japanese with English subtitles. Surround yourself with the language AND culture. Language is more than words!
EXTRA: Check out radio.garden to stream radio stations from anywhere in the world (all of the green dots are cities). Click HERE for recipes from Spanish-speaking countries.
This week, consider journaling in your target language. This might mean writing down three words you remember. For example, if you had coffee sometime today, write “coffee” in the language you’re studying (if you know it). If you know, “I drink coffee” (or “I don’t drink coffee”), write that! Don’t worry about verb tenses–“Well technically, it should be I drank coffee…”.
NO! Your goal is to get out a thought or two on paper. (Or the shower stall glass door when it’s fogged up: write a word there, don’t just draw a smiley face!) Did you greet anyone with, “Hello” or “Good morning” today [in English]? Then write the equivalent in your language to indicate that. If you’re ready for a full sentence or two, try that on for size. Work at your own level and pace.
The most important takeaway here is to use what you already know. If you don’t know the word, move on. Use a word you do–the word might not be precise, it might not be perfect, but it will get the job done. Not sure about truck? Say car. Not sure about toast? Say bread. We have to train ourselves to get to the point a little faster in the language we are studying. “Me! Bread! Now!” It’s not pretty–perhaps, pretty humbling!–but you’ve made your point, right?
EXTRA: Oh, so you think you’re hardcore?! Send me a photo of your handwritten scrawls in another language! (I won’t grade you, promise.)
Are you skipping the “repeat aloud” lessons on Duolingo? Yes, I’m looking at you! Do you click the, “can’t talk now” button? DON’T! This week, be courageous.
Repeat the sentences aloud… maybe even when you don’t have to. It will build your confidence. Just do it. (#FunFact- did you know that “Nike” comes from the Greek νίκη [níkē], meaning victory?)
EXTRA: Watch this [FUN!!!] video about “what English sounds like to foreigners” (guy at top of page).
This week, reflect on WHY you are learning your target language. Do you want to travel and be able to communicate with people in that country? Would it make your job easier if you spoke XX language? Do your in-laws speak another language and you’d like to feel more like family when you are around them? It is important to have a strong reason to fall back on when your language study begins to plateau or you notice yourself losing interest.
If you want to travel, be specific–what do you want to see? Dream it! Visualize it! Write it down! And maybe, just maybe, buy a ticket! THIS site is also fun to play around with, either to click on all of the states/ countries you’ve visited or the ones you would like to visit someday. So… WHY are you learning your language in particular? And do you know how to say why in the language you’re studying??!
EXTRA: Need even more? Check out this language-based post re: Columbus Day from last year, in case you missed it.
Pacing. This week, pay attention to pacing. Just like in a marathon, you can’t go out in a full sprint–and maintain that speed for 26.2 miles (or at least most of us can’t). Some of you may have started out pretty hardcore, but your pace has begun to slow. Don’t beat yourself up about it; just find the right rhythm for you and your schedule.
The most important factor when learning a language is frequency. It is much more effective to study in little blips throughout the week, than a cram session on Saturday. I know the cram session is tempting, but it won’t get you where you want to go. #fluency #proficiency
EXTRA: Check out the main Adult Class page for more tips HERE, or ruminate on one of my favorite language quotes below.
“We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly. If someone knows how to play the violin only a little, he will find that the painful minutes he causes are not in proportion to the possible joy he gains from his playing. The amateur chemist spares himself ridicule only as long as he doesn’t aspire for professional laurels. The man somewhat skilled in medicine will not go far, and if he tries to trade on his knowledge without certification, he will be locked up as a quack doctor.
Solely in the world of languages is the amateur of value. Well-intentioned sentences full of mistakes can still build bridges between people. Asking in broken Italian which train we are supposed to board at the Venice railway station is far from useless. Indeed, it is better to do that than to remain uncertain and silent and end up back in Budapest rather than in Milan.”
Every year, fourth graders memorize and present a play entirely in Spanish for Lower School students and their families. The play has a completely different plot each year and is based on the adventures of my stuffed animal duck, “Pato“.
Soundtrack
The “Pato” Play (2023-24)
ONCE UPON A TIME, there lived a Golden Taco. It was a powerful, kind, strong, smart taco–and golden, of course. The Golden Taco lived in a castle in the Czech Republic, which was guarded by three of King Duo’s knights (Duo, as in the Duolingo owl). The Taco was very happy, but one day, on the darkest of days…
The ground trembled and the trees shook as “Bad Apple“, suffering from a case of Acute Boredom, arrived at an alarming decision: “I don’t want to roll”. As he is an apple, his primary mode of transportation is rolling… which never gets him too far. But he has an evil mission (thanks to the Acute Boredom), and nothing will deter him! So he rolls to Japan with his evil bestie, Bad Pineapple, and recruits ninjas to help him steal the coveted Golden Taco. A brief ninja warrior battle scene ensues.
The ninjas are found to be adequately skilled and trustworthy; shortly thereafter, Bad Apple, Bad Pineapple, and the Ninjas are all on an aircraft headed to the Czech Republic.
The group’s evil plans are of the last-minute variety (they brainstorm outside of the castle walls), but crafty indeed–and slowly, the line of defense guarding the castle breaks down. The first guard is sneezed at, and runs away to CVS for Kleenex. The second guard sees a [ninja-trained] squirrel and chases after it, promising to return shortly. The third guard is fast asleep, but enthusiastically dream-singing about Don Quijote–the Knight of all Knights.
The ninjas comment that this is too easy as they sneak into the castle, tip-toe past King Duo (who is obsessively trying to earn 10,000 XP on the Duolingo app and doesn’t notice), and easily kidnap the Golden Taco.
When King Duo’s iPad needs to be charged, he realizes that the Golden Taco is missing. Intending to call a world-renowned Detective Agency, he mistakenly dials the number of an Argentinean pizzeria instead… of which Oso is the manager. When Oso hears that the Golden Taco has been stolen, he immediately makes a call–and Pato is on the case.
The lurking question of Bad Apple’s motive is answered in the next scene.
Here, Bad Apple proceeds to “grill” the Golden Taco, demanding–interrogation style–the recipe and ingredients for the Perfect Taco. The more questions Bad Apple asks, the weaker the Golden Taco gets. Oh no! Time is of the essence! But the truth has become clear now: Bad Apple wants to start his own restaurant.
Meanwhile, Pato is thinking as hard as a stuffed animal duck possibly can. That’s Agent Pato, to you! Yes, my apologies: Agent Pato is thinking as hard as a stuffed animal duck possibly can. Thankfully, not much thinking is required, as he soon chances upon a trail of cheese–the first clue–and bumps into Billy la bufanda (Billy the Scarf).
Aha! It was Billy! The police interrogate, but The Pink Boots clear his name. Billy had an alibi at the time of the crime.
Not long after, Agent Pato finds another clue: a trail of lettuce. At the same moment, he receives a letter from a friend in Puerto Rico. Wait, the monster Fluphball lives in Puerto Rico! Maybe it was Fluphball!
As the police interrogate Fluphball–who is notorious for swiping things to add to his collections–Bad Apple and Bad Pineapple saunter by, highly focused and rhythmically chanting, “Shell, lettuce, meat, cheese… what else?”
Agent Pato and friends witness the same strange scene moments later. They put two and two together and realize that Fluphball is not at fault–at least not this time. It’s got to be Bad Apple and friends enemies, but how will Agent Pato and the police catch them? And will the Golden Taco be rescued in time?
Go to the bottom of this page for the backstory of where this all began.
Spanish Version
1715: España es muy fuerte y poderosa. Tiene muchos territorios. Pero el rey quiere más control. El rey se llama Felipe. El rey Felipe es impaciente. Él dice, “¡Quiero mi tesoro! ¡Ahora mismo!” Por eso (that’s why), los marineros van a la isla de Cuba.
En Cuba, la gente baila mucho. La salsa es un baile (una danza) importante. Hoy en día (nowadays), Cuba es muy famoso por sus coches. El rey Felipe quiere su tesoro, pero este es un problema. ¿Por qué? Porque es la temporada de huracanes (hurricane season).
Hay un huracán terrible–está lloviendo y hay una brisa muy fuerte en el Océano Atlántico. La flota española (un grupo de 12 barcos) se hunde en la tormenta. Y el tesoro desaparece (disappears)… hasta 2017. Ahora, el tesoro está en un museo de historia.
CAPÍTULO 2: Un día, Cubby está en su apartamento (en la impresora). ¿Cubby está leyendo o jugando? Correcto, Cubby está jugando un videojuego. El videojuego se llama MarioKart/ MarioGolf. De repente (suddenly), Cubby recibe un mensaje secreto.
Un cuervo lo deja caer en su sofá. Cubby lo mira. ¿Qué dice el mensaje secreto? No sé. El mensaje secreto es invisible. Cubby usa un secador de pelo y PUF, aparece el mensaje secreto. El mensaje secreto dice que… hay un mapa… y un cofre de tesoro!!! ¡¡NO ME DIGAS!!
1715: Spain is very strong and powerful. It has a lot of territories. But the king wants more control. The king is named Phillip. King Phillip is impatient. He says, “I want my treasure! Now!” That’s why the sailors go to the island of Cuba.
In Cuba, the people dance a lot. Salsa is an important dance. Nowadays, Cuba is very famous for its cars. King Phillip wants his treasure, but this is a problem. Why? Because it’s hurricane season.
There is a terrible hurricane–it’s raining, and there is a very strong breeze in the Atlantic Ocean. The Spanish Fleet (a group of 12 boats) sinks in the storm. And the treasure disappears… until 2017. Now, the treasure is in a history museum.
CHAPTER 2: One day, Cubby is in his apartment (in the printer). Is Cubby reading or playing? Correct, Cubby is playing a videogame. The videogame is called MarioKart/ MarioGolf. Suddenly, Cubby receives a secret message.
A crow drops it on his couch. Cubby looks at it. What the secret message say? I don’t know. The secret message is invisible. Cubby uses a hairdryer and POOF, the secret message appears. The secret message says that there is a map… and a treasure chest! No way!
BACKSTORY: This semester, students in third grade began by helping the rest of Lower School build an impressive 3-D model of part of Chichen Itza out of colorful paper cubes (Mexico). One particular cube managed to attach itself to a Popsicle stick and grow a face—and thus was borne Cubby el cubo cubano (Cubby the Cuban Cube). In order to tell the story of present-day Cubby, however, it was necessary to travel back in time; through role-playing, third graders learned about the lost treasure and Spanish Fleet of 1715, and then used this story (nonfiction) as a point of origin for their own original story (fiction).
Their adventure involved intimidating bodyguards, good and evil forces (e.g., the girl who poured a milkshake on Cubby, the paper cube!), the fact that Cubby lives in a printer and therefore could photocopy and clone himself, and a ridiculous and messy finale of soap and marshmallows that expanded in the (yes, real) microwave. Later, students went on another historical voyage to learn about endangered languages and how creoles/languages are formed, and as an extension, worked to create their own languages. Knuffle Bunnyadded some good food for thought here—is thinking language, pre-language, or merely wordless emotional stuff? Lastly, third graders chose class (food) nicknames; had a ‘masculine and feminine nouns’ competition; learned about Cinco de Mayo, and began their final class story of the year. Gracias for a fabulous year.
I don’t have a full post to share with you this week, but rather a single thought that I hear myself repeating to my students on a regular basis: “That was great, but this time, say it like you mean it–with expression!”
When you are fluent in a language, you don’t merely say words all day long: you weave them into elaborate stories; you use inflection to make a point; your volume increases if you are angry or upset; your shoulders slump when you are sad; your words rush out like waterfall rapids when you are excited. Your expression seals the deal here. Again, it makes the language come alive.
So don’t simply repeat words robotically on the app–add expression, snuggle up and get comfy with them. They are becoming a part of you, no matter where you are on your language-learning journey.
EXTRA: If you would like to go down the linguistics rabbit hole, check out this page for some thought-provoking articles.
“The limits of my language are the limits of my universe.” -Goethe
I like languages. And words. A lot. I like how they sound, how they look, how they feel, and how they are able to impart information from one person to another. Not surprisingly, my educational background is linguistics, or the ‘scientific study of language and its structure’. That might sound very blah, blah, blah to you, but words are actually very cool! I mean, honestly–what would we do without them?
The downside to studying bits and pieces of lots of languages is that they don’t always listen to Me, Myself, and I, when they are politely asked to retire to their separate quarters. The languages in my brain like to mingle and socialize, but this is highly counterproductive… because you can’t start a sentence in German, say the middle in Japanese, and the end in Portuguese, and expect people to understand you. (They won’t.)
If you are studying more than one language, then, compartmentalization is an important skill to develop. You need to train your brain to turn ‘on and off’ languages when they are not in use, so that Russian does not interrupt your French conversation, or Spanish your German conversation. Many hyperpolyglots describe this as ‘activating’ or ‘de-activating’ language(s). Imagine in your brain turning on the lightbulb for Finnish and turning off the lightbulb for Latvian (when you are visiting Finland), and vice-versa when you are visiting Latvia. You want to separate languages in which you are not yet fluent. Otherwise, they will start overlapping and cause all sorts of mischief.
That said, I encourage you NOT to compartmentalize your language study from your native tongue; instead, integrate it into your thoughts and conversations. If you are a beginner, this is actually easier, because you have less to focus on and ‘scan for’. For example, if you only know that verde is green in Spanish, every time you see any shade of green today–while you are driving, at the grocery store, on the soccer field–say the word verde to yourself. Make the language come alive.Actively search for the words you know out in real life.
Maybe you are drinking coffee at a café and people-watching, and you learned the expression, “excuse me” (disculpe or con permiso in Spanish). You might not be able to hear them, but does anyone look like they are trying to say, “excuse me” around you? If you have a strong imagination, perhaps your favorite superhero just crashed through the ceiling and said, “Excuse me, do you know where that Learn How to Fly course is taking place?” Ha!
Seriously though, it’s helpful to think of it like a memory game, where you try to match the words you are learning in the digital realm with your physical reality (when you are out and about), or when you are in conversation with others or yourself (your thoughts).
If you are more advanced in your language study, translate a little in your head the next time you hear something. It could be a single word, a phrase, or even an entire sentence. It could be a conversation with a real person, or some bit of language from a podcast, radio station, tv show, YouTube channel, or movie. Conversely, it could be something you saw, like words on a billboard that you just drove by. Or a book you are reading.
We are literally surrounded by words all day long–either externally (ads, conversations, entertainment) or internally (thoughts)–both spoken and written. So let’s get to work and apply what we have learned. The words we learn can’t only be in the form of the number of XP on an app: we have to make them come alive, jump off the page, and become a meaningful part of our lives.
Another trip down Memory Lane, this time from 2018! And, not surprisingly, another mélange [mixing] of languages…
SPAIN: The Camino de Santiago is a 500-mile hike and pilgrimage across northern Spain. It takes about 30 days to complete on foot. You carry everything you need in a backpack, and follow the arrows and shells so you don’t get lost. I completed the walk over two summers with a few friends. This is a journal from the second summer.
June 25-26, 2018: Home to Reykjavik to Frankfurt to Madrid (Iceland to Germany to Spain)
To begin, I was foolishly determined to save money on the flight this summer, and thus embarked upon an 18-hour journey to Spain. While it was something insanely cheap, like $200 for an overseas flight, in retrospect, it was not worth it.
J’allais écrire que le voyage commence ici et maintenant, mais en réalité, il a commencé il y a beaucoup et je ne pense pas que je pourrais identifier l’heure exacte du début. Mais c’est comme ça avec plusieurs choses. Quand commence ou finit un moment ? Personne ne sait, même les physiciens des particules qui passent toute la vie en étudiant l’univers.
Je vois, au loin et de la fenêtre, les vagues de l’océan, au côté d’Islande. Elles sont blanches et elles forment une ligne en zigzag, sans rythme mais très belles et vives contre le bleu-gris d’eau. Le sable brun me fait penser au désert. Aucune idée de comment épeler ce mot.
June 27, 2018: Madrid to Burgos–via bus (Spain)
While the jetlag and general fatigue were not worth the bargin price tag, they did result in a funny story the first morning in Madrid. You see, I couldn’t figure out how to use the shower in the hotel, and therefore called the front desk. While I was fluent in Spanish, all the woman kept telling me was that the telephone was working. Of course the telephone is working! That’s how I’m calling you!
Increasingly frustrated with me, she said that she would send someone up to my room. After talking in circles for what seemed like forever, I finally figured out that teléfono not only refers to a telephone in Spain, but that it also means shower head. Whoops.
Following a tomato and cheese bocadillo with churros y un café for breakfast–oh Spain, how I have missed you!–I caught a bus to Burgos. Well, technically, I missed the first bus, but a woman helped me catch another one. Phew! I was meeting my friends there, and we were scheduled to begin hiking the next day.
June 28, 2018: Burgos to Hontanas (Spain), 31.5km
To preface today, I want to explain that we decided to name the days this summer. It was too easy to lose track of time on trail, and we wanted to remember as much of our time abroad as possible. We launched directly into hiking after meeting up, walking an ambitious 31.5km (19.6 miles) the first day.
I distinctly recall, roughly 5km from Hontanas, stopping to rest halfway up a hill. I bent down to tie my shoelace, and managed to knock over my water bottle, the contents of which spilled out on the dusty road. It was already like walking through the desert with water in this extreme heat… but without? I practically cried. My friend reassured me, saying that we were close to town. A little ways away, but not bad.
When we walked into town, I spied an outdoor faucet, filled my water bottle, and chugged the entire thing. I will spare you the details of what happened next, except to say that the water was not good and made me very sick. Sick to the point where I had to go to a medical center.
Most unfortunately, today was called: The Day of Spilled Water and the Night of the Ambulance and Vomit
June 29, 2018: Hontanas (Spain), 0km
I was in no shape to hike today because, in addition to a fever, I couldn’t hold down any food or water. However, that night, we heard a man screaming in the hostel, and decided to leave as quickly as possible the next morning–despite my condition. You might be tired or sick when traveling, but if your gut instinct says there is danger, you get out. Fast. So that’s what we did.
June 30, 2018: Hontanas to Castrojeriz (Spain), 9km
That is not to say that I made it very far the next day. I was still very weak, but nevertheless, motivated out of fear to leave. We were behind schedule, but my body couldn’t take it–and I had to stop and rest after only 9km.
A little after 9pm that evening, we saw four black cats get into a wild cat fight, and then the crazy guy from the other town showed up again–so we grabbed our stuff and literally ran to the next town, a few kilometers away.
I’m not usually superstitious, but we have been repeatedly assigned to room #13, one of my flights cost $666 dollars, and now the black cats. I don’t know what the Camino is trying to communicate: everything all year long has led up to this trip; but now it feels like it is doing everything in its power to push me away.
July 1, 2018: Castrojeriz to Frómista (Spain), 23km
A full moon and fresh breeze began the morning, a 6:39am start, with cotton candy colored clouds far in the distance. As we approached the mountain, we realized that that the recent drama has merely been the Camino playing a game with us. This is the “mental section”, after all. We are now ninja warriors, in it for the long hall.
NOTE: Pilgrims believe that the Camino is divided into three sections: it tests you physically in the beginning (climbing over the Pyrenees), mentally in the middle, and spiritually in the end.
Walking was great today: 62*F, a soft breeze, a mountain to begin the day, and finally settling into the Meseta. It is much prettier than expected! I called my parents tonight but realized near the end of the call that I was not connected to wifi–so a $15 dollar bill, whoops. But totally worth it to hear their voices!
We ate pizza tonight and watched the World Cup Spain vs. Russia soccer game in a restaurant called “Manchego”, like the cheese. Last but not least, we got bunk beds #11 and #12, not #13 again: our luck has changed for the better.
July 2, 2018: Frómista to Carrión de los Condes (Spain), 19km
The leaves rustle outside the church, swirling and twirling like fall is around the corner. I am grateful they have left the door open for pilgrims. Bibles in numerous languages are lined up in a row. Russian and Spanish call my name, ever so gently. The place is familiar-unfamiliar, known and yet unknown: I am returning to a place from long, long ago.
She blessed me, tracing the sign of the cross on my forehead, repeating the word, “Hermana”. ¡Hermana! We are all family in God’s eyes. The priest at the pilgrims’ blessing—well, actually a sister—spoke about the Way and stars, and how sometimes we feel that so much of our life is spent in darkness; but when we look up, the sky is full of light. We were reminded to be lights for others as well. This journey, this Camino, my Camino, is more spiritual/ religious than I have let myself believe. But that is yet another surprise the Camino has revealed to me today (the first was an eleven-day-old baby lamb).
We have left the fall—leaves rustling all around—and entered the winter of the mind, fluffies floating like snow outside. It was cooler outside than expected today, but calm—the quiet, gentle calm of normalcy on a sunny winter morning.
July 3, 2018: Carrión de los Condes to Terradillos de los Templarios (Spain), 25km
Springtime has arrived: the yellow forsythia are blossoming all around, a tunnel of flowers leading to the secret garden of joy. My emotions burst with a child’s love for the world; carefree and at ease, I giggle like a little girl, spreading innocence and happiness all around. I feel light and at peace with myself.
Spoken today: Spanish, French, English, along with bits of Hungarian (older gentleman, 45km/day, FAST walker) and Russian. Languages have been segregated to separate corners of the mind, after they decided to hold a social and began overlapping as they pleased.
July 4, 2018: Terradillos de los Templarios to Bercianos del Real Camino (Spain), 23km
There were more windy, curvy roads than yesterday. Yesterday was flat and one perfectly straight road: it was impossible to get lost. Sahagún is the halfway point of the walk; we arrived here today. We saw the first finishers of a mountain bike race there; some of the street was blocked off in preparation for it. The town itself was industrial and not very pretty. That said, outside of town we saw a long parade of sheep with their shephard and shepharding dogs and heard a cowbell, which made up for it.
To celebrate the holiday, I ate a croissant with coffee, blueberries, cherry tomatoes, an enormous bocadillo de tortilla de patatas, the most delicious gazpacho ever, and chocolate ice cream. I also walked fifteen steps today on the path with my eyes closed. Trust yourself.
Video
July 5, 2018: Bercianos del Real Camino to Mansilla de la Mulas (Spain), 27km
Things of note: 8km before breakfast. Powered through like a bull, but one flying with the stride of an antelope. After coffee and French toast/sweet bread pudding thing, 13km later had the ultimate breakfast of champions, coffee and calamari with lemon.
Now in Gaia albergue, apparently not affiliated with yoga brand but same yogi-vibe nevertheless, with incense and a patio garden out back. Love-love-love! Sat in the hot Spanish sun while eating a juicy peach as it dripped between my fingers. Then ate a Spanish type of trail mix and my lemon electrolyte water. My shirt is also somehow inside-out, and that has made all the difference. I am happy-happy-happy-happy! I could run to Santiago today! But have been advised that 300km in a day might be too much. So I have settled for chocolate ice cream instead.
It is great to talk, but I crave silence more and more as the days pass. I feel physically stronger each day. And I love the challenge of language-switching. Am translating a lot for people these days. The Spanish sun settling in all around is starting to make me sleepy.
July 6, 2018: Mansilla de las Mulas to León (Spain), 20km
First, we met a French couple who were walking more than 2,000km of the Camino, and then were going to write a book about it. Wow! I felt a supernatural type of flying energy today and took off at a very brisk pace up Alto del Portillo hill all the way to León. It was very steep going down the dirt mountain path to the city. Two cyclists were riding up it and I said, “Eres mi héroe” to one of them. There was a spectacular view at the top; I felt pulled to León by a force greater than myself. We stopped at the Camino information center, and eventually found an albergue.
We attended a very confusing Vespers Mass with nuns and lots of singing, and an elderly woman clasped my hand and later hugged me. Afterwards, we went to a few tourist shops, and then toured the León Cathedral for five euros. We bought lemon and melocotón-flavored bubble tea, and pistachio and chocolate de Ecuador flavored ice-cream. We ended up going to the pilgrims’ dinner after the Vespers Mass. I slept really well through a gigantic thunderstorm.
July 7, 2018: León to San Martin del Camino (Spain),26.5km
NOTE: I was finishing a 90-day French language challenge during my time in Spain, and so journaled from time to time en français. It was challenging to hear Spanish all day and then write in [imperfect] French in the evenings.
Je n’ai pas écrit rien hier parce que nous avons marché et ensuite nous avons vu la cathédrale de León ; donc il n’y avait pas de temps pour écrire.J’ai pensée qu’il y aurait un orage comme l’autre jour et j’étais excitée pour ça mais aux fins il n’y avait pas un. Cependant, j’ai parlé avec une femme qui habite en Madrid pendant quelque temps et elle était très gentille et sympathique. Elle a fait le Chemin avec ses enfants l’année dernière et elle a pleurée beaucoup en arrivant dans Santiago.
Je suis dehors et il y a beaucoup des mouches a cause du change au température, je crois. J’ai mangé un sándwich TRÈS GRAND cet après-midi et je ne savais pas que j’avais faim ! Alors pour le dîner je ne sais pas qu’est-ce que je dois manger. C’est un après-midi calme, tranquille—après de « le fou » de la grande ville de León. J’ai parlé avec maman aussi !! Elle était ravie d’écouter de moi et écouter ma voix—et également j’étais très contente !
July 8, 2018: San Martin del Camino to Astorga (Spain), 23.5km
I ate a very large breakfast for five euros at the hostel this morning. It had a friendly, homey atmosphere, with music from Cher to Smashmouth to Alanis Morissette playing, a bookshelf, and a lamp at the end of the hallway during the night—very cozy.
We left later, around 7:30am, after speaking in French with a Belgian couple who had walked from Belgium to Santiago and were now headed from Santiago to Rome. They gave us advice and tips for albergues along the Way. Mini enchanted forests today. First, brushy one, then fenced tree-forest (elves in training, obviously), then fruit stand in the middle of nowhere with free watermelon, peaches, etc. then relaxed in hammock with rock and flower landscaped garden. Then forest with Lorax truffle trees, then a cross with view of Astorga. Desert-like landscape for most of the day: this is the true Meseta. Saw Astorga Cathedral.
PROSE: Bright rays of sunlight outline, rather, underline the dark clouds, closing the day with a punctuation mark. The sun peeks through, shining warmth all around; it is not ready for bed. My eyelids are heavy and my heart undecided: I feel both rushed and restless, simultaneously. I walk, and the day is long—a winding, hilly path through desert-like surroundings and enchanted forests, whose trees hold secrets of elves and magical creatures and many stories. We speak of religion and spirituality as the mental stage of the Meseta comes to a close. A fruit stand materializes in the middle of nowhere, with free watermelon and doughnut peaches and cherries.
Yesterday, a smoky blue haze settled over the mountains far in the distance. I watched as a single electric bolt of lightning raced through the smoky blue haze, a perfectly defined, angled line in the mist.
I walk, and the day is short, suddenly over. I feel restless, almost bored with the routine yet unable to sequentially process everything that is happening, that has happened. I am impatient, and reverting to old habits. I must find greater inner strength within me to become the Me I am destined to become. Impatient, I thank the pen for its work tonight. The scribbles do me well, as usual.
July 9, 2018: Astorga to Foncebadón (Spain), 25.6km
Ahora he cambiado de lugar y, llamada por la música pop, he encontrado un sitio (café) genial, con una mujer súper amable de muy buena vibra y una catarata adentro, cerca de flores y tales decoraciones como, por ejemplo, mariposas blancas rodeadas por luces y mesas de madera. Además, he pedido otro café (no tome el otro) y recibí una galleta de canela en forma de un corazón. Perfecto. Si solo hubiéramos descubierto este lugar antes de “settle” en el otro pero la verdad, no pasa nada: hay que fluir con la corriente de la vida. Es una vibra muy chula aquí–tranquila, relajada sin esforzarlo. Y al lado de las montañas, en una colina/ subida/ cuesta increíble!–evidentemente, el pueblo mas alto del Camino Frances.
Me he sentido otra vez el “pull” de Santiago, un cambio bastante radical energético en el cual camino mucho mas rápido pero casi sin esfuerzo. Es como si algo me tirara; la energía se hace mas clara, mas pura: reempiezo la vida, en mis términos, con alegría y felicidad. No sé exactamente cuando empecé a perderme estos ingredientes esenciales de la vida, pero que alegría, que amor de haberlos descubierto de nuevo! Cada día las cosas se hacen mas claras, mas definidas, mas buenas, menos de la niebla borrosa confusa de este año pasado de transición.
Siento una energía pura aquí. Veo a lo lejos una cordillera desconocida. El estar tan cerca de la naturaleza me llena con paz, tranquilidad, sosiego; la felicidad vive aquí, vive en todas partes. Es una maravilla, un mosaico de la belleza de esta vida. Aquí uno descubre a Dios.
July 10, 2018: Foncebadón to Ponferrada (Spain), 26.9km
We walked 16.7 miles today, aka nine hours starting at 6am this morning before daybreak: saw waning crescent moon and a few stars. Up a mountain taller than the Pyrenees (highest point on the Camino), then down the same mountain over shale, that is, carefully placing your foot for every step, for hours on end = complete mental exhaustion, it required such intense concentration; then scorching hot Spanish sun this afternoon.
First albergue Alea we went to was full—imagine the desperation! Found donation one, completely amazing. They served us cold peach tea while we waited, and I have never been so excited to do laundry! What do you eat after a day like today? Have had water, two coffees, a croissant, and a plate of calamari so far. In retrospect, mistake was calamari: way too full to walk after—stomach ache. Not hungry now, just excited!
July 11, 2018: Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo (Spain), 23km
Castillo de Ponferrada: Drinking coffee in a café across from an actual, legitimate Spanish castle during a thunderstorm. Awesomeness. Not long after, a full rainbow appeared as we left Ponferrada (well, the albergue before breakfast). This was definitely a good omen! Had seen a partial rainbow a few days earlier—“progress!” Even saw lightning flashing through the rainbow. Then walked a good eleven miles or so in the pouring rain until it finally began to clear up after noon. But so happy! Was singing (near Cacabelos, Fresh Prince of Belair, ha!) and skipping and smiling like a goofball.
Also spoke aloud to myself and later had a heart-to-heart with Dios. Letting go of burden… el amor puro que experimentaba por dentro esta mañana… si Dios y yo tenemos una relación personal e intima y, si es verdad, si le debo llamar o “tu” o “Usted”… y dando las gracias por la lluvia y la oportunidad de viajar y hacer El Camino y darme cuenta de que, en el fondo, todavía soy católica; y que nuestras experiencias e historia personal forman una parte de nosotros y siempre estarán con nosotros, pero a la vez, mi historia no me es, ya que me permite seguir creciendo, que expande mi alma, etc.
Esta tarde había dejado de llover, pero el pueblo pareció muy lejos porque bajábamos para siempre, hasta un valle rodeado por otra cordillera. Pensé que solo iba a ser un pueblito con un par de edificios, pero ¡para nada! Tres mil habitantes con una iglesia hermosa y una plaza mayor muy bonita con una cena perfecta de gazpacho, cordero a la plancha y natilla. Ahora, quería ir a la misa de peregrinos otra vez, pero estoy cansadísima y aunque tome lugar en la iglesia hermosa, creo que seria mas prudente ducharme e ir a la cama pronto. Solo quedan ocho días hasta llegar en Santiago, no lo puedo creer. Me siento casi triste. Ah sí, hablé con el señor español otra vez durante El Camino mientras llovía. Él parece sabio, pero con un buen sentido de humor, que sonríe mucho.
July 12, 2018: Villafranca del Bierzo to Vega del Valcarce to O’Cebreiro (Spain), 30km
Today began with THE BEST COFFEE EVER, so much so that we named today The Day of the Bombón. The Spanish bombón had condensed milk, expresso, a smidgen of Bailey’s, whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles. I drank it in a small cafe in Villafranca del Bierzo, the town in a valley (surrounded by mountains).
I remember as we left the ‘hidden city’ and began our trek up-up-up the other side of the mountain, that we started talking about acronyms and abbreviations and emojis. How many can you name? We went on and on, and questioned whether English was becoming more pictorial (like Mandarin) as a result. “YOLO”, “FOMO”, “ROFL”, “LOL”, etc. An increase in the use of acronyms is leading to ideas bound up in letters, instead of just words.
Later on, we met a Basque woman who told us that there is a river just before Santiago where pilgrims used to bathe because they rarely washed or showered on trail and had to “purify” themselves before arriving in Santiago de Compostela. Interesting nugget of history.
July 13, 2018: O’Cebreiro to Triacastela to Sarria (Spain), 42.5km
The Day of the Marathon. Today we walked 42.5km, or 26.4 miles, which was ultimately WAY too much for one day. For much of the way, I was flying along–I had had back pain other days, but today we walked and at 2pm I was still fresh and full of energy. We were going to stop at one town, but there weren’t any albergues, so we had to continue on for another three kilometers.
This turned out to be the breaking point. I became grumpy and angry, and then nearly fainted at the restaurant when we arrived in the next town. Kristin said my lips turned white, and I remember seeing this “black curtain” lowering down over my eyes even though they were open. I also had serious chills—could not stop shaking—and a fever: second fever of the Camino.
We had started from O’Cebreiro (with a beautiful fog in the distance over the mountains), and then walked to Triacastela. Here, we met up with the guy from New York again, but this time we talked and he told us all sorts of amazing stories. He is a retired NYC cop, was in Saudi Arabia for six months in 2005, heard the call to prayer five times a day (they close restaurants and kick you out, even if you’re eating); and also told us about the E5 long-distance hiking trail from Germany thorough Austrian Alps to Italy. Hmm, will that be my next hike…?
We ate lunch together in Triacastela (hamburguesa completa con té rojo), and then decided to continue on to Sarria. There were a lot of big dogs barking, and this scared me a little– we didn’t really have any self-defense tools at our disposal. That said, I felt strong until the last 3km, and then began to fall apart, as previously mentioned.
However, I absolutely loved the couple (owners) of the albergue in Sarria. They gave me a blanket when I was trying to eat delicious spaghetti but shaking like a crazy person from chills. They also initially mistook me as from Uruguay, due to my Spanish accent, yay! They managed to find us after shoe store (see next entry) as we were leaving Sarria just to say goodbye. They had even helped me up the stairs the previous night, so that I did not faint and fall (I was very weak). SO kind!
July 14, 2018: Sarria to Portomarrín (Spain), 21.5km
I was feeling better initially the following day, but after 5km of a fast pace, the dizziness and lightheadedness returned. The NY guy, Brian, was in a lot of pain from the blisters on the bottom of his foot. We stopped for a 10am ice cream break (after breakfast of coffee, zumo, and chocolate croissant and stop at shoe store so NY Brian could buy sandals) and Acquarius. Then I had another Acquarius and a banana at Peruscallo. I lost Kristin quite early in the day—we did not meet up again until Portomarrín—and Brian ended up staying back at another town to have foot treated. As a result, I basically ran 7km with so much adrenaline to walk completely alone and not be in touch with anyone; I was not exactly scared, more just goal-driven.
There was a very long, high bridge to reach Portomarrín. I did not care for the closed-in, claustrophobic feeling of forest paths, both yesterday and today. We also had a very muggy albergue, even though we got a private room. I could not get to sleep for a long time.
We had dinner at the hostel with a waitress who had tattoos in Arabic. She said they were the names of her uncle and someone else that had passed on; she likes the anonymity of Arabic because most people here (Spain) cannot read it [the names], so it is more private.
July 15, 2018: Portomarrín (Spain) to Palas de Rei, 25km
Talked with a woman from South Korea. Has done marathons, ultra-marathons, plays tennis, basketball, does DanceSport, etc. Very athletic! There are 50 million people in Seoul where she lives. Speaks German and walks 40km/day on Camino. “Ahn-yahw-keh-say-o” (bye in Korean).
Beginning of day, inner ear hurt as well as lower back almost the instant I began walking. Second half of walk, I readjusted bag and kilometers seemed to fly by: suddenly we had arrived. Caught up with Slovak couple again. They are such genuinely kind people. They were caught in a hailstorm yesterday.
Before, I felt as though I was being pulled toward Santiago—a strong force or pull greater than myself; now, I feel that I am rushing toward it; I feel rushed, less focused on the journey and more on the destination. I look more but see less, somehow. Part of me craves the quiet of church. It is still there, silent, neither rushed nor slow: it just is, almost timeless, in a way. I feel at times both a fervent believer and a lax agnostic. “Atheist” is too strong; there is a force beyond us connecting us all, be it energetic vibes and energy or a divine omniscient being.
Sore throat while watching finals, France vs. Croatia World Cup 2018. Just had an early dinner of Galician octopus and shrimp “casserole”. Yet another Camino surprise, Galician octopus and shrimp—delicious flavors! And now, onto more important matters: who do you think will win the game?
¿Sabes lo que me llamó la atención aquí al llegar a nuestro albergue hoy? La palmera de al lado de un edificio que, aprendí después de un rato, fue la iglesia, o sea, una de las iglesias más antiguas de todo El Camino. Bueno, yo fui sola a la misa al azar y era una misa tan bonita que ahora trato de describir la homilía.
Empezó con como la lectura de hoy, domingo, no era tan anticuada como pensábamos: echar a los demonios que aparecen con caras bonitas, pues esto pasa en la actualidad también y hay que reconocer si las huellas que dejamos para atrás huelen mal o no, si dejan un olor que a los demás disgustan, pues hay que considerar y reflexionar en lo que estamos haciendo; y en segundo, que Dios ha creado todo, inclusive yo.
Es decir, existe un diamante por dentro de cada uno de nosotros y hay que pulirlo y verlo transformar y echar la luz cuando lo trabajemos. Esto es seguir a Dios, o sea, haz lo que te da vida y alegría. Dios quiere que seamos felices y si/cuando seguimos a él, será así. Entonces haced lo que os da la vida y diles a los demás para que ellos se transformen también. Deja brillar el diamante que está por dentro de ti. Amad a todos, pero a nosotros mismos primero y sobre todo. Amén. “Dios te habla / Dios te escucha.” (~sign in church)
July 16, 2018: Palas de Rei to Arzúa, 29.5km
Hoy no recuerdo mucho de las colinas ni las calles. Esto es porque hablaba y hablaba, dándole a Kristin muchos consejos de la vida—p.ej., lo bueno de la ira/el enojo si lo utilizas y lo manejas para llegar donde tú quieras (puede que el sentimiento sea el poder (fuel) que metes en el tanque de gasolina pero eres tú el conductor); y como considerar las horas de contemplación y de la nada, o sea, las horas pasadas en el sofá enfrente de la tele como de valor: es la estación de hibernación por ti y hay que respetar esta etapa mas también darse cuenta de que no va a durar para siempre—habrá que salir de la cueva en algún momento; y de la importancia de formar o formular una pregunta igual que una búsqueda en Google—el tipo de pregunta va a guiar las respuestas que recibes; y la importancia de tratar a tu mente como ambos un niño y un músculo, que no todo lo que te dice es verdad y tú estás en control de ella; y que, sobre todo, hay que pensar en dos preguntas: 1) ¿Qué necesito? y 2) ¿Qué quiero? y si quiero esto, ¿qué voy a hacer para lograr tal meta?
Hay que repetir la pregunta cada día, frente al espejo hasta que creas en la pregunta y en la respuesta, hasta que creas en la pregunta y en la respuesta, hasta que creas que lo mereces. Cuando tu cerebro te da excusas y te miente y te dice tonterías, hay que estar preparada con la pregunta y la respuesta: ¿Qué quiero? Quiero esto. ¡Fin de discusión, cerebro!
As excited as I have been recently about wanting to return to teaching, I just wrote an email regarding class scheduling and frequency for Spanish and felt a twinge of, “Oh… this”. There is this lagging in me, internally, that fights against transitions from time to time. Now the Camino will be ending soon, along with my self-imposed travel year, and I will need to return to work life and a regular schedule, etc. I want a home base, an apartment again, and yet, some part of me still resists.
I guess I fear sometimes that I have not been present enough, that when one thing ends, I have not squeezed the water 100% out of the sponge, sucked the marrow out of the experience, hugged long enough, loved deeply enough. If there is anything that the Camino has taught me, then, it is to live life to the fullest—to be brave, fearless, present in the moment.
It is ironic, yes?—to be constantly on the move, walking from one town to the next, and yet still inside, still in the moment. We forever push forward, onto the next step, the next mountain or challenge, but in moving, we do not get stuck—even if we pause to reflect or see the beauty of the now. I mean, how to be still without getting stuck? How to move and also be still? To see the world as you pass by it? As you move with it? I feel a microcosm of contrasts whirling inside, empty and full of ideas, moving and still, rushed and restless/bored, directed and yet not. Tonight, I will try, however, to just be…
July 17, 2018: Arzúa to O Pedrouzo, 19km
PROSE: A deep sadness seeps into my bones. The Camino is coming to an end. This adventure—as with so many trips—has passed by too quickly; I have not yet begun to absorb it all.
A cloud of cigarette smoke wafts through the air: the ephemeral taking on a physical form. Gallego (Galician) starts and stops abruptly, pausing in odd places, bursting with an irregular cadence, yet familiar like déjà-vu: bits and pieces slipping, distant and nebulous memories, reminiscent of times from long ago, past lives, Portuguese echoing against the walls, Portuguese reflected in the mirror, writings on the wall, but here we look and do not see—Gallego is a different beast. Thoughts resound, metaphorical trumpets blare; am I a different person than when I started?
I have traveled to France; all across northern Spain; to Iceland; Ireland; Belgium; to NYC and back to Spain; a day in both Germany and Portugal; I have learned about web design and been sucked into the allure of the digital world; I have refreshed my knowledge of French and regained my excitement and energy and enthusiasm for teaching. I have grown tremendously, personally and—this coming year—professionally, I imagine. I have felt at times that my Spanish was close to native and, a few hours later, that I was a beginning student. I have processed my life up to this point in a matter of weeks, recalling distant and close memories in a sort of verbal-vomit cleanse, purifying and cleansing my soul for this next phase of my life.
The Spanish sun begins to beat down on the sidewalk, a relentless, constant force of nature, harsh and yet beautiful; God’s wrath suddenly makes sense. The air is dry, still. I seek stillness and it arrives, invisible like the heat. I close the French patio glass doors to keep the heat out, the cool in. There will always be the daily Camino to walk, but I am glad to be here, living it, breathing it, being, just being. Life is a beautiful work of art, a white canvas of possibilities—brush, paints, and instructions not included. What will you paint today? Suddenly excited and unsure: Santiago!
July 18, 2018: O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela, 20km
Yesterday there was a deep sadness in my bones, a resistance to the idea that the Camino could be ending. But today, a tremendous joy fills my heart—Santiago, I have traveled so far to see you: 877 kilometers in two stages (last summer and this summer), to be precise. Through mountains and valleys and deserts, many desserts, a year of travel, sweat, and tears, and many languages, I have learned a great deal. In the end, though, all I really know is that you are stronger, smarter, and capable of much more than you think you are. And there will always be the daily Camino to walk, one step at a time, to get you where you want to go.
Mass twice in Santiago (7/18 and 7/19)—noon masses but no botafumeiro. Arrived in Santiago at 11:30am, dropped bags at consigna for two euros, went to mass. Went to lunch, place on side street. Ate delicious couscous, gazpacho with parsley/perejil, water, then bombón with José Luis.
He showed us pictures of his twin five-year-old boys, Alex and Diego, talked, laughed, I translated. José Luis has tattoos of names of his twin boys but in runes so no one knows—more private (like the waitress with Arabic on her arm); he said he had met one other person with the exact same tattoos in the same order, wow! Hot sun, car parked right beside us with flashers: people park anywhere here, inclusive la acera.
July 19, 2018: Santiago de Compostela, 0km
Alors, comme vous déjà savez, aujourd’hui est le dernier jour pour enregistrer une vidéo pour le défi et j’ai attendu jusqu’à la dernière minute pour lui demander a quelqu’un a m’aider car j’avais peur et quelque fois je ne peux pas finir les choses, malgré je dois. Cela dit, je vais connaître (faire la connaissance de) et rencontrer avec une femme a huit heures qui parle le français parfaitement et, selon notre conversation il y a quelques minutes, qui je comprends. J’ai lui dit qu’il faut trouver a quelqu’un qui parle mieux que moi, c’est l’objectif et pour démontrer que j’ai appris quelque chose pendant les derniers quatre-vingt-dix jours et elle m’a répondu qu’il était clair que je pourrais avoir une conversation de quinze minutes et aller à la fontaine à huit heures pour parler. Formidable ! J’imagine que je dois attendre pour dire célébrer après d’enregistrer la vidéo, n’est-ce que pas ?
Il faut vous dire que j’ai parlé avec la femme, Annie, hier soir sur les sorcières et les pèlerins et, malgré le fait que je n’ai pas encoure vu la vidéo, c’était une conversation géniale (mais j’étais très nerveuse parce que j’étais devant une caméra). De tout façon, ce matin Shannon Kennedy m’a demande si elle pourra faire une vidéo de toutes mes vidéos pour le Add1Challenge et pour démontrer mon progrès après quatre-vingt-dix jours. Incroyable ! Aussi, je voulais un bracelet spécifique et je le cherchais tout le jour et puis Kristin m’a dit, « Entre ici ! » et voilà, le bracelet que j’avais imagine était la. Xurelo (Gallego), pescado del día, o sea, chicharro.
July 20, 2018: Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre (2-hour bus ride)
Dans ce moment je suis à la plage ; je vois l’océan bleu et le ciel bleu et le sable blanc et des pierres et des oiseaux, dont/ lesquelles je ne sais pas le nom exact [gaviotas]. Aussi, il y a beaucoup des palmes juste comme chez moi. Je suis excitée maintenant pour déménager à autre état et pour vivre ou habiter pas loin de la plage. Ca serait très chouette ! Il y a une monastère ou château type d’édifice à la cote de la plage.
I am currently at the beach. The water is two shades of blue, a deep navy blue with stripes of a turquoise teal blue bordering a white sands beach with palm trees. It is beautiful but strange not to be walking 12-26 miles per day. I managed to find a native French stranger yesterday and convince her to be on video with me (most awkward question ever). We are climbing up to the lighthouse later. The Gallego language is Spanish out of focus and wearing a Halloween mask and costume—not always easily identifiable but familiar nevertheless.
I called Mom and Dad from “The End of the World,” Finisterre/Fisterra, 12*W, 43*N. I shopped at a souvenir gift shop and bought miniature Don Quijote books. A man said my Spanish was perfect. We walked 3km there and 3km back, ate xurelo fish and seafood soup and melon for a late dinner. Also had pimientos de padrón at a bar at “the end of the world”. I wanted to stay there much longer. I also learned that a bogavante is not the same as a langosta—5.5 kilos was the largest bogavante there.
July 21, 2018: Finisterre to Muxía (half-hour bus ride)
Bought bus ticket in Finisterre–bus left ten minutes later, good timing. Had churros and café at Don Quijote bar and café. Wandered, found amazing albergue, dropped bags off. Started to drizzle. We walked around town, found tiny artesian market and noticed a mountain in the distance; let’s climb it! Took, eh, unorthodox/unconventional route up rock mountain, hardcore climbing, I was scared of the height! That is, rock climbing is great fun—until you look down. Climbed/scaled rocks, legs scratched by pricker bushes.
Got to top with cross, then went a tad farther and could see ocean and church and lighthouse where bus driver had stopped for twenty minutes to let us out and look earlier this morning before driving us back to ‘downtown’ Muxía. Walked down hill, wedding at church–saw bride arrive.
Talked with Galician grandma lady in tiny artesian booth where she was making doilies: incredible handiwork, extremely detail-oriented, clack-clack-clack sound of palos, moved pin to next hole in design every ten seconds. Also hilarious woman, spoke Spanish to me, and Gallego to bride and others. She told me about Galician festivals August 11th and 12th, where her nieta and all children dress in traditional garments and dance, and delicious specialty foods are made.
Then we left—bought a lace doily and bag of potpourri. There were tons of people milling out and about town by the afternoon when we walked back, unlike that morning. Ate revuelto de grelos, gulos y gambas (turnip greens with eel, shrimp, and scrambled eggs), plus tiramisú. Must make grelos, gulos y gambas at home with bombón on Sundays. In Muxía, Gallego vocabulary as follows: queixo, cereixas, vaso de auga, leite, pan, xeado (helado), peixe, copa de viño, cervexa, café. Carta vs. menú—una es variada, cambia diariamente; el otro es fijo.
Ordered zamburiñas/scallops (12 euros for 8, expensive), then arroz con leche because I thought dessert was included (usually is), but it wasn’t and then they charged for the bread basket even though I didn’t eat any of it. Day’s goal of not spending as much today did not go as planned. However, in other food news, turnip greens with eel, shrimp, and scrambled eggs are DELICIOUS!
July 22, 2018: Muxía
The Morning of the Missing Journal: Walked to coffee place (Xardin) open at 6am, there by 6:45am; but I had the sinking feeling that my journal was missing. This fact was confirmed after emptying entire contents of my bag in the café. Ran—literally—to restaurant 400 meters down the street from previous night; had it fallen out of my bag after dinner? It was not there. We retraced our steps, and then waited at the albergue after calling the owner, Pepe; we checked upstairs, and Kristin found it; it must have fallen out of my bag. Now, we have an extra day in Muxía; next bus leaves at 6:45pm; we missed the 7:30am bus. But I was SO glad to have my journal [of the entire trip] back!
Walked around town to gift/souvenir shop; had gambas à La Lola (like egg rolls but with prawns inside and a shredded-wheat type of crust), Galician cheese (tasted like Provolone), and coffee. Met an older gentleman and talked about schools and teacher salaries, and local festivities and Muraime beach. Later, walked to a beach, then came back and napped.
July 23, 2018: Muxía to Santiago de Compostela to Lisboa (Spain to Portugal)
Breakfast at 6:15am, then 6:45-8:45am bus to Santiago for eight euros; waited three hours to noon to catch bus 12-8:30pm for 47€ (9:30pm Spanish time, but crossed into another time zone). Arrived in Lisbon, walked to hostel, ate peach I had bought earlier. At halfway point, bus driver stopped bus and we had a 50-minute break to get off the bus and eat, explore, etc.
Went to coffee shop across street (after asking directions to bathroom and not finding it), ordered a crazy-looking layered cake, woman barista was super nice and had the prettiest, lightest accent and perfect English. Dessert called, “Milfolhas” (“mil-fohy-laess”), meaning “1000 layers”. Filled with marshmallow fluff and cinnamon on top with light flaky crust. Had a funny conversation with Kristin about letters and sounds in Portuguese.
Got to hostel, thanks to several different people, especially two guys and then a woman who walked us the rest of the way and spoke in Portuguese nonstop but slowly so I could follow; I understood probably 75% of the conversation and learned a bit of Portuguese myself: “Nosh podem andar/camiñar muito longue!”
Facts about percebes: Gooseneck barnacles, or percebes, cling to rocks and places that have a strong crashing surf; unquestionable secret gem of Spanish cuisine; off the coast of Costa da Morte, men risk their lives to search for gooseneck barnacles.
July 24, 2018: Lisbon (Portugal)
Ate breakfast included at hotel, chatted briefly with two younger guys from the Netherlands. Kristin said that her brother looked exactly like one of them in high school. Took Metro (red line to green line, Encarnaçao to Alameda to Rossio, or city center) to city center from hostel, then tried to wait in line for the famous Tram 28, but it was a 90-minute wait or longer, so we decided to climb up the incline to see the castle by ourselves. Took the more unorthodox route, up a narrow, absurdly steep staircase of 200 stairs through a construction zone to an overlook point. Line to St. George Castle also outrageous; and so began a day of gift shopping and store-hopping. This was much more educational than I ever could have imagined.
Wait, why are there so many cork products everywhere? And what about the rooster? And what about all of the sardines? And who is Fado? (That was actually a ‘what’ question, I learned.) And miracle custard tarts? And Ginginha? Sour cherry liquor! And bubble tea! So much to learn!
Lunch was bacalao à la bras (cod and eggs and potatoes and bay leaves all mixed together: so filling and delicious!), as per suggestion by really nice woman in one of stores. She gave us so much good information, then we did not buy anything and I felt badly about it—but mostly [breakable] dishes and azulejos (tiles) and pottery-type/rooster creations. Dinner was at fancy restaurant; finally tried percebes. Wore bib because it could get messy and barnacles tend to splatter. Also had rice with shrimp and salmon in a copper pot identical to the one Mom and Dad have.
Lisbon culture: sardines are Lisbon’s thing; rooster as national animal and symbol (~legend with prisoners); cork as major export; Portugal produces half of cork harvested annually worldwide—sustainable because oak cork tree is just stripped of bark and not chopped down, so it continues to grow (Quercus suber/cork oak tree, evergreen oak; sobreiro); Fado is sad Portuguese folk music; percebes à la Berlenga; Bangladesh immigrants; custard tart miracles; cherry liquor, Ginginha; Belém area via bus #15; saw Discovery Tower and Monastery; charcoal ice cream and pessego/peach green tea with Mango bubbles bubble tea; construction stairs to Castle of St. George; June 13th is St. Anthony’s Day, or biggest holiday all year for Lisbon.
July 25, 2018: Lisbon to Home (Portugal to Home)
Maintenant je suis encore dans l’avion, formidable ! Had no expectations for flight, for while I love WOW Airlines, you have to pay even for water. Tap Air provides a full in-flight meal—salad, ham with corn, custard pineapple dessert, and ravioli pasta. On top of all that, I have a red blanket, a pillow, am listening to Portuguese folk and rap music, and have a Russian-speaking (Ukrainian) mother and daughter on one side of me and a Portuguese and Spanish speaking woman on my left. There are eight seats per row (xx xxxx xx) just like, or at least similar to when I went to Beijing. SO HAPPY! Make that two full meals.
After flight, went through customs very quickly; caught train to from airport to historical district; bought train ticket to my brother’s house; talked with a couple from the area who had visited for a long weekend; they gave me a ton of tips about where to go and what to see, after I told them about the Camino and percebes, of course. My brother picked me up, but it was a tad difficult to get back to where he parked because there were a lot of streets/area blocked off. #Stateside #WhatAnAdventure!
NOTE: This journal is a mix of languages–as clearly, I am influenced by my surroundings–and a trip down Memory Lane from 2017. Feel free to skip over my imperfect French. 🙂
SPAIN: The Camino de Santiago is a 500-mile hike and pilgrimage across northern Spain. It takes about 30 days to complete on foot. You carry everything you need in a backpack, and follow the arrows and shells so you don’t get lost. I completed the walk over two summers with a few friends. This is a journal from the first summer.
INTRODUCTION: Packing for the Camino is no small task. You carry everything you need in a backpack–and everything that you decide is important enough to bring… well, it weighs something. I did so much research on ultralight packing, and still brought way too much.
I think most pilgrims (people who walk the Camino) would agree that everyone brings too much. But the rule or saying is, “The Camino will provide”–and you have to trust that. If you don’t, your hips and feet and knees and back will surely remind you that you overpacked and need to have a mustard seed of faith.
June 26, 2017: Home to Keflavik, Iceland to Paris, France
Travel Day #1, The Day of the Planes. We had a quick layover in Keflavik–I really like how efficient their airport is–and arrived at CDG in France, noting heavily armed security and a serious lack of internet. We were completely exhausted from the flight, but excited that our journey had begun. The hotel was so close to the airport that the planes flew by overhead “so often, you don’t even notice”. I am certain I slept soundly, nevertheless.
June 27, 2017: Paris to Bordeaux to Bayonne St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port (France)
Travel Day #2, The Day of the Trains. On a map, it doesn’t look that far from Paris to southern France. In real life after an international flight, it feels quite long indeed. We arrived just in time to get our Camino passports and have a pilgrim dinner at a local albergue.
Ça d’écouter beaucoup de français ici, en France, me donne plaisir. J’adore le langage et je comprends plus que j’ai pensé que je savais. Maintenant nous sommes dans un train et j’imagine qu’il y a quatre heures plus avant d’arriver à Bordeaux. Nous avons arrêté à St. Jeans de Cœurs ou quelque ville comme ça, j’ai déjà oublié ! Je vois autre ville petite par la fenêtre. Je me sens française aujourd’hui et je pense en vivre ici pour améliorer mon français. Les gens sont très sympathiques.
J’ai parlé avec une maman ce matin parce que j’ai vu tellement d’amour dans la famille et elle m’a dit que, d’accord, c’est un langage universel et il ne faut pas des mots pour comprendre ça. Seulement il y a beaucoup des arbres très verts et le train va lentement, pas vite. De toute façon, je suis très contente et j’espère pouvoir écrire et parler mieux le français un jour juste comme l’espagnol, car maintenant elles sont très simples ici mes phrases…
June 28, 2017: St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles (France to Spain), 26km
The first day of the Camino de Santiago began with teriffic enthusiasm for our upcoming adventures. After a quick breakfast, we grabbed our backpacks, water, and walking sticks and set off. We were quickly in the Pyrenees Mountains, hiking straight up a steep incline. The morning was gorgeous, and we saw sheep and horses aplenty along the way. The picture of the gate on the ground is the “border” between France and Spain. We did it!
It seemed like a fairytale beginning. However, we had almost reached the top of the Pyrenees (over 11,000 feet) when it began to pour. Like, buckets. In the middle of nowhere on a mountaintop, we were experiencing a crazy thunder, lightning, and hailstorm. What to do? Well, honestly, there wasn’t much we could do.
We just continued walking down the mountain–perhaps there was a little frantic running involved, but the visibility was very low because the rain was so heavy (and we didn’t want to fall off the mountain); so we pretended that we weren’t holding metal walking sticks during a lightning storm and kept hiking as Mother Nature pelted us with hailstones. In the end, we made it to the next town, but were completely drenched–passports included. Eeek. Quite the beginning. Makes you grateful for the little things.
June 29, 2017: Roncesvalles to Larrasoaña (Spain), 27km
Pockets of beauty began to reveal themselves following The Day of the Storm. Today was no exception. There were flowers and secret gardens everywhere!
June 30, 2017: Larrasoaña to Pamplona (Spain), 16.5km
Today we saw fields of wheat, horses, and small waterfalls, and hiked over hills and alongside highways. It felt so strange to hear the sounds of the city after being surrounded by mountains for the past few days.
Comentario: La niebla cae sobre la tierra como si fuera una manta invisible. Oigo un gallo en la distancia y sonrío, ya que hace tanto que he oído ese sonido. No hay mucho para decir porque—irónicamente—hay tanto para decir: ¿por dónde empezar? Las palabras me saldrán cuando estoy lista. Mientras tanto, sigo caminando…
July 1, 2017: Pamplona to Puente la Reina (Spain), 24km
We hiked up Alto de Perdón, the “Mount of Forgiveness” today. It is believed that with each step up the incline, you forgive others and you are also forgiven. The inscription at the top says, “Donde se cruza el camino del viento con el de las estrellas,” or “where the path of the wind crosses that of the stars”.
The wind was definitely very strong, and the [massive] windmills put me in a Don Quijote mood, particularly after meeting a loveable donkey. Technically, La Mancha is south of the Camino, but it was all so picturesque, that I felt like I could imagine what Cervantes (the author) was seeing when he wrote the Spanish masterpiece. As you may have noticed, Pato also made the climb.
July 2, 2017: Puente la Reina to Lizarra/Estella (Spain), 22km
We met a lovely elderly French man today who was not only walking the Camino, but also helped save a baby bird that flew into a screen right in front of us. The landscape has started to change slightly. It feels and looks drier, and the temperatures have started to increase.
In the country, we saw rich, colorful soil and artichokes, and in the city, there were street singers singing and playing, “¡Ay yie yie yie, canta, no llores!”. Before we got to the city, there was a moment when we were completely lost, beside a wheat field in the middle of nowhere: not a soul in the world knew where we were, and it was such a strange feeling.
Later on, we ate paella and saw a cute red train!
July 3, 2017: Lizarra/Estella to Los Arcos to Torres del Río (Spain), 29.6km
It was incredibly hot and dry today after a few hours of hiking, but then, very abruptly, we would come across beautiful bursts of color. We walked and walked, and around two in the afternoon, found the only pink flower in a field as far as you could see (that had managed to survive the 110*F temps). Note that the rest of the field looked like a straw desert!
This day was particularly memorable because of the extreme heat, as well as the delicious irony that we hiked to a town called Sansol. In French, sans means “without”, so I read it as, “without sun” the first time I saw it, since sol in Spanish means sun. I cannot emphasize how hot it was. I will say that although it was the siesta when we arrived in town, we managed to find a place to eat gazpacho (a cold tomato soup)–so amazing and refreshing!
July 4, 2017: Torres del Río to Logroño (Spain), 21.4km
We began hiking early enough this morning to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful. I struggle with wanting to be in the moment, but also trying to document everything. We had ice cream milkshakes with whip cream, which tasted like the absolute best thing in the world after hiking all day long. “It’s only 44 degrees… yeah, in Celsius!” (111.2*F)
No entiendo porque no me salen las palabras en estos días de pura aventura. Vivo la vida más que en cualquier otro tiempo, pero no hay nada que decir—mientras cuando me tumbo en el sofá, pues no dejo de escribir, las palabras me salen como una cascada (más pequeña) o una catarata…
July 5, 2017: Logroño to Nájera (Spain), 31km
July 6, 2017: Nájera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Grañón (Spain)
My shoes and I have become enemies. Each morning, I try to shove my foot–which feels like a block of wood–into my sneakers. The scenery is beautiful, but my feet cannot see it through the pain. Ow, ow, ow! But… just keep hiking. The Camino has many lessons to share.
July 7, 2017: Grañón to Villafranca Montes de Oca (Spain)
Such a cute town–population: 60. Also, do you see the huge bird nests in the picture on top of the building (church?)? Wow! Today I saw sunflowers and ate morcilla and flan. My foot still hurts, but it was a great day!
July 8, 2017: Villafranca Montes de Oca to Burgos–via city bus (Spain)
Seriously swollen ankle and foot now. I told you my foot hurt! As a result, we took the bus to Burgos. There was some guilt in not walking there, but it was necessary given the circumstances. I loved the cathedral in Burgos–incredibly ornate. There was also this crazy street performer who balanced a glass ball on his hand, and then made it travel up and down his arm to the beat of a song playing. Wild!
Video
July 9, 2017: Burgos to Logroño to Pamplona–via bus (Spain)
We backtracked to Pamplona for San Fermines, or Running of the Bulls. Literally everyone was wearing red and white, down to their shoes: it was kind of amazing! That evening, it was very cold, but we hung out underneath an overhang in a plaza and so were somewhat sheltered from the rain. There was a party in the plaza and a lot of people were dancing to the Spice Girls–pretty funny! I also saw a sign with the word for “breakfast” in 18 languages. Love this!
Video
July 10, 2017: Pamplona to San Sebastián–via bus (Spain)
We spent the morning in Pamplona, watching more of the San Fermines festivities. The festivities run for a full week, from July 6 to July 14, beginning at 8am.
Later, we traveled north to San Sabastián. It was a linguistic shock to see all of the signs first in the Basque language, and then in Spanish. We had some amazing tapas; however, this turned out to be the only thing I liked about San Sabastián.
After going to the beach to put salt water on our ankle rashes, we learned that the peregrino hostels there were only for pilgrims doing the more remote route along Spain’s northern coast. Figuring out where to stay was an issue. The day was cold, gray, and unwelcoming. When we finally found a hostel, we slept for close to 14 hours straight, inadvertently missing dinner.
July 11, 2017: San Sebastián to Bayonne (Spain to France)
July 12-13, 2017: Bayonne to Bordeaux St. Jean to Paris to Keflavik to home
Travel days- more trains and planes. Traveling can be exhausting, but I have to say that I really, really, really love French food. It just makes the trip so happy! Crêpes, fancy salmon, café au lait, and desserts… délicieux! To top it off, we learned that Snyrtingar means “bathroom” in Icelandic (I found this word highly amusing), and got to ride in a Northern-Lights-themed bus to the aircraft. But don’t worry, Spain, I’ll be back.
My Dear Friends, Fellow Linguists, and Citizens of the World:
Welcome back! For any new families, I am the Spanish teacher for students in PK3 through 4th grade. In the past, I have sent out notes and summaries of what students are working on in class after each quarter. This year, I would like to change it up and give you a general overview of what your child will experience in Spanish class—beforehand!
If you are new this year, please start HERE, with a general Q&A from last year. If you are returning, find your child’s grade level below and read away!
PLEASE NOTE that this is more for your information and to see the overarching trajectory of the curriculum, since Spanish is one of those subjects where things can easily get lost in translation. “You are learning about a beetle named Bob in Spanish class? What??”
For students in PK3, please click HERE to read about a sample lesson from last year, called Car Rides to the Jungle. Note that we build up to a lesson like this; it does not all happen on the first day!
For students in PK4, please click HERE to read a [different] sample lesson from last year, called Going to Spain. As with PK3, remember that we build up to a lesson like this; it does not all happen on the first day!
KINDERGARTEN– students learn the name of and “travel to” a new Spanish-speaking country every few classes on our Floor Map, and do a project based on said country (we start in South America). The year tends to begin with science projects, as they are highly visual and, as a result, make Spanish more comprehensible to beginners. Our stuffed animal hero-friend Pato (duck) comes to visit when my vocal cords can handle it—anyone out there have any tips for ventriloquism not leading to laryngitis?
FIRST GRADE– students begin the year learning about a 500-mile hike across Spain that their teacher completed several years ago. This involves lessons like walking around campus with backpacks and water bottles, stopping for picnics with delicious fake food, and ‘hiking up mountains’ (i.e., staircases). Gradually, we shift to indoor ‘center work’ lessons where first graders sign up for activities of their choice in the target language (student interest-based), and work to apply their Spanish knowledge in meaningful contexts.
SECOND GRADE– students begin the year with a town simulation. Here, second graders sign up to work at various businesses and pretend to live in a Spanish-speaking country. They are introduced to currency conversions, authentic brand names, and conversational vocabulary, and work to apply their Spanish knowledge in meaningful contexts. As the year progresses, we layer on creative class stories that morph into amazingly ridiculous but hilarious sagas in the target language (cue Bob the Beetle).
THIRD GRADE– students participate in several classic Spanish traditions throughout the year. From learning how to Salsa dance and tasting Yerba Mate Tea (Argentina), to painting team country flag colors on their faces and playing fútbol/ soccer games outside, third graders experience culture through immersion. They will begin the year with storytelling and legends from Spanish-speaking countries.
FOURTH GRADE– students focus heavily on preparing for the annual (and much anticipated) Spanish Play, which is based on the adventures of Pato, my stuffed animal duck. Fourth graders perform this show (new plot every year) entirely in the target language for the Lower School community. It is a must-see and typically takes place in mid-February. More details will be sent out at a later date.
Also, I must add here—for complete transparency—that I have a general tendency to go off script from time to time; while this is an overview, the curriculum ebbs and flows each year, and units are added and subtracted as I see fit (and also because math is fun—adding and subtracting, get it?). Ahem. That is, welcome back! Please feel free to write with any questions. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and see you in a bit!
As a final note, do not worry if your child is not bringing home vocabulary words or speaking the language immediately. Confidence and your child’s personality definitely play a role here, but there is also the simple fact that they might not associate you with Spanish if you yourself do not speak it.
If you want to gently encourage linguistic production, start playing Spanish music in the car, or having “Taco Tuesdays” at home, where you make a Spanish-themed recipe or get take-out from a local restaurant (see attached list for recommendations), or changing the voiceover to Spanish (and subtitles to English) on movies & cartoons, just to see if your child notices! Osmosis is a thing. 😊
***Links to all classroom pages can be found on THIS PAGE.***
Waves of cerulean lapped onto the shore, back and forth, back and forth—carelessly, yet with purpose and intention. Her toes reveled in delight at the mixture of wet sand and water, so distinct from their claustrophobic shoe shell. Change could be wonderfully refreshing.
She had forgotten the rush of flying. Excitement bubbled up in her spirit as she climbed the staircase to the cabin. The plane would be departing momentarily. She shoved her barely-small-enough personal item under the seat, incapable of suppressing a wide grin: she had the window seat all to herself.
Clutching a hot coffee to keep warm, she felt her stomach lurch as they lifted off. The city below began shrinking; soon, perfectly geometric lines of tiny dollhouses dotted the landscape. And then–clouds. Every pattern imaginable. Beautifully emotive cotton ball wisps and fluffs. Daydreaming in the clouds: now she was in her element.
It was dark when she awakened. A voice came over the intercom: “Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to dim the cabin lights. For those of you awake, this is a rare occurrence, but if you turn to your right, you can see the Northern Lights… at eye level.”
She gasped. Neon green flickers danced across the sky, enveloping her in their visual symphony. It was other worldly, this beauty. And at eye level! Not wanting to miss a second, she tried not to blink–but eventually, drifted off again.
The trip had hardly begun and yet, despite the rushed packing and long airport lines, was already worth it.
I used to be confused when people asked where I was from. I lived in several states growing up, have since been to multiple countries overseas, and always loved traveling. It never felt like I was from one place; all of the places were a part of me.
In fact, one of my happiest childhood memories was of long family road trips. There was something so comforting, so cozy, about falling asleep at night in the backseat, sounds of traffic whooshing by, soft tunes on the radio, and my parents murmuring as I slipped into dreamland and they drove on through the night. Where am I from? I don’t really understand the question. I have a traveling soul.
Traveling isn’t only in my blood: it is a fundamental building block of teaching another language. Language and culture are inextricably tied and it is difficult–dare I say impossible–to understand another language sans its culture, or without traveling.
Several years ago, I came across Dave Burgess’ book, Teach Like A Pirate. In the book, Burgess asks if you (the teacher) have any lessons that students would actually pay for. Are there any lessons that students would line up for at your classroom door and pay an admission fee to attend? While he qualifies this–the goal here might be one or two a year (not every day)–it is a great question to ponder as an educator, to take a hard look at your curriculum and general presentation skills. How engaging are your lessons? How might you improve?
Now, if you are a teacher and read this after a rough day–or week, or month, or year–at work, you might start questioning your career choice, as I have many times before. Actually pay for? Yeah, right! No student would ever pay for one of my lessons! However, on a good day, you might see that while perhaps not the norm, it is a noble goal to strive for, nevertheless.
I love exploring and traveling and sharing this excitement with my students. So in class, students don’t just talk about going places–we actually travel! Well, via simulation, at least. Let me invite you into our world. One of my favorite lessons of the year is The Day We Do All The Things. This day is planned about 24 hours in advance (I’m one of those 11:59.57 types), and particularly after a student makes an offhanded comment about wanting to travel. Okay, well let’s go!
I prepare plane tickets, complete with realistic times, dates, and airports (thank you, Snipping Tool!), and hand these out along with faux currency of our final destination. One year, we spent a week creating crazy-realistic looking passports beforehand, with student photos pasted in and a world map as the background. Needless to say, travel involves some paperwork!
At the airport, students go through ‘customs’, taking off their shoes, handing over their passport, walking through the creepy scanner, etc. (quítense los zapatos, pasaporte, por favor) We rearrange the chairs to resemble an airplane cabin, and I put on my ‘stewardess hat’ to enhance the simulation, rattling off emergency exit information in the target language, gesturing here and there, and handing out goldfish and juice pack snacks. iPad movies are available in Spanish only.
Upon arriving at our final destination (there may be layovers and feigned turbulance, if time permits), students travel as a group outside the classroom to the “bus stop”, carrying their [real] backpacks and passports and water bottles, only to find that QR codes have been posted around campus, which reveal short videos and photos of the country when scanned. They race off (age dependent) in small groups, scanning codes and oohing and ahhing at cultural landmarks and monuments.
One year, I coerced the math teacher for the older grades to wait in a school van at the front of the school. I said, “Hey guys, I think the bus station is over there (as we walked in a seemingly random direction)–nah, let’s just take a taxi instead!” And I had the entire class actually get into the van with the other teacher (paying her with fake euros) and we drove around town for 5-10 minutes. I pointed at a building and said, “Hey, look! There’s the Prado!”
After we returned to school and fourth graders went back to their regular classroom, one of the girls lingered. “Señorita?” she said, “That was THE BEST CLASS EVER”–and proceeded to pull a dollar bill out of her pocket to pay me. I had to spend ten minutes convincing her to keep the money and explaining that I couldn’t accept it; but–wow.
I guess I’ll stick with teaching for a while longer.
Elementary-aged students can be brutally honest: they simply tell it like it is. “Why didn’t you do your hair, maestra?” (I actually did, but the humidity wrecked it.) “Your room smells funny today.” (Not my fault that the air-dry clay I bought has a weird after-smell.) Or… the one that cut through to my soul: “Pato isn’t real. I can see your lips moving when he talks.
Umm. That is my curriculum you’re talking about! I can use hairspray to mat down my hair. I can find an air freshener to eliminate foul odors. But Pato? Now you’ve touched a nerve, kid!
Pato, for those of you who don’t know, is my stuffed animal duck with a squeaky voice and mostly innocent though mischievous mind and past. He didn’t mean to dip his beak into that red paint; he thought it was a bowl full of strawberries and was ravenous. Yeah, sure, Pato, uh-huh. Or how about when he accidentally plastered all of the Spanish stickers from my desk drawer onto his bedroom walls (a shoebox)??
Then there was the day he heard food-ball when I said fútbol, and ended up inventing a sport where you roll raw eggs across the floor, kind of like soccer, but the goal is to get them in the goal without any cracks on the shells. Yes, he had to clean up the egg yolk mess afterwards and apologize. After a while, the sport came to be called comida-bol among my students, since comida means food…
His best friend–(Oso/the stuffed animal bear; kind of like how your child calls his teddy bear “Teddy”)–is less impulsive and much more level-headed, but he still gets involved, somehow. Like two weeks ago, when a second grader… wait, let me start from the beginning.
Initially, the objective was to string up two ziplines, from the second floor hallway of the school down to the flagpole, on which my two stuffed animal friends would race. Students would ultimately learn what country each stuffy was from, but they would need to do some sleuthing first: each time their team (Team Pato or Team Oso–terrible Spanglish, I know) won a race, students would earn a letter of the Spanish-speaking country, if they answered a Spanish trivia question correctly.
For example, when Pato won the first race, Team Pato was asked, “How do you say, “I love cheese” in Spanish?” When Oso won the next race, Team Oso was asked, “Name one country that borders Paraguay.” etcetera, etcetera. Some questions were linguistic, some were cultural, and some were song-lyric related. If they got the question right, they would earn a random letter in the answer (e.g., a “t” in Argentina). Here, they could eliminate España/Spain (no “t”), but “Costa Rica” was still a possible answer.
More to the point, during this activity Oso the Bear was inadvertantly tossed up not to the second floor hallway balcony, but rather high up onto the second floor roof, at least 25 or 30 feet in the air. He was a good sport about it and commented later that while he liked star-gazing that night and the general peace and quiet, the heavy rainstorm was a definite dealbreaker, in terms of Long-Term Roof Living Arrangements.
I panicked momentarily, as now not only was Pato the Duck not real, Oso the Bear was stranded indefinitely on the roof. So much for my Spanish curriculum. #EpicFail
However, with many thanks to the maintenance department, Oso the Bear was rescued, though not until the following day during lunch–at which point practically the entire school cheered!
If Oso could be saved, then maybe there was hope for Pato and my ventriloquism skills, too.
I was first introduced to ventriloquism in the 90s, by the beloved Shari Lewis and Lambchop. In reading articles about her as an adult, I learned that Lambchop became a part of the family at a certain point, which definitely resonated with me. Pato has become a part of the culture at my school, to the point where fourth graders perform an original play about him and his crazy adventures every year for the entire school and community. During the quarantine, I made videos about the silly duck for students.
That said, I am 100% self-taught, which means that 1) I have had laryngitis more times than I can count (because ventriloquism requires a lot of air, and clearly I am doing something wrong); and 2) students are brutally honest and also tell me when I’m doing it wrong (i.e., “Pato is not real!”). If you are interested in making the stuffed animals in your classroom fully legitimate, the consonant chart above helped me a lot. Just replace all of your “b’s” with “d’s”, “f’s” with “th’s” and so on and so forth.
If you visited this page because you think ventriloquism is awesome and were looking for inspiration, I included some of my favorite videos below.
“Una noche, en un castillo en el bosque de España, una princesa está durmiendo–CUANDO (todos saltan) entra LA CEBOLLA MALVADA. La cebolla malvada TOMA sus pantuflas y se escapa. La princesa está enojada, muy enojada. Habla con su amiga. “¿Qué hago?”
MIENTRAS… La cebolla malvada recibe una llamada. “¡Rin rin!” “Esta es tu madre. Devuelve las pantuflas.” La cebolla malvada dice, “¡Pero no quiero!” “¡¡¡AHORA MISMO!!!” dice su mamá. “Vale,” dice la cebolla malvada. Pero, ¡oh no! ¡Qué problema! Las pantuflas empiezan a bailar. Bailan mucho, mucho, mucho. “Para bailar la bamba” song. La cebolla malvada llora. “Ay yie yie yie, canta y no llores.”
Capítulo dos.Hace mucho viento.Las pantuflas [siguen bailando y] van a España…. a una torre.Se llama “La Torre del Oro”. Es muy famosa.La cebolla malvada dice, “¡Espérame!”De repente, llueven tacos… y albóndigas…
Lights, camera, action. One night [duh-duh-duuuuh!], in a castle in the forest of Spain, a princess is sleeping–WHEN (everyone jumps) THE EVIL ONION enters. The evil onion TAKES her slippers and runs away… to ARGENTINA!!! (1-1) and to the North Pole (1-2). The princess is angry, very angry. She talks to her friend. “What I do?”
MEANWHILE… The evil onion gets a call. “Ring ring!” “This is your mother. Return the slippers.” The evil onion says, “But I don’t want to!” “RIGHT NOW!!!” says her mom. “Okay,” says the evil onion. But oh no! What a problem! The slippers begin to dance. They dance a lot, a lot, a lot. “Para bailar la bamba” song. The evil onion cries. “Ay yie yie yie, sing and don’t cry.” (famous song)
Chapter two. It’s really windy. The slippers [keep dancing and] go to Spain… to a tower. It is called, “The Tower of Gold”. It is very famous. The evil onion says, “Wait for me!” Suddenly, it is raining tacos… and meatballs….!
NOTE: We tell the story slowly because students act it out and do gestures for the vocabulary. The story-starter photo we used in class was a little pig with red boots.
Spanish Version
Hay un cerdito. Es bueno. Se llama Cloudy Sparkles. Hay un zapato. El Sr. Zapato es el enemigo. Es malo. El cerdito vive en Chile. Su casa es pequeña pero perfecta. El Sr. Zapato vive en Puerto Rico. Su casa no es grande. ¡Es enorme! El cerdito tiene un coche. El coche va rápido. El Sr. Zapato tiene un coche. El coche va rápido. Una noche, está lloviendo. Está lloviendo mucho. El cerdito dice, “Quiero trabajar”. ¡Pero hay un problema! El Sr. Zapato toma sus botas rojas y ¡las lleva a Puerto Rico! ¡Oh no!
El Sr. Zapato vive en un castillo de pan (en Puerto Rico). El Sr. Zapato tiene una colección de botas. El cerdito tiene una amiga. Se llama Shelly la tortuga. Shelly está enojada con el Sr. Zapato. A Shelly le dice al Sr. Zapato, “Dame eso. No es tuyo.” Pero el Sr. Zapato responde, “¡No quiero! ¡NUNCA!”, toma su coche y se escapa. El cerdito dice, “¡Quiero mis botas! ¡Quiero mi coche! ¡AHORA!” Shelly la tortuga dice, “Vamos, amigo mío.” Los dos corren. “¡¡Ven aquí ahora!!” El Sr. Zapato corre más rápido ¡y se sube a un avión!
Class Story
English Version
There is a little pig. He is good. His name is Cloudy Sparkles. There is a shoe. Mr. Shoe is the enemy. He is bad. The little pig lives in Chile. His house is small but perfect. Mr. Shoe lives in Puerto Rico. His house isn’t big. It’s enormous! The little pig has a car. The car goes fast. Mr. Shoe has a car. The car goes fast. One night, it is raining. It is raining a lot. The little pig says, “I want to work”. But there is a problem! Mr. Shoe takes his red boots [the little pig is wearing super cute red boots in the picture] and brings them to Puerto Rico! Oh no!
Mr. Shoe lives in a Bread Castle. Mr. Shoe has a collection of boots. The little pig has a friend. Her name is Shelly the Turtle. Shelly is angry with Mr. Shoe. Shelly tells Mr. Shoe, “Give me that. It’s not yours.” But Mr. Shoe responds, “I don’t want to! Never!”, takes his [the pig’s] car, and escapes. The little pig says, “I want my boots! I want my car! NOW!” Shelly the Turtle says, “Let’s go, my friend.” The two run. “Come here [right] now!” Mr. Shoe runs faster and gets on an airplane!
Click on your child’s grade level page below for song links, cartoons in Spanish, and much more. Click HERE for Culture Project ideas to explore this summer.
**TAKEAWAY: Integrate as much Spanish language and culture into your summer as possible! Surround your family with the language!
Longer Version – Summer Packet
My Dear Friends, Fellow Linguists, and Citizens of the World:
When I first saw the image at the top of this page, I honestly thought it was Colorado. [I’ve never been to Colorado, so I don’t know why I would think that.] But no! As luck would have it (as a Spanish teacher), it is Bariloche, Argentina–a famous crossing between the Andes Mountains of Chile and Argentina, known for its decadent chocolate and Switzerland-like vibe.
Although a different locale (and continent), the picturesque mountains are reminiscent of my childhood summers in the north: scents of wildflowers permeating the air, running and rolling through fields, climbing boulders, collecting milkweed and Queen Anne’s Lace, and not going inside until dinner time.
I love these memories. And while a “Summer Packet” might seem quite the antithesis of summer to students, I don’t want it to be. My Spanish classes are playful because my students are naturally playful: they are children! I want their language experience to mirror–to some degree–their pastimes and hobbies. I want them to play. Play with thoughts, play with words, play with expression, play with accents, play with sounds, play with ideas.
If you haven’t guessed yet, the focus for this year’s summer packet is PLAY! Let’s get the skinny on our three main categories.
Part 1: Resources (~parents)
Did your children just say they were bored? Encourage them to think about their favorite parts of the past school year, and extend some of those ideas.
Did they really enjoy music class? Make a band with plastic spoons, toilet paper roll rainsticks, and oatmeal container drums! Did Space Day inspire them? Pretend to be an astronaut! Designate each room of the house as a different planet. Did they love a specific song from Spanish class? Click on the grade level pages below, find the link, and play it on loop!
If they are stuck, note that each link below has resources by grade level of songs and culture projects your child has worked on in Spanish class, as well as Quarter Summaries of the year. Don’t just sit there: get inspired! Need linguistic motivation? Read THIS ARTICLE!
To read about my professional interests, click HERE.
Part 2: Language
LEVEL 1: Surround your family with the language! HERE are a few easy suggestions on how to do this.
LEVEL 2: After you are surrounded with Spanish (input), you can progress to output. This summer, I have a deceivingly simply task for students: use and apply the language they already know. In other words, speak Spanglish! I don’t mean for students to do this one day; I want them to try and incorporate the language they know as much as possible throughout the summer while they are playing.
They could do this systematically, where each day they add another word; for example, they have to respond, “Sí” (yes) in Spanish instead of in English–and whoever says, “yes” first, has to put a penny in a jar or something like that. And then keep adding another word or phrase each week. Or say, “Buenos días” (good morning) at breakfast, and pair the language with daily routines. Or, they could just cram in language wherever it fits, if they don’t care to be systematic.
Trying to figure out the Spanish Wordle is another great way to get in some Spanish each day. If this feels too difficult, commit to listening to at least one song in Spanish every day.
I created a highly visual cultural guide this year for students, which touches on all of the 21 Spanish- speaking countries. Scroll through the photos, and when you find one you like, click on it: it will bring you to a page on my site that explains more about the image. For more information organized by country, visit the Travel Guide page.
Now take this information, and DO something with it! Did you click on the Radish Festival (Mexico)? Have a radish picnic! Make a beautiful display of them on a plate. Ask your parents to help cut them out into creative shapes. You can go out and buy materials for a project if you really want, but–[unless it’s food in a specific RECIPE]–it’s more fun to look around and use what you have! Last but not least, be sure to decorate a window of your bedroom with pictures of your favorite Spanish- speaking country.
Many thanks to first graders, who serenaded me with the classic hit, “It’s Raining Tacos” last week in Spanish class, as we were going over the weather report. Little did I know, the English version of this song has over 63 million views. I am clearly late to the fiesta!
Regardless, this is a hilarious song whenever you find it. I synced the Spanish audio with the original graphics by ParryGripp to make it more relatable to students. If you are a Spanish teacher and want to extend this, your class could brainstorm all of the things they would love it to rain, and then listen to the more authentic classic, Juan Luis Guerra’s “Ojalá que llueva café” (I hope it rains coffee).
There has been a buzz around school this week about pop singers, mostly because a celebrity superstar will be performing in a nearby city soon. I love to tap into students’ interests, and actually used to have a hobby of finding both Spanish and multilingual covers–or, adaptations–of pop songs. It’s pretty incredible how translated songs can have the same sound and feel as the originals. And when I say “multilingual” here, I am referring to when they switch languages every 3-4 seconds, such as in this version of Frozen (animated) and/or Behind the Mic (actual singers).
As a result, I wanted to share a list of songs in Spanish with everyone. The beginning of the list are pop songs; farther down are popular animated movie songs (like from Encanto, The Jungle Book, Aladdin, etc.). This is solely for enrichment purposes and to change up your playlists. Please use your own family’s discretion when listening; there is nothing explicit, but I recognize that everyone has different values.
Okay, so I’m not actually going to compose an Ode to Carbs, although if I had the time in some futuristic parallel universe, I might enjoy the challenge. Instead, I want to reflect on a moment today when one of the second grade teachers told her students to study their lunches, and see if they had brought a balanced mix of complex carbohydrates, proteins, and whatnot (to apply what they had been studying).
Simple carbohydrates break down quickly and spike energy levels, while complex carbs take longer to digest and provide more long-lasting energy. Hmm. As a runner, I was always told to turbo-carb-charge with spaghetti the night before a race, and still remember this when I have an extra long workday ahead of me. Maybe we should narrow our focus: An Ode to Pasta? Just kidding.
But it’s funny, you know? In my classroom, I’m loading my students with language every day. In a way, I’m trying to turbo-carb-charge them with language. What does that mean? Are there “carbohydrate words”? What would they be? Which words–not general categories–actual words, can help you to go the distance in another language? Which words do you find yourself repeating more than twice a day? Five times a day? Ten times a day? I’m referring here to words you use in conversation, with both yourself and other people.
Which words are most important? I mean, they’re all great–and you might argue that some are more precise than others–but which ones are the most useful? Which ones get you from Point A to B fastest? Which ones can you reuse? How does the answer differ if they are written or spoken?
I don’t know about you, but I want the language I teach to stick. So let’s do our students a favor, and focus on long-lasting energy:
High-frequency words. Versatile words. Expressions that can be applied in multiple contexts. Linguistic carbs.
Can you think of A time when someone Ran to you and said, “Bring me more energy, please, I am So absurdly tired”?
It is the fourth quarter: we’ve got to give our students that extra burst of long-lasting energy to finish strong. And carbs, my friends, are the way to go!
MEXICO: It is very common in many parts of Mexico to eat, well, bugs. Really! Evidently, Mexico is the country with the greatest variety of edible insects: 549 species. Some insects (like chapulines) are eaten fried but plain, while others (like scorpions)–as one of my colleagues experienced–can be mixed in with guacamole, mole, or other sauces.
“CHICATANAS (giant winged ants): When the first rains of the season hit Oaxaca, ants with coin-size wing spans spin into the air to escape their flooded nests and to search for food. Snatching at them are the hands of locals seizing their next snack. Chicatanas only come out one night a year, so families come together with a sense of urgency and excitement; kids make a game of seeing who can collect the most (and avoid getting bitten).”
En lieu of traveling abroad with my second graders, I buy a few boxes of fried crickets locally or on Amazon, and students have the opportunity–read: option–to taste them in class after we talk about the history and how everyone around the world eats and enjoys all different foods. To provide examples of this fact, we compared school lunches from a variety of countries (scroll down to slideshow on link).
To entice younger students to participate, there are even fun cricket flavors to whet their appetites, such as: Bacon & Cheese, Salt & Vinegar, and Sour Cream & Onion. This jumpstarts a unit on courage and stepping outside of your comfort zone in my classroom (soy valiente/ I am courageous).
BACKSTORY: I stumbled onto all of this a number of years ago after hearing the song, Un mes by the Colombian singer Mara, in a Zumba class. The lyrics referenced a “chapulín colorado”, and I wanted to know what that was. While the words literally mean, “red grasshopper” (which led to pics of bugs; see above), El Chapulín Colorado was also a Mexican television comedy show from the 1970’s that parodied superheroes. Clearly, there is room for this unit to go in many different directions!
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: While baseball is technically the sport of the Dominican, many also refer to Dominoes as the national sport of the country, due to its popularity as a pastime. The sound of “smacking” down the dominoes on the board is commonplace to hear while strolling about the tropical paradise; and games often span the entirety of the afternoon.
In class, I teach the rules and let students play in small groups. But I also like to extend it to add an option for the ‘building’ center, as some tire of the game at a certain point and just want to build. Here, I show classes Guinness World Record videos involving hundreds of thousands of dominoes, which are pretty incredible feats to watch. While this activity can end in tears, setting up dominoes is a great opportunity to teach patience, teamwork, and slowing down, especially for younger students.
You know that feeling you get when you really want something, but know that you shouldn’t have it?
Well, recently, I’ve been frequenting the Teacher’s Lounge, only to find that it is littered with cupcakes, doughnuts, cookies, cookie cakes, and everything Sugar. I don’t know if this is a direct result of my teaching classes about [the Cuban singer] Celia Cruz’s trademark of shouting, “¡Azúcar!“ (sugar) in all of her songs; but regardless, The Sugar Room, as I have now coined it, might as well be magnetic: I can’t stay away.
Don’t get me wrong, I love vegetables and those trendy green smoothies and juices. I love spicy foods, curries, Vietnamese Pho, empanadas, steak, rice and beans, and anything seafood-related. But I LOVE–[note the bold and capitalization and cue lofty, dramatic music]–desserts. Like, to a fault. Dark chocolate and I are BFF’s.
So, in an attempt to justify shoving a second cupcake into my mouth the other day (don’t judge!), my eyes scanned the room for inspiration. Maybe we could feign that the upcoming sugar rush wasn’t a total waste: and it was at that moment that I happened to notice a small package of mint chocolate bars on the table.
It wasn’t that they were calling my name, necessarily. It was the brand that caught my eye: Andes, as in Andes Mountains. As in South America. As in Spanish curriculum territory. As in boom shaka-laka-laka! The librarian had told me something about rope storytelling in South America. Let the research commence. #CupcakeBreakJustified
Where to Begin?
A long, long time ago–we’re talking 2500 BC: or, when the world had primarily hunter-gatherers–someone tied a bunch of knots on a string of llama or alpaca hair [around some sticks], that would be discovered millenia later. We don’t know who this person was, or any specific details about their family. When boiled down to that, it might seem knot so extraordinary… and yet, it was.
You see, these knots would develop over the centuries into an incredible meta-linguistic system. They would be color-coded and distinguished by knot type, direction, spacing, and location. The knots would expand to become a major form of historical documentation and communication for use within the Incan Empire in South America. They would tease linguists and anthropologists with their complex structures and depth of thought.
The word for ‘knot’ in Quechua–the language of the Incas, which is still alive today–is quipu (or khipu, ‘key-poo’). It makes sense, then, that the majority of these knot cords, or quipus, have been discovered in Peru and the surrounding Andes Mountains of Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina.
Color
Research about quipus is ongoing. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, a couple named Marcia and Robert Ascher “grew the known inventory of khipus in worldwide collections from just over 70, to about 400 examples” (Manuel Medrano). This–in conjunction with recent technological advancements (e.g., spreadsheets)–allowed for significant data analysis throughout the following decades. Nowadays, there are over 600 quipus in museum collections around the world, although some estimates claim closer to 800. While quipus are still primarily unintelligible, anthropologists have nevertheless been able to deduce and gather a fair amount of information about these fascinating knots.
For starters, knot color played an important role. Ethnohistorian Sabine Hyland wrote a lovely narrative account about her research here. She traveled to Peru in 2015 and, after many negotiations, was able to visit with an Andean tribe guarding two Collata khipus inside a colonial chest. Hyland saw the khipus firsthand and learned that the colors were sourced from cotton and/or
“delicate animal fibers--crimson, gold, indigo, green, cream, pink, and shades of brown from fawn to chocolate.”
[The colors of these particular khipus were vibrant and] “made of fibers from six different Andean animals–vicuña, deer, alpaca, llama, guanaco, and viscacha (the latter a common rodent hunted for food). In many cases, the fiber can only be identified through touch–brown deer hair and brown vicuña wool, for example, look the same but feel very different.”
Moreover, according to researcher and professor Manuel de León, “the colors of the strings represent different categories–for example, brown corresponds to government; crimson to the Inca sovereign, ruler of the empire; and red to war–while the knots indicate quantities, including the number zero, which is represented by the absence of knots”.
Quantity
While the Collata khipus are unique in certain ways, khipus are typically quite colorful and varied. Current day research is working to determine the stories behind these knots. For example, the Incas used these portable, lightweight cords to keep track of the new lands they conquered. They would record everything about the area.
“What the Incas would do if they conquered an area was go in and the first thing they would do is send their accountants, their inventory people,” MacQuarrie says.
“They would go in and literally count all of the different resources: the streams, the fields, they’d measure the fields, the people, the sexes of the people, mining, fishing, whatever. They would keep records of it and they would take that information back to Cusco and they would make decisions on how to administer that area.”
So the quipus were used, first and foremost, to record quantities. Medrano mentions in his talk, Knot Just Numbers: Andean Khipu Strings, that the numerical structure(s) of the quipu would seem to indicate that they were likewise used to keep track of debts and credits, such as taxes. Algebraic equations are also evident in the sums of the knots; but quipus were not calculators, rather, arithmetic records.
Both Hyland and Medrano toy with the idea that the quipus may have been used as a tool to record stories and legends. There are strong indications of this fact, such as Rosetta Khipus, in which quipus align directly with historical documents by Spanish poet Garcilaso de la Vega, and were likely transcribed by the Spanish from quipucamayocs, or specialists from the time period who knew how to read and make the knots. Not everyone could read a quipu.
This is a big deal because the Incan Empire was known not to have a written language; but if the quipus somehow correspond to a logosyllabic system, and someone is able to crack the code, an entire history of Incas will be revealed which, up to this point in history, has been hidden from view.
However, before I venture into solving one of the world’s mysteries, I might need another cupcake. Or an Andean chocolate mint.
Back in the day, I used to run Track and Field. As a long-distance runner, my events included the 800m, 4×800 meter relay, 1600m, and 3200m; but of the four, my focus was the mile (1600m). I just really liked that distance. You had to strategize for each lap: don’t go out too quickly for the first 400 meters (don’t be a ‘rabbit’!); settle into a pace the second lap; push yourself the third; and finish strong. While I have always enjoyed running, applying this formula was easier said than done. The tipping point was always the third lap. I could be cruising for eight hundred meters, but if I got lazy or in my head during the third lap, it was over.
There is something about working with children that allows you to see beyond the Realm of the Ordinary on a daily basis. That ruler is a lightsaber. That mango and those markers are perfect for an indoor game of bowling. That table is a house (below), train (above), or bunkbeds (top and bottom).
That cardbox box is not merely a cardboard box, it is a–well, see The Adventures of a Cardboard Box for ideas (have a tissue on hand for the end). I can’t compete with this one!
More to the point, educators search for creative ideas to increase student engagement in the subject matter, to get out of a rut, to stay motivated and passionate about teaching, and even to diffuse heated arguments amongst first graders. For example, this week two students were discussing shouting back and forth about one of the plastic fruits in my room. “It’s a cantaloupe!” “No! It’s a kiwi!” “No, it’s a cantaloupe!” and so on.
They bustled over to me as six-year-old boys sometimes do, both clearly agitated. “What is this, maestra?” I was being consulted as the deciding factor, the Omniscient Adult. Oh, boy. Someone was not going to be happy with my answer. “It’s a cantaloupe. Kiwis are much smaller.” One of the boys bolted across the room in response, collapsed to the ground, and began sobbing hysterically. I looked at the other boy: “But what else could it be?” He thought for a moment. “I know!! HEY [so-and-so]!! It’s THE LARGEST KIWI IN THE WORLD!” The other boy liftted his head and started to giggle. I even started to giggle. “That’s brilliant!” Imagination had saved the day, once again.
You might be wondering now where this blog post is headed, and question my use of English in the Spanish classroom. The thing is, everything is a teachable moment–but not everything we teach is our subject matter. Character, kindness, grit–all of these things matter. Maybe our students won’t be fluent Spanish speakers as adults (*sad face*), but the skills they learned along the way in our classrooms will stick with them in different ways.
That said, I also try to use these moments as fruit for storytelling. If The Largest Kiwi in the World becomes A Thing in general conversation–if it is trending among six-year-olds–then let’s create a class story around it.
Accordingly, and as this kiwi incident just occurred, I am thinking that we might need to include it in our current story. Do I remember how the following story began? No. Honestly, not at all. Do students love it and does it have potential? A big YES! So let’s get down to the more interesting part of this post, The Plot.
NOTE: While I love TPRS, my first graders are not literate enough for this to be practical quite yet. Instead, I sort of combine PQA (Personalized Questions and Answers) with repetition and the AIM methodology of gesture-storytelling.
What does that mean? It simply means that each day, we add a new sentence to our class story, but we always tell it (with gestures for each word and phrase) from the very beginning. If there are interruptions, we have to start all over again. Some days, I tell a short anecdote from my travels to ingrain new vocabulary, such as the time when I was on a train in Spain, and overheard a man’s conversation that [I kid you not] lasted twenty full minutes and consisted of only one word, “Vale/ okay” [“BAH-lay”] inflected in myriad ways. Okay? Okay. Okay! OKAY!!!
La cebolla malvada, Cap. 1
Luces, cámara, acción [alguien apaga las luces].
Una noche, en un castillo en el bosque de España, una princesa está durmiendo–CUANDO (todos saltan) entra LA CEBOLLA MALVADA.
La cebolla malvada TOMA sus pantuflas y se escapa…
La princesa está enojada, muy enojada. Habla con su amiga. “¿Qué hago?” MIENTRAS…
La cebolla malvada recibe una llamada. “¡Rin rin!”
The evil onion cries [because the irony here is too delicious, ha!].
“Ay yie yie yieee, sing and don’t cry.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
Chapter 2
I know, I know. This is a photo of La Torre del Oro in Spain, while in the story, the Evil Onion escapes to Argentina/ the North Pole. Maybe this is where the LARGEST KIWI IN THE WORLD comes in. ???
On second thought, perhaps the slippers dance all the way to Spain!
The Panama Canal is an iconic piece of maritime history, and yet, somehow–despite our country focus in Spanish class–I have never spent any real time on it in class. Today, that changed! Was it pretty? No, not at all. Did my students learn a ton and love what we did? No, most unfortunately. But sometimes, I am learning, you have to be okay with that as an educator. You have to try new ideas to grow, and sometimes, those new ideas just don’t work. Sometimes kindergarteners prefer to be kindergarteners, and can’t get excited about your ideas. Sometimes, they would simply rather stick to the routine. Today was a perfect example of that.
In order to explain what the Panama Canal was to my young students, I used a Popsicle stick boat (that my stuffed animal sails around in periodically) to dramatically portray two separate routes. “Ufff, this way around South America is soooo long! I am tired and really BORED!!!!” My interpretation was overly dramatic because I was describing it all in the target language. “But this route is so much shorter and faster!”
Next, we went outside to the playground to “dig” it in the sandbox with spoons. This was supposed to involve teamwork and emphasize how much physical work it must have taken to make it in real life (which was why I gave them plastic spoons and not shovels!).
However, kindergarteners were feeling moody and out of sorts (let’s blame the full moon), so it didn’t go as smoothly as anticipated. Regardless, I think there is potential for the project to expand into something really great in the future. But if all else fails, this alternate project below just might take the cake. HA!
PANAMA: The Panama Canal is an iconic piece of maritime history, but it has taken time to develop an age-appropriate lesson for younger students to appreciate.
I remember subtraction being a big deal in first grade. There were dinosaur eggs on the classroom bulletin board with our names on them and, although I distinctly recall not liking subtraction (addition was so much easier!), I loved my teacher and school and wanted to do well. I don’t know what the dinosaur eggs were about, but I do remember that I got pretty competitive with a boy in my math class and desperately wanted to beat him. Conclusion? Subtraction was important–in fact, wholly fundamental to my six-year-old self’s sense of success.
I reencountered subtraction decades later, albeit in another form. You see, by this point, I had amassed more than dinosaur math certificates. In my defense, it was a ‘normal’ amount of stuff for someone my age. Nothing too excessive, although it seemed less than others due to the fact that I was extremely organized.
One day, as many have, I stumbled onto a channel about minimalism. This coincided with the season in my life where I planned to leave my job and travel for a while, and suddenly, I became obsessed with the idea of fitting everything I owned into my car (a compact vehicle), or perhaps, a single backpack? In other words, it was time to subtract.
Beginning with the KonMari categories–clothes, books, papers, komono [miscellaneous], and sentimental–I quickly discovered that this was going to be a long-term project. All of the categories were thoroughly represented. I had much more than I realized, quietly tucked away in neat little boxes and file folders. And binders. As a teacher and writer, the binders were clearly a#situation.
Who was I kidding? All of it was a situation! And Marie Kondo had neglected to include a “digital papers” category. We weren’t even going to think about that. The computer claimed I had in excess of 50,000 files. Gulp.
When I took a step back, The Things looked like a museum of yours truly. Every puzzle piece of my life was represented, in one way or another. The good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the old, the new, the places, the people, the traveling–everything. I valued my story, reflected often on my journey; but did it all need to be physically represented? Why did it feel like a weight, anchoring me to… me?
Two memories resurfaced here. One winter morning at school, there was a fire drill. I was in a serious ‘dance is everything’ phase at the time, to the extreme that I used to wear ballet slippers to teach [Spanish] in all day. When the alarm went off and we all filed outside to a freezing wintry wonderland–flakes swirling all about–the only thing I had time to do was to slip on my boots over the dance shoes. I didn’t grab my key fob or phone or anything. And I still remember standing out there, absolutely freezing, realizing that if it had been a real fire, I didn’t have anything. Nothing. And it was so incredibly freeing.
A similar thing happened when I was living in Argentina. It was the day before we were flying home, and I had a ton of laundry to do. So I filled a bag with all of the clothes I had brought with me, and walked to the laundromat. It was a different place than I normally frequented, and there, you put the bag over a counter, and they gave you a ticket: you returned a few hours later to pick up your things; I was unaccustomed to this, having always done my own laundry.
However, I had just read about businesses “disappearing” overnight, and a startling thought entered my mind as I walked away: what if the laundromat wasn’t there when I returned? All of my clothes, gone in an instant. I was only a block away, but the thought–no bag, no nothing–made me feel lighter than a feather, lighter than I’d ever felt. [And numerous empanadas and pastries full of dulce de leche consumed while there, assured me that it wasn’t my physical weight!] I skipped back to my apartment, joyful as ever… while also wondering, why?
These memories lay dormant until I began sorting through my things. The big names in minimalism and decluttering were onto something: “Living With Less” (The Minimalists); “Be More With Less” (Courtney Carver); and my personal favorite, “I Think We Could Be Friends” (The Minimal Mom). The overarching idea here led me right back to my first grade math lesson–subtraction. Very un-mathematically, however, less was now proving to be more.
I knew that I couldn’t succeed with subtraction now just because I wanted to impress my teacher or beat a classmate. I knew that I couldn’t escape it by moving onto multiplication or geometry or algebraic functions. I was subtracting now for myself, for clarity. We had to make our peace. When I was six, I didn’t have enough life experience to think about deleting. The concept itself was probably frightening. But now it was time to tidy up The Cluttered Museum, my museum.
Maybe subtraction wasn’t scary, the more I thought about it. Artists and chefs began with a clean palette. Developers started with an empty lot of land. Designers craved the simplicity of white walls. It had to do with possibilities, that scintillating sparkle of newness. The winds were shifting. I wanted all that and more. But the process was arduous, taxing, exhausting. The more I decluttered, the more there seemed to be.
Months passed, and my organization abilities were refined as I researched more and more about the topic. Cass from Clutterbug helped to explain why my organizational preferences did not always work for other people. Miss Minimalist pointed out how to be extraordinarily honest with yourself and Declutter Your Fantasy Self, whereas this list from the Making Lemonade Blog allowed you to plod along at your own pace, gradually decluttering mini categories. Eventually, I started making progress, and then one day, I realized that–just as Marie Kondo encourages–I was surrounded by the things I loved.
Stuff comes in, stuff goes out. But these days, I find the latter much more common. This subtractive process of getting rid of the superfluous and being intentional about everything you own, of surrounding yourself only with things that spark joy, of sitting with your things and really thinking about why you are holding onto them, has changed everything.
Let us not forget that this is, most assuredly, a process. Evidently, my training began at age six.
In case you hear blips of this at home, today in Spanish class we talked about how some words are “boy” [or “el” words], and other words are “girl” [or “la” words]–in grammatical terms, we call these masculine and feminine articles, but students won’t know them as this. Third graders kept asking how to know whether it was an “el” or “la” word because they had to type it in on Duolingo; so we pushed pause on everything else and did a quick activity to help explain.
First, I scattered my flashcards around the room on the floor, and girls were allowed to pick up any of the “la” flashcards (la manzana/ apple; la casa/ house; etc.) and boys were allowed to pick up any of the “el” flashcards (el pan/ bread; el perro/ dog; etc.). We studied the words, and students discovered that most (but not all) “girl” words end in -a, and most (but not all) “boy” words end in -o.
At this point, I emphasized that the el or la has nothing to do with the noun in question (tables are not ‘girls’ because it’s la mesa/ table); but it is a fun trick to help you remember, especially if you pretend that girls “get” such and such (la pizza/ pizza) and boys “get” such and such (el helado/ ice cream, ‘el-LAH-doe’). We proceeded to divide up the universe (i.e., el universo/boy word) into its respective categories. “Who gets the planet?” El planeta (boys). “What about the earth?” La tierra (girls).
Third graders bombarded me with questions, and anyway, if any of this makes its way home, now you know! I don’t usually teach grammar explicitly in Spanish class, but this lesson is a classic and always gets them thinking!
Before PK4 enters my classroom each day, we sit in the hallway and say together in a sing-songy voice, “¡Yo hablo español!” (I speak Spanish), like the other grade levels do. We might chit-chat about this or that, but eventually put our hands in the middle (similar to a sports huddle), and shout, “¡Vamos!” (let’s go!).
Today was a special day and the culmination of several lessons: we went to Spain! Now, before I explain why we went there, let me point out that this process involved several steps. First, PK4 students chose where they were living on my carpet–in a red house? or a blue house? or maybe a green one? It’s a nice neighborhood, don’t you think? Could use some trees, though.
We started this a few weeks ago, but yesterday I was in a rather silly mood, so we said that the yellow lines represented the “roof” of the house. Who is sitting on el techo/ the roof of their house today?! You never really know what will become “a thing” with four-year-olds, but this did, and we ended up spending way too much time drawing on the board (stick-figure style), deciding who was inside the house and who was sitting on the rooftop.
The teacher part of me did this for two reasons: one, to have defined spaces on the carpet where students sit, and two, to begin teaching colors in context (don’t get too comfy with rojo/red! Sometimes it’s roja or rojas or rojos! E.g., una casa roja/ a red house). The rooftop piece was about directionals and spatial relationships. Or it might have been about the silliness that ensues when Pato turns on the “rain and thunderstorm” sound effects on the board, and everyone “rushes inside their houses” to avoid the fake agua/water. Teeheehee. I digress.
So after we talked about the casas/ houses, students built cozy 3D versions of them with chairs and blankets. They rested up, listening to a favorite from last year on loop– Los solecitos. But daylight came much too early: before we knew it, the tren/train was about to leave the station, which meant that we had to hustle, quickly packing a snack (comida/ food), their backpacks (that they had brought to class today for the special occasion), a stuffed animal from my toy bin, and dinero/ money. Plus scissors and more faux currency to cut out on the way. It’s a long trip, after all.
Now I must admit, there has been some Spanglish this week. Here and there, when I need students to fully grasp a concept (foreign currencies, geography, culture projects, etc.), I will incorporate some English/ Spanglish into the lesson. Students knew that we were going to a place called Spain because we had talked about it the other day. I showed PK4 students a map and pointed out how much ocean water is between us and Spain. Once they had that background knowledge, I started slipping back into Spanish– We’re going to Spain! We’re going to España! ¡Vamos a España! Yipee!
We took the train to the coast (teachers pushing tables on wheels across the room, with students and all of their stuff on top), to meet up with Pato on his [Popsicle stick] barco/ boat.
While yesterday I wasn’t certain how to differentiate the train from the boat, today I had a plan. The students stayed on the train as we pushed the two tables-on-wheels together, and voilà: we had a boat. Next, I put a loud ship horn sound effect on loop, along with a video of dolphins jumping. Look!! Dolphins, guys! So cool!! Did you get a picture? We took as many photos as we could on our pretend phones.
A minute after they all started getting antsy about being on the barco/ boat for so long, I said, “LOOK! ¡MIRA! I see land! It’s España!” In the dolphin video, you can see land at certain parts, so I waited until a good moment.
We got off the boat, left my room, walked down the hallway looking for the hotel in Spain, and then walked back to my room and pretended that their newly constructed casas were now, in fact, the hotel.
Phew! It’s amazing what you can do some days in thirty minutes. And what, now? Why did we go to Spain [other than to ascertain that the Popsicle stick boat floats]? Only Pato knows… 🙂
A few weeks ago, my best friend lent me a heating pad after I injured my back. It was a very thoughtful gesture and much appreciated; but eventually, I returned it. The heating pad wasn’t mine to keep, after all.
Objects and ownership are pretty straightforward, in that sense. I can lend you something, and after a while, you give it back. Now, depending on how [dis]organized someone is, this timeframe might be longer than you originally anticipated; but physical things are clearly here or there, yours or mine. The idea of lending money begins to get a bit more abstract when you are talking about credit (not cash); and to further complicate matters, sometimes the owner of that couch (~that you happened to ‘borrow’ for two years) no longer wants it anymore, which begs the question: did s/he lend or gift it to you?
What happens when we extend this to language? To jumpstart this conversation in my classroom, I like to ask first graders a deceivingly simple question, “So, does anyone know how to say, ‘taco’ in Spanish? What about mosquito? Papaya?” This throws even the native speakers off. Wait a second… (For older students, you can add in concepts, like déjà-vu.)
I can loan you a papaya to take a picture of it and you can give it back (well, you might eat it…), but what about the word papaya? Where did it come from? You see, word loans are not like other loans; they are, arguably, their own category and beast. But let’s back up.
My professional focus as a Spanish teacher is, of course, Spanish and everything that entails (culture, language, all 21 countries, music,food, etc.). But I am also equally interested infascinated by other languages and particularly, what occurs when they interact or come into contact with one another. So… what happens when languages meet?
Is it like a meet-cute, where they walk off together in the sunset? Or more a ninja style battle, flying from roof to roof at dusk across the city? Or perhaps they don’t even notice each other at first?
Can we personify languages? Do they behave like humans? Every culture and word–and person–has its own story, that is for sure; but unlike people, I think it can be tricky to delineate exactly where one language ends and another begins… particularly when we take word loans into account.
For instance, today: [Christopher] Columbus Day. Now, many have (and had) strong opinions about this Genoese sailor from the 1400s–did you know that he was extremely religious but also thrown in jail for six weeks?–but today we will focus primarily on what happened to the Spanish language when he sailed across the ocean and unknowingly acted as a catalyst for languages to interact.
Let us start with the fact that, according to his diary entries, Columbus wrote in castellano (Castilian Spanish)–although, as philologist and historian Ramón Menéndez Pidal posits here, this was likely not his first language:
« nota reiteradas veces que el Almirante revela ‘ser natural de otra lengua, porque no penetra del todo la significación de los vocablos de la lengua castellana ni del modo de hablar de ella’ ».
Many hypothesize that Columbus’ native tongue was Ligurian, but he was clearly also familiar with Portuguese, Italian, and Castellano, among others. He presumably interacted with the monarchs Isabel and Fernando in Spanish when asking them (repeatedly, until he succeeded) to fund his overseas ventures and [four] voyages to the New World.
I mention this linguistic context and background because the subject of word loans comes up in his castellano diary entries. When languages meet for the first time, there is of course some general confusion. Columbus was actually prepared for this and brought along several interpreters–which was a great plan, except that he did not land in India, and therefore encountered over 600 indigenous languages in lieu of the expected Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Aramaic. Whoops!
Soon after sailor Rodrigo de Triana famously shouted, “¡Tierra! ¡Tierra!” (Land! Land!) upon sighting an island in the Caribbean, his fellow crew members and Columbus were to make initial contact with the Taíno natives. The Taínos spoke a language called Arawak. (Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow even explain in their book, The Story of Spanish, that Columbus captured indigenous Taínos and brought them back to Spain for the original intention of teaching them castellano so that they could act as interpreters for the Europeans.)
Spanish historian Bartolomé de las Casas accompanied Columbus on his third voyage and described this “language of the Indians [as with] the most elegant and abundant of words, and the sweetest of sounds (original: “la lengua de los indios [con] la más elegante y más copiosa de vocablos, y la más dulce en sonidos”). I read somewhere that Columbus himself had used the word, “apacible” (~pleasant, gentle, calm, peaceful) to describe Arawak, but I can’t find the source right now.
Anyway, this is where things get interesting. You see, the beautiful fruit of linguistic encounters is that new ideas are exchanged. As with any voyageur, Columbus and the other sailors learned and were exposed to so many new things in their travels. For example, the Europeans had never seen a canoe before. This is apparent in his diary, where Columbus starts out using the word, “almadía”, or raft in Spanish, to describe what he sees; but over a period of weeks, switches to the Taíno canoa and eventually drops almadía altogether (The Story of Spanish, pp. 99-101).
Here, we see one of the original dictionary entries (1505): canoa, boat of wood; from the Caribbean. How crazy is it that we have access to this information nowadays?
In addition to canoa, the Spaniards took many word loans from Arawak, such as canoe, shark, papaya, iguana, hurricane, corn, hammock, potato, barbecue, and mangrove for foods, animals, and ideas that they did not already have in their own language (i.e., castellano). Can you imagine not knowing what a huracán/hurricane was and experiencing one for the first time? Or seeing a tiburón/ shark or iguana? Or eating a papaya? Or having a barbacoa/ barbecue?
Now, to be fair, none of this is new: linguistic contact occurs all of the time, and we are constantly acquiring new words in our own language on both a cultural and individual level. Whether that is because of a new invention (iPads were invented in 2010, might I remind you), or simply because you moved to the country and someone said, “It’s spitting out” (instead of drizzling), our vocabularies naturally expand over time.
Nevertheless, it is fascinating to ponder how one word can be loaned or “borrowed” into another language and end up comfortably living in two places at once. Why are some terms bifurcated? Why isbread bread in English, pan in Spanish, and מָן (mān/ manna) in Hebrew; but barbacoa is shared by Arawak and Spanish, and papaya by Arawak, Spanish, and English? Conversely, how has Icelandic remained relatively untouched, linguistically speaking–(if you speak Icelandic, you can easily understand a text from the 900’s)–whereas English has undergone so many changes it is difficult to pinpoint a time period when it has stayed still?
There are linguistic answers to these questions (Iceland, for one, is geographically isolated as an island, which helped keep the language in one place; whereas English is sort of like your friend’s messy apartment: stuff is just spread out everywhere!)–but all of this still begs the question, how can some words be loaned or borrowed from other languages, while still remaining their own entity? Why did Arawak and Spanish not become one in the same? How many words can a language borrow before it loses its identity, or essence?
Regrettably, I do not have the answers to those questions today. However, I can share [below]–and just for fun–a chart from my FAQ page, if you wanted to delve a bit deeper. In the meantime, Happy Columbus Day!
P.S. Another fun fact: jaguar, petunia, and tapioca, among others–come from the Tupí-Guaraní languages, thanks to later expeditions through South America.
I love the gold of the morning, those scintillating flecks of light peppering the ever-changing canvas of the night sky, as the latter slowly fades from view; mystical dew-filled cobwebs dotting the grass for reasons unbeknownst to me; birds’ cheery songs greeting the world, welcoming the dawn; the sensation that everything is new and fresh, has been rebirthed overnight–and yet, I dread the raw truth of day, the sharp wind slicing my thoughts to pieces, intimating that I am not enough; the clock on the wall ticking away the minutes, rhythmically chanting that I have wasted my days; the brooding thoughts that creep in, carrying the baggage of yesteryear, a lifetime ago.
I live all of these thoughts in the space of a few seconds–and reflect, at last, on how divine is this, the textured quilt of human emotion and experience. The swelling wave of emotion crests and washes onto shore: a new day has arrived. I exhale the past and inhale the present, and thank God for the opportunity to put pen to paper. I don’t know why, but writing is a therapeutic release.
While you can explore hands-on Culture Projects for educators, families, and/or home schoolers on another page, I thought I’d group more linguistically oriented ideas here.
CHILE: The coastal city of Valparaíso in Chile is perhaps most known for its colorful landscape and 43 cerros/ hills. Commonly known as the “La Joya del Pacífico,” (The Jewel of the Pacific), the street art scene here proves astounding.
Valparaíso wasn’t always quite so colorful, but in response to the dictatorship of the 1970’s, artists wanted to make their voices heard, forming underground groups to get their message out to the world. It would seem a wholly turbulent past, but the origin of the colorful houses is actually distinct from that of the street art:
“As Valparaiso is a port city, the short story goes that the “Porteños” (meaning the inhabitants of a port city) used the abandoned metal in the port to cover and protect their houses made of adobe bricks (a kind of clay mixed with water and straw).
And as with wind and humidity the [metal] tended to rust, people started painting their houses with the paint used on the boats. And you will have understood it, these [paints] are very resistant and especially very colorful (it is necessary to see the boats from far). This is what would be at the origin of this ‘coloured metalic’ touch that makes Valparaiso so original.”
Dependent on the grade level, we go in a few different directions here. For starters, the street art history is too heavy for kindergarteners, so in class, students focus solely on the vibrant colors. I sing a calming song, “Azul, blanco, rojo, violeta, amarillo, anaranjado, verde y rosa [rosado],” and point to crayons as I go, so as to associate the proper color with each word.
Students are then given large coffee filters, and I show them the food coloring (yipee!); next, students choose which colors, how many droplets, and where they want them, to create their own designs. I always narrate what is happening and ask questions continuously in the target language as I go around from student to student. In the background, I put on a different color song, called Los colores.
This year, I had a set of goteros/ eyedroppers, so kindergarteners used them to mix agua/water and the colors even further. It was great fun, however beware: this can make a huge mess! (No, I don’t say this from experience, haha!) The art teacher got in on this for International Dot Day, and the next phase of this project was to transform the colorful coffee filters into Chihuly Sculptures in her class. Very cool!
Another year, I saved them until Christmas time and older grades used the dyed paper to make snowflake decorations for my classroom.
Part 2
To extend this project, and after smelling seemingly identical cups of clear liquid–water/agua and vinegar/vinagre [‘bee-NAH-gray’]–students responded in Spanish with either, “Sí me gusta” or “No me gusta” (I like it/I don’t like it/’no may GOOSE-tah’) and proceeded to ooooh and aaahhh when Pato added baking soda, droplets of food coloring, and vinegar to a bowl–resulting in a colorful volcanic eruption!
Older students announced this as “Breaking News” on their class Spanish News Show, watching a Spanish BrainPop video on volcanoes and learning about the Calbuco volcanic eruption in Chile. This connected to their classroom science unit on volcanoes.
PARAGUAY:La Danza de La Botella, or Bottle Dance, is a traditional Paraguayan dance with unclear origins- although many say it is an offshoot of the galopa (a different folk dance). Dancers begin at a young age, balancing one glass bottle on their heads. As they gain more skill, more bottles are added. While four or five bottles is an absolute feat, some advance to as many as ten or eleven–see videos below. The top and final bottle has a ribbon of the flag colors of Paraguay tied on to it.
In class, students admired the Ñandutí lace on the dresses, enjoyed listening to the traditional Paraguayan polka music, and then attempted to balance books and paper cups on their heads and walk around the room. (Not quite the same- but safety always comes first.) Regardless, it is harder than it looks!
Every year, fourth graders memorize and present a play entirely in Spanish for Lower School students and their families. The play has a completely different plot each year and is based on the adventures of my stuffed animal duck, “Pato“.
Pato is growing up, and now has his own personal secretary! The Spanish playmusical begins with our stuffed animal duck hero dancing to traditional Spanish music from the 1500’s: a calm, mature tone is established. When the phone rings and his secretary answers, we learn that Oso is calling, but Pato is clearly busy–prancing around, ballet-style (how do pointe shoes work on webbed feet?)–and can’t take a call right now, thank you very much; so Oso decides to try again later.
He waits about five seconds and calls again, but in the meantime, Pato has changed the radio station (or Alexa, or whatever!) and found a catchier tune–conveniently for us, about the phone ringing. Poor Oso listens to the phone ringing as everyone else jumps up for a dance number onstage. The landline is modeled after Salvador Dalí’s famous surrealist sculpture (#culture).
When the secretary finally regains order and answers the phone, Oso claims to be The King of the World, so that he can talk with Pato. There is no way that Patowouldn’t pick up for The King of the World!
After a little chitchat, Pato is invited to Spain with his friends, Oso (Bear), Caballo (Horse), and Pollito (Baby Chick), among others. As they are all stuffed animals IRL (haha), their mode of transportation is a paper airplane, which they get from someone backstage named Javier–this task interrupts the entire play, and Javier is mortified but reluctantly agrees to oblige the characters after he observes Patotrying to [unsuccessfully] fly to Spain in the background. Ay yie yie!
They finally get on the plane, but end up landing in Canada, not Spain. Whoops! It is really cold there, and when a Talking Book starts chatting with them, there is no denying that we have been transported to Stuffed Animal Land. The friends are amazed at the Bilingual Talking Book, but quickly move on to another more pressing matter, when a group of wolves appears in the distance. Oh no!
We break to a Special News Report, commentating on the sad state of affairs, namely, that Pato and friends are surely to meet their end in the face of the ravenous wild creatures. HOWEVER!, Los Lobos (the wolves) are actually a band who perform Para bailar la bamba in a live outdoor concert. (The band name really is Los Lobos, but obviously, it’s a joke, since the band was people and we have “wolves” singing.) The Dancing Pineapple makes his debut as the lead singer at this point–which, no, is not a historical fact.
Following the concert, the friends continue on their way to Spain, but wind up in Cuba. Oh my goodness! Who is driving this plane?! Naturally, Pato confuses bananas with La Habana (the capital of Cuba), and everyone ends up Salsa dancing in the streets. Will they ever get to Spain? Come watch the show to find out!
The day begins sitting outside my classroom in the hallway. “This is English,” I say. “I am speaking in English right now, but when I–*clap, clap*–yo cambio de un idioma a otro [I change from one language to another]. *Clap, clap.* Strange, isn’t it?!“
This game progresses a bit farther each day. We look at our shoes, the colors of our shirts, the spider crawling up the wall. “You say, ‘blue’–clap, clap–yo digo, ‘azul’[I say azul]”. All classes are learning to say, “Yo hablo español” (I speak Spanish), so that we can compare/contrast it with “Yo hablo inglés” (I speak English). After a minute or two of chitchat, we stand up, put our hands in the middle and say, “¡Vamos!” (let’s go!) like we mean it, and then travel into my room. Inside, everything is narrated and taught in Spanish.
Students sit in their assigned seats, and I ask the three-year-olds how they are: ¿Cómo estás? There are funny emoji faces on the board, and they come up one at a time and point to how they are feeling. I acted out the faces very dramatically the first few days for PK3 (feliz/happy, triste/sad, enojado(a)/mad, tengo frío/I’m cold), and we were very silly! So now it is a joke, and they will respond, “enojado(a)” (angry/mad) when I ask them, just to be silly, and with a huge grin on their face.
We move on to a song break at this point, usually one in particular from Encanto, or their newest favorite, Los solecitos(put it on loop!). They can move and dance around here, but some just watch–a bit fixatedly, trying to figure out how it is that the screen speaks the same language their Spanish teacher does. Hmm…
The first few classes, we did a science/ group activity on the carpet following the song. These lessons were sensory-happy, meaning that I brought in a hairdryer to levitate a ping-pong ball and teach the word, “caliente” (hot), and students got to feel the hot-hot-hot air; we melted a few crayons with the heat to “paint” a picture; I brought in ice cubes the next class to contrast and connect with, “frío” from above; and we put white plastic [temperature- activated] spoons in the cold water/ice cubes, which then ‘magically’ turned blue.
After the mini-lesson, students take turns ‘riding’ in my teacher chair (which is on wheels), and I sing a calming song, “Va-mos a España, va-mos; va-mos a Nicaragua, va-mos,” etc. as I push them across the room in the chair. I ring a windchime, we admire the beautiful sound, and then I push them back; but this time I ask if they want to go rápido/fast or not. The answer is, invariably, YES!
As we have settled into this routine, the ideas have started to expand. For example, in lieu of a science lesson et al, someone might say that they are “tired” (cansado/a) during the how-are-you Q&A, so we all take a 10-second nap with the lights off. Then I turn the lights back on, and announce that wow am I hungry. Hey! We should have a picnic! So we go to the carpet with a few blankets on the floor as a table, and pretend to eat the plastic food. I announce that there is a storm coming (I put rain sound effects on the board)–oh no!–so we have to go somewhere else. Then we take the “car rides” to the beach/ la playa or the jungle (la selva/la jungla), and students get to decide which video I put on the screen to enhance the general ambiance–tranquil waves, or howler monkeys in the rainforests of Costa Rica!
When our thirty minutes together is over, we say that the “train” is leaving, and students line up. I’m writing this now a bit out of guilt, because I never know how to put this in a nice, neat lesson plan on Veracross. We do a lot of fun things in Spanish every day, and the lessons are always evolving; but I wanted to give you a quick update before any more time passed. Otherwise, I would have started with the howler monkeys and chair cars two months from now, and you wouldn’t have known what I was talking about!
ASIDE: Your children may or may not bring home Spanish words; do not worry either way. The focus at this point is comprehension and following along in class. If you want to support/ encourage your child’s linguistic journey, feel free to watch cartoons or listen to music in Spanish with them at home. Don’t worry if you don’t understand; just watch/listen and have fun, and their brains will do the rest!
Above are videos I have created for Parents Nights in the past few years. Each has its own distinctive flavor and required dozens of hours of editing. Enjoy!
The Firefly
Language has always been a story for me. You can go macro, the story of the world–or micro, the history of a single word. Or you can travel to another galaxy! With 7,000 languages on our planet, the possibilities are endless. My [master’s] dissertation/thesis actually traced the evolution of the word, “luciérnaga” (firefly/ ‘lou-see-AIR-nah-gah’) in dictionaries, from its first appearance in 1251 through present day.
The definitions varied over the centuries, dependent on our collective scientific and cultural knowledge. Before we knew much of anything about entomology, many believed that those tiny lights flashing on and off in the night were… magic or sorcery. When there was a mini ice age in Europe for a few hundred years, a huge gap ensued: luciérnaga was absent from Spanish dictionaries, presumably because the lightning bugs all traveled closer to the equator, and were no longer a part of daily life.
Point being, I love language(s) and I love sharing my joy for words and communication with students. The cinematography above is meant to emphasize that your children do not merely study language in my class: they live it. They experience words and immersion and culture and all of the things. Words are everywhere, and it is my job to help them discover the magical, linguistic, and/or scientific [however you view language] light and spirit within each child.
The firefly’s light flashes on and off, but it is always there.
SPAIN: As you may know, the name of my website–The Spanish Cave–has its roots in the year I was moved into a tiny classroom with absurdly high ceilings. After a while, we started calling it La cueva/The Cave–and for whatever reason, the name stuck. Despite their prevalence around the world, caves are, after all, pretty cool.
It is no surprise that Spain has its fair share of fascinating caves. From the Caves of Nerja in Andalucía (largest stalactite in the the world), and the Caves of Altamira in Cantabria (beautiful prehistoric paintings and engravings), to the Drach–or “Dragon”–Caves in Mallorca (one of the world’s largest underground lakes), these natural subterranean chambers highlight yet another layer of our extraordinary world. Click on the article below for a project!
URUGUAY: Obviously, we need to do some sort of amazing artistic project on this art studio turned hotel with no straight lines (in the entire edifice, as per the artist’s preference, Carlos Paez Vilaró). I was thinking of using marshmallows as our medium, but the temptation to eat them is just too great for elementary aged students. I will keep you posted.
This term, students in fourth grade began with Daily Language Trivia outside of my classroom. (This is the official “English/ Spanish/ Spanglish” zone, as opposed to the “Spanish-only zone” inside my room.) Here, students learned basic facts such as: How many Spanish-speaking countries are there in the world? (21); How many languages are there in the world? (7,000); What are the top three most-spoken languages in the world? In what order? (Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, English); What about online? (English reigns!); etc.
Inside the classroom, fourth graders were transported to another world–or Spanish speaking country, at least. Immersion can feel like another world, though; sans words, you lose your personality, your sense of identity, your power to express yourself how you want to. Students did really well with this. First, they reviewed a Spanish News Show from last year and made a miniature volcano as a “news story” to tap into their science unit (Calbuco, Chile). Next, they learned about Easter Island all in the target language, and even made clay sculptures of the famous statues and Rongorongo tablets.
In the tech realm, students continued (from last year) working on the Duolingo language- learning app; but this time around, they are working as a team to earn a huge number of XP (points) over an eight week timespan, in what is called a Classroom Quest. All of this is in preparation and gearing up for the main event this year, THE SPANISH PLAY. Near the end of the quarter, fourth graders made and submitted audition videos for the play, and were given a broad overview of the plot. They are all excited to begin the work! Gracias for a great term.
2
This term, fourth graders continued working on the Duolingo language-learning app, eventually completing the Classroom Quest after eight weeks of hard work–congratulations! Other than Duolingo, the bulk of their efforts was spent on preparing for THE SPANISH PLAY performance in February. Fourth graders began the quarter with a general plot overview, learning who the main characters were, and alternating parts until we found the right casting fit.
Following the official casting, students delved into the music and dance choreography–the play is actually more of a musical this year–and began rehearsing their lines as a class. There are so many layers when it comes to theater here: fourth graders are focusing on initially knowing what it is they are saying (Spanish words with English meaning); but also simultaneously fine-tuning their pronunciation for a different sound system [phonetics]; adding expression and intonation; coordinating movement, dance, and actions on stage with their lines; and mastering timing, as timing is everything! Oh, did I mention managing props and voice projection and mics? Theater really does have All The Things!
Each lesson/ rehearsal brought with it a different angle and focus–which helped keep the 15-page script fresh and exciting for fourth graders. They are deep into rehearsals at this point, and already looking forward to the final performance! For a plot overview, please click HERE. And mark your calendars for February 15, 2023. You won’t want to miss it!
3
This term, students in fourth grade continued working on their Spanish Play. They hyperfocused on memorizing lines and smoothing out transitions between scenes–and had fun playing with last-minute ideas, to make it pop–such as a “fish” jumping in the ocean and being “caught” by several of the actors (hilarious!). In both the dress rehearsal as well as the final performance, fourth graders were absolutely brilliant. Wow! What a play!
Following a class celebration with dulce de leche (sweet milk caramel) and prizes from their Duolingo Classroom Quest work (stickers, bracelets, washable tattoos, pencils, pins, etc.), students adjusted to a new routine–prepping for Middle School Spanish. Here, they reviewed the Floor Map (for the map competition); practiced asking and answering questions in the target language; got back into a Duolingo routine; and had a few introduction to grammar lessons (verb conjugation overview). They also began inserting their play lines into new contexts and situations, which was so fun to see! Gracias for a great term.
4
This term, fourth graders continued prepping for Middle School Spanish (and French). They added French to their Duolingo accounts, and spent a day or two trying on the new sounds for size–making linguistic connections all the while: “Hey, that makes sense! ‘Homme’ is like ‘hombre’ in Spanish! [man]”. In Spanish, they took some time learning about (and later applying) -ar verb conjugations, as well as paying closer attention to masculine and feminine noun articles (mostly definite (el/la), with a sprinkle of indefinite articles (un/una)).
To end the year, fourth graders spent the last few weeks of class creating their own original Spanish comic strips. In the background, they listened to (and talked about) translated pop song covers; and finally, took home a laminated sign of their choice from the classroom walls (a Spanish class tradition). Gracias for a great year!
August Notes
Objective: acclimating to daily routines, expectations, and an immersive Spanish environment!
Welcome Back!: intro to daily routine and general overview. We will spend the first semester preparing for the Fourth Grade Spanish Play. The lines in the play will be reinforced via class activities; games; songs; videos; and Culture Projects.
News Show:Soy fuerte & Soy valiente auditions. News Show Skit- vocabulary review from last year. Pato and the mini volcano (Chile- Calbuco).
Colorful Volcano: News Show Skit review. Top news is Chilean volcano. Class helps Pato make a miniature volcano model (with food coloring), all in the target language. ¡Lo hicimos!
Easter Island Intro: Language trivia. News Show. Why are we talking about Chile? Two reasons- the volcano (Calbuco) and Easter Island. Lesson on La Isla de Pascua and walking statues video, all in the target language. Facts and slideshow with pics and video in Spanish.
Easter Island, Day 1: skip News Show. Students have time to create air-dry clay sculptures from Easter Island (moai and tablets).
Easter Island, Day 2: skip News Show. Students have time to paint air-dry clay sculptures from Easter Island (moai).
September
Objective: begin to work on verbal output, increase speaking confidence in the target language.
Introduce Duolingo: Daily trivia. Introduced Duolingo language-learning app. Time to work on the app, work out the kinks/ any glitches, and record vocabulary in mini Spanish notebooks. Also overview of XP progress this year.
Cognates: Daily trivia/ Firefly backstory. Time to work on Duolingo app and record vocabulary in mini Spanish notebooks. Word search and lesson on cognates (words that look the same in English and Spanish).
The Theater: Daily trivia. Time to work on Duolingo app and decorate mini Spanish notebooks. Look ahead to SPANISH PLAY auditions. Teatro Colón in Argentina.
Auditions, Day 1: Time to work on Duolingo app. SPANISH PLAY auditions will be in video format. Read lines with exaggerated emotions. Combine in iMovie.
Auditions, Day 2: Time to work on Duolingo app. DAY #2: SPANISH PLAY auditions will be in video format. Read lines with exaggerated emotions. Combine in iMovie. Individual surveys for type of role in play desired (e.g., big/ small part, tech, etc.).
Auditions, Day 3: Time to work on Duolingo app. DAY #3: upload audition videos to Google Classroom, if you haven’t already. Casting bios. Preview of Spanish play!
THE PATO PLAY: Time to work on Duolingo app. Pato Play Plot Premieres!
No class: No sub available.
Substitute: Worked on Duolingo. Reviewed names of Spanish speaking countries (all 21). Spanish word search.
Substitute: Worked on Duolingo briefly. Bulk of time spent on writing “Casting Bios” for Spanish Play performance.
The PATO Play, for real: Apologies for being out! Ack! Time to revise Casting Bios from Friday (sub). Anecdote about year EVERYONE got violently ill before the production and we had to reassign parts the morning of. Lesson: be prepared! You will have an assigned part, but you will also be responsible for having a good idea of everyone else’s part, too. Down to business- overview of Spanish Play begins today, for real.
October
Objective for October: continue working on verbal output, increase speaking confidence in the target language.
No class: hurricane.
No class: hurricane.
THE PATO PLAY & Don Quijote: Overview of Spanish Play continues. Character list now includes: Narrator, Secretary, Pato, Oso, Everyone, Baby Chicken, Horse. Don Quijote review and interjection in musical.
THE PATO PLAY: Overview of Spanish Play continues.
This term, students in third grade began with Daily Language Trivia outside of my classroom. (This is the official “English/ Spanish/ Spanglish” zone, as opposed to the “Spanish-only zone” inside my room.) Here, students learned basic facts such as: How many Spanish-speaking countries are there in the world? (21); How many languages are there in the world? (7,000); What are the top three most-spoken languages in the world? In what order? (Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, English); etc.
Inside the classroom, third graders were transported to another world–or Spanish speaking country, at least. Immersion can feel like another world, though; sans words, you lose your personality, your sense of identity, your power to express yourself how you want to. Students did really well with this. First, they learned about Easter Island all in the target language, and even made clay sculptures of the famous statues and Rongorongo tablets.
As part of this unit, third graders began rehearsing their lines for a Spanish News Show, which is actually part of a long-term project. The project is a story within a story within a story: a boy is late to watch his favorite show, the news/ las noticias, on which there is a segment about Chile; and following the news, there are Spanish commercials and a movie trailer about “Alan” and hungry Easter Island statues that come to life. “Alan” is completely ridiculous but a hilarious story starter!
In the tech realm, students started working on the Duolingo language- learning app; they are working as a team to earn a huge number of XP (points) over an eight week timespan, in what is called a Classroom Quest. It should be noted that they are doing an outstanding job with this. Third graders also learned a card game called Mano Nerviosa. Gracias for a great term.
2
This term, third graders continued working on the Duolingo language-learning app, eventually completing the Classroom Quest after eight weeks of hard work–congratulations! Partway through the quarter, they were also introduced to the “Language Guessing Game“, which we did as a class for a warm-up activity. Listening to other languages helps students train their ears and identify sounds that are distinctly Spanish; an unexpected consequence of this game was that several began exploring other languages (in addition to Spanish) on Duolingo–which is fantastic! The more languages, the better! Their most recent challenge from the tech world has been trying to figure out the daily Spanish Wordle. It has been amazing to see how many five-letter words they already know in Spanish (e.g., queso/ cheese, amigo/ friend, mujer/ woman, quiero/ I want, puedo/ I can, vamos/ let’s go, coche/ car, jugar/ to play, adiós/ goodbye, banco/ bank, leche/ milk, ahora/ now, etc.)!
Third graders also spent a few lessons learning about how some words are “boy” [or “el” words], and other words are “girl” [or “la” words]–in grammatical terms, we call these masculine and feminine articles, but students won’t know them as this. The el or la has nothing to do with the noun in question (tables are not ‘girls’ because it’s la mesa/ table); but it is a fun trick to help you remember, especially if you pretend that girls “get” such and such (la pizza/ pizza) and boys “get” such and such (el helado/ ice cream, ‘el-LAH-doe’). We proceeded to divide up the universe (i.e., el universo/boy word) into its respective categories–“Who gets the planet?” El planeta (boys). “What about the earth?” La tierra (girls)–and so on and so forth.
When hurricanes, the Halloween Carnival, Grandparent’s Day, field trips, and other school events canceled Spanish, our “Alan” story from the first quarter was put on pause. However, I took the days that we did meet to teach students how to dance the Salsa [as a mini unit]. Third graders were brilliant, and even started making up their own choreography after they had mastered the basic steps.
The schedule finally calmed down and we started meeting more regularly, at which point Center Work made a reappearance from years prior; students get to choose which activities they do, and learn corresponding vocabulary in the target language. This has been expanded to include “licenses” for everything, which are basically sight word flashcards that students have to have near them when using my materials. For example, if they sign up to “drive the car” aka “Quiero conducir el coche negro” [I want to drive the black car, that is, my teacher chair on wheels], they have to have their “license” (el coche/ car or el camión/ truck card). It is a fun game we play to encourage contextualized, meaningful language in action. Gracias for another great quarter.
3
This term, third graders heard and acted out a legend about Yerba Mate Tea (Argentina) around a pretend campfire. Students had the opportunity to taste both the tea and dulce de leche (sweet milk caramel) in class. We started the quarter this way to emphasize the importance of friendship–it is called “the friendship tea of South America”–in order to lead into the main unit, Spanish Soccer.
Here, teamwork is crucial to success… not because I want students to score goals, but rather because this is an exercise in honesty and trustworthiness. The overarching rule is, simply put, NO ENGLISH. Period! Third graders painted flags of their team colors on their cheeks and/or with markers on their hands (e.g., Colombia vs. Mexico), and then prayed like in Chapel (Gracias por/ Thank you for…). We talked about being grateful for even the simplest of things–for instance, not everyone in the world has running water. Some in Venezuela have to walk 2-3 miles for it every morning: we are so lucky and blessed to be able to go to the water fountain! Next, they went outside to play! Students learned expressions such as, “¡Por acá!” (over here), “No fui yo” (it wasn’t me), and “¡Apúrate!” (hurry up- e.g., when the ball goes out of bounds and people take their good old time to get it!), and worked to output said vocabulary instinctively: this is the challenge and hard part.
Students focused on differentiating between a question vs. a statement in the target language (¿Vamos a jugar al futbol? vs. Vamos a jugar al futbol./ Are we going to play soccer? vs. We are going to play soccer.); many times, the only difference between a question and a statement in Spanish is the intonation. They also worked on conversational Spanish with my wall word signs and introducing themselves, public-speaking style (Hola, me llamo ___. Tengo una pregunta/ un comentario./ Hello, my name is _____. I have a question/ comment). Everything this quarter was about increasing linguistic output and building confidence in the target language (shouting in Spanish on the soccer field aka courtyard).
One day, we had a double class (all third graders), and because it was too many students to play soccer, we talked about translation (written) vs. interpretation (spoken) instead. Third graders gave short demonstrations of each respective career in small groups–e.g., consecutive vs. simultaneous interpretation–and later read examples of poor translations, including closed captioning of a song in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles. Hilarious! Last but not least, students received prizes (stickers, bracelets, washable tattoos, pencils, pins, etc.) for their Duolingo Classroom Quest work in the fall, and attended the fourth graders’ Spanish Play in February. Gracias for a great term.
4
This term, students in third grade worked on a Book Fair Opening Skit, in conjunction with their Library class; the theme was storytelling through the five senses. There were four groups, which focused on the following: SEE–act out a Cuban legend; HEAR–interpret a silly story called La Cebolla Malvada; SMELL–forest simulation; TOUCH/FEEL–quipu (knot storytelling in South America), and TASTE–mint chocolate candies called “Andes” (connection to the Andes Mountains). Third graders worked for a number of classes on this, but due to scheduling conflicts, were never able to present their skits, most unfortunately.
They shifted to culture-based group projects after this. Students became comfortable reading a conversation aloud to sign up for said projects, and then worked on either building Las cataratas de Iguazú (Argentina); coloring jungle animals (Costa Rica); building Rube Goldberg type causa y efecto (cause and effect) ramps and/or domino creations–the latter of which tied in nicely with the rollercoaster science unit in their regular classroom. Many classes were canceled again this quarter, due to schedule interruptions of special events, so it was good to have a predictable routine to fall back on for the last month of school. The last few classes were spent getting students excited about “auditioning” for next year’s Spanish Play. Last but not least, classes worked as a team to outline the Andes Mountains out of dominoes on the Floor Map, to earn mint chocolate candies (brand: Andes), and made sure to play the Language Guessing Game one last time. Gracias for a great year!
August
Objective: acclimating to daily routines, expectations, and an immersive Spanish environment!
Welcome Back!: intro to daily routine and general overview. We will explore legends from around the Spanish-speaking world, and create a semester-long News Show in Spanish, adding a few new lines each day. The lines in the show will be reinforced via class activities; games; tongue twisters; songs; videos; ‘free choice’ center work days; and Culture Projects.
News Show: News Show Skit in Spanish. Testing their focus and concentration today- how far can we go in the target language?!
Easter Island Intro: News Show Skit, very quick run-through. News Show piece on Chile; intro to Easter Island, but all in the target language. Facts and slideshow with pics and video all in Spanish.
Easter Island, Day 1: skip News Show. Students have time to create air-dry clay sculptures from Easter Island (moai and Rongorongo tablets).
Easter Island, Day 2: Students have time to paint their air-dry clay sculptures from Easter Island (moai and tablets). Ms. C visited today and made her own sculpture as well!
Exports & Alan: Daily Trivia. Students brought air-dry clay sculptures to cubbies. Comment “everything comes from China” led to a mini review from last year re: imports/ exports. Students checked shirt tags and shoes for country names, and we found them on the map. STORY STARTER: Alan video, Easter Island statues, train, statues move when not looking (acted out).
September
Objective: begin to work on verbal output, increase speaking confidence in the target language.
Overview-English: Took a step back to explain in English the big picture of this first unit. We are creating a story (boy running home, late to watch news show) within a story (the actual news show on TV) within a story (movie trailer about Alan and Easter Island statues, that the boy sees on TV). “Ohhh….!” 🙂
Introduce Duolingo: Daily trivia. Introduced Duolingo language-learning app. Time to work on the app, work out the kinks/ any glitches, and record vocabulary in mini Spanish notebooks. And decorate notebooks with stamps!
Duolingo: Time to work on Duolingo app and record vocabulary in mini Spanish notebooks. Set up app with students who were absent. Reviewed News Show skit, with names. Students requested scripts, so easier to follow along (than on board).
Schedule/Alan!: schedule as follows- Mondays will be story days (treasure project, movie trailer with Alan); Thursdays will be commercials/center days; Fridays will be News Show/center days. Duolingo. Alan rehearsal and treasure project overview.
Commercial Time: Daily Trivia. Duolingo. Commercial. Center work introduction and The Town, Part 2.
The Town, Part 2: Daily Trivia. Duolingo. News Show skit- five minute rehearsal. Center work.
This term, students in second grade began with Daily Language Trivia outside of my classroom. (This is the official “English/ Spanish/ Spanglish” zone, as opposed to the “Spanish-only zone” inside my room.) Here, students learned a few basic facts (How many Spanish-speaking countries are there in the world? 21!; How many languages are there in the world? 7,000!); and then focused on memorizing common phrases: yo hablo español (I speak Spanish); yo hablo inglés (I speak English); yo no hablo español (I don’t speak Spanish); yo no hablo inglés (I don’t speak English); hablamos español (we speak Spanish).
Inside the classroom, second graders began a massive task: creating their own Spanish-speaking town. So far, there is el supermercado/ supermarket, el banco/ bank, el museo de arte/ art museum, la granja/ farm, la tienda de carteras/ bolsas (purse or wallet shop), el aeropuerto/ the airport, and a train station, for which you must have a train license and license plates (el tren/ train; Spain/ España) to drive. Students use euros in monetary transactions (as opposed to pesos from last year), and have discussed currency conversion rates–although this will be an ongoing conversation; it is challenging to understand why the rates can change every day, however slightly. Second graders decide quién–quién–quién/ “who-who-who” (owl mneumonic device!) is going to work at the supermarket, bank, etc. each day– and then get to work.
NOTE: Now that we have established a strong base, the overarching goal here will be to pair memorable experiences with language. Students will begin to pick up vocabulary such as, “Necesito eso” (I need that); or “Boleto, por favor” (ticket, please); or “Quiero ir a España” (I want to go to Spain); or “¿Dónde está la cinta?” (Where is the tape?); or “¿Qué? ¡No comprendo! (What? I don’t understand!) in meaningful contexts.
Students also had fun playing with the Duolingo and/or FunSpanish app, and learned a Q-U-E-S-O, or ¿Qué es eso? ¡Eso es queso! (What is that? That is cheese!) rhyme. To end the quarter, they had a comparative language lesson about Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and word loans to connect with their classroom unit on China. Gracias for a great term.
2
This term, second graders continued learning basic phrases outside of my classroom, in the form of a fun “echo” dialogue. This is a simple warm-up exercise to start class, which helps students to work on expression and intonation. Hablamos español en la escuela. We speak Spanish at school. ¿Solamente español? Only Spanish? ¡Sí! Yes! ¿En serio? Seriously? Claro, mira el mapa. Of course, look at the map! Es obvio. It’s obvious. Estamos en España. We’re in Spain.
Next, they chose “where they wanted to live” each day on my carpet–a red square was a red house/ una casa roja; a blue square was a blue house/ una casa azul; etc.–and told me if they lived at the beach/la playa, or in the mountains, or in the jungle, in a big or small house, etc. The point here is to ask personalized questions, and then later build their answers into a creative storytelling unit. For the time being, students are gesture-telling a scripted (and ridiculously overdramatic) story about a wolf who keeps crying after “Evil Pato” steals his lunch and eats it (song: Canta y no llores/ “sing and don’t cry”).
After this “circle time group immersion” segment, Spanish class lessons rotated in our routine each day: sometimes, students reviewed the Floor Map (in preparation for the all-school map competition in May) and pretended it was “raining” in Spain (está lloviendo/ it’s raining– my mist spray bottle created this effect). Other days, they listened to a song in the target language (¿Puedo ir al baño?; Billy la bufanda; Me encanta), or recited a silly Spanish Halloween Rhyme. Other days, I spent a minute or two asking them tricky spelling questions (hace frío/ it’s cold– “AH-say FREE-oh”; ¡Mira!/ look!), oftentimes with a focus on words that are spelled like an English word, but have a different pronunciation and meaning (e.g., come/ eats– “KOH-may”; dice/ says– “DEE-say”). And last but not least, second graders practiced telling me sentences in Spanish of activities and things they loved to do (me encanta jugar al fútbol/ I love to play soccer; me encanta construir/ I love building; no me gusta el chocolate, me encanta/ I don’t like chocolate, I love it).
Students also talked about the World Cup (Los Estados Unidos/ USA) and Día de Muertos (Mexico); mimicked a Colombian street artist’s fingerpainting style (Quiero pintar/ I want to paint); and began turning in written requests for what they wanted to do each day for Center Work (“Hola, yo me llamo XX, quiero + infinitive + [something extra from my bulletin board]“). They were introduced to upside down question marks and exclamation points as well. Center Work and the town–(new businesses: el café/ cafe; el restaurante/ restaurant; el cine/ movie theater)–have expanded to include “licenses” for everything, which are basically sight word flashcards that students have to have near them when using my materials. For example, if they sign up to “drive the car” aka “Quiero conducir el coche negro” [I want to drive the black car, that is, my teacher chair on wheels], they have to have their “license” (el coche/ car or el camión/ truck card). It is a fun game we play to encourage contextualized, meaningful language in action.
Class ended with the line leader saying, “¿Está aquí?” /is she [the teacher] here? and peeking out the door. If they tidied up my room before she arrived, we celebrated with a “¡Lo hicimos! We did it!” dance and shouted, “¡Sorpresa!/ Surprise!” when she got there. Second graders are working with a wide pool of receptive vocabulary now in a variety of contexts, which is great to see. Gracias for another great quarter!
3
This term, students in second grade reached Nicaragua on the Floor Map and stopped to learn about Volcano Boarding and Tightrope Walking. They identified cognates (words similar across languages) during these immersion lessons, and then had fun trying to reenact these extreme sports in the classroom (one class built a tightrope with boxes across two tables).
The “cognate” conversation led in nicely to pointing out the opposite–or trick words in Spanish (hay/ there is; come/ eats; dice/ says; mira/ looks; dime/ tell me; once/ eleven; etc.); and to extend the discussion about upside down question marks and exclamation points from last quarter, students also began noticing accent marks (Jesus vs. Jesús [“hey-SEUSS”]; Mexico vs. México [“MAY-he-koh”]).
For Center Work, instead of second graders simply stating what they wanted to do each class, they had to adjust to their teacher messing with them. Yours truly had entirely too much fun with this, pretending to talk on the phone with Pato and not listen when students were talking with me. This, of course, was for the sole purpose of pushing their Spanish forward, ever so slightly–¿Qué?/ what?; No comprendo/ I don’t understand–to which they would need to respond, “I sa-id…” (Yo dije…/”yoh DEE-hay”) and repeat everything all over again. The Center Work routine changed slightly partway through the term, to include “student teachers”, who interrogated their classmates in the target language: ¿Cómo te llamas? ¿De dónde eres? ¿Qué quieres hacer?Yo me llamo ___. Soy de ___. Quiero ___ (What is your name? Where are you from? What do you want to do? My name is… I’m from… I want to…).
The ultimate icing on the cake to this quarter were the three class periods where not only did the teacher stay 100% in Spanish during classtime, but all second graders had to as well. They were allowed to read any of my wall word signs and use any words they knew, just no English! (When they spoke in English, they had to go to the door and push their “reset/ español” button (on their foreheads). Second graders did a fantastic job with this!
On certain days each week, second graders worked on gesture-telling their class story about Bob the Beetle. Here is the story in Spanish: Hay un insecto. Se llama Bob the Beetle (el escarabajo). El insecto vive en un bosque en España. Su casa es más grande que cinco coches rojos. Bob the Beetle tiene una camioneta amarilla. No tiene un coche; tiene una camioneta. Le gusta comer chocolate. Dice, “No me gusta el chocolate. ¡ME ENCANTA el chocolate!” Una noche, hay una tormenta. Bob the Beetle tiene miedo, mucho miedo. Bob the Beetle (el escarabajo) corre y se esconde. Espera y espera y espera. ¡¡¡Pobrecito!!! Él dice, “Tengo frío. ¿Qué puedo hacer?” Pero clase, Bob el escarabajo no tiene su chaqueta. ¡Qué problema! El monstruo Fluphball tiene su chaqueta. De hecho, el monstruo tiene una colección de chaquetas.
Translation: There is a bug. His name is Bob the Beetle. The bug lives in a forest in Spain. His house is bigger than five red cars. Bob the Beetle has a yellow pickup truck. He doesn’t have a car; he has a pickup truck. He likes to eat chocolate. He says, “I don’t like chocolate. I LOVE chocolate.” One night, there is a storm. Bob the Beetle is scared, very scared. Bob the Beetle runs and hides. He waits and waits and waits. Poor little guy! He says, “I’m cold. What can I do?” But class, Bob the Beetle doesn’t have his jacket. What a problem! The monster Fluphball has his jacket. In fact, the monster has a collection of jackets. Naturally, there were commercial breaks during story–this story brought to you by the PLANET MARS! (el planeta rojo, MARTE/Mars. “Martes” is TUESDAY in Spanish. So on Tuesdays we will have a commercial break about Mars, ha!”–and Mars became a “thing”, so much so that I hung a red Chinese lantern from the ceiling to represent the red planet.
Anyway, other than that, second graders took a couple of days to work on language-learning apps, namely Duolingo and Fun Spanish; were given a preview of the fourth graders’ Spanish Play (which they saw); practiced addition problems in the target language; and… well, the fried cricket lesson and International Studies skit were part of the fourth quarter. So be sure to tune in next time to read my ridiculously long summaries. Gracias for a great term.
4
This term, second graders rehearsed and then presented a skit (in English and Spanish) for their International Studies program. Here, students showcased their bravery (soy valiente/I’m brave!) in four different ways: 1) they presented a short play in Spanish in front of an audience; 2) they shared about extreme sports–volcano boarding and 3) tight-rope walking over a volcano in Nicaragua (demonstrated with a slackline); and 4) they danced the Tango while wearing fancy red and black outfits! To jumpstart this unit and flex their courageous muscles, second graders learned about different types of food around the world (e.g., school lunches), and then had the opportunity to eat fried crickets (Mexico)!!
Following the performance, students reviewed currency conversions; practiced asking and telling the weather in Spanish; continued with center work activities (quiero/ I want vs. queremos/ we want); tried their hand at the Spanish Wordle (which they loved!); had an 1800s language lesson, to tie into the 1800s unit in their regular classroom; heard a famous “rodar y rodar” song, as well as the adaptation of It’s Raining Tacos; finished their BOB THE BEETLE class story (sé que puedo volar/ I believe I can fly! lessons); talked briefly about translations and song covers (i.e., Frozen and Behind the Mic); and worked as a team to outline the Andes Mountains out of dominoes on the Floor Map, to earn mint chocolate candies (brand: Andes). For the Spanish Teacher of the Day, second graders also raced Pato and Oso down a zipline in the courtyard, but that is another story. 🙂 Last but not least, we spent the last week talking all about hiking El Camino de Santiago (Spain). Gracias for an amazing year!
August
Objective: acclimating to daily routines, expectations, and an immersive Spanish environment!
Welcome Back!: intro to daily routine and general overview. Students will participate in a town simulation in a Spanish-speaking country; class activities; games; songs; videos; ‘free choice’ center work days; and also tell a semester-long story in Spanish.
What is that?: Daily Trivia. Classroom numbers. What is that? That is cheese! rhyme introduction. Mini activity to move tables for supermarket simulation. Establishing routines.
Supermercado: Daily Trivia. Setting up the class town. Supermarket and bank introductions. What is that? That is cheese! rhyme again with markers on fingers. Cut out euros and spend at town supermarket. “Paid” in euros when class cleans up/lines up in under two minutes (timer).
Let the Town Begin!: Daily Trivia. Setting up the class town. Supermarket, bank open today. “Paid” in euros when class cleans up/lines up in under two minutes (timer). Carrefour: Argentina:: Mercadona: España.
Euros vs. Dollars: Daily Trivia. Supermarket and bank are open today. Also begin a short discussion re: currency conversions- this conversation will be ongoing. Several made purses and wallets to store dinero/money.
Open or Closed?: setting up the class town. Supermarket and bank are open today. ABIERTO/ open (“ah-bee-AIR-toe”). CERRADO/ closed signs (“s[air]-RAH-doe”). Quién/ who-who-who is going to work at the supermarket, bank?
September
Objective: begin to work on verbal output, increase speaking confidence in the target language.
Double Class: Daily Trivia. ¡Es viernes! dance. “Hablamos español” practice. Double class. Establishing routines. Town was open today.
The Farm: Daily Trivia. “Hablamos español” practice. Tell me in English how you say… banco/ supermercado/ museo de arte. “Picasso” scribbles to demonstrate art museum. Quick chat: what is a bank? You don’t BUY money; you earn it. Where does the food/ comida from the supermercado come from? Several opened a farm/ la granja as a result of this conversation.
The Train: Daily Trivia. “Yo no hablo español/ inglés”. Tell me in English… is this a town/ pueblo or a city/ ciudad? Who-who-who is working at the farm, supermarket, bank, art museum, or wallet/ purse- making business? THE TRAIN returns. Taxes/ impuestos introduced. ¡Sorpresa! at end of class. One class also did the ¡Lo hicimos! dance for cleaning up before their teacher arrived.
Bathroom Song!: Daily Trivia. ¿Puedo ir al baño? video. Name wallet/ purse shop. Mapa- set locations for businesses- this part of the room, this part of the room. Train monitored closely. License plates and licenses to drive.
Non-Negotiable Vocab: Daily Trivia. ¿Puedo ir al baño? video. Business location review. Begin list of non-negotiable vocab (words you need to start replacing the English for Spanish!). Por favor/ please, gracias/ thank you, muchas gracias/ thank you so much.
This term, students in first grade began with daily language warm-ups outside of my classroom. (This is the official “English/ Spanish/ Spanglish” zone, as opposed to the “Spanish-only zone” inside my room.) Here, students focused on memorizing basic phrases: yo hablo español (I speak Spanish);yo hablo inglés (I speak English); yo no hablo español (I don’t speak Spanish); yo no hablo inglés (I don’t speak English); and differentiating between español/ Spanish and España/ Spain (language vs. place).
Inside the classroom, they learned about El Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile hike across Spain that their teacher completed a few years ago. Students got their mochilas/backpacks, botella de agua/water bottle, plastic food/comida, and faux currency from Spain (dinero/money; euros for Spain), and set out around campus–‘climbing mountains’ (stairs) and drawing shells and arrows with chalk to mark the trail.
Each class, we added something new; for example, one day, students pretended to sleep in their bunks at hostels (picnic table benches as bunks) after a long day of hiking, and would ‘awaken’ to the sound of the rooster in Spanish: “¡Quiquiri-quí!” (cock-a-doodle-doo). A highlight was the day we talked about how much your feet hurt after 10 hours of hiking a day (for 30 days straight), but that a ‘foot pool’ makes everything better–first graders dipped their toes into a small bucket of cool water to simulate this. They also made abanicos/ Spanish fans out of paper for the super hot days.
When stormy weather ensued (¡Tormenta!/ storm!), first graders eased out of this introductory unit and launched into center days–the heart of the curriculum. Here, students sign up for what they want to do each day (Quiero jugar, colorear, construir /I want to play, color, build), and then, well–do it! Currently, several are building boats out of Popsicle sticks to sail to faraway lands (preferably, Spanish- speaking countries!). This center work begins as a sight word review from last year, but picks up pace quickly. The goal, ultimately, is language in action-pairing memorable experiences with vocabulary. Last but not least, first graders took a week to learn about Don Quijote and then made a copy of Picasso’s famous sketch. Gracias for a great term.
2
This term, first graders continued building their daily warm-ups dialogue outside of my classroom, layering on expression and intonation, in addition to pronunciation and meaning. ¡Hola! Hi! ¿Cómo estás? How are you? ¡Estoy muy bien! I’m very well! Yo hablo español. I speak Spanish. Yo hablo inglés. I speak English. Espera un momento. Wait a minute. Yo no hablo español. I don’t speak Spanish. Yo no hablo inglés. I don’t speak English. ¡Qué problema! What a problem! Bonk! **face palm** ¡Ay! Ow! [singing]: ¡Me due-le tanto! / it hurts me so much / ¿Qué puedo hacer? / what can I do? / […] ¡No sé! I don’t know!! Voy adentro/ I’m going inside. ¿Por qué?/ why? Hace calor/ it’s hot OR hace frío/ it’s cold (dependent on the weather!)
Inside, students reviewed the Floor Map from last year (Spanish- speaking countries in South America; this is part of the curriculum for all of Lower School, as there is an annual competition for mastery at the end of the year). They also learned about and then built and painted a model of La Alhambra, a famous fortress in España/ Spain, complete with floor to ceiling, meticulously colored azulejos/ tiles.
When they were not signing up for Center Work–(¡Hola! Yo me llamo __ y quiero jugar/ colorear/ construir/ trabajar/ volar/ pintar. ¡No, no quiero dormir, maestra! /Hi, my name is __ and I want to play/ color/ build/ work/ fly/ paint/ etc. No, I don’t want to sleep, maestra!)–first graders also began brainstorming ideas for a storytelling unit. First, they sat on a square on the carpet and pretended that it was their casa/ house; from here, we would have Q&A sessions, where I would ask students a series of questions in the target language– do you live in a big house or a small house? A REALLY big house, wow! Do you have a cat or a dog? No? You have una vaca/ a cow? 19 cows?! And they are on a very strange diet? What do they eat? Spaghetti, pineapple, and sugar? Fascinating!
This was all in Spanish, and once students realized that it was much more fun to give creative answers, we started making up wild mini stories aurally as a class. Currently, this has morphed into one about an EVIL ONION [“La cebolla malvada”] who goes to a castle in a forest in Spain, takes the princess’s SLIPPERS/ pantuflas, and escapes! Oh no! She is very angry! Tune in next quarter to find out what happens!
3
This term, students in first grade began with the classic “Bathroom Song“. This is a silly song about a boy who needs to go to the bathroom, but is singing in class instead of just raising his hand to ask; the song gets faster and faster, and first graders enjoyed the challenge of trying to sing along in Spanish and read the subtitles simultaneously. Other popular songs this quarter included Para bailar la bamba; Canta y no llores (aka Cielito lindo); and Ríe, llora (originally by Celia Cruz, but students prefer the 9-year-old girl Carmen’s version!).
The primary focus, however, was on developing and memorizing the words and gestures to their class story, “The Evil Onion” [“La cebolla malvada”– scroll way down on a phone for the English translation]. They would add a new line to the saga each lesson or week, and then work to apply this vocabulary in other contexts. The best part about storytelling is when lines of the story start leaking out into other Spanish class activities, inadvertently. One student says, “Give me that coche/ car back ahora/ now!”, and the other responds in a whiny voice, “¡Pero no quiero!” (but I don’t wanna!)–which is exactly what the Evil Onion told his mom when she demanded that he return the princess’ slippers (that he took). We layer on expression and make everything quite silly… because that makes it memorable, which is the whole point!
In Center Work, first graders continued expanding their vocabularies in new ways. Many enjoyed building with the Hotwheels ramps and cars, while others went through a phase where they wanted to dance and sing (bailar y cantar) along with Spanish songs on the Promethean board (esp. Ríe, llora). Centers also expanded to include “licenses” for everything, which are basically sight word flashcards that students have to have near them when using my materials. For example, if they sign up to “build a house” aka “Quiero construir una casa” [I want to build a house] with cardboard boxes and blankets, they have to have their “license” nearby (la casa/ house [flashcard]). It is a fun game we play to encourage contextualized, meaningful language in action. Class ended with the line leader saying, “¿Está aquí?” /is she [the teacher] here? and peeking out the door.
Last but not least, in the culture realm, they learned about and were amazed by La Danza de La Botella (Paraguay)–and spent a few classes trying to balance paper cups and books on their heads. First graders also practiced isolating numbers out of sequence, with addition problems in the target language, and attended the fourth graders’ Spanish Play in February. Gracias for a great term!
4
This term, first graders focused on public speaking in the target language (presentational Spanish). For example, at the beginning of class, student-teachers would practice asking, “¿Qué tiempo hace afuera?” (what’s the weather like outside?) while students supplied both realistic and unrealistic answers (hace sol y hace calor/ it’s sunny and hot; está nevando/ it’s snowing; está lloviendo/ it’s raining; está nublado/ it’s cloudy). This is how the obsession with It’s Raining Tacos all began: one of the first days I asked about the weather, students broke into song, serenading me with the raining tacos in English–so naturally, I had to find the Spanish version! One student even made me a taco out of felt, so we could throw it up in the air and it would “rain” down. #hilarious!!!
Anyway, this song played on loop in the background for much of the fourth quarter during center work days. Because the first grade curriculum focuses heavily on linguistic interactions (students>students, students>teacher, and teacher>students) in a variety of contexts, the progress students make during center work is highly visible–it was so wonderful to see students’ confidence with the language (both aurally and with sight words) grow this year! A class favorite was, “Queremos hacer todo” (we want to do everything!).
First graders also continued telling part two of their class story, but as the year wound down, it did lose some steam. We’ll pick up storytelling again next year, though–no worries! Last but not least, students mastered much of the Floor Map, this time trying to beat the clock as they rattled off the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. During the last few classes, they worked as a team to organize ALL of the Spanish currency by country; and later, ‘built’ the Andes Mountains in South America out of plastic cups, to earn mint chocolate candies (brand name: Andes). Gracias for an amazing year!
August Notes
Objective: acclimating to daily routines, expectations, and an immersive Spanish environment!
Welcome Back!: intro to daily routine and general overview. We will tell a semester-long story in Spanish, adding only a sentence or two each day. The words in the sentence will be reinforced via class activities; games; songs; videos; and ‘free choice’ center work days. Country focus on Spain.
El Camino de Santiago: Clarify “Spain/España” (place) vs. “Spanish/ Español” (language)- an ongoing discussion. Symbols of El Camino de Santiago include arrows and scallop shells. Color paper shells. “Mini hike” around classroom, up and down mountains.
Shells/Arrows: Hike around campus, complete with backpacks/ mochilas and water bottles/ botellas de agua. Mark ‘the way’ with chalk arrows and scallop shells. Stop for snack and water breaks and stay at a [faux] hostel for the night.
Double Class: Continue with hiking unit. “España” anecdote (boy saying name of his homeland on plane). Practiced responding to “¡Tormenta!” (storm). Took volunteers to throw their zapatos. Outside hike, albergues, and gallos.
Abanicos: Continue with hiking unit. Students learned about abanicos/Spanish fans and made their own in class. The intention was to hike today as well, but the acordian style folding was a challenge for them, and the hike was shortened, if not cut altogether.
Foot Pool, Day 1: Continue with hiking unit. Students learn about Wonderful Foot Pools available along The Way. Pato especially appreciated these in the heat (so many feathers, you know). Naturally, they had to “scale four mountains” and stay the night at an albergue before dipping their toes (or feet) into a bucket of cool water. Splashing fun was had by all. Shoe tying at the end of class was A Thing. Mea culpa.
September
Objective: begin to work on verbal output, increase speaking confidence in the target language.
Double Class: yo hablo espa-ñol/inglés. Double combined class for first today. Practice hike inside and outside. First graders pretended to hike El Camino de Santiago in Spain/ España. They carried their backpacks (mochilas) and water bottles (botellas de agua) up and down FOUR huge mountains (montañas). I spied some expert climbers! As the sun began to set, they found a bunk at a local albergue and did not awaken until before dawn–to the sound of the rooster: “¡Quiquiriquí! ¡Quiquiriquí” (cock-a-doodle-do). Students had fun being overly dramatic with the mountain climbing!
Foot Pool, Day 2: yo hablo espa-ñol/inglés. First graders continued their 500-mile hike through Spain. Today, they scaled four more mountains/ montañas and slept at an albergue. The FL sun is just like Spain/ España– HOT! (hace mucho calor), so the simulation felt very realistic. Stopped to experience a “foot pool” (bare toes in water), since we ran out of time on Wednesday to do this. We brought along Pato today (and his miniature bag), as well as a pet vaca/ cow (I don’t remember why) and a lot of euros to “buy food” along The Way.
Tormenta/Storm!: yo hablo espa-ñol. Two problems: 1) no hiking and first day indoors, due to the “tormenta!!” (storm); and 2) you need a “pasaporte” (passport) to go to Spain! (stamped their hands). Had “indoor” day of El Camino, where students set up albergues, used the comida/food and dinero/money, and went to the “beach” (sand and water sensory station) at the end of the Camino. Began establishing indoor routine, as storms are in the forecast for the near future.
Centers, Day 1: yohablo espa-ñol. Written work, the letter “m”. Centers, day 1 (quiero jugar/ quiero colorear). Establishing routines. Paid in faux euros if the class cleans up and lines up before the timer.
Centers, Day 2: yo NO hablo espa-ñol. Written work, the letter “c”. Centers, day 2 (quiero jugar/ quiero colorear/ El Camino). Establishing routines. Paid in faux euros if the class cleans up and lines up before the timer.
This term, students in kindergarten began with daily language warm-ups outside of my classroom. (This is the official “English/ Spanish/ Spanglish” zone, as opposed to the “Spanish-only zone” inside my room.) Here, students focused on memorizing basic phrases, such as: yo hablo español (I speak Spanish); yo hablo inglés (I speak English); yo no hablo español (I don’t speak Spanish); yo no hablo inglés (I don’t speak English).
Inside the classroom, students began the year with a coffee filter project, that reviewed numbers and colors in Spanish and in context, but was also a collaborative project with their art class (Chihuly Sculptures). They turned out beautifully! Later, kindergarteners began learning the names of Spanish- speaking countries on my Floor Map. They jump on the map, and then we do a short artistic or scientific project (something highly visual, to aid in comprehension) that relates to a cultural point of said country. For example, so far, kindergarteners have done projects on the following: Coffee Filters (Chile), Southern Lights (Argentina), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Andean Condor (S. America), the Bottle Dance (Paraguay), and Salt Flat (Bolivia). They also tried to outline the Andes Mountains and all of South America with blocks and dominoes. Wow!
As the quarter came to a close, kindergarteners started a storytelling unit. Here, they integrate cultural knowledge and a common pool of vocabulary to tell creative class stories in the target language. More on this later! Gracias for a great term.
2
This term, kindergarteners continued building their daily warm-ups dialogue outside of my classroom, layering on expression and intonation, in addition to pronunciation and meaning. ¡Hola! Hi! ¿Cómo estás? How are you? ¡Estoy muy bien! I’m very well! Yo hablo español. I speak Spanish. Yo hablo inglés. I speak English. Yo no hablo español. I don’t speak Spanish. Yo no hablo inglés. I don’t speak English. ¡Qué problema! What a problem! Está bien, estoy aprendiendo. It’s okay, I’m learning.
Inside, students learned [many to mastery!] the names and locations of all of the Spanish- speaking countries in South America on the Floor Map: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. They continued doing a small class project for each country, including Rainbow Mountain and La Rinconada (Peru), Galápagos Islands (Ecuador), Colorful Town (Colombia), and Ice Cream (Venezuela). Once kindergarteners got comfortable with the content, they had fun playing with words, such as the day Pato searched high and low for the door/ puerta leading to Ecua-DOOR! Where could it be?! For Colombia, there was also a special parent presentation about Christmas traditions there. Thank you so much!
Last but not least, the class was introduced to Center Work. The Spanish class routine rotates every other lesson–(more or less, dependent on holidays and whatnot)–in that some days are Project Days (per country), and other days are Center Work. On the latter, students can continue with the same country project from the day prior, or pursue another interest.
Currently, open centers [aka sight words] include: colorear/ to color, jugar [‘who-GARR’]/ to play [with stuffed animals], construir/ to build [with boxes], trabajar/ to work [with money/ dinero], volar/ to fly [paper airplanes], and pintar/ to paint [fingerpaint on the whiteboards & make a print]. They sign up verbally with me re: what they want to do; however, unlike in other classes, students can switch centers as frequently as desired in Spanish–because the more they switch, the more they have to practice speaking the target language! Some students will change four times in a day, just to keep talking with me, while others will stick with one center (e.g., painting), but go more in depth and learn the names of the paint colors, or say, “¡Mira!/ Look!” when they want someone to look, or request “más papel, por favor” (more paper, please), etc. When they know all of the colors in Spanish, we start substituting to add more words, and pretend that the pink is not rosado/ pink, but rather chicle/ bubble gum! The goal is an immersive, experiential environment; and students have done a great job this quarter!
3
This term, students in kindergarten began gesture-telling a story about an adorable teacup pig named Cloudy Sparkles. Here is the story in Spanish: Hay un cerdito. Es bueno. Se llama Cloudy Sparkles. Hay un zapato. El Sr. Zapato es el enemigo. Es malo. El cerdito vive en Chile. Su casa es pequeña pero perfecta. El Sr. Zapato vive en Puerto Rico. Su casa no es grande. ¡Es enorme! El cerdito tiene un coche. El coche va rápido. El Sr. Zapato tiene un coche. El coche va rápido. Una noche, está lloviendo. Está lloviendo mucho. El cerdito dice, “Quiero trabajar”. ¡Pero hay un problema! El Sr. Zapato toma sus botas rojas y ¡las lleva a Puerto Rico! ¡Oh no!
Translation: There is a little pig. He is good. His name is Cloudy Sparkles. There is a shoe. Mr. Shoe is the enemy. He is bad. The little pig lives in Chile. His house is small but perfect. Mr. Shoe lives in Puerto Rico. His house isn’t big. It’s enormous! The little pig has a car. The car goes fast. Mr. Shoe has a car. The car goes fast. One night, it is raining. It is raining a lot. The little pig says, “I want to work”. But there is a problem! Mr. Shoe takes his red boots [the little pig is wearing super cute red boots in the picture] and brings them to Puerto Rico! Oh no!
Each class, we added another sentence and gestures for any new vocabulary (this helps with recall by storing the words in another part of the brain). In case you can’t stand the suspense, one class has informed that Mr. Shoe doesn’t tell the truth about where he hid the four red boots–he says they are in Puerto Rico but they are actually hidden in PANama in a Bread Castle (pan means bread in Spanish); but in the end, he becomes good! I like how they think, and this is likely what will happen in the fourth quarter as the plot progresses.
Anyway, kindergarteners also continued learning more countries on the Floor Map. Back in January, we completed South America and moved onto Central America. Here, there was a Panama Canal lesson, in which I showed the long way around South America with boats, and then the short way with the canal; students went outside to the sandbox to “build” [dig] it as a team. Admittedly, the map has lost some steam this term, as the mere quantity of unfamiliar places overwhelmed some [understandably so]. I usually push this as far as I can in kindergarten, and when they “tap out”, we stop and leave the rest for first grade.
Finally, kindergartens added more vocabulary and sight words to their Center Work stations, and practiced writing “¡Hola!” each day on the whiteboard. Many requested to make more Worry Dolls (Guatemala), after they saw PK4 making them and remembered from last year. Students also practiced counting and solving basic addition problems in the target language, listened to Spanish songs–Para bailar la bamba, No se habla de Bruno (from Encanto), and attended the fourth graders’ Spanish Play, which they loved! Gracias for a great term.
4
This term, kindergarteners focused on gesture-telling their class story (click to hear audio) about a teacup pig named named Cloudy Sparkles. Students were challenged to read along with the words, to start building their literacy skills–and several could read the story independently by the end of the year! Bravo! To conclude this unit, kindergarteners used air-dry clay to sculpt and later paint a character from the story (e.g., the pig, a shoe, the bread castle, etc.).
Students also reviewed the Spanish-speaking countries on the Floor Map; counted backwards and forwards 1-12 and 12-1; and practiced writing and identifying more sight words in the target language. For the Spanish Teacher of the Day, kindergarteners got a dose of a third grade unit–playing a game of fútbol (soccer) in Spanish and painting their faces by country team (Argentina vs. Spain/España). They loved listening to the song, “Vamos, vamos, Argentina…“. Last but not least, kindergarteners learned a chocolate clapping rhyme the last week of school (Mexico). Gracias for a great year!
August Notes
Objective: acclimating to daily routines, expectations, and an immersive Spanish environment!
Welcome Back!: intro to daily routine and general overview- English/Spanish. We will tell a semester-long story in Spanish, adding only a sentence or two each day. The words in the sentence will be reinforced via science experiments involving all of the senses; class activities; games; songs; videos; and ‘free choice’ center work days.
Chile- Floor Map: Intro to Floor Map. Vinegar/baking soda vs. water volcanoes, to prep for Dot Day project.
Dot Day, Day 1: Floor map, Chile and Argentina. Coffee filters plus food coloring (color/number review)–and how all of this relates to their Dot Day art project!
Dot Day, Day 2: Floor map, Chile and Argentina (timed). Coffee filters plus food coloring (color/number review) and WATER with goteros.
Argentina- Lights: Floor map, Chile and Argentina. Even more colors! We did THIS LESSON to make a connection with Argentina on the floor map.
September
Objective: begin to work on verbal output, increase speaking confidence in the target language.
Uruguay- Hand: Floor map. Project on La Mano de Punta del Este to make a connection with Uruguay on the floor map. Started to build Andes Mountain range out of blocks on map.
Andes Mountains: Project on La Cordillera de los Andes to make a connection with South America on the floor map. Also Atacama, Chilean desert.
This term, students in PK3 & PK4 began with daily language warm-ups outside of my classroom. (This is the official “English/ Spanish/ Spanglish” zone, as opposed to the “Spanish-only zone” inside my room.) Here, students focused on memorizing basic phrases, such as: yo hablo español (I speak Spanish);yo hablo inglés (I speak English); and separating English and Spanish words (rojo/ red, hola/ hello, etc.). Before going in each day, everyone puts their hands in a circle– akin to a sports huddle– and we say, “¡Vamos!” all together.
Inside the classroom, students take a seat and I ask them, “¿Cómo estás?” (How are you?). We act out little scenarios- what would make you triste/sad or enojado(a)/ mad? Are you feliz/ happy right now? ¡Yo tengo frío! (I’m cold!), etc. For PK3, this is all new; for PK4, this was an easy vocab review to start the year. Next, students listen to a song (Encanto; Los solecitos; Rompe Ralph; Con un beso gigante;¿Te Gusta El Helado De Brócoli?; ¿Te Gustan Los Milkshakes De Lasaña?), and either dance or pretend it’s naptime– the “Solecitos” song!
For the first month at this point in the lesson, students would meet on the carpet and do some sort of science experiment together. This was anything from levitating a ping-pong ball with air from a hairdryer (caliente/hot), to submerging temperature- actived white spoons into ice cubes and cold water so that they turned blue (frío/ cold), to melting crayons (PK3), to miniature baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring volcanoes in a bowl (PK4).
Here, the two grades diverge a bit: PK3 takes “car rides” across my room in the teacher chair on wheels (coche/ car; rápido/ fast), and pretends to go to the beach/ la playa or jungle/ la selva; while PK4 taps into this fun every once in a while, but mostly chats with Pato about his latest adventure. In fact, PK4 recently helped color Popsicle sticks to build a barco/ boat for the stuffed animal duck, and we are all on pins and needles to find out where he is going. He has packed… everything, so it must be a long trip! Gracias for a great term. *For more info, please read Car Rides to the Jungle (PK3).
2
This term, students in PK3 & PK4 spent the first few minutes of class outside, examining the colors they were wearing with a “fashion focus”–wow, una camiseta azul con zapatos negros, qué guapo!/ a blue t-shirt with black shoes, how handsome!–and so on and so forth. PK3 also showed me all of their scrapes and scratches each class, after I told them a Spanish rhyme that many Hispanic mothers say to their children when they get a boo-boo: “Sana, sana colita de rana, si no sanas hoy, sanarás mañana” (heal, heal, little tail of a froggy, if you don’t heal today, you will heal tomorrow!).
Next, students continued with the routine of putting their hands in the middle and saying, “¡Vamos!” all together. Both grade levels also continued with a Q&A inside, discussing how they were feeling–more vocabulary was added this quarter (¿Cómo estás?/ How are you?; ¿Cómo te sientes?/ How are you feeling?; ¡Cuéntamelo todo!/ tell me everything!; [estoy/ I am] feliz/ happy; triste/ sad; enojado(a)/ angry; tengo hambre/ I’m hungry; tengo frío/ I’m cold; cansado(a)/ tired; bien/ well; mal/ bad; enfermo(a)/ sick; emocionado(a)/ excited; ¿por qué?/ why?).
Both PK3 and PK4 began learning La araña pequeñita (The Itsy Bitzy Spider) around Halloween, in order to collaborate with the art teacher: in art class, students worked on artistic spider creations, while in Spanish class, we gesture-sang the song, and I “spritzed” students with a mist water bottle when it started raining at those lyrics (está lloviendo/ it’s raining!)!
PK3’s “car rides” across the Spanish room evolved to “train [and bus] rides”, or students paying me fake Spanish money to sit on top of the table on wheels as the assistants and I pushed them across the room, with either train sound effects or Las Ruedas Del Autobús (The Wheels on the Bus) playing in the background (¡Espérame!/ wait for me!). We took rides to the playa/ beach, montañas/ mountains, and selva/ jungle again, adding small variations each day. Sometimes, we would go for a picnic with the fake food, but there would be a tormenta/ storm! (thunder and rain sound effects on my board) Other days, students would push themselves around on pieces of cardboard [their “coches/ cars”] and then “go through the car wash” (under a table with blankets, as I spritzed them with the spray bottle! Ha! Another day, we made a huge house out of paper and tape (grande/pequeño [big/small]; más, por favor/ more, please). Students also got to paint a couple of times, to practice their colors and switch up the routine.
Meanwhile… PK4 took a different route. They had started building a Popsicle stick barco/ boat for Pato during the first quarter, and wanted to know where he was going. It turned out that he was headed to España/ Spain–and, of course, students all wanted to accompany him there. For pics and details of this adventure, click HERE. When everyone finally arrived in Spain, there was so much to see and do! PK4 students made Spanish abanicos/ fans out of folded paper; visited La Alhambra, a famous fortress there; paid for everything in euros (dinero/ money from Spain); built casas/ houses out of chairs and blankets; painted a castle blanco y negro/ white and black; colored toros/ bulls, Spain’s national animal; and listened to Paso Doble music. As the term progressed, we started adding more destinations. On Día de Muertos, we listened to Chumbala Cachumbala and they colored papel picado and calaveras from México (“MAY-he-koh”). When the World Cup started, we spent a week playing fútbol/ soccer, and I painted their hands with the flag colors of the teams playing. Students would “take the bus” (my table on wheels) to various Spanish- speaking countries, and/or “fly” there, by drawing the flag colors of Spain, Mexico, or Argentina on paper airplanes (so everyone knew where they were headed!). Gracias for a great term!
3
This term, students in PK3 & PK4 continued adding on to their daily routine. While they worked with a similar pool of vocabulary as the first semester, the difference was that students were encouraged to start producing more language. PK4 students took the reins and asked one another ¿Cómo estás?/ How are you? (instead of yours truly at the beginning of class), and PK3 students could not touch anything in my room unless there was a por favor/ please attached to their sentence. “Teléfono, por favor” (telephone, please); “Maestra, where is Pato?“; “I want to do arte“; “Are we taking a siesta?“; “Can we do the barco/boat?”; “¡Otra vez!” (again); “HELP!! There’s a cucaracha!!!” [this was outside:)] It may not seem like much, but this is where proficiency begins.
Students were reintroduced to Pato, my stuffed animal duck–because they all attended the fourth graders’ Spanish Play in February, which is based on Pato; and I needed them to have some background information! He lives in a drawer of my desk, so whenever students sing, “Where is Pa-to, where is Pa-to/ ¿Dónde está?, ¿Dónde está? / Dime, por favor; dime, por favor/ Tell me, please; tell me, please”, we knock on the door of his casa/ house–and we never know what we’ll find. Do you think he is awake or asleep? Will he be grumpy? Most days, he is very happy to see everyone! One day, he had had a nightmare, so students learned about Worry Dolls (Guatemala). PK4 spent a lot of time making their own Worry Dolls to bring home.
Worry Dolls definitely became a “thing” for a while as a result, and so when PK3 traveled to Puerto Rico by boat (to visit a tiny coquí frog named Carlos, a friend of Pato), we brought along the dolls so that no one would be scared during the trip. Note that there was also a lesson on being scared, where we talked about monstruos/ monsters, and we made up a game where students tooks turns hiding under a manta/ blanket and I said, “AHHH!! A MONSTER!!” and they thought it was hilarious. Then they hid under the tables, and I pretended to be the monstruo. How silly! Anyway, on the [cardboard] boat ride to Puerto Rico, PK3 went “fishing” with a plastic fishing pole, saw dolphins and heard ferry fog horn on the boat (on Promethean board), were capitans of the boat driving, used toilet paper rolls as telescopes, and even found some tesoro/ treasure (aka gold glitter, where my room turns into a veritable fairyland for a week).
PK4 students had gone on a similar trip to Spain during the first semester, but they had more agency this term and were allowed to choose the Spanish- speaking country destination each day; however, unlike PK3, PK4 tended to prefer air travel over water and liked to build class airplanes, either out of chairs or with paper (avión/ airplane). Students always “rested up” before a trip (la siesta/ nap; Los solecitos), which is a whole routine in itself: here, we pretended the sidewalk was really hot (hace calor!!) and “ran inside” to the carpet, where I sang three lullaby songs to help them rest: Estrellita; Te amo, me amas; and La araña pequeñita. They tend to want stuffed animals/ animales de peluche and mantas/ blankets, so there is ‘preparation’ before we get settled and turn off the luces/ lights. Naturally, Pato would get scared (tengo miedo/ I’m scared), so we put Worry Dolls under his pillow and took turns passing around three flashlights to take away his worries. PK4 loved the flashlights! We also watched La primera luna llena de Gatita (Kitten’s First Full Moon) during naptime.
Then, off to the day’s adventures! PK4 wanted to “walk” their pet stuffed animals, so we attached yarn as leashes to them, and would leave my classroom and go downstairs to the “bus”–(sitting on the stairwell, with me “driving” and complaining about the heavy traffic, lol)–and then walk all the way to the playground and play there and walk their pets for a minute or two before we had to go back. Phew!
While the primary goal for PK3 this past term was to start producing language of their own volition in meaningful contexts, the overarching goal for PK4 was more about independence: we would have class “roundtable” discussions, talking about what activities they were interested in pursuing each day. We would vote on ideas, and it was fascinating to watch how some would translate what I was saying to their friends, when they didn’t understand something. Things are happening in Spanish class, for sure! Gracias for a great term.
4
This term, students in PK3 settled into a daily routine that we coined, “Backwards Day”, mostly because we did a lot of familiar activities, but… well, backwards! Let me paint a picture of this: we started with our siesta/nap, where I sang our three lullabies (Estrellita, Te amo, La Araña Pequeñita; plus Los solecitos) as students stretched out on the carpet with blankets and stuffed animals and the lights off; then we ate breakfast (Tengo hambre song); pretended to brush our teeth, wash our faces, took a ducha/shower–me squirting their hair behind a cardboard partition with real water from a squirt bottle–and went to school in a bus or car (whoops, go back and get your mochilas/ backpacks!).
Next, we listened to a song on the way to school (Las Ruedas del Autobús; or sometimes Frozen), took turns “driving” with sombrero-hat steering wheels; and did “work” at school (coloring, markers, etc.) upon arrival. And finally, the bell would ring at the “end of the school day”; if the class cleaned up on time, they would get a turn sounding the Tibetan bell. Sometimes, we would say that it was “Saturday” and make cardboard-couches with blankets and watch cartoons (Pocoyo- Más ruido; Pocoyo- Hora de dormir; Pocoyo- Las mil puertas); or go to the market to buy groceries for the week. There is always a lot of music every class, with either yours truly singing or audio/ visual on the board in the background.
To clarify, this was **ALL NARRATED IN SPANISH**, which means that students latch onto and pick up different words each day. A favorite song for both PK3 and PK4 was Con un beso gigante.
Students in PK4 tapped into this “Backwards Day” routine from time to time, but would extend it in different ways. For instance, “going to school” in PK4 was not in a car or bus, but instead, we walked down the hallway and then “suddenly realized” we were really late to class, and therefore had to take the shortcut through the jungle to get to school. I narrated in Spanish about monkeys and tigers and crossing the river (we got our feet wet), and basically let our imaginations take hold of the journey. When they arrived “at school”, they used familiar vocabulary to describe what they wanted to do (e.g., barco/boat; avión, avioncito/ airplane, comida/food, mantas/blankets, casas/houses, arte/art, agua/water, mapa/map, maracas, abanicos/ Spanish fans, colorear/ to color, rápido/ quickly, más grande/ bigger, dinero/money, etc.
Students in PK4 were exposed to the names of several Spanish-speaking countries throughout the year, and by the last term, were introduced to the Floor Map, and practiced jumping on the countries they knew (Argentina, Mexico, [Guatemala], Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain/ España).
For the Spanish Teacher of the Day, students talked more about Argentina, and then built the Andes Mountains by stacking plastic cups nearly up to the ceiling. Some also colored montañas/ mountains. One of the last days of the quarter, students played a matching game, where we took out ALL of the fake money, and found and organized the currency of the countries they knew. They had fun looking at the bills, and even got to take a few home. Gracias for a great year!
QUARTER SUMMARIES will be posted here at the end of the term. Until then, this page will be a scrambled egg mess of notes.
August
Objective: acclimating to daily routines, expectations, and an immersive Spanish environment!
Welcome!: intro to daily routine and general overview. We will tell a semester-long story in Spanish, adding only a sentence or two each day. The words in the sentence will be reinforced via class activities; games; songs; videos; and more. NOTE: On the first day, PK3 students visited my room and got accustomed to the space. Formal lessons begin next week. We compared English and Spanish as languages, and then sang a song about going places “¡Vamos!” (let’s go!).
The Car: review- English vs. Spanish. Sing going places song. Practice following directions. Color in a picture of a car. Paint with crayons. Listen to a song in Spanish. (lesson flowed beautifully and was much more organized than it sounds here!)
Ping-Pong Ball!: review- English vs. Spanish (two quick claps, and I change languages!). VAMOS!, hands in center. Transition inside. How are you today? Happy, sad, angry. Practice following directions. Hairdryer and ping-pong ball- caliente/hot. Sing going places song with car rides. VAMOS! Line up.
Blue Spoons!: review- English vs. Spanish/espa-NOL (two quick claps, and I change languages!). Rojo/red. Azul/blue. VAMOS!, hands in center. Transition inside. How are you today? Happy, sad, angry, (cold). Practice following directions. Repeat hairdryer and ping-pong ball- caliente/hot. Ice cubes and temperature- activated spoons. Sing going places song with car rides. VAMOS! Line up.
PK4
Welcome Back!: intro to daily routine and general overview. We will tell a semester-long story in Spanish, adding only a sentence or two each day. The words in the sentence will be reinforced via class activities; games; songs; videos; and more. NOTE: On the first day, PK4 students visit my room and get accustomed to the space. Formal lessons begin next week.
The Return of Pato: intro to daily routine and general overview. As per usual, Pato (my stuffed animal duck) has something up his sleeve, involving a miniature beaker, miniature spoon, miniature funnel, and a whole lot of vinegar, baking soda, and food coloring. Uh-oh…
More Science: review- English vs. Spanish. Sing ‘Where is Pa-to?’ song. How are you today?! Pato blows them all kisses (we try not to eat too many). Practice following directions. Watch song in Spanish (from Encanto). Transition to carpet. Science experiment repeat/extension lesson from yesterday (at students’ request).
I’m Cold!: review- English vs. Spanish (espa-ñol!). How are you today? Tengo frío (I’m cold!). Took blankets and danced to song from Encanto and Rompe Ralph. Sing ‘Where is Pa-to?’ song. Transition to carpet. Ping-pong ball with hairdryer (caliente/hot). Ice cubes (frío/cold). Temperature-activated spoons (azul/blanca). ¡SORPRESA!/ Surprise!
Swimming Pool: review- English vs. Spanish (hablo espa-ñol!). How are you today? Tengo frío (I’m cold!). Took blankets and danced to song from Encanto and Rompe Ralph. Sing ‘Where is Pa-to?’ song. Transition to carpet. Review: Pato, blue volcano science experiment is not a swimming pool! Hairdryer and ice cubes: will the agua/water be hot or cold? Traveled outside to faucet to fill 5-gallon bucket with water for Pato to jump into. We also splashed a bit, too. 🙂 Watered the plants. Came back. Lined up. SORPRESA!/ Surprise!
September
Objective: begin to work on verbal output, increase speaking confidence in the target language.
Drama- Paper: Daily routine, espa-ñol (outside). ¡Vamos! ¿Cómo estás? Acted out words dramatically, if you took the paper from me I would be…. happy/ sad/ angry/ etc. Song- Encanto. Dance time! Hairdryer at the carpet, caliente/hot and frío/cold.Where are we going? The beach? I sing, vamos a la playa, vamos. Car rides there. Is the agua at the beach caliente o fría? Is that the train? Time to go! Line up at door.
Beach or Jungle?: Daily routine, espa-ñol (outside). ¡Vamos! ¿Cómo estás? Q&A inside. Acted out words. Song- Encanto and Los solecitos. Dance time! Hairdryer at the carpet, caliente/hot and frío/cold.Where are we going? The beach or the jungle? I sing, vamos a España, vamos. Car rides there. Is that the train? Time to go! Line up at door.
Picnic, Day 1: Daily routine- yo hablo español (outside). ¡Vamos! ¿Cómo estás? Q&A inside. Most are pointing now; I am providing the verbiage. Song- Los solecitos. Nap time! ¡Otra vez! Again! Good morning! We should have a picnic! Let’s go! Do you want sopa? It’s caliente/ hot! Oh no, there’s a storm! (rain and thunder on board) Quick, get in the car! ¡Suban al coche! (chairs in a row) Where should we go (to get out of the storm)? Vamos a la selva. Let’s go to the jungle. Car rides there. Red light/ green light. Is that the train? Time to go! Line up at door.
Picnic, Day 2: Daily routine- yo hablo español (outside). ¡Vamos! ¿Cómo estás? Q&A inside. Most are pointing now; I am providing the verbiage. Song- Los solecitos. Nap time! Jobs for lights and board today. ¡Otra vez! Again! Good morning! We should have a picnic! Let’s go! Do you want sopa? It’s caliente/ hot! Oh no, there’s a storm! (rain and thunder on board) Quick, get in the car! ¡Suban al coche! (chairs in a row) Where should we go (to get out of the storm)? Vamos a la selva. Let’s go to the jungle. Car rides there. Red light/ green light. Is that the train? Time to go! Line up at door.
Red/Green Lights: Daily routine- yo hablo español (outside). ¡Vamos! ¿Cómo estás? Q&A inside. Song- Los solecitos. Nap time! Jobs for lights and board today. ¡Otra vez! Again! Good morning! We should have a picnic! Let’s go! Do you want sopa? It’s caliente/ hot! Oh no, there’s a storm! (rain and thunder on board) Quick, get in the car! ¡Suban al coche! (chairs in a row) Where should we go (to get out of the storm)? Vamos a la selva. Let’s go to the jungle. Car rides there. Red light/ green light activity today. Is that the train? Time to go! Line up at door.
PK4
The Boat, Day 1: review- English vs. Spanish (hablo espa-ñol!). How are you today? Tengo frío (I’m cold!). Took blankets and danced to song from Encanto and Rompe Ralph. Sing ‘Where is Pa-to?’ song. Transition to carpet. Pato wants to go in the water but doesn’t know how to swim and doesn’t want to get wet. How about a boat/ barco, Pato? Students colored in Popsicle sticks and used tape to put them together. Will continue with this next class. Lined up. SORPRESA!/ Surprise!
The Boat, Day 2: review- English vs. Spanish (hablo espa-ñol!). How are you today? Tengo frío (I’m cold!). Took blankets and “slept” during Los solecitos song. Sing ‘Where is Pa-to?’ song. Transition to carpet. Students colored in more Popsicle sticks and used tape to put them together. We have two sides of the boat now! Will continue with this next class. Lined up. SORPRESA!/ Surprise!
The Storm: Daily routine- yo hablo español (outside). ¡Vamos! ¿Cómo estás? Q&A inside. Song- Los solecitos. Nap time! Jobs for lights and board today. ¡Otra vez! Again! Good morning! We should have a picnic! Let’s go! Do you want sopa? It’s caliente/ hot! Oh no, there’s a storm! (rain and thunder on board) Quick, pack up the food! Where should we go (to get out of the storm)? Everyone huddled under the tables, as if it were their “house”. Phew, the storm is over! And we have time to work on our boat/ barco for Pato. YAY! Colored Popsicle sticks (fine motor). End of class, ¡SORPRESA! Surprise!
Class Story, Day 1: review- English vs. Spanish (hablo espa-ñol!). How are you today? Estoy cansado(a) (I’m tired!). Took blankets and danced to song from Encanto and Rompe Ralph. Sing ‘Where is Pa-to?’ song. Transition to carpet. Students colored in more Popsicle sticks and used tape to put them together. We start our first class story of the year. Lined up. SORPRESA!/ Surprise!
I did not grow up in the city, and accordingly, sometimes I think my lessons sprawl out everywhere, like the rolling countryside. When does one lesson end and another begin? No one really knows. Let me provide an example (for detailed examples, see HERE).
The school year is about to commence, and for perhaps the fifteenth year in a row, I am excited but also a bit panicky and nervous. How do I teach, again? Do I remember? And, most importantly, where to begin? The age-old questions haunt me at night: do I start in English on day one to provide structure and a curricular overview, and allay students’ fears that Spanish class is not impossible but rather exciting and project-based–but thereby risking that I will slide into English when the going gets tough? Or do I begin in Spanish and set the tone for an immersive classroom, but struggle later on in the year when expectations and rules have not been clearly stated understood and the curricular flow is not obvious to students?
Now, don’t get me wrong: I aim for a 90-100% immersive classroom experience. This is and has always been the goal. Some classes are closer to 99%, others less so. While I love the idea of 100% immersion, we only meet two to three times a week, which means that our learning targets must be adjusted accordingly; I do not teach at an immersion school. True fluency is idealistic but not likely, given the time constraints. However, this year I have a solution, at least for this seemingly annual query.
Enter THE SPANISH CONSTITUTION. Wait, what? How in the world are you teaching La Constitución Española to elementary-aged students? Don’t worry, I created an abridged version! Here was my step-by-step process:
Get a piece of normal computer paper. Crumple it up and then flatten it back out.
Fill a pan with strong tea or coffee, and soak the paper in it for several hours.
Dry the paper with a hairdryer.
Decide on your top 3-5 most important qualities you want students to strive for in your classroom, all year long. You can do this with your students, too, of course, but I chose not to this year to save time.
Soy amable.(I am kind.)
Soy inteligente.(I am smart.)
Soy fuerte.(I am strong.)
Soy valiente.(I am courageous/ brave.)
Write them in your best print or cursive with a black Sharpie on the now tea-stained paper.
Discuss as a class (in English) what being kind/ smart/ strong/ brave looks like in your room. I like to use questions here. How can you be brave in Spanish class? Ask questions! How can you be strong? Never give up, ever!
Have students sign an attached page with their fanciest signatures, as though it were the Declaration of Independence. Post in your classroom.
Repeat the Spanish words like a mantra at the beginning of each class period, as a quick reminder. You will, of course, still need to remind and discipline, but this provides a nice structure where you can focus on the Spanish.
If you teach more advanced levels, the “Soy...” sentences could be written up with more complex sentence structures and vocabulary; and when classes have mastered these phrases, you can likewise ‘level up’ however you see fit.
That could mean asking, “¿Cómo eres?” at the beginning of class, and students’ job is to provide those four answers (and/or more), or prompting them with, “Primero/ Antes que nada, …. [soy amable]”, “Segundo, [soy inteligente]”, etc.
My Dear Friends, Fellow Linguists, and Citizens of the World:
Welcome back! As we look forward to the start of another school year, I thought I would share a quick post of frequently asked questions. For any new families, I am the Spanish teacher for grades PK-4.
NOTE: Students typically address me as “Maestra” (‘my-ACE-trah’/teacher) or “Señorita”, but I am also called “Spain” and “Español” (Spanish) from time to time. Feel free to clarify this at home with your child.
I wanted to start here because if there is any conversation that you have with your child(ren) about Spanish class before school begins, please remind them that–much like climbing an enormous staircase or mountain–language-learning is a journey. Fluency does not occur overnight. It is a process where, after many successes, failures, and moments of uncertainty, coupled with much determination, grit, and hard work, progress is made. If your child can learn just one new thing each day in class, they will be well on their way.
What curriculum do you use?
I use a variety of curricula to teach language. From gesture- based storytelling methodologies (such as AIM and TPRS), to culture projects, geography, center work, science experiments, soccer games, theater, and more, we cover a lot of territory in Spanish class. For more info, see THIS PAGE.
ASIDE: You may also hear about “Pato” (duck), a mischievous stuffed animal duck of mine with a big personality (and squeaky voice), who is always on some silly adventure.
How much Spanish do you speak in class?
My goal is to speak Spanish 95-100% of the time; however, I can get sidetracked with sharing cool culture projects in English and adore goofy English/ Spanish wordplays (especially as mnemonic devices to ingrain vocabulary!). This year, we are physically dividing the space, so “English” tidbits will be taught in the hallway outside of my classroom, and everything else inside my room will be in Spanish.
Do you only teach about Spain?
Definitely not! There are 21 official Spanish-speaking countries. Students in grades 1-4 become familiar with these country names and participate in Culture Projects throughout the year.
What can I do at home to help support my child?
Encourage, encourage, encourage!
Point out the names of Spanish- speaking countries on t-shirts tags, fruit stickers, can labels, warranties, manuals, and bilingual signs out in public.
Make/ bake RECIPES from Spanish-speaking countries.
Visit the children’s world language section at the library.
Listen to Spanish tv and radio, for the sole purpose of appreciating foreign sounds– no comprehension necessary.
Change the voiceover on movies to Spanish (and subtitles to English).
Explore Little Passports & Universal Yums!, which are fun, educational, world-culture subscription boxes that your child might enjoy.
Incorporate the language and culture into your daily life!
If I want to learn Spanish alongside my child, what resources do you recommend?
More than anything, learning another language is about developing the habit. Working on an app regularly is a great way to start. Last year, I organized an independent study “Adult Class” for parents and faculty. Feel free to check out those resources and posts HERE.
And last but not least, for anyone wondering why you should learn another language, please read THISfor a hearty laugh.
NOTE: This page is a synopsis of challenges sent to families back in the 2020-2021 school year.
Weekly Language Challenges below.
Challenge #1
Watch a movie in Spanish. Change the voiceover to Spanish and the subtitles to English. It is okay if you don’t understand everything! Your brain does a lot of work just by listening. The movie can be one you have seen a thousand times, or a brand new one. Animated films are great!
ASIDE: If you don’t know how to do this, Google “how to change voiceover for [XXXX device/ Hulu/ Netflix/ etc.]”, or play around on the “Settings” page to change the language. You can also search on YouTube for full length movies.
NOTE TO NATIVE SPEAKERS: Fluent Spanish-speakers are welcome to change the voiceover AND the subtitles, and notice the differences in translation. This can be pretty interesting because the translations are often done in different countries. That means that someone might say, “¿Cómo estás?” but the subtitle will read, “¿Qué tal?” (or vice-versa). Food for thought!
Challenge #2
Read more here about La Tomatina— a festival that takes place in Spain every August.
Your challenge is to try making GAZPACHO, a cold tomato soup from Spain that is incredibly refreshing on hot summer days. ¡Qué rico!
Challenge #3
This week, look at your clothing tags, the sticker labels on your fruits and vegetables, and the labels on cans and other food products, and notice where these things were made and where they came from. For example: clothing “Made in Guatemala”, bananas from Costa Rica, avocados from Mexico, etc. Parents: This can be a great detective game/ activity for your children at the grocery store!
Then, find 3-5 products from Spanish-speaking countries**; or fill in my chart on the following slide (blank chart HERE). Be sure to take a picture of the stickers/tags you find and have your parents email me so that you get credit for your work.
**Spanish-Speaking Countries: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Perú, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panamá, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Cuba, La República Dominicana (Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico (technically a territory), Spain (España), Equatorial Guinea.
Challenge #4
Take 15 minutes and listen to all five of these classic songs that have been translated/ adapted to Spanish (below). Let your child guess which movie it is by LISTENING to the first few chords before watching the video!
Next, vote on which Spanish song translation is your favorite (parents, please email me so that your children will get credit). Note: your favorite song in Spanish might not be the same as your favorite in English, but that’s okay!
Challenge #5
Decide what Spanish-speaking country** your bedroom represents, and then decorate a sign for that country and hang it on your door. If you share a bedroom, you can pick two countries! Make sure to spell the name right. HERE is a link to the country flags. Email me a photo to get credit!
Now after dinner you can say, “Bye Mom and Dad, I’m going to Bolivia! See you later/ ¡Hasta luego!” Happy travels!
**Spanish-Speaking Countries: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Perú, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panamá, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Cuba, La República Dominicana (Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico (technically a territory), Spain (España), Equatorial Guinea.
Challenge #6
Plantains appear very similar to bananas, but are not the same food at all: they are starchy and much harder, and cannot be eaten raw. Your challenge is to make tostones or patacones (“tohs-TOE-nays”/ “pah-tah-KOH-nays”, aka plantain chips) to munch on this week. These are a very popular snack in Spanish-speaking countries and really easy to prepare: RECIPE and more info HERE.
Challenge #7
This week, the Spanish Challenge is more linguistically oriented: watch the video below, starring the one and only Pato. It is action packed, fast-paced, and well worth 3 minutes and 46 seconds of your time. Email back the answer to this question: who (do you think) actually robbed the bank?
THE PATO SHOW, EPISODE #4
Challenge #8
In preparation for Day of the Dead, or El Día de [los] Muertos, you may do one (or both) of the following activities:
Watch the movie Coco in English–or in Spanish with English subtitles–and email me to receive credit. You have to watch it in October for it to count!
Ask your parents or relatives if they have ever traveled to another country. If they have, see if you can find tickets, receipts, foreign currency, brochures, postcards, magnets, or anything else from their trip. Make a decorative box to store all the treasures in. Be sure to interview/ask them all about their trip! What was the weather like? What was their favorite moment there? Did anything surprise them? What language do they speak there?
If your parents or relatives have not traveled abroad, use a decorative box as a “Vision Board”, where you put names and photos of all the places in the 21 Spanish-speaking countries that you would like to visit one day. Note that these cannot simply be country names—they need to be names of specific places in those countries! To complete this challenge, let me know where you have traveled or want to travel to. For those of you who are data-oriented, here is a fun INTERACTIVE MAP to chart where you have visited or want to go. #Wanderlust!
Spanish Challenge #’s 12 & 13
Listen to all three Spanish Christmas songs below, and then send me the name of your favorite. Easy peasy!
Instead of just one Spanish Challenge this week, I am also sending a letter detailing different Christmas and holiday traditions around the Spanish-speaking world. HERE is the link.
At this point in the year, the entire school started tapping into a Spanish “Culture Project” each week, and I would send home slides and videos about what students were learning. I also included a recipe from each country, as an optional extension of the project at home. Each of the links represents one week:
“History is divided on how exactly churros came to exist. Some say they were the invention of nomadic Spanish shepherds. Living high in the mountains with no access to bakeries, the Spanish shepherds supposedly created churros, which were easy for them to cook in frying pans over fire. Lending credibility to this version of history is the fact that there exists a breed of sheep called the ‘Navajo-Churro’, which are descended from the ‘Churra’ sheep of the Iberian Peninsula; the horns of these sheep look similar to the fried pastry.
Another story says that Portuguese sailors discovered a similar food in Northern China called ‘Yóu Tiáo’ and they brought it back with them. The Spanish learned of the new culinary treat from their neighbors, and put their own spin on it by passing the dough through a star-shaped tip which gives the churro its signature ridges.”
Food from Central America and beyond to make at home with your family. Turn on the radio to a Spanish station, and have fun! Note that the recipes are ordered alphabetically by country.
Food from South America to make at home with your family. Turn on the radio to a Spanish station, and have fun! Note that the recipes are ordered alphabetically by country.
Let’s travel to South America, specifically to the indigenous tribe called the Hi’aiti’ihi, who speak the Pirahã language deep within the Amazonian jungle. This tribe has been the source of much controversy and discussion among linguistics professors. Why? Because, as [linguist] Dan Everett’s research reveals:
“The Pirahã live from moment to moment, and the language reflects that. […] No stories exist that haven’t either been experienced by the speaker or by someone the speaker knew personally. If anything is spoken of that isn’t within that principle, it isn’t credible to the tribe and therefore is not accepted. Stories don’t travel more than one or two generations because one must experience subjects personally. No stories or fictional tales are passed on.”
Of even greater linguistic interest, however, is the fact that their language does not have any numbers. Let’s back up. I’m not sure you heard me. This language is unique in several ways, but primarily world-renowned in linguistic communities because it contains no numbers. None, whatsoever. Not a single one. Not even one. Sorry, what?
Can you imagine such a world? I look at the clock, and see digits. I do my taxes, and write numbers. I use an iPad, cell phone, desktop, laptop–essentially any device–and know that somehow, “01010101” and an enormous amount of coding lets me communicate with nearly anyone in the world. A world without numbers? What about synesthetes? What about birthdays? What about money? Or addresses? What about time? Does no time mean no past or future? How many jobs would not exist if there weren’t numbers? I am speechless, wordless, number-less…
To clarify, these hunter-gatherers** do have smaller or larger amounts (the concept of more or less), but no numbers. I have read before that in order to barter, one might turn a palm skyward to indicate more, and downward for less–but there are no numbers, either to quantify what is being bartered or to exchange currencies.
**Some have suggested in recent years that our cyber habits closely parallel hunter-gatherer societies and thought, in the sense that we skim information quickly, only searching for what we want to catch, or gather. Hmmm.
My initial encounter with the Basque language (Euskara) was a bit of a shock, particularly since I was in Spain and, well, expected Spanish/ Castellano to be the default. I was hiking across the northern part of the Iberian peninsula and had not anticipated the, “How, what…?” linguistic shock. I didn’t even know the question. Perhaps something along the lines of, “Why don’t I see any common word roots in something like tabakalera?” was what my brain wanted to ask.
Or, better yet and upon later research, what are the root words in, “Euskararen Txantxangorria’ren“? (It means, “the Basque red robin“, in case you were wondering, and is a song–see below–as part of a campaign to encourage the use of the Basque language.)
Basque is, without a doubt, unrelated to any other Latin language, which would explain my confusion. In fact,
Moreover…
“[Atlanteans] believed that if something was written down, it encouraged forgetfulness and simultaneously discouraged the cultivation of memory.”
Talk about a different perspective! I admit that I get up in the middle of the night to write down a thought on a Post-It so that I won’t forget in the morning. Imagine how strong our minds would be if we did not write anything down! Ever. How would our understanding of history change? In what would our days consist? Certainly not blogging like this. Even the syntax is quite distinct:
The following was originally presented to faculty as a professional development talk. It is now in written form, for your reading pleasure!
Introduction
It all began with a couch. If it hadn’t been for that blue couch, I don’t know what would have happened. You see, when I was small, I used to love to lay upside down on the cushions. I remember how the ceiling and the clock and the trees through the window looked foreign, somehow; everything was different, but it was also the same. Suffice to say, I have always been fascinated by different perspectives. At age 8 or 9, I read Alvin’s Secret Code, a book about spies, codes, and ciphers. I played ‘spies’ all the time after that and would invent my own codes.
This coding practice became a game of substitution when I stumbled onto Spanish class in high school. Little did I know that that was just the beginning. To this day, listening to languages–especially music–I don’t understand simultaneously awakens something in me and allows me to relax.
Many polyglots, or people who speak multiple languages, describe their relationship with languages as, quite literally, a relationship: personally, I am married to Spanish, seriously dating French, had a yearlong fling with both Russian and Mandarin, and have been on a few dates with Arabic and Swahili. I saw Hungarian in a bookstore once and was intrigued, and occasionally flirt with German and Italian on the street.
English and I have a fascinatingly complex but strained relationship. I am ashamed to admit that I cannot identify Swedish no matter how many times we meet out in public. Icelandic is beautiful but way out of my league (read: I can’t pronounce ANYTHING!!!!). I wish I had the opportunity to meet Japanese, Turkish, Greek, and Latin, but we can’t seem to make the long-distance thing work. That said, I have traveled to at least 13 countries now, including Iceland, China, and Argentina, and spent two summers hiking across northern Spain.
Point being, while I certainly don’t know everything, I do have a bit of a background and history with language(s), and therefore feel qualified to speak on the subject. (Then again, cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky knows quite a bit more.)
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
If we are going to embark on a serious discussion about language and the brain, it is incumbent upon us to begin with the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: “a hypothesis, first advanced by Edward Sapir in 1929 and subsequently developed by Benjamin Whorf, that the structure of a language determines a native speaker’s perception and categorization of experience” (source).
This sounds a bit highfalutin, but it basically just taunts linguists with the following question: “Does your language shape or influence how you think?” You might have an immediate answer if you’re the decisive type, or perhaps you never considered the thought. I really don’t know what you’re thinking right now! But let’s take a look at a few different languages and cultures before deciding too definitively. After all, linguists argue about this all the time; it is unlikely that we will solve this query today.
Different Perspectives
Each of the following images below is a link to a brief article, exploring different perspectives of other languages and cultures. Click on them to explore–they are really interesting, I promise!–and then come back to this page to continue reading. I originally had all of this on one post, but it became too difficult to follow. (#dissertation!)
“The hyperpolyglot is someone who is both a gifted and massive language accumulator. They possess a particular neurology that’s well-suited for learning languages very quickly and being able to use them.” –Michael Erard
IN THE LATE 1500’s, a man named Thomas Coryat decided to hike across Europe. He ended up walking over 2,000 miles and “picking up” 14 languages along the way. He was a talented linguist and considered one of the world’s first backpackers and true tourists. With 14 languages under his belt, he is also considered a hyperpolyglot, or “massive language accumulator”.
In the 1800’s, there are legends that a Cardinal named Mezzofanti was fluent in at least 38 languages. According to linguist Michael Erard, when two prisoners were about to be put to death, Mezzofanti even learned the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”) overnight, heard their confessions and offered forgiveness in their language the following day, prior to the executions. Although seemingly impossible, there are numerous accounts of his unbelievable abilities, as well as boxes of flashcards stashed away in the historical archives of a library somewhere in Italy.
Modern-day hyperpolyglots include Timothy Doner, Alex Rawlings, Richard Simcott, Kató Lomb, and Alexander Argüelles, to name a few. All of these hyperpolyglots have different methods and beliefs in terms of how best to learn a language. Some imagine wearing different colored lenses when they study: red-tinted glasses for Chinese, blue for Russian, yellow for Portuguese, and so on and so forth to separate languages and facilitate in code-switching. Others walk through parks shouting unintelligible phrases, over and over again, until far on the horizon, their brain begins to pick apart the sounds, and suddenly, they have discovered a way in the back door.
Some listen to music on loop, ‘downloading’ and memorizing chunks of language, and then searching for translations after the fact, to see what they have learned and where they can apply said lyrics in everyday life. Still others rely on the old standby: the rote, drill and kill grammar of flashcards and verb conjugations. And some don’t necessarily learn the entire language, but have fun playing with accents and imitating foreign sounds (see Diego J. Rivas, SAARA, & Amy Walker). While the latter are not hyperpolyglots, their unique skillsets are certainly admirable.
Aside- Do you think your language influences you MORE or LESS in your thinking, if you speak multiple languages? Are you more aware of what could potentially shape your thought?
Both translation and interpretation would seem to be prime examples of how language influences or shapes your thought–that is, when trying to navigate from one language and culture (and frame of reference) to another. I have the utmost respect and admiration for translators and interpreters, but cannot imagine such a task: how could my native or non-native language not influence me?!
If you would like to explore these topics in greater depth, check out the articles below. I spent some time on “Translations Gone Wrong” below for humor/ comic relief, but rushed through this section a bit during the presentation, due to time constraints.
For parents and teachers alike, let’s take a look at how it comes to be that I am able to communicate with you, and you with me. What is going on in the brain? And how, as language educators, can we best approach our lessons so that the information is retained?
Read the articles below for more information. I focused on “Linguistic Development” and “Rate of Speech & Spaced Repetition” during the presentation, but included the post, “When Will My Child Be Fluent?” here because I addressed this in the Q&A at the end with faculty.
There are about 7,000 languages in the world, but it really depends on how you define “language”. For example: do languages that are only spoken (and not written) count? What about dialects or slang? What about endangered languages that only have one or two speakers left– do they count? Suffice to say, there are many factors involved, but 7,000 languages is a fair estimate. How many can you name?
What are the best apps to start learning a new language?
There are a lot of language-learning apps on the market; really, any app that gets you into a habit and routine of practicing another language is useful. For both kids and adults, Duolingo and Memrise are very popular. Busuu and FluentU are also very well-known, but you do have to pay after the free trial. LinguaLift has a detailed commentary on each of apps in the infographic to compare and contrast them. If you are looking more for your child(ren), here is a list of 20+ Spanish Games and Apps for Kids, starting with toddlers. This article has even more ideas: 20 Amazing Apps for Kids in 2022.
Is English the most-spoken language in the world?
No, in real life, English is not the most-spoken language in the world. Chinese is number one, Spanish is number two, and English is number three. Online, however, English dominates the digital world.
**More Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on THIS PAGE.
Conclusion
So, what do you think? Does your language shape or influence how you think? I still cannot answer definitively, but I would tend to lean more towards yes than no. Regardless, if you’ve read this far, you know that language isn’t just a hobby for me. It’s #Obsession.
“What you’re about to see is real: 1 band, 567 printers, and a lot of paper.”
Optional Activity
To put your new perspective taking into practice, try your hand at copying the non-Roman alphabets and languages below.
If people without numbers are not enough for you today, the Moken Tribe–living near Thailand and Burma–will fix that. They do not have a word for “want” in their language. Likewise, “worry” is not a concept in their language; nor are “take”, “hello/goodbye”, or “when” (no time/ages). This is the same tribe that knew a deadly tsunami was coming in 2004 and saved themselves. Aren’t languages fascinating? What we understand as reality is not always the case for the rest of the world. No time, no wants, no worries…
For beautiful photos that, due to copyright law I am not allowed to publish here, please visit THIS SITE.
“Baggage is not good for nomadic people. It ties you down. They have no notion or desire for wealth.”
To continue with the theme of grammatical and syntactical differences between languages, and whether or not that could possibly determine if language shapes or influences how we think, we travel to the far east. Now, the general character-based appearance is obviously different from alphabet-based languages, but let’s take it a step farther.
If I gave you six objects to categorize, as pictured below, how would you group them?
Arguably, this is highly dependent on which language(s) you speak. English-speakers are more likely to group by category, “pen and pencil” (for writing), “cup and plate” (for eating), “car and Legos” (for playing), whereas Japanese speakers might group more by material, “pen and car” (metal), “pencil and plate” (wooden), and “cup and Legos” (plastic).
Japanese and Mandarin both have classifiers, or “measure words”, which attach themselves to numbers–so how you say, “one tree” is different than how you would say, “one car”, since trees are in the “wood” category and cars are more in the “metal” category.
To learn more, check out the following linguistic studies:
Aymara and Quechua are spoken in the Andes mountains and highlands of South America. While many fewer people speak Aymara compared to Quechua (2.4 million to 8-12 million, respectively), both are relatively unknown to much of the world.
I love that learning about other languages and cultures always gives us new perspectives. It is like when you stand on a chair: the room is still the same room, but you notice different things about it. As we deepen our language study, we begin to notice new perspectives embedded in other languages and cultures. What is especially unique about Aymara and Quechua, is their understanding of time.
“[T]he Aymara call the future qhipa pacha/timpu, meaning back or behind time, and the past nayra pacha/timpu, meaning front time. And they gesture ahead of them when remembering things past, and backward when talking about the future.”
“The past is known, so it lies ahead of you. (Nayra, or ‘past’, literally means eya and sight, as well as front.) The future is unknown, so it lies behind you, where you can’t see.”
In other words, everything we can see is considered the past, and therefore in front of us; everything we cannot see and is therefore unknown, is the future and behind us. This is actually very logical when you think about. Could that one unique linguistic perspective influence how we think?
Quechua
While Quechua still has a significant number of speakers, it is actually considered an endangered language. However, the internet is helping to popularize and revitalize Quechua (along with other endangered languages), so that more people learn to speak it.
Renata Flores, for example, sang a Michael Jackson song in Quechua to help her native language become more popular, and the video went viral. If you’ve never heard Quechua before, I recommend listening!
When it comes to colors, it is easy to assume that the associations we were once taught in art class–blue is paired with sadness, yellow with happiness, red with love, etc.–are true for everyone the world over. As we learn in the tables and video below, however, that is not always the case.
The color green, for example, signifies luck and progress in Western cultures (think: four-leaf clover!), and in Hindu, it is associated with love; whereas in South America, green is associated with death, and in Indonesia, it has such strong negative connotations that it is forbidden altogether. Wow!
(With that in mind, I cannot imagine the conversations that must be had when it comes to advertising for international companies and the colors on their logos.)
“About 3 months before birth, while still in their mother’s womb, babies start to hear. Consequently, every day of the last few months before birth, the baby can hear people speaking – this is the first step in language learning! This first step, in other words, is to learn the melody of the language.” –Source
“The French word for daddy is “papa” with a stress on the last syllable: papa.
German word for daddy is “papa” with a stress on the first syllable: papa.
Cry melodies of newborns follow these speech stress patterns!” –Source
Vocabulary
Following learning the melody of a language, toddlers gradually begin to output language– initially, this is a word or two, but quickly afterwards they begin saying short sentences and then longer, more complex ones (evidence they are acquiring grammar and syntax, in addition to vocabulary). The curve is pretty exponential at a certain point, based on the data below.
If you were to graph it, it would look something like this, but the “receptive vocabulary” kind of throws it off. If graphs make more sense to you than tables, however, it does provide a pretty strong visual. Intense growth!
“The trick to get children to listen to really hear and comprehend, whether they’re toddlers or high school students, isn’t speaking up, Hull says.
It’s slowing down.According to Hull, the average adult speaks at a rate of almost 170 words per minute. But the average 5 to 7- year-old processes speech at a rate of only 120 words per minute. […]
The average high-school student processes speech at a rate of about 140 to 145 words per minute, still slower than most adults speak. ‘So when an algebra teacher is speaking at 160 or 180 words per minute and is introducing a new math concept… that is a problem,’ Hull said.”
5-7 Years Old
120 wpm
High School Student
140-145 wpm
Average Adult
170 wpm
“[Mr. Rogers] kept children’s attention because he practiced speaking at a rate of about 124 words a minute. The pace may sound awkward, even ridiculous, to adults.
But to children accustomed to hearing only bits of sentences or garbled phrases, it is sheer relief. ‘Some children’s central nervous systems have matured, and they can do it. They can cope. But many can’t.’ ”
When it comes to teaching, the average language learner needs 70-150 reps before a word gets into long-term memory. Repetition can be presented in novel ways (reading, singing, etc.), but it must be the same information. The graphs below indicate just how important spaced repetition truly is.
1885 study by German psychologist, Herman Ebbinghaus
It is quite possible that I am the only Spanish [elementary] teacher on the planet who has yet to watch the movie Encanto. That said, because some of my students sing the songs nonstop, I have had fun searching for official translations and adaptations of the soundtrack in the target language.
My searching this afternoon led me to reading a beautifully rich YouTube comment under the song, La Familia Madrigal. As it is written in Spanish, however, I thought I would provide a translation for all of the anglophones out there. And yes, I will get around to seeing the movie eventually! Many thanks to @jumpp10 for commenting on the richness and depth of references in this video.
@jumpp10 – Aquí las referencias a Colombia en la canción/ Here [are] the references to Colombia in the song:
0:04 – La arquitectura de la casita está inspirada en las casas coloniales, como las encontradas en la región cafetera y las de Cartagena con sus famosos balcones con flores.
The architecture of the casita is inspired by colonial houses, such as those found in the coffee region and those of Cartagena with their famous flowered balconies.
0:41 – La mochila de Mirabel está inspirada en las mochilas de los indígenas Wayuu, que viven en la costa norte de Colombia (frontera con Venezuela). El traje de Mirabel está inspirado en el traje típico de la ciudad de Vélez, en el departamento de Santander.
Mirabel’s backpack is inspired by the backpacks of the indigenous Wayuu, who live on the north coast of Colombia (border with Venezuela). Mirabel’s costume is inspired by the typical costume of the city of Vélez, in the department [section, region] of Santander.
1:00 – Arepas y café. Las arepas se comen en toda Colombia, aunque hay muchos tipos, y el café, producto insignia del país.
Arepas and coffee. Arepas are eaten throughout Colombia, although there are many types, and coffee, the country’s insignia product.
1:16 – Palmas de cera, son las palmeras altas que se ven en el paisaje. La palma de cera es el árbol nacional de Colombia. Los Madrigal viven en un lugar inspirado en el Valle del Cocora.
Wax palms are the tall palm trees that are seen in the landscape. The wax palm is the national tree of Colombia. The Madrigals live in a place inspired by the Valle del Cocora.
It is written “Colombia”. [Aside: People often confuse and misspell Colombia the country with Columbia, the clothes brand name, so the correct spelling is noteworthy!]
1:21 – A la izquierda, pasa una mujer usando chaquiras en el cabello, elementos comunes en peinados de la comunidad afrocolombiana.
On the left, a woman passes by wearing beads in her hair, common elements in hairstyles of the Afro-Colombian community.
1:40 – A la izquierda, una mujer con una ruana, un tipo de poncho colombiano, la diferencia es que es abierto. El hombre del centro come una mazorca asada, que se venden en las calles.
On the left, a woman with a ruana, a type of Colombian poncho, the difference is that it is open. The man in the center eats a roasted corn on the cob, which is sold on the streets.
1:51 – Julieta tiene una cesta de buñuelos, un pan dulce y salado que se come muchísimo en navidad, aunque a veces también en los desayunos. El hombre al que cura lleva un poncho, usados en zonas frías.
Julieta has a basket of buñuelos, a sweet and salty bread that is eaten a lot at Christmas, but sometimes also for breakfast. The man she heals wears a poncho, worn in cold areas.
1:54 – El hombre tiene un sombrero vueltiao, típico de la costa Caribe colombiana.
The man has a vueltiao hat, typical of the Colombian Caribbean coast.
2:11 – Calles empedradas similares a las calles de la ciudad de Barichara, en Santander.
Cobbled streets similar to the streets of the city of Barichara, in Santander.
Photos of Barichara, Santander, in Colombia. Image Credit.
2:15 – Félix usa una guayabera, un tipo de camisa muy usada en el Caribe. Mariano también usa.
Felix wears a guayabera, a type of shirt widely used in the Caribbean. Mariano does also.
2:25 – Los trajes de Pepa y Dolores están inspirados en la vestimenta de las mujeres palenqueras, que habitan en el Caribe colombiano.
Pepa and Dolores’ costumes are inspired by the clothing of Palenquera women, who live in the Colombian Caribbean. [Aside: Palenquero is an endangered language but absolutely fascinating. I learned a bit about it in graduate school.]
2:33 – La abuela le entrega un bloque a un hombre que lleva un sombrero aguadeño, típico de la región paisa (Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío).
The grandmother gives a block to a man wearing an aguadeño hat, typical of the Paisa region (Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío).
2:44 – Los silleteros, son personas que llevan en sus espaldas unas estructuras cargadas de flores, conocida como silletas. Cada año, se hacen desfiles y concursos en Medellín donde se pueden apreciar hermosas silletas.
The silleteros are people who carry structures loaded with flowers on their backs, known as silletas. Every year, parades and contests are held in Medellin where beautiful silletas can be seen.
3:12 – Silletas exhibidas para que el público vea los diseños hechos con flores.
Silletas displayed for the public to see the designs made with flowers.
3:14 – Entre todas esas flores debe haber orquídeas, que son la flor nacional de Colombia.
Among all those flowers there must be orchids, which are the national flower of Colombia.
3:24 – El puente que Luisa levanta es muy similar al puente de Boyacá, donde ocurrió la última batalla de la independencia colombiana.
The bridge that Luisa builds is very similar to the Boyacá bridge, where the last battle of Colombian independence took place.
3:33 – Palmas de plátano, comunes en Colombia, sus hojas se usan para envolver algunos alimentos como los tamales.
Banana palms, common in Colombia, their leaves are used to wrap some foods such as tamales.
3:47 – El acordeón es el instrumento principal del vallenato, un género musical colombiano, y de hecho esta canción está inspirada en ese género. El hombre de la derecha sostiene un tiple, instrumento colombiano con 12 cuerdas, usado en varios ritmos colombianos. Y la mujer toca un tambor alegre, usado en ritmos del Caribe.
The accordion is the main instrument of vallenato, a Colombian musical genre, and in fact this song is inspired by that genre. The man on the right holds a tiple, a Colombian instrument with 12 strings, used in various Colombian rhythms. And the woman plays a lively drum, used in Caribbean rhythms.
4:11 – Personas jugando tejo, considerado deporte nacional de Colombia. Consiste en arrojar un disco metálico con el objetivo de hacer explotar unos pequeños sobres con pólvora.
People playing tejo, considered the national sport of Colombia. It consists of throwing a metal disk with the aim of exploding small envelopes with powder.
4:18 – Montañas, debido a que tres cordilleras atraviesan el país.
Mountains, because three mountain ranges cross the country.
VENEZUELA: Angel Falls is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world. Did you know that “Paradise Falls” in the movie Up was based on the real life Angel Falls? As the video below explains, the falls are known as Kerepakupai-Merú (or Parekupa Vena) amongst the Pemón-Carib people; the name means, “waterfall from the deepest place”. It would be amazing to visit, but its location is very remote and in the jungle, 600 kilometers (373 miles) away from civilization.
More specifically, the falls are located in Canaima National Park (Parque Nacional Canaima). This park is also famous because of its tepuis, which are sandstone plateaus in South America. In the Pemón language, tepui means, “house of the gods”. The literal translations below give you a glimpse into the language. As a linguist, I love this sort of thing!
Father Cesareo de Armellada was the author of the first dictionary of the Pemón language (published in 1943). At the time it was called Taurepan. Many words in this language show interesting patterns of formation.
For example, the word for “sugar-cane” is kaiwara-kún-imá , which means “pineapple with a very long leg.” The word for “pineapple” itself, kaiwara, means “a sweet with wrinkles.” The Pemon word for “dew” is chirké-yetakú, which means “star’s saliva.” Yetakú is “saliva” or, more precisely, “juice of the teeth.”
There is no word for “year” in the Pemon language. The day is divided into “dawning,” “morning,” “noontime,” “afternoon”.
In class, students made a model of Angel Falls in Venezuela, by collecting bark, small stones, and leaves outside, and adding water. (I had a sink in my room that year!) This mini project mostly came about because kindergarteners had learned that other classes were making Museum Exhibits, and they wanted to participate.
Earn 50 XP on the app before Thursday (May 26th). You got this! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP I have never led a Duolingo parent/adult class before (at least not formally with an XP classroom), so this was a first for me. I hope that this year has proven fruitful for at least some of you, despite my inconsistent posts. If anything, I think that developing the habit of working on an app reinforces 1) how much of a journeylanguage-learning really is, and 2) how much motivation matters.
Perhaps it makes more sense to you now that I should want my [Lower School] classes to be “exciting” and “fun” and “novel”: you see, I know how long the road to proficiency/ fluency is, and I know that students will need a backpack of motivation and some serious inspiration to get them where they want to go. It is easy to start off like a rocket; but language-learning is not a sprint: you can’t train for 14,000 Ironman marathons in only one or two nights! It doesn’t quite work that way. We need to build the habit, and then somehow push ourselves to keep going.
As adults, this doesn’t really change all that much. We have jobs and dishes and laundry and bills and grocery shopping and kids running all over the house and appointments and soccer games and this and that and the other; maybe we started out very competitively in the fall and then our sprint fizzled out and we abandoned the app. But let’s be honest: if we really want to accomplish a goal, we have to make it a priority. And a habit. And we have to have a serious reason and motivation for doing so. Why is this important to you? If your “why” is lukewarm, it is unlikely that you will accomplish said goal, or at least you will not reach your goals on the original timeline.
It may seem like I am babbling on like a brook here, but my final language-learning tip of the year is, simply, a question: Why are you trying to learn another language? What is your reason? Mine can be summed up by the following quote, which I have shared before, but absolutely love. If you have learned a lot this year, or only a little, know that it has been time well spent, and that you can always revisit it when you are ready. Have a wonderful summer, and see you in the fall!
QUOTE Here is a motivational quote by the Hungarian hyperpolyglot, Kató Lomb:“We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly. If someone knows how to play the violin only a little, he will find that the painful minutes he causes are not in proportion to the possible joy he gains from his playing. The amateur chemist spares himself ridicule only as long as he doesn’t aspire for professional laurels. The man somewhat skilled in medicine will not go far, and if he tries to trade on his knowledge without certification, he will be locked up as a quack doctor.
Solely in the world of languages is the amateur of value. Well-intentioned sentences full of mistakes can still build bridges between people. Asking in broken Italian which train we are supposed to board at the Venice railway station is far from useless. Indeed, it is better to do that than to remain uncertain and silent and end up back in Budapest rather than in Milan.” (POLYGLOT: HOW I LEARN LANGUAGES– book in PDF, by Kató Lomb)
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THIS WEEK Earn 50 XP on the app before Monday (May 2nd). You got this! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (reflection) This week, get one of those $0.97 miniature notebooks, and start making lists of words you know in your target language. I am not a huge fan of memorizing vocabulary lists as a teaching methodology, but I do think that it can be a good exercise to reflect (in retrospect) on how much you have learned. You might start thinking, “Oh, I haven’t gotten much out of this app. I’ll never be proficient or fluent.“, but when you sit down and really take a look at all of the progress you’ve made, and all of the words you recognize or can verbally produce–provided you’ve been chugging away at it consistently–it can be astounding! Holy Moses! I do know a lot!
As the [school] year begins to wind down, take a minute after you complete each lesson to record a few words you know in your notebook. You can organize the lists by a separate category on each page–food, travels, etc.–or write them randomly as words or phrases occur to you. Handwriting words uses a different part of the brain than clicking and, IMHO, the more neurons involved, the better! Dr. K, feel free to correct me on this one. 🙂
ASIDES: 1) I recommend a tiny notebook so that it can fit in your purse or pocket and you can bring it with you everywhere; and 2) for a little extra inspiration, check out this article!
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THIS WEEK Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Apr. 11th). You got this! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (all the words!) This week, you are challenged to try the Wordle game in your target language. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Wordle, you try to guess the [typically 5-letter] word of the day in as few tries as possible.
Instructions: First, search your target language HERE. Programmers around the globe have made it available now in at least 63 languages–amazing! Just click out of the directions, and then try to figure out the word. This changes daily and is challenging, but if my third and fourth graders can figure them out in Spanish, I bet you can, too! Have fun!
THIS WEEK Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Apr. 4th). You got this! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (translation/interpretation) This week, I would like to draw your attention to two very different careers: translation, which is written, and interpretation, which is spoken (read more HERE). Now you are going to choose one of the two and imagine that this is your job. For those of you who settled on translation, pick up a book and try to find at least five words on a page that you know in your target language. Write them down. Look a second time at the same page, and see if you can get close for a few more words.
For instance, you might read, “I would like” and not know that yet; depending on the context, however, this could be simplified to mean, “I like” or “I want” in your target language, which you might remember. Push yourself to find synonyms that could work: you might not know eye shadow yet, but do you know eyes? You might not know delighted, but do you know happy? You might not know truck or vehicle, but do you know car? Train your brain to look for the meat and potatoes of a sentence. When you are learning a language, the goal is to get your point across. It may not be grammatically pretty or as precise as you’d prefer, but if the other person gets the general idea… mission accomplished!
For those of you who chose interpretation, turn on the radio. In your head, listen to spoken English and try to pick out key words that you know in the language you are studying. Say them aloud. Mentally “scan” the sentences you are hearing, and force your brain to search for words you do know. Just as with translation, work on simplifying what you are hearing.
If you had to communicate this to someone, what words do you know that could get the job done? When my students ask, “May I pretty please with a cherry on top go to the bathroom with my friend but take a buddy with me, too?”, I say, “Absolutely not!”–and then proceed to explain that in Spanish class, you need to simplify your thoughts and use words you know: “¡Baño, por favor!” (Bathroom, please!). (Okay, now you can!) Will I have higher expectations (a complete sentence/question) down the road? YES! But in the meantime, let’s start with getting your point across and decreasing the amount of English you are using. If you would like to learn more about translation and interpretation, check out this video HERE. Have a great week!
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THIS WEEK Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Mar. 28th). You got this! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (be observant) This week, focus on being hyper aware and observant when you are out in public: start scanning anything and everything [written] for your target language. I see Spanish everywhere I go. Stuck in traffic one day, I noticed that someone had spelled with their finger on the back [dusty] window of a truck, “Lávame” [‘LAH-bah-may’]. If you don’t speak Spanish, you might not have noticed; but I laughed because it means, “Wash me!”
My t-shirts say, “Hecho en…” (“A-choh-en”/Made in…). The label on a bottle of wine at the supermarket said, “Cielo rojo“, or red sky. The lunch buffet at my grocery store offered, “Ropa Vieja“, which literally means, “old clothes”, but refers to one of Cuba’s national dishes, recipe HERE. The Jeep brand, “Leer” (“lay-air”) means, “to read” in Spanish. When you see a Chevy “Nova”, read it as two words–no va–which means, “doesn’t go” in Spanish (NOTE: that the car sold poorly in Latin America is a legend, but it is still a nice mental check to practice your target language on the go!).
If you are studying another language, you can still keep your eyes peeled. So many signs are translated these days (more on this HERE), and words will jump out at you when you really start looking. This morning, I stopped to ask two people what language they were speaking. (Albanian!) I see Braille everywhere, when I look for it. Fun fact: Did you know that they intentionally made euros different sizes [of bills], so that the blind and visually impaired could tell the difference in value?
If you stay in more than go out, scan your kitchen. Look at the tiny print on products, warranties and instruction manuals, stickers on electronics, phones, directions, etc. I love trying to guess which language(s) I see in translations and hear out in public. If you want an “extra credit” ear exercise for this week, check out this game HERE. You can choose “audio” to guess the language by listening, or “alphabet” to guess what language is written.
Look for the language, and it will find you! As Rumi writes [literal translation], “Anything in search of instant, instant“; or, more poetically, “What you seek is also seeking you“.
Originally, in Persian (aka Farsi): هر چیزی که در جستن آنی، آنی
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THIS WEEK Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Mar. 7th). You got this! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (resources + personality) This week, visit your local library and take some time to see what language-learning resources are available. I would highly recommend checking out the children’s foreign language section, along with the 400’s (Language) in the adult section, and also DVD’s, CD’s (#OldSchool!), and audiobooks for your target language. Be a Word Detective and scan the children’s books for words you know, not words you don’t. They will jump out at you! I checked out some audiobooks for German (Pimsleur) once for fun, and they were so much fun to listen to and repeat aloud, both intentionally and randomly.
Repeating words aloud allows you to get a sense for the feel, character, and personality of a language. For example, when I repeat a word, it helps me to get into the character of that language. Not only does your language have its own personality, but you also have a slightly different personality with each language you speak: that said, do not shy away from a ‘you’ that is more bold, or less so, in your target language. I tend to be more introverted in English and more extroverted in Spanish, while German feels strong and robust: I may not know what I am saying, but I will be confident, that is for sure–ja, voll! What personality traits does your new language bring out in you? What does it feel like?
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THIS WEEK Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Feb. 28th). You got this! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (the process) Here is a motivational quote by the Hungarian hyperpolyglot, Kató Lomb:“We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly. If someone knows how to play the violin only a little, he will find that the painful minutes he causes are not in proportion to the possible joy he gains from his playing. The amateur chemist spares himself ridicule only as long as he doesn’t aspire for professional laurels. The man somewhat skilled in medicine will not go far, and if he tries to trade on his knowledge without certification, he will be locked up as a quack doctor.
Solely in the world of languages is the amateur of value. Well-intentioned sentences full of mistakes can still build bridges between people. Asking in broken Italian which train we are supposed to board at the Venice railway station is far from useless. Indeed, it is better to do that than to remain uncertain and silent and end up back in Budapest rather than in Milan.” (POLYGLOT: HOW I LEARN LANGUAGES– book in PDF, by Kató Lomb)
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THIS WEEK Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Feb. 21st). You got this! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (the process) When friends or relatives hear that you are learning a foreign language, the first question they invariably ask is, “What can you say?” Unfortunately, and although usually well-intentioned, this is the wrong question. As you stammer and mutter about what you are learning, instead of producing actual language, mortification settles in and you ask to be excused. What a pity, right? You know you are learning, but you can’t say anything.
Stop for a second now and think about how you learned language as a baby. Did anyone ask you on Day #1 what you could say? What about Day #200? If you are the student, give yourself a break. Babies must hear a lot of language before they begin speaking; the same is true for you.
Likewise, if you know someone who is learning a new language, give them a break. Show your enthusiasm and encouragement, but avoid pressuring them to produce language. Keep in mind that the emotional connection grows deeper and more profound as you grow older (and spend more time with a language). The same is true in your native tongue. You gain more insight and knowledge of cultural nuances every day. Check out the chart below to see what you’re “up against”. And see HERE if you are really interested in the topic.
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THIS WEEK Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Feb. 14th). You got this! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard. Extra: Have you ever wondered what is one of the most difficult words to translate? If so, check out THIS video. Fascinating!
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (a conscious effort) This week, use your target language as much as possible, wherever you go. Make it a game. Are you waiting in line? At the mall? At the grocery store? Online waiting for a website to load? In a traffic jam? Train your brain to use those ten second blips of nothingness to be productive and stay mentally active.
Try to remember a word or phrase–or several–in the target language while you are waiting. A minute here or there will prove much more effective in long-term retention than an hour or two of studying. When your skills begin to advance, work on translating what you hear in your head. Learning a language might be a challenge, but it should be a fun challenge! Make a conscious effort to incorporate Spanish [or any language you are studying] into your daily life.
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THIS WEEK Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Feb. 7th). You got this! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (motivation) This week, I leave you with a–hopefully inspirational and motivational–article I wrote a while back paralleling Hiking & Hyperpolyglots, the latter being “massive language accumulators”. It is a longer read, but if you are still working on the Duolingo app at this point, it may be of interest. Enjoy!
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THIS WEEK Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Jan. 31st). You got this! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (tech) This week, try changing either A) all of your devices, or B) just your email account to your target language. The time frame is up to you. Want to explore for 10 minutes? Great! Want to level up and keep your device in [Russian/ Spanish/ Greek/ etc.] for a full 24 hours? Awesome! Want to go hardcore and change all of your devices and accounts to your target language for an entire week or more?
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! While there may be a learning curve and some momentary frustration, so many of the apps and sites we use are pictorial, in the sense that we recognize and click on things based on the image, and not the word. How many brands do you know just by their icon? (Extended discussion- how many acronyms can you list? Zoikes! Language is constantly evolving!)
TECH- Not sure how to change the language? For Gmail, go to “Settings” – “General” tab – and “Language” is at the very top. For iPads, go to “Settings” – “General” – and scroll to “Language and Region”.
NOTE: If you are switching to a language that does not have the Roman alphabet, make sure to write down somewhere how/where you changed the language; otherwise, it can be a headache to switch back to English. Every device is a little different, but it is always somewhere around “Settings” and “Language”.
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THIS WEEK Earn 20 XP on the app before next Monday (Jan. 24th). Easy peasy! Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard. Note that the order has changed significantly.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (math) If you have learned the numbers 0-20 in your target language, try playing with them out of order and using the digits in context. It is fun to be able to count to ten or twenty in a language, but if you can’t identify “seven” outside of that memorized sequence, it is ultimately not very useful information.
Instead, practice counting backwards; practice skip counting (2-4-6-8-10; or 10-8-6-4-2; or 1-3-5; etc.); count your change; look at license plates when you are at a stoplight; look at a digital clock and say the numbers that you see in your head (or aloud); look at prices in the grocery store and say those numbers. If this is too much to handle initially, pick a number, like seven, or “siete” (“see-EH-tay”) in Spanish, and focus on that: whenever you see a seven anywhere, say “siete” in your head. The goal is to make the language you are learning useful.
OTHER Thanks to all of you who kept working on the app, even without my weekly emails. For those of you who took a break (like me!), it is a new year and time to get back into the routine. Remember your reason for studying your target language, and if you don’t have a strong one, think about that this week. The stronger the reason, the more likely you will stick with your study. You can always “update” your reason at any time, too.
For example, I used to want to learn Russian so that I could talk with my ballroom dance hero, Yulia Zagoruychenko, in her native tongue when I met her at a competition; however, I never made it to the world finals:) […that she won], so my reason and motivation for learning Russian needed to be updated at a certain point.
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Extended:) Christmas Break. Work at your own pace or simply enjoy the time off!
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THIS WEEK Earn 30 XP on the app before next Monday (Dec. 13th). Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard.
EXTRA: Click to slide #5 (see link above) to see “where” you are geographically on our XP/kilometer map. Click on the “Instagram” pics to read more.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (linguistic production) Many of you have been working consistently on the app for at least six weeks now, and hopefully you feel like you are making progress. That said, it can be frustrating during the language-learning process when you understand your target language, but are not yet producing it. My students and I play a game when they have “center work” [directed free play] during Spanish class. Here, we have “off limits” words, meaning that there is a common pool of vocabulary that everyone knows, and whenever you are speaking freely in English, you must replace said English words with the Spanish. You are “charged” fake pesos (and/or “Spanish taxes”) if you break the rule and say, for example, “money” in lieu of “dinero“.
For children, it is a game to hold everyone accountable; for adults, it is simply forcing yourself to be hyper-aware of the thoughts and words you use. In the previous sentence, for instance, I have learned children (дети), you (ты), and words (слова) in Russian on Duolingo. So as I am typing, I am replacing those words in my head with the equivalent in Russian. When I am talking with others or listening to the radio, I monitor and translate in my head as much as possible. It can be an interesting exercise to note which words or phrases you hear yourself using regularly in your native tongue. (And if you don’t know how to say those words/phrases, start looking them up!)
Point being, try not to compartmentalize your language study: include it in all parts of your life. When you do so, the linguistic output will come faster and more naturally. You have to train yourself more consciously as an adult learner. As a final note, consider that a baby listens to language for nearly two years, 24/7, before producing any intelligible language. By comparison, what percentage of your week are you working on the app? Patience, my little grasshoppers!
DUOLINGO (specific tips) TIP #1- try to limit yourself to working on three “circles” at a time, until you reach the gold or purple (Legendary) level. If you skip around too much to other units, the app will start testing you on things you haven’t actually learned yet.
TIP #2- If you are learning Spanish on the app, I have received excellent reviews from adults for the “audio” and “live” lessons. These are not available in all languages yet, as far as I can tell- but if you see those tabs near the bottom of your screen, be sure to check them out.
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THIS WEEK Earn 30 XP on the app before Monday, Dec. 8th. See your place on the leaderboard on the slides above (click to slides 2-5).
EXTRA: In case you haven’t yet, explore the area “where you are traveling to” by clicking on the outlined “Instagram” pictures above (click on the leaderboard link if the slides don’t load). We are equating XP with kilometers, on a yearlong journey through all of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. Each color corresponds with a Duolingo league.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (syntax/grammar) Hopefully, you have started to establish a language-learning routine. If you took a break this past week, now is the time to return, renewed, refreshed, and rejuvenated! The challenge during this busy season will be sticking with the habit of studying your language on a regular basis, despite the myriad distractions around us. As I’ve mentioned before, try to “pair” your language-learning habit with something else you do every day; that way, you will be more likely to stick with it.
When you do this, the race has truly begun. After a few dozen times around the track (metaphorically speaking), you will begin to notice oddities, or so-called quirks in your target language. Many of these will fall in the category of syntax–the arrangement of words and phrases in language; or, how language is organized–that differs from your native tongue. “Juice of orange/jugo de naranja” instead of orange juice (Spanish); “I doctor/Я доктор”, instead of “I am a doctor” (Russian); “Electric brain/电脑“, instead of “computer” (Mandarin Chinese). You may not be here yet, but when you arrive, try to be flexible in your thinking. “We” are not any more right than “they” are. This is where the beautiful flower of language begins to blossom!
The “tip” this week is just to think about how things are organized… your physical surroundings, your thoughts, language, the world (?!). Do you think your language shapes or influences how you think? (Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis)
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Thanksgiving Break. Work at your own pace or simply enjoy the time off!
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THIS WEEK Earn 50 XP on the app before Monday, Nov. 29th (after break). See your place on the leaderboard on the slides above.
EXTRA: Explore the area “where you are traveling to” by clicking on the outlined “Instagram” pictures above (click on the leaderboard link if the slides don’t load). We are equating XP with kilometers, on a yearlong journey through all of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. Each color corresponds with a Duolingo league.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (cartoons, radio) This week, it is time to expand our horizons: listen to your target language for five minutes on something outside of the app (e.g.Pocoyo cartoons, radio, internet, podcast, YT channels, etc.). When you listen to the target language, the idea is to become accustomed to hearing a bullet train of unintelligible sounds pass you by at the speed of light (squared), and simply enjoy the cadence and rhythm. Relax. As the days pass, your brain will begin to pick up on details and cognates (words that sound similar in English), and do a lot of subconscious work. If you studied your target language in school at some point, you might begin to recall vocabulary from a lifetime ago, or distinguish between accents from different countries. Duolingo will build your vocabulary phrase by phrase; listening to the target language will train your ear.
Last but not least, remember that, “We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly” (-Kató Lomb, hyperpolyglot). Keep up the excellent work!
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This will be the last email to everyone regarding the Duolingo Language Challenge. After today, only those of you in my “virtual classroom” will receive these updates, so as not to clutter your Inbox. If you would still like to participate and are not sure how or haven’t gotten around to it yet, feel free to reply to this email.
NOTE: The invitation to join is always open, but it will be increasingly more difficult to compete against the top point-accumulators the longer you wait!
THIS WEEK Earn 30 XP on the app before next Monday (Nov. 15th). Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard. Due to the high interest, there are now four leagues (slides 1-4). EXTRA: Read the “For Fun” section below.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (music) Spend 5-10 minutes searching for some music in the language that you are learning (with a beat you like). You can look up what the lyrics mean right away, or just focus on enjoying the foreign sounds. If your language has characters or a different alphabet, check out THIS PAGE for a little help getting started. Finding new music to add to your playlists is always fun!
FOR FUN In other news–and to make this challenge more interesting–we are going to equate the number of XP you have earned to the number of kilometers on an imagined hike through all of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. The links below are just to get a taste and feel for what these places are like. There is no extra work required, but don’t blame me if you end up buying a plane ticket!
If you have earned between 0 and 839 XP, then you are traveling from Ushuaia, Argentina to Torres del Paine, Chile. If you have earned between 840 and 2503 XP, then you are en route to Futaleufú, Chile. If you have earned between 2504 XP and 3925 XP, then you are en route to Santiago, Chile (link next week- feel free to explore the others in the meantime). Keep up the excellent work!
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Every evening, we go to bed, satisfied that our Duolingo XP place on the leaderboard is safe and sound. We have worked hard, and it shows. Every morning, we discover that someone has passed us.
First, kudos to everyone participating in the Duolingo Language Challenge. I had NO IDEA (*cue fireworks*) that you all were so competitive! This is amazing!! I am studying Russian and trying to stay ahead of everyone, but wow!! All I can say is thank you for keeping me on my toes and at the top of my game! Please note that I will start sending these emails to only those participating in the very near future, but I wanted to email everyone for a few weeks so that anyone who wanted to participate could. See below for instructions on how to join.
THIS WEEK Earn 20 XP** on the app before next Monday (Nov. 8th). If you are connected to my classroom, you should have received an email with this “assignment”. If you did not, be sure to turn on notifications.
Check out THIS LINK to see your place on the leaderboard (slides 1, 2, & 3). There are three leagues now: gold, silver, and bronze.
**NOTE: This will bump up to 50 XP very soon, but right now I am basing it on what students can handle, and we keep missing classes due to the half days and whatnot, so 20 XP is the bare minimum for now.
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (talking aloud) Start talking to yourself outloud in your target language. No, but seriously! One of the biggest stumbling blocks in language-learning is fear: fear of being wrong, fear of embarrassing yourself, fear of sounding silly, fear of making mistakes. When you are learning another language, all of these fears are legitimate. But they are also INEVITABLE. You are going to fail, and sound silly, and be wrong, but THAT IS OKAY!
As your Language Coach, I want you to be wrong. I want you to make mistakes. Not because I am a mean old grinch, but rather because this is how we grow and learn at an accelerated pace. When you practice talking to yourself outloud in your target language, you stop worrying about feeling self-conscious and you start playing with the language–its sounds, its quirks, its cadence, its syntax. Once you get over the ‘this is super awkward, why is maestra telling us to do this?‘ stage, your confidence will begin to soar. And when it is time to talk with a native speaker in a real conversation, you won’t think twice about it.
If you’re really unsure about the whole talking-to-yourself thing, leave yourself a few post-its in the target language around your house with Duolingo words and phrases, and read them aloud when you see them. The bathroom mirror is ideal. Let Language stare you in the face every morning!! 🙂 Keep up the excellent work!
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The Duolingo Language Challenge is picking up speed. I have already spoken with many parents and faculty interested in joining this friendly competition. Thinking about everyone beginning a language-learning journey and working towards a common goal is motivating in itself, but I will also try to share a few tips or pieces of advice every so often, to help keep you–and me!–on track.
THIS WEEK Anyone who has connected to my Duolingo class for parents/faculty was given an “assignment” this week: earn 20 XP (points) on Duolingo. This is about 5 minutes of study for the entire week. Easy! Turn on notifications on Duolingo if you did not receive the email. If you have not connected to my classroom and would like to, please email me!
LANGUAGE-LEARNING TIP (routine) Pair something you do every day–such as brushing your teeth–with your new language routine. For example, do one lesson on Duolingo (3 minutes) after you brush your teeth each morning. If you forget in the morning, well, you brush your teeth at night, too, right?! Combining a habit with another one you already do regularly will make it much easier to incorporate into your [presumably] busy schedule. As Coach would say, “YOU’VE GOT THIS!!”
INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE: Why I Taught Myself 20 Languages Many thanks to all those who have expressed interest and to those already participating. I am SO excited!
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Students in third and fourth grade are beginning to work on Duolingo, a language-learning app. They will be assigned a certain number of points, or “XP”, to earn each week; whatever amount they do not complete in class will be homework. The goals are for:
1) students to work at their own [accelerated] pace–there is a minimum baseline requirement for each week, but beyond that, the sky’s the limit; and 2) to keep chugging away at the language, a little bit at a time. Working for five hours one day and then not doing anything for five weeks is not ideal–it is much better to work at it 5 minutes a day for 5 weeks.
Anyway, I am extending an open invitation to all faculty and families who have ever had “learn a language” on their bucket list. If you would like to study a language, “compete” with students, and/or simply need a little extra motivation to keep with your study, you can sign up at duolingo.com and join my “teachers/parents” class with the progress sharing code (in your email).
This challenge is open to ALL families and faculty members. I am hoping even for three of you to sign up–students will get a kick out of competing with adults!! Oh… and any language is game here. Students will study Spanish, but I am only comparing the number of points you earn on the app, so choose the language that interests you most! Have a lovely day!
NOTE: The colors on the leaderboard correspond to Duolingo leagues- [bronze], silver, gold, sapphire, ruby, emerald, amethyst, pearl, obsidian, diamond.
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before Thursday (May 26th). You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
I have never led a Duolingo parent/adult class before (at least not formally with an XP classroom), so this was a first for me. I hope that this year has proven fruitful for at least some of you, despite my inconsistent posts. If anything, I think that developing the habit of working on an app reinforces 1) how much of a journeylanguage-learning really is, and 2) how much motivation matters.
Perhaps it makes more sense to you now that I should want my [Lower School] classes to be “exciting” and “fun” and “novel”: you see, I know how long the road to proficiency/ fluency is, and I know that students will need a backpack of motivation and some serious inspiration to get them where they want to go. It is easy to start off like a rocket; but language-learning is not a sprint: you can’t train for 14,000 Ironman marathons in only one or two nights! It doesn’t quite work that way. We need to build the habit, and then somehow push ourselves to keep going.
As adults, this doesn’t really change all that much. We have jobs and dishes and laundry and bills and grocery shopping and kids running all over the house and appointments and soccer games and this and that and the other; maybe we started out very competitively in the fall and then our sprint fizzled out and we abandoned the app. But let’s be honest: if we really want to accomplish a goal, we have to make it a priority. And a habit. And we have to have a serious reason and motivation for doing so. Why is this important to you? If your “why” is lukewarm, it is unlikely that you will accomplish said goal, or at least you will not reach your goals on the original timeline.
It may seem like I am babbling on like a brook here, but my final language-learning tip of the year is, simply, a question: Why are you trying to learn another language? What is your reason? Mine can be summed up by the following quote, which I have shared before, but absolutely love. If you have learned a lot this year, or only a little, know that it has been time well spent, and that you can always revisit it when you are ready. Have a wonderful summer, and see you in the fall!
Here is a motivational quote by the Hungarian hyperpolyglot, Kató Lomb:
“We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly. If someone knows how to play the violin only a little, he will find that the painful minutes he causes are not in proportion to the possible joy he gains from his playing. The amateur chemist spares himself ridicule only as long as he doesn’t aspire for professional laurels. The man somewhat skilled in medicine will not go far, and if he tries to trade on his knowledge without certification, he will be locked up as a quack doctor.
Solely in the world of languages is the amateur of value. Well-intentioned sentences full of mistakes can still build bridges between people. Asking in broken Italian which train we are supposed to board at the Venice railway station is far from useless. Indeed, it is better to do that than to remain uncertain and silent and end up back in Budapest rather than in Milan.”
My Dear Friends, Fellow Linguists, and Citizens of the World:
Summer is a great time to get out of the routine — to refresh and reenergize the mind, body, and spirit. That said, parents frequently ask me what they can do at home to supplement their child’s language study, particularly during the summer months and if they don’t speak the language themselves.
Before getting started, it is important to recognize that reaching a level of true proficiency in a language takes time. As a result, I strongly urge you to make sure that any enrichment activities you do at home are more fun than not: language-learning is a joyous process, and motivated, excited kids will accomplish more than you ever thought possible when they want to do something.
Second, in lieu of babbling on for ninety-seven more paragraphs, I am going to give you a roadmap to my website, so that you can find and explore exactly what you are looking for. If you need an actual roadmap/ travel guide and are planning to visit a Spanish-speaking country, check out THIS PAGE (my latest project, still in its infancy!).
Part 1: Resources
Not sure what your child learned this year in Spanish class? Check out the following links! Each page has resources by grade level of songs/ projects your child has worked on in Spanish class, as well as Quarter Summaries of the year.
To read about my professional interests, click HERE.
Part 2: Language
Input is absolutely CRUCIAL here! If you don’t hear any Spanish, it is very unlikely that you will learn how to speak it. This input can come in countless forms. You can do the same activity every day (e.g., wake up and listen to ONE song in Spanish before breakfast); or keep it fresh, mix it up, and do something different every day. Either way, build the language into your daily routine, so that something feels “off” when you don’t do it. This input can be:
listening to songs, either playing in the background on your device while you do another task, or actively listening for words you know;
watching cartoons/movies or TV shows in your target language (Spanish voiceover with English subtitles);
playing a scavenger hunt out in public, noticing bilingual signs and Spanish translations when you go shopping;
traveling to the library to check out the world language section (go to the kid’s one! the adult one is full of grammar books! boring!! LOL);
traveling virtually —
for a playlist of Scholastic read-alouds in Spanish, click HERE;
for fairy tales in Spanish and English, click HERE;
traveling in real life, either to a Spanish-speaking country or to a restaurant or city with a lot of Spanish speakers.
Part 3: Culture
A friend once taught me that you don’t just learn to speak a language, you also have to learn to speak the culture. Bilingual speakers (and hyperpolyglots, of course) do not merely code-switch; they also culture-switch when bopping between languages. To that end, students can expand their perspective taking in countless ways, including but not limited to the following:
All students can try new foods, either by making homemade recipes or visiting ethnic restaurants;
Wow! There are so many pieces that go into learning another language and culture! If you are looking more for themed activities, feel free to check out the Spanish Summer Packet from last year, LINK HERE.
And if your family would rather focus on, well, Family!, know that as in past years, all activities above are 100% optional. Have a wonderful summer, and I can’t wait to see you in the fall!
This term, students in fourth grade began with a fútbol/ soccer unit. Here, the focus is on creating a Spanish-only environment and immediate application of key phrases in meaningful contexts (e.g., Por acá/over here; pásala/pass it; soy portero(a), soy arquero(a)/ I’m goalie; ¡apúrate!/hurry up!; casi/almost; hace mucho calor/it’s really hot; no manos/no hands; suelo/ground; ¿Qué?/What?; Yo dije…/I said; agua/water. On several “Facepaint Fridays”, students even decorated signs with their last names and favorite numbers [to pin on their jerseys], and painted their cheeks with the colors of the flag of the Spanish- speaking country they were “playing for” that day.
When someone fell into a bush and an angry swarm of bees emerged, however, the soccer unit ended quite abruptly and we moved into the meat and potatoes of the curriculum: The Fourth Grade Spanish Play. Students not only helped to create the plot this year, but they also underwent a realistic auditioning process to act in said production. From Spanish forms and paperwork, to bio summaries and nerve-wracking auditions and casting–all of which took place in the gorgeous Teatro Colón [theater] in Argentina–it was a fantastic first quarter!
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This term, fourth graders buckled down and got serious about their play (SCRIPT HERE). They focused on memorizing their lines in Spanish; facing the audience; being intentional about gestures and movements onstage; and syncing up what the actors were doing with what the narrator was saying. Once this was all in progress, they started playing with their lines, by adding more dramatic expression and working on proper intonation.
As new scenes unfolded, students would learn cultural tidbits and then resume rehearsals. For a full summary of the plot, as well as an explanation of word plays and cultural references (e.g., Don Quijote), please visit THIS PAGE. The abbreviated version of the plot goes as follows: this is a play within a play about two best friends, “Pato” and “Oso”, who travel to Peru; meet Ariana Grande and her dog Fluffy, along with an alpaca named Mr. Hashbrown; and turn many “problems” into solutions along the way.
Fourth graders also continued work from last year–playing the “Guess the Language” game to help with “ear training”, as well as working on the Duolingo language-learning app. With the latter, they tried to correlate the number of XP earned with kilometers on a route through South America and Spain (El Camino). Their first goal marker was a beautiful national park in Chile, called Torres del Paine (silver); their second goal, Futaleufú Rafting (gold); and so on and so forth. This geographic parallel fit in nicely with a map review from last year, wherein students jump on and name all 21 of the Spanish-speaking countries. To clarify, this work was supplementary to the main focus of their class play.
3
This term, fourth graders put the final touches on their class play. Next, they worked on props and costumes, and edited their cast bios for the official program pamphlet. While the full-circle goal of the soccer unit was to have the audience watch a “World Cup” pre-recorded game (of students) during the play’s intermission, numerous student absences and a shortened timeline (due to testing) did not allow for that this year. That said, a pre-recorded “halftime show” featuring fourth graders’ talents outside of school–gymnastics, cheer, dance, football, soccer, etc.–was featured instead.
The play itself was an absolute success! But perhaps–from an educator’s perspective–the real wins have been noted in the day to day, in the process: two weeks after the play, students were still reciting their lines, but in completely different contexts now, wherever they happen to fit in. They say them relaxed and off the cuff; now that the pressure is off, they can play with the language and take true ownership.
4
This term, fourth graders began preparing for Middle School Spanish. Here, students recorded words and phrases they knew in their class notebooks; discussed several grammatical points; reviewed the 21 Spanish-speaking countries; worked pretty consistently on Duolingo (weekly XP metas/goals) and Spanish Wordle (or All 64 Wordles for fluent speakers); were introduced to Quizlet; and, most importantly for one class, played Comida-bol, which is a non-existent Spanish word and fake sport invented by Pato. It is not actually a fake sport, but rather a misunderstanding; you see, Pato thought that fútbol/soccer was “food-ball”, which quickly morphed into “Comida-bol” (comida means ‘food’ in Spanish), and basically he thought that it was a good idea to play soccer with raw eggs. Ahem. #TimeOutForPato.
Long story short, students now employ the beginning of the year soccer vocabulary, but kick around a plastic canteloupe instead. HA! When they tire of the sport (uncommon), they take out dinero/money at the banco/bank and then stop at the class “café” to purchase randomly priced items in pesos (and/or buy boletos/tickets to visit the “rainforest”). Typical conversation as follows:
ME: Which country is this again? STUDENT: Cuba! ME: And how many pesos are you charging for this coffee? STUDENT: 10! ¡Diez!
[I walk away to the board, pull up the currency converterand discover that 10 Cuban pesos is equivalent to 42 cents.
ME: YEEHAW! What a deal! STUDENT (on the other side of the room): “No, wait, I meant 1000 pesos!!”
Fourth graders also reviewed and acted out the history of Cinco de Mayo in Mexico, after which they learned how to cook plantain chips in class–to celebrate the impossible becoming possible! (Mexican victory over the French)
This term, students in third grade began with a fútbol/ soccer unit. Here, the focus is on creating a Spanish-only environment and immediate application of key phrases in meaningful contexts (e.g., Por acá/over here; pásala/pass it; soy portero(a), soy arquero(a)/ I’m goalie; ¡apúrate!/ hurry up!; casi/almost; hace mucho calor/it’s really hot; no manos/no hands; suelo/ground; ¿Qué?/ What?; Yo dije…/I said; agua/water. If anything, shouting Spanish as opposed to merely speaking it certainly builds confidence!
When the skies decided to downpour during Spanish (¡tormenta!/storm!) and fútbol was not an option, students worked on gesture-telling legends from Spanish-speaking countries (AIM methodology). Here, third graders repeat lines and associate a gesture or movement with each word or phrase in a story. The first legend was from Cuba and about a mouse that knew how to bark. The second legend was from Peru and had to do with a haunted house and gold treasure.
In-between soccer and legends, the curriculum touched upon a few cultural points of interest. Third graders took time to learn about endangered languages (Peru); tapas, Spanish omelettes/tortillas españolas, and ‘señoras’ (Spain); and Catatumbo Lightning(Venezuela). Gracias for a great term!
2
This term, students continued playing soccer, but kept adding to the daily routine, which included reading aloud the Padre Nuestro (“Our Father”) prayer before games; watching the Chócalas, gatito video; and more vocabulary and music (esp. Que Viva España/long live Spain!).
As the weather shifted, third graders likewise shifted to indoor activities, which included playing a challenging “Guess the Language” game to help with “ear training”. Later, students began working on the Duolingo language-learning app, trying to correlate the number of XP earned with kilometers on a route through South America and Spain (El Camino). Their first goal marker was a beautiful national park in Chile, called Torres del Paine (silver); their second goal, Futaleufú Rafting (gold); and so on and so forth. This geographic parallel fit in nicely with a map review from last year, wherein third graders jump on and name all 21 of the Spanish-speaking countries.
Third graders also transferred relevant soccer vocabulary phrases into center work stations from last year. A big hit for Lower School was THE TRAIN: students studied a [real] map of the metro system in Madrid, and pushed their classmates around the room on my tables [with wheels], stopping at various locales (el supermercado/supermarket; el banco/ bank; la fábrica/factory; el cine/movie theater; etc.). To expand upon this, they learned a bit about the extreme railways and train-buses of Bolivia (image below). Finally, students heard a legend about Yerba Mate Tea (Argentina)–the ‘friendship drink’ of South America–and had the opportunity to taste it. Gracias for another great term!
3
This term, third graders learned how to Salsa dance. This is a highlight of the third grade Spanish curriculum, and this year’s class was truly outstanding: not only did students absolutely master the basic step, they were also able to dance it to the beat, with a partner, without looking at their feet, and even with a turn/spin–bravo! Students discussed and demonstrated how both the music and steps differed from the Tango (Argentina), which they had learned in second grade.
Due to their strong enthusiasm for Salsa dancing, the class continued with center work so that those who wanted to continue dancing, could; and those who didn’t, could “sign up for” and pursue other projects. The overarching idea here is that students use a common pool of working vocabulary to communicate in spontaneous linguistic interactions; they search out opportunities to use the language in meaningful contexts. This can be very challenging for some students, and less so for others, depending on their own personal comfort level with the language, and willingness to take [linguistic] risks during class time.
Meanwhile, students also learned about the cultural references in the fourth grader’s Spanish play [e.g., Don Quijote (Spain); Rainbow Mountain (Peru); Amazon River (Peru)]; saw the live performance; and began to get excited for their own play next year! They continued working on the Floor Map and played a card game called Mano Nerviosa to practice isolating numbers out of order. It was an exciting quarter!
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This term, students in third grade started rehearsing for a Spanish News Show (las noticias/ the news). They added new lines each day, working to dramatize the parts and find a balance between silly and witty. The end result was overly dramatic and quirky, to say the least, but students had great fun with it and created memorable lines (quiero ir al parque/I want to go to the park; ¡no puedes hacer eso!/you can’t do that!; seguridad/security; está nublado/it’s cloudy).
They also tried their hand at the Spanish Wordle; continued working on Duolingo from time to time; and discussed various cultural differences: from money conversions (dollars to pesos), meal times (siesta), weather forecasts (Fahrenheit to Celsius), and time zone differences, to the 24-hour clock (aka military time) and distances (feet to kilometers)–plus the LANGUAGE itself!–there are so many pieces that go into learning another language and culture. Third graders also reviewed and acted out the history of Cinco de Mayo in Mexico, after which they learned how to cook plantain chips in class–and ate them, of course, to celebrate the impossible becoming possible! (Mexican victory over the French)
This term, second graders began the year with a town simulation. Here, students pretend to live in a Spanish-speaking country, and proceed to create businesses/jobs within that structure. Authentic realia and brands are referenced (Mercadona:Spain:: Publix:United States:: Carrefour: Argentina), and students cut out pesos and eurosto spend to make the experience more realistic. The class discussed how food gets to the grocery store (~farms), and learned that they have to work to earn money: it is not free. Businesses even charged impuestos/taxes! Students practiced writing in the target language by sending me “letters” through the Post Office, complete with stamps from Mexico, Bolivia, Spain, etc. They also took a day to paint huge swaths of color on cardboard boxes, like this town in Colombia.
Partway through September, we began reserving Fridays as “Storytime Days“, where students gesture-told and co-created a silly story in the target language, using the AIM methodology. Our story morphed into a saga, lasting over a month and a half, and was about an evil duck that keeps taking a wolf’s sandwich and eating it. As a result, the wolf cries and cries. (*cue THIS SONG, first eight seconds only- canta y no llores/ “sing and don’t cry”). Last but not least, second graders took a few classes to explore the Fun Spanish app on their iPads, and one day to make and try gazpacho, for La Tomatina. Gracias for a great term!
2
This term, second graders had fun practicing a Halloween rhyme in the target language. In the culture realm, they reviewed La Alhambra(Spain); El Camino(Spain); and street mercados(Argentina/Spain) from last year; and were introduced to the idea of currency conversions, which is an ongoing conversation in second grade (₲5,000 Paraguayan Guaraníes is only $0.72 cents? What?!).
The town simulation continued to evolve as well; however, a new mode of transportation was introduced–the TRAIN!–which spiced things up a bit. Students studied a [real] map of the metro system in Madrid, and pushed their classmates around the room on my tables [with wheels], stopping at various locales (el supermercado/supermarket; el banco/ bank; la fábrica/factory; el teatro/theater; etc.). To expand upon this, they learned a bit about the extreme railways of Bolivia and Argentina.
Linguistically, the beginning of class routine shifted to preguntas/ questions, including but not limited to the following: ¿Cómo estás? (how are you?); ¿Adónde vas? (where are you going?); ¿Qué quieres hacer? (what do you want to do?); and ¿Por qué?/¿Para qué? (why? for what?). Some days, students led as ‘maestro(a)’ (teacher), asking the questions to their peers; other days, the routine included a 2-minute episode of Bluey, where second graders raised their hands when they heard words they recognized. In December, they began reviewing the names of the countries of South America. Gracias for another fantastic term!
3
This term, students worked hard on their Floor Map skills. Here, second graders practice jumping on and naming all 21 Spanish-speaking countries on a gigantic floor map. Each lesson, we add another country or two–and pretty soon, they get pretty good at it! They even sorted the class dinero/money by country, and took ‘boat rides’ from Cuba to Spain [read: me dragging a large piece of cardboard, with students on top of it, from one side of the room to the other]. We played Epic Pirate Battle Music to tie into their regular classroom pirate unit, and had a video of waves splashing in the background to add to the general ambiance.
NOTE: The overarching goal here is to pair memorable experiences with language, so students will pick up vocabulary such as, “Necesito eso” (I need that); or “Boleto, por favor” (ticket, please); or “Quiero ir a España” (I want to go to Spain); or “¿Dónde está la cinta?” (Where is the tape?); or “¿Qué? ¡No comprendo! (What? I don’t understand!) in meaningful contexts.
To make the fábrica/factory more popular, I said that it was a car factory, and brought in small tricycles from the playground to use as coches/cars. Students said, “¡Quiero conducir el coche rojo!” (I want to drive the red car!), and took turns driving, all while listening to this song and stopping to fill up the tank with gasolina/pétrol. Students also started a new class story/saga in Spanish (about a monster named Fluphball who takes a girl’s jacket because he wants to add it to his collection); talked about imports and exports by looking at stickers, tags, and labels to find out where products were made; learned about the cultural references in the fourth grader’s Spanish play [e.g., Don Quijote (Spain); Rainbow Mountain (Peru); Amazon River (Peru)]; heard about tightrope walking and volcano boarding (in Nicaragua); and took a day to learn about the Tango (Argentina). It has been an exciting term!
This term, students in first grade learned about El Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile hike across Spain that their teacher completed a few years ago. Students got their mochilas/backpacks, botella de agua/water bottle, plastic food/comida, and faux currency from Spain (dinero/money), and set out around campus–‘climbing mountains’ (stairs) and drawing shells and arrows with chalk to mark the trail.
Each class, we added something new; for example, people who hike get their Camino passports stamped each night, so we did that one day; another time, students pretended to sleep in their bunks at the hostels (picnic table benches as bunks) with colorful sarapes as blankets. The scene was all too realistic, as one commented, “SHHH! We have to get up early to hike in the morning!” So true! A highlight was the day we talked about how much your feet hurt after 10 hours of hiking a day (for 30 days straight), but that a ‘foot pool’ makes everything better–first graders dipped their toes into a small bucket of cool water to simulate this.
After this introductory unit, students launched into center days–the heart of the curriculum. Here, they sign up for what they want to do each day (Soy __/I’m __. Quiero __/I want to __.), and then, well–do it! Some opted to continue hiking the Camino (caminar/to walk), while others were fascinated by Spanish currency and wanted to cut out bills (trabajar/ work). One week, many chose to ‘fly’ (volar) to different countries with paper airplanes outside. Whatever they choose, we incorporate language and culture into it all.
To make written work more interesting to six-year-olds, we rigged up a pulley system and basket (from the floor to the ceiling) to “send” me letters through the post (correos). Students also learned about Rainbow Mountain (Peru), and made their own tiny pieces of gold, with rocks, gold glitter, and a ton of glue! You can read more about this unit HERE.
Last but not least, Pato also made several appearances, one memorable afternoon being when he was casually floating on a raft in a bucket of water, when there was a STORM!!!! (¡tormenta!). Shhh! Don’t tell: it was first graders and yours truly turning on and off the water faucet! My poor stuffed animals…
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This term, first graders worked on developing a strong routine for their center work, incorporating new vocabulary and sight words each week (pizarras/whiteboards; marcadores/ markers; ¡Ya terminé!/ I finished!; borra, borra/erase, erase; sorpresa/surprise; ¿está aquí?/is she here? [the teacher]). They also chose Spanish names; took turns leading the class as ‘maestro(a)’/ teacher by asking, “¿Cómo estás?” (How are you?) to their peers; started class with a listening activity (¿Puedo ir al baño?/Can I go to the bathroom?; Botas perdidas/Lost Boots; Billy la bufanda/Billy the Scarf; or a 2-minute Bluey cartoon); and ended class with a clean-up song (Cada cosa en su lugar).
A very popular center this term was Train Driving 101 (i.e., Quiero conducir/ I want to drive), where first graders signed up for and then ‘drove’ my tables [on wheels] around the room–passengers (dos pesos, por favor/two pesos, please!), stuffed animal pets, train sound effects on the board, and crayons and coloring sheets to work on while on the train, all included. Speed limits were enforced. And there was definitely a bell.
In the culture realm, students learned all about La Alhambra (Spain), a fort/palace in southern Spain. In case you missed my post, you can read a funny story about this HERE. First graders also began jumping on and naming all 21 Spanish- speaking countries on my gigantic floor map (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia), and took a few days to explore the Fun Spanish app on their iPads.
At this point in the year, many students are comfortable with words such as: Quiero (I want) colorear/to color, patinar/to skate, volar/to fly, limpiar/to clean, construir una fortaleza en España [La Alhambra]/to build a fort in Spain, cantar/to sing, bailar/to dance, hablar en inglés o español/to speak in English or Spanish, tomar el tren/to take the train, conducir el tren/to drive the train, escribir en árabe/to write in Arabic, dormir/to sleep, etc.
3
This term, first graders learned about the cultural references in the fourth grader’s Spanish play [e.g., Don Quijote (Spain); reviewed Rainbow Mountain (Peru); Amazon River (Peru)]. They were especially taken by the Don Quijote song, and wanted to listen to it repeatedly. The class acted out the famous windmill chapter (from the 900-page Spanish novel), with Don Quijote and Sancho Panza as well.
A highlight of the third term was the bullfighting unit. This began quite by chance, when I subbed for library one day and ended up reading The Story of Ferdinand. Students took turns pretending to be bulls and shouting, “¡Olé!” from the sidelines, while listening to Paso Doble music and imagining that they were in Spain. That real people and bulls can be badly injured or killed was not mentioned. Students were more invested in pretending to be toros/bulls, anyway. To read more about this lesson, click HERE!
To move on from the Train Unit, I brought in small tricycles from the playground to use as coches/ cars (¿el coche rojo/ negro /o azul?/ the red, black, or blue car?) that students could sign up to drive around the room (luz roja/ red light; luz verde/ green light). Students said, “¡Quiero conducir el coche rojo!” (I want to drive the red car!), and took turns driving, all while listening to this song on loop. Students definitely know the word coche/car now!
First graders also heard a Spanish read-aloudLa primera luna llena de Gatita (Kitten’s First Full Moon); mastered jumping on and naming all 21 Spanish-speaking countries on the floor map; and worked on conversing more in the target language with one another (student> student, in lieu of only teacher>student). Gracias for another fantastic term!
4
This term, students in first grade layered on more culture to their language study. Here, they learned about molinillos, a wooden tool used to stir chocolate, along with a “cho-co-la-te” clapping rhyme (Mexico); Worry Dolls when there was a massive tormenta/storm one day (Guatemala); and Sawdust Carpets for Easter (Guatemala).
In the linguistic realm, first graders transformed the top of my tables into a ferry (crucero/cruise ship, which conveniently rhymes with dinero/money), complete with a ship bullhorn sound effect. They would shout things like, “¡Espérame! Necesito dinero!” (wait for me! I need money!) as the ferry horn started and students imagined pulling out to sea. Naturally, I put realistic videos of dolphins jumping on the board, so that it seemed like they were actually in the ocean!
The overarching goal here is to pair memorable experiences with language, so students will pick up vocabulary relevant to a variety of simulated situations. Recently, “¡Me encanta!” (I love it!) and “¿Por qué?” (whhyyy?) have been popular phrases amongst students. I will update once more as the year draws to a close.
This term,students in kindergarten began with the same stop/go color game as PK3 & PK4. Here, students whispered “[luz] verde-verde-verde” (green light) and simultaneously tip-toed around the courtyard, gradually increasing in volume and speed to end with “¡[luz] ROJA!” (red light); later, we added azul/blue, at which light we danced (bailamos). Later, classes watched in awe as white spoons–upon being submerged in ice cubes and cold water–turned blue. We extended this color game by balancing ice cubes on spoons, while responding to traffic light command colors at the same time.
While PK3 & PK4 focused on colors, kindergarteners deepened this study by looking at different types of fuerzas/ forces. For example, students smelled identical looking liquids– agua/water and vinegar –and then combined the latter with baking soda and food coloring to see what would happen: a volcanic eruption! (They also covered the opening of the ‘volcano’ with a coffee filter and pretended it was a monster.) Other lessons about forces included: levitating ping-pong balls with a hairdryer; building houses with playing cards; using this Rube Goldberg video to inspire ramp building and cause/ effect scenarios; and hypothesizing about floating and sinking objects.
All of this led to Pato (my stuffed animal duck) fleeing from a [baking soda and vinegar] volcanic eruption to his boat and riding the wildly unpredictable ocean waves. When sharks surrounded the vessel, students and all present stuffed animals pretended to be pirates; telescopes and treasure maps (tesoro/ treasure; ¡mira!/ look!) pointed them toward an island far away from the scary sea creatures. Of course, it wasn’t too scary, since they made sure to listen to Tiburón Bebé/ Baby Shark and watch Pocoyo: Piratas. The quarter ended by dipping rocks in glue and gold glitter, so that students could make their own “gold” treasure from Peru, grazing over the surface of this project. Much of the first quarter in kindergarten is about building a strong sense of community and fun, with the focus on whole-class activities (esp. science experiments) and mini stories that incorporate key vocabulary.
2
This term, kindergarteners shifted from whole-group lessons to more individualized work, via centers. Here, as with other grade levels, sight words are introduced, around which creative projects begin to form. For example, when students first learned the word, “jugar” (to play/ pronounced: “who-GARR”), they would practice writing the word and then have time to play with the plastic food/ comida and stuffed animals/ peluches in my room, in order to build a memorable experience around the word, “jugar“. When students wanted to use the fake dinero/money, I introduced the idea of street mercados/markets in Argentina, which are also common in many other Spanish-speaking countries.
As the class’ confidence grew, more centers were opened: colorear/to color [culturally relevant images were available here- from Joan Miró artwork and Costa Rican rainforests to pink dolphins in Colombia]; jugar/to play; pintar/to paint [papel/paper]; construir/to build [with dominoes, blocks, cardboard, tape, and blankets; mi casa/my house]; volar/to fly [paper airplanes]; patinar/to skate [slip-slide in socks on floor; remove zapatos/ shoes]; and so on and so forth. It might not sound like much initially, but students get accustomed to hearing their classmates say things like, “Hey, that’s my dinero!” “You have to take off your zapatos to come in mi casa.” “Can I volar to Chile? ¡Gracias!“–and as the center work expands in first and second grade, questions and sentences start falling out of their mouths, sometimes without students realizing it.
Kindergarteners also started learning some of the names and locations of the Spanish-speaking countries in South America on the floor map–namely, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. The second quarter is about building a framework and strong foundation for the future, meaning that we only scratch the surface of culture early on, but students do begin hearing country names and associating them with the Spanish language.
3
This term, kindergarten continued adding more centers and sight words to their repertoire (dependent, of course, on L1 skills), and also learned the remainder of the Spanish-speaking countries in South America (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela). Students had fun hitting the DOOR of my classroom whenever we said, “Ecuador” (“eck-wah-DOOR!”).
The extension this quarter–in Spanish class we are always spiraling ideas and adding more–was a story about a cute little teacup pig (named Rosie in one class and Mr. PigglyAirplane in the other), from whom is stolen four little red boots and a car. Oh my! The enemigo/enemy is the infamous Señor Zapato/ Mr. Shoe who takes everything una noche/one night when it is raining (está lloviendo). Each day, students helped read along with and gesture-tell the story in Spanish. Key phrases and vocab would have “offshoot” lessons, to make words extra memorable. For instance, when the class learns that Mr. Shoe lives in Puerto Rico, we took a day to learn about bioluminescence by playing with highlighters and a blacklight. This quarter was a nice mix of centers and storytelling.
4
This term, students explored more culture, learning about Worry Dolls and Sawdust Carpets in Guatemala, and Chocolate and Cinco de Mayo in Mexico. In fact, for Cinco de Mayo, students got to decorate Sombrero-Piñata Cookies after taking time to act out the history of the holiday in class. The Piggy Story saga continued, and students gained true mastery of the floor map. One day, students took turns reading the story in Spanish to yours truly- wow! While not every student is literate by any means in kindergarten, it is important to expose them to the written word early on.
This term,students in PK began with the same stop/go color game as kindergarten. Here, students whispered “[luz] verde-verde-verde” (green light) and simultaneously tip-toed around the courtyard, gradually increasing in volume and speed to end with “¡[luz] ROJA!” (red light); later, we added azul/blue, at which light we danced (bailamos). The next day, classes watched in awe as white spoons–upon being submerged in ice cubes and cold water–turned blue [temperature activated].
We extended this color game by balancing ice cubes on the spoons, while responding to traffic light command colors at the same time. Students also colored with markers and added different colored ink stamps to their drawings; played a ‘find the color’ game in my classroom; paired action commands with the colors; colored paper airplanes different colors; and tried to do anything and everything we could think of!
In Storytime Land, PK students began hearing mini stories about The Adventures of Pato, my stuffed animal duck. One day, he was so hungry that he tried to ‘eat’ all of my plastic food and fit it inside his sock pajamas (#fail). Another day, he wanted to learn how to fly, so we rigged up a small zipline from one corner of my room to the other, and students took turns letting him ‘fly’. When that didn’t work, he switched to [paper] airplane travel, and flew to the beach for a picnic with his friends. Students even built him a house out of blankets and chairs one day. How sweet! Last but not least, they listened to Rompe Ralph (Wreck-It Ralph) and watched a few cartoons in Spanish (Pocoyo: Tráfico; Perro y Gato: Favoritos) for comprehensible input. It was a great start to the year!
2
This term, after taking time to ease into an immersive classroom experience, PK students practiced acting out daily routines in the language. Here, everyone took turns answering the question, “¿Cómo estás?” (How are you?) by pointing to emoji faces on the board. I narrated and repeated everything they said and did in Spanish–and naturally, as the class caught on to my sense of humor, they would answer, “¡Cansado(a)!” (tired!), so that they could pretend to go to sleep and start “the routine”.
This routine began very simply, with PK students “falling asleep” to a 37-second song, Los Solecitos. The first day, I passed out blankets and stuffed animals to students to cuddle up with, turned off the classroom lights, and sang lullabies in Spanish. I turned on the fairy lights, of course, so as not to frighten anyone. When it was “morning”, I turned back on the classroom lights and gently woke everyone up.
The next day, we added breakfast to the routine. The next day, we added “cars” (coches), in the form of chairs and cardboard boxes, to get to work. But they would break down– cardboard can only take so much– and there was so much traffic, that we decided to take the train instead (i.e., my tables on wheels)! Tickets did cost a little money, but it was worth it. (Read more about PK3 HERE and PK4 HERE.)
Students decided where they wanted to go each day, either la playa/the beach, la playa de noche/the beach at night, la selva/the jungle, or las montañas/the mountains; the links lead to relevant sound effects that I played on the board for each locale. Perhaps one of the most precious, adorable, and memorable moments this quarter was watching students “run away from” the waves at the beach [i.e., the wave video on my board]. For a week or two, the toy store was also open, where students could “buy” stuffed animals to bring to the beach at night and cuddle up with while they listened to Spanish lullabies.
3
This term, students in PK added a Storytime component to their class routine. They also continued expanding upon the daily routine. For example, after taking the train to the jungle and mountains, they would go to the beach at night, fall asleep, wake up for breakfast, practice their good manners at the table while eating [plastic] food (por favor/please; gracias/thank you), pray before the meal, realize that they were all late to school, brush their teeth, run to the car, run back to get their backpacks/ mochilas and lunches, go to school, and listen to the teacher greet them and ask them how they were (review from second term), and then start to gesture-tell a story in Spanish.
Each week, we added a sentence or two to the story, and would do projects or short activities around the vocabulary to ingrain the new words in their minds. The first class story was about a pato/duck, gato/cat, and zapato/shoe, mostly for the fun rhyming, but also because it was key vocabulary in the fourth grader’s Spanish play (that students attended later in the term). The second class story was about a Coquí Frog named Carlos, who discovers a lost fish in his Bread Castle. Yes, students helped to build a bread castle in my classroom. For PK3 and PK4, this was to teach the word pan/bread in a very interactive way; for older classes, it was to teach the country name Panama as a class joke. Click HERE for photos and to read more.
4
This term, students in PK dove headfirst into Culture Projects. In addition to the Coquí Frog and Bioluminescence in Puerto Rico from the third quarter, students also learned about Worry Dolls and Sawdust Carpets in Guatemala, and hammocks and Cinco de Mayo in Mexico. In fact, for Cinco de Mayo, students got to decorate Sombrero-Piñata Cookies after taking time to act out the history of the holiday in class. The following week, students listened to songs from Encanto and learned that the movie takes place in Colombia, which is Spanish-speaking; as a short project, they had fun finger painting like this [extremely talented] street artist from Colombia.
Students also had fun guessing where Pato was each class. To the tune of Frère Jacques, I would sing: Where is Pa-to, where is Pa-to? / ¿Dónde está? ¿Dónde está? ¡Dime, por favor! / ¡Dime, por favor! / Tell me, please! Tell me, please! And then ask follow up questions in the target language: is he in the Bread Castle? In Puerto Rico? In Mexico? His house? Do you think he will be despierto/ awake or dormido/asleep when we knock on the door?
One day, he wasn’t in su casa/his house, and we ended up taking the train (my table on wheels) OUTSIDE and DOWN THE HALLWAY! to the bus station (aka lunch tables near the courtyard), at which point everyone paid for a ticket, and we complained about traffic as yours truly drove the bus and made engine revving sounds, ha! Next, we walked to the parque/park (aka playground), and finally found Pato! In one class, he was in the office playing with his friend the dog [named] Chocolate/el perro Chocolate, and in the other class he was in the marsh grass beside the park; in both instances, he had no idea how to get back to my classroom, so it was good we found him! *No stuffed animals were harmed in this lesson.*
Naturally, Pato being perdido/lost related to our second class story, where a pececito/fish from Mexico gets lost in the Bread Castle which, of course, belongs to Carlos el coquí. (Fish song HERE.) As I write this, I am so sorry that I can’t figure out a way to summarize this more succintly. Somehow this makes sense to students… in Spanish… which is what I speak with them 98% of the time.
Anyway, it has been a truly AWESOME year, and I am so excited by how much Spanish your children are comprehending and producing! Do not worry if they are not speaking it to you (they probably don’t associate you with the language, unless you speak it yourself), but feel free to watch cartoons with them in Spanish and just generally encourage. Your support of the language program is greatly appreciated!
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before Monday (May 2nd). You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
This week, get one of those $0.97 miniature notebooks, and start making lists of words you know in your target language. I am not a huge fan of memorizing vocabulary lists as a teaching methodology, but I do think that it can be a good exercise to reflect (in retrospect) on how much you have learned. You might start thinking, “Oh, I haven’t gotten much out of this app. I’ll never be proficient or fluent.“, but when you sit down and really take a look at all of the progress you’ve made, and all of the words you recognize or can verbally produce–provided you’ve been chugging away at it consistently–it can be astounding! Holy Moses! I do know a lot!
As the [school] year begins to wind down, take a minute after you complete each lesson to record a few words you know in your notebook. You can organize the lists by a separate category on each page–food, travels, etc.–or write them randomly as words or phrases occur to you. Handwriting words uses a different part of the brain than clicking and, IMHO, the more neurons involved, the better! Dr. K, feel free to correct me on this one. 🙂
ASIDES: 1) I recommend a tiny notebook so that it can fit in your purse or pocket and you can bring it with you everywhere; and 2) for a little extra inspiration, check out this article!
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Apr. 11th). You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
This week, you are challenged to try the Wordle game in your target language. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Wordle, you try to guess the [typically 5-letter] word of the day in as few tries as possible.
Instructions: First, search your target language HERE. Programmers around the globe have made it available now in at least 63 languages–amazing! Just click out of the directions, and then try to figure out the word. This changes daily and is challenging, but if my third and fourth graders can figure them out in Spanish, I bet you can, too! Have fun!
Yes, I was that Spanish student who went home and memorized any and every list of vocabulary my teacher gave me. Believe it or not, my nickname in ninth grade was, “Diccionario” (dictionary)! While this system worked for me, I have a slightly photographic memory and enjoy mathematical formulas, so conjugations and the like came more easily than not. This is not to say that I didn’t work hard–because I definitely did–but I would come to class the following day and not understand why my classmates did not even recognize the new words. Or maybe they knew them for the test, but forgot immediately thereafter.
When I became an educator, I remembered those students that had difficulty mastering vocabulary lists and, after learning more about the brain and observing how children process information, decided to eliminate said lists from my classroom.
Families will request from time to time a list of words their child is learning in Spanish class. While I appreciate their interest in the language program, vocabulary lists are just not my style. Students in an immersive environment pick up new words and phrases at different rates and paces. Some speak from day one, while others won’t say anything for months–and then, when you least expect it and have given up all hope, they blurt out a sentence or paragraph. Go figure!
Point being, I want my classroom to be a place where students feel comfortable to take academic risks; the technical term for this is a ‘low-affective filter’. If a [well-intentioned] parent is constantly quizzing their child on vocabulary, many students will start to freeze and clam up, mentally. We are not going for perfection at this point in time–our goal is to communicate basic ideas as efficiently as possible; and I want this process to be as natural as possible. We observe, we quietly assess, we listen, we encourage; but just as with a baby, we don’t pressure students when it comes to linguistic production. They will talk when they are good and ready!
That said, I like lists. I like being organized. And I am extremely interested in what I call linguistic chronology. Generally speaking, we know that babies and toddlers typically say things like, “Mama, Dada, up, down, water, apple” as some of their first words (when learning English, at least). As we are trying to mimic and parallel this natural language acquisition process in my classroom–based on immediate and practical needs and wants–the vocabulary lists I create are constantly evolving.
While I said that I do not send home vocabulary lists, I will give you a glimpse HERE into the type of words and phrases your child is working on. Perhaps the biggest difference here is that they rarely, if ever, see these words in list form; they acquire the vocabulary in meaningful contexts and when working on projects. Moreover, I listen constantly to what students say–to the words they use–and then we take the most practical and versatile phrases and learn the Spanish equivalent.
I know that people–especially language teachers!–can have very strong feelings on this topic, which is fine; but please take a moment to recall your own language learning journey, and whether or not the ‘vocabulary list’ method worked for you and/or your classmates. Are you fluent in another language (from this method)? Are they?
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Apr. 4th). You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
This week, I would like to draw your attention to two very different careers: translation, which is written, and interpretation, which is spoken (read more HERE). Now you are going to choose one of the two and imagine that this is your job. For those of you who settled on translation, pick up a book and try to find at least five words on a page that you know in your target language. Write them down. Look a second time at the same page, and see if you can get close for a few more words.
For instance, you might read, “I would like” and not know that yet; depending on the context, however, this could be simplified to mean, “I like” or “I want” in your target language, which you might remember. Push yourself to find synonyms that could work: you might not know eye shadow yet, but do you know eyes? You might not know delighted, but do you know happy? You might not know truck or vehicle, but do you know car? Train your brain to look for the meat and potatoes of a sentence. When you are learning a language, the goal is to get your point across. It may not be grammatically pretty or as precise as you’d prefer, but if the other person gets the general idea… mission accomplished!
For those of you who chose interpretation, turn on the radio. In your head, listen to spoken English and try to pick out key words that you know in the language you are studying. Say them aloud. Mentally “scan” the sentences you are hearing, and force your brain to search for words you do know. Just as with translation, work on simplifying what you are hearing.
If you had to communicate this to someone, what words do you know that could get the job done? When my students ask, “May I pretty please with a cherry on top go to the bathroom with my friend but take a buddy with me, too?”, I say, “Absolutely not!”–and then proceed to explain that in Spanish class, you need to simplify your thoughts and use words you know: “¡Baño, por favor!” (Bathroom, please!). (Okay, now you can!) Will I have higher expectations (a complete sentence/question) down the road? YES! But in the meantime, let’s start with getting your point across and decreasing the amount of English you are using. If you would like to learn more about translation and interpretation, check out this video below. Have a great week!
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Mar. 28th). You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
This week, focus on being hyper aware and observant when you are out in public: start scanning anything and everything [written] for your target language. I see Spanish everywhere I go. Stuck in traffic one day, I noticed that someone had spelled with their finger on the back [dusty] window of a truck, “Lávame” [‘LAH-bah-may’]. If you don’t speak Spanish, you might not have noticed; but I laughed because it means, “Wash me!”
My t-shirts say, “Hecho en…” (“A-choh-en”/Made in…). The label on a bottle of wine at the supermarket said, “Cielo rojo“, or red sky. The lunch buffet at my grocery store offered, “Ropa Vieja“, which literally means, “old clothes”, but refers to one of Cuba’s national dishes, recipe HERE. The Jeep brand, “Leer” (“lay-air”) means, “to read” in Spanish. When you see a Chevy “Nova”, read it as two words–no va–which means, “doesn’t go” in Spanish (NOTE: that the car sold poorly in Latin America is a legend, but it is still a nice mental check to practice your target language on the go!).
If you are studying another language, you can still keep your eyes peeled. So many signs are translated these days (more on this HERE), and words will jump out at you when you really start looking. This morning, I stopped to ask two people what language they were speaking. (Albanian!) I see Braille everywhere, when I look for it. Fun fact: Did you know that they intentionally made euros different sizes [of bills], so that the blind and visually impaired could tell the difference in value?
If you stay in more than go out, scan your kitchen. Look at the tiny print on products, warranties and instruction manuals, stickers on electronics, phones, directions, etc. I love trying to guess which language(s) I see in translations and hear out in public. If you want an “extra credit” ear exercise for this week, check out this game HERE. You can choose “audio” to guess the language by listening, or “alphabet” to guess what language is written.
Look for the language, and it will find you! As Rumi writes [literal translation], “Anything in search of instant, instant“; or, more poetically, “What you seek is also seeking you“.
Originally, in Persian (aka Farsi): هر چیزی که در جستن آنی، آنی
Yesterday, I subbed for Library class, but got the times mixed up–and consequently, first graders were only able to hear the beginning of a story after checking out books. As I am a huge proponent of reading, I felt it my duty to take some class time today to finish the story, especially as it is pertinent to the Spanish curriculum.
We read The Story of Ferdinand, which takes place in Spain. It is about a very sweet bull/toro named Ferdinand who loves to smell the flowers in the field and has no interest in bullfights. However, the ONE day a group of men come to choose the fiercest bull among the group, Ferdinand sits on a bee, which stings him and, naturally, because of the pain, he goes into a rage.
If you do not know the story, here is a link to a read aloud. I read the book to one class, but there was a boy in the other class who had practically memorized the book (at home), so he read it to us, which was lovely!
Because children are only in first grade and it is a controversial topic, they were only exposed to the following information:
bulls are very large animals;
they run in the streets to the bullfighting arena;
the police set up two layers of VERY heavy duty, wooden fences to keep observers safe;
this takes place in Spain.**
**NOTE: I explained that there is a festival for this each July in Spain (Sanfermines) and there are a lot of people around; but that real people–and bulls–can be badly injured or killed was not mentioned. Students were more invested in pretending to be toros/bulls, anyway.
That said, if you would like to continue this discussion at home, please feel free to watch Ferdinand the movie, or check out THIS PAGE for more information. Tomorrow we will watch this one-minute video (below) about the Paso Dobledance together.
With the aforementioned information, students transformed the Spanish Cave into the streets of Pamplona and a bullfighting ring arena. I also showed the class a picture of the fancy outfit the matador wears, and they took turns pretending to be bulls and shouting, “¡Olé!” (“oh-LAY”), which has a neat history if you like learning about words like me. And yes, I’m going to share the etymology with you. Just because!
“[…] There existed an ancient tradition among many Moors to have great celebrations that included dancing. When a dancer performed at the highest levels of grace and intensity, for that moment, they were believed to be vessels through which Allah was acting, and the moment allowed the witnesses to see a glimpse of Allah’s power through the artist.
So, it was customary for the Moors of Northern Africa centuries ago to exclaim Allah! when a dancer was performing in such an inspired and moving way.”
Spanish and Arabic have a rich linguistic history, so “Allah!” naturally morphed to ¡Olé!” but…
“Somewhere along the course of its long history in Spain, the word Olé lost its connection to Allah, and became a common Spanish exclamation for any situation where human physicality inspires people to cheer, whether it’s a fútbol match, a bullfight, or a Flamenco performance.
In Flamenco, which shares perhaps the most intimate connection to the word’s origin, Olé is not reserved for marking transcendent moments (though it can), it’s really meant to give the dancer energy and encouragement.
No three letter word could capture as much Spanish history as Olé.”
I didn’t go into the history of ¡Olé! with first graders, but thought you might find it interesting nevertheless. Anyway, it was an exciting day!
The Bug.
PART II: Students also heard a quick anedcote about one of our new vocabulary words, confundido(a)/ confused, which is #AbsolutelyTrue and happened yesterday.
In second grade, I was talking with students when all of a sudden, my Google slides started switching and changing, even though I was a good distance away from the touch screen board. Tabs started popping up, as if someone was controlling it remotely.
This was obviously frightening to an educator with young students in the room–what is happening?! what is going to pop up on the screen?–but suddenly someone said, “Look! There’s a bug!” The bug had landed on the board and by ‘hopping around’, was activating the touch screen. The bug even opened up a new tab and played a song from YouTube. Oh my goodness! It was hilarious!
I was very confundida/confused initially, but thankfully, it all worked out and had a good ending.
So anyway, bullfighting and bugs. That’s what you get today!
If you are reading this and a language enthusiast like yours truly, it is likely that you have established some sort of language-learning routine. Now, the race has truly begun. I would like to point out that after a few dozen times around the track (metaphorically speaking), you will begin to notice oddities, or so-called quirks in your target language. Similar to getting to know someone better, you come to appreciate said peculiarities: they enhance the relationship, rather than detract from it.
Many of these linguistic quirks will fall in the category of syntax–the arrangement of words and phrases; or, how language is organized–that differs from your native tongue. “Juice of orange/jugo de naranja” instead of orange juice (Spanish); “I doctor/Я доктор”, instead of “I am a doctor” (Russian); “Electric brain/电脑“, instead of “computer” (Mandarin Chinese). You may not be here yet, but when you arrive, try to be flexible in your thinking. “We” are not any more right than “they” are. This is where the beautiful flower of language begins to blossom.
In addition, there can also be more nebulous types of translations, or even completely untranslatable phrases. Regarding the former, Spanish does not have as many words as English, so one word can encompass numerous meanings and nuances; in English, we might have a more specific term. In fact, I have heard before that Swahili is, by necessity, incredibly metaphorical because it has fewer words than other languages. Spanish has many more words–rough estimates might say around 150,000. Below, see a few more thoughts on the subject:
This is still all comparing apples to oranges, though, because you can only compare the number of dictionary entries, not the actual number of words from one language to another. Consider that, “[Were you one of those people whom we could not make into a Czechoslovak?]” translates as ONE word in Turkish: Çekoslovakyalılaştıramadıklarımızdanmışsınız. Sorry, say what?! German combines multiple words together in the same way, which makes quantifying any of this nearly impossible.
With respect to untranslatable words and along the same lines, komorebi/木漏れ日 (in Japanese) means ‘sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees’; there is no English equivalent. Pisanzapra (in Malay) is the time needed to eat a banana. In case you are interested, Ella Frances Sanders has two books devoted entirely to this fascinating topic. Here is one of my favorite untranslatable words:
Interestingly enough, and while English does not have an equivalent for mångata, Turkish does:
“Yakamoz is that beautiful phenomenon that happens at night when the shimmering moonlight reflects on the water. It also describes the blue, fluorescent glow created by bioluminescent plankton in the water.”
On closer examination, yakamoz would seem to encompass more than the Swedish term, extending to bioluminescence. However, to be fair, I speak neither Swedish nor Turkish, and so cannot know with absolute certainty that the Swedish does not connect or allude to a florescent glow.
Regardless, how deep the ocean of a single word! How utterly magnificent, these layers of language(s)! How incandescently happy the linguist who chances upon them! If could compose an Ode to Language, I would. Until then, be sure to delight in the language learning process, in upside down syntax, in untranslatable phrases, in an ever-expanding linguistic relationship, in devouring sheets of our metaphorical tiramisu language cake.
To read another article about translation, please click HERE.
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Mar. 7th). You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
This week, visit your local library and take some time to see what language-learning resources are available. I would highly recommend checking out the children’s foreign language section, along with the 400’s (Language) in the adult section, and also DVD’s, CD’s (#OldSchool!), and audiobooks for your target language. Be a Word Detective and scan the children’s books for words you know, not words you don’t. They will jump out at you! I checked out some audiobooks for German (Pimsleur) once for fun, and they were so much fun to listen to and repeat aloud, both intentionally and randomly.
Repeating words aloud allows you to get a sense for the feel, character, and personality of a language. For example, when I repeat a word, it helps me to get into the character of that language. Not only does your language have its own personality, but you also have a slightly different personality with each language you speak: that said, do not shy away from a ‘you’ that is more bold, or less so, in your target language. I tend to be more introverted in English and more extroverted in Spanish, while German feels strong and robust: I may not know what I am saying, but I will be confident, that is for sure–ja, voll! What personality traits does your new language bring out in you? What does it feel like?
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Feb. 28th). You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
Here is a motivational quote by the Hungarian hyperpolyglot, Kató Lomb:
“We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly. If someone knows how to play the violin only a little, he will find that the painful minutes he causes are not in proportion to the possible joy he gains from his playing. The amateur chemist spares himself ridicule only as long as he doesn’t aspire for professional laurels. The man somewhat skilled in medicine will not go far, and if he tries to trade on his knowledge without certification, he will be locked up as a quack doctor.
Solely in the world of languages is the amateur of value. Well-intentioned sentences full of mistakes can still build bridges between people. Asking in broken Italian which train we are supposed to board at the Venice railway station is far from useless. Indeed, it is better to do that than to remain uncertain and silent and end up back in Budapest rather than in Milan.”
There are moments in your life when you have to make serious decisions. And then there are moments in your life when the PSA (Professional Stuffed Animals) in your classroom have to make serious decisions.
One of the latter waddled along and had to choose this morning.
Let me explain. You see, students in kindergarten have been working hard to learn all of the names of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. We start in Chile and work our way north, travel a little west to Mexico, sail through the Caribbean, and then fly over to Spain and Equatorial Guinea.
They jump on a “floor map” and say the countries aloud, and we add a new country or two each day. After a while, they get pretty good at it–at which point, I introduce The Timer and we go for both speed and accuracy. Most have mastered South America at this point in the year–Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela–and so recently, we have moved onto the second map, starting with Panama.
This activity is especially challenging for younger children because the majority–understandably–have very minimal background knowledge here; many kindergarteners have never heard the word Mexico before, so they are grappling with a lot all at once (word in English; different pronunciation in Spanish; location on the map; concept of another country; etc.). It is my job to make this information not only accessible, but also memorable to students. Enter Pato, my Professional Stuffed Animal Duck.
Point being, students reached “Panama” on the floor map last class. I love geography and travel, and how we can layer on culture so much more easily when students already have a place in their brains for the names of these Spanish-speaking countries.
Ahem, maestra! F-o-c-u-s! Right. So anyway, Pato started explaining that he LOVES Panama, and when asked why, he proceeded to describe his diet: pan (bread), pan (bread), pan (bread), and more pan (bread). What about special occasions, Pato? ¡Pan y papas fritas! (Bread and french fries.) Oh my.
After a long tangent about how it is pronounced, “pahhhhn” and not “tahhhhn”–ventriloquism requires that certain consonants be slightly mispronounced, so as not to move the lips. P’s become t’s, m’s become n’s, you get the idea.—Pato continued.
“Why do I love it? It’s ‘cuz THERE’S A BREAD CASTLE IN PANAMA!” He was practically shrieking, he was so excited.
“Pato, that’s not true at all.”
“Of course it is. Listen: TAN-ana [read: PAN-ama].” ASIDE: When I split apart the word and read it backwards now, the linguist in me sees, “loves (ama) bread (pan)”, which is quite funny in itself; however, the actual origin of the word Panama is derived from a Guaraní word that means, “the place of many fish”. But we’re not there yet.
Fast-forward to the following day. To the tune of Frère Jacques, I sang: Where is Pa-to, where is Pa-to? / ¿Dónde está? ¿Dónde está? ¡Dime, por favor! / ¡Dime, por favor! / Tell me, please! Tell me, please!
Young ducks require an enormous amount of rest, so it was not unexpected to find him sound asleep in his casa/house [read: a drawer in my desk]. What was unexpected was the stubborn, whiny response at 11:30am: an emphatic, “NO!”
“Pato, everyone is here to see you. You need to get up now. It’s practically noon!” [this was all in the target language] This was the defining moment: a tough decision.
“Mmmfff.” He mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over. Uh-oh.
I motioned to the class to be very quiet, and proceeded to grab a flashcard with the word, “pan” on it. Attempt number two, in a quiet, sing-songy voice.
“Oh Pato, cariño, it’s time to get up now. I made your favorite: pan.”
He rocket-shipped out of bed at the last word. “PAN-PAN-PAN, ¡¡¡¡¿DÓNDE ESTÁ?!!!! I LOOOOOVE PAN! ¡¡¡ME ENCANTA!!!“
Well, that was, umm, #Effective.
Thoroughly convinced that there was more pan hidden somewhere, he followed his nose beak and did, indeed, find a massive stack of high resolution images of pan. Loaves of bread, empanadas, medialunas [croissants], sliced bread, baguettes, Challah, bread rolls, the works.
And so, long story short, we built a BREAD CASTLE for Pato. Ours looked like this:
If you wanted to make your own Bread Castle (castillo de pan) at home, the tiny door route is pretty cool. DuPont Nutrition and Health has proven that any food is game here- you are not limited to pan!
Ultimately, the lesson here is that if Pato hadn’t made the decision to get out of bed, he would not have made an #AwesomeBreadCastle. He also would not have had another important decision on his plate (bad pun, since we’re talking about food, plates…): that is, what exactly do you do with a Bread Castle after you make one?
As I don’t have an answer to the latter yet, we may now conclude with the moral of the story:
So make sure to rocket-ship out of bed in the mornings. You never know what might happen.
NOTE: This post is sponsored by The Non-Existent Bread Castle Company of PAN-ama. Thank you for reading.
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Feb. 21st). You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
When friends or relatives hear that you are learning a foreign language, the first question they invariably ask is, “What can you say?” Unfortunately, and although usually well-intentioned, this is the wrong question. As you stammer and mutter about what you are learning, instead of producing actual language, mortification settles in and you ask to be excused. What a pity, right? You know you are learning, but you can’t say anything.
Stop for a second now and think about how you learned language as a baby. Did anyone ask you on Day #1 what you could say? What about Day #200? If you are the student, give yourself a break. Babies must hear a lot of language before they begin speaking; the same is true for you.
Likewise, if you know someone who is learning a new language, give them a break. Show your enthusiasm and encouragement, but avoid pressuring them to produce language. Keep in mind that the emotional connection grows deeper and more profound as you grow older (and spend more time with a language). The same is true in your native tongue. You gain more insight and knowledge of cultural nuances every day. Check out the chart below to see what you’re “up against”. And see HERE if you are really interested in the topic.
More detailed post about the language-learning process HERE.
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Feb. 14th). You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
This week, use your target language as much as possible, wherever you go. Make it a game. Are you waiting in line? At the mall? At the grocery store? Online waiting for a website to load? In a traffic jam? Train your brain to use those ten second blips of nothingness to be productive and stay mentally active.
Try to remember a word or phrase–or several–in the target language while you are waiting. A minute here or there will prove much more effective in long-term retention than an hour or two of studying. When your skills begin to advance, work on translating what you hear in your head. Learning a language might be a challenge, but it should be a fun challenge! Make a conscious effort to incorporate Spanish [or any language you are studying] into your daily life.
Extra: Have you ever wondered what is one of the most difficult words to translate? If so, check out the video below. Fascinating!
Listen to the Cuban folktale The Barking Mouse below (ends at 4:21). It is in English and Spanish, and a great story!
Traditional children’s song from Cuba. Listen for “gatico (cat), ratón (mouse), & queso/cheese (“K-so”)” in the song.
Leyenda: La ratona que sabía ladrar (Cuba)
Hay una familia de ratones: Papá ratón, Mamá ratona y dos ratoncitos. La familia vive en el campo. Un día, los dos ratoncitos están jugando al fútbol afuera.
Los dos ratoncitos son curiosos y quieren ver al gato. Andan y andan y finalmente, ven al gato detrás de una cerca. El gato se acerca y los mira fijamente.
RATÓN #1: Jajaja, ¡mira sus bigotes! ¡Qué ridículo!
RATÓN #2: ¡Sí! ¡Qué ridículo!
El gato está enojado y trata de saltar la cerca. Pero se cae y los ratoncitos se ríen mucho.
RATONCITOS: Mira cómo temblamos, mira cómo temblamos. ¡Ooooo!
El gato trata de saltar la cerca otra vez. Cuando salta la cerca, los ratoncitos corren a toda velocidad.
RATONCITOS: ¡Papá, mamá, corren, porque el gato nos va a comer!
Los ratoncitos corren, pero la Mamá ratona tiene un plan. Espera. Luego, el gato levanta la pata para atraparla, pero–
MAMÁ: ¡GUAO, GUAO, GUAO! ¡GUAO, GUAO, GUAO!
El gato no la toca y corre de allí muy rápido.
RATONCITOS: Sí, sí, sí, ¡fuera de aquí!
MAMÁ: Chicos, no pueden reírse de las diferencias. Son importantes. Si yo no hubiera sabido ladrar, habríamos estado en el estómago del gato ahora.
El moraleja: Recuerdan que aprender el lenguaje de los demás y respetarlos puede salvarnos la vida.
Legend: The Mouse Who Knew How to Bark
There is a family of mice: Papa Mouse, Mama Mouse, and two little mice. The family lives in the country. One day, the two mice are playing soccer outside.
MICE: Pass it! Over here! Let’s go, eh?! Hurry up! I got it!
MOUSE #1: You know what? I want to play over there.
MOUSE #2: MOM!!!!
MICE: Can we go?
MOM: Well yes, but be careful: there’s a cat.
MICE (together): A cat? What’s that?
MOM: It’s a big animal with whiskers.
The two mice are curious and want to see the cat. They walk and they walk and finally, they see the cat behind a fence. The cat gets closer and stares at them.
MOUSE #1: Hahaha, look at his whiskers! How ridiculous!
MOUSE #2: Yes! How ridiculous!
The cat is angry and tries to jump the fence. But he falls and the mice laugh a lot.
MICE: Look at how we’re shaking, look at how we’re shaking. Ooooh!
The cat tries to jump the fence again. When he jumps the fence, the mice run at top speed.
MICE (together, as they are running): Dad, Mom, run!!!, because the cat is going to eat us!
The mice run, but Mama Mouse has a plan. She waits. Then, the cat lifts his paw to catch her, but–
MOM: WOOF, WOOF, WOOF! WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!
The cat doesn’t touch her and runs away very quickly.
MICE: Yeah, yeah, yeah, get outta here!
MOM: Kids, you can’t laugh at differences. They are important. If I hadn’t known how to bark, we would be in the cat’s stomach right now.
Remember that learning another’s language and respecting them can save your life.
Traditional Children’s Song from Cuba
Listen for “gatico (cat), ratón (mouse), & queso/cheese (“K-so”)” in the song.
Sub plans for language teachers are always a bit tricky. I remember once when I was told that my sub would be Spanish-speaking. Thoroughly delighted, I typed up three pages of plans, all in the target language. Naturally, that particular individual ending up canceling at the last minute, and my new sub wrote, “I don’t understand what this says” at the top of my carefully curated plans. Oh no!
I am not out often, but when I am, I’ve always dreamt of having plans in place, instead of writing them frantically the night before (read: @4am the morning of). How can we, as language teachers, prepare meaningful sub plans well in advance of any absences, planned or not? Keep reading for a few ideas.
READ-ALOUDS
Read-alouds in English are simple plans for Spanish class substitutes who don’t speak Spanish and/or don’t have Internet access in a classroom. Many folktales offer a glimpse into another country and culture, and a carefully curated list can blend seamlessly into and supplement any curriculum, with a little creative thought. NOTE: My books are in the white magazine holder on my desk.
For a playlist of Scholastic read-alouds in Spanish, click HERE;
First, tell students that the book they are going to hear today is a folktale from the [Andes] mountains of Peru. In Peru, most people speak Spanish, but many people also speak another language there called Quechua. (I mention this because in the title of the book, ‘Quwi’ is the Quechua word for ‘guinea pig’; Quechua is spoken by 9-14 million people in South America; zorro means fox in Spanish.)
Next, read the book ZORRO and QUWI. Feel free to take a stretch or brain break part way through if they are getting antsy. I tend to stop and ask comprehension questions throughout a story, as well.
After you read it, see if they can retell the tale going around the circle—everyone gets to say one sentence–or just discuss the tale and ask more questions. What would they change if they had written the story? If you/they don’t want to retell it, students can draw out the story (regular white paper is on the black shelf in the corner of the room).
First, ask [younger] students if they know any words in Spanish. They may offer a lot or nothing at all. You can say that one example is hola. We say hello in English, and in Spanish, we say hola!
Next, explain that Spanish is spoken in many different places around the world. One faraway place is called Spain. The story they are going to hear takes place in Spain. You can use the black outlined map with golden stars on it on the wall (with the fairy lights) to point to our state and then Spain–far across the ocean.
Read The Story of Ferdinand. Read more slowly than not. I tend to speak too quickly and always need to remind myself to slowwwww down!
Read La Mariposa to class (‘mariposa’ means butterfly). Take a stretch break part way through if they are getting antsy. Discuss—how would you feel if you were the main character? I tend to ask comprehension questions throughout a story, as well. The last page has a list of Spanish words and pronunciations.
Knuffle Bunny does not seem to fit in this list of folklore, but the book could launch an interesting discussion about language itself from a more philosophical viewpoint, and how much we rely on verbal communication in our day to day lives. How are Trixie’s attempts to communicate any different than someone dropped in a country whose language s/he does not speak? Does language give us power? What kind(s)? What makes some words “real” and other words not?
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Feb. 7th). You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
This week, I leave you with a–hopefully inspirational and motivational–article I wrote a while back paralleling Hiking & Hyperpolyglots, the latter being “massive language accumulators”. It is a longer read, but if you are still working on the Duolingo app at this point, it may be of interest. Enjoy!
Every year, fourth graders memorize and present a play entirely in Spanish for Lower School students and their families. The play has a completely different plot each year and is based on the adventures of my stuffed animal duck, “Pato“.
Soundtrack
On Thursday, fourth graders performed a play in Spanish about our beloved stuffed animal hero, Pato (Duck). This was a play within a play about two best friends, “Pato” and “Oso”, who travel to Peru; meet Ariana Grande and her dog Fluffy, along with an alpaca named Mr. Hashbrown; and turn many “problems” into solutions along the way.
The “Pato” Play (2021-22)
ACT 1: The Fourth Grade “Pato” Play begins with a director who needs to cast the part of “Pato” (my stuffed animal duck) in a movie, but there is a lot of confusion. The first actor that shows up auditions as a gato/cat, not a pato; the second actor auditions as a plato/plate, not a pato/duck; and then there is a delivery of zapatos/shoes, all of which infuriates the director, since he is in search of someone to play the part of a pato/duck and nothing else. Finally, the REAL “Pato” makes an unexpected appearance–he is a super famous, very cool actor–and everyone is aghast! The director offers him the part and he accepts.
However, the actors that do NOT get the part of “Pato” are disgruntled and will continuously interrupt the show with cultural commentaries and the like, to try and steal the limelight. The play (within a play) begins with Pato/duck and his friend, Oso/bear, galloping on horseback in Peru to [a real place called]Rainbow Mountain. There are 14 minerals in the soil there that create a very colorful, layered rainbow look. This tourist attraction is not too far from Machu Picchu, but Pato and Oso are actually in Peru because they want to visit their friend Mr. Hashbrown (an alpaca). Obviously.
The first interruption of the play deals with a parallel comparison of Pato/duck and his friend, Oso/bear, to the world-renowned, 900-page Spanish novel, Don Quijoteby Cervantes–and a quick blip of the song, listen HERE. Classes had fun acting out the famous windmill chapter, where Don Quijote “fights” windmills, thinking they are an army of giants.
ACT 2: The saga continues! After the show is interrupted for the first time [re: Don Quijote], we learn that Mr. Hashbrown’s house is near the Amazon River- cue second interruption! The actors trying to interrupt the play this time add a fun fact, namely, that a man (from England) actually walked the entire length of the Amazon River back in 2012, setting a world record. It took him three years! After they are shushed off stage, Oso becomes visibly agitated and nervous, stating that there is a problem. Pato replies that “there are no problems, only solutions“, which ends up becoming his catchphrase throughout the play.
Anyway, while Oso is getting increasingly anxious as he sees an Army of Bacon Monsters slowly approaching on the horizon, Pato starts blabbering about how hungry he is and that he would really like a sandwich. Cue interruption number three: bocadillo [‘bow-kah-DEE-yoh’] is how you say “sandwich” in Spain! Pato always knows what’s going on, even when it seems like he doesn’t, so when he describes the sandwich he is craving, he lists the ingredients- lettuce, tomato and… BACON! The Army of Bacon Monsters (who have been inching closer the entire time) recognize their fate–a BLT sandwich! NOOOOOO! And a chase scene with all parties involved ensues, to music from the Nutcracker. **INTERMISSION**
ACT 3: The two [stuffed animal] friends excitedly arrive at Mr. Hashbrown’s house, but quickly learn that their alpaca friend is quite livid. When prompted, Mr. Hashbrown provides visual and auditory evidence that his neighbor, Ariana Grande, is not the quietest person in the world and, in fact, quite the opposite–which means that he can’t sleep. Ever. Our hero Pato continues believing that, “there are no problems, only solutions“, but as the friends peer out of the window to observe, even he perhaps begins to doubt himself. A modicum of Madness with a capital M follows.
Through the window, they watch as Ariana Grande warms up her vocal chords with the scales–but is horribly tone deaf. Then, she starts yelling for her dog, Fluffy, who runs away every Monday. He doesn’t like Mondays, so he tries to run away from them. (Incidentally, Monday is also the name of a neighborhood cat, which causes the next chase scene to be that much more confusing.) Oso tries to help out and catch Fluffy, but he doesn’t run very fast and stops every two inches to eat honey; and Fluffy keeps running and barking whenever he hears the word, “Monday”, or lunes (“lou-nace”) in Spanish.
Meanwhile, Ariana Grande is talking on the phone with her #BFF, Jennifer, and loses it completely–collapsing to the floor, sobbing hysterically–when she learns that Fluffy may be lost forever. Everyone sings the first eight seconds of this song, “Ay yie yie yie, canta y no llores“ (sing and don’t cry!). The Bacon Monsters reappear not long afterwards, this time as flash mob backup dancers for a music video rehearsal at Ariana Grande’s house to THIS SONG. Pato watches all of this, and finally takes control of the situation, telling Fluffy that it is Friday (viernes/“bee-AIR-nace”), not Monday.
Pato talks with Fluffy and says that they need to find a solution to his problem. Everyone pitches in to build him a new fence so that he doesn’t run away. Ariana stops talking on the phone about her lost dog and stops yelling at Fluffy, so Fluffy the Dog is happy. Mr. Hashbrown is happy because his neighbor only sings now and he can sleep. Oso is happy because he found more honey and doesn’t have to run after Fluffy anymore. And Pato is happy because he has proven to everyone that there are no problems, only solutions. THE END.
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before next Monday (Jan. 31st). You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
This week, try changing either A) all of your devices, or B) just your email account to your target language. The time frame is up to you. Want to explore for 10 minutes? Great! Want to level up and keep your device in [Russian/ Spanish/ Greek/ etc.] for a full 24 hours? Awesome! Want to go hardcore and change all of your devices and accounts to your target language for an entire week or more?
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! While there may be a learning curve and some momentary frustration, so many of the apps and sites we use are pictorial, in the sense that we recognize and click on things based on the image, and not the word. How many brands do you know just by their icon? (Extended discussion- how many acronyms can you list? Zoikes! Language is constantly evolving!)
TECH- Not sure how to change the language? For Gmail, go to “Settings” – “General” tab – and “Language” is at the very top. For iPads, go to “Settings” – “General” – and scroll to “Language and Region”.
NOTE: If you are switching to a language that does not have the Roman alphabet, make sure to write down somewhere how/where you changed the language; otherwise, it can be a headache to switch back to English. Every device is a little different, but it is always somewhere around “Settings” and “Language”.
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 20 XP on the app before next Monday (Jan. 24th). Easy peasy!
Language-Learning Tip
If you have learned the numbers 0-20 in your target language, try playing with them out of order and using the digits in context. It is fun to be able to count to ten or twenty in a language, but if you can’t identify “seven” outside of that memorized sequence, it is ultimately not very useful information.
Instead, practice counting backwards; practice skip counting (2-4-6-8-10; or 10-8-6-4-2; or 1-3-5; etc.); count your change; look at license plates when you are at a stoplight; look at a digital clock and say the numbers that you see in your head (or aloud); look at prices in the grocery store and say those numbers. If this is too much to handle initially, pick a number, like seven, or “siete” (“see-EH-tay”) in Spanish, and focus on that: whenever you see a seven anywhere, say “siete” in your head. The goal is to make the language you are learning useful.
Thanks to all of you who kept working on the app, even without my weekly emails. For those of you who took a break (like me!), it is a new year and time to get back into the routine. Remember your reason for studying your target language, and if you don’t have a strong one, think about that this week. The stronger the reason, the more likely you will stick with your study. You can always “update” your reason at any time, too.
For example, I used to want to learn Russian so that I could talk with my ballroom dance hero, Yulia Zagoruychenko, in her native tongue when I met her at a competition; however, I never made it to the world finals:) […that she won], so my reason and motivation for learning Russian needed to be updated at a certain point.
SPAIN:La Sagrada Familia is an enormous basilica in Barcelona, Spain, designed by architect Antoni Gaudí. Construction began in 1882, but was halted in 1936 initially because of the Spanish Civil War, and then later for myriad other reasons. The projected date of completion had been 2026, but is now postponed.
“The original [design] calls for 18 spires in total, representing the 12 Apostles, the four Evangelists, Mary and Jesus. So far, only eight spires have been completed and it is expected that when the building is complete, it will be the tallest church in the world.”
In my classroom, I covered an entire windowpane with high resolution images of the basilica, positioning them so that it encourages the viewer to look up, just like in a real cathedral. I also posted the Padre Nuestro in Spanish, which students learn in class.
Another year, third graders used glossy white paper, black Sharpies, rulers, and highlighters to create their own stained glass windows (as shown below; idea #8 on link HERE). They turned out really well and are easy to make, even for younger students.
PERU: When I first read Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist, I had a vague idea of what an oasis was. It seemed nice, but the concept felt distant and inaccessible–that is, until I stumbled onto an article about Huacachina, Peru. Granted, Coehlo describes an oasis in Egypt, but I would bet that there are similarities.
The Huacachina Oasis is the only oasis in South America, and as such, a huge tourist destination for sandboarding, dune boarding, and the like. It is located near Lima, the capital city. HERE is an official site about the oasis; after exploring virtually, the travel bug will invariably bite you. My apologies in advance!
During the month of December, students in first grade have focused their attention on Spain, or España. While this is part of the first grade curriculum, I decided to introduce the unit before Christmas because Party the Partridge rehearsals resulted in a few double [combined] first grade Spanish classes, and a focused project seemed the best route to take.
Anyway, as with most of my lessons, I give students a little information the first day, and then just keep adding more details each subsequent lesson. Initially, students learned that La Alhambrais a fort/palace in Spain that was built a LONG time ago. It is a beautiful fortress, with hand-painted tiles inside and stunning architecture on the outside.
First graders had the option of building the Alhambra (out of cardboard and blankets, based on a model); or coloring in different outlines and perspectives of the fort and surrounding gardens, or the tiles inside. Several builders found printouts of the Spanish flag and pasted them on the cardboard walls–which was great, considering that 1) I didn’t know I had the printouts (they were mixed in with other coloring sheets); and 2) they [correctly] deduced it as relevant iconography!
The next layer was to talk a bit about the Arabic language, and compare and contrast it with Spanish and English. Spanish and Arabic have a rich linguistic history, primarily due to the fact that Arabs ruled the Iberian peninsula for around 700-800 years. Even today, Moorish culture is strongly present in Southern Spain.
Students were introduced to the Arabic script, learning that Spanish and Arabic share some 8,000 words. Wow! Some even practiced copying the foreign symbols [alphabet] as part of the “writing” center (escribir/to write), while others handed out tickets to visit La Alhambra and/or drive tourists there on the class trains.
Image taken from La Alhambra article on Wikipedia (you can change the language on the sidebar).
Today, I received confirmation that the cultural piece had settled into students’ vernacular, when I overheard two boys arguing. The subject of their argument? “No, you can’t live in a condo INSIDE the Alhambra! That’s not allowed!” #TrueStory
During our last class before break this afternoon, several first graders also took turns with a plastic fishing pole, trying to “fish” in the gardens surrounding the Alhambra. If my memory serves me correctly, I don’t recall anyone actually fishing there when I visited (haha!), but we combine play and reality in Spanish class; and, honestly, who wouldn’t want to go fishing with a plastic fishing pole, loads of tape, and plastic food in a fake pool? I mean, seriously. Unless, of course, you just want to watch from your condo in–that is, across the street from–La Alhambra. Ahem.
In other news, most students can also name and identify on a map at least five Spanish-speaking countries in South America at this point (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia).
And last but not least, if you would like to get a better feel for Southern Spain, you are welcome to check out my narrative prose piece/essay on the topic HERE. Thank you so much for reading and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and Happy Holidays!! See you in 2022!!!
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 30 XP on the app before next Monday (Dec. 13th).
Language-Learning Tip
Many of you have been working consistently on the app for at least six weeks now, and hopefully you feel like you are making progress. That said, it can be frustrating during the language-learning process when you understand your target language, but are not yet producing it. My students and I play a game when they have “center work” [directed free play] during Spanish class. Here, we have “off limits” words, meaning that there is a common pool of vocabulary that everyone knows, and whenever you are speaking freely in English, you must replace said English words with the Spanish. You are “charged” fake pesos (and/or “Spanish taxes”) if you break the rule and say, for example, “money” in lieu of “dinero“.
For children, it is a game to hold everyone accountable; for adults, it is simply forcing yourself to be hyper-aware of the thoughts and words you use. In the previous sentence, for instance, I have learned children (дети), you (ты), and words (слова) in Russian on Duolingo. So as I am typing, I am replacing those words in my head with the equivalent in Russian. When I am talking with others or listening to the radio, I monitor and translate in my head as much as possible. It can be an interesting exercise to note which words or phrases you hear yourself using regularly in your native tongue. (And if you don’t know how to say those words/phrases, start looking them up!)
Point being, try not to compartmentalize your language study: include it in all parts of your life. When you do so, the linguistic output will come faster and more naturally. You have to train yourself more consciously as an adult learner. As a final note, consider that a baby listens to language for nearly two years, 24/7, before producing any intelligible language. By comparison, what percentage of your week are you working on the app? Patience, my little grasshoppers!
Duolingo-Specific Tips
TIP #1- try to limit yourself to working on three “circles” at a time, until you reach the gold or purple (Legendary) level. If you skip around too much to other units, the app will start testing you on things you haven’t actually learned yet.
TIP #2- If you are learning Spanish on the app, I have received excellent reviews from adults for the “audio” and “live” lessons. These are not available in all languages yet, as far as I can tell- but if you see those tabs near the bottom of your screen, be sure to check them out.
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 30 XP on the app before Monday, Dec. 8th. You got this!
Language-Learning Tip
Hopefully, you have started to establish a language-learning routine. If you took a break this past week, now is the time to return, renewed, refreshed, and rejuvenated! The challenge during this busy season will be sticking with the habit of studying your language on a regular basis, despite the myriad distractions around us. As I’ve mentioned before, try to “pair” your language-learning habit with something else you do every day; that way, you will be more likely to stick with it.
When you do this, the race has truly begun. After a few dozen times around the track (metaphorically speaking), you will begin to notice oddities, or so-called quirks in your target language. Many of these will fall in the category of syntax–the arrangement of words and phrases in language; or, how language is organized–that differs from your native tongue. “Juice of orange/jugo de naranja” instead of orange juice (Spanish); “I doctor/Я доктор”, instead of “I am a doctor” (Russian); “Electric brain/电脑“, instead of “computer” (Mandarin Chinese). You may not be here yet, but when you arrive, try to be flexible in your thinking. “We” are not any more right than “they” are. This is where the beautiful flower of language begins to blossom!
The “tip” this week is just to think about how things are organized… your physical surroundings, your thoughts, language, the world (?!). Do you think your language shapes or influences how you think? (Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis)
By far, my favorite lessons are the ones that begin with a plan, veer off course completely, and then somehow end up at the final destination, relatively unscathed. Today had a plan, but unfurled so beautifully that I had to share.
First, we finished–FINALLY!!–our class story. If you recall, we do storytelling most Fridays, but as we missed multiple Fridays due to half days and holidays, our story stretched into a saga of over a month and a half. Here, “evil Pato” keeps taking a wolf’s lunch and eating it. As a result, the wolf cries. And cries. And cries. (cue THIS SONG, first eight seconds only/”sing and don’t cry”/canta y no llores). Finally, the wolf puts a shoe in the sandwich, “evil Pato” eats it, and the wolf laughs. The end. #YesIKnowItIsARidiculousPlot!
Someone wanted to know if there was a “hamburger song“, not to be confused with the “pizza song“, since it would be more relevant- and wouldn’t you know, their wish came true (see below).
There are gestures for every single word in the story, so it requires a lot of movement and energy. But second graders ROCKED IT this morning and we told and acted out the entire narrative in 12 minutes. Bravo!
Next, second graders shifted to centers. This week, I have been trying to “trick” students by asking them different and unexpected questions in the target language, to make sure they are listening and comprehending, as opposed to repeating memorized phrases. They have made good progress with this.
Other grade levels have gotten excited about “train rides” in Spanish class, and recently we decided to extend this to second grade. Here, students climb on top of my long tables [after paying]–and we push the tables and students verrrrry slowly across the room. The tables are on wheels, and make a very soft “hum” sound when moving, much akin to the soft hum of trams at airports.
I play realistic train sound effects on loop in the background; there is an old-school bell they ring to get off the train; the train drivers have licenses (which can be revoked); and students “travel” in circles around my room on the trains [moving tables] to different places in the town, while studying a [real] map of the metro system in Madrid. “Do we switch to the red line now? Is that train #5?” etc. Some students even tie yarn around my stuffed animal dogs as leashes, and “wait” at the train stations, walking their dogs and “talking” on rectangular pieces of plastic, err, I mean, cell phones; and take the train to the “office”, where they work furiously on cardboard laptops until it is time for the commute home in the evening.
Other students use huge cardboard boxes to “build” up the neighborhood, or work at the supermarket, waiting for customers to get off the train and spend their hard-earned cash. Some days, students’ Spanish is lacking, but today was not one of those days!! Spanish just kind of fell of their tongues so naturally that I was absurdly delighted and smiling head to toe!
Thank you for your general support of the language program and for raising such great kiddos! Have a blessed and relaxing Thanksgiving and break.
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 50 XP on the app before Monday, Nov. 29th (after break).
Language-Learning Tip
This week, it is time to expand our horizons: listen to your target language for five minutes on something outside of the app (e.g.Pocoyo cartoons, radio, internet, podcast, songs, YT channels, etc.). When you listen to the target language, the idea is to become accustomed to hearing a bullet train of unintelligible sounds pass you by at the speed of light (squared), and simply enjoy the cadence and rhythm. Relax.
As the days pass, your brain will begin to pick up on details and cognates (words that sound similar in English), and do a lot of subconscious work. If you studied your target language in school at some point, you might begin to recall vocabulary from a lifetime ago, or distinguish between accents from different countries. Duolingo will build your vocabulary phrase by phrase; listening to the target language will train your ear.
Last but not least, remember that, “We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly” (-Kató Lomb, hyperpolyglot). Keep up the excellent work!
URUGUAY: Aptly named, “La Calle de los Suspiros”, or Street of Sighs, this dot on the map leaves you aching for a slower pace of life. I took the BuqueBus ferry over from Buenos Aires and only spent a day here, but it was as though time had stopped completely. My memory of this day easily stretches to weeks, if not months, in my mind.
The cobblestone streets, Sycamore trees, lighthouse, and breezy winds from the Atlantic–coupled with a gourd of hot Yerba Mate tea (“MAH-tay”) and a few alfajores, of course–sweep travelers into another world.
Image #1, Image #2, Image #3; all other photos are mine. Note that the huge, white, artistic-looking building is not in Colonia del Sacramento, but rather, Punta Ballena, Uruguay.
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 30 XP on the app before next Monday (Nov. 15th).
Language-Learning Tip
Spend 5-10 minutes searching for some music in the language that you are learning (with a beat you like). You can look up what the lyrics mean right away, or just focus on enjoying the foreign sounds. If your language has characters or a different alphabet, check out THIS PAGE for a little help getting started. Finding new music to add to your playlists is always fun!
For Fun
In other news–and to make this challenge more interesting–we are going to equate the number of XP you have earned to the number of kilometers on an imagined hike through all of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. The links below are just to get a taste and feel for what these places are like. There is no extra work required, but don’t blame me if you end up buying a plane ticket!
If you have earned between 840 and 2503 XP, then you are en route to Futaleufú, Chile.
If you have earned between 2504 XP and 3925 XP, then you are en route to a skyscraper in Santiago, Chile (feel free to explore the others first, as this link doesn’t have as much info quite yet).
CHILE: Torres del Paine, Chile is a national park that covers nearly 500,000 acres of land. Its diverse wildlife, epic views, and sunrises and sunsets are among the most peaceful sights in the world. If you’re looking to “get back to nature”, this is the place to be.
Spend some time outside in your backyard or on a walk around your neighborhood with your five senses in mind. What do you hear? Smell? See? What can you touch? How do you feel? What could you taste? (Are there fruit trees or anything edible in sight?) How does nature make you feel? If possible, try to be barefoot for a while. Block out one of your senses–for example, close your eyes–and see how that changes your perspective. Did you notice more sounds when your eyes were closed?
One of my most memorable science homework assignments in school was to do sit on my back steps and simply observe. Later, I had to handwrite a paper describing everything. It was so peaceful to pause, sit back, and take time to really see the world.
In class, we cover a lot of territory. I am constantly throwing culture, geography, grammar–first graders don’t know it’s grammar, but it is–songs, new vocabulary, and more at them, with confidence that they will catch at least one new thing each day.
In the last update, you learned that students simulated walking the Camino de Santiago (a 500-mile hike across Spain), and then traveled to Peru to see Rainbow Mountain and also make and pan for oro/gold (aka tesoro/treasure). ASIDE: six weeks later, I am still discovering specks of gold fairy dust glitter everywhere!
As the weeks progressed, these culture projects morphed into optional centers: those that wanted to continue walking the Camino or sluicing sediment for gold could; and those that wanted to do something different also had that choice. My theory is that if students are interested and personally invested in an idea, they will be more likely 1) to retain the information; and 2) to apply that information to their daily lives, so that Spanish becomes a part of them, as opposed to ‘merely a class’.
First graders ‘sign up’ for these centers in one of two ways each class, via either speaking or writing. To build their confidence, we begin with written work: they will write, “Hi! This is So-and-So*. [Today] I want to build/play/work/walk [the Camino]/ sing/dance/draw/ fly/clean/paint/etc.” (¡Hola! Soy ___. Quiero construir/jugar/trabajar/ caminar/cantar/bailar/dibujar/volar/limpiar/pintar.) The focus as of late has been on “Quiero” (I want) and “y“. Note that the latter means “and” in Spanish, but is pronounced like the English letter “e”. *Students also chose Spanish names a while back, so sometimes they write their real name, and other times they will write their Spanish name. First graders are also now required to sign up for talking (hablar/to talk, speak). This has been extended recently to include specifying in which language–español/Spanish or inglés/English.
To make written work more enticing to six-year-olds, there were a few requirements: one, they had to glue or tape on a colorful stamp from a Spanish-speaking country (Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina) to their notecard; and two, they had to drop it in a basket pulley-system (that went up to the ceiling and down again) in order to “send” it to me at the Post Office. When this got old, we switched to writing on pizarras/ whiteboards, which was conveniently also a vocabulary word in the “Bathroom Song” (¿Puedo ir al baño?/Can I go to the bathroom?), a classic for first grade.
For each center, there are recommendations and suggestions, but they are also open-ended to allow for student agency and creativity. For example, “construir” (build) began quite literally, with first graders building towers out of blocks; this progressed to building houses and forts out of cardboard and blankets.
One day, however, someone wanted to “build” a computer out of cardboard. Another day, the “building” center became more of factory, in which students “built” paper fans (abanicos) and then tried to sell them to others (fake pesos). Yet another day, someone found a “sewing” center card (coser/to sew), and asked how to do that: we used a hole-puncher to make a ton of holes on a piece of folded paper, and students wove yarn through the holes, making their own wallets to stash dinero/money. We have even had mini ice-hockey tournaments in one class, and dance choreography lessons in the other! I will hide the puck and force linguistic interactions here: ¿Dónde está el disco?/Where is the puck?! You must understand, EVERYTHING is about language in my class!
The center work builds from kindergarten to spiral vocabulary and, gradually, first graders begin to see that the sky is the limit when it comes to creativity. Vocabulary is scaffolded to be as versatile as possible here; learning “hole-puncher” is not as useful as learning, “I want/I need that” (Quiero/Necesito eso), especially as students switch centers frequently, based on their interests.
More recently, students have practiced leading the class as the “teacher” (maestro/a) by asking and reading, “¿Cómo estás?” with several possible answers:
feliz/happy;
triste/sad;
enojado(a)/angry;
cansado(a)/tired;
casado(a)/married (class joke);
tengo hambre/I’m hungry;
tengo frío/I’m cold;
muy bien/very good; or
mal/bad.
Students will watch 2-minute Bluey shows in Spanish at the beginning of class as a listening activity as well; here, they raise their hand when they hear a word or phrase they know. First graders really enjoy this! A newer song is called Botas Perdidas/Lost Boots; here, first graders sit under the tables to watch the song, as the singer looks for thingsunder the table (debajo de la mesa), on top of the chair, etc.
Students also spent a day sorting flashcards (masculine/feminine nouns). This lesson usually comes about when I notice some getting sloppy with spelling; my goal is simply for first graders to pay more attention to words but also to expose them to grammar.
In class, it is a silly game, where there are “boy” words and “girl” words, and boys “get” ice-cream (el helado) but girls “get” pizza (la pizza), and then they try to figure out–detective work!–what the pattern is (“el” words are considered “boy” words; “la” words are “girl” words–but it is completely nonsensical in terms of the noun itself–merely a grammatical construction).
Last but not least, first graders were introduced to a language-learning app called Fun Spanish. This is also now a center option. Whew! Thank you for reading all of this. I did not intend for it to be so verbose. I hope you are having a great weekend!
This morning, students in PK3 voted on which two songs to watch and dance to (from four options: Chumbala Cachumbala; Corre, Pocoyó; ¿Te Gusta El Helado De Brócoli?; and Rompe Ralph/Wreck-It Ralph). While we normally proceed with a “How are you?” question and answer session following our songs, today there was a lot on the agenda, so we skipped over that part of the daily routine.
You see, in Spanish class, we start simple–building a foundation of basic words and phrases–but then continuously spiral and recycle the words in all different ways. For instance, the “luz roja, luz verde” (red light, green light) lessons led to naming and reviewing colors with games and word associations (there are four ways to say “red” in Spanish, depending on what you’re talking about- so this is ongoing and not mastered in a day).
The traffic lights, in turn, led to various modes of transportation. Our ‘cars’ are cardboard boxes and go both rápido/fast and lento/slow. When our ‘cars break down’, I attach masking tape to one end, and the student takes the roll part of the masking tape and ‘pulls’ the cardboard car to the garage/mechanic to be fixed. Obviously.
When we ran out of cardboard cars, I offered train rides (sometimes public transport is faster, anyway). Now just so you fully understand, ‘train rides’ have become ‘A THING’ in PK3 Spanish as of late. Students got free rides the first day, but since then, they have had to pay for their pretend tickets with dinero/money. Students climb on top of my long tables after paying–and we push the tables and students verrrrry slowly across the room. I say, “¡última parada!” (last stop!), and then they have to get off. The tables are on wheels, and make a very soft “hum” sound when moving, much akin to the soft hum of trams at airports.
This week, students were also able to purchase peluches/stuffed animals and comida/food with their dinero/money, along with the train tickets. As the number of passengers has increased, so have the number of stops on the route… meaning, one stop was at la playa/the beach!! Students got colorful blankets and sarapes, pretended to sun themselves, and played with their stuffed animals. Whenever they are on the train–zooming along at five feet per hour–they wave to their friends/amigos in the room, shouting, “¡Adiós!” and sometimes blowing kisses (besos), the latter of which is perhaps the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen!
Today, I started using sound effects and images on the Smartboard to enhance the linguistic experience. When they went to la playa/the beach, I projected a picture of white sands and the ocean–and played a sound effect of waves lapping at the shore. When they went to the jungle, I hung plastic green vines around the board, and showed and played THIS video. Our third destination was las montañas/the mountains. I’m still working on a sound effect for this one!
At this point, I quietly asked the assistant to lower the lights, and I explained that we had taken so many train rides, that it was already nightfall! So they took their formerly-beach-towels, now turned blankets, and chose either the “top” or “bottom” bunk of the bunkbeds in my room (aka train aka tables). Then I put on this37-second SONG, with which they are very familiar and love, and cuddled up with their stuffed animals. They like to say, “¡Otra vez!” (again) and watch the song repeatedly some days. With the overcast sky and the lights off today, it felt so cozy in the Spanish room! I put on fairy lights sometimes as ‘night lights’ so they don’t get scared by the darkness. 🙂
Anyway, when it was finally time to wake up the ‘next morning’, I stretched–yawning–and said, “¡Buenos días!”. We were all pretty ravenous, so we took the train–which has now become more of a subway/metro–to a restaurant for breakfast (Tengo hambre/I’m hungry!). Then our 30 minute class was over and it was time to clean up and for them to be on their way.
If you have a student in PK4, you will note that there is definitely crossover in terms of content between the two grades, but PK3 has a different and much softer tone, in the sense that every experience is brand new and innocent. They are full of joy, in a way that’s hard to describe; and I truly cherish my time with them. Not every day is perfect by any means, but today the pieces all fell together and joy was had by all. Have a wonderful long weekend. I hope this gives you a peek into my/our little Spanish world.
We left off last time with Pato (my stuffed animal duck) going on a treasure map adventure with pirates, rough ocean seas, and baking soda & vinegar volcanoes (fuerza/force). The initial idea was that he was traveling from one Spanish-speaking country to another, but the conceptual piece of this took a bit of time to sink in.
Since then, we have moved on to center work, where students “sign up for” centers/activities in the target language. Because literacy levels vary significantly in kindergarten, their written work is very simple–one word, plus their name; but they can always write more if they so desire.
At this point, kindergarteners can sign up for one of five centers. They write one (or more) of the following– “jugar/ play (“who-gar”); colorear/ color; pintar/ paint; construir/ build; volar/ fly” –depending on what they want to do that day; and if they want to switch centers, they just have to ask in Spanish (we only write for the first center they choose). Each activity has materials, and students are expected to use and ask for those materials in Spanish, or ask me how to say the word of the thing they need if/when they forget.
For example, if students sign up for “jugar/play”, they play with stuffed animals and food or little puzzle games. For “construir/build”, kindergarteners use large boxes and pieces of cardboard to “build” houses, and then decorate the inside with colorful blankets and sarapes. If they want to bring comida/food or peluches/stuffed animals into their casa/house, they have to pay for it with fake dinero/money (by buying it at our Argentina-style outdoor markets).
This week, we added “volar/fly” to the list. Here, kindergarteners bring me papel/paper and while I am folding them a paper airplane, they pick a flag on the wall (from the Spanish-speaking world) of where they want to travel. I have emphasized a few countries this week–Costa Rica (jungle pic); Colombia (pink dolphins); Argentina (waterfalls of Iguazu); and Perú (tesoro/treasure)–but they can choose any of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. Next, students have to draw a flag (e.g., una franja azul/a blue stripe) on their paper airplane of where they are going, and… well, fly there! This morning, to emphasize the countries, I was asking where they were going to build a house (construir una casa) or paint (pintar) or play (jugar): in Peru? Argentina? Colombia?
There are also whole group routines at the beginning of class (with student-teacher helpers) who lead the lesson (por favor/please; gracias/thank you; pizarras/whiteboards; marcadores/markers; borra/erase). One class this week has also become wholly obsessed with pollos/chickens, so much so that I have to ask if the chicken is going to build or play or paint or fly or color! We did add a tortuga/turtle to the mix this morning, so there is hope on the horizon to move on from this phase, ha!!
Point being, their creativity never ceases to amaze me… I hope you are having a great day!
CHILE: Futaleufú, Chile (in Patagonia) is perhaps most famous for its extreme water rafting. While this looks like the adventure of a lifetime, there are also plenty of other activities available for visitors there, should this fast-paced sport not, um, float your boat (bad pun). Click HERE for more information and to schedule a trip!
CHILE: In Santiago, Chile, stands the tallest skyscraper in all of South America. It is called both La Torre Costanera and the Gran Torre Santiago. While this 980 foot (300m) tall and 64-floor high building is impressive, there are plenty of extremely tall buildings around the world. The more interesting question, I think, is how were these constructed? How do they stand the test of time?
In class, students first looked at various architectural designs and a list of the tallest skyscrapers in South America. Later, classes had the opportunity to participate in the famous Marshmallow Challenge (“Reto de la nube”) to construct their own building in a small group. Did you know that this exercise is even used with company CEO’s to promote creative thinking? Interestingly enough, however, kindergarteners tend to outperform nearly all adults, but especially business graduate students.
In the Marshmallow Challenge, participants have exactly 18 minutes to try and build a free- stranding structure using only one yard of tape, one yard of string, 1 large marshmallow, and 20 pieces of spaghetti. The key is that the marshmallow has to be on the very top of the structure.
ASIDE: It is very possible that I may have given miniature marshmallows to students as a treat after the activity. What?! I did this project with first through fourth graders– there was no way they weren’t going to fight over and try to eat the one marshmallow!
Some teachers like to have a reflection discussion afterwards, and then do the same lesson again the following day to see what and how students work differently. Others stop the timer after about eight minutes, discuss as a class what is and is not working, and then get back to work (with 10 minutes remaining on the clock). If you sense there is a lot of frustration in the room, I would definitely recommend this second strategy. Have fun!
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 20 XP on the app before next Monday (Nov. 8th).
Language-Learning Tip
Start talking to yourself outloud in your target language. No, but seriously! One of the biggest stumbling blocks in language-learning is fear: fear of being wrong, fear of embarrassing yourself, fear of sounding silly, fear of making mistakes. When you are learning another language, all of these fears are legitimate. But they are also INEVITABLE. You are going to fail, and sound silly, and be wrong, but THAT IS OKAY!
As your Language Coach, I want you to be wrong. I want you to make mistakes. Not because I am a mean old grinch, but rather because this is how we grow and learn at an accelerated pace. When you practice talking to yourself outloud in your target language, you stop worrying about feeling self-conscious and you start playing with the language–its sounds, its quirks, its cadence, its syntax. Once you get over the ‘this is super awkward, why is maestra telling us to do this?‘ stage, your confidence will begin to soar. And when it is time to talk with a native speaker in a real conversation, you won’t think twice about it.
If you’re really unsure about the whole talking-to-yourself thing, leave yourself a few post-its in the target language around your house with Duolingo words and phrases, and read them aloud when you see them. The bathroom mirror is ideal. Let Language stare you in the face every morning!!
Every evening, we go to bed, satisfied that our Duolingo XP place on the leaderboard is safe and sound. We have worked hard, and it shows. Every morning, we discover that someone has passed us.
Kudos to everyone participating in the Duolingo Language Challenge. I had NO IDEA (*cue fireworks*) that you all were so competitive! This is amazing!! I am studying Russian and trying to stay ahead of everyone, but wow!! All I can say is thank you for keeping me on my toes and at the top of my game!
This morning, students in PK4 danced to our newest class song called Chumbala Cachumbala, and then went through the “How are you?” daily routine. Next, I asked in Spanish, “What is this?”, pointing to images of different currencies from various Spanish-speaking countries (but also including the US dollar as a reference point). After several responded “money”, I then asked, “And what is money for?” One brilliantly intuitive soul shouted out, “To buy stuff!”, and following a half second of complete shock–[they just understood what I said in Spanish! Holy Moses, that’s awesome!]–I proceeded to give a few examples.
This is where the fun actually began. I called a student over, and gesture-narrated that they were allowed to choose a stuffed animal from a bin. Just when they were about to walk away, I said, “No-no-no!” and gesture-explained [this all happened in the target language] that s/he needed to go to the ‘bank’ and pay me dinero/money to purchase said stuffed animal. (I had a ton of faux bills that we had seen the previous week.)
After everyone had had a turn and began playing with the little animals and finger puppets, I slyly asked a student if he would like to buy a car (our ‘cars’ are cardboard boxes and go both rápido/fast and lento/slow). When our ‘cars break down’, I attach masking tape to one end, and the student takes the roll part of the masking tape and ‘pulls’ the cardboard car to the garage/mechanic to be fixed. Obviously.
Anyway… said student bought the car (after going back to the bank to take out more faux money), and the others quickly began to understand what was happening: EVERYTHING IS FOR SALE TODAY!!!
When we ran out of cardboard cars, I offered train rides (sometimes public transport is faster, anyway. All of those red lights and traffic, you know; you can start to see, perhaps, why we started with red and green lights back in August).
Now just so you fully understand, ‘train rides’ have become ‘A THING’ in PK4 Spanish as of late. Students got free rides the first day, but since then, they have had to pay for their pretend tickets. Students climb on top of my long tables after paying–and we push the tables and students verrrrry slowly across the room. I say, “¡última parada!” (last stop!), and then they have to get off.
Today, this idea was extended: as the train had a maximum of four passengers (plus the stuffed animals), we ended up making multiple runs… meaning, one stop was at la playa/the beach!! Students got little colorful blankets, pretended to sun themselves, and played with their stuffed animals. Whenever they are on the train–zooming along at five feet per hour–they wave to their friends/amigos in the room, shouting, “¡Adiós!” and sometimes blowing kisses (besos).
One student was not interested in la playa/the beach, and I whispered in English, “Do you want to go back to the toy store?” He said yes, so the train–which is now becoming more of a subway/metro–traveled back to the toy store (with the stuffies). At some point, our 30 minutes was up, and I began wondering how to make a bell sound to ring for next week so that students could indicate where on the tram line they want to get off with pull-cords. Hmmm. They might need to be Pull-Cords of the Imaginary Variety.
Point being, I hope this gives you a glimpse into The Microcosm/ World Known As Spanish Class. Not every day runs quite so smoothly, but today the pieces fell together quite nicely, experiential learning was had by all, and your children spoke gobs of Spanish to me. Kudos! Have a lovely evening!
P.S. Yesterday, we watched a very silly Pocoyo cartoon about monsters. Your child is welcome to watch it again at home HERE.
ASSIGNMENT: Earn 20 XP (points) on the Duolingo app. This is about 5 minutes of study for the entire week. Easy!
Language-Learning Tip
Pair something you do every day–such as brushing your teeth–with your new language routine. For example, do one lesson on Duolingo (3 minutes) after you brush your teeth each morning. If you forget in the morning, well, you brush your teeth at night, too, right?! Combining a habit with another one you already do regularly will make it much easier to incorporate into your [presumably] busy schedule. As Coach would say, “YOU’VE GOT THIS!!”
Many thanks to all those who have expressed interest and to those already participating. I am SO excited!
The Duolingo Language Challenge is picking up speed. I have already spoken with many parents and faculty interested in joining this friendly competition. Thinking about everyone beginning a language-learning journey and working towards a common goal is motivating in itself, but I will also try to share a few tips or pieces of advice every so often, to help keep you–and me!–on track.
Students in third and fourth grade are beginning to work on Duolingo, a language-learning app. They will be assigned a certain number of points, or “XP”, to earn each week; whatever amount they do not complete in class will be homework. The goals are for:
students to work at their own [accelerated] pace–there is a minimum baseline requirement for each week, but beyond that, the sky’s the limit; and
to keep chugging away at the language, a little bit at a time. Working for five hours one day and then not doing anything for five weeks is not ideal–it is much better to work at it 5 minutes a day for 5 weeks.
Anyway, I am extending an open invitation to all faculty and families who have ever had “learn a language” on their bucket list. If you would like to study a language, “compete” with students, and/or simply need a little extra motivation to keep with your study, you can sign up at duolingo.com and join my “teachers/parents” class with the progress sharing code (in your email).
This challenge is open to ALL families and faculty members. I am hoping even for three of you to sign up–students will get a kick out of competing with adults!! Oh… and any language is game here. Students will study Spanish, but I am only comparing the number of points you earn on the app, so choose the language that interests you most! Have a lovely day!
NOTE: The colors on the leaderboard correspond to Duolingo leagues- [bronze], silver, gold, sapphire, ruby, emerald, amethyst, pearl, obsidian, diamond.
URUGUAY:La Mano de Punta del Este is a huge sculpture on the beach of a seaside resort called Punta del Este in Uruguay (on the Atlantic coast). It was constructed in 1982 by an artist, Mario Irarrázabal, when there was an art exhibition but no space for him to participate in the town. So… he went to the beach! The fingers are made out of steel bars, plastic, concrete, and metal mesh.
In class, we did not use steel bars; instead, kindergarten students smeared a piece of paper with glue, and then sprinkled real sand over it to recreate la playa/ the beach. Next, they smushed their palms (no splatting, please!) into a color paint of their choice, and put a handprint on the beach. It was a simple project–albeit messy, for sure–but helped students to connect with a country that they knew little to nothing about.
While waiting for their turn to make a handprint, kindergarteners “built” the Andes Mountains on my floor map with blocks, through much of South America. It was a good day!
Some days in Spanish class, we lollygag and I allow time for vocabulary and Culture Projects to sift through students’ minds. It doesn’t feel–at least on paper–like we accomplish all that much, but I know that they are processing. I am intentional about making time for these “lazy Sunday” lessons because on other days, we go 180 miles per hour, and I jampack their brains with so much information that everyone is overloaded!
Today was one of those 180mps (Freudian slip “miles per second” in lieu of mph, but I think I’ll leave it since we accomplished a ton in 30 minutes today!). Let me explain.
Class began with our Friday dance (“¡Es viernes!/It’s Friday!) and a quick recap of the previous lesson on dinero/money; several students had been absent but I also just wanted to review everything from Tuesday. Second graders had learned that other countries use money that may have numbers we recognize, but those digits do not usually represent the same value or have the same worth as our US dollars. This feels convoluted as I write it, but we took time on Tuesday to give a million examples so that students were able to grasp the concept. They handed me fake bills from Spanish-speaking countries (pesos, euros, bolivianos, etc.), and I used an online currency converter to tell them how much money they were holding (since the value changes continuously). Conversation as follows:
And so on and so forth. Students were both fascinated and perplexed by the idea. I shared a chart with the same number of pesos/euros on one column, with the corresponding value in USD on the other to drive home the point.
This only took a few minutes to review since most students were already familiar with the concept. Next, I asked a pregunta/question– Where is our ‘class town’ located?”–while slyly stroking and holding a shoulder bag that had, “MADRID MADRID MADRID MADRID MADRID” written all over it (which I had purchased in Spain a number of years ago). Students looked at a few photos of Madrid, Spain (the capital city), and made connections with the movie Vivo (they recognized an iconic image of Madrid that apparently is one scene).
We shifted gears at this point, and I said that while we will still continue building and working in our town on Mondays and Tuesdays, Fridays will be our “Story Days”. These stories are highly interactive and told in Spanish, but we had to do some prep work today beforehand.
PREP WORK & BACKSTORY: Second graders had seen a very silly 3-second video of a squirrel the other day (put on loop!!), so I decided to build this into our first story of the year. Students watched a cartoon of a “flying” squirrel and then lined up and took turns pretending to fly and then “epic-ly failing” by falling down on the carpet. I sang, “Puedo volar” (I can fly) to the tune of R. Kelly’s song in English, and then we watched a 34-second cartoon and they listened for key words (sí-sí-sí-sí/yes-yes-yes-yes; más/more; sé que puedo volar/I believe I can fly).
In the actual story, we haven’t gotten anywhere near the flying squirrel, but I like to pre-teach language for future use and have students wondering how this will all fit into the plot.
Anyway, for Day #1 of interactive storytelling, students spread out around the room and repeat and mimic what I am doing. We attach a gesture to EVERY SINGLE word in the story, so there is a lot of movement and energy, but it is controlled and intentional.
We began by turning off the lights and setting the stage: “Una noche… duh-duh-DUUUUH!” (one night + overly dramatic air piano sound effects), and then learn that it is Monday in our story (we do a lunes/Monday cheer, and spell it out, YMCA-style), and that there is a lobo/wolf (main character) who runs to McDonald’s. I told students that they can absolutely love or hate McDonald’s–your opinion is your opinion!–but that we mention it in class because jingles stick in your head, and restaurant chains all have jingles that have been, yes, TRANSLATED! (Me encanta/I’m lovin’ it/I love it), which makes language easier to remember [if they already have a reference point in English]. Class was about over by this time, so they lined up for the habitual, “¡SORPRESA!” (surprise) for their teacher, and said our goodbyes!
Well, this was not the most concise update (“Oh me, oh my, pumpkin pie! That was not concise at all, maestra!!), but seeing as we have started to layer on a new unit, I wanted to share and provide a glimpse into the Spanish classroom/empire/world/planet/universe/something, HA! 🙂
I hope you have a truly wonderful Fri-YAY! and thank you so much for reading!
This morning, third graders tapped into their “One Voice Can Make a Difference” theme in Spanish class. First, they learned some basic linguistic facts: there are about 7,000 languages in the world; that Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language in real life (but English is most used online); and that some languages in the world are considered endangered. Many students were very interested in this concept (how would it feel to be the only person in the world who spoke your language?), and so I shared a few other anecdotes with them on the topic.
They heard the story of one 14-year-old girl from Peru who wanted to make her native language, Quechua**, more popular and accepted in her country. Younger people were wanting to speak “only” Spanish and not Quechua, and she wanted to change that. This is her cover of a Michael Jackson song (see below), which has received over 2 million views: her one voice is literally making a difference! Thanks to the internet, many now want to learn Quechua.
**NOTE: Quechua is an indigenous language spoken in the Andes Mountains and highlands of South America (and NOT Spain).
Third graders also made pretend gold (covering tiny rocks with glue and glitter—oh my! so much glitter! Glitter, glitter, everywhere! Even in my hair! But what fun!)—like a few other classes this week, learning about La Rinconada, or the highest city in the world (also in Peru). What they don’t know is that the legend they are learning has a surprise ending with GOLD as well! So this all ties together nicely in the end.
Weather permitting (no tormentas!/no storms!), tomorrow will be a soccer game day. While we began the year with a soccer unit, at this point in time we are starting to add many other layers, which is one of my favorite aspects of the third grade curriculum. We will take a few days this year to talk about endangered languages, untranslatable phrases, and just language in general–I like for students to think about language(s), too–and then layer on Culture Projects, legends from the Spanish-speaking world (current unit), storytelling, soccer games, tongue twisters, jokes, dance, food(!), and more, to create a tiered Spanish cake of knowledge, reading, writing, listening, and speaking, culture, etcetera. It is a big metaphorical cake. I might need to go eat some real cake now. Or tapas.
Anyway (ha!), thank you for reading. I hope you have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious type of awesome day! (When she says it backwards in the video clip, it is just hilarious!)
PERU: La Rinconada is the highest city in the world. It is over three miles high (16,732 feet). It is also on top of a gold mine! For more details, check out this link HERE.
In class, students made their own tiny pieces of gold, while others tried to build a tower to the ceiling to represent “the highest city in the world”. You could definitely go more in depth here on the topic of mining with older students.
Regardless, be sure to take either the shortest or tallest student in the class and do a quick long division problem, to find out exactly how many clones of said student–standing on top of one another–would equal 16,732 feet high.
In class this afternoon, first graders came to Spanish and happened to notice that my classroom was–almost literally–coated in glitter: from the carpet to the tables, to even the teacher’s chin [I learned that after class], specks of gold fairy dust were everywhere.
BACKGROUND: If you have a child in kindergarten, you already know why–but a quick recap is that Pato had to escape from an erupting volcano, and used a boat, treasure map, and telescope to make his way to an island, which had a treasure chest full of gold there (convenient how these things work out in Stuffed Animal World, right?!).
Anyway, first graders collected tiny rocks, squished them around in glue, and coated them with gold glitter (the same activity as kindergarten), but LEVELED UP!! and alongside a much more culturally-based lesson.
Here, students learned that while the Camino (500-mile hike) is located in Spain, today we would be traveling to Peru, another Spanish-speaking country. We used Google Maps to locate Peru with respect to Spain, Mexico, our state, and more. In Peru, there is a place called Rainbow Mountain, or Vinicunca, that has a unique composition–14 different, colorful minerals–which make the mountain range appear like the inside of a jawbreaker.
A day or so away from Rainbow Mountain in Peru is [arguably] the highest city in the world, or La Rinconada, at a whopping 3 miles high! We did a little math, and that would be a student who measures 4 feet, standing on top of 4,183 of his/her own clones, going straight up. REALLY HIGH! This location is of interest because the town was built on top of a–you guessed it–GOLD MINE! First graders watched a 43-second video of how gold is mined, and then (as described above) created their own little pieces of gold to bring home. It was an exciting start to the week!
CHILE: Torres del Paine, Chile is a national park that covers nearly 500,000 acres of land. Its diverse wildlife, epic views, and sunrises and sunsets…
CHILE: Futaleufú, Chile (in Patagonia) is perhaps most famous for its extreme water rafting. While this looks like the adventure of a lifetime, there are…
CHILE: Chile’s Marble Caves are a truly beautiful natural wonder. Students mixed teal and green paints to capture different shades, and later added true-to-life purples…
CHILE: Easter Island is an island located in the South Pacific. There are hundreds of massive statues and wooden tablets scattered over this landmass, but…
ARGENTINA: Yerba Mate Tea (“MAH-tay”) is the ‘friendship drink’ of South America, especially Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Paraguay. You drink the tea out of a…
ARGENTINA: Las cataratas de Iguazú, or Iguazú Falls, is the largest set of waterfalls in the world. “Iguazú” means “big water” in the Guaraní language.…
ARGENTINA: This terrifyingly high “Tren a las nubes” (Train to the Clouds) in Argentina is, well, terrifyingly high! Students are in the middle of creating…
PARAGUAY: “Ñandutí, (Guaraní Indian: “spider web”), type of lace introduced into Paraguay by the Spaniards. It is generally characterized by a spoke-like structure of foundation threads upon…
PARAGUAY: Cateura is the name of a landfill in Paraguay where a town of people have taken a difficult situation–living in, quite literally, a dump–and…
BOLIVIA: Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat formation in the world. It is almost 11,000 square kilometers in area, with 10 billion tonnes of salt.…
You know that feeling you get when you really want something, but know that you shouldn’t have it? Well, recently, I’ve been frequenting the Teacher’s…
PERU: Rainbow Mountain, or Vinicunca in Quechua, has a unique composition–14 different, colorful minerals–that makes the mountain range appear like the inside of a jawbreaker. For…
ECUADOR: The Galápagos Islands off of Ecuador are known for their diverse range of wildlife, including Galápagos tortoises and iguanas. In class, our class joke…
COLOMBIA & BEYOND: Last year, second graders became very excited about gemstones and minerals. As a result, we spent time learning which minerals come from…
COLOMBIA: Is Guatapé, Colombia the world’s most colorful town? Each year, second graders paint colorful buildings and houses on tri-folds, and set up the cardboard…
VENEZUELA: Catatumbo Lightning is a naturally occurring phenomenon in Venezuela. Here, lightning strikes continuously above Lake Maracaibo for 140-160 nights per year (some sources say…
COSTA RICA: Costa Rica is known for its biodiversity–flora and fauna abound. 18% of the world’s butterflies, for example, are found there. Multiple Lower School…
NICARAGUA: Nik Wallenda is a tightrope aerialist who recently (March of 2020) walked across an active volcano in Nicaragua. Watch the news clip below… and…
GUATEMALA: Thousands of Catholics in Antigua, Guatemala join together during Lent each year to make colored sawdust carpets in preparation for Semana Santa, or Holy…
MEXICO: After taking time to learn about molinillos, or the [beautiful!] wooden tools used to stir chocolate in Mexico (see video below), students practice a…
MEXICO: The Yucatan in Mexico is known for its hammock culture, especially amongst the indigenous Maya people. Here, 2/3 of children sleep in hammocks instead…
MEXICO: Cinco de Mayo means “May 5th” in Spanish. It is celebrated especially in Puebla, Mexico, but has become popular in the United States to recognize…
MEXICO: Making natural chewing gum is a fascinating, time-consuming, and dangerous job that dates back to the Mayas in the Yucatan. Chicleros climb high up…
MEXICO: In 2005, someone noticed that tourists, anchors, snorkelers, and divers were damaging the coral reefs in Mexico–in particular, the Manchones Reef. By 2013, an…
MEXICO: This pyramid is called “El Castillo” in Chichen Itza (2:19-2:36). It was built hundreds of years ago by the Maya civilization, but the amazing…
MEXICO: Alebrijes are mythical-type creatures and spirit animals. You may remember the alebrije Dante if you have seen the movie Coco. The origin of this…
CUBA: Below you will find videos about four unique animals found in Cuba–Polymita (Painted) Snails, Spinner Dolphins, Bee Hummingbirds, and El Tocororo, Cuba’s national bird.…
CUBA: René Portocarrero was a self-taught Cuban artist. His paintings earned him international awards and success. Third graders made colorful replicas in art class of…
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: While baseball is technically the sport of the Dominican, many also refer to Dominoes as the national sport of the country, due to…
Dance is a very important part of the culture in many Spanish-speaking countries–from the Tango in Argentina and the Flamenco in Spain to the Merengue…
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: “Defy gravity in Barahona! In the southwestern part of the Dominican Republic, there is a town called Polo. There you can go challenge gravity…
PUERTO RICO: Bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon where “living organisms emit light”, oftentimes when disturbed. You have probably seen this on land–fireflies lighting up the…
SPAIN: La Sagrada Familia is an enormous basilica in Barcelona, Spain, designed by architect Antoni Gaudí. Construction began in 1882, but was halted in 1936…
SPAIN: Artwork by Joan Miró and a watercolor copy by a student. Look at THIS VIDEO PAINTING and THIS VIDEO PAINTING to understand what he sees. “For me an…
SPAIN: Don Quijote de La Mancha is a world-renowned, 900-page novel from Spain, written by Miguel de Cervantes way back in the 1600’s. Centuries later,…
SOUTH AMERICA: The Andean Condor is the largest flying bird in the world. It weighs up to 33 pounds and can have a wingspan of nearly 11 feet. Students tried to make a life-size replica…
You know that feeling you get when you really want something, but know that you shouldn’t have it? Well, recently, I’ve been frequenting the Teacher’s Lounge, only to find that it is littered with cupcakes,…
VENEZUELA: Heladería Coromoto in Merida, Venezuela, is home to 900 flavors of ice cream and a world record, at that! Have you ever been in a rut, and wanted to try something new, different, novel to get another perspective? Well, here is your chance! Try avocado ice cream with black beans; or trout ice cream; or perhaps spaghetti with cheese ice cream. Click HERE to learn more.
In class, students had fun dreaming up strange combinations of flavors, and even began ‘selling cones’ made out of colorful paper.
PARAGUAY: “Ñandutí, (Guaraní Indian: “spider web”), type of lace introduced into Paraguay by the Spaniards. It is generally characterized by a spoke-like structure of foundation threads upon which many basic patterns are embroidered. This structure, resembling a spider web or the rays of the Sun, is usually made on a small circular cushion and is common in many Spanish countries. It is also found in drawn thread work. A comparable lace is made on the island of Tenerife and bears its name.” –Source
In class, students used watercolors to paint on top of a design like this. I did this with kindergarten and the paintings turned out beautifully! If you combine this project with La Danza de La Botella (Paraguay), you can point out in the video of the dance that she is wearing a dress with Ñandutí lace.
CHILE:The Atacama Desert (in northern Chile) is known as the “driest place in the world”, but you might not believe that if you chance upon it during the desierto florido phenomenon. Every so often, this megadry 41,000 square mile (105,000 sq km) area receives unexpected amounts of rain, causing seeds deep within the earth to bloom.
“In August even more rain fell and a second even wilder bloom followed. A barren country where you can walk for days without seeing an ant, a fly, or a blade of grass erupted in a gloriously obscene display of flora.”
One Twitter user described it this way: “The average rainfall is 15mm/ year. Some weather stations have never received rainfall at all. But when it receives higher rains, it blooms like a fairyland“ (Susanta Nanda). Supposedly, this fairyland reappears every five to seven years, but take that with a grain of salt: the desert is a wild beast with a mind of its own, and will bloom when it feels like it.
While the photos are incredible, some sources seem to say that one of the images depicted is of the Valley of Flowers in the Himalayas. Regardless, the desierto florido is a real thing, and does in fact happen in the Atacama.
People living in the Atacama used to speak a [now extinct] language called Kunza, also known as Lickantantay. The Tierra Hotels offer a PDF of activities for children and a list of vocabulary in Kunza.
BOLIVIA: I read a book recently that took place primarily in the pantanal. It sounded fascinating–and I desperatedly want to do a project on it–but the lesson plan has not come to fruition quite yet. Check back in the future for more on this!
MEXICO: After taking time to learn about molinillos, or the [beautiful!] wooden tools used to stir chocolate in Mexico (see video below), students practice a hand clapping rhyme about cho-co-la-te. Some classes also learn another well-known rhyme: bate, bate chocolate, tu nariz de cacahuate.
Some year, we will dive deep into the history of chocolate (Jennifer Martinez @EverythingJustSo has an extensive packet on this)–but this year was not the one. However, fourth graders did figure out how to do the clapping rhyme in a circle, with a big group of people. We also changed the ‘playback speed’ to super fast and then super slow on the clapping video below. Fun, fun, fun! This lesson is great for both vowels and coordination.
Droplets splat against the windowpanes and our bare heads as we hurried to pack the rest of the vehicle. Nearly every material thing I owned was jammed in this crevice or that: from an old pair of sneakers, a faded teal sweatshirt, and plastic tubs of books and papers ad infinitum; to Chinese scrolls and souvenirs from trips abroad, a Nutcracker figurine, iron dancers, and a cherished crocheted blanket, it was quickly becoming clear that I was only an aspiring minimalist, and not one in real life.
Thoughts of ultralight backpacks and regret swirled through my mind. I could have decluttered more, should have tossed the crumpled napkins and mountain range of post-its, would have donated the bags–so many bags!–… but ultimately, didn’t. Better to let go and move on to this new stage in my life, than to dwell in the past.
I jumped in the passenger side door, scanning the horizon–the storm was approaching from the south–just as the skies opened up. Release. How appropriate! Nature and I were finally in sync again. There was something cathartic about the rain, its steady rhythm, its fluid movement, its awesome, natural power.
Torrential rains poured down on and off for the next few hours. We drove and drove, and talked and drove, and then–uncannily–the process repeated itself at our final destination: unpacking, rushing to carry box after box inside as more storm clouds welled up outside, and a barrage of tears arriving only after the SUV had been emptied of its contents.
Why was I remembering this now, eight months later? A faint pumpkin scent wafted through the air. I had forgotten about the candles.
Gain confidence speaking the target language (~shouting as opposed to speaking).
Simplify thoughts to communicate a basic message in the target language.
Students learn about the cultural importance of fútbol/soccer in the Spanish-speaking world, and play “Spanish-only” games outside with specific vocabulary they are expected to use.
Somehow, this unit always ends unexpectedly. Last year, the ball was kicked over the fence by accident and lost forever. This year, a student fell into a bush, from which emerged a swarm of very angry bees. Oh my! Ah well, c‘est la vie…
NOTE: My school no longer supports the Duolingo app, as it does not comply with COPPA regulations. While students can not use the app in class, they are welcome to use it at home to extend their language study.
Create and build the habit of studying a language in short spurts, on a regular basis.
Work independently at his/her own pace.
Students began the year working on the Duolingo app in class for five minutes a day, 3x/week. Partway through the year, this was assigned as homework; fourth graders were expected to be working on Duolingo 3x/week. There was a very wide range here: some students went crazy, earning more than 16,000 XP over the year (rockstars!, some had streaks of 100+ days in a row), while others ended the year with less than 1,000 XP.
The overarching goal was to give those extra-motivated students an outlet to work at their own pace–which they most certainly did–and to gently encourage and build the habit of studying a language a little bit each day. I will structure this differently next year for more accountability on the students’ part (~the homework piece was more a lack of maturity, since some were not even 9 years old at the beginning of the year!).
NOTE: The commentary above is directed toward fourth graders only. We tried using the app with third graders as well, but it fizzled out–those who were not on grade level for reading in English were discouraged. That said, I had the native speakers choose a different language to study (in lieu of Spanish), which was a good challenge for them.
The majority of second & third graders preferred the Fun Spanish app, but we did not have the paid version this year (I will look into that for the future) and the free version was very limited.
Actual quote: “No, you can’t drive to Puerto Rico- it’s an island! You have to take a boat! ~first grader proceeds to ‘row’ himself in cardboard box across the room.
Students jump on and name Spanish-speaking countries on tape floor map. Many also become familiar with the flags of said countries, more through osmosis than anything else!
Grades 2-4 completed/mastered all 21 countries.
Some classes looked at clothing tags in class (e.g., shirts, shoes) and food labels at home to identify imports/exports from Spanish-speaking countries: bananas from Costa Rica, shirts from Honduras, avocados from Mexico, etc.
Grade 1 learned all 21 Spanish-speaking countries on the map, and loved trying to better their times with an online timer.
Kindergarten learned all of South America on the map, and recognizes names of several other countries from projects.
PK-4 recognizes “Puerto Rico”, “Guatemala”, “Mexico”, and “Colombia” from projects.
El Mapa.
He was jumping on the map, too, but due to privacy concerns, I am only sharing the audio (not video).
NOTE: The “x”‘s on the map for Spain & Equatorial Guinea indicate that the geographical distance between the latter and all of the other countries is not accurate (~they are across the ocean!).
Make connections with the written and spoken word in the target language (e.g., phonetics).
Combine and relate new and old ideas, especially in written work.
Apply memorized key phrases in meaningful contexts, especially in spoken work.
Express wants and needs in the target language.
Students “sign up” for a center work activity of their choice. Here, they write a letter (similar to the town simulation written work in grades 2&3), and check in with the teacher for immediate feedback re: the written mechanics, punctuation, spelling, etc. of their work. Feedback is personalized and differentiated to/for each student, dependent on literacy and reading levels.
When the majority of students are comfortable with a grammatical concept or phrase, new information is provided. Partway through the year, students are given the option to write OR speak/voice aloud their requests (hablar/escribir). By the last quarter, students are encouraged to just speak; by that point, their confidence with the language has grown tremendously. Many continue writing their requests and enjoy reading them aloud to the teacher!
Following 5-10 minutes of written work and check-ins, students proceed to said activity and work on asking for items and using key phrases in the target language with their classmates and teacher. Most days, there is constant linguistic interaction between students>students and students>teacher and teacher>students.
Written Component
Kindergarten: Students write, “Soy + [their name]”; the name of a Spanish-speaking country (those less literate draw the flag stripes instead); and an activity (jugar/play; dibujar/draw; construir/build). Focus on the letter “j” and that it is pronounced like the letter “h” in English.
Grade 1: Students write, “Hola, yo me llamo + [their name]; Quiero + [infinitive]; and work on using and pronouncing “y/and” and “con/with” properly and in context. Conversationally, they worked on adding discourse fillers such as pues/well…, and también/also.
Grades 2 & 3: Students write, “Hola/buenos días”; “Yo me llamo + [their name]”; Quiero + [infinitive]; work on using and pronouncing “y” and “con” properly and in context; Necesito + [one or more nouns]; and something for the closing, like un abrazo/adiós/hasta luego. Second graders learned, “Yo voy a + [noun or country name]”, while other grades used, “Quiero ir a + [nouns or country name]”.
Combine new and old knowledge of the target language.
Repeat key phrases and vocabulary and create movements/gestures to match each one.
Follow and comprehend short stories in the target language.
Apply words and phrases in everyday conversation (spoken).
Read lines of mini stories in the target language.
Students experience immersion in the target language and learn about The Adventures of Pato (my stuffed animal duck). Some of these stories are class conversations and wordplays and have ridiculous outcomes! Keep reading for a few examples.
Kindergarten: Pato starts the year off in a more low-key than not fashion, calmly singing a song to learn the names of the colors in Spanish. This quickly turns more exciting when he brings food coloring and coffee filters to the next class, so that kindergarteners can make their own designs. There is a lot of comprehensible input here: “How many drops of blue? Two more of red? Where? Which color over there? No, I don’t have purple, but is there a way we could make it? What happens if we mix blue and red?” etc.
The following class, Pato brings both vinegar/vinagre and water/agua, and students take turns smelling the identical-looking liquids, and commenting on whether they like the smell or not (me gusta/no me gusta). The story/conversation just keeps growing, complete with wordplays (a boy named Kai became the caimán, or alligator, in a mini story, where Pato is out on a boat with pirates looking for treasure when he is suddenly surrounded by alligators and must learn how to fly in order to escape (cue pulley/polea lesson and up/down directionals).
Grade 1: While some lessons evolve into crazy, unanticipated projects that span several classes, other silly stories are intentional class projects, as a means to an end. For example, when Pato wants to visit Spain, the class is divided into small groups and has to build him Popsicle stick boats with paper flags; this becomes a mini unit on floating and sinking objects (flota/se hunde).
Students later take a faux plane ride to Spain, have to go through customs/aduana, take off their shoes, show their pasaportes/passports, etc. When they arrive in Spain, Pato wants to see La Alhambra, the famous red fort, so first graders actually ended up painting huge swaths of cardboard red and building a very cool kid-sized model of the actual fort and gardens. They made tickets to visit and charged euros to enter the large fort. Wow!
Grade 2: A memorable day was when Pato thought fútbol, or soccer, was “food-ball”; this became a class joke and new sport, called, “Comida-ball”, wherein students took turns rolling [raw!] eggs on a soccer type field on the floor of their regular classroom (rompe el huevo). You lost if you cracked the huevo/egg, of course.
Somehow the class ended up building Pato a massive zipline outside and we experimented to see if the raw egg could make it down in one piece (it did, miraculously!). This led to the creation of a papier-mâché hot air balloon. Pato was pretty fixated on modes of transportation that first quarter.
Grades 2-3: Storytelling (AIM)
Students experience immersion in the target language via the AIM methodology.
Grades 3-4: Storytelling (TPRS)
Students experienced immersion in the target language via TPRS methodology. We co-created (as teacher and students) a number of mini-stories in the target language. The teaching style of these stories evolved over the year, in that some were pure TPRS, others were more script/play/ acting/theater style, and yet others were more AIM (gestures and repetition, but less of a focus on PQA). The latter seemed more effective for this age, mostly because processing levels (of reading and written translations on the board) varied significantly, based on their L1 reading levels.
**Note that students did not do much, if any, writing during this unit; the focus was on using language in meaningful contexts and encouraging them to apply words and phrases in everyday conversation. Students were exposed to proper spelling and punctuation/reading on the board, of course, but I did not require any written output. That said, I framed the TPRS story more as a class play, so that students had the opportunity to volunteer and read their lines aloud if they so desired.
We also incorporated well-known song classics into the story/play; for example, when an actor had “lost all hope” and was crying, the class would sing, “Ay yie yie yie, canta y no llores” (sing and don’t cry) and hear a short clip of Cielito lindo. They won’t know the name of the song, but they will recognize that line! Freewrites in the target language on a regular basis will be a goal for next year.
NOTE: Some projects are “School Projects” (e.g., Guatemala- Sawdust Carpets), where everyone in Lower School participates, while others are grade-specific.
Locate country on the map and identify as Spanish-speaking.
Combine and relate new and old ideas, especially in written work.
Create a relevant product or business pertaining to said country.
Apply memorized key phrases in meaningful contexts.
Understand that countries use different currencies and that the value of bills with the same number on each one is not necessarily worth the same amount (e.g., 500 pesos does not equal 500 dollars).
Students participate in a town simulation. First, they choose a country as a class in which to “live”. Next, they set up businesses, make transactions with the local currency, do mini-projects relevant to said country, and really try to live the language, utilizing words and short phrases in everyday interactions as much as possible (e.g., mira/look!; necesito ayuda/I need help; necesito eso/I need that; por favor/please; gracias/ thank you; dónde está/where is it?; quiero/I want to…; etc.). Businesses evolve based on student interests. To prepare their minds each class for the task at hand, students compose short letters to the teacher (based on a sample/model) explaining who they are, what they want to do that day, and where they are going, along with the appropriate salutations.
Sample businesses this year included banks, restaurants, art museums, factories, and more. Key verbs included the following, among others: trabajar/to work; ir/to go; construir/to build; dibujar/to draw; etc.
I believe in multi-sensory and experiential learning, in involving all of the senses on a regular basis and in meaningful contexts.
I want students to not only see and think about the textual appearance of the word, “lemon”, but also to see and touch the thick outside yellow rind of the fruit; squeeze it in their hands and listen as citrus droplets fall into a glass; pucker their cheeks when they taste the uniquely sour flavor; smell the dirt as they plant lemon seeds; and begin to understand the tremendous complexity of a single word.
I believe in the power of play, that kids should be allowed to be kids for as long as possible.
I believe in wonder, joy, and curiosity.
I believe in creativity and thinking creatively, especially when there are boundaries and constraints or limitations in place.
In the classroom, I do not instruct students to simply “be creative”. I give them a problem, provide limited materials, and ask them to come up with a solution within those constraints.
I believe in hard work. I encourage developing the strength and perseverance that comes from working through challenges.
I believe in risk-taking and in the inevitability of failure. Learning how to fail is one of life’s greatest lessons.
I believe in teaching students to be self-directed and lifelong learners.
I believe that language is a beautiful canvas and mosaic with countless layers of meaning; but without context, it becomes a pile of randomly grouped Scrabble letters.
I believe that we can do anything we set our minds to.
Be smart. Be strong. Be kind. Work hard. Have fun.
1) Expectations: Students will be reminded of the academic and behavioral expectations on a regular basis. Students in my class are expected to be smart, kind, and strong (have ‘grit’), and to work hard and have fun.
2) Passwords: For some grade levels, students are given a “special word”, or Spanish password, which can determine where they sit each day. They think up creative ways to physically act out vocabulary (e.g., flower). If classes have assigned numbers, there may also be more math-related games included in the curriculum.
3) Tongue Twisters, Rhymes, & Poems: Other languages require that you move your mouth differently than in your native tongue. Tongue twisters and rhymes give students time to become aware of and play with sounds and phonetics.
4) Actions: Students physically act out nouns and verbs to reinforce and recycle vocabulary, and also to move around and get the ‘wiggles’ out of their systems. They may play fútbol/soccer outside, and learn several authentic ballroom dances as well, including the Salsa, Tango, Merengue, and Cha-cha.
5) Announcements & Advertisements: Students learn translated slogans, such as, “Me encanta” (I’m lovin’ it/McDonalds) and “Come más pollo” (Eat more chicken/Chick-fil-A) to make connections outside of the classroom. Announcements are code for public speaking practice in the target language, and will be worked in gradually as the year progresses.
6) Floor Map: Students jump on an interactive floor tape map of South and Central America to learn the names and locations of the 21+ Spanish-speaking countries and to reference the map in stories/culture.
7) Games: Students play authentic and translated versions of a variety of games in the target language. These are meant to build class camaraderie, and teach students to respond instinctually in Spanish.
8) Experiments & Projects: Science experiments emphasize order and step-by-step instructions, and allow students to participate in a hands-on way with the language. Projects are often cultural by nature. For example, students might study and then build a model of Chichen Itza (Mexico); simulate an authentic mercado (Argentina); mold Easter Island statues and tablets out of clay (Chile); or even create Salar de Uyuni mirror images with art, cameras, and technology (Bolivia).
10) Cultural Tidbits and Facts: Culture is woven throughout the curriculum. Sometimes, cultural tidbits will emerge as answers to students’ questions in class discussions. Other times, facts will be included in class stories.
9) Partner Stories & Scripts: Students read and/or create mini-stories in the target language, and also read class scripts. With the former, the idea is to develop literacy skills and spontaneous linguistic output. With the latter, the focus is on expression.
11) Storytelling (TPRS & AIM methodologies): Every conversation is a story. Here, students help the teacher “tell” a story in the target language. The teacher asks personalized questions, searching for details, and then lets the class decide (usually!) where the story will take them. Stories for the younger grades are presentational linguistically but interactive in that students may participate in certain parts (e.g., students might take turns hoisting a stuffed animal duck up-up-up to the sky on a pulley so that he could learn how to fly).
12) Apps: Grades 3 & 4 will be using Duolingo this year. The goal here is to create a habit and routine of studying the target language. Students are expected to spend 3x/week, for five minutes each day on the app. For more apps and resources, please visit the “Movies & Cartoons” page HERE.
Feeling carefully with my sneaker, I take another step up. Dizzying swirls of green mock me from below, but I stand resolute in my insistence not to make eye contact. Just keep going, a voice in my head directs. But whatever you do, do not look down. Looking down is not an option, absolutely non-negotiable. I stare straight ahead, eyes glued to the horizon. I am feel-climbing each stair one by one, one hand gripping the cable, one clenching the iron handrail, focused on above and beyond, and not left, right, or below. It feels like a trance. Just do it, no thinking.
I reach the sixty foot high, wooden platform faster than anticipated. And immediately burst into waterfalls of tears. This was a bad idea. My body starts shaking uncontrollably. The ascent was unnerving, for sure- but this, this physical response is unexpected. Jeff and Dev seem caught off guard with my outburst. Well, this is the real me, I think:I am slightly afraid of heights. Slightly. I will not deny it or make any more excuses. Lord knows I spent half of the holiday break thinking up excuses not to go, and the other half with positive self-talk, imagining that I would be in ‘discovery mode’ and a Lara Croft ninja-warrior superhero for a day. Now, I am staring in only one direction, mainly because I am not convinced my neck knows how to turn anymore. “The clouds are my friends.” This is my new mantra. So much for Lara Croft.
My lips continue to quiver, hands trembling, legs shaking. And my eyes, my eyes won’t stop filling with tears. Erika patiently deals with the death-grip I have on her hand. She is breathing intentionally, trying to slow down my breaths, bring me calm. The mantra is not helping, but I repeat it silently anyway: “The clouds are my friends.” They are white and puffy, punctuating gaps of deep blue. My gaze shifts slightly to a lake in the distance, rays of sun glinting off the smooth, glassy-like surface. The water brings me a sense of peace, quieting my soul.
“Your turn now.” Oh, God. His words command I do something about the fact that my feet are currently glued to the platform, held in place by a strong magnetic force. I am not certain they will move on their own. Somehow, they do, and I find myself clenching a new hand–that of the instructor’s. He is calm and patient and supportive, and has a comforting, teddy-bear type quality about him. He will not let me go until I am ready. “You can do anything you set your mind to,” he says. Words I have repeated my entire life to others–and just now realized I am not sure I believe them in action. I refuse to look down, and focus instead on the goal: the next platform. I can do this. Maybe.
I let go and am flying, really flying. A gentle breeze pushes me along as the forest below zips by, no longer mocking. I am free from its taunts. The clouds are my friends. The forest is my friend. The world is my friend–and suddenly, a tiny bit less scary.
Thoreau went to the woods because he wished to live deliberately. I went to the woods to conquer my fears–and fly above them.
SOUTH & CENTRAL AMERICA:Fútbol is an important part of the culture in many Spanish-speaking countries. During the 2014 World Cup, I happened to be in Buenos Aires–and the city exploded with enthusiasm after advancing to the finals. It seemed like everyone was your best friend, whether you knew them or not. Horns honked for 24 hours straight, people waved flags out of cars, gorged themselves on pizza, and held their breath as Messi kicked… and Argentina beat the Netherlands in the semi-finals. Spoiler alert: Germany won in the finals.
In class, students travel outside to play “Spanish soccer” and truly live the language. Here, the only–I repeat, only–rule that really matters is that students speak shout and yell in Spanish. “Who plays defense? What counts as a red or yellow card? Are the teams fair?” Frankly, none of that is too important–as long as students are running back and forth, kicking a ball, and shouting in the target language, I am happy as a clam.
Class Routine
Each day, students sign up for what they want to do. They can be a futbolista/soccer player, portero(a)/ arquero(a)/ goalie, entrenador(a)/coach, or árbitro(a)/referee. The two teams (that represent Spanish-speaking countries) get into a circle and chant either, “¡Este partido, lo vamos a ganar!” (we’re going to win this game!/Spain), or “Ganamos, perdimos, igual nos divertimos” (we win, we lose, either way we have fun!/ Guatemala).
Next, a special “visiting coach” [student] leads the teams in warm-up exercises. Now it is game time! Students work hard to shout in Spanish continuously, while trying to score a goal. Key vocabulary: Por acá/over here; pásala/pass it; la tengo/I got it; soy portero(a)/I’m goalie; la pelota/the ball; ¡apúrate!/hurry up!; casi/almost; hace mucho calor/it’s really hot; no manos/no hands; suelo/ground; ¿Qué?/What?; Yo dije…/I said; agua/water. Speaking English results in a penalty (referees have students count backwards in Spanish 5-0 and ‘complain’ “Quiero jugar”/I want to play!).
At the end of class, the teams line up and say, “¡Buen partido!” (good game!). While Mondays and Thursdays are practices, Fridays are official games and ‘Facepaint Fridays’, where students safety-pin paper flags to their shirts and have the option to paint their faces their team colors. Spanish music plays frequently, to help create a truly immersive experience.
Vocabulary
¡Pásala! (pass it)
¡Por acá! (over here)
¡Por allí! (over there)
La pelota/el balón (the ball)
Soy portero/a; soy arquero/a (I’m goalie)
¡No manos! (no hands!)
¡La tengo! (I got it!)
¡Vamos! (Let’s go!)
¡Patéala! (kick it!)
¡Corre! (run!)
¡Rápido! (quickly)
¡Apúrate! (hurry up!)
¡Sube! (go up the field)
¡Quédate ahí! (stay there)
Defensa (defense)
Descanso/entretiempo
Fuera
No inglés (no English)
No fui yo (it wasn’t me)
Fue… (it was)
¡Vamos a ganar! (we’re going to win!)
¡Gooooool! (goal)
¡Golazo! (amazing goal)
“Este partido, lo vamos a ganar.”
We’re going to win this game! (Spain)
“Ganamos, perdimos, igual nos divertimos.”
We win, we lose, either way we have fun! (Guatemala)
REPORTERO (un trabajo para alguien que no quiere o no puede jugar, por cualquier razón): “Fulanito tiene la pelota. Corre muy rápido. Patea la pelota y ¡GOOOOOOOL!” (narra lo que sucede en tiempo real)
CONSECUENCIAS: Números 10-0 (cuenta regresiva obligatoria, como consecuencia por 10 segunditos cuando hablen en inglés o por accidente o a propósito)
Facepaint Fridays!
Mondays & Thursdays are practices, but Fridays are considered “official games”.
Here, students are welcome to paint stripes of their team’s Spanish-speaking flag on their cheeks.
They also have signs with their last name and favorite number to safety-pin to their shirts.
Learning a language–and mastering it!–allows for countless job opportunities and possibilities when entering the workforce. An obvious career is language teacher, but there is so much more available if teaching doesn’t suit or excite you. Translation and interpretation–[and translations gone wrong]–have always fascinated me, but they are oftentimes confused and very different careers: translation is written; interpretation is spoken.
In class, I like to give a demonstration with a regular classroom teacher of what interpretation looks like. We choose a mini lesson beforehand, and then s/he stops after each sentence or phrase so that I can repeat it in Spanish (not simultaneous). I remember one year being distracted when a student sneezed and I missed the sentence I was supposed to interpret (a math lesson on long division); so I stopped and pointed out how crucial 100% focus and concentration are for this profession and that I had #failed in that moment!
This simple exercise ignites a meaningful discussion among students–and there tend to be a lot of questions afterwards. The regular classroom teacher and I even memorized a page-long goat story to retell for second graders one year (video), which included small gestures, is a lesson on compromise, and was great fun! Students all wanted to learn it after we performed and interpreted it!
Every year, our Spanish News Show gets a little wackier. We just keep adding and spiraling, and suddenly, a student is shouting, “¡Seguridad!” (security!) because another is dancing Salsa on set and a third is pretending to order chips and guac on her phone when they are supposed to be reporting–so naturally, we write this all into the script.
Last year, one class pretended that it was, “Bring your child to work day”, and the hija/ daughter kept interrupting the news show with, “¡Quiero ir al parque!” (I want to go to the park!). I used to end the semester with this unit to review several lessons at once, but this year, I decided to start in August with it and see where it leads us. Time will tell!
Some days, we spend the entire time rehearsing if students are really focused and into it. Other days, we run through it once and that’s that! “Son las seis” (it’s six o’clock) seems a perfectly innocent line with which to begin the script, but it involves one student sitting in my teacher chair on wheels, and another pushing, err that is, “driving” the coche/ car across my room to the former’s house, so that he can run and sit on the couch to watch his favorite show ever, THE NEWS. At this point, “reporters” are sitting at a table “in front of” the couch, while others rush on set and pretend to apply last minute maquillaje/ makeup and hair gel before the show is live on the air. And so we begin…
Noticias… en español.
El tiempo
Siempre hace sol / cuando hablas español. (It’s always sunny when you speak Spanish!)
I don’t know that we’ve ever actually finished this project in class; however, our goal this year is to make an iMovie of the whole thing. But for now, we’ll sign off with a simple, ¡Hasta mañana! See you tomorrow!
VENEZUELA: “For locals in the capital of Caracas, it is customary to strap on your roller skates and glide to Christmas mass. As legend has it, children go to bed with a piece of string tied round their toe and the other end dangling out of the window. As skaters roll past, they give the string a tug and children know that it’s time to, well, get their skates on” (source).
The streets are actually blockaded off each year so that families can roller-skate to Midnight Mass safely. People say this began as an alternative to sledding, since Venezuela is right on the equator and therefore quite warm in December. While I would not recommend roller-skating in the middle of the street in this country, you could go to a rink to skate!
ARGENTINA: In much of South and Central America, outdoor markets, or mercados, are a common sight to see. In Buenos Aires, we would spend our weekends wandering the ferias, taking in all of the sights (tables/blankets of items for as far as the eye could see), sounds (street musicians and Tango), and smells (dulce de leche, empanadas,asados/ parilladas, alfajores, choripán, Yerba Mate tea). A few of my favorites sights were flipbooks of San Telmo-Buenos Aires, a figurine of Don Quijote made out of recycled leather, and a street performer dressed entirely in gold paint that made me jump a mile when he moved after I had believed him to be a statue!
Salsa, Paso Doble, Tango, Merengue, Mexican Hat Dance, Cha Cha, Ballroom, Flamenco, etc. + History of Dances
Dance is a very important part of the culture in many Spanish-speaking countries–from the Tango in Argentina and the Flamenco in Spain to the Merengue and Salsa in the Caribbean, dance brings everyone together. Virtual or not, we are all one big family, so let’s get up & dance!
In class, students watched two astounding young Salsa dancers and a dog dancing Salsa for inspiration (see below). While third and fourth graders learned the basic Salsa dance step, second graders focused more on the Tango and Merengue. Older students ended the year with a small fiesta–eating chips and salsa while dancing Salsa!
Virtual learners were given the challenge to dress up in a fancy outfit and record 5-10 seconds of them dancing to a song in Spanish (more music below). Naturally, we added an ‘out’, for the timid of heart.
In the Dominican Republic, there is a saying, “El que no baila, no come bizcocho,” which means, “He who does not dance, does not eat cake”.
However, we will make an exception to this rule today; for anyone who does NOT want to be recorded dancing, you may make a tres leches cake (or any kind of cake).
The songs are grouped by language, in this order: Mandarin, Russian, Icelandic, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Euskara, Catalan, Galician, Quechua, Lithuanian, Hindi, Finnish, Portuguese, Albanian, Norwegian, Thai, Tagalog, Arabic, Guaraní, Hebrew.
DISCLAIMER TO PARENTS: I do not speak all of these languages, and therefore have not vetted all of the lyrics–some may be explicit. I think the majority are fine, but please do not listen if that bothers you.
Have you ever wondered what music in other languages sounds like? Have you ever been stumped by how to Google search in a language you don’t speak or look up something in an alphabet you don’t know?
When I lived in China, I heard songs everywhere–out in public, on car radios, during fountain water shows, and at my host family’s home. The lyrics were completely inaccessible, and yet touched something deep within my soul: I quickly fell in love with the music. I desperately wanted to use the internet to find these songs, but not knowing more than a handful of Chinese characters, I had no idea where to begin. One day, I stumbled onto the name of a Taiwanese pop singer, Leehom Wang–whose songs I recognized–and the YT search algorithm did the rest.
Over the years, I’ve learned plenty of hacks to search in languages I don’t speak, but as it was a long process and steep learning curve, I thought I would save you the trouble and compile some of my research here. You might not love my song choices (primarily pop genre), but the suggestions on the sidebar will be in your target language, which is a great head start, particularly when you are dealing with foreign alphabets. If you speak another language and have any favorite songs to share, feel free to comment below. Enjoy!
Every year, fourth graders memorize and present a play entirely in Spanish for Lower School students and their families. The play has a completely different plot each year and is based on the adventures of my stuffed animal duck, “Pato“.
Soundtrack
On Wednesday, fourth graders performed a play in Spanish about our beloved stuffed animal hero, Pato (Duck), who was (gasp!) framed for robbing the bank. Students not only excelled academically–impressing the audience with native-like accents and natural intonation in the target language–but also delighted everyone with their theatrical stage presence, humor, and tech work. A huge thank you to all involved- it takes a village! A shout out to upcoming fourth grader Henry, who created the iMovie trailer for the show. ¡Muchas gracias!
The “Pato” Play (2020-21)
“Pato” (duck) is a stuffed animal duck of mine that has a ridiculously squeaky voice and innocent but silly personality. He is always getting into mischief, and students in all of the grade levels know him.
This year, he has ziplined down to the flagpole from the second floor of the new building (with grades 1&2). He has his own [faux] Instagram page and TV series. He has crazy ideas, and always wants to have fun, and would come out and play every day, if it weren’t for the stress his squeaky voice causes on my vocal chords (self-taught ventriloquism has a downside).
Plot Summary
In the play, our friend and hero Pato is framed for a crime hedidn’tdid commit: robbing the bank. While he sits in a jail cell with his BFF (#BestAmigoForever), a turkey, they recount what happened the day prior… and thanks to a “ghost”–what else do I do with a silver graduation gown?!–the two friends realize that Pato was POISONED! With “Meantonium”, a new element on the periodic table that makes you “mean”. In fact, a “Bad Apple” (~Manzana/Apple) poisoned the Mate tea Pato was drinking when Pato wasn’t looking, which made Pato “mean” and caused him to follow Bad Apple’s orders to rob the bank.
So… the two friends escape with the ghost’s help (#JailBreak), and go to Cuba to visit the witches, who are good and will help clear their name. In Cuba, Pato is severely distracted by all of the Salsa dancing, and wants to join the fiesta (party), even though they have work to do. The police show up suddenly, and this changes his mind rather quickly. A chase scene ensues.
Conclusions- It turns out that Manzana/Apple stole the Meantonium from the witches, who only had it on hand for emergencies. There is also a surprise ending with a Banana, which is a theme of sorts, as “La Habana”, the capital of Cuba, sounds like “Banana” to Pato. Obviously. This film is rated G.
My Dear Friends, Fellow Linguists, and Citizens of the World:
This summer, students are encouraged to continue their Spanish study by living the language, through whichever ‘access point’ they deem most exciting. It is important to tap into students’ interests here.
For example, if they like tech, work on a Spanish app consistently; if they like music, listen to songs in the target language; if they like art or science, check out the updated Culture Projects; if they like geography or travel, look at tags and stickers on clothing and fruits, and see how many Spanish-speaking countries they can find; if they like PE, complete the Camino For Good Summer Challenge (where you walk/bike/swim across Spain virtually and log your progress in an app, unlocking all sorts of fun along the way!).
Spanish class is all-encompassing, and as such, the goal is to make it fun so that students stick with it: language acquisition is a long journey, and it is important to enjoy the ride. For a plethora of links, resources, and ideas, keep reading!
NOTE: While the activities below are100% optional, it is my hope that you and your family begin incorporating Spanish into your daily lives: small, frequent doses are the most potent and effective!
“The idea is that you walk/swim/bike in your local area and each day you log your distance into the App. You will see your equivalent progression along the Camino Frances on the interactive map where you can get a real feel for the landscape and village life of the regions you pass through. The total distance of the Virtual Camino Frances is 485 mi/ 780 km.
As a way of keeping you motivated, the App has rich content in the form of over 2,000 photos, audio stories, local history and motivational quotes that get unlocked as you virtually travel through the 207 destinations along the way.”
SPANISH & FOOD
Take a “Food Tour” of the Spanish/Mexican/Venezuelan/ Peruvian restaurants in your city. Visit one new place a week, and take a photo of what you ordered to add to the food passport collage of your trips.
Consider making one of the following at home with your family.
SNACKS:Tapas, Fried plantains, Homemade Spicy Fries (Andean Mtns.), Guacamole—I chop up avocado, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and add a lot of freshly squeezed lime juice; mix; and enjoy with chips!
Here is a sampling of the Culture Projects many classes have done this past year. Feel free to revisit the [recently updated] pages at your leisure- there is always something new to learn!
Work on a language-learning app consistently this summer. Make goals for yourself about how many points you want to earn, or how many levels you want to level-up, or how many days a week you will practice. Switch your device’s language to Spanish if you want to!
Watch cartoons and movies in the target language; the brain does an incredible amount of work when it is given the opportunity to sit back, listen, and absorb. Do not downplay the importance of this when it comes to language acquisition!
SPANISH & WRITING
Keep a Spanish journal!
Doodle words you remember in the target language. Write the words or sentences in different colors and with different pens/ pencils/ markers/ paints/ gel pens/ etc. each day.
Tell the weather: hace sol (it’s sunny); hace mucho calor (it’s hot); está nublado (it’s cloudy); está lloviendo (it’s raining). Temperatures in Spanish-speaking countries are often in Celsius (use an online converter to see what 98*F equals!).
SPANISH & DANCE/MUSIC
Add a few Spanish songs to your playlists and listen to them in the car or on long road trips.
Find a song you like from the list above and play it every day while you brush your teeth or wash your face or set the table for dinner; make the song a part of your daily routine.
Next, create some dance choreography to go along with the song and share it with someone. Dress up, cut out tickets to “sell” for your performance, arrange seating, and remember, “Everything is sweeter when shared with a friend!” <3
Older students can read this amazing article for some serious language-learning motivation. Wow!
Cut out different currencies (money from other countries), and compare and contrast. Use a currency converter to see how much it would be worth in US dollars.
Make your own business! Decide what you will sell, and for how much (in pesos, euros, etc.). Display the items you create, build, or cook in a decorative way, so that your family will want to “buy” them.
Make a cash box and organize all of the money by country and by amount.
Watch movies in Spanish and add the Spanish subtitles– it can be interesting to compare the translations, which are oftentimes done in different countries. For example, you might hear, “¿Cómo estás?” but read, “¿Qué tal?“. You can even guess the country with some vocabulary and phrases.
Keep a Spanish journal and write a paragraph or two about what you remember the most from each day.
Make a “NO ENGLISH” rule at home with your family. Anyone who breaks the rule (intentionally or inadvertently) has to put a penny (or dollar?!) in a communal jar, or do everyone else’s chores for the next 24 hours. Make it a game!
Or, alternatively, turn a section of your home into a Spanish-speaking country!
Choose a Spanish-speaking country.
Research, print out, and hang up colored images of your country’s flag, plus famous places, animals, and foods from there. Ask to paint a tiny flag of your country on your hand or cheek!
Label five items in your room with bilingual (Spanish & English) signs–you can use WordReference or Google Translate.
Make it fun! Last year, we built a rainforest in Costa Rica in my classroom, complete with jungle sounds playing on an iPad in the background. This year, we built the Alhambra fort in Spain out of cardboard we had painted red. Add music, food, different currencies, and more- see other categories for more ideas!
Spanish is more than a class; it is a journey, and I cannot emphasize this enough. While the destination–fluency–is ultimately our telos, or end goal, the journey is equally important, and we want this journey to be filled to the brim with experiences and memories, so that language has meaning embedded in the words. Because that is the point, right?!
That said, it is important to recognize that when hiking (~our language-learning metaphor), there is value in both moving and standing still: sometimes you need to keep moving–and learning–filling up your tank with new experiences and new information; other times, you need to stop, pause, and be still while the world keeps moving. And sometimes, you meant or wanted to keep hiking, but didn’t get to it. That is okay!
Sometimes life throws us curve balls. Sometimes the world seems crazy. Sometimes our plans go awry. But a friend recently reminded me that through it all, we are responsible for how we respond: we can always choose joy. Whether ‘moving or standing still’ on your metaphorical hike, focus on what you love and make joy a priority this summer. It is time for a much needed respite now, but I also can’t wait to see you again in the fall! Have fun and be well.
Gracias,
-Your Resident Linguist
Happy Summer!
“Siempre hace sol / cuando hablas español” (it’s always sunny when you speak Spanish).
No matter the age, most students seem to love looking at different currencies from around the [Spanish-speaking] world. One day, my kindergarteners spent an entire class cutting out euros and pesos; I couldn’t get them to stop! As they get older, the conversation expands. Second graders, for example, looked at me like I had 14 heads when I showed them–using a currency converter–that $100 USD was equivalent to $377,530 Colombian pesos; but even with a huge question mark stamped on their brains (WHAT?!), they were still fascinated by the concept.
While comparing values of different currencies can be a fun exercise, challenges arise when trying to explain the why. If any educators (or financial gurus) out there have ideas about how to break down said information into easy to swallow, bite-sized chunks, please feel free to comment below!
This year, I changed schools and began writing blog posts about lessons, as opposed to quarter summaries. Our school also did a mix of hybrid learning, with some students 100% on campus and others learning virtually from home.
As a result, I struggled with finding the best way to organize my curriculum on paper, as well as trying to blog regularly and post for virtual students: much like the fireworks image above, my thoughts were everywhere. It was a year of intense professional growth. Below, you can read blips about what we did. My two favorite posts are starred below: Yes to Pizza and Pato Who?.
Let me introduce you to my fantasy self. She is an avid hiker. Weekends are spent camping under the stars, and she knows the trails in her area better than the roads to work. She can walk with a pack on her back for 20, 30, 40km without tiring. She spends more time outdoors than indoors, and when she is inside, dreams of inhaling fresh air and the light scent of gardenias floating through a field in the middle of nowhere.
I love my fantasy self. The problem is, she is not real. Don’t get me wrong- I have hiked before (500 miles*, in fact), and I spent much of my childhood running through the back woods of Maine: being covered in bug bites and scratches from blackberry bushes just meant it was a great day, filled with adventure and fun. I own a bevy of camping gear, and binge YT documentaries on the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Continental Divide from time to time.
But these days, I only hike metaphorically. I search for stories as though they were actual destinations. I notice how certain words weigh down my pack more than others. I collect random phrases in other languages. Each day brings me deeper into the linguistic jungle. Each day brings a new adventure to share. While this is all rooted in experience, the only pack I carry currently is an oversized purse. But let’s back up a few years.
It all started when I was in Spain, and we decided to name the days to organize our thoughts on trail. For instance, there was The Day of the Rainstorm, when we found ourselves atop the Pyrenees Mountains gripping metal hiking sticks during a terrifyingly vicious lightning storm; we were drenched (passports included) but relatively unscathed.
By contrast, The Day of the Cute Lamb & Guitar Lady was saturated with a deep peace: green buds blossomed, an 11-day-old lamb gazed innocently about, and calm seeped through the guitar strings of a 20-something-year-old Spaniard as she sang her heart out on the front porch of that little farm.
We invented silly story after silly story about elves and hobbits on The Day of the Mystical & Enchanted Forest; these playful tales helped bring me strength and peace of mind on The Day We Were Separated (read: actually lost & separated while hiking in a foreign country).
There was even a day when the heat led to a few hours of delirium, in which we made ‘conference calls’ to any body part that was in serious pain. “Um, Feet are on Line Two. They say it’s urgent.” “Can you tell them I’m talking with Knees? I’ll be with them in a moment.” “Just a second. Yes, they will stay on hold but only if you promise to stop walking by 3pm.” “Deal, but only if they tell Blisters to go on vacation ASAP.”
The trail was peppered with silly days and serious days, hard days and easy days, long days and short days. After returning home, I really thought that I would continue hiking. However, work piled up and one afternoon, I realized two things: one, that several years had passed since those unbearably hot but delightful Spanish summer days; and two, that my job and passion in life–teaching Spanish (and exploring other languages on the side)–had become a form of hiking.
You see, language-learning is the ultimate backpacking experience: it is minimalist (your 3-lb. brain suffices as luggage), and each word becomes a memento, a souvenir, a memory of where you’ve traveled and how far you’ve come. It is Camino-esque, a pilgrimage of sorts, except that unlike Le Chemin de Compostelle*, the journey never really ends.
That said, every once in a while, my fantasy self wonders if there is a way to combine the best of both worlds.
In the late 1500’s, a man named Thomas Coryat decided to hike across Europe. He ended up walking over 2,000 miles and “picking up” 14 languages along the way. He was a talented linguist and considered one of the world’s first backpackers and true tourists. With 14 languages under his belt, he is also considered a hyperpolyglot, or “massive language accumulator”.
In the 1800’s, there are legends that a Cardinal named Mezzofanti was fluent in at least 38 languages. According to linguist Michael Erard, when two prisoners were about to be put to death, Mezzofanti even learned the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”) overnight, heard their confessions and offered forgiveness in their language the following day, prior to the executions. Although seemingly impossible, there are numerous accounts of his unbelievable abilities, as well as boxes of flashcards stashed away in the historical archives of a library somewhere in Italy.
Modern-day hyperpolyglots include Timothy Doner, Alex Rawlings, Richard Simcott, Kató Lomb, and Alexander Argüelles, to name a few. All of these hyperpolyglots have different methods and beliefs in terms of how best to learn a language. Some imagine wearing different colored lenses when they study: red-tinted glasses for Chinese, blue for Russian, yellow for Portuguese, and so on and so forth to separate languages and facilitate in code-switching. Others walk through parks shouting unintelligible phrases, over and over again, until far on the horizon, their brain begins to pick apart the sounds, and suddenly, they have discovered a way in the back door.
Some listen to music on loop, ‘downloading’ and memorizing chunks of language, and then searching for translations after the fact, to see what they have learned and where they can apply said lyrics in everyday life. Still others rely on the old standby: the rote, drill and kill grammar of flashcards and verb conjugations. And some don’t necessarily learn the entire language, but have fun playing with accents and imitating foreign sounds (see Diego J. Rivas, SAARA, & Amy Walker). While the latter are not hyperpolyglots, their unique skillsets are certainly admirable.
Whatever the method or final destination, it is clear that language-learning is a journey. When hiking–and by extension, language-learning–becomes tedious, boring, repetitive, and the same old routine, we seeksomething new, novel, a break from the predictable rhythm. It has been said that no matter your social or financial status, no matter who you are, we all need encouragement.
I am an aspiring hyperpolyglot who recognizes that although I may never reach a high level of fluency in multiple languages, I can still use my hiking metaphor to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and look to these massive language accumulators when I get stuck or need a bit of motivation.
In the end, we can conclude that my past self hiked a fair amount; my fantasy self has achieved the title of Master Hiker; and my present self realizes that whether hiking in actuality or metaphorically, strength remains an imperative component. We must be strong–like the hiker–andjust keep walking, no matter what. That is the key, the trick, the secret, the path to mastery and success.
On my journey, I collect words; I amass memories and stories; I stop for encouragement along the way: but at the end of the day, I return to me, myself, and I, and observe as each memory glitters through the facets of a round brilliant cut diamond, as long as I keep walking.
“Happiness is a mosaic, comprised of a thousand little stones.”
ARGENTINA: We return to Argentina because it is a fascinating land of extremes: from the Southern Lights in Ushuaia, to Iguazu Falls in the north, there is something for everyone here. This week, we are focusing on the constantly changing street art of Argentina. When I lived there, I was amazed at how some of the walls were 4 inches of paint thick- many times, the murals would change overnight!
Here, classes began with an initial layer of ‘graffiti’ (writing words & sentences in Spanish on a huge sheet of paper), and then progressed to doodles, paintings (Xul Solar), and murals. Our goal is to layer the papers and see how thick our street art can get! We will cut out flip tabs to see the previous layers. Feel free to try this at home as well.
Once upon a time, there was a Spanish teacher who awakened very early one Friday morning and knew–without a doubt–that it was going to be an amazing day: no ifs, ands, or buts. As if cyberspace wanted to confirm this fact, by 5:30am the algorithms had led her to perhaps the #BestSongEverWritten.
She left the room and nearly missed the surprise ending, but ran back just in time to see it (watch to the end!). She felt an immediate and strong urge to share it with everyone who crossed her path that day; fortunately, she would meet with eight classes, so that wouldn’t be too difficult. It didn’t exactly align with the curriculum, but… yes to pizza. Always yes to pizza.
Then again, did it align? Could it? She wracked her brain. Classes were studying the Nazca Lines–massive geoglyphs in the Peruvian desert that appeared to be roads or trenches in every direction at ground level, but from the air… holy guacamole! They were designs of plants and animals, the longest a whopping 12 miles (20km) long!
The crazy thing was that they had been around for 2,000+ years, but weren’t really discovered or documented until aircrafts were invented. She imagined what it would have been like: “Flying over Peru, Roger that. Wait! A giant hummingbird, there is a giant hummingbird! And a spider! Mayday?!” [pause] “No, I don’t believe they intend to eat me.” “Should we send backup?” “No, I repeat–they do not appear to be an immediate threat. Over.”
In fact, drones and AI are helping to uncover new lines, previously gone unnoticed. In October of 2020, as explained by this article, a faint outline of a huge cat was discovered on the side of a mountain. 143 new geoglyphs have been discovered in the past two years, including one of a humanoid.
Students had been having difficulties imagining just how large these images were, so she planned to have them find the vehicles in the following photo. That would surely impress upon classes the immensity of their size. Wow!
So, pizza. Hmm. There had to be a way in; the song was just too good to hide away in a metaphorically dusty folder in the cloud. Another algorithm led to an animated gif, with a monkey, hummingbird, spider, and a… pizza?! Bingo!
The results of this Spanish lesson about pizza, ahem, Peru, speak for themselves, but she, for one, was very impressed.
Third graders tried making their own miniature deserts and geoglyphs with real sand and red paint (to mimic the reddish desert sand), but it was messier than anticipated: she wound up with red paint IN her hair, students all had red hands from dyeing the sand red, and thus the class switched from The Pizza Song on loop to Elmo’s Para bailar la bamba (because Elmo is red, in case you didn’t follow that non sequitur train of thought).
And since they were all in Peru, it felt like spending a moment at the sand dunes would be an inspired end to the week (best footage starts @3:09 below). After all of that virtual sand dune skiing, who’s hungry for pizza? Happy Friday! ¡Feliz viernes!
Teachers: Here is a more authentic/ traditional soundtrack for background music as students work if *gasp* you don’t like the pizza song.
A thick fog hangs like Spanish moss in the air. The air is cool; blurry palms stand quietly in the distance. Winter. Hibernation. Emerging from the cave–my cave–I squint as the first rays of dawn light up the horizon. How long have I been asleep? What did I dream?
We hibernate for myriad reasons. Sometimes this hiding away is a natural state: our energy slows with the seasons as we slide into a deeply restful period, refreshing and rejuvenating body and soul. Other times, we use hibernation as a means for safety or self-preservation, a sort of escapism, where–mandated or not–we become recluses to the world, avoiding and turning off a part of lives until we feel strong enough to reawaken, until we can face whatever it is we were running away from.
“Hibernation: a dormant state in which no food is taken“; here, there is no need to nourish ourselves; we are already full and recognize the necessity to take time to digest thoughts, feelings, our past, present, and potential future. As animals–only occasionally rational, I would argue–hibernation is healthy; but rising from the ashes, like the mythical phoenix, remains imperative, a vital, compulsory, requisite aspect of living. So rest and recuperate, and hide away from the world- just don’t forget to come back! We return to the same place, but it is suddenly brand new, brilliantly alive and sparkling like the ocean waves on a hot summer’s day.
I stretch, and memories frozen in a past long ago begin to melt, ice sculptures suddenly visible, now vanishing: Platonic Forms. Bears are both powerful, herculean creatures and cuddly soft, a beautiful tension and delicate balance. Good morning, world.
“We shall not cease from exploration / And the end of all our exploring / Will be to arrive where we started / And know the place for the first time.”
PERU: The Nazca Lines are a group of ancient geoglyphs in Peru. They are made out of naturally occurring elements, like rocks, stones, or earth. These trenches–running in all different directions in this part of Peru–appear to be roads from ground level. However, from an airplane, you can see that they are actually huge designs depicting anything from hummingbirds and lizards to astronauts and spiral shapes. Drones are helping to uncover even more in recent years.
This Nazca Lines Craft for Kids is one activity you can try in class or at home. In class, students recreated these designs with masking tape on the floor. Click below to see how this lesson plan evolved.
LANGUAGE IS weird. Bizarre. Quirky. Odd. Let me clarify: yes, language encompasses all of those things–each and every language has its own particular quirks and oddities (in the grammatical sense)–but I am referring here more to language acquisition, or the process of how a child learns another language.
You see, much of my job as a language teacher involves talking. I talk and talk and talk, filling young minds with Spanish babbling: the different rhythms and cadence, the syntax, the intonation, the words that sound the same as English and mean the same thing in Spanish, the words that sound the same as English but don’t mean the same thing in Spanish, and the words in Spanish that don’t sound like anything in English. There is a tremendous amount of input that must occur before you can expect any output.
Students listen and absorb, absorb and listen, don’t listen and don’t absorb, don’t listen and do absorb, and then just when I’m about to lose all hope–because sometimes I feel like I’m having a conversation with the wall or an inanimate object–they don’t say anything. But on the day after that, THEY DO! It is a bit magical.
Initially, it is a word here or there. “¡Hola!” “Could I go to the baño, I mean, bathroom?” “Wow, that is really grande (big)!” These phrases gradually–and ever so casually–are elongated over time: “¡Hasta luego, maestra!” and “Tengo hambre” (I’m hungry). “Quiero pintar” (I want to paint).
And then on some days, the conversation lulls: silence returns, deafening in every sense of the word, a lonely desert stretching as far as the eye can see. Wind whips across the dunes: English abounds. My conversation with the Inanimate Objects resumes. What happened?, I wonder. Is language like the tides? Did Spanish just go back out to sea? I don’t understand.
This is the fabulously irrational cycle, the pattern-less pattern, the inconsistent chain or sequence of events of language acquisition which lead to circles and spirals that appear at first to be a child’s scribbles. Nonsensical and incoherent, we not only allow but in fact encourage and invite the scribbles–the practice–because we know it’s leading somewhere. This Somewhere arrived for students in first grade today. Note that while “Somewhere” does not equate to fluency, it is a definite mile marker on the yellow brick road of their journey to proficiency, and should be congratulated.
In other words, the amount of Spanish in meaningful contexts–and complete sentences, at that!–that I heard this afternoon was astounding. Stars and planets aligned, the tide came in, the “English desert” disappeared, and WOW! “Quiero eso (I want that)”, “Ayúdame, por favor, maestra” (help me please, teacher) “¿Dónde está?” (where is it?) “Yo me llamo ____ (My name is ___).” Quiero ir a Guatemala con ___” (I want to go to Guatemala with so-and-so), “¡No quiero escribir!” (I don’t want to write!) “¡¡MIRA!!” (LOOK!) “Necesito rojo y azul, por favor” (I need red and blue [food coloring], please), “Vamos, amigos” (let’s go, friends!), “¿Puedo ir al baño?” (Can I go to the bathroom?).
It could just be the stifling heat–perhaps they are delirious and don’t realize they’re speaking in Spanish–but progress is being made, however intangible and unquantifiable. They are doing a wonderful job, and I just wanted to let you know that the class’ Spanish output today was truly incredible!
GUATEMALA: Thousands of Catholics in Antigua, Guatemala join together during Lent each year to make colored sawdust carpets in preparation for Semana Santa, or Holy Week. In 2014, they broke the Guinness Book of World Records and made the longest sawdust carpet ever, at an astounding 6,600 feet.
Watch the video below and be amazed! It is a beautiful end result, but requires much patience and attention to detail! This SITE also has more stencils and ideas.
This video shows what the process looks like (note: there is no sound).
This year, every student in Lower School made his or her own miniature carpet with colored sand. For younger classes, a pattern was assigned; older students created their own designs. The end goal was to laminate all of them together into one very long “carpet”, which we did!
COLOMBIA & BEYOND: Last year, second graders became very excitedabout gemstones and minerals. As a result, we spent time learning which minerals come from South and Central America, and then painted rocks to create amethysts and lapis lazuli look-a-likes. Several filled little cups of water and dyed the water various shades with food coloring.
This year, students studied geodes in their regular classroom, but I learned about it a smidgen too late to tap into the unit. Maybe next year?!
In class, PK students made miniature güiros by coloring a notecard, and then gluing Popsicle sticks on top of it; to experience a similar sound, they brushed against the latter with another Popsicle stick. It wasn’t perfect, but students had fun with the activity!
COLOMBIA: Is Guatapé, Colombia the world’s most colorful town? Each year, second graders paint colorful buildings and houses on tri-folds, and set up the cardboard in two lines so that they can ‘walk’ through town, stopping at various businesses and mercados along the way. The Señor Wooly song, “¿Adónde vas?” works well with this unit. *Image Credit Jessica Devnani & Saul Mercado
This year, kindergarteners also learned about finger painting street art in Colombia, and then mimicked the style on their whiteboards. I have seen this done on mirrors as well, but use whatever you have:
In Guatapé, Colombia, there is also the famous Peñón de Guatapé–a 70-million-year-old rock that stands 656 feet high. Students did a long-division problem to figure out how many of them standing on their clones’ heads would be that tall, and then used Popsicle sticks to build the staircase up the side of the rock (or, in our case, the side of the classroom wall).
PARAGUAY: Cateura is the name of a landfill in Paraguay where a town of people have taken a difficult situation–living in, quite literally, a dump–and made the best of it. They began by taking trash and repurposing it to build instruments, and now have an orchestra called Landfill Harmonic.
In class, students extended their study of forces, causes and effects to create their own instruments out of recycled materials. What sounds can you make with boxes, rubber bands, and a few old beads (or beans!)? Let’s get creative!
ASIDE: While Spanish is one of the official languages of Paraguay, Guaraní is as well–and, in fact, more people in Paraguay speak Guaraní than Spanish. It is very important to the life and culture there. Listen to the videos to hear what Guaraní sounds like. Mixing Spanish and English is often referred to as Spanglish, but mixing Spanish and Guaraní is called Jopara.
“There’s a saying in Paraguay that people who visit always cry twice – once when they arrive and once when they leave.”
Paraguay
Brazil
If this is of interest, also be sure to check out the Brazilian artist Vik Muniz’s art HERE. He makes massive works of art all created from garbage. To give you an idea of the size, the pupil of her eye might be a tire. There is a film about it as well, called Wasteland, but I haven’t seen it yet, so be sure to preview before watching with children. He also does a peanut butter and jelly Mona Lisa, which is very cool!
PUERTO RICO: Students were so fascinated by the tiny size and loud voice of the Coquí frog (native to Puerto Rico), that they wanted to create a whole unit out of it. Diving into history, they learned that a long time ago, the Taíno people carved petroglyphs into rocks and caves, including a special symbol for the Coquí frog. To apply what they had learned, some students gathered natural materials outside and then drew the coquí symbol on the leaves and bark; others created a diorama with real dirt, sticks, and leaves (but fake frogs!); and others opted for the tree frog coloring page. Many were enchanted by The Legend of the Golden Coquí, and listened to the story repeatedly. THIS is also a fun story/description for kids about the idea that it “rains coquís“.
“In El Yunque National Rainforest, people claim that it rains coquís. This is somewhat true, but not technically accurate. The frogs are actually jumping out of the tree for reasons of survival. At certain times of the year, when the humidity is high, coquís climb up the tall trees of the forest.
As with many journeys, there are perils, and for the coquí the main danger is the tarantulas who lie in wait to eat them. They are smart little creatures, so to avoid the spiders, they jump from the trees instead of climbing back down, because they are so light that they just float to the ground. So if you are under a tree when they decide to descend, you could get caught in a coquí shower.” (Here’s Why The Coquí Frog is the Symbol of Puerto Rico)
PUERTO RICO: Bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon where “living organisms emit light”, oftentimes when disturbed. You have probably seen this on land–fireflies lighting up the night–but it can also occur in the water. Mosquito Bay in Vieques Puerto Rico is the brightest glowing bioluminescent bay in the world.
In class, we dyed different cups of water with fluorescent highlighter ink (pink, yellow, green, blue), and then watched as the colors glowed brilliantly under a black light. Classes also saw their socks & shoes light up, and then tried scribbling on their hands with highlighters to produce an effect very similar to bioluminescence. Note: This made my hands itchy, so be sure to wash up immediately afterwards.
HERE is a list of a few more glow-in-the-dark projects to try at home. $1 glow-in-the-dark paints &/or glow sticks are always a great investment. There are Bioluminescent Kayaking Tours available in some parts of the country to see it in real life as well.
LET ME BEGIN with a general (but sincere) apology for not sending out thank-you notes yet to acknowledge your incredible generosity throughout the holiday season. Below please find a detailed list of excuses for the time lapse, along with a multi-step, absurdly elaborated enumeration of thought processes of fantastical concoctions of the imagination. #TooManyPrepositionsAlready #ForYourEntertainmentOnly
PART I: Detailed Excuses
1) So I went to the store to buy new thank-you notes because the ones I had weren’t artistically sufficient, but
2) I was running late as it was and then
3) my Train of Thought took me to other places and I missed the actual exit and
4) then there weren’t any parking spaces available and I couldn’t believe my eyes when
5) I saw a Bear–a REAL BEAR–but it was only as real as the VR videogame portrayed it to be (they say HD is clearer than real life, right?) and anyway, the bear appeared out of nowhere when I started playing on my phone while I was waiting for the guy to leave his parking spot and
6) then somebody honked at me and I got all flustered and stressed out and ate a chocolate bar and remembered that I needed milk at the grocery store so I pulled away but
7) then the gas light came on and I went to the station but it only took cash and so I went to the ATM and took out a few bucks but
8) by that time it had gotten dark and I decided that it was time to get going but then out of nowhere
9) I got caught in some quantum weirdness of a wormhole–a temporary condition?–and
10) a Grammarian Cop stopped me for writing this insanely long run-on sentence and then I finally made it home but
11) for the fourteenth time since the day before yesterday, I forgot to buy thank-you notes.
PART II: Absurdly Elaborated Thought Processes
(Several weeks later, after finally purchasing a set of cards to express my deepest gratitude.)
Step 1: I sit at my desk, pen in hand, and start, quite simply, with a handwritten note. Genuine, meaningful, and from the heart:
Mon Cher Ami (My Dear Friend)…
Step 2: And then think– No! I need a better idea, a fun idea, something that the students will appreciate. Yes, that’s it! A 3D (4D?) pop-up Scrabble board type thank-you note that spells out “Thank you!” in 14 different languages!
Step 3: … that is covered in glitter and Dr. Seuss zig-zag staircases…
Step 4: … and is attached to a balloon that inflates by an automated voice command control when said family receives the package in their mailbox…
Step 5: … but that has a dart included to throw so that it doesn’t float away…
Step 6: with all the safety precautions in place, of course.
Step 7: And maybe a drone could live-stream their reaction!
Step 8: And we could have a contest in real time of who throws the dart the fastest to pierce the balloon that was inflated by an automated voice command control to lower the package containing a card covered in glitter and Dr. Seuss zig-zag staircases that pops up into a 3D (4D?) Scrabble board that spells out “Thank you!” in 14 different languages.
Step 9: Hmmm, I wonder if I have the necessary coding skills to program an automated voice command. [Inner voice: Absolutely not.]
Step 10: BRRRRRING!!!!! The alarm clock sounds. It is 5am. Again.
(Loud, automated voice over the intercom system):“Attention, all Gift Givers and Genuinely Thoughtful People. There will be a significant delay in the arrival of your personalized thank-you notes. They most certainly will not arrive on time. There is a slight chance that they may not arrive at all. With a swirl of hope and pixie dust, however, they may possibly arrive in the coming decade, in the time zone of Soon-ish. Again, we are not making any promises. Have a lovely evening.”
All kidding aside, your thoughtful gifts and kind words brought me much light and love, and for that I am inexpressibly grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
BOLIVIA:Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat formation in the world. It is almost 11,000 square kilometers in area, with 10 billion tonnes of salt. During the rainy season, a light coat of water creates a perfect reflection of the sky–from sunrises and sunsets to beautiful starry nights. For a good read (with photos), check out this article entitled, “Walk the Salar“. For more images, click this LINK.
In class, students used watercolors to paint a sunrise on half of a sheet of paper, and then folded it over while still wet to create fun mirror-images. Later, we all tasted a lot of salt and contrasted it with azúcar/ sugar, and discussed how salt is a natural resource. Some students even covered a small box with salt (and glue) to create their very own ‘salt hotel’. If you visit in real life, you can actually stay in a hotel made entirely of salt. How fun!
One year, we got really crazy and built a “salt hotel” out of… well, sugar cubes! Just because we could.
ARGENTINA: Ushuaia, Argentina is the southernmost city in the world, and also a great place to view the Southern Lights. We tend to hear more about the Northern Lights simply because more people live close to the North Pole than the South Pole, but in the south they are just as beautiful!
In class, students traveled to Ushuaia to see the Southern Lights, and then created their own version of the night sky out of black and white paper, chalk, and sparkles. We used this lesson plan, and also watched THIS in class. The video is from Iceland, but it is the same atmospheric phenomenon in the south. Read more scientific info HERE.
The unrelenting Spanish sun beat down on me as I wiped the sweat from my forehead for the umpteenth time, wondering what in the world 44*C was in Fahrenheit. [It turned out to be 111.2*F.] So this is why they have the siesta, I thought. My brother and I were the only ones walking around the city streets of Granada that afternoon, foolishly searching for tapas and a place to spend the night, when everything was very clearly closed. Scholar-me knew that the siesta existed, knew that it was a part of Spanish culture, but to live it was something entirely different. The “CERRADO” (closed) signs weren’t really necessary: heavy iron doors and gates prevented anyone from even looking inside.
We began to quarrel as the heat got to us. My back ached from carrying a heavy pack (I would learn about ultralight packing after this trip), and my feet were burning through the thin soles of my sneakers; you could literally see waves of heat rising from the sidewalk. I was hungry and exhausted, and losing patience.
“You speak Spanish; what did she say?” His voice was sharp. In Madrid, everything had been crystal clear; but here, in the heart of Andalucía, a mere 2.5 hours south, the accent had changed dramatically. The words blurred together; the cadence, unrecognizable. “I don’t know. I only caught a little bit.“
I tried to stay calm, but in reality, my mind was racing: I was mortified. I didn’t understand. I had looked up so many words in my paperback dictionary over the years that it actually fell apart one day; I had read Don Quijote and graduated with a degree in Spanish; and now here, in the center of it all, I was lost. All that studying for naught. It was beyond comprehension and incredibly humbling–a serious blow to the ego. Why was southern Spain so different from northern Spain?
Years later, I would return to this question both in academia (pursuing my master’s) and in practice (hiking 500 miles of El Camino de Santiago). Northern and southern regions often vary significantly in culture as well as language in many states and countries, and Spain is no exception to the rule.
To get our bearings, let’s begin with the linguistic topography: in northern Spain, five languages are spoken, namely, Spanish, Galician, Basque (Euskara), Aranese, and Catalan. In Southern Spain, Castilian Spanish is the primary language, with other dialects peppered throughout.
However, as the maps above indicate, this has not always been the case: Arabic and Mozarabic were the official languages in the Iberian Peninsula a millennia ago. The Moors ruled Spain from the 700s to the 1400s, leaving their influence in the architecture and culture as well as in the Spanish language itself.
Nowadays, Moorish culture is still very present in Spanish society, particularly in Andalusia. One example of the confluence of Islamic and Christian influence in architecture includes the beautiful Mezquita in Córdoba (arches below). Another example of Islamic architecture is, of course, the Alhambra, or “red fortress” [الْحَمْرَاء], in Granada. Here, beautiful, hand-painted geometric tiles–in Spanish, azulejos; in Arabic, الزليج [az-zulayj]–line the floors and walls inside; outside, aqueducts and numerous fountains and pools of water point to the Arabs’ knowledge of irrigation systems.
What is arguably most interesting, however, is the fact that Arabic and Spanish today share about 8,000 words. Eight thousand! Language and culture are inextricably tied here. For instance, Arab cuisine found a home in Spain when the Moors introduced new spices and foods to the Iberian Peninsula (e.g., saffron, coriander, apricots, eggplant, citrus, rice, artichokes, sugar cane). Many desserts in Spain have Arabic origins. Watch the short video below to listen to words that sound similar in Spanish and Arabic.
But before you do, remember that Arabic in its proper form is written from right to left, unlike English or Spanish (left to right). The words below are transliterated, to help non-native speakers hear and see the difference. Sugar, for example, is azúcar in Spanish, but السكر in Arabic (“sookar“). It is amazing that the two can appear so different in their written form but sound so similar, right?!
Video
A warm summer breeze wafted through the air as the sun began its slow descent on the horizon. Palm trees and tropical green shrubbery divided the lanes of traffic. Shops were beginning to reopen. People suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, filling the sidewalks with couples and strollers, a mixture of old and young and everything in-between. We turned down an alleyway, no longer vigilant travelers in a foreign land on the lookout for pickpockets, but rather bleary-eyed tourists dragging our weary bodies to a chair, any chair. Some place to rest our exhausted minds and bodies and escape the unbearable heat.
The first sip of salmorejo–an ice-cold tomato soup native to the region, similar to gazpacho–brought us back to life. Nothing had ever tasted so delicious. I inhaled the bowl of liquid so quickly that my stomach immediately cramped in pain. But I didn’t care. I glanced around the tiny restaurant, saw colorful azulejos tiling the floor, heard Spanish and Arabic languages intermingling at the bar; felt waves of heat trying to force their way inside; and smiled.
Andalucía was more than foods and historical landmarks; it was more than the intersection and summation of two radically different cultures and languages. It was a feeling. It was an experience.
This was the only flower in a field as far as you could see (that had managed to survive the 110*F temps). “Hope is the thing with feathers.” -Emily Dickinson
CUBA: For New Year’s, many Cubans mop their houses from top to bottom, and fill up a bucket with the dirty water. Next, they dump this water in the street, as a symbolic gesture to “throw away” all of the bad stuff from this past year and begin anew. Later, they walk around the block with a suitcase, waving goodbye to their neighbors. This is meant to ensure a trip abroad in the coming months.
A staple Cuban event is the pig roast (click on the link, if you dare), but they also will eat black beans and rice, plantains, and buñuelos for dessert for the Christmas Eve meal. A pig roast takes a long time, but the water-dumping and suitcase jaunt seem manageable!
ARGENTINA: Yerba Mate Tea (“MAH-tay”) is the ‘friendship drink’ of South America, especially Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Paraguay. You drink the tea out of a gourd, and keep refilling it with hot water all day long to sip. The tea leaves are loose (not in a tea bag). It can be quite strong to some people.
Students tasted it today and heard the Guaraní legend of how Mate came to be. A slightly different version of this legend in video form can be seen at this LINK. If you want to make more Mate at home, you can find it at most large grocery stores and also on Amazon HERE. And if you just want to send someone the mate emoji, here it is.
Short version of legend: The Goddess of the Moon comes to earth as a human, finding herself in the middle of the jungle at night and face to face with a ferocious jaguar that is ready to attack. She closes her eyes–expecting the worst–when she hears a man whispering to the jaguar in an unfamiliar language. The jaguar relaxes and does not attack the woman. The man says that the jungle is dangerous at night, and to come to his family’s hut and sleep there until morning. The man dreams that night that the woman leaves him a plant to thank him for saving her life. The plant’s leaves are meant to be ground into a tea and shared with friends to “[recreate]… the joy that is born when humans discover divinity in everyday life“. When he awakens the following morning, the woman is gone but a plant is on her cot, as his dream foretold (source).
Long version (taken from this page HERE): “A Guaraní legend has it that, once upon a time, there was a beautiful goddess with long black hair and skin as white as snow, who was so in love with human beings that she would spend hours and hours watching in fascination their every move from the skies above.
It was on a summer afternoon, at the scorching time of siesta, that she succeeded in convincing her father, the God of all gods, to let her walk at least for a few hours, secretly, through the infinite paths of red earth that go deep into the huge and thunderous waterfalls of the jungle in Misiones (2). Right there, humans, whom the goddess admired so, lived happily in huts made of straw and mud, in community and in contact with Mother Nature.
So it happened that, jumping for joy, that very night the goddess finally descended onto planet Earth. Her eyes wide open, like a little girl, and barefoot, so she could move more freely through the deep harmony of the thick vegetation, she ran gracefully like a gazelle, plunging herself into the scent of wild ferns and all sorts of herbs, smiling when listening to the many mysterious nocturnal sounds that inhabit the jungle.
It was while she was mesmerized with the buzzing sound that surrounded a beehive that, all of a sudden, a jaguar crossed her path. It stared and roared at her menacingly, with fierceness, getting ready to attack. The goddess was paralyzed with terror. Having become a human, she had lost all the powers that could have saved her from such a threat. She closed her eyes and mouth, expecting the worst. Yet, she heard a voice murmuring some meters away from where she was standing. Plucking up enough courage, she opened her eyes. And she saw a dark-skinned and brown-haired young man, dressed in a loincloth, who was on his knees close to the animal, whispering to its ear words in a strange language, which the goddess had never heard before. After a while, the jaguar eventually sat on its hind legs. Yawning, it shamelessly opened its mouth wide, inadvertently showing its ferocious teeth. It started to play with the lianas that hung in front of its head. The goddess understood that peace had been restored to the jungle.
“My name is Arami,” said the young man, while he petted the appeased feline and, at the same time, bowed before the girl.
“I thank you, Arami, for your help. I am Jasy, and the heavens will be eternally grateful to you for having saved my life,” replied the goddess, feeling a sudden rush of emotion.
“The sunrise is still some hours away, and it is not a good idea to walk in the jungle at this time of night. Let alone tonight, since darkness is deeper as there is no moon. If you wish so, you are welcome to rest in my family’s hut, Jasy.”
Hardly had Arami finished pronouncing the word “moon,” than the goddess had let slip the hint of a smile. Blushing, she had lowered her head and she had taken her hand to her mouth.
“Who might this strange and beautiful girl be?” wondered Arami, deeply intrigued.
Later that night, while he was sleeping, he dreamed the weirdest dream he had ever dreamed. He was floating over a huge, white and silvery lush forest. From behind, pale and extremely high despite towering trees, Jasy was watching him and smiling, with the same eyes and the same smile he had appreciated so much, hours before, while he was petting the jaguar. She was undoubtedly the same girl. Except that, in the dream, she was taller, so, so much taller, that her face rose above the jungle, reflecting on it a soft, brilliant and whitish light; and her hair was longer, so, so much longer and blacker, that it spread over the whole sky like a jet night where few stars shone. In a moment of clarity, Arami realized that, in truth, he was not floating but gliding over the white darkness while sitting comfortably on the palm of Jasy’s hand.
“As a reward for having saved me from the jaguar,” said Jasy to him, “tomorrow, when you wake up, you will find a new plant in the middle of your garden. Its name is Caá and, after toasting and grinding its leaves, you will make with it a special blend of tea you will come to call mate. You will share the drink with those people to whom your heart is attracted. With each sip that you and your friends drink, you will be recreating and manifesting the joy that is born when humans discover divinity in everyday life, a discovery that is as sacred and perfect as the roundness of my body navigating among the constellations.”
The next morning, Arami did not find Jasy on the improvised straw bed where she had slept. He did find, though, in the middle of his garden, the plant of yerba mate. He followed the instructions he had received in the dream and, finally, at sunset, he sat on the emerald-green grass growing from the red earth, and poured the ground leaves into a hollow, small gourd. He added hot water, slowly, very slowly. One, two, three and four sips, through a thin cane straw. As soon as the beverage began to enter his body, Arami thought he heard Jasy’s smile echoing in the fresh breeze that surrounded him. He raised his eyes, as if he wanted to find her. It was dusk. The whisper of the smile began to vanish, jutting into the night that was arising, towards the extreme East horizon. There, from behind thin clouds, the sharp reddish thread of a dazzling New Moon was beginning to shine its light over the lively green and thick jungle in Misiones.”
My Dear Friends, Fellow Linguists, and Citizens of the World:
The holidays are a time for family, friends, and much merriment. Hopefully, amidst the frantic shoppers and bumper-to-bumper traffic, you are able to relax and find some peace and joy in the season.
That said, learning does not stop or stagnate just because there are no classes; we learn constantly throughout our lives, and these breaks remind us that education takes many forms. While vacations are definitely for relaxing and spending time with loved ones, 20,160 minutes [two weeks] is a long time without a language, and parents frequently ask me what they can do at home to supplement their child’s language study. With that in mind, I have curated a list of cultural and linguistic activities that you and your children are welcome to explore over the break. Feel free to pick and choose what works for you and your family, but know that all of these activities are 100% optional.
CULTURE: Holiday Traditions from Spanish-Speaking Countries to Try
1) Cuba: For New Year’s, many Cubans mop their houses from top to bottom, and fill up a bucket with the dirty water. Next, they dump this water in the street, as a symbolic gesture to “throw away” all of the bad stuff from this past year and begin anew. Later, they walk around the block with a suitcase, waving goodbye to their neighbors. This is meant to ensure a trip abroad in the coming months. A staple Cuban event is the pig roast (click on the link, if you dare), but they also will eat black beans and rice, plantains, and buñuelos for dessert for the Christmas Eve meal. A pig roast takes a long time, but the water-dumping and suitcase jaunt seem manageable!
2) Venezuela: “For locals in the capital of Caracas, it is customary to strap on your roller skates and glide to Christmas mass. As legend has it, children go to bed with a piece of string tied round their toe and the other end dangling out of the window. As skaters roll past, they give the string a tug and children know that it’s time to, well, get their skates on” (source). The streets are actually blockaded off each year so that families can roller-skate to Midnight Mass safely. People say this began as an alternative to sledding, since Venezuela is right on the equator and therefore quite warm in December. While I would not recommend roller-skating in the middle of the street in this country, you could go to a rink to skate!
3) Spain: Eat twelve grapes at midnight on December 31, to welcome in the New Year and for good luck for each month of the coming year. People also wear red clothing (and underwear!) for extra good luck. There is also a highly anticipated, three-hour long Christmas Lottery called, “El Gordo” that Spaniards watch on television December 22nd. Children from the San Ildefonso School practice all year long to announce the winning numbers in song. THIS is what it looks like. (Note: The grape-eating tradition has been adopted in many other Spanish-speaking countries as well, and not just Spain.)
4) Mexico: “Families begin the nine-day observance of las posadas by reenacting the Holy Family’s nine-day journey to Bethlehem and their search for shelter in a posada, or inn. In some parts of Mexico, for the first eight evenings of las posadas two costumed children carry small statues of Mary and Joseph as they lead a candlelight procession of friends and neighbors from house to house. They sing a song asking for shelter for the weary travelers. When at last they find a family that will give shelter, the children say a prayer of thanks and place the figures of Mary and Joseph in the family’s nacimiento. Then everyone enjoys a feast at the home of one of the participants.
For the children, the piñata party on the first eight evenings is the best part of las posadas. The blindfolded children are spun around and given a big stick. They take turns trying to break open the piñata with the stick while the piñata is raised and lowered. Everybody scrambles for the gifts and treats when the piñata shatters and spills its treasure” (source). Here, you could act out las posadas and make or buy a piñata.
Oaxaca, Mexico also hosts a very unique radish-carving festival called, “Noche de los Rábanos” (Night of the Radishes) every December. The radish carvings are extremely detailed, intricate sculptures–see pics HERE and HERE–which wilt quickly; timing here is everything. See if you can carve a miniature radish sculpture at home with your parents.
5) Guatemala: Here, “Guatemalans use colored sawdust to construct their nativity sets, and create characters with indigenous features to represent their ancestors” (source). While these nativity scenes are very beautiful, perhaps even more impressive are the sawdust carpets Guatemalans create for Holy Week (Easter). Check out a few pictures HERE to learn more and read about the 6,600 foot long sawdust carpet–a world record. It might be fun to create a miniature sawdust carpet model, but using colored sand and a stencil outline instead. Take a picture so that it lasts forever!
People in many Latin American countries also prepare Christmas tamales, although the recipes differ from place to place and culture to culture (e.g., Mexicans tend to wrap them in corn husks and Guatemalans in banana leaves).
LANGUAGE: Spanish Language Activities
1) Watch a movie in the target language, with Spanish voiceover and English subtitles. If you have not seen Coco or Ferdinand, now would be a great time, but any movie works! NOTE: you are welcome to change the voiceover AND subtitles to Spanish, but quite often, the translations are done in different countries: what you are hearing is not what you are reading. This can be confusing for a beginner; it is more important right now for students to listen to the language: input, input, input! If your family does not want to watch the movie in Spanish with you, ask to invite some friends over. ¡Fiesta!
2) Find a Spanish radio station on your car radio and listen to it either driving around town or on a long road trip. Dance along to the songs and try to pick out a few words you know!
3) Schedule a family night out at a local Mexican/Cuban/Venezuelan/ Spanish-speaking restaurant. Then, either order in Spanish (if you already know how), or ask the waiter a few questions and learn how! Most people are more than willing to share their linguistic knowledge. Be courageous and try something new you have not had before. If you go to multiple restaurants, make a photo slideshow of Food from Different Countries!
4) Prepare a traditional recipe with your family from a Spanish-speaking country. Make it interesting and try something new that you have never had before. Tortilla Española? Bocadillo? Churros? Flan? Dulce de leche? Tamales? Guacamole? Patacones? Tres leches cake? Gallo pinto? Horchata? Enjoy the process of searching for a recipe (appetizer? drink? main course? dessert?), buying ingredients you may have never heard of before, and then preparing it as a family. There tends to be a big focus on family and community in Latin American households, so make sure that everyone helps out. The more, the merrier!
5) Not traveling this vacation? Plan an imaginary trip to a Spanish-speaking country. Pretend you have $10,000. But wait! Other countries do not all use the dollar. Google what type of money your country has. HERE is a currency converter to play around with. Then, decide where you want to go in said country. If you type in the search bar, “points of interest Spain” [or the country you are interested in], you will get photos and names of landmarks, palaces, monuments, beaches, etc. that may be of interest.
6) Find a Spanish language-learning app that you like, and then level-up three levels to complete this challenge. Grades 3&4 have been working on Duolingo this year, so they are welcome to ‘level up’, or explore another app for fun. Here are a few suggestions: MindSnacks, Duolingo, Memrise, FluentU, and/or Epic. Or play the Guess the Languagegame and see if you can beat your score. Please note that the latter is highly addictive!
7) It is very common in many part of Mexico to eat, well, bugs. Really! From worms and creamy winged-ant salsas to stink bugs, chapulines, and 88 species of beetles, “Mexico is the country with the greatest variety of edible insects: 549 species, according to the 2013 report Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security.” To test your courage, visit the Candy Store locally (ask me where!) and buy a few fried crickets, or try Amazon. There are even fun flavors to whet your appetite, such as: Bacon & Cheese, Salt & Vinegar, and Sour Cream & Onion.
8) Start looking for fruits, vegetables, boxes, cans, clothing, etc. that come from Spanish-speaking countries, and try to collect stickers and/or clothing tagsfrom all 21 countries (e.g., clothes “Made in Guatemala”, bananas from Costa Rica, avocados from Mexico; that is, imports/exports). This was a Spanish Challenge, but many Lower School children (grades 2-4) can already name a majority of the Spanish-speaking countries**, and are encouraged to keep their eyes open.
**Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic (La República Dominicana), Puerto Rico (technically a territory), Spain (España), and Equatorial Guinea.
You’ve read this far and still want more? First, thank you for taking the time to read it; it is greatly appreciated. Second, feel free to check out my Summer Packet 2017 and Summer Packet 2016 for more ideas. For any fellow linguists, the Articles drop-down menu and corresponding pages have enough links to last a lifetime. In between your Google Rabbit Hole/Alice in Wonderland virtual searching, enjoy the time off, “sprinkle kindness like confetti“, and have a magical and very Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays. See you in 2021!
MEXICO: Mexico has a lot of holiday traditions this time of year, but one particularly unique one is Noche de los Rábanos(Night of the Radishes) in Oaxaca. Here, people spend all day long carving radishes into beautifully intricate sculptures; they earn cash prizes for the best ones. Watch the videos to learn more, and then try to carve your own radish sculpture (with an adult).
THE SADNESS rolls over me in waves, intermittent pulses gradually washing away the shoreline. I reach down for a handful of the volcanic black sand, and marvel at its odd grainy texture. Farther on, the sand turns pebbly—small, smooth stones pepper the ground mosaic. It is difficult to grasp how this ash was once part of a mountain: hot vapor, rock fragments, lava, and gas have transformed it into a bewitchingly beautiful landscape.
And yet, I also understand completely. It isn’t merely a matter of transportation, that of moving from one place to another—magma inside to volcanic ash outside; but rather this activity of an internal explosion, a pregnancy of creation, a fiery process turned cooled product. These constant bursts are my ultimate composition and makeup at my deepest level. They are me.
I cannot move away from or flee the sadness, for it will remain a part of me always in varying forms–memories etched into basalt columns of the heart; but I can transform the ache into something beautiful. Drowsy numbness, Keats? Begone! As the sadness cools to ash, I feel stronger. Lighter.
Nearing the shoreline, white frothy ocean spray nearly knocks me down this time; but I respond gleefully now, jumping in the waves.
The day is a cold, smoky gray, but I am warm inside. Just like the mountain.
RAINY DAYS usually felt cozy, comforting: grayness squeezing her in a tight metaphorical hug, drops pelting the windowpane in a steady rhythm, staying inside with people she loved. But today was different. She was frustrated. Overwhelmed, perhaps. And for a seemingly nonsensical reason: her favorite shirt didn’t fit anymore. But everyone had one. You know the kind. It was the soft, stretchy, steel blue one, the one made of rayon that never wrinkled or shrunk in the dryer. It was the one that had a history all its own—one that had survived spaghetti sauce, Sharpie markers, long runs through the woods, and even a short bout with a toner cartridge that exploded when she shook it one summer afternoon (whoops). It was the one that made her feel loved, even when times got tough—one that helped her through tears from ex’s, a hypochondriac phase, and infuriating drama-filled emails and texts. And it never made her feel fat, even after she gorged herself on Chipotle and a pint of ice cream. No matter what day it was, she always felt good in it. That’s what made it her favorite shirt.
Except that now it was getting a little tight, and it itched sometimes, and even though it was her favorite, she had worn it to shreds. She needed a new one. Badly. But she didn’t want to let go. She needed to; she just didn’t want to.
The grayness squeezed her with doubts, consuming and strangling her thoughts: what if she couldn’t find a good replacement? What if the new one was only good, and not great? She had already gone shopping at several stores, but returned home exhausted and miserable. She couldn’t find what she was looking for. Everything paled by comparison. Perhaps she didn’t know what she wanted. And yet, she knew that when she saw it, there would be no indecision, no question, simply a gut feeling and intuition that this was her new shirt. Sighing, she surrendered to the metronome-like pulse of raindrops outside, and decided to hope for the best. She would find a new favorite shirt. She had to. She would still keep the old one forever, and always remember it as her favorite shirt, but she had to go find a new one now.
My throat is parched and dry. I thirst for adventure. مكتوب (Maktub, “It is written”).
WEEKS 3-4: Just so you are aware, any lesson involving Pato tends to grow and evolve and become an all-out saga that goes on and on because–as the PSA (Professional Stuffed Animal) of a linguist (yours truly)–he has inherited a love of words and language. In other words, these Spanish updates will not be strictly aligned with society’s definition of “every week”, but rather, whenever a lesson circles back around and all of the dots are connected. At times, even Pato is unsure of where all of this is going–metaphorically stumbling through the fog–but in the end, the sun brings a clear sky, everything makes sense, and it all works out (“In the end, it all works out. If it’s not working out, it’s not the end!”). Fortunately, this happened today. But let me rewind a few classes and start from the beginning.
After discussing how many Spanish-speaking countries there are in the world (21), second graders adjusted to starting class with “El mapa” (the map). Here, all of the countries of South America are outlined with masking tape on a 6’x9’ canvas painter’s drop cloth, so that students can simultaneously jump on and name the places (one at a time). The first week, we started with España/Spain, then added Chile and Argentina, and this morning we added Uruguay. We are moving from south to north, but since we had already talked about Spain in conjunction with the Camino (the long hike), students ‘swim’ or ‘fly’ across the room to a corner designated as España.
Today began with students spreading out the tape floor map silently–no words or sounds allowed! I explained in English afterwards that while it always shows good character to be quiet and considerate of other classes, the reason for this activity was primarily linguistic: if you are dropped in a foreign land and do not speak the language, you will rely heavily on gestures and body language. These are all clues and should not be disregarded! I socially distanced myself from them, slid down my mask, and made an angry face, crossing my arms. How am I feeling right now, class? Mad! Did you need to know the word, “enojada” (angry) to understand that? I want to give students tools to navigate another language, and being observant can be enormously helpful when it comes to comprehension.
Anyway, while second graders jumped on the map, I showed those waiting in line a slideshow of photos highlighting said countries, and answered their questions, adding personal travel anecdotes when relevant or necessary. What are those animals? A capybara and a coati! Is that Easter Island (Chile)? Yes! Can you play that video? The video was actually a song of classic Argentine and Uruguayan Tango music, to which students listened and then did the basic T-A-N-G-O step. (For any ballroom dancers out there, Argentine Tango is beautiful but too complex for our purposes, so I teach the American Tango step to students.)
We connected this to our previous conversation about the “angry face” because the character of the Tango dance is angry and hostile, with sharp movements and defined steps. It is a great dance to do when you are mad!
Switching to Spanish, we continued recounting The Adventures of Pato. Here, I was nervous that the story was losing a bit of steam, so I knew we had to spice it up and connect all of the dots. You see, each lesson, second graders are excited to see and ‘talk’ with Pato. He visited second grade last week and was sopping wet (it literally took three days to dry him out) and they all wanted to know why. As a result, he began to explain the–as one student so eloquently phrased it–“grossly exaggerated” tale. Embellishment might as well be his middle name.
In 2-1, it was a scorchingly hot summer day (hace calor/ “AH-say kah-LORE”), and Pato could not tolerate the heat: he jumped into the ocean (agua/water), feeling the cool waves beneath his wings, and smiled–until a huge shark zoomed into the picture (literally: I created a slideshow after we came up with the story), with a voice booming four malevolent syllables, “TENGO HAMBRE” (I’m hungry). Thought-bubbles of a scrumptious “duck sandwich” came to mind as he swam closer and closer. Clearly, we had a situation.
In 2-2, a similar plot ensued, except that Pato was peacefully sleeping in his bed, dreaming of an ice cream cone with not one, but TWO scoops of chocolate (heladode chocolate), when all of a sudden, a group of shark-ghosts/tiburón–fantasmas (and shark-foxes and shark-black cats/tiburones-gatos negros (what?!), etc.) snuck into his dream, ravenous as all get out and ready to chow down on a duck sandwich. (We won’t get into the logistics of what happens when the dreamer who initiated the dream gets eaten. Does everyone disappear? And if so, was the dreamer really eaten, when none of it is reality to begin with? I digress.)
Point being, both classes ended up on the same page re: a duck sandwich, so it seemed an appropriate time to insert a smidgen of cultural knowledge about food: “bocadillo” (sandwich/ “bow-kah-DEE-yo”) and “tapas” (snacks or appetizers in Spain/ “TAH-pahs”). Students pretended to physically become “bocadillos” or “tapas” around the room here (stretched out or curled up). We also played a “tiburón” (shark) vs. everyone game several lessons ago, where the “everyones” had to say, “¡No me comas!” (don’t eat me) as a response to, “Tengo hambre” (I’m hungry).
Students also listened to their class songs, namely, Rompe Ralph/ Wreck-It Ralph and La Roja Baila, and 2-1 made sure to voice their–mostly fabricated–complaints (once they realized that I was over exaggerating absolutely everything to elicit a “Me duele/it hurts” response from them). They also practiced writing a few sight words in the target language.
BUT BACK TO the story!Pato decided that the only way he was going to be able to escape was by flying. However, flying is an art–even for a young duck–and he needed some assistance here. Second graders helped rig up a string zipline in the classroom for the stuffed animal and away he flew, out of danger’s grasp.
When you hear about each day individually from your child, it might be difficult to follow all of this; but when the lessons invariably come together and the pixelated view becomes a panoramic view one magical, cloudy Tuesday morning, my hope is that you see where we are going. To sum up, in Spanish class our goal is to incorporate both language and culture.
The end beginning. Have a great week and thanks so much for reading!
UPDATE: Students in PK-4 have been experiencing a 100% immersive classroom environment in Spanish class. We begin each day with a song, followed by knocking on the “door” (read: ground) to see if Pato is ready to visit them. I ask them where he is (¿Dónde está?) and they point to my small backpack (mochila). When they have a lot of physical energy, we do action commands (corre/run, salta/jump, marcha/march, baila/dance, etc.).
The reminder of class tends to be presentational-conversational, meaning that I am presenting a lesson and constantly asking questions in Spanish, but students are also responding in English or with body language (e.g., thumbs up or down). This is called the “silent period” in language acquisition; learners are absorbing, absorbing, absorbing. They are absorbing the cadence and rhythm of the language, and they are intuiting, comprehending, and internalizing contextualized language and new vocabulary. I gesture, I change the intonation of my voice, I use props, I turn on and off the lights (we have a ‘class game’ where I ask a student to turn off the lights, they respond and everyone else pretends to fall asleep–buenas noches/good night!); I do pretty much everything I can think of, but I do not pressure students to produce language at this stage in the game. If they want to, fantastic; but if not, that is perfectly natural (think of a baby learning his/her native tongue–you don’t force them to speak day #2 out of the womb!).
Anyway, PK-4 students were exceptionally in the zone this morning, and so our general conversation with Pato turned into a gripping story about a gato/cat who wanted to eat Pato (a duck). The cat did not want pizza, strawberry or chocolate ice cream, or a banana; however, it considered cat food and four fish. Ultimately, the cat chased after Pato (who put a tissue over his head, pretending to be a fantasma/ghost), but a student suggested that I use the three stuffed animal dogs I bring to class to bark and scare away the cat. Thankfully, this scared away the cat. Phew!
The suggestion was–ironically–very similar to a Cuban tale about the importance of learning another language (in the story, a mouse barks to scare away a cat; video ends at 4:21). Gracias and have a great day!
VIRTUAL STUDENTS are strongly encouraged to get as much linguistic input as possible– watch cartoons in the target language, listen to the radio in Spanish (even if you don’t understand!), just listen-listen-listen! Your child’s brain is doing a ton of work, even if they can’t verbalize or articulate it quite yet.
You are very sweet to write. Your penmanship, however, seems to have regressed. Then again, I am not as fluent in Duck as in years past; it is likely this was a factor in my overall comprehension. But yes, I am doing well and greatly enjoying my new adventures. Thank you for asking. The candy heart drawing was beautifully done.
I was pleased to hear that you eventually made it to Stain Spain. But what a trip! The colorful Popsicle stick boats first graders made sank; the paper airplane was not quite robust enough to support a stuffed animal of your generous proportions; and the miniature zip-line inside the classroom lacked, well, length. Thankfully, you had the foresight to bring the latter outside and (whoosh!), landed north of Madrid. I won’t harp on the time you wasted jumping into a pool (agua/water) before your trip–we both know that you know better–but I understand the temptation, given the recent high heat index and humidity.
And, yes! Imagine your surprise upon learning that first graders had painted you a house. You must have been delighted when [one class] shouted, “¡Sorpresa!” (surprise!). I knew that they had consulted the world renowned Duck Designs, Inc. to match your particular tastes and preferred color schemes. Naturally, then, the house was covered in beautiful splashes of color, but it was also a PHOTO you saw, which would explain the bump on your head as a result of trying to enter the 2D image. For future reference, you must venture outside to move into the actual house (casa).
But look, I get it. You want to go away for the weekend and catch a quick flight south to that famous palace/fort. The house can wait. The paint is barely dry, anyway, and you deserve a vacation. The life of a stuffed animal can be trying at times. There are so many things to deal with: getting dizzy going ’round and ’round in the machines at the laundromat (surely a traumatic ordeal); receiving numerous air-hugs (abrazos/hugs) from students simultaneously (does that hurt?); and dealing with transportation mishaps (boat sank; airplane crashed; zipline wasn’t initially long enough).
I still think you’re loco (crazy) for not wanting to rest up, but you are permitted to go at your own pace. That is what the Camino teaches us: one step at a time. Be well, stay out of trouble, and keep me posted on your adventures.
WEEKS 3-4: After spending one lesson last week identifying objects that float and sink–and adding food coloring to plain water/agua (not vinegar/vinagre) to observe the ‘lava lamp’ effect–Pato decided that the day had come to learn to fly. He felt ready. Prepared. Brave. Courageous! A pulley system was therefore erected in class (arriba, abajo, de lado a lado/up, down, side to side), and kindergarteners helped him get over his fear of heights (¿Listos?/Ready?). At a certain point, he would shriek that he didn’t like it, and we would let him down; but he soon became accustomed to the idea (Sí me gusta/no me gusta/ para nada; yes, I like it, no I don’t, not at all). A series of P.E. lessons in Spanish class then ensued (combining action words from our beginning-of-class routine with other exercises to help increase the duck’s upper body strength). He was able to lift a marker by the end of the lesson, bench-press style. ¡Muy bien!
Today in class–and building on a genius idea from second graders–students helped hold up a zipline for Pato, so that he could practice flying while harnessed in. After a few runs, he had had enough; and so we returned to the class’s first mini-story of the year. The goal here is to combine vocabulary from all of the lessons, in a comprehensible and interactive way. The story included Pato floating on a boat in the water (read: a box big enough to fit one student) with caimanes/alligatorsall around. Students shouted, “¡Mira!/Look!” when they saw one (other students acting), as the teacher dragged the box-boat across the ocean, err, room. Rain, thunder, and wind sound effects were added in the background via noisli.com and a portable Bluetooth speaker, to complete the scene.
VIRTUAL LEARNERS are encouraged to rig up their own string zipline at home, and harness in their favorite stuffed animal to practice directions/action commands (arriba/up, abajo/down/“ah-BAH-hoe”, and ¡vuela!/fly!) in the target language. Materials needed: string (a taut line) and a cylindrical piece of pliable cardboard, such as a paper towel or toilet paper roll. They are also welcome to build their own cardboard box boat/barco with a sign that says, “BARCO/BOAT”, and continue practicing colors and numbers (0-10, forwards and backwards) in Spanish.
WEEK 5: On Monday, students used paper telescopes to look for tesoro/treasure, practicing the phrase, “¡MIRA!” (“MEER-rah”/Look!). Later, they watched Pocoyo: Piratas to understand these words in context. This was also the first time this year they’ve heard someone else speaking Spanish, other than their maestra.
To extend our class story, kindergarteners traveled outside this morning to help Pato search for ‘real’ tesoro/treasure. (It is assumed that he got past the alligators safely.) Students practiced saying, “¡Mira!” (Look!) again while picking up shells and small rocks and pretending that they had discovered TESORO (“tay-SORE-oh”)/treasure.
VIRTUAL LEARNERS are welcome to make paper telescopes (roll up a sheet of colored paper) and then create their own treasure hunt (real or imagined) at home! Painting rocks gold and then hiding them might be a fun activity. Drawing a treasure map on the inside of the telescope is another idea.
Week #2: This week, students in fourth grade had another dance party–see video below–making sure to sing, “Es viernes (‘bee-AIR-nace’)/It’s Fri-day” as they settled into their seats. The former is our “class song” and was the official anthem for the 2016 European Championship (soccer/fútbol). By Friday, fourth graders began to take a look at the lyrics and delve a bit deeper, learning that while rojo means red in Spanish, in the song, “La Roja” refers to the soccer team because Spain’s flag is red (and yellow).
Before jumping into the lesson, however, I wanted to take a moment to explain why I’ve repeated, “¡Camino!” four million times throughout the past few classes. The Camino is a long hike, yes–but it is also a metaphor. Simply put, language-learning is a journey. The Weekly Spanish Challenges (paralleling the 500-mile Camino de Santiago hike in Spain) are meant to reinforce that fact.
You see, some days feel like we’re walking straight up a mountain. Life is one problem after another–interjection: no! There are no problems, only solutions!–and all of our studying feels for naught. How come I’m not fluent yet? Other days, we are coasting. Spanish makes sense; there is growth: I remember that word! It is crucial to understand here that fluency does not occur overnight. It is a process where, after many successes, failures, and moments of uncertainty, coupled with much determination, grit, and hard work, progress is made. Plateau-ing is normal at a certain point. But don’t give up, ever!
The important thing is to keep going–just keep walking. You are making progress, even if you can’t articulate it quite yet, even when you don’t feel like it. If the class is going too slowly for you, then hike faster!: ask the teacher questions, explore Duolingo (a language-learning app already on your iPads), look up words in a Spanish dictionary, listen to music in the target language. There are myriad opportunities!
After this pep-talk of sorts (and encouragement to complete the Weekly Challenges)–along with a brief reenactment of La Tomatina, the tomato-throwing festival in Spain–students continued with their storytelling/ theater unit. Here, the teacher provides the bare-bones outline of a scripted story, and asks questions to personalize and cater the story to each particular class. My goal is to ingrain certain vocabulary structures in their minds each day through memorable experiences, comprehensible input–students understanding/ intuiting what is being said, even if they don’t know the words yet– and repetition (the average learner requires 70-150 repetitions of a word and/or phrase before it is stored in long-term memory).
NOTE: As I touched upon last week, the stories are grounded in actual cultural facts and places, but the idea is to layer imagination and creativity over them to create a personalized play with student actors and actresses. The stories tend to grow from class to class, but on occasion they will reach a “No Outlet” sign and we will begin anew (the phoenix re-birthed!). New vocabulary is constantly presented and old vocabulary is constantly spiraled and recycled. A full report on each class plot will be forthcoming: we are in the midst of the creative process!
One final note–students are gradually being exposed to the written word, but the focus right now is on listening and aural comprehension. This will be our next step (on the Camino… ha!).
VIRTUAL LEARNERS are encouraged to print and cut out their own euros in color from the template below. Next, if you have any change in your piggy-bank, count all of it, and then type that number into this online currency converter to see how much it would be in a Spanish-speaking country**. For example, $100 US dollars today is about 84€euros in Spain, but 365,645 pesos in Colombia. WOW! (Students did this in class last week.)
**Spanish-Speaking Countries: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico (technically a territory), Spain/España, Equatorial Guinea.
If there are any vocabulary words I would like you to focus on this week, they would probably be dinero/money (‘dee-N(AIR)-row’), la casa de _____/so-and-so’s house (‘lah KAH-sah day ________”), and tengo mucha hambre/I’m really hungry (‘tango MOO-chah AHM-bray’). HERE is a great song (though admittedly a bit silly…) to get tengo hambre stuck in your head forever and ever. Make sure to say these words aloud with a lot of EXPRESSION! and in context at mealtimes, too. Hope you’re having a great week!
Week #2: This week, students in third grade entered the wonderful world of storytelling. Here, the teacher provides a bare-bones outline of a scripted story, and asks questions to personalize and cater the story to each particular class. My goal is to ingrain certain vocabulary structures in their minds each day through memorable experiences, comprehensible input–students understanding/ intuiting what is being said, even if they don’t know the words yet– and repetition (the average learner requires 70-150 repetitions of a word and/or phrase before it is stored in long-term memory).
NOTE: The stories are grounded in actual cultural facts and places, but the idea is to layer imagination and creativity over them to create a personalized play with student actors and actresses. If, for example, we learn that student “Fred” hates tomatoes in real life, then we would fit this into the story somehow. The stories tend to continue and grow from class to class.
The story today began in Spain/España, but started with a few questions and answers, game-show style (tú ganas/ you win), and–after voting–the class had abrief dance party. The song is our “class song” and was the official anthem for the 2016 European Championship (soccer/fútbol). Students in the second class delved a bit deeper, learning that while rojo means red in Spanish, in the song, “La Roja” refers to the soccer team because Spain’s flag is red (and yellow).
Both classes had to use “La fuerza” (‘fwear-sah’), or “the force” to get my Bluetooth speakers to work for the song. It only works it everyone says the word in Spanish and outstretches their hands toward the device, sending energy to the technology. Obviously.
With respect to storytelling, 3-1 focused on the logistics of the trip: Where are we going? Spain! How do we get there? Plane! What do we need? Backpacks/mochilas, water/agua, money/dinero (I handed out color copies of euros). Later, students proceeded to grab their stuff, boarded a socially-distanced airplane (chairs rearranged in the room), took an eight-hour flight, passed through customs (passports/ pasaportes), and hiked for about two minutes on the Camino before someone started complaining that they were hungry (maestra, tengo mucha hambre) and we had to stop at a restaurant (i.e., class was over).
3-2 went on a bit of a linguistic/travel tangent when someone asked if we could study Brazil. (I love when these conversations invariably pop up in third grade; there is something about this age that makes them so curious about the world on a global scale.) Anyway, we talked about how Portuguese and Spanish are closely related (I can understand a good deal of the former even though I don’t speak it), but that while there are 21 Spanish-speaking countries–and while they do speak Spanish there–Brazil is not officially a Spanish-speaking country. However, we will focus on the other 21 countries this year.
The story in 3-2 went as follows: Lights/luces, camera/cámara, action/acción, drum-roll/redoble… a famous actress is hiking the Camino de Santiago but gets really hungry (tengo mucha hambre). She wants a pizza and so calls Domino’s. The delivery guy drives his super fast red car to Spain to deliver the pizza. BUT, his car tips over, he gets hurt (¡AY!) and he has to call an ambulance. The doctor comes and stitches him up. PHEW! (Students were tickled pink that ambulances say, “Ni-no-ni-no” in Spanish, not “Wooo wooo wooo”. Gotta love onomatopoeia.)
ASIDE: these stories take place in the target language, but students should not be expected to produce all of this language independently at this point. The goal right now is comprehension and following along in class. Acquisition takes time: patience, my little grasshoppers!
VIRTUAL LEARNERS are encouraged to print and cut out their own euros in color from the template below. Next, if you have any change in your piggy-bank, count all of it, and then type that number into this online currency converter to see how much it would be in a Spanish-speaking country**. For example, $100 US dollars today is about 84€euros in Spain, but 365,645 pesos in Colombia. WOW!
**Spanish-Speaking Countries: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico (technically a territory), Spain/España, Equatorial Guinea.
If there are any vocabulary words I would like you to focus on this week, they would probably be dinero/money (‘dee-N(AIR)-row’), agua/water (‘AH-gwah’– but you may already know this!), and tengo mucha hambre/I’m really hungry (‘tango MOO-chah AHM-bray’). HERE is a great song (though admittedly a bit silly…) to get tengo hambre stuck in your head forever and ever. Make sure to say these words aloud with a lot of EXPRESSION! and in context at mealtimes, too. Hope you’re having a great week!
Week #2: This week, students in kindergarten experienced 95% immersion in the target language. They usually begin class with some sort of movement warm-up, either dancing as a group to the Wreck-It Ralph/Rompe Ralph song, or copying action words as the teacher does them (e.g., run, jump on one foot, raise your hand, etc.).
Next, they chat for a few minutes with Pato, my stuffed animal duck who–yes–wore his mask this week and–no–was not wearing his sock pajamas (like on the first day of school). He was still not wearing a school uniform, but at least he had on a yellow knit sweater as more appropriate attire. Several students complimented him today in Spanglish–“¡Pato is so GUAPO today! [handsome]”. One class also practiced counting to ten in Spanish (which most of them seem to already know how to do). The other class wants to teach Pato how to fly… [COMING SOON TO A THEATER NEAR YOU!].
Then, we launched into the project of the day with a song to review colors: “Azul, blanco, rojo, violeta, amarillo, anaranjado, verde y rosa [rosado]“. I pointed to crayons as I sang, so as to associate the proper color with each word, and then referenced the food coloring bottles that we had used last class with the coffee filters.
After smelling seemingly identical cups of clear liquid–water/agua and vinegar/vinagre [‘bee-NAH-gray’]–students responded in Spanish with either, “Sí me gusta” or “No me gusta” (I like it/I don’t like it/’no may GOOSE-tah’) and proceeded to ooooh and aaahhh when Pato added baking soda, droplets of food coloring, and vinegar to a bowl–resulting in a colorful volcanic eruption!
We repeated this experiment several times. Each time, I narrated what was happening and asked questions continuously; the class voted on which color should be added next, how many droplets, etc.
They ended class by writing their first Spanish sight word of the year on their whiteboards: Hola. Thanks for a fabulous week!
VIRTUAL LEARNERS, HERE is a video narrated in Spanish to help you follow along. Be sure to gather the materials for the coffee filter project (see below) and perhaps a bit of baking soda, vinegar, and a bowl so that you can do the experiment along with me!
Week 1: This week, students in kindergarten learned that “Señorita” speaks Spanish, which sounds a little different than English. They were not sure at first that they could follow the strange mix of sounds, but after a few “tests”, (toca la cabeza/touch your head, salta/jump, etc.), students realized it was not so difficult–even if it still sounded funny!
In terms of content, the class dove right in to reviewing colors and numbers in new contexts. Most knew that “uno-dos-tres” (etc.) and “rojo, azul, verde, amarillo” were Spanish words, even if they couldn’t all produce them. (NOTE: This is perfectly normal and a great place to start the year. The average person requires 70-150 repetitions to acquire a word or phrase before it goes into their long-term memory.)
All students followed along–frequently repeating words and phrases they heard in the target language–as we began a brief class activity. Here, students were individually asked a series of questions in Spanish about which food coloring “Señorita” should open first (azul/blue; rojo/red; amarillo/yellow; verde/green); how many drops she should add to the coffee filter (uno/one; dos/two; tres/three); and where the drops ought to fall (“over here or over there”/¿Por acá o por ahí?). They also met a Professional Stuffed Animal (PSA) named Pato, who is a silly duck with a very big personality; and listened to a song from Wreck-It Ralph in Spanish (see embedded video below).
To continue reinforcing colors and numbers in a meaningful context, kindergarteners will begin their own coffee filter project next class.
VIRTUAL LEARNERS are encouraged to do the following: 1) listen to the Wreck-It Ralph/Rompe Ralph (‘rom-pay Ralph’) song in Spanish; 2) get a head-start on next week by checking out THIS POCOYO episode exploring the opposites big/small (grande/pequeño); and 3) gather materials for the individual project next week. You will need: one white coffee filter and a box of food coloring (red, yellow, blue, green), and something to protect the table (from food coloring stains). I will be creating a step-by-step video for virtual learners this weekend to guide them through the process in Spanish.
Week #1: This week, fourth graders embarked on a whirlwind adventure of language and culture. The first class was spent almost entirely in the target language: here, students traveled to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago (a 500-mile hike that will directly correspond with the Weekly Spanish Challenges). Fourth graders began ‘hiking’ around the room as they watched THIS VIDEO I made (scroll down to video on link; “Spain, Part 1”), but quickly realized they needed their backpacks and water bottles–the Spanish summer sun is very similar to our state, with 110*F temps!
As they walked over mountains and through valleys, their guide would periodically get lost. Students learned that the trail is marked by [scallop] shells and arrows. When you see one, you know that you are on the right path. Phew!
Whether students realized it or not, there were constant comprehension checks along the way: “What is this in English? How do you say this ___?”. I am throwing A LOT of Spanish at them in the first few classes, to gauge exactly where they are linguistically (including how many minutes they can actively listen to the language before their brains tune out!) and move forward from there. If your child is newer to Spanish and feels lost, please reassure them that I am only testing where the class is right now and to try their best to watch and follow along. It is okay if they don’t understand every word! Part of the language-learning journey is to RELAX when hearing another language. The brain actually does a lot of work subconsciously when students are actively listening. We will talk about all of this next week.
Anyway, students began creating a “Camino” around campus by drawing shells and arrows with chalk. We hiked up and down a few mountains (read: staircases) with our bags and water bottles, and then decided to retire to the hotel/hostel (their classroom!) for the evening. One section was able to do more of this than the other, due to time constraints.
The following day, students learned that Spanish classes will bounce back and forth between 1) learning about real places/monuments/ history/ traditions/realia–that is, culture–in the Spanish-speaking world; and 2) imagination, where we take pieces of this real culture and combine it with other fantastical ideas, in order to create personalized plays and tell stories in the target language. They also began class with a Friday dance party (Merengue!) to THIS SONG. Note that the English translation here is not a professional translation, but you get the general idea. It was the official anthem to the 2016 European Championship, and a great song!
On Friday, fourth graders launched into a storytelling/theater unit. I did not tell them any of the rules of Spanish storytelling because I wanted to see how they would respond; we will go over these next time. The gist of it was that a famous actress–walking the red carpet–starred in a movie about THE CAMINO (the 500-mile long hike in Spain). Luces, cámara, acción, redoble, toma uno /lights, camera, action, drumroll, take one!
In 4-1, the actress walked and walked and walked, was famished (tengo hambre/I’m hungry), and wanted to go to a restaurant to eat (she had three choices). This part of the story was put on hold or pause as students were given dinero/[fake] money and talked for a minute about euros vs. dollars and different conversion rates.
In 4-2, three famous actress auditioned for the main part. However, it was soon discovered that they were mortal enemies/enemigas. The class voted on this and then paused at a crucial moment when the girls were walking THE CAMINO and realized that their arch-nemesis was behind them. FIGHT?! Oh no! What a problem!
The goal for both classes was to jump into storytelling. We will hone in on specific vocabulary next week and ‘how to play the game’; the goal for this week was simply to listen to a lot of Spanish and gauge what students did and did not understand.
VIRTUAL LEARNERS are encouraged to check out the video and photos at THIS LINK, and to create their own “Camino” at home. The arrows and shells are oftentimes made out of things in nature as well. You might outline an arrow using some rocks or palms, or simply draw arrow and shell signs and hang them up around your house. Make sure they are all pointed in the same direction, so that you don’t get lost. Feel free to send pictures, if you like!
For language input, virtual learners may also 1) participate in the Weekly Spanish Challenges; 2) sign up for a Duolingo account and do a lesson or two; and/or 3) watch a movie or cartoon in the target language (Spanish voiceover and English subtitles). Just get used to hearing a lot of Spanish!
This week, following introductions, students in first grade named as many words that they could think of in the target language (e.g., red/rojo, blue/azul, green/verde, uno-dos-tres, dog/perro, etc.), and then listened to their get-up-and-dance CLASS SONG. Not long after, they transitioned into an immersive Spanish classroom environment, and realized that they could understand and intuit a lot simply by watching. You see, when their teacher snaps, she magically begins speaking Spanish. If she snaps again, she turns back into an English-speaker. Very strange. Magic is everywhere.
“AH-HEM!” [A loud, shrill voice from the corner pipes up.]
“Yes, I know. I’m sorry, Pato. I know I should have introduced you first, but–“
“NO EXCUSES!” The voice is coming from a stuffed animal duck. His name is Pato (which conveniently means duck in Spanish). He was grumpy, but there was no need for disrespect. “I do not like your tone, young man duck!”
As you may have already heard, Pato is quite the character. He has a big heart but frequently interrupts (we’re working on that) and is alwaysgetting into some sort of harmless mischief. He claims to know how to speak Spanish, but bops back and forth between English and Spanish so quickly that there might as well be a ping-pong game going on in his head. He also forgets where he is; arrives late to first grade on a regular basis (after Señorita–and sometimes on a red-eye flight from Brazil); wears sock pajamas to school; and takes a nap/siesta in the middle of class (which is what happened today).
Either Pato has no idea what’s going on, or he lives in his own world, or maybe he knows what’s going on and is intentionally doing the opposite of what he ought to, most of the time. I’m guessing the latter is probably closest to the truth, but with him you never know.
“GRIFFFSNSHFKDJSFIBDSTH“. The normally shrill voice was muffled behind his mask.” “¿Qué? (“K”)/ WHAT?” He took off the mask.
“I SAID, I’m taking a nap/siesta because we’re in Spain. Don’t you know? The restaurants are all closed, so I’m going to sleep.” [proceeds to snore obnoxiously to make his point]
Aha, now I was beginning to understand. First graders did make a banner of colorful, glittery shells, as scallop shells are used to mark the 500-mile hike across northern Spain that Lower School has been talking about this week. (This trek will correspond with the Weekly Spanish Challenges.) And Señorita did use an abanico/ fan from Spain to cool him down when he was wearing his iconic yellow knit sweater and Christmas scarf (Come on, Pato! It’s summer in the south! TOO HOT! This led to a conversation about ice-cream/helado, which was ironic, considering that I ate A LOT of ice cream while actually hiking the Camino de Santiago.) And she was speaking in Spanish. Maybe we were in Spain. Or maybe we should go?
We decided that his reasoning was valid. There was just one problem. “Where did you say that you think we are, Pato?”
“Stain.” [Ventriloquism requires that certain consonants be slightly mispronounced, so as not to move the lips. P’s become t’s, m’s become n’s–you get the idea.]
“You mean Spain.”
“That’s what I said.”
“No, you said ‘Stain’.”
“I DID NOT!” The high pitched, going-to-throw-a-temper-tantrum pronto voice had returned. This was not something I wanted first graders to witness on the third day of class. Why couldn’t he just behave?
“Let’s try it in Spanish: España.”
“ES-TAHN-YAH.”
“Never mind. Let’s just go there instead.” And so we did.
After a quick flight–arms outstretched in airplane mode (there’s a pun in there somewhere)–first graders spent the remaining 5-10 minutes of class outside, placing tiny [real] shells in the mulch patches of the courtyard, marking the Camino de Santiago trail and creating our own little Spanish paradise.
And as for Pato, well, he found a large piece of bark and has decided that his mission in life is to build a boat and actually sail to Stain Spain.
To be continued…
PATO: “Senorita, why can’t you just write normal newsletters?”
ME: “I honestly have no idea…”
VIRTUAL LEARNERS are encouraged to check out the video and photos at THIS LINK, and to create their own “Camino” at home. The arrows and shells are oftentimes made out of things in nature as well. Students may color or paint the shell template below; outline an arrow using some rocks or palms; collect shells at the beach; or simply draw your own arrow and shell signs and hang them up around your house. Make sure they are all pointed in the same direction, so that you don’t get lost. Feel free to send pictures, if you like!
For language input, virtual learners may also 1) participate in the Weekly Spanish Challenges and/or watch a movie or cartoon in the target language (Spanish voiceover and English subtitles). Just get used to hearing a lot of Spanish!
*ONE FINAL NOTE: To clarify, the bulk of classes have been in the target language, but I wasn’t sure how many of you would keep reading if I sent the original transcript. I do switch to English periodically, but mostly to communicate more abstract, cultural points where visual cues don’t do the trick.
Week #1: This week, students in PK-4 were officially introduced to Pato, a stuffed animal duck who has a big heart but always seems to be getting into mischief. The first day of school, he overslept. When students tried to wake him up around 12:30pm– AHEM, THE AFTERNOON?! (toca a la puerta/ knock on the door)–he was wearing his sock pajamas and had little to no interest in changing into his uniform. This argument conversation in the target language continued for some time. He finally settled on a yellow knit sweater and, after much persuasive talk, removed his nightcap. When Pato began complaining–almost immediately–that he was too hot in the sweater, the teacher pulled out an abanico (special fan from Spain) to cool him down (hace calor- ‘AH-say kah-LORE’/it’s warm/hot).
PHOTOS & STAGES OF NEGOTIATION: First choice (pajamas). Second choice (nightcap and sweater uniform). Third choice (sweater uniform and mask). #notfair
The following class, he was more prepared–and wearing a mask, as per another class’s insistence that he follow the rules. However, he was still complaining pretty incessantly about the heat. This probably had something to do with him trying to wear his sock pajamas underneath his real clothes. (Aside: are they real clothes, when he is a stuffed animal? Hmmm.) Anyway, following an ice-cream (helado) break, he wanted to learn how to fly. This led to a variety of trial-and-error type attempts to lift the stuffed animal high-high-high up into the sky.
Flapping his wings was to no avail. The poor stuffed animal became so exhausted from the huge effort that he had to take a mini-siesta (nap) during class time to recover. The second attempt seemed more realistic: build up your speed, run as fast as you can towards a small ramp runway (aka a tilted book), and let the wind take you: lift-off! ¡Vamos, vamos! #FAIL.
Round three of PATO versus GRAVITY had something to do with a paper airplane and a one pound stuffed animal. Let me repeat: a PAPER airplane and a ONE-POUND stuffed animal. Newton and all of his silly laws. Attaching paper wings likewise proved ineffective.
The fourth attempt dealt with tying a harness around his belly and hoisting him up, pulley-style, to get him used to being so high up in the air. (Could he be afraid of heights, I wonder?) PK-4 students provided much-needed assistance in this last endeavor in particular (arriba, abajo/up, down).
Methinks we are getting closer.
Along the way, students responded to action commands in the target language (e.g., stand up, sit down, run, march, spin around twice, walk on your tiptoes, [pretend to] drive a car, etc.); giggled when Pato did something silly; and demonstrated comprehension through both words and expressions.
Kudos to your children for listening to nonstop Spanish babble and dealing with all of my stuffed animal’s crazy antics. They are sweethearts and their listening skills are top-notch!
VIRTUAL LEARNERS are strongly encouraged to watch a few short cartoon episodes in the target language this week. THIS and THIS are excellent choices, but more options can also be found HERE. The goal for the first few classes is not necessarily vocabulary-oriented; it is more adjusting to the idea of staying focused while hearing a stream of [currently] unintelligible babble. Meaning will come in time. We must be patient, above all else!
Week #1: Today in third grade, students first told me about their favorite places, and then I shared about one of my favorite trips, during which I hiked a famous 500-mile (877 kilometer) trek across northern Spain. The hike is called the Camino de Santiago, and takes about a month to complete (hiking about 10 hours a day).
Students began ‘hiking’ around the room as they watched THIS VIDEO I made (“Spain, Part 1”). Naturally, they had to get their backpacks and water bottles–the Spanish summer sun is very similar to our state’s, with 110*F temps!
Next, third graders learned that the trail is marked by [scallop] shells and arrows. When you see one, you know that you are on the right path! Students began creating a “Camino” around campus by drawing shells and arrows with chalk. We hiked up and down a few mountains (read: staircases) with our bags and water bottles, and then decided to retire to the hotel/hostel (their classroom!) for the evening.
Just for fun, their word of the day was, “La fuerza” (‘fwear-sah’), or the force, which third graders say to magically make the Promethean boards turn on again after they have fallen asleep (they time out periodically).
NOTE: Just so you know, we will be easing into an immersive Spanish classroom very soon, but I wanted to start the first day in English to get to know the students and for them to feel comfortable with me. Learning a language can be overwhelming, and experience has taught me that in a low-stress [but engaging] environment, students are more likely to want to learn and produce language. Learning should be a healthy combination of hard work and great fun!
VIRTUAL LEARNERS are encouraged to check out the video and photos at this link, and to create their own “Camino” (‘kah-ME-know’) at home. The arrows and shells are oftentimes made out of things in nature as well. You might outline an arrow using some rocks or palms or grass, or simply draw arrow and shell signs and hang them up around your house. Make sure they are all pointed in the same direction, so that you don’t get lost!
Virtual learners are also welcome to share with me via email their favorite place in the world (the beach, a city or country they’ve traveled to, a tree fort, their room, etc.). We will include this information in a project later on.
Weeks 1-2: This week, students in second grade–along with several other classes–met a stuffed animal duck named Pato (which conveniently means duck in Spanish). Pato has a big personality, and immediately made his presence known by wearing sock pajamas to school the first day of class. He also likes to sing the classic song “Feliz Navidad” while wearing his Christmas sweater and scarf, regardless of the fact that it is August (and not December) and a million degrees outside.
By the third day, Pato was dressing more appropriately for school but insisted on wearing his mask on his head/cabeza because, in his words, “No me gusta” (‘no may goose-tah’/I don’t like it). After looking around and seeing that everyone else was wearing one–and being told sternly that he would have to go home (read: get stuffed in my backpack and not hang out with the cool second graders) if he did not wear it–he decided to follow directions. He was much too excited about the class project to bother arguing, anyway (thank goodness!).
PHOTOS: Pato not wearing his mask. Pato wearing his mask.
The class’ project began with students learning about a 500-mile hike through northern Spain called El Camino de Santiago (see link for video and photos). Grades 1-4 are starting with this because students will be able to earn miles on the hike all year long by completing Weekly Spanish Challenges. The trail is marked by arrows and shells, so second graders grabbed their backpacks (mochilas) and water bottles (agua/water!), walked up and down mountains (read: stairways) all over campus, and helped the older grades draw chalk shells and arrows on the ground. To ascertain that they would not get lost in the dark, students also colored in shells (on paper), painted them with glow-in-the-dark paint, and added glitter. We will obviously add more glitter next time. (…because Pato likes glitter. A lot.)
While listening to THIS SONG and THIS SONG in Spanish as background music, they noticed that their markers had Spanish translations on them in tiny print (red/rojo, blue/azul, etc.). The official colors of the Camino are blue and yellow in real life, which are also the school colors– perfecto!
Silliness with Pato and launching straight into a hands-on (and masks-on) cultural project have allowed for a [mostly] Spanish-immersion type of classroom environment–which is the goal. I want students to begin the year by listening to a lot of the target language, recalling any passive vocabulary from previous years, and getting excited about learning Spanish. We will be focusing in on specific words and phrases soon.
Whether they realize it or not, I am also constantly testing students in class simply by asking questions in the target language: Which color paint do you want to use next? Can you shake off the glitter over the trash can, please?! What do we do now? Cut out the shells and paste them on this strip of paper. Pato is thirsty– could you bring him a water bottle? (Students pretend to give him water.)
Many second graders are answering all of these questions and more. When a question is too abstract or the class gets lost, I return to English to clarify. This does not mean that students are already fluent or can translate all of these questions; it merely indicates that the language is comprehensible and that they are intuiting what I am saying in the moment by the context and visual cues. Language acquisition is a fascinating combination of science and art, with a slice of magic on the side! I don’t know exactly how or why this happens; I just know that it does. By the end of the year, students will be able to follow the same conversation but this time, it will be because they have acquired the vocabulary.
Long story short–short story long!–I am looking forward to an amazing year!
VIRTUAL LEARNERS are encouraged to check out the video and photos at THIS LINK, and to create their own “Camino” at home. The arrows and shells are oftentimes made out of things in nature as well. Students may color or paint the shell template above; outline an arrow using some rocks or palms; collect shells at the beach; or simply draw your own arrow and shell signs and hang them up around your house. Make sure they are all pointed in the same direction, so that you don’t get lost. Feel free to send pictures, if you like!
For language input, virtual learners may also 1) participate in the Weekly Spanish Challenges; 2) sign up for a Duolingo account and do a lesson or two; and/or 3) watch a movie or cartoon in the target language (Spanish voiceover and English subtitles). Just get used to hearing a lot of Spanish!
MEXICO: The Yucatan in Mexico is known for its hammock culture, especially amongst the indigenous Maya people. Here, 2/3 of children sleep in hammocks instead of beds, and there are even hammocks in hospitals! In the US, many hammocks are used outside; the difference is that these hammocks replace beds and are inside. Watch the short video below to see the beautiful & labor-intensive weaving process.
For this challenge, string up your own DIY hammock with a sheet and paracord/twine/rope, either for yourself, or a miniature one for a beloved stuffed animal (or pet?). Attach it to your bedpost, a chair, or even a tree outside. Be sure to ask your parents first so that you choose a safe place. Finally, put on some music in Spanish and relax in your hammock. C’est la vie!
She took one last, lingering look around, slipped into the canoe, and pushed off. Aside from a few light water ripples, it was quiet that morning. The birds must be tired. She was tired. A coral sunrise painted wide brush strokes over the placid waters, bringing tears to her eyes. The woman wouldn’t admit to crying, though; she preferred thinking of it as, “liquid sunshine” [rain] rolling down her cheeks. It had been a wildly memorable year thus far, with extreme emotional roller-coaster rides for even the most even-tempered of characters. The quarantine seemed to have sped up life’s timeline, urging people to make difficult decisions and pursue projects they had been delaying or procrastinating on. It was probably for the best, this urgency, albeit an odd way to push the universe forward.
As she paddled, a light breeze wafted past, clearing the thick molasses of air for a moment; this was a humidity southerners knew all too well. She was going to miss this place. But in time, she had realized that she would miss the people much more: and yet, people didn’t simply frequent a place, they became the place, and the place became them. It felt like pieces of her were simultaneously spread out all over the world and also held deep inside. She kept a piece of everyone she had ever met in her soul, and she also left a piece of herself everywhere she traveled, somehow. It was an oxymoron of sorts, a puzzle–but also a comforting thought, that she was never very far away, and neither was anyone else.
In fact, she was exactly where she needed to be, and always would be, flowing on the river of joy. The stop on the bank had been longer than expected, but now the winds were picking up; it was time to get going. But oh, what a lovely place! Blue skies, fields of green. A true gem. A diamond. A rose. She would never forget. How deep the river runs…
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” -Rumi
I stared at it from across the room. It stared back, refusing to blink, trying to lure me into the game, stubborn as all get-out. Why were we at odds again? The gray mist had descended a few days back: tornado skies, sucking me into the center of their dangerously calm vortices: like the penny chutes at the airports, round and round went the coins, sans control and yet perfectly controlled, under the power of centripetal force until pfff–they were spat out, minus their dignity but exiting the funnel at last. Except that I was still swirling, furious at it. Emotions rocketed through my body. I won’t. I shan’t. I can’t. I refuse.
The pen eyed me, its gel tip shining ever so slightly under the lamplight. I shifted my gaze. I could be obstinate, too. Its sleek body called out, longing to be held, for the embrace of a century: Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth; Hepburn and Peppard; Anna and Declan (Leap Year). Much like the omniscient narrator, it already knew the end of the story, knew how I would come crawling back, yelling, ranting, in a fit of rage–but returning, nevertheless.
I suppose, though, that was precisely why I came back. The story had to be told.
THOSE DUSTY OLD TOMES haunt me, inspire me, enrage me, calm me: they are my best friends and my arch-nemeses. I turn the pages quickly, then slowly–slowly, then quickly–skimming the words and frequently returning, crunching on and digesting them one by one as they nourish my heart and soul.
The library is nearly silent this afternoon. A man sets down a stack of books on an adjacent table, pausing to see if he has disturbed anyone. I inhale, and a pleasant sort of mustiness enters my nostrils; history is vibrantly alive here. This cozy, massive den with towers of books in every direction, this place where echos of the past silently resound, acts as a portal to and connection with–or perhaps mural of–humanity itself. How and when did this all begin? And will it end?
An avid reader, Benjamin Franklin began the first public library in the US in 1731 because he wanted to study and share his love of learning with others. Books were quite expensive at the time, and it made sense to compile them so that all could benefit (for a small fee). Many other societies had collected and organized books and materials prior to Franklin, but determining what was, in fact, the first library, really depends on how you frame the question.
What is the oldest continuously operating library? Most scholars agree that that would be Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Mount Sinai, Egypt. It is believed that Saint Catherine’s was built to protect and enshrine the area where Moses saw the Burning Bush (Exodus 3). Others say that the Al-Qarawiyyin Library in Fez, Morocco, is the oldest, although that has undergone significant reconstruction in recent years after it was discovered that there was a river running beneath the edifice–resulting in rot and mold and the like.
The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal in present-day Iraq [formerly Assyria] is considered to be the oldest royal library, and while it was destroyed, archaeologists have uncovered more than 30,000 clay tablets amidst the ruins. The tablets are covered in cuneiform script, the earliest known form of writing. Alexander the Great was inspired by The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal to build his own collection–which became the Library of Alexandria in Egypt; this is toted as one of the largest collections of the ancient world; however, it was unfortunately also destroyed.
Fast-forwarding to present day, we find that the query itself has expanded: new categories abound. It is no longer a matter of defining only the oldest or continually operative library–what about 45+ of the most majestic libraries in the world? Or those buildings housing rare documents, such as Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library? Or how about futuristic-looking libraries, like this one in Tianjin, China?
Tianjin, China–Image Source / Original photos by Ossip van Duivenbode
While Google is well on its way to organizing and documenting the history of humankind, much like a library, it is interesting to note that the library in Tianjin was labeled futuristic in multiple articles: the allure of a space in which you can get lost wandering the aisles, in which you can physically touch books and leaf through their pages–en lieu of clicking on them–would seem to remain an integral part of our future.
There are numerous reasons arguing why libraries should retain a place in society, but this article on The Digital Language Divide takes a unique angle, exploring the underrepresentation of languages and cultures in cyberspace. Technology is advancing faster than most of us can imagine and yet, it would appear that the algorithms still have a long way to go.
Library (English).
βιβλιοθήκη (Greek).
Biblioteca (Spanish).
ห้องสมุด (Thai).
Bókasafn (Icelandic).
مكتبة (Arabic).
Kirjasto (Finnish).
библиотека (Russian).
Maktaba (Swahili).
图书馆 (Mandarin).
Bibliothèque (French).
סִפְרִיָה (Hebrew).
पुस्तकालय (Hindi).
Kütüphane (Turkish).
Könyvtár (Hungarian).
としょうかん (Japanese).
Bibliotheca (Latin).
Raamatukogu (Estonian).
Perpustakaan (Malay).
도서관 (Korean).
I copy the beautiful letters, symbols, shapes, words, and characters from dictionaries with a pen onto paper, silently mouthing the foreign sounds. What would a library have been like a thousand years ago? My thoughts quickly boomerang back to modern life: I wonder if I could order papyrus from Amazon. It’s probably not too expensive. But Carr’s words pull me back into history:
One of the most important things to realize about reading, is that it is a fairly new invention in human history. […] One of the fascinating things about early writing, on slates, on papyrus, even on early handwritten books is, for instance, there were no spaces between the words. People just wrote in continuous script. And that’s because that’s the way we hear speech.
You know, when somebody’s talking to us, they are not carefully putting pauses between words; it all flows together. The problem with that, though, is it’s very hard to read. A lot of your mental energy goes to figuring out where does one word end and the next begin, and as a result, all reading was done in the early years aloud. There was no such thing as silent reading, because you had to read aloud in order to figure out, where is a word ending or where is a word beginning.
The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, by Nicholas Carr
If people seldom read to themselves, would libraries have been noisy, cacophonous venues, everyone shouting over everyone else? Or would a main speaker have taken charge–the present day story-time librarian–inviting the throngs to partake in a community reading? Are libraries on the verge of disappearing, or will they be here for centuries to come? How will they evolve? Should they? What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment below.
The flakes fell fast and heavy, quickly transforming the city skyline into an incomprehensible, wintry blur. She stood still inside the moving tram, watching silently; there were no words in her mind; she was absorbing the scene into her being.
Icelanders called this, “window-weather” (gluggaveður)—beautiful from a distance, provided the distance was indoors, adjacent to a fireplace, and within arm’s length of a hot mug of cocoa, of course.
To be fair, none of those were really true at the moment: the tram tilted and jerked from time to time; invited cold gusts in at every stop; and failed to provide beverages of any kind to its passengers. Yet, it felt cozy somehow, this unpredictable, shifting stream of strangers, strangers passing through the Narnia-like portal of window weather, strangers brave enough to touch another world. They were traveling souls; this was the common thread—an undeniable sense of camaraderie and understanding.
Arriving at last, she stepped out into the blizzard, cold rocketing through her body, fingers numb within seconds. Wo ist das Atomium? Where is the Atomium? Someone answered, but the words froze in transit. She squinted into the flying flakes. Surely it was close by. After all, a 102-meter high structure could not hide forever.
What was she doing? Window weather demanded an observer, someone on the inside. Buying a waffle and cocoa mit slagroom/with whipped cream (Dutch), she let the wintry scene sink into her mind and body from a sensible distance. Looking through the window once more, the massive iron crystal “magnified 165 billion times its size” stared back at her.
Maybe the point of gluggaveður was just that: when you stopped to look through the window instead of blindly charging out into a snowstorm, you had a clearer, less obstructed view of the world. Perhaps it was tinted—in that you hoped palm tree temperatures accompanied the large, wet flakes—but life always took on varying shades; that was what made it interesting.
My Dear Friends, Fellow Linguists, and Citizens of the World:
This year’s summer packet for Spanish is a list of 50 ideas—both online and offline–that you are welcome to reference when your child invariably complains, “I’m bored!” during the summer months. Have them choose their favorite number (or use theRandom Number Generator LINK –> input a range of 1-50), and then do the corresponding activity on the list.
If you are strongly committed to incorporating Spanish throughout the summer, you can also print out the calendars below and mark an “X” whenever you do something related to Spanish language or culture.
A few activities on the list require that you leave your house. At the time of this writing, it is unclear when all businesses will reopen; obviously, do what is best and safe for your family. There are plenty of activities you can do at home. So let’s get started! And if I don’t see you sometime this week, have a wonderful summer!
Gracias,
-Your Resident Linguist
50 IDEAS
**For those of you interested in a Digital Detox, I have divided up the ideas into ONLINE (#’s 1-22) and OFFLINE (#’s 23-50). Just print out this page and power down your devices!
Check out Universal Yums!, where you order and receive snacks from a different country every month.
If you have any change in your piggybank, count all of it, and then type that number into an online currency converter to see how much it would be in a Spanish-speaking country. For example, $100 US dollars today is about 92€euros in Spain, but 392,111 pesos in Colombia. WOW!
Listen to the Cuban folktale The Barking Mouse (ends at 4:21). It is in English and Spanish, and a great story!
Check the weather every day for a week in your favorite Spanish-speaking city and country using this site: Accuweather. Draw signs comparing the climates if you want!
Change the clocks on all of your devices to the “24-hour clock”. Many Spanish-speaking countries use this, and it is useful to know that 15:30 is the same as 3:30pm!
Joan Miró was a famous artist from Spain. Look at THIS VIDEO PAINTING and THIS VIDEO PAINTING to understand what he sees, and then try to recreate one of his paintings with paints.
“For me an object is something living. This cigarette or this box of matches contains a secret life much more intense than that of certain human beings./Para mí, un objeto es algo vivo. Este cigarrilo o esta caja de cerillos contiene una vida secreta mucho más intensa y apasionada que la de muchos seres humanos.“-Miró
Watch a movie–like Coco or Ferdinand–that explores culture in a kid-friendly way. THIS LINK has a list of Spanish Movies for Kids, ratings included.
Change the language of your iPad, phone, computer, and all of your devices to Spanish for 24 hours. Can you survive??!
Play the Language Game, and try to get a score higher than 50.
Learn to count to 100 in Spanish. Watch this video for SEVEN days in a row, and copy the exercises the woman does. You will learn in no time!
Listen to the entire Spanish Summit playlist of songs HERE.
Use a decorative box as a “Vision Board”, where you put names and photos of all the places in the 21 Spanish-speaking countries that you would like to visit to one day. Note that these cannot simply be country names—they need to be names of specific places in those countries! This is listed as an online activity because you might need to do a little research.
Explore these other language-learning apps. There are sections for toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary students, but you do have to scroll. HERE is another list of apps.
Learn about Worry Dolls from Guatemala from THIS PAGE, and then try to make your own.
Label ten things in your house in Spanish. Use WordReference or Google Translate to look up the correct spelling. Make sure to include the “el” or “la” word–for example, la mesa/the table.
Listen to at least 3 full songs from THIS PAGE, pick your favorite, and then put it on loop as you dance around or do chores around the house.
Watch a movie (that you have already seen) with Spanish voiceover and English subtitles.
Get a head-start on the holiday season, and make Picasso-inspired tree ornaments. Activity HERE.
Play the card game Mano Nerviosa to practice counting/numbers in Spanish. This super short video explains how to play, but if you would rather read the instructions, this is the LINK.
Look at your stuffed animals, and make a list of what types of animals they are. If you don’t have any, just pick your favorite animals.
Next, look up the names of 5-7 of these animals in Spanish, and write the words of each one on little slips of paper and tape them to your stuffed animals/peluches.
Hide them around the house (or outside), and create a treasure map with clues for your family to find them.
When you go to the beach, build a model of this famous REAL SCULPTURE in Uruguay called, “La mano” (the hand). It is huge in real life! Take a time-lapse video of you building it, to save the memory!
Paint a white t-shirt the colors of your favorite Spanish-speaking country’s flag, and be sure to print the name of the country on the shirt. Ask your parents what kind of paint is best to use.
For example, Spain would be red and yellow stripes and say “SPAIN” or “ESPAÑA“. HERE are the flag colors for other countries.
Play “Red Light, Green Light” outside with your family, but say the Spanish words instead: “Luz roja, luz verde“. “Luz” is pronounced like the English word, “loose”, as in baggy or loose pants.
Cook/bake/make/eat a differenttraditional recipe from a Spanish-speaking country with your family each week. Here are a few ideas:
Taste-test a bunch of new foods from Spanish-speaking countries that you’ve never tried before. Make it a big deal: dress up in a fancy outfit, display the food platters on a big long counter or table, take photos, critique the food… have fun!
You could also prepare THREE RECIPES (see #26), and have your own “Cooking Show”, where you get to critique the food and decide which is the best one!
Pretend you are in Spain, and change all of the clocks and watches in your house six hours ahead for a day. For example, if it is 9am here, it would be 3pm in Spain. Make sure to ask your parents before you do this one!
Spell out a word in Spanish with an unusual material, like uncooked spaghetti on the sidewalk, or a gigantic “JUGAR” (‘who-gar’/play) sign out of leaves and sticks in your yard. Make it so big that airplanes could read it! Or not… 🙂
Look at your clothing tags, the sticker labels on your fruits and vegetables, and the labels on cans and other food products, and notice where these things were made and where they came from.
For example: clothing “Made in Guatemala”, bananas from Costa Rica, avocados from Mexico, etc.
Then, see if you can find 3-5 products from Spanish-speaking countries; or fill in my chart HERE.
Ask your parents or relatives if they have ever traveled to another country. If they have, see if you can find tickets, receipts, foreign currency, brochures, postcards, magnets, or anything else from their trip. Make a decorative box to store all the treasures in. Be sure to interview/ask them all about their trip!
Take a field trip with your family and explore the Salvador Dalí Museum, and/or just try to recreate some of his works yourself at home.
Take a Bioluminescent Kayaking Tour. If you don’t know what bioluminescence is, check out this beautiful VIDEO. The video showcases Australia, but bioluminescence occurs in Puerto Rico, too!
Think about language in general: do you have a favorite word? What is it? Why? Do you have a favorite Spanish word?
I used to like the word chic because it sounded smooth and fancy and grown-up. I also used to like the word raw, because it was fun to pronounce; but then I realized it spelled “war” backwards, and decided that I didn’t like it as much.
Try to speak in a different accent for a WHOLE DAY!
Create a Costa Rican rainforest in part of your house, like the one we made in our classroom. Do you have stuffed animals that might live there, like monkeys or frogs, or green birthday streamers for vines? Be creative!
Play hopscotch outside, but say the numbers aloud in Spanish as you jump on each one. Hopscotch, or Rayuela (‘rye-you-A-lah‘) in Spanish, is also the name of a very famous book from Argentina.
Look for signs in English and Spanish when you are out shopping with your family (Lowe’s always seems to have a lot!).
If you are staying home, look for warranties, manuals, and/or instructional booklets that have Spanish translations. When you pay attention, you will start seeing translations everywhere!
Color in every square inch of a sheet of paper with bright colored markers.
Next, put the paper in a tray and squirt water all over it (squirt, not pour), so that the colors blend together. Let the water evaporate overnight.
Then, fold the paper in half a bunch of times and cut out snowflakes to hang up. You can pretend that that area of your house is the southernmost tip of Argentina, since it is really cold there for most of the year!
Build a huge fort (like LaAlhambra in Spain) in your house again, with chairs and blankets.
Make a big sign in Spanish that says, “NO ENTRAR” (don’t come in!) or “¡PELIGRO!” (‘pay-LEE-grow’/danger!).
Variation: Build a fort outside in your backyard with branches and other natural materials!
Count how many days in a row you can do something Spanish-related. Be sure to mark it off on your calendar so that you don’t forget!
Visit your local library and/or bookstore, and ask where the children’s foreign language section is. Browse through the books for ten minutes and see if you can find any words in Spanish you recognize!
Listen to a Spanish radio station or podcast for 20 minutes and try to pick out five words you understand. This could be five minutes a day for four days; it does not have to be all at once. What does Spanish sound like to you? Rap music? Raindrops?
Ask to schedule a family night out at a local Mexican/Cuban/Spanish-speaking restaurant. Then, either order in Spanish (if you already know how), or ask the waiter a few questions and learn how!
Draw out a maze on a sheet of paper (maze idea #1; maze idea #2 is harder!). Then, go outside and transfer this maze to the sidewalk with colored chalk. Now walk through the maze. Every time you get to a dead end, you have to name a different Spanish-speaking country in under five seconds!
Use Spanish as much as possible, wherever you go. Make it a game. Are you waiting in line? At the mall? At the grocery store? Online waiting for a website to load? At a stoplight? Train your brain to use those ten second blips of nothingness to remember anything Spanish. This could be:
the last thing you studied on Duolingo, OR
counting as high as you can, OR
closing your eyes and remembering any of my wall word signs in the Spanish classroom, OR
you could ask your parents what words they know in Spanish.
First, they say a word, then you say a word, then they say a word, etc. The person who can’t think of anything else when it’s their turn, loses!
Play “Spanish soccer” (fútbol) outside. Decide which Spanish-speaking country you represent, and then keep score with Spanish numbers. Incorporate any vocabulary words you remember, like “Pásala” (pass it!) or “¡Por acá!” (over here!).
It is very common in many parts of Mexico to eat, well, bugs. Really! Supposedly, Mexico is the country with the greatest variety of edible insects: 549 species.
To test your courage, visit the local Candy Store and buy a few fried crickets there or on Amazon. There are even fun flavors to whet your appetite, such as: Bacon & Cheese, Salt & Vinegar, and Sour Cream & Onion.
When you go to the beach, build a sandcastle and trace out the word, “Castillo” (castle) in the sand with your feet. Every time a wave washes part of it away, whisper “¡Adiós, castillo!” (‘kahs-TEE-yo’/Goodbye, castle!).
You read all the way to the bottom?! Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to check out THE BLOG for more posts. Have a great day!
Anónimo, Batalla del 5 de mayo de 1862, óleo sobre tela, Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones, Exconvento de Churubusco, INAH. Imagen tomada del libro: Eduardo Báez, La pintura militar en el siglo XIX, México, Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, 1992, p. 1
MEXICO:Cinco de Mayo means “May 5th” in Spanish. It is celebrated especially in Puebla, Mexico, but has become popular in the United States to recognize Mexican culture in general. Historically, it is important because while Mexico’s army was the underdog and expected to lose a battle way back in 1862, the French & Napoleon (Francia/ France) actually lost.
You see, France was angry because Mexico had not paid back money they owed them; instead, the president Benito Juarez gave the money [he owed France] to his people instead, who were suffering (poverty, etc.). France decided that enough was enough, and went to invade the country, anticipating that it would be an easy win; however, something unexpected occurred that day: it started raining cats and dogs, which created huge mudslides on the hills surrounding the small town of Puebla… and allowed the Mexican army to win, proving the impossible possible.
In class, students made flags to represent each country (México/Francia), were divided into two groups, set up glue sticks to represent the armies (France’s army was really big; Mexico’s was small), built a circle out of blocks to represent the hills surrounding the town in Mexico, and then the French army group pretended to fall/slide down the hill as they listened to rainstorm sound effects on the Promethean board. Later, we celebrated with Mariachi music. ASIDE: immediately following this lesson last year, it started absolutely pouring, so kindergarteners thought that they had made it rain!!!
Other years, we have extended this project to talk about sombreros and sombras (shade/shadows) vs. luz/light (natural y artificial). Activities to do at home include the following: make your own sombrero; choose a different craft from THIS LIST; play Shadow Tag outside; take 3-5 photos of interesting sombra/shadow shapes; and/or cook something HERE. The Burrito Zucchini Boats look fun!
There has been an effort in recent years to quash inaccurate definitions of minimalism–to streamline, to declutter, to get to the heart of what exactly this movement and philosophy are all about. While extreme minimalists and ultralight packing lists may be awe-inspiring and provide shock-value, true minimalism is about one thing: getting rid of the superfluous in your life so that you can concentrate on what is most important.
Let us be clear from the beginning that this is not about owning a fixed number of possessions. Rather, it is about understanding what you value and why, from that thing underneath all that stuff that you haven’t seen in seven years and didn’t remember you had (the physical) to how you spend your time on a daily basis (values/principles). It can be delightful to rediscover an item that you haven’t thought about in forever, a buried treasure of sorts hidden behind that other thing you didn’t remember, but were you really treasuring it if it was stashed away and forgotten? The things you care about, you also care for: you take care of items if they are truly of value to you.
Minimalism, then, begins with physical decluttering: a tedious, painful, and eventually joyful process where literally everything you own is evaluated or “graded” by you, the Omnipotent Teacher. International organizational guru Marie Kondo proves your spirit guide here: “Does this spark joy?” While certain aspects of her books may be over the top for some, the focus on what to keep, as opposed to what to throw out, is refreshingly optimistic. Instead of losing yourself to a negative downward spiral of what to get rid of, focus on what you love and let go of the rest.
This letting go, this physical cleansing, allows–in feng shui terms–to begin to move the stagnate energy in your life. When you think deeply about what is important to you, you become more intentional and particular about how you are living your life. You step back to reevaluate how you are spending your days, your life. If you feel stuck, you probably are; but minimalism can help you to escape this Quagmire of Immobility–unless, of course, you are referring to immobility in the sense of not being allowed to leave your home legally. That, however, is an entirely different subject, ha!
In all seriousness, the process of minimizing everything you own is not exactly a walk in the park; it is tough work. Who you were ten years ago is not who you are today: your values and principles have changed, sometimes gradually, sometimes abruptly, dependent on personal circumstances and general life experiences, as you grow older and wiser. Taking time (our most valuable asset) to sort through our lives and evaluate what is of value to us now, in this particular stage of our lives, can prove both surprising (new values) and life-affirming (old values, or reinforcing staple principles that will stay with you always). We must be judicious but also not wallow for too long in the past, as objects conjure up memory after memory in the Time Capsule called You.
When we rid ourselves of the superfluous, of the clutter clogging up our lives, we define who we are and what is important; we see more clearly: our vision suddenly comes into focus. The realization that we have not had 20/20 vision all along can be jarring but also, ultimately, a welcome reboot and reset. Focus on what is valuable to you and let the rest go.
**Let me leave you with a curated (intentional!) list of resources to peruse HERE, should this topic interest or motivate you to begin. As always, thanks for reading.
PERU: Ed Stafford walked the entire Amazon River on foot. It took him 860 days, or almost 3 years, to complete the walk. He faced every kind of imaginable danger, and oftentimes had to machete his way through brush, while wading up to his neck in water. Unbelievable but true! Watch the videos to learn more, or check out his book about the Amazon on Amazon HERE.
HERE is a sneak peek to optional summer activities.
Click on the Random Number Generator Link, input your range (1-46), and then click on the button. It will randomly choose a number for you; and you can do the corresponding activity. If you don’t like the activity, repeat the process to get a different number!!
SPANISH ACTIVITY, 5/5/20
OBJECTIVE:This is a CULTURE week! Today we are visiting Mexico.
Learn about Cinco de Mayo from my videos: PART 1 and PART 2.
This week, your assignment is to do something Spanish-related for FIVE (5) days in a row. You can do the same activity each day for five days, or you can mix it up, and choose a different activity each day from the list below.
Have your own ideas? Let me know! You can post EACH DAY on Seesaw what you did (on the journal feed), or wait until the end of the week to respond to this activity and share a slideshow of all of your activities. Good luck! ¡Buena suerte! YOU CAN DO IT!!
Here are A FEW IDEAS:
Write out 10 sentences in Spanish each day. They can be silly or serious!
Work on Duolingo (or Memrise) for 10 minutes each day.
Watch another movie with Spanish voiceover and English subtitles.
Listen to the entire Spanish Summit playlist of songs HERE. You can’t leave the room–actually listen!!
Video yourself shouting, “¡El chico come manzanas!” (the boy is eating apples!) or another sentence you know, and post it to Seesaw.
Change the language of your iPad, phone, computer, and all of your devices to Spanishfor 24 hours. Can you survive??!
Count to 20 in Spanish (in your head!) when you’re brushing your teeth every morning. Look up the numbers if you don’t know them.** (See note below)
Watch this inspirational Salsa VIDEO (and the dog dancing Salsa). Next, put on some fancy clothes, blast your favorite Spanish music, and make a short video of you dancing/jamming out to the song! The kids in the video are only 6 and 8 years old. Wow!
Play the Language Game, and try to get a score higher than 50. Too easy? The best score for Summit so far this year has been 325. Try to beat it! Spend 20-30 minutes working on this. It will really improve your ear for language.
Watch all of the Pato videos, and email me a paragraph describing which episode was your favorite and why.
Learn about Worry Dolls from Guatemala in this short but cute VIDEO, and then try to make your own.
Watch this video of the Camino de Santiago (a 500-mile hike through northern Spain) to see what it is like, and then go on a 20-minute hike outside. Think about how you learn Spanish best. What works for you? What doesn’t work? Do you learn best by listening, writing, or doing? Or something else?
**Too easy? Count backwards. Still too easy? Skip count forwards and backwards. Do mental math. Don’t just memorize numbers in order; make them meaningful. How do we use numbers in the real world? Count change in Spanish, say the total of the restaurant bill in Spanish, jump rope or play hopscotch in Spanish. Numbers are everywhere…!
Keep working on Duolingo! You guys are rockin’ it!
Watch a movie in Spanish (Spanish sound/voiceover and English subtitles) this week.
Post the name of the movie to Seesaw AFTER you watched it, and add a comment about what you thought.
Be sure to check out “The Pato Show” if you haven’t yet, and SEND ME a short video of you doing something in the distance (doing a cartwheel, kicking a soccer goal in your backyard, etc.) if you want to be featured in future videos!!
HAVE AN AWESOME WEEK!!!!!!
Click on video below for The Pato Show playlist. Enjoy!
SPANISH ACTIVITY, 4/14/20
Respond to the activity on Seesaw. The Spanish Activity below will be posted on Seesaw at 8am Tuesday morning. Please log in to Seesaw to view and click on the “Activities” tab. NOTE: When I say, “Duolingo”, I am using that interchangeably with “Memrise”. I mean, whichever language-learning app you are using!
Complete at least 9 lessons on Duolingo this week.
Respond to this activity with a screenshot of your progress at the end of the week.
Watch the Pato video below.
SPANISH EXTRA CREDIT- 4/14/20
Play the language-identification game 2 or 3 times. See if your ear has improved since we played last year in class.
If you haven’t played this game before, choose the “easy” level and just have fun!
Post a screenshot of your highest score to your journal feed.
SPANISH ACTIVITY, 4/7/20
Thank you to those of you who did your assignments last week! Instead of emailing, from now on I would like you to submit your work by responding to the activity on Seesaw. The TWO Spanish Activities below will be posted on Seesaw at 8am tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Please log in to Seesaw to view and click on the “Activities” tab.
Do your best work. Not your fastest work. Not your laziest work. YOUR BEST WORK!!! ***And keep working on Duolingo (or Memrise) 3-4 times a week!
You have two assignments to complete this week. This is only ONE of them.
Record another video (no letters this week).
Be sure to introduce yourself (examples: Hola, yo soy ____ / Yo me llamo _______ / Mi nombre es______).
Include TWO sentences with “Me gusta” and “No me gusta”.
Include TWO more sentences with “Me gustan” and “No me gustan”.
Add something extra that you just learned from Duolingo this week (not Google Translate).
Post your video under this activity on Seesaw.
Remember, you can always do MORE than this!! “Connecting words” like because (porque), with (con), and more can be found on Veracross for Continued Learning. Above is just a guide to help those of you who do not know what to say, or who are tempted to use online translators to do your work for you (please do not–this is dishonest and against our Core Values of integrity and independence).
If you have questions about the assignment, please email me. If you have questions about Seesaw or technology not working, please email the Technology Department. ¡Gracias!
**Spanish Activity, 4/7/20- SONGS (Part 2)
Listen to at least 3 FULL SONGS in Spanish on the ‘Songs Page‘ of my website.
Choose your favorite.
Respond to this activity with the link.
Listen to this song at least 3-4 times a week, to get the lyrics stuck in your head!
**The goal here is to create a personalized class playlist of everyone’s favorite songs in Spanish. If you choose a song that was not on my website, you need to be very MINDFUL of the lyrics and images in the video. If the lyrics are not happy/good/ positive or the images are inappropriate, the video will be deleted. So choose a good song that has a fun beat!
Work on Duolingo (or Memrise) at least 3 times per week.
Watch the video.
HOMEWORK: Do one of the following activities.
HANDWRITE me a letter in Spanish of 50 words or more and take a photo of it, OR
Video yourself speaking in Spanish to me for 20-30 seconds (like a letter, but spoken).
For the letter or video:
Include vocabulary from Duolingo (or Memrise).
Include a “Me gusta” (I like) or “Me encanta” (I love) sentence.
Include a negative sentence. For example:
No quiero = I don’t want
No necesito = I don’t need
No me gusta = I don’t like
No puedo = I can’t
Connecting words:
pero = but
y = and
con = with
porque = because
también = also
For the video, 10 seconds of talking and 20 seconds of “ummm” or silence does not count!! Try to make it flow. You can write it out and then video yourself reading it if that is easier.
EMAIL MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
Send it from your school email address.
Include your grade level in the subject line of your email.
Attach photo or video.
Click “Send”.
And HAVE FUN! If you love drawing, decorate your letter with doodles and make it colorful. Or be creative with the video. Zoom has an option to video like a green screen, so you could ‘video’ from outer space, if you wanted! For tech questions, email Mr. Santos. Remember, learning should be a combination of hard work and fun. If it’s not fun, you are doing it wrong. 🙂
7. DUE DATE/DEADLINE:
Your letter OR video is due within 48 hours, meaning by THURSDAY, APRIL 2nd @11am.
If you are not happy with your work, you can always re-do your letter or video and re-send it, but I will not accept any more work after Friday, April 3rd. Please explain in your email that it is a ‘re-do’ or ‘video #2″ if you choose to do this.
SPANISH EXTRA CREDIT- 3/31/20
Still want more Spanish??! YAY! Check out the link to my website and–
create your own country project based on something from this page HERE–also look on the sidebar or at the very bottom of the page (depends on what device you’re on) where it is organized by country
Catch Esteban or myself on Duolingo. I have almost 12,000 XP. He has 14,657 XP.
Check out BrainPop in Spanish below. Be sure to add subtitles in English for any videos.
For anyone interested who has read this far, here are two BrainPop links:
**Grades 3-5 should continue working on Duolingo at least three times per week, for 10 minutes a day.Students– there will be prizes for anyone who has earned more than 10,000 XP when we return back to school!
Advanced students who want a challenge may do any of the “Native Speaker” work HERE as well. Be sure to add English subtitles on BrainPop and “Pollito Tito” (CC/closed captioning in bottom right hand corner).
HERE is a sneak peek to optional summer activities.
Click on the Random Number Generator Link, input your range (1-46), and then click on the button. It will randomly choose a number for you; and you can do the corresponding activity. If you don’t like the activity, repeat the process to get a different number!!
SPANISH ACTIVITY, 5/5/20
OBJECTIVE:This is a CULTURE week! Today we are visiting Mexico.
Learn about Cinco de Mayo from my videos: PART 1 and PART 2.
This week, your assignment is to do something Spanish-related for FIVE (5) days in a row. You can do the same activity each day for five days, or you can mix it up, and choose a different activity each day from the list below.
Have your own ideas? Let me know! You can post EACH DAY on Seesaw what you did (on the journal feed), or wait until the end of the week to respond to this activity and share a slideshow of all of your activities. Good luck! ¡Buena suerte! YOU CAN DO IT!!
Here are A FEW IDEAS:
Write out 10 sentences in Spanish each day. They can be silly or serious!
Work on Duolingo (or Memrise) for 10 minutes each day.
Watch another movie with Spanish voiceover and English subtitles.
Listen to the entire Spanish Summit playlist of songs HERE. You can’t leave the room–actually listen!!
Video yourself shouting, “¡El chico come manzanas!” (the boy is eating apples!) or another sentence you know, and post it to Seesaw.
Change the language of your iPad, phone, computer, and all of your devices to Spanishfor 24 hours. Can you survive??!
Count to 20 in Spanish (in your head!) when you’re brushing your teeth every morning. Look up the numbers if you don’t know them.** (See note below)
Watch this inspirational Salsa VIDEO (and the dog dancing Salsa). Next, put on some fancy clothes, blast your favorite Spanish music, and make a short video of you dancing/jamming out to the song! The kids in the video are only 6 and 8 years old. Wow!
Play the Language Game, and try to get a score higher than 50. Too easy? The best score for Summit so far this year has been 325. Try to beat it! Spend 20-30 minutes working on this. It will really improve your ear for language.
Watch all of the Pato videos, and email me a paragraph describing which episode was your favorite and why.
Learn about Worry Dolls from Guatemala in this short but cute VIDEO, and then try to make your own.
Watch this video of the Camino de Santiago (a 500-mile hike through northern Spain) to see what it is like, and then go on a 20-minute hike outside. Think about how you learn Spanish best. What works for you? What doesn’t work? Do you learn best by listening, writing, or doing? Or something else?
**Too easy? Count backwards. Still too easy? Skip count forwards and backwards. Do mental math. Don’t just memorize numbers in order; make them meaningful. How do we use numbers in the real world? Count change in Spanish, say the total of the restaurant bill in Spanish, jump rope or play hopscotch in Spanish. Numbers are everywhere…!
Keep working on Duolingo! You guys are rockin’ it!
Watch a movie in Spanish (Spanish sound/voiceover and English subtitles) this week.
Post the name of the movie to Seesaw AFTER you watched it, and add a comment about what you thought.
Be sure to check out “The Pato Show” if you haven’t yet, and SEND ME a short video of you doing something in the distance (doing a cartwheel, kicking a soccer goal in your backyard, etc.) if you want to be featured in future videos!!
Respond to the activity on Seesaw. The Spanish Activity below will be posted on Seesaw at 8am Tuesday morning. Please log in to Seesaw to view and click on the “Activities” tab. NOTE: When I say, “Duolingo”, I am using that interchangeably with “Memrise”. I mean, whichever language-learning app you are using!
Complete at least 9 lessons on Duolingo this week.
Respond to this activity with a screenshot of your progress at the end of the week.
Play the language-identification game 2 or 3 times. See if your ear has improved since we played last year in class.
If you haven’t played this game before, choose the “easy” level and just have fun!
Post a screenshot of your highest score to your journal feed.
SPANISH ACTIVITY, 4/7/20
Thank you to those of you who did your assignments last week! Instead of emailing, from now on I would like you to submit your work by responding to the activity on Seesaw. The TWO Spanish Activities below will be posted on Seesaw at 8am tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Please log in to Seesaw to view and click on the “Activities” tab.
Do your best work. Not your fastest work. Not your laziest work. YOUR BEST WORK!!! ***And keep working on Duolingo (or Memrise) 3-4 times a week!
You have two assignments to complete this week. This is only ONE of them.
Record another video (no letters this week).
Be sure to introduce yourself (examples: Hola, yo soy ____ / Yo me llamo _______ / Mi nombre es______).
Include TWO sentences with “Me gusta” and “No me gusta”.
Include TWO more sentences with “Me gustan” and “No me gustan”.
Add something extra that you just learned from Duolingo this week (not Google Translate).
Post your video under this activity on Seesaw.
Remember, you can always do MORE than this!! “Connecting words” like because (porque), with (con), and more can be found on Veracross for Continued Learning. Above is just a guide to help those of you who do not know what to say, or who are tempted to use online translators to do your work for you (please do not–this is dishonest and against our Core Values of integrity and independence).
If you have questions about the assignment, please email me. If you have questions about Seesaw or technology not working, please email the Technology Department. ¡Gracias!
**Spanish Activity, 4/7/20- SONGS (Part 2)
Listen to at least 3 FULL SONGS in Spanish on the ‘Songs Page‘ of my website.
Choose your favorite.
Respond to this activity with the link.
Listen to this song at least 3-4 times a week, to get the lyrics stuck in your head!
**The goal here is to create a personalized class playlist of everyone’s favorite songs in Spanish. If you choose a song that was not on my website, you need to be very MINDFUL of the lyrics and images in the video. If the lyrics are not happy/good/ positive or the images are inappropriate, the video will be deleted. So choose a good song that has a fun beat!
Work on Duolingo (or Memrise) at least 3 times per week.
Watch the video.
HOMEWORK: Do one of the following activities.
HANDWRITE me a letter in Spanish of 50 words or more and take a photo of it, OR
Video yourself speaking in Spanish to me for 20-30 seconds (like a letter, but spoken).
For the letter or video:
Include vocabulary from Duolingo (or Memrise).
Include a “Me gusta” (I like) or “Me encanta” (I love) sentence.
Include a negative sentence. For example:
No quiero = I don’t want
No necesito = I don’t need
No me gusta = I don’t like
No puedo = I can’t
Connecting words:
pero = but
y = and
con = with
porque = because
también = also
For the video, 10 seconds of talking and 20 seconds of “ummm” or silence does not count!! Try to make it flow. You can write it out and then video yourself reading it if that is easier.
EMAIL MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
Send it from your school email address.
Include your grade level in the subject line of your email.
Attach photo or video.
Click “Send”.
And HAVE FUN! If you love drawing, decorate your letter with doodles and make it colorful. Or be creative with the video. Zoom has an option to video like a green screen, so you could ‘video’ from outer space, if you wanted! For tech questions, email Mr. Santos. Remember, learning should be a combination of hard work and fun. If it’s not fun, you are doing it wrong. 🙂
7. DUE DATE/DEADLINE:
Your letter OR video is due within 48 hours, meaning by THURSDAY, APRIL 2nd @11am.
If you are not happy with your work, you can always re-do your letter or video and re-send it, but I will not accept any more work after Friday, April 3rd. Please explain in your email that it is a ‘re-do’ or ‘video #2″ if you choose to do this.
SPANISH EXTRA CREDIT- 3/31/20
Still want more Spanish??! YAY! Check out the link to my website and–
create your own country project based on something from this page HERE–also look on the sidebar or at the very bottom of the page (depends on what device you’re on) where it is organized by country
Catch Esteban or myself on Duolingo. I have almost 12,000 XP. He has 14,657 XP.
Check out BrainPop in Spanish below. Be sure to add subtitles in English for any videos.
For anyone interested who has read this far, here are two BrainPop links:
**Grades 3-5 should continue working on Duolingo at least three times per week, for 10 minutes a day.Students– there will be prizes for anyone who has earned more than 10,000 XP when we return back to school!
Advanced students who want a challenge may do any of the “Native Speaker” work HERE as well. Be sure to add English subtitles on BrainPop and “Pollito Tito” (CC/closed captioning in bottom right hand corner).
Choose your favorite exercise or activity that makes you feel STRONG/fuerte.
Video yourself saying, “¡YO SOY FUERTE!” (I’m strong!) as you are doing that exercise or activity. Be dramatic and make sure to say it like you mean it!
Get a head start on next week by checking out the SUMMER PACKET LETTER 2020 here. All activities will be optional.
Click on the Random Number Generator Link, input your range (1-46), and then click on the button. It will randomly choose a number for you; and you can do the corresponding activity. If you don’t like the activity, repeat the process to get a different number–or just pick your favorite number!
Spanish Activity, 5/7/20- 1,2,3
OBJECTIVE:This is a CULTURE week! Today we are visiting Mexico.
Click to watch both videos on Seesaw: PART 1andPART 2.
Make a tres leches cake (or any kind of cake) OR record a short video of yourself dancing to a Spanish song and post to Seesaw.
BE HAPPY!
Spanish Activity, 4/16/20- 1,2,3
OBJECTIVE: This is a LANGUAGE week (next week will be CULTURE), so the goal is to listen to as much Spanish as possible! The videos are both under 5 minutes.
**Scroll down on THIS PAGE to see the amazing work students produced for the Continued Learning activity described below.
First, watch the video on Seesaw—but note that Seesaw cut me off! People are not allowed to make the sawdust carpets out in the streets this year because of the current situation. Instead, people are making their own miniature sawdust carpets at home.
Next, watch the short video to the right. There is no sound, but it gives you a really good idea of how much patience and what a long and beautiful process it is to make these carpets.
3) Now, choose an image you like and make your own! You can use candies, fruits, plants, flowers, blocks, frosting, or paint or color one. I would recommend one the size of a sheet of paper (8.5×11), but you are welcome to make one bigger than that! I added a few stencils below to give you ideas for a design.
4) When you are finished, respond to the activity on Seesaw with a picture of your creation. Take your time, be patient, do your best work, and have fun!!
Make a sign label for your bedroom with that country.
Add TWO activities you like to do to your sign (jugar/play, construir/build, colorear/color, dibujar/draw, hablar/talk, comer/eat, pintar/paint, dormir/sleep, trabajar/work, etc.).
Take a picture of your sign and post it to Seesaw.
Read THIS POST with your parents, and consider doing one of the culture projects.
Extra Credit, 3/19/20- 1,2,3
If you choose to do one of the culture projects, PLEASE share a video or photo here with our community to inspire everyone! The projects are from Spain and Mexico this week:
Hang up a hammock in your house
Make an amate bark painting
Grow your own crystals
Make/cook tapas in your kitchen
Build a fort in Spain with pillows and blankets
Go on a hike, Camino-style
**More information on all projects can be found HERE.
Also, please respond to the activity when submitting any work. This helps keep everything organized. Thank you!
Other Notes, 3/19/20
Grades JK-2
**Students in JK-2 should watch two 4-7 minute cartoons in the target language this week–preferably on separate days.HERE is a list of links, including Pocoyo, Perro y Gato, and Caillou in Spanish. Listening to SONGS in the target language counts, too. Just make sure you don’t sing the English lyrics over the Spanish if it is translated!
Note that it would be beneficial to build into your home schedule that children watch these shows at a specific day and time, for example, 2x per week, when you are preparing breakfast or dinner and need a few minutes alone. The more predictable the routine, the better.
HERE is a sneak peek at optional summer activities.
Click on the Random Number Generator Link, input your range (1-46), and then click on the button. It will randomly choose a number for you; and you can do the corresponding activity. If you don’t like the activity, repeat the process to get a different number!!
Visit THIS LINK (see “Spanish Activity, 4/23/20- 1,2,3“).
Do the same dance video activity as Lower School last week.
Email me or post your dance video to the journal feed on Seesaw.
SPANISH ACTIVITY, 4/21/20- JK, K
OBJECTIVE: This week, the goal is to include both language and culture. If this feels like too much for your family, please email me!
REQUIRED–
LANGUAGE: Watch the THE PATO SHOW, #6. It is about bread and butter and more low-key than other episodes. If it is adventure you seek, watch Episode #5 (see Extra Credit below)!
Now that you have an idea of what it looks like, check out THIS LIST and create some sort of rainbow product to represent the mountain. If you need direction, here are a few suggestions:
****If you want to know what happens next to “Evil Pato”, you can watch this video here: THE PATO SHOW, #5.If you did not like “Evil Pato”, you may skip this.
Make a big, colorful sign that says “Fiesta” (party) and on the other side that says, “Siesta” (nap), and take a picture of what you feel like doing now.
Finally, send me some feedback. You can:
Record them when they watch the video.
Send messages of what they learn from the video (e.g., FIESTA/party is not the same as SIESTA/nap!).
Predict what is going to happen next.
Ask your child to find something s/he knows in Spanish from the house (might be harder–production is the last step in language acquisition).
Listen for the question, “¿Dónde está Pato?” (Where is Pato?)
Choose ONE thing that you are always losing.
Make a short video of yourself looking for that thing in your house and/or outside.
Make sure you ask, “¿Dónde está……………?” at least three times in the video. You can say it in a normal voice, a loud voice, a soft voice, a silly voice, or a lot of different voices… really, any kind of voice you like! Have fun!
**You can extend this activity by playing Hide and Go Seek with someone–counting in Spanish (uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco) and then asking aloud, “¿Dónde está…………… [John, Fred, Lisa, etc.]?”
SPANISH REQUEST, 3/19/20- JK, K
If you choose to do one of the culture projects, PLEASE share a video or photo here with our community to inspire everyone! The projects are from Spain and Mexico this week:
Hang up a hammock in your house
Make an amate bark painting
Grow your own crystals
Make/cook tapas in your kitchen
Build a fort in Spain with pillows and blankets
Go on a hike, Camino-style.
More information for all projects can be found HERE.
Also, please respond to the activity when submitting any work. This helps keep everything organized. Thank you!
SCHEDULE NOTE, 3/19/20- JK, K
Spanish classes will be held on Tuesdays during Continued Learning. Because we did not have class this week, I have written a LETTER WITH SOME IDEAS of how to continue your Spanish study. Everything is optional. Please enjoy!
OTHER NOTES, 3/19/20-JK, K
**Students in JK-2 should watch two 4-7 minute cartoons in the target language this week–preferably on separate days.HERE is a list of links, including Pocoyo, Perro y Gato, and Caillou in Spanish. Listening to SONGS in the target language counts, too. Just make sure you don’t sing the English lyrics over the Spanish if it is translated!
Note that it would be beneficial to build into your home schedule that children watch these shows at a specific day and time, for example, 2x per week, when you are preparing breakfast or dinner and need a few minutes alone. The more predictable the routine, the better.
Escriben su autobiografía. Organícenla con una introducción, TRES recuerdos importantes para ustedes y una conclusión. Esta es la estructura:
Introducción – donde nacieron más otros hechos básicos
Párrafo #1 – recuerdo importante
Párrafo #2 – recuerdo importante
Párrafo #3 – recuerdo importante
Conclusión – ideas sobre lo que quieran hacer en el futuro
Les doy dos semanas para completar esto, ya que es una tarea más involucrada. Será la última actividad escrita del año escolar. Escríbanme con cualquier duda. Y por favor, ¡diviértanse!
Hagan un acuerdo con toda la familia de hablar solamente español en casa. ¡No hablen ni una palabra del inglés! Los que sí rompen el acuerdo deben de hacer todos quehaceres de la casa ese día.
¡Enséñenme algo! Vean un vídeo de BrainPop Español sobre las ciencias o las matemáticas y hagan un vídeo que me enseña algo sobre una asignatura o asunto muy específico. ¡No hablen en generalidades!
Escriban cada día en sus diarios.
Lean una novela en español.
Aprendan a bailar Salsa (el baile). Chequeen este vídeo para inspiración. ¡La niña solo tiene seis años y el niño ocho! O esto aquí abajo para una risa.
Spanish Activity, 4/21-23/20- 3,4,5
Miren este vídeo en Seesaw. Cambien su look, su perspectiva y ¡escriben una entrada en sus diarios con este nuevo look!
Miren una película con los subtítulos en español y la voz en español, y presten atención a las traducciones y cómo son diferentes.
Publiquen una foto en Seesaw o de su nuevo look o del nombre de la película que han visto, con unos comentarios abajo sobre la experiencia.
Y claro, siguen escribiendo 3-4 veces a la semana en sus diarios.
Spanish Activity, 4/14-16/20- 3,4,5
Visiten Seesaw otra vez para ver la actividad esta semana. Favor de responder a la actividad en Seesaw. ¡Gracias!
Sigan escribiendo en sus diarios 3-5 veces a la semana.
Experimenten con la poesía japonesa: si les interesa la idea, traten de escribir un haikú/俳句. Mejor dicho, ¡3 o 4 haikús!
Pasen 10 o 15 minutos leyendo los dichos/citas/frases en el enlace AQUÍ y elijan su favorito/a. La página web está organizada por frases, autores y temas–si esto les ayuda, busquen las categorías encima de la página.
Publiquen una foto del dicho aquí en Seesaw, por “responder a la actividad”. ¡Buena suerte!
Spanish Activity, 4/7/20- 4,5
VISITEN Seesaw PARA VER LA ACTIVIDAD ESTA SEMANA. ¡Hay un video ahí para ustedes!
Miren el vídeo para una explicación detallada de lo que hacer y cuales son las expectativas. *TERCER GRADE: miren la otra versión del vídeo en Seesaw debajo de “Actividades”.
3) Depende mucho del tipo de escritura elijan, pero quiero que se concentren en dos objetivos esta semana–primero, los marcadores del discurso, especialmente para una cronología de acontecimientos y segundo, la descripción y los cinco sentidos.
Utilizar marcadores del discurso para organizar su entrada
Ordenadores:de entrada, para empezar, antes que nada, por una parte, por otra parte, en primer lugar, para terminar/concluir, en fin, hasta ahora, de momento, dicho esto, etc.
Reformuladores: o sea, es decir, en otras palabras, mejor dicho, etc.
Conectores aditivos: y, además, o, ni, sobre todo, encima, es más, asimismo
Conectores de oposición: pero, sin embargo, no obstante, con todo, ahora bien, aunque, en cambio, por el contrario, en cualquier caso, etc.
Conectores de casualidad: porque, es que, puesto que, ya que, al fin y al cabo, pues, por (lo) tanto, por consecuencia, luego, entonces, de este modo, etc.
4) No importan aquí los nombres de los términos, sino el significado y que ustedes dan un esfuerzo para incorporar estas expresiones en sus entradas. ¡Pero SOLAMENTE las que sean relevantes!
5) En cuanto a la narrativa, y en vez de decirme, hay que mostrarme su recuerdo o experiencia que me cuentan. Les doy mi ejemplo del vídeo:
“Yo fui a la playa.”
VERSUS
“Veo los rayos de luz que esparcen sobre el agua y océano como harina o un polvo mágico bajo el sol–y siento el calor de la arena bajo mis pies…“
**Dije “la calentura” en el vídeo sin querer en vez de “el calor”, lo siento!!!
La meta es, traten de añadir detalles para crear una imagen precisa para los lectores. Incluyan lo que oyen, lo que ven, cómo se sienten, lo que huelen, etc. ¿Es de noche o de día? En vez de escribir esto directamente, pinten una escena, un lienzo de palabras… Si hablo de la oscuridad, el lector entenderá que o es de noche o las luces están apagadas, ¿verdad? Busquen nuevo vocabulario en un diccionario o pregúntenles a sus padres. Siempre siempre siempre se puede ampliar el vocabulario y, por tanto, enriquecer su experiencia del idioma. ¡Disfruten del proceso!
FECHA DE ENTREGA: El jueves, 11:00am (2 de abril de 2020)
3* grado- publiquen una foto de la entrada en Seesaw 4* y 5*- mándenme una foto por correo FROM YOUR SCHOOL EMAIL!
create your own country project based on something from this page HERE–also look on the sidebar or at the very bottom of the page (depends on what device you’re on) where it is organized by country
Catch Esteban or myself on Duolingo. I have almost 12,000 XP. He has 14,657 XP.
Check out BrainPop in Spanish below. Be sure to add subtitles in English for any videos.
For anyone interested who has read this far, here are two BrainPop links:
NATIVE SPEAKERSin ALL grades can watch the “Pollito Tito” video below for pura diversión. In addition, native speakers in grades 3-5 should watch a BrainPop video in Spanish on a topic of their choice this week. (Be sure to add subtitles to read along.)
In their Spanish notebooks, students can journal about the video they saw, or do a free write (e.g., continue a story they were writing, write about how they’re feeling, etc.). Also, be sure to check out THIS POST for extra credit opportunities. Scroll down to the “Culture” section!
Nowadays, the song Despacito is probably as well known as Dr. Seuss. What you might not think about are the translation jobs that allow this information to circulate worldwide. People dedicate their lives to adapting and translating books, songs, and more into other languages, which takes time. For example, they say that Red Fish, Blue Fishtook over a year to translate into Mandarin Chinese, mostly because Dr. Seuss had a habit of making up words: how do you transfer fictitious phonemes into another language? How do you make lines rhyme, when two words–directly translated–do not rhyme in another language?
And what about songs? How is it that the French, Russian, Arabic*, German, and Chinese versions of the Spanish song Despacito all have the same feel and sound? Granted, these are adaptations–as opposed to translations–but wow, right?! Search your language and cover of a popular song if you are interested (e.g., google “Despacito French cover“). I have found Japanese covers of Taylor Swift songs and Adele’s “Hello” in so many languages, you would not believe me.
*Pro Tip: While I do not speak Arabic, for example, I am guessing that with 26 MILLION VIEWS, the translation is pretty good, or else a hilarious parody.Check the number of views if you want to ‘verify’ that it is a decent translation. This is not a foolproof technique, but it worksfor the most part.
And then, there is this… Siberian Despacito played with Russian folk instruments (article HERE). Wow.
Recently, students have been talking about translation (written) and interpretation (spoken) in Spanish class. This week, they focused more on translation, after taking a moment to differentiate the two. You see, translation and interpretation are often confused and used interchangeably. However, they are two very different professions.
In a nutshell… translation is written. You translate documents from one language into your native tongue, and have time to write multiple drafts of a document. Interpretation, on the other hand, is spoken. You interpret on the spot, and there is no going back. Precision in the moment is key. Interpreters often work in politics, and thus must be informed about current events, slang terms and new expressions. Today, we will focus on the job of a translator and the unanticipated ramifications of poorly translated signs and documents.
It has long been said that the work of a translator (or air-traffic controller) is only noticed when something goes wrong. These mistakes can range from chuckles and rolling on the floor laughing, to confusion, expensive marketing slogan recalls, and radical global consequences. Regardless, it is clear that the bots have not quite mastered this profession; then again, neither have humans. Just because a person speaks two languages does not necessarily mean that s/he can translate (written) or interpret (spoken) from one to another. Translation is a skill like any other, and must be honed. Unfortunately, and despite serious translation training programs and certifications, this practice is sometimes learned through trial and error.
Translation disasters occur for myriad reasons. Let’s begin with online translation. Here, an algorithm might not have sufficient information about a language: users have simply not provided enough input, due to a lack of internet access or cultural interest. For example, if you live three days away from civilization by canoe in the Amazon, the Internet is probably not in your vocabulary, nor a helpful tool against a giant beast ready to attack. When Google Translate attempts to translate this giant beast’s name into English, challenges arise. Moreover, what happens when Google translates a phrase literally, with no knowledge of slang or understanding of figurative language? Not everything is black and white, Robots–especially language!
In some cases, there are cultural differences, where a word that is perfectly acceptable in one language is confusing or seemingly offensive in another. The “Lamb of God” was translated to “Seal pup of God” in Inuktitut (language of the Inuit in the Arctic) because this is what made sense culturally; religious zealots might regard such a translation as disrespectful sans the full context.
Other times, maybe a translator tries to take a shortcut with a cognate that is not actually a cognate, or a word that sounds similar in both languages: for example, in Spanish, famous and famoso both mean famous, but embarrassed is not embarazada [pregnant]. While embarrassment may be an unintended side effect of a misguided translation in social settings, real embarrassment sets in when it is part of a multi-million dollar marketing slogan… and serious fiscal consequences.
Or, on a more serious note, have you heard about the $71 million dollar word lawsuit? How about the “Do Nothing” campaign? See images below.
Poor translations can be anything from goofy to life-threatening (we have not even touched on interpreters on the battlefield), but in any event, hopefully we can agree that there is more to language than initially meets the eye. For a good read on this topic, check out the book: Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the Worldby Nataly Kelly and Jost Zetzsche… or surf the web.
Fun fact: in the aforementioned book, “Eva Aariak, Nunavut’s former languages commissioner (and later premier of Nunavut), chose the word [ikiaqqivik] as the Inuktitut translation for ‘Internet.’ It’s a traditional term that means ‘traveling through layers,’ and it refers to what a shaman does when he travels across time and space to find out about living or deceased relatives, ‘similar to how the net is used now,’ Julia adds” (32).
And what is the most difficult word to translate? Watch the video below!
Funny Translations
Translations- Closed Captioning
Last but not least, put on the “Closed Captioning” in English for this song. It will give you a sense of why we still need human translators– the robots just don’t get it!
I have a very strained relationship with technology. On the one hand, and in light of the current circumstances, we are very fortunate to have this tool with which to communicate and share information around the world. And in general, I enjoy blogging and researching, and appreciate having an infinite number of resources at my fingertips. It is amazing what humankind has been able to accomplish.
On the other hand, there are several serious societal ramifications that keep me up at night. I put them here in list form to pose questions, not solve the world’s problems. They are simply to consider.
1) Privacy–what does this mean to society nowadays? Are you aware that your private information (IP address histories, birthdate, all former and current addresses, name, etc.) is sold on a regular basis–and that companies make huge profits off of this metadata?;
2) How much screen time is healthy, for both children (and adults, for that matter)?;
3) Why are Silicon Valley parents raising their kids tech-free? Shouldn’t we ask why, in this intensely digital age?; and
4) Where have concentration, focus, and mindfulness gone? How many times have you had a conversation interrupted by someone looking down at their phone? Look, the majority of us are culpable in this last respect, but are we trying to change? Do we see the error of our ways?
If any of these topics are of interest to you, please consider browsing through the curated list of links and TEDx videos below.
This week, I will give a variety of options for grades JK-5, to ease into the idea of continued learning. While students are required to complete the Spanish language assignment below (independent work), they are also encouraged to try one of the optional mini culture projects. The latter are fun, hands-on, offline activities that families can work on together.
This is not meant to be a burden on you, but rather to emphasize the importance of family in the Hispanic community, and to remind us to be grateful for this extra time we have together.
Language
Grades JK-2
**Students in JK-2 should watch two 4-7 minute cartoons in the target language this week–preferably on separate days.HERE is a list of links, including Pocoyo, Perro y Gato, and Caillou in Spanish. Listening to SONGS in the target language counts, too. Just make sure you don’t sing the English lyrics over the Spanish if it is translated!
Note that it would be beneficial to build into your home schedule that children watch these shows at a specific day and time, for example, 2x per week, when you are preparing breakfast or dinner and need a few minutes alone. The more predictable the routine, the better.
Grades 3-5
**Grades 3-5 should continue working on Duolingo at least three times per week, for 10 minutes a day.Students– there will be prizes for anyone who has earned more than 10,000 XP when we return back to school!
Advanced students who want a challenge may do any of the “Native Speaker” work below as well. Be sure to add English subtitles on BrainPop and “Pollito Tito” (CC/closed captioning in bottom right hand corner).
Native Speakers
**NATIVE SPEAKERSin ALL grades can watch the “Pollito Tito” video below for pura diversión. In addition, native speakers in grades 3-5 should watch a BrainPop video in Spanish on a topic of their choice this week. (Be sure to add subtitles to read along.) In their Spanish notebook, students can journal about the video they saw, or do a free write (e.g., continue a story they were writing, write about how they’re feeling, etc.).
Each week, I will highlight a few different Spanish-speaking countries in my posts, with accompanying facts and mini-projects. Read through the ideas, see what materials you have on hand, and have fun! For all culture projects, be sure to find a good song on THIS PAGE to listen to while you are working/playing!
If you want to “create a country” in a corner of your house–bedroom, playroom, part of the living room, your closet, etc.–like I have in my classroom, make sure to add a big sign with the country name, and check out THIS PAGE for more cultural ideas. Post on Seesaw (grades JK-3) or email me a photo (grades 4-5) if you want to share.
Mexico
Project #1: HAMMOCKS!
The Yucatan in Mexico is known for its hammock culture. Here, 2/3 of children sleep in hammocks instead of beds, and there are even hammocks in hospitals! For this challenge, string up your own DIY hammock with a sheet and twine/rope. Attach it to your bedpost, a chair, or even a tree outside. Be sure to ask your parents first so that you choose a safe place.
Amate bark paper is a traditional folk art and beautiful type of paper made from the bark of fig trees in Mexico. An easy way to create one at home is to crumple up a brown paper bag and use colorful paints to create something like THIS. Scroll down here for step-by-step instructions. If you have any figs to chew on, eat some while you are painting!
The Giant Crystal Cave is a cave connected to the Naica Mine in Mexico with massive crystals. The average person can only stay inside for ten minutes because there is 99% humidity, whoa! For this challenge, grow your own crystals at home with Epsom salts, food coloring, and a bowl. Turn off the air conditioning if you want to enhance the cave simulation, haha! Skip to 5:23 in the video below to learn more.
An exciting part of traveling is getting to see and try different types of foods. What is “normal” to you is “strange” to others, and vice-versa. In Spain, tapas—also called pinchos when pierced with toothpicks—are found in many restaurants. They are snacks arranged in small dishes, and have an interesting history: a long time ago, many people were illiterate, so travelers going from one inn to the next could not read the menus; instead, they were given little plates to sample different types of food before ordering their meal.
Pretend you are in Spain and recreate tapas in your own kitchen. There are countless options, so find a few that you like, and have a little fiesta, or party. Some ideas include mixed olives and cheese; skewers with pickles; fried baby squid; mushrooms sautéed in garlic and oil, etc.—see more options HERE. Enjoy!
La Alhambra is a famous fort/ palace with beautiful gardens in southern Spain. Many students enjoy trying to build this fort during class time out of cardboard, so why not make one at home? Build a huge fort tent out of blankets, pillows, and chairs, based on La Alhambra. Ask your parents where in your house would be a good place to build it (so that you don’t have to take it down right away or get in trouble).
Draw or print out a Spanish flag to wave, put on Spain’s National Anthem or your favorite song in Spanish, and get to work! This could become a really comfy place to watch Spanish cartoons or study Duolingo. NOTE: The video is historically-based, and more for older students.
Project #6: GO ON A HIKE!
The Camino de Santiago is a 500-mile hike across northern Spain. It takes about 30 days to complete on foot. You carry everything you need in a backpack, and follow the arrows and shells so you don’t get lost. For this challenge, put arrows and shells all over the house, leading to your learning space or bedroom, like it is the Camino de Santiago. Feel free to pack a bag and go on a mini-hike with your parents walking around the block, if you feel like it. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes!
Thank you so much for reading! Hope you are having a great week.
COSTA RICA: Costa Rica is known for its biodiversity–flora and fauna abound. 18% of the world’s butterflies, for example, are found there. Multiple Lower School classes helped to create their own rainforest in my classroom closet last week, printing out photos of realistic wildlife, hanging green streamer vines, artificial flowers, and relevant stuffed animals (no giraffes!) in unexpected places, and planting cucumber and petunia seeds in flower pots (currently in the greenhouse); hopefully, there will be REAL plants in the rainforest in a few weeks. I added Christmas lights and a howler monkey soundtrack to enhance the general ambiance and magic of it all. Did you know that howler monkeys are among the loudest animals on Earth?
As a final touch, several fifth graders mixed blue food coloring and water in a bowl to replicate the famous Río Celeste (Blue River), a definite must-see if you travel there! Note that nearly all Lower School classes have been exploring and sightseeing in the rainforest this week. Some even bring their iPads to take Insta-worthy nature pics. If you would like to extend this project at home, HERE is one idea.
As a child, I played “school” a lot. My mother says that in kindergarten, I would coerce others to be my students and scribble lessons on a Raggedy-Ann chalkboard. Even as a teenager, I lived in a world of ideas. I remember wanting to figure out how to convert the human body into pure electrons so that I could travel over the phone wires (circuit) to visit my friend in a town twenty miles away. For the record, I never figured that one out, but school was rarely boring; there was always more to learn and do. If anything, I felt overwhelmed at times with the quantity of information available and a serious surplus of interests. Suffice to say, teaching has always been in my blood.
That said, I did not get a degree in education. Instead, I opted for philosophy—the love of wisdom—and languages. The end result was that I entered the classroom as an educator from a different perspective. My philosophy? Learning should be a mix of terrific fun, adventure, and hard work—the kind where you want to work hard to accomplish something. Forget checking off learning standards and textbooks; let’s get to the meat of it all–playing with ideas, exploring, investigating, researching, building, thinking, doing.
Fast-forward twelve years: I am (hopefully) beyond the stage of a ‘beginner’ teacher, have expectations in my class, and a daily routine sprinkled with creative units that spiral, spiral, spiral. The administrative assistant listens patiently as I share about my newest ideas: “What if… we tried to build the Alhambra out of cardboard? Where in the school could students create a life-sized model of the eleven-foot wingspan of an Andean Condor, without the fire inspector getting mad? At 2:30am, I woke up and wondered if first through fifth grade students could collectively name 100 of the 7,000 languages in the world.” I put a lot of thought into my lessons, and yet, sometimes ideas get the best of me and I rush into a project fueled by excitement instead of plans or logic. It generally works out in the end, but because I (along with many educators) spend so much time on work, I felt slightly offended when someone commented the other day–offhandedly–“so students write a little bit in your class and then just play?” Naturally, this got me thinking. Hmm. Well, not exactly. How to explain?
For starters, the phrase ‘just play’ is frustrating. Why do we want kids to grow up so fast? At what age does play no longer become an acceptable form of learning? How can play be viewed in a more positive light? I do not know any savants or polymaths personally, but my understanding is that a true genius plays with ideas, even *gasp* as an adult. Anyone who develops technological gadgets, works with AR or AI, or creates new algorithms is, ultimately, playing with an idea. Anyone who drives a motor vehicle plays with ideas on the highway. It is like a massive, ever-evolving chess game: if I speed up, I can pass him, but then she looks impatient, and he’s on his phone, so what if I went that way? Or I could stay here and slow down, and create a stalemate for that guy who keeps switching lanes. Safety is first, but how do I get out of this traffic jam? We play with ideas all the time, but for whatever reason, the label ‘play’ is relegated to only the youngest of the young.
I was blown away the other week when, after a quiz (and a few tears), my fifth graders asked to play in a cardboard fort generally reserved for younger grades. They took out the plastic food, started role-playing some sort of spy game, and had a great time… playing. I reflected on that day, along with a quote from Pat Bassett, former NAIS president, for a while.
“Wait a minute! That’s a novel thought: getting to do what you want to do with your friends in class, not just between and after class”.
Bassett Blog 2011/10
…and came to a conclusion: I think he is right. As per my general lack of patience when it comes to ideas, I redesigned my curriculum overnight: students would sign up for centers in the target language that they wanted to do.
Now, fourth graders write short letters in Spanish each day, explaining their plans, and read them aloud to me. They travel to said center, but wait! ¡Señorita! Where did you put the basketball? Where is the paper? Well, I may have hidden it. On purpose. For the—drumroll, please—intention of forced linguistic interactions. Students do get to do what they want in my class, that is, “play”, but it is very intentionally guided. Yes, I did hide the miniature soccer ball in the closet. You will probably need the keys to get it. “Señorita, I need the keys.” Sorry, I don’t speak English. “Necesito las llaves.” Ahh, sí. Now I understand! “Where is the paper?” Umm, I think you mean, “¿Dónde está el papel?”, right? Moreover, I am constantly bombarding them with cultural project ideas: could you help me outline the Nazca Lines with masking tape on my floor? Do you want to build a clay model of Machu Picchu? How could we make a functional water fountain to resemble the ones in the Alhambra gardens in Spain? Is this, “just play”?
After a few weeks passed, I began to get a little worried. The adult in me was concerned that certain ideas and grade levels were overlapping. First graders were not the only ones who wanted to play the class keyboard or paint or build the Alhambra. Third and fourth and fifth and kindergarten did as well. But then a beautiful thing happened: suddenly, ideas themselves began circulating in the hallways. Grade levels were tapping into the same activities, but from different developmental perspectives, and this began to create a conversation. Isn’t this what education is all about?
2020 is around the corner, with creativity chomping at the bit to lead us into the future. Let’s make sure that playing with ideas—at any age—is welcome in that world. Just do it. Just play.
SPAIN: An exciting part of traveling is getting to see and try different types of foods. What is “normal” to you is “strange” to others, and vice-versa. In Spain, tapas—also called pinchos when pierced with toothpicks—are found in many restaurants. They are snacks arranged in small dishes, and have an interesting history: a long time ago, many people were illiterate, so travelers going from one inn to the next could not read the menus; instead, they were given little plates to sample different types of food before ordering their meal.
Pretend you are in Spain and recreate tapas in your own kitchen. There are countless options, so find a few that you like, and have a little fiesta, or party. Some ideas include mixed olives and cheese; skewers with pickles; fried baby squid; mushrooms sautéed in garlic and oil, etc.—see more options HERE. Enjoy!
MEXICO: The Giant Crystal Cave is a cave connected to the Naica Mine in Mexico with massive crystals. The average person can only stay inside for ten minutes because there is 99% humidity, whoa!
For this challenge, grow your own crystals at home with Epsom salts, food coloring, and a bowl. Turn off the air conditioning if you want to enhance the cave simulation, haha! Skip to 5:23 in the video below to learn more.
SPAIN: La Alhambra is a famous fort/ palace with beautiful gardens in southern Spain and a rich history. In class, students learn that Spanish and Arabic actually share a lot of vocabulary, despite having completely different alphabets. By listening to Spanish Arabic music, they get a feel for Andalucía and see the influence the Moors had on that region of Spain.
Across grade levels, students enjoy trying to build this fort out of cardboard; but first graders take it to a new level by not only painting the cardboard red*, but also carefully coloring and cutting out the fancy tiles [azulejos] and plastering the inside of the fort with them. *PRO TIP: If any students call the red paint “blood”, I redirect to La Tomatina, a tomato-throwing fight that takes place in Spain every year.
Students add windows and crawlspaces, and telescopes, and learn a bit about paciencia/ patience and the fruits of slowing down. Taking your time can be a good thing! They also glue on pictures of the Spanish flag and other cultural realia, put on Spain’s National Anthem or Spanish Andalusian music below, and invest themselves in the process. If time permits, they try to recreate the gardens!
There is an endangered language in the US called Wukchumni, that only has one living speaker remaining. Intent on preserving her language for future generations and documenting it for linguists, Marie Wilcox is working on writing a dictionary to compile all of the words in her language. Can you imagine such a task? Our challenge is ‘merely’ to download all of the words in a language into our brains; her job is upload them, eek! For more information, see the video below and this Ethnologue link.
NICARAGUA: Nik Wallenda is a tightrope aerialist who recently (March of 2020) walked across an active volcano in Nicaragua. Watch the news clip below… and be amazed!
If you work at a school with outdoor facilities, a class project to extend this could be to try slacklining a few inches above the ground (safety first!), for anyone who wants to volunteer. You might supplement this with expressions of encouragement in Spanish or a rhyme where classmates can cheer them on. I want to try this next year!
NOTE: I like showing students extreme videos like these because the journey to get there can be the focus of the discussion: yes, this is incredible, but how did he get to this point?Hard work, period. A real-life taste of the challenges of slacklining will drive home this point.
Slacklining
Slacklining is a popular sport and terrific way to improve one’s balance and core strength; even attempting a foot off the ground is admirable and a feat, to be sure. When you get into world record territory, however, I am no longer sure what to think. Please do NOT try this at home.
The current political/media state has brought to the world’s attention how incredibly dependentand interdependent we–along with millions of people–are on other country’s products and services. An Apple iPhone does not just magically make its way into our hands: the physical hardware comes from somewhere, along with the intelligence, coding, encryption, and software inside the device. And what about the box it is shipped in? Or the paper label on the box? Where was that paper made? What forest did it come from? Which tree? How long ago did this process begin?
While it would be nearly impossible–or at least require a tremendous amount of effort–to track down the answers to some of the above questions, it is interesting to think about the journey of a product in general, and how it came to sit on our countertop or coffee table.
It is not simply that a package was transferred from one shipping or postal facility to the next; rather, said item would never have arrived were it not for countless individuals working in fields, forests, stores, factories, and shipping plants. And let us not forget the computer programmers and analysts, or people who built the robots that control the automated assembly lines, or the advertisers who brought that product to your attention in the first place. Even though we may have extremely compartmentalized jobs, we–as humanity–have created a tremendously successful economic and global trading system worldwide. It is only now that we are understanding how dependent and interdependent this system is, on a very practical level.
To switch gears for a moment, if you have not yet heard of her, world-renowned minimalist and organizational guru Marie Kondo is an expert in tidying up, and coaches others on decluttering and letting go of the superfluous. While her life’s work deals with the physical, material world, she reminds us that a clean, tidy space leads to a clear mind and greater respect for our physical possessions. Here, she mentions in her book the Japanese concept of yaoyorozu no kami/ 八百万の神, or, ‘8,000,000 gods’. In her words:
[…] it occurred to me that Japanese people have treated material things with special care since ancient times. […] The Japanese people believed that gods resided not only in natural phenomena such as the sea and the land but also in the cooking stove and even in each individual grain of rice, and therefore they treated all of them with reverence.” (Spark Joy 277)
Kondo goes on to explain that “there are three facets to the spirit that dwells in material things: the spirit of the materials from which the things are made, the spirit of the person who made them, and the spirit of the person who uses them” (Spark Joy 277).
When combining these two thoughts–that of supply chain lines and the more metaphysical spirits of all involved in that process–I feel a deep respect and gratitude for not only all of my material possessions, but also for all human beings involved in the creation of my current physical reality.
These were the thoughts running through my mind this morning. While I did not go nearly this in-depth with third or fourth graders, I wanted you to know–on a more academic level–the thought-process behind our brief conversation re: imports and exports this morning.
In class, students were given a partially-filled in chart with the names of all Spanish-speaking countries, and images of stickers of fruits, vegetables, and clothing that were “Made in” or the “Product of” some of the 21 countries. They were encouraged to hang said chart on their refrigerators, and search for labels both at home and when out shopping to begin to understand where our food and things come from. Students seemed to enjoy checking their clothing tags, as I cleared up discrepancies such as, “No, Indiana and Indonesia are very different places!”
If you feel like a deep conversation about product supply lines and Shintoism’s 8,000,000 gods might resonate with your child, feel free to bring it up at home. Conversely, if you just need to assign them a project for when they are bored grocery shopping, a “detective–find out where X was made” game can be a fun start.
My goals for students were simply 1) to recognize how lucky we are; and 2) to think about an item–any item’s–journey and its point of origin. While several classes had a similar discussion about this back in the fall, I felt it was particularly relevant in light of today’s current news and global trading situation. I have been fielding some fears in class, and this is a nice way to redirect the conversation. As always, thanks for reading my two cents.
ASIDE: If you would like to know more about Marie Kondo, I have memorized nearly verbatim both of her books, and am more than willing to share.
PERU: Deep in the Amazon there is a river… that actually boils. You can fill an empty mug with a teabag and have instant hot tea. Animals that fall in are instantly boiled. The average coffee is 130*F; this river has been measured at 210*F. Yikes! It is an awesome thing to behold- just don’t get too close. For more information, check out the videos below. Students boiled water in class, measured the temperature with a glass thermometer, and then converted the degrees from Celsius to Fahrenheit.
MEXICO: Making natural chewing gum is a fascinating, time-consuming, and dangerous job that dates back to the Mayas in the Yucatan. Chicleros climb high up to slash zig-zag patterns in the sapodilla trees with a machete, let the sap drain out, and then boil it until it turns into a thick paste, stirring all the while. They must be careful to avoid jaguars in the forest and falling machetes. Watch the videos below to learn more about this process.
One year, students painted red zig-zags on actual bark they found outside, and even tried their hand at melting Starbursts with a hairdryer–since they didn’t have access to sapodilla trees or machetes! This process led to third graders brainstorming about how to start their own business, with the idea of selling the “chicle” they were “producing” (read: re-selling melted Starbursts). While the business plan fizzled after a while, it was great to see them thinking like entrepreneurs.
Fifth Grade- This trimester, Summit students began with a “News Show” in Spanish–“En vivo, desde México” (Live, from Mexico)–where they took turns being reporters, working tech, and dramatically presenting the weather (¡El tiempo!/the weather). Each week, they added a new commercial, which was usually a translated slogan of a well-known brand (WalMart: save more, live better/ahorra más, vive mejor; Nike: Just do it/Sólo hazlo; McDonald’s: I’m lovin’ it/Me encanta; etc.). The goal here was mostly to work on basic facts, such as days, dates, weather, but also to recognize how many things in our world have been translated.
The bulk of time leading up to winter break, however, was spent on museum exhibits. Here, fifth graders proposed an idea to research re: a cultural aspect of a Spanish-speaking country–and then got to work. Here is a list of sample projects. For student work, see THIS LINK.
Following this independent work, fifth graders came back together as a class and were introduced to a play in the target language. Here, they rehearsed lines, worked on expression (both stage placement as well as intonation), and practiced presenting to the class. One class, they even tasted Yerba Mate, a special tea from Argentina, because it was mentioned in the play. The goal each day was to work on Duolingo, split into groups for quality rehearsals, and then play “Spanish Soccer” outside, where students are only allowed to shout/speak in the target language (instinctive response). This rhythm was interrupted with field trips, assemblies, and more, however, which disrupted the class’s general flow and progress. As a result, fifth graders requested center work similar to last year.
It is not clear whether the plays increased their confidence with the language in general, or if they have just started working on Duolingo much more frequently at home, but regardless, something has clicked! Their letters to sign up for centers are beginning to show personality and expression and voice; this is wonderful. Students are learning to mix and match language, to play and manipulate it to say what they want.
Last but not least, students spent some time playing with accents and sounds. While 5B saw THIS VIDEO back in the fall, 5A watched it only a few weeks ago–and were blown away (Santa Anas winds, anyone?!). Since then, many have been working on improving their ear for language in general and becoming linguistic chameleons. Keep up the great work!
Fifth Grade- Students in this class also adjusted well to the new rule of, “Un-dos-tres, ¡no inglés!” (One-two-three, no English!). As with other grade levels, they began with a project in order to emphasize family, community, and working together as a team–as well as attention to detail and absorbing and understanding the target language by watching/illustration, as opposed to being able to translate every word.
Their project was to design a stepping stone mosaic/ mosaico with grout and colorful, glass tiles; the stones turned out beautifully, even after a mishap with a slight grout:water ratio issue in one class. Fifth graders also 1) began a theater/film unit–more info to come!; and 2) took a day to celebrate La Tomatina and make gazpacho (a delicious soup from Spain). Yum! Please read the document below if you are unfamiliar with this fun tomato-throwing festival. Students also have been working on Duolingo at the beginning of every class.
Fourth Grade- This trimester, Summit students began with a “News Show” in Spanish–“En vivo, desde México” (Live, from Mexico)–where they took turns being reporters, working tech, and dramatically presenting the weather (¡El tiempo!/the weather). Each week, they added a new commercial, which was usually a translated slogan of a well-known brand (WalMart: save more, live better/ahorra más, vive mejor; Nike: Just do it/Sólo hazlo; McDonald’s: I’m lovin’ it/Me encanta; etc.).
Once fourth graders felt comfortable with their script, each class transitioned to a more in-depth project, that was going to make national news. Well, that was the plan, anyway! Let me explain.
4A voted that they wanted to travel to and focus on Spain, while 4B chose Mexico. Both classes brought their backpacks to Spanish class; removed their shoes when passing through security; boarded the airplane; graciously accepted Cheez-Its and water from their stewardesses; took advantage of the in-flight entertainment (iPads); and after a long flight, finally landed.
Next, wearing backpacks, they followed a QR code hunt around campus, learning about famous monuments and cultural tidbits. Right when they thought things were winding down, their teacher hailed a taxi and they drove around the neighborhood, seeing the sights of [either] Madrid, Spain or Mexico City, Mexico from a cab. [Note that your children were safe at all times here–Ms. B was the “cab driver” of the school van!]
Students in 4A drove past the Prado Museum. El Prado in Madrid, Spain is one of the most famous museums in the world, housing over 27,000 objects and artworks. In fact, it was the Google Doodle [the week students learned about it], which celebrated the museum’s 200th anniversary! For this project, students took an 8.5×11 copy of a well-known painting and transferred it by eye to a large trifold, trying to imagine how artists filled such massive canvases. For images of their work, please visit THIS LINK.
During the painting process, one student learned that the Prado was actually robbed in 2014— of a shocking 885 artworks. As a result, more than several classes were spent trying to merge their Spanish news show with an iMovie green screen breaking news “robbery” of their paintings in the style of Oceans 12. Ultimately, the project lost steam, but it was fun while it lasted! Here is the soundtrack we used.
Students in 4B drove past the Museo Soumaya, a Mexican museum with completely different exhibits. Here, fourth graders learned that in 1715, a fleet of Spanish ships sank off the coast of Florida, en route to Spain and loaded with treasure from the new world. Modern treasure hunters have discovered some of this lost treasure–one family made $4.5 million dollars in 2017!–but much still remains on the ocean floor. Students acted out this story as a class (with Spanish dialogue, of course), and then created artifacts for a faux museum display. After painting the Spanish crest and flag on them, students broke a few of the plates intentionally to make it seem more realistic!
Both classes tried to make a green screen iMovie for their News Show, but meeting only once or twice a week caused the process to lose steam. That said, they ALL did an amazing job with this! I wish we could have had a final product, but… c’est la vie!
Throughout these projects, students worked on Duolingo (or Memrise) every day. At some point, they became über-motivated and completely addicted to the app. This was and is great to see. The top scores right now are as follows:
Additionally, fourth graders had several conversations about language on a more philosophical level this trimester. They learned about hyperpolyglots, or people who speak an extreme number of languages; explored books from my personal collection that are in multiple languages; and discussed several statistics, such as 1) that there are 7,000 languages in the world, but that it is hard to define what exactly a language is, especially when compared to something like Spanglish; and 2) it is funny that we think of the internet as so ‘global’, when 52% of its content is in English (1 out of 7,000 languages). In that light, the web seems pretty limited, in terms of perspective taking.
As the trimester came to a close, students requested center work again. Here, they sign up via letters for what they want to do each day. While this is remarkably similar to last year and what other grades do from time to time, I have to emphasize here that their written work has grown tremendously as a group. Last year, their letters were all the same, very uniform. Now, I am reading all different types of letters–some are serious, others silly, and others a combination of the two. They are a delight to read each day. Keep up the excellent work, fourth grade!
August Summary
Fourth Grade- Students in this class also adjusted well to the new rule of, “Un-dos-tres, ¡no inglés!” (One-two-three, no English!). As with other grade levels, they began with a project in order to emphasize family, community, and working together as a team. Their project was to build a truss bridge, or puente de armadura. Here, students learned through immersion that triangles increase the strength of a bridge significantly, and allow it to hold much more weight and undergo more force than a simple design.
Fourth graders used balsa wood to build the bridges, after working on a blueprint of the bridge first. Always have a plan! Before they could finish, however, it became incumbent upon me to take a day to celebrate La Tomatina and make gazpacho (a delicious soup from Spain) with classes. Yum! We will return to the bridge-building next week. Students also have been working on Duolingo at the beginning of every class.
February: Hoy les felicité a los de 4.A por ser mi clase más ‘global’ o mundial de Lower School, en términos de querer aprender tantos idiomas… y en actuar sobre esta pasión. Muchos están tomando más de un curso en Duolingo, en adición al español: mandarín, francés, ruso, polaco, japonés, etc. Hay unos 7.000 idiomas en el mundo ahora, y con solo nueve o diez años, los niños ya saben mucho del ámbito lingüístico.
Por ejemplo, me dijeron esta mañana (correctamente), que en orden de millones o billones de gente, el mandarín es primero, el español segundo y el inglés, tercero. Pero en línea, el inglés domina, con 52 por ciento de la Red.
Les expliqué que hay “unos” 7.000 idiomas y no resulta una ciencia exacta por falta de una definición nítida o precisa: es el “spanglish” un idioma? Qué tal Chinglish (chino/inglés) o Greeklish (griego/inglés)? Hablamos de las capas y el desarrollo de los idiomas en sí. Por ejemplo, el “japoñol” es la mezcla de japonés y español, cuando unos inmigrantes se fueron de Japón a Perú y la segunda generación aprendió español y empezó a mezclarlo con el japonés en casa. A qué punto se convierte en otro idioma, además de la jerga/lunfardo*? ¡Avísenme en los comentarios abajo si tienen una opinión! [*jerga/lunfardo significa “slang” aquí]
Como que la clase ya tenía interés en el asunto, llevé desde mi casa unos libros míos, escritos en otros idiomas. Los niños trataban de descifrar cuál era cuál. Al notar un idioma que no podían identificar, era “aymará”, una lengua indígena de Sudamérica. Un hecho interesante aquí es que, en nuestra cultura, para hacer referencia al pasado, uno señala hacia atrás (“Ayer yo fui…”) y un gesto adelante para significar el futuro. En aymará, resulta el opuesto: uno señala hacia adelante para referir al PASADO porque es lo que se ve y por tanto, lo que uno conoce; uno señala hacia atrás para referir al PORVENIR, ya que no se ve y uno todavía no lo conoce.
Al final de la clase, hablamos de frases (y palabras) intraducibles (“untranslatable”), como deja-vu, tortillas, tacos, etc. y “word loans” (préstamos). Era un día muy académico y lingüístico, pero aprecié tanto el interés y la madurez de la clase. ¡Cuarto grado es genial!
January: We went on a bit of a tangent today in Spanish class. Fourth graders have begun studying other languages in addition to Spanish in Duolingo. Students learned that a person who speaks an extreme number of languages is called a hyperpolyglot. Students learned about the hyper-polyglot Timothy Doner this morning. For homework, please watch the video above or read this article. Enjoy!
Also- scroll down on this page to see the graphs and charts we saw in class: Chinese is the number one language spoken in the world in real life (Spanish is #2 and English #3), but in the online realm, English dominates, with 52.9% of the Internet in English. Interesting!
September:Hoy hicimos gazpacho en clase para La Tomatina el miércoles pasado. Gazpacho y pan, ¡qué rico!
August: En cuarto grado, empezamos con un proyecto para enfatizar la comunidad, o sea, que somos una familia en la clase de español. Los alumnos van a trabajar juntos para construir puentes de armadura (“truss bridges”). Aquí, ves sus planes y diseños. Aprendieron que un puente es mucho más fuerte cuando hay triángulos como la base—puede soportar mucha más fuerza. En otras palabras, somos más fuertes cuando trabajamos juntos.
Third Grade- This trimester, third graders in 3B chugged along steadily with their Duolingo work, while 3A decided to take a break from the app back in December (but picked it up again in February).
Culturally speaking, third graders divided into groups based on student interests. Here is a list of both class and individual projects they have worked on this trimester.
Third graders inspired all of Lower School by transforming my closet into a Costa Rican rainforest, complete with green vines galore, Christmas lights, photos of animals that actually live there–and currently, REAL plants in the campus greenhouse. That are growing! In real life! Whose seeds third graders planted!
Students in both classes were given the opportunity to eat a fried cricket. They had a mature class conversation about other cultures, perspectives, and traditions. In Mexico, there are 549 edible insects, and it is common to eat them and see them in markets.
After watching this clip of the Landfill Harmonic documentary about a town in Paraguay, 3.B decided to make their own instruments out of trash and recyclable materials, and proceeded to share this information with the community at FMM.
Third graders made a Popsicle stick model of the Train to the Clouds in Argentina (skip to 3:45 in video), for the LS art/science/ history Spanish Museum.
Students learned how natural chewing gum/chicle is made from the Sapodilla tree (Mexico), and then considered opening their own business; here, they tried melting Starbursts to create a similar, gooey chicle-like substance. Several students even painted criss-cross x’s on real bark to replicate how chicleros slash the trees to let the sap drain down. Ultimately, copyrights, patents, and other legal practices got in the way of an actual start-up–but it was fun while it lasted!
Two students made a diorama museum exhibit of Yungas Road in Bolivia, one of the most dangerous roads in the world, out of natural materials.
Another group got very excited about Worry Dolls, after listening to THIS short story, and not only made their own dolls to bring home, but also created houses and furniture for them!
One student made a model of the Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico, and had fun creating eruptions with baking soda and vinegar.
Three boys learned about the Boiling River in Peru. Afterwards, to see if water actually boils at 100*C (212*F), they used a tea kettle and glass thermometer. And yes- it does.
Students tried to create a life-sized model of the Galapagos turtles (Ecuador). The turtles are HUGE!
Third graders also talked about different currencies, and used an online currency converter to see how much their American dollars were worth in other countries.
Back in November, students also looked at clothing tags and food labels, to see if they were made in a Spanish-speaking country. They found bananas from Costa Rica and Nicaragua, avocados from Mexico, shirts from Honduras, apples from Chile, and more. Feel free to keep the conversation going whenever you are grocery shopping or in your kitchen cooking. It is fascinating to note how global we really are.
Finally, third graders focused on team-building skills and building a stronger class community, by participating in both the Marshmallow Challenge as well as Policías y ladrones/Cops and Robbers games outside (from last year). While learning a language takes a tremendous amount of grit, strength of character, and independence, it is always more fun with other people!
*ASIDE: As you may already know by this other post, native speakers were recently given a list of ideas to supplement their language study. They also have personal journals/diarios in which they are aiming to write a page entry each class day, in lieu of the regular written work. So far, they are doing really well!
August Summary
Third Grade- Students in this class adjusted well to the new rule of, “Un-dos-tres, ¡no inglés!” (One-two-three, no English!), although initially nervous about the idea. They began their immersive experience with a focus on cognados/ cognates, or words that sound the same in both languages, to help ease the transition; for example, arte/ art, famoso/ famous, and catedral/ cathedral are all relatively easy to muster a guess (though cathedral took a little longer).
As there are, in fact, many cathedrals throughout Spain (among other countries), third graders took a few classes to transform my room into a cathedral with vidrieras, or stained-glass windows. These came out even better than expected, wow! They also listened to the song of the month, La Roja Baila, on loop. It is from the 2010 World Cup, and a lovely tune! Students also have been working on Duolingo at the beginning of every class, and took a day to celebrate La Tomatina and make gazpacho (a delicious soup from Spain). Yum!
February: Para enriquecer su experiencia en la clase de español y desarrollar sus habilidades escritas, hoy los hispanohablantes de 3.A que se sentían cómodos con la idea de escribir una página entera en la lengua meta recibieron un cuaderno. Este cuaderno se quedará en clase y será un tipo de RJ, o diario (diary) en español. Los niños podrán expresarse a través de los recuerdos, momentos inolvidables, prosa, poesía, cuentos de ficción, etc. Algunos días será una escritura libre, mientras en otros habrá una tarea específica. De esta manera, espero que sea más relevante y significativo el curso. Me dio mucho placer leer sus entradas hoy- desde lo que ellos hicieron anoche y durante el fin de semana, hasta sus deseos y aún un cuento de estilo leyenda sobre un jaguar y un loro. ¡Esto va a ser el principio de algo genial!
February: Después de votar, fuimos afuera hoy para jugar “Policías y ladrones” y “Corazón/dulce”, del estilo de Freeze Tag. Si alguien sabe una buena traducción para “Freeze Tag”, avísame! ¡Feliz día de San Valentín!
February (3B):Hoy hablamos en clase sobre cómo el aprendizaje de otro idioma abarca mucho- desde la lingüística hasta la cultura. Mientras que yo creo que TODO ES POSIBLE, también hay que tener expectativas razonables cuando nuestra clase se junta solo una o dos veces a la semana.
En el ámbito lingüístico, los diccionarios suelen tener unas 100,000 palabras. ¡Esto es MUCHO! Hay palabras activas (que usas con frecuencia) y palabras pasivas (que reconoces pero o no entiendes perfectamente o no usas mucho). Existen muchas capas y matices de un idioma.
Y en cuanto a la cultura, qué significa exactamente? Música, deportes, comida, historia, terreno, monumentos, tradiciones, costumbres, etc. Dicho esto, no resulta la música-deportes-comida-historia-terreno-monumentos-tradiciones-costumbres-etc. solamente de ESPAÑA, sino de todos los 21 países hispanohablantes. Se puede estudiar estos asuntos 24 horas al día, 7 días a la semana y no saberlo todo. Es una tarea imposible. O sea, casi imposible, ya que todo es posible.
En fin, quería darles a los estudiantes un poco de perspectiva esta mañana: la meta aquí no es la fluidez en sí (no somos una escuela de inmersión); la meta es, aprender algo nuevo cada clase. Algunos aprendieron sobre churros con chocolate hoy (cultura), mientras otros trabajaban en mejorar su vocabulario–o de fútbol o de expresar lo que querían o necesitaban. Paso a paso, poco a poco, se ve el progreso.
December: Hoy en clase hablamos de otras culturas, perspectivas y tradiciones. Como una analogía, nos ponemos de pie en nuestras sillas para experimentar otra perspectiva: resulta el mismo cuarto, pero notamos cosas diferentes, igual que en inglés o español; el enfoque se ha cambiado. Para probar nuestro coraje/valentía, probamos unos insectos fritos hoy; en Mexico, hay 549 insectos comestibles y es normal para muchos comérselos, especialmente para la proteína. ¡Iiik! Aparte: Se puede comprar más insectos fritos en el “Candy Shop”, si les interesa.
November: Esta mañana, los niños del tercer grado querían ser chinchillas y decidieron hacer una banda. Les mostré el enlace arriba y les dije que podrían hacer sus propios instrumentos hechos de basura, igual que los niños inspiradores de Paraguay. Salieron hoy con tanta energía sobre el asunto que tenía que compartirlo con ustedes!! Ellos están muy emocionados, así que si ustedes tienen basura (cajas, cuencos, hilos, imanes, latas, etc.) que no quieren en casa, favor de donarla a nuestra clase. Ya veremos qué podemos crear!
September: Tercer grado ha estado aprendiendo sobre la Isla de Pascua (Chile). Los estudiantes hicieron estatuas de arcilla y tablillas de Rongorongo, un sistema de glifos (o idioma) que nadie ha podido descifrar—¡es un misterio!
Aquí hay más fotos de las estatuas de la Isla de Pascua y del sistema de glifos, o Rongorongo. Se dice que Rongorongo fue escrito en una manera muy eficiente; la técnica que ves en la penúltima diapositiva se llama bustrófedon (pero al revés porque está volteado también el texto en la segunda línea). WOW!
August: Por si acaso les interesa, esta es la canción que han oído en clase esta semana. Me gusta mucho. Es de la copa mundial (FÚTBOL) de 2010.
August: Vidriera de una catedral en España.
September: La semana pasada, hicimos gazpacho en clase para celebrar La Tomatina (España). En las palabras de Parker, “¡Gazpachoooooo!”
¡Hola! ¡Buenos días! Yo me llamo ______. Yo quiero _____ y _____ [jugar y colorear] con mis amigos. Yo necesito ________ [marcadores, cobijas, peluches, comida, ropa, libros, etc.]. Yo voy a _________ [Chile, España, Argentina, etc.].
(Hello! Good morning! My name is ______. I want to _______ and __________ [play and color] with my friends. I need ________ [markers, blankets, stuffed animals, food, clothing, books, etc.]. I am going to ________ [Chile, Spain, Argentina, etc.]).
Spain- El Camino de Santiago (iMovie & presentation)
Mexico- Day of the Dead; Night of the Radishes; Cinco de Mayo
South America- gemstones/minerals
Nicaragua- volcano boarding
Argentina- outdoor markets/mercados; Xul Solar painting; soccer (Messi)
Cuba- ‘café cubano’
Peru- build highest city in the world (La Rinconada)
Dominican Republic- play dominoes; dancing Merengue
Bolivia- paint Salar de Uyuni reflections & taste salt
Guatemala- Sawdust Carpets (Easter)
OTHER VOCABULARY:
Policías y ladrones (Cops and Robbers) & Freeze Tag: a la cárcel = go to jail; no quiero ir = I don’t want to go; libertad = freedom; queso, helado = cheese, ice cream
¿Adónde vas? = where are you going? (song); Tengo hambre = I’m hungry (song)
Pueblo/town– el gimnasio/the gym, el teatro/the theater, la fábrica/the factory, el hotel y restaurante/the hotel and restaurant, el cine/the movie theater
Trimester Summary
Second grade– Second graders have done an excellent job this trimester of combining language and culture. For starters, the majority can write and say the following:
“Hola, ¡buenos días! Yo me llamo ______. Yo quiero _____ y _____ [jugar y colorear] con mis amigos. Yo necesito ________ [marcadores, cobijas, peluches, comida, ropa, libros, etc.]. Yo voy a _________ [Chile, España, Argentina, etc.].”
(Hello, good morning! My name is ______. I want to _______ and __________ [play and color] with my friends. I need ________ [markers, blankets, stuffed animals, food, clothing, books, etc.]. I am going to ________ [Chile, Spain, Argentina, etc.]).
The phrase, “Yo voy a _______” (“I’m going to ________) came about for two reasons. First, there is a Señor Wooly song called, “¿Adónde vas?” (Where are you going?) which became a major hit among second graders, so obviously we needed to take that and run with it–and learn how to answer the question. Second, the class wanted to create a pueblo/town, and well before we began designating certain parts of the Spanish room as different countries (our current reality), second graders had divided the space into sections–el gimnasio/the gym, el teatro/the theater, la fábrica/the factory, el hotel y restaurante/the hotel and restaurant, el cine/the movie theater,etc.
When students signed up to jugar voleibol/play volleyball, they would have to explain that they were going to the gym to do said activity. Likewise, the factory was for arts and crafts, or building pretty much anything; the theater was for singing, playing the piano, dressing up, and performances; the movie theater was for watching Pocoyo shows or Señor Wooly songs; and the hotel & restaurant were for sleeping and eating. As time went on, we began saying that the gym was located in Argentina, the hotel in Peru, the theater in Colombia, etc. It was actually a very neat (and unforeseeable) evolution of a project!
Moreover, all of these activities recycled and built on vocabulary from last year–e.g., jugar/to play, pintar/to paint, construir/to build, tocar el piano/to play the piano, comer/to eat–and students began expanding their sentences. It was no longer just “I want to play”, but rather “I want to play soccer with my friends outside” (quiero jugar al fútbol con mis amigosafuera), or “I want to build” became a little more polite: “May/Can I build a fort? I need blankets and the clothes and books.” (¿Puedo construir una fortaleza? Necesito cobijas y la ropa y libros.)
As a final linguistic note, second graders also integrated their suffix and prefix study from their regular classroom with the target language, learning that there are “boy” (masculine/el) and “girl” (feminine/la) words in Spanish, and that this can be determined by studying the suffix. The class had fun discovering which words were on the “boy team” or “girl team”. We get ice cream (el helado)! But we get cake (la torta)! And so on… The point here is for students to begin to notice details about Spanish. This will help their study later on.
In as far as culture goes, second graders truly outdid themselves. They saw what older students were doing, jumped on board the train, and then, in addition, proposed their own projects. Here are a few examples.
Students noticed an image of the Noche de los Rábanos/Night of the Radishes festival (Mexico), and then took a day in December to carve actual radishes into beautiful creations, copying what they saw.
Second graders made a truly outstanding iMovie of the Camino de Santiago 500-mile hike through northern Spain.
Several students helped cover a soccer ball with gold paint, and then built a trophy stand for it out of Popsicle sticks and hot glue, for Messi and to represent the importance of fútbol/ soccer in many Spanish-speaking countries.
Others were inspired by the third graders’ presentation on instruments made out of trash in Paraguay, and made their own maracas, drums, and more for the LS Spanish Museum.
Second graders were VERY EXCITED about minerals and gems for a long time. Here, they spent time learning which minerals come from South and Central America, and then painted rocks to create amethysts and lapis lazuli look-a-likes. Several filled little cups of water and dyed the water various shades with food coloring.
2B began ‘selling Cuban coffees’ (café cubano), made by filling mini cups with jabón/soap and water, and then painting rainbows on top of the soap bubbles. When the business started taking off, we would stop the soccer game across the room for halftime, so that the players could come ‘buy’ and ‘drink’ the Cuban Coffees from the café.
Second graders learned about Volcano Boarding in Nicaragua, and declared whether or not they would be brave enough to participate in such an extreme sport. Eeek! Not me!
Last but not least, students were given assigned centers one week, along with first graders. The choices were as follows: 1) Argentina, set up, buy, and sell items at an outdoor mercado/market with Argentine pesos: no American dollars accepted!; 2) Peru, build one of the highest cities in the world out of blocks; 3) Dominican Republic, play dominoes, a national pastime; 4) Bolivia, paint the beautiful sky reflections of starry nights and sunrises and sunsets over the largest salt flat in the world (and also taste more salt!); and/or 5) paint a famous Xul Solar Argentinian painting, mural-style, on the bulletin board outside of the Spanish room (*in progress!).
Second graders have also traveled outside several times to play Policías y ladrones/Cops and Robbers (a la cárcel/go to jail, no quiero ir/I don’t want to go, libertad/freedom), in addition to a Freeze Tag version of queso, helado (cheese, ice cream). Bits and pieces of these games and cultural projects may have made their way home, so hopefully this gives you a bigger picture and panoramic view of what students have been learning in Spanish class.
August Summary
Second Grade- Students began by reviewing the names of the Spanish-speaking countries in South and Central America from last year, and then proceeded to paint the two 6’x9′ cloth maps. To go along with the new rule of, “Un-dos-tres, ¡no inglés!” (One-two-three, no English!), second graders started out slowly by reviewing color names and then deciding as a class which country would be which color, before diving into the project.
Aside: The maps are beautiful! Now that the project is finished, second graders will continue with their center work from last year, while reading and writing skills in the target language are turbo-charged. Let’s do this!
January: Segundo grado está trabajando a varios negocios en la clase de español, incluso la creación de una tienda en Cuba donde se puede comprar y tomar un “café cubano”. En otro rincón, se venden rocas pintadas de muchos países hispanohablantes (p.ej., esmeraldas muy caras, zafiros, diamantes…). Son hermosas pero muy, muy caras. Finalmente, un grupo de chicas escogió usar arena para dibujar los “geoglyphs” de las líneas de Nazca en Perú.
December: For the Mexican celebration of Night of the Radishes, students printed out their favorite Google search images and then tried carving their own creations out of–yes!–real radishes.
October: Segundo grado presentó hoy sobre El Camino en “Friday Morning Meeting”. ¡Felicidades en una presentación fenomenal! Haz clic para ver el video. ¡Disfruta!
“But El Camino is more than just a walk. It heals broken friendships. It brings people together. It makes you stronger. Sometimes, all of our problems can be solved just by taking a walk. It is a symbol of hope. In Spanish, hope is ‘Esperanza’. El Camino… just keep walking.” [very last lines of the presentation]
READING & WRITING:¡Hola! ¡Buenos días! Yo me llamo ____. Quiero ____ y ____ [jugar y colorear] con mis amigos. Necesito ____ [marcadores, cobijas, peluches, comida, ropa, libros, etc.]. ¡Adiós! ¡Hasta luego!
(Hello! Good morning! My name is ____. I want to ____ and ____ [play and color] with my friends. I need ____ [markers, blankets, stuffed animals, food, clothing, books, etc.]. Goodbye! See you later!)
*CENTERS:jugar, colorear, pintar, construir, tocar el piano, volar [un avión de papel], limpiar, dibujar, cantar, hablar, dormir, bailar, trabajar, ver.
*MAP MASTERS: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico.
CULTURE:
Guatemala- Worry Dolls
Mexico- Day of the Dead and make natural chewing gum
Panama- trace Mola designs
Spain- Don Quijote/Picasso paintingand El Camino (pasaportes)
Costa Rica- rainforest
Argentina- outdoor markets/mercados
Peru- build highest city in the world (La Rinconada)
Dominican Republic- play dominoes, a national pastime
Bolivia- paint Salar de Uyuni reflections and taste salt
Puerto Rico- bioluminescence
Ecuador- sneezing iguanas
Different currencies and values (~money!)
Trimester Summary
First Grade- As many of you know from SLC’s, first graders have become Map Masters. Their country-name recognition skills and ability to locate these places on a map are excellent. Currently, students are comfortable naming the majority of the following countries: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Students have had mini-lessons about many of these cultures–from Worry Dolls (Guatemala) to making natural chewing gum (Mexico) and tracing Mola designs (Panama)–as well as a week of assigned centers for first and second grades, where they chose a culture project of interest.
The assigned centers looked like this: 1) Argentina, set up, buy, and sell items at an outdoor mercado/ market with Argentine pesos: no American dollars accepted!; 2) Peru, build one of the highest cities in the world out of blocks; 3) Dominican Republic, play dominoes, a national pastime; and/or 4) Bolivia, paint the beautiful sky reflections of starry nights and sunrises and sunsets over the largest salt flat in the world (and also taste more salt!).
A memorable day was when students tried selling their artwork (paintings of Bolivia) at the outdoor market in Argentina, but listed a painting as 20 pesos. I suggested that we look up how much that was, and when the student learned that 20 Argentinian pesos was only equivalent to $0.32, she changed the price, adding a few more zeros (2000 ARS = $32.00).
A few students could not decide where to go, so I gave them an alternate project: recreate a textured model of La mano de Punta del Este in Uruguay with paint and sand (it is a famous sculpture of a hand on the beach).
Both classes were also introduced to and acted out the most famous windmill chapter of the 900-page world-renowned novel, Don Quijote, back in the fall. Picasso made a sketch of the two main characters (Don Quijote and Sancho Panza) to commemorate the novel’s 350th anniversary. First graders put a photocopy of this up to the window, placed pastel-colored paper on top of it, and then trace-scribbled the drawing with a Sharpie to create a two-tone replica. The class joke and icing on the cake was to cross out Picasso’s name and replace it with their own!
Because first graders are becoming so knowledgeable about the Spanish-speaking world, and also because they were wholly inspired by the second graders’ iMovie about the Camino in Spain back in October, students are currently making their own pasaportes/passports. Passports are necessary to visit the Costa Rican rainforest in my closet. Obviously. Great work this term.
August Summary
First Grade- Students reviewed key terms from last year, and jumped into center work. Here, first graders dance around to the Song of the Month, settle on the carpet to read the Daily Letter aloud as a class, and then sign up for activities of their choice: “¡Hola! Yo me llamo ______. Yo quiero [jugar] y [pintar]” (Hi! My name is ______. I want to play and build“).
Students are currently motivated to clean up said centers after working so that they can watch a very silly “baño/bathroom song” before their teacher arrives at the end of class. Soon, you will be receiving information on how to create a Señor Wooly account at home through the school’s subscription so that you can watch it at home as well.
February: Because Sneezing Iguanas from Ecuador just make Tuesdays even better! #funfacts
January: Students had the option of traveling to several different countries today- 1) Argentina, to set up, buy, and sell items at an outdoor mercado/market with Argentine pesos: no American dollars accepted!; 2) Peru, to build one of the highest cities in the world out of blocks; 3) Dominican Republic, to play dominoes, a national pastime; and/or 4) Bolivia, to paint the beautiful sky reflections of starry nights and sunrises and sunsets over the largest salt flat in the world (and also taste more salt!).
January (1B):Primer grado vio un video muy breve de bioluminiscencia esta tarde (enlace arriba). En varias partes del mundo, incluso Puerto Rico, el agua ‘resplandece/brilla’ [glows] cuando algo le molesta el alga ahí. Tratamos de hacer un experimento con mi luz negra y marcadores, pero de repente la luz negra dejó de funcionar. ¡Qué extraño! Por lo menos, ahora un rinconcito del aula “es” Puerto Rico.
January:Esta semana, construimos un bosque tropical de Costa Rica en el armario de mi salón de clase. Los niños hicieron casi todo, y luego exploraron el lugar. Este es el ENLACE a la banda sonora (de los monos aulladores).
November (1B): Hoy, un grupito de niñas aprendió sobre los muñequitos quitapesares/de las preocupaciones (“Worry Dolls”) y empezó a hacerlos en clase con palitos y fieltro. Las niñas oyeron un cuento llamado, “Silly Billy”. Al final de la clase, ¡casi todos querían hacerlos también!
PROJECTS: floating and sinking objects; volcanoes with baking soda and food coloring; building Popsicle stick boats with flags; watching Pocoyo; paper airplanes flying to Spanish-speaking countries; pirates and searching for treasure; coffee filter design project with food coloring; choice centers; copy Spanish sight words; favorite colors; numbers 0-10; country recognition; THE PATO SHOW; optional culture projects during Continued Learning.
Kindergarten- Trimester 1 ended with a conversation about Day of the Dead in Mexico. Students were so interested in this that we continued our ‘culture trip’ around the Spanish-speaking world. When, for instance, students signed up for the ‘volar/fly’ center, I made them paper airplanes, on the condition that they brought me the color paper and size they wanted, and told me where they were going.
Initially, the options were only España/Spain and Mexico, and they had to draw the flag colors on their planes, but we branched out after that. Where will you be flying today? Argentina? We added Bolivia after a brief cultural lesson on the largest salt flat in the world there, Salar de Uyuni, and to clarify to Olivia (as opposed to Bolivia) that I was not making fun of her name!
Venezuela was added to the list when students wanted to contribute something to the LS Spanish museum; that day, we went outside and collected pebbles, leaves, and sticks, and made a mini replica of Angel Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the world. The other class wanted to print out pictures of lightning for a center (imprimir/to print), so I showed them Catatumbo Lightning in Venezuela. K.A ended up seeing the images, and asked about it the following day.
Costa Ricabecame a fad after classes contributed to the rainforest simulation in my closet. All of these countries are labeled and have specific locations in my room now, so students can ‘travel’ to Bolivia to paint (pintar) or simply fly their airplane/avión in said direction and shout out key words like, “¡Mira!” (Look!) or “¡Ayúdame!” (Help me!) when it does something neat or lands up too high to reach. Granted, not all students have taken to plane-flying, but there is a high percentage of both classes that participate and/or have participated this trimester. These countries are all sight words as well.
While kindergarteners do not necessarily have a conceptual grasp of what a country is, they do know that people in faraway lands like Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia speak Spanish. This is the overarching goal. Any extra facts they recall or bring home are icing on the cake. (NOTE: As a bonus, many also know that they do not speak Spanish in Polonia/Poland– thank you/ dziękuję, Alejandro, aka Alex!) Last but not least, and at some point back in the fall, students also made their own piñatas and abanicos (fans).
In the linguistic realm, it should be noted that as a group, students’ reading and writing skills are improving daily. They read to me in Spanish on a regular basis, and most can write at least several words in the target language now without consulting any reference materials, i.e., sight word cards. Kindergarteners enjoy pointing out similarities and differences between English and Spanish, especially with regards to phonetics. Great work this term!
August Summary
Kindergarten– Students jumped into several science experiments to start the new year. First, kindergarteners made baking soda and vinegar volcanoes, but with neon food coloring! Students had fun smelling the two identical-in-appearance (but not so much for smell) liquids: agua/ water and vinagre/ vinegar. Immersion slides to the periphery when hands-on projects excite the senses; students barely noticed that I was speaking another language!
Later, they chose from eight different food coloring bottles to create beautiful designs on coffee filters; used their imagination to “see” what was in-between the dots; and drew a scene around said image. At this point, the goal is for students to comprehend the language and work on answering questions; although well-intentioned, please refrain from pressuring your child to produce language at this stage. HERE is a blog post that explains why in greater depth.
February: Palabras de alta frecuencia para kínder: pintar, tocar el piano, volar [un avión de papel], limpiar, dibujar, colorear, cantar, jugar, construir, hablar, dormir, bailar, trabajar, ver. Pregúntele a su niño(a) cuál es su actividad favorita en la clase de español. Aparte: “trabajar” y “ver” son nuevos, o sea, la mayoría no sabe pronunciarlas de momento.
November Update/Trimester 1: Los del kínder han logrado un montón este trimestre: desde un gran empiezo al año escolar con objetos que flotan y se hunden y volcanes con bicarbonato y colorante alimentario, hasta pintar, construir barcos, ver episodios de Pocoyó, jugar y aún darle un baño a Pato hoy (juego de palabras aquí–quieres lavar los platos o lavar a Pato?? jaja), volar a México y España, limpiar las mesas y la pizarra, colorear, tocar el piano, escuchar y bailar a música española, aprender sobre El Día de Los Muertos y escribir cada día en la lengua meta… ¡guao! Sigo estar impresionada con 1) la rapidez con la cual los niños aplican el idioma a la vida cotidiana y 2) su habilidad de crear en general: siempre hay más ideas para explorar. ¡Gracias!
Junior Knights- Many of these cultural projects you have already read about on Seesaw: folding abanicos/ fans out of regular and then very large paper (Spain); making miniature güiros with toothpicks (instruments from the Caribbean); watching a video on how a wooden molinillo is made (the thing you use to stir the chocolate in Mexico); and, much earlier in the year, making Worry Dolls out of felt and Popsicle sticks (Guatemala). Most recently, students are fascinated by our Freeze Dance song from Wreck-It Ralph/Rompe Ralph.
In the linguistic realm, students have tapped into their classroom project on expression, whether or not they recognize it on a conscious level. You see, every new word or phoneme they bring home carries with it a new set of sounds, another way to express something (an object, action, or idea) with which they are already familiar. “Duck” in one classroom setting becomes “Pato” in another.
They have also been exploring storytelling in the target language. Here, Pato and friends play with language to create a scene in students’ minds. One day, for example, the famous (infamously mischievous?) stuffed animal came to class soaking wet. The obvious question was, “Why?” To answer that, we begin: “Una noche…” (one night)–here, I model turning off the lights with comprehensible language, and by the third class, I can ask students in Spanish to do this independently. We proceed to sing our goodnight songs and whisper “Buenas noches” (good night), when ALL OF A SUDDEN! a loud crash of thunder awakens us from our sleep: there is a storm outside! Oh no, ¡qué problema! (What a problem!) Students volunteer to play various roles (e.g., sitting on a barco/boat made out of chairs in class) and/or assist with sound effects (e.g., la lluvia/the rain).
Eventually, Pato gets to the point and answers the question–or doesn’t, and wants to reenact the “how I jumped into a pool” part of the story with students just for fun. One of the most adorable moments of this past month was when one class started chant-whispering [unprompted], “¡AG-UA, AG-UA, AG-UA!” (Water, water, water). Gracias for a great term.
August Summary
Junior Knights– Students have settled into a routine of songs to begin and end class (most notably, Yo me llamo, Buenos días, and Te amo, me amas); met several famed characters from the Spanish Cave, including Pato, Oso, and Changuito/Mono (a duck, bear, and monkey, respectively); and begun to adjust to the fact that I speak Spanish. Which is not English. Which sounds a bit different. They were tickled pink this week upon seeing the cartoon Pocoyoin Spanish, and hearing familiar words like “¡Hola!” and “¡Adiós!“. Please visit this page for more episodes, if you would like to watch at home with your child.
Trimester 2: Please see THIS POST for a medley recording of all the songs students sang and/or heard this year.
February: We had a great Spanish class this morning–jamming out to Wreck-It Ralph in Spanish via freeze dance (link above), reviewing songs and rhymes, and giggling hysterically to a Pocoyo episode, link HERE. ¡Feliz día de San Valentín! Happy Valentine’s Day! Your children comprehend and produce SO MUCH Spanish, it is awesome! For example, I have started replacing the lyrics of songs they know: instead of “Estrellita/Twinkle, twinkle little star”, today the star became a heart/corazoncito, and somehow, a tiburón/shark also snuck its way in… which had them all laughing! Have a great long weekend.
February:Cuando yo voy a España, siempre-siempre-siempre ha hecho calor. ¡MUCHO calor! Se ven señoras en todas partes con sus abanicos y pues, ambos son una parte de la cultura, sin duda. Hoy en clase traté de crear una correlación lógica en las mentes de los niños a través de una serie de preguntas: cuando hace frío afuera, qué nos hace falta? Una chaqueta, un abrigo, una bufanda? Por qué? Para protegernos y calentarnos, verdad? Igual que cuando hacemos ejercicios. Y qué tal el calor? Cuando hace calor, necesitamos un… abanico, verdad? para crear una brisa y enfriarnos. Demostré el calor aquí con una secadora de pelo (enchufada y prendida!)–¡me encanta el calor!–y cada uno se turnó con el abanico mío de España. De esta manera, estoy tratando de conectar ideas y vocabulario, no solo para experimentar [experience] sino también para empezar a desarrollar ideas de causa y efecto y correlaciones lógicas en la lengua meta.
Dicho esto, hemos pasado dos días en clase ahora haciendo nuestros propios abanicos de papel. Pero ¡cuidado! Los niños no saben muy bien el nombre del artefacto [artifact] porque, en mi opinión, esto no resulta una palabra de alta frecuencia (para un principiante). Piénsalo así: si tuvieras que elegir las 100 palabras MÁS IMPORTANTES en inglés–lo más útil, lo más eficaz en cuanto a comunicar cualquier mensaje–cuales elegirían? Serían las únicas con las que podrías comunicarse. Es por eso, que el enfoque esta semana ha sido expresiones como “¡Mira!” y “¡Ayúdame!” Mientras que “abanico” es una palabra hermosa lingüísticamente, es mucho más práctico aprender frases que los niños van a poder usar con más frecuencia y en otros contextos. Espero que esto te haya dado una ventanilla para poder entrar en la clase de español. Avísame si prefieres este tipo de actualización en Seesaw en vez de mi publicaciones/correos a través de Veracross!!
Por último, si bien no menos importante, iba a mandarte las canciones y rimas que cantamos y decimos en clase, pero en total ahora hay 18!!! Sigo pensando en la manera más eficiente de comunicar esta información.
January: Esta mañana, los del preescolar aprendieron sobre el güiro–un instrumento del caribe–y luego hicieron su propio instrumento (de papel, escarbadientes y palos) para llevar a casa. Se oye el güiro en la canción famosa, “La cucaracha”, enlace AQUÍ y el güiro aquí. Ayer, tocaron una campana tibetana para empezar su estudio de sonidos. Su comprensión del idioma es increíble.
October:La canción empieza al minuto 0:40. La hemos cantado varias veces en clase, pero hoy cambié la letra para que diga “[Un pez] estaba jugando cuando XXX [estudiante] lo atrapó, te voy a comer y se lo comió” mientras pescaban con la caña de pescar y unos peces magnéticos. ¡Qué divertido!
October: Students made Worry Dolls in class. In Guatemala, these dolls are traditionally placed under the pillow at night to take away one’s worries. The children were intrigued by these tiny dolls.
September:Hoy, los del preescolar vieron un MAPA de tesoro por primera vez por dos razones: 1) para hacer una conexión a lo que hacen con mapas y la comunidad en su salón; y 2) para seguir con las aventuras de Pato. Habrá varios problemas con los que se enfrenta Pato en su camino al tesoro—para empezar, un tiburón bailarín que tiene mucha hambre (después de haber bailado un montón). Pato ya sabe volar, o sea, ha aprendido a volar (para escaparse del tiburón), pero ahora su amigo Oso quiere acompañarle y por eso, habrá que usar un paracaídas, hecho de un filtro de café. Esto lo haremos la semana que viene. ¡Hasta la próxima!
September:Hoy en clase, Pato se encontró de nuevo en una situación difícil: el tiburón (que ves arriba) tenía mucha hambre y quería comer un sándwich de Pato. Las opciones de espaguetis, pizza y fruta no le apetecían a él para nada. Pero un pez (o sea, pescado!) y un pato, ¡qué rico! Como consecuencia, Pato siguió aprendiendo a volar para poder escaparse y huir del tiburón. Como que solo saben nadar los tiburones y no volar, Pato aquí tenía una ventaja, gracias a sus alas. Sin embargo, una herramienta no vale nada si no sabes cómo se usa. Por tanto, lo atamos a un hilo y practicaba hoy, el arte de volar. Mañana, planeamos en expandir su envergadura (“wingspan”) para que Pato pueda volar aun más lejos.
August:Hoy en clase, preescolar vio Pocoyo por primera vez. Este programa/ serie ha sido traducido en más de veinte idiomas, pero empezó originalmente en España. Había comentarios esta mañana así: “¡Pocoyo habla igual que tú!” Es bueno que empiecen a entender que yo no soy la única que habla español en este mundo.
Junior Knights- Many of these cultural projects you have already read about on Seesaw: folding abanicos/fans out of regular and then very large paper (Spain); making miniature güiros with toothpicks (instruments from the Caribbean); watching a video on how a wooden molinillo is made (the thing you use to stir the chocolate in Mexico); and, much earlier in the year, making Worry Dolls out of felt and Popsicle sticks (Guatemala). Most recently, students are fascinated by our Freeze Dance song from Wreck-It Ralph/Rompe Ralph.
In the linguistic realm, students have tapped into their classroom project on expression, whether or not they recognize it on a conscious level. You see, every new word or phoneme they bring home carries with it a new set of sounds, another way to express something (an object, action, or idea) with which they are already familiar. “Duck” in one classroom setting becomes “Pato” in another.
They have also been exploring storytelling in the target language. Here, Pato and friends play with language to create a scene in students’ minds. One day, for example, the famous (infamously mischievous?) stuffed animal came to class soaking wet. The obvious question was, “Why?” To answer that, we begin: “Una noche…” (one night)–here, I model turning off the lights with comprehensible language, and by the third class, I can ask students in Spanish to do this independently. We proceed to sing our goodnight songs and whisper “Buenas noches” (good night), when ALL OF A SUDDEN! a loud crash of thunder awakens us from our sleep: there is a storm outside! Oh no, ¡qué problema! (What a problem!) Students volunteer to play various roles (e.g., sitting on a barco/boat made out of chairs in class) and/or assist with sound effects (e.g., la lluvia/the rain).
Eventually, Pato gets to the point and answers the question–or doesn’t, and wants to reenact the “how I jumped into a pool” part of the story with students just for fun. One of the most adorable moments of this past month was when one class started chant-whispering [unprompted], “¡AG-UA, AG-UA, AG-UA!” (Water, water, water). Gracias for a great term.
K
Kindergarten- Trimester 1 ended with a conversation about Day of the Dead in Mexico. Students were so interested in this that we continued our ‘culture trip’ around the Spanish-speaking world. When, for instance, students signed up for the ‘volar/fly’ center, I made them paper airplanes, on the condition that they brought me the color paper and size they wanted, and told me where they were going.
Initially, the options were only España/Spain and Mexico, and they had to draw the flag colors on their planes, but we branched out after that. Where will you be flying today? Argentina? We added Bolivia after a brief cultural lesson on the largest salt flat in the world there, Salar de Uyuni, and to clarify to Olivia (as opposed to Bolivia) that I was not making fun of her name!
Venezuela was added to the list when students wanted to contribute something to the LS Spanish museum; that day, we went outside and collected pebbles, leaves, and sticks, and made a mini replica of Angel Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the world. The other class wanted to print out pictures of lightning for a center (imprimir/to print), so I showed them Catatumbo Lightning in Venezuela. K.A ended up seeing the images, and asked about it the following day.
Costa Ricabecame a fad after classes contributed to the rainforest simulation in my closet. All of these countries are labeled and have specific locations in my room now, so students can ‘travel’ to Bolivia to paint (pintar) or simply fly their airplane/avión in said direction and shout out key words like, “¡Mira!” (Look!) or “¡Ayúdame!” (Help me!) when it does something neat or lands up too high to reach. Granted, not all students have taken to plane-flying, but there is a high percentage of both classes that participate and/or have participated this trimester. These countries are all sight words as well.
While kindergarteners do not necessarily have a conceptual grasp of what a country is, they do know that people in faraway lands like Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia speak Spanish. This is the overarching goal. Any extra facts they recall or bring home are icing on the cake. (NOTE: As a bonus, many also know that they do not speak Spanish in Polonia/Poland– thank you/dziękuję, Alejandro, aka Alex!) Last but not least, and at some point back in the fall, students also made their own piñatas and abanicos (fans).
In the linguistic realm, it should be noted that as a group, students’ reading and writing skills are improving daily. They read to me in Spanish on a regular basis, and most can write at least several words in the target language now without consulting any reference materials, i.e., sight word cards. Kindergarteners enjoy pointing out similarities and differences between English and Spanish, especially with regards to phonetics. Great work this term!
1
First Grade- As many of you know from SLC’s, first graders have become Map Masters. Their country-name recognition skills and ability to locate these places on a map are excellent. Currently, students are comfortable naming the majority of the following countries: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Students have had mini-lessons about many of these cultures–from Worry Dolls (Guatemala) to making natural chewing gum (Mexico) and tracing Mola designs (Panama)–as well as a week of assigned centers for first and second grades, where they chose a culture project of interest.
The assigned centers looked like this: 1) Argentina, set up, buy, and sell items at an outdoor mercado/market with Argentine pesos: no American dollars accepted!; 2) Peru, build one of the highest cities in the world out of blocks; 3) Dominican Republic, play dominoes, a national pastime; and/or 4) Bolivia, paint the beautiful sky reflections of starry nights and sunrises and sunsets over the largest salt flat in the world (and also taste more salt!).
A memorable day was when students tried selling their artwork (paintings of Bolivia) at the outdoor market in Argentina, but listed a painting as 20 pesos. I suggested that we look up how much that was, and when the student learned that 20 Argentinian pesos was only equivalent to $0.32, she changed the price, adding a few more zeros (2000 ARS = $32.00).
A few students could not decide where to go, so I gave them an alternate project: recreate a textured model of La mano de Punta del Este in Uruguay with paint and sand (it is a famous sculpture of a hand on the beach).
Both classes were also introduced to and acted out the most famous windmill chapter of the 900-page world-renowned novel, Don Quijote, back in the fall. Picasso made a sketch of the two main characters (Don Quijote and Sancho Panza) to commemorate the novel’s 350th anniversary. First graders put a photocopy of this up to the window, placed pastel-colored paper on top of it, and then trace-scribbled the drawing with a Sharpie to create a two-tone replica. The class joke and icing on the cake was to cross out Picasso’s name and replace it with their own!
Because first graders are becoming so knowledgeable about the Spanish-speaking world, and also because they were wholly inspired by the second graders’ iMovie about the Camino in Spain back in October, students are currently making their own pasaportes/passports. Passports are necessary to visit the Costa Rican rainforest in my closet. Obviously. Great work this term.
2
Second grade– Second graders have done an excellent job this trimester of combining language and culture. For starters, the majority can write and say the following:
“Hola, ¡buenos días! Yo me llamo ______. Yo quiero _____ y _____ [jugar y colorear] con mis amigos. Yo necesito ________ [marcadores, cobijas, peluches, comida, ropa, libros, etc.]. Yo voy a _________ [Chile, España, Argentina, etc.].”
(Hello, good morning! My name is ______. I want to _______ and __________ [play and color] with my friends. I need ________ [markers, blankets, stuffed animals, food, clothing, books, etc.]. I am going to ________ [Chile, Spain, Argentina, etc.]).
The phrase, “Yo voy a _______” (“I’m going to ________) came about for two reasons. First, there is a Señor Wooly song called, “¿Adónde vas?” (Where are you going?) which became a major hit among second graders, so obviously we needed to take that and run with it–and learn how to answer the question. Second, the class wanted to create a pueblo/town, and well before we began designating certain parts of the Spanish room as different countries (our current reality), second graders had divided the space into sections–el gimnasio/the gym, el teatro/the theater, la fábrica/the factory, el hotel y restaurante/the hotel and restaurant, el cine/the movie theater,etc.
When students signed up to jugar voleibol/play volleyball, they would have to explain that they were going to the gym to do said activity. Likewise, the factory was for arts and crafts, or building pretty much anything; the theater was for singing, playing the piano, dressing up, and performances; the movie theater was for watching Pocoyo shows or Señor Wooly songs; and the hotel & restaurant were for sleeping and eating. As time went on, we began saying that the gym was located in Argentina, the hotel in Peru, the theater in Colombia, etc. It was actually a very neat (and unforeseeable) evolution of a project!
Moreover, all of these activities recycled and built on vocabulary from last year–e.g., jugar/to play, pintar/to paint, construir/to build, tocar el piano/to play the piano, comer/to eat–and students began expanding their sentences. It was no longer just “I want to play”, but rather “I want to play soccer with my friends outside” (quiero jugar al fútbol con mis amigosafuera), or “I want to build” became a little more polite: “May/Can I build a fort? I need blankets and the clothes and books.” (¿Puedo construir una fortaleza? Necesito cobijas y la ropa y libros.)
As a final linguistic note, second graders also integrated their suffix and prefix study from their regular classroom with the target language, learning that there are “boy” (masculine/el) and “girl” (feminine/la) words in Spanish, and that this can be determined by studying the suffix. The class had fun discovering which words were on the “boy team” or “girl team”. We get ice cream (el helado)! But we get cake (la torta)! And so on… The point here is for students to begin to notice details about Spanish. This will help their study later on.
In as far as culture goes, second graders truly outdid themselves. They saw what older students were doing, jumped on board the train, and then, in addition, proposed their own projects. Here are a few examples.
Students noticed an image of the Noche de los Rábanos/Night of the Radishes festival (Mexico), and then took a day in December to carve actual radishes into beautiful creations, copying what they saw.
Second graders made a truly outstanding iMovie of the Camino de Santiago 500-mile hike through northern Spain.
Several students helped cover a soccer ball with gold paint, and then built a trophy stand for it out of Popsicle sticks and hot glue, for Messi and to represent the importance of fútbol/ soccer in many Spanish-speaking countries.
Others were inspired by the third graders’ presentation on instruments made out of trash in Paraguay, and made their own maracas, drums, and more for the LS Spanish Museum.
Second graders were VERY EXCITED about minerals and gems for a long time. Here, they spent time learning which minerals come from South and Central America, and then painted rocks to create amethysts and lapis lazuli look-a-likes. Several filled little cups of water and dyed the water various shades with food coloring.
2B began ‘selling Cuban coffees’ (café cubano), made by filling mini cups with jabón/soap and water, and then painting rainbows on top of the soap bubbles. When the business started taking off, we would stop the soccer game across the room for halftime, so that the players could come ‘buy’ and ‘drink’ the Cuban Coffees from the café.
Second graders learned about Volcano Boarding in Nicaragua, and declared whether or not they would be brave enough to participate in such an extreme sport. Eeek! Not me!
Last but not least, students were given assigned centers one week, along with first graders. The choices were as follows: 1) Argentina, set up, buy, and sell items at an outdoor mercado/market with Argentine pesos: no American dollars accepted!; 2) Peru, build one of the highest cities in the world out of blocks; 3) Dominican Republic, play dominoes, a national pastime; 4) Bolivia, paint the beautiful sky reflections of starry nights and sunrises and sunsets over the largest salt flat in the world (and also taste more salt!); and/or 5) paint a famous Xul Solar Argentinian painting, mural-style, on the bulletin board outside of the Spanish room (*in progress!).
Second graders have also traveled outside several times to play Policías y ladrones/Cops and Robbers (a la cárcel/go to jail, no quiero ir/I don’t want to go, libertad/freedom), in addition to a Freeze Tag version of queso, helado (cheese, ice cream). Bits and pieces of these games and cultural projects may have made their way home, so hopefully this gives you a bigger picture and panoramic view of what students have been learning in Spanish class.
3
Third Grade- This trimester, third graders in 3B chugged along steadily with their Duolingo work, while 3A decided to take a break from the app back in December (but picked it up again in February).
Culturally speaking, third graders divided into groups based on student interests. Here is a list of both class and individual projects they have worked on this trimester.
Third graders inspired all of Lower School by transforming my closet into a Costa Rican rainforest, complete with green vines galore, Christmas lights, photos of animals that actually live there–and currently, REAL plants in the campus greenhouse. That are growing! In real life! Whose seeds third graders planted!
Students in both classes were given the opportunity to eat a fried cricket. They had a mature class conversation about other cultures, perspectives, and traditions. In Mexico, there are 549 edible insects, and it is common to eat them and see them in markets.
After watching this clip of the Landfill Harmonic documentary about a town in Paraguay, 3.B decided to make their own instruments out of trash and recyclable materials, and proceeded to share this information with the community at FMM.
Third graders made a Popsicle stick model of the Train to the Clouds in Argentina (skip to 3:45 in video), for the LS art/science/ history Spanish Museum.
Students learned how natural chewing gum/chicle is made from the Sapodilla tree (Mexico), and then considered opening their own business; here, they tried melting Starbursts to create a similar, gooey chicle-like substance. Several students even painted criss-cross x’s on real bark to replicate how chicleros slash the trees to let the sap drain down. Ultimately, copyrights, patents, and other legal practices got in the way of an actual start-up–but it was fun while it lasted!
Two students made a diorama museum exhibit of Yungas Road in Bolivia, one of the most dangerous roads in the world, out of natural materials.
Another group got very excited about Worry Dolls, after listening to THIS short story, and not only made their own dolls to bring home, but also created houses and furniture for them!
One student made a model of the Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico, and had fun creating eruptions with baking soda and vinegar.
Three boys learned about the Boiling River in Peru. Afterwards, to see if water actually boils at 100*C (212*F), they used a tea kettle and glass thermometer. And yes- it does.
Students tried to create a life-sized model of the Galapagos turtles (Ecuador). The turtles are HUGE!
Third graders also talked about different currencies, and used an online currency converter to see how much their American dollars were worth in other countries.
Back in November, students also looked at clothing tags and food labels, to see if they were made in a Spanish-speaking country. They found bananas from Costa Rica and Nicaragua, avocados from Mexico, shirts from Honduras, apples from Chile, and more. Feel free to keep the conversation going whenever you are grocery shopping or in your kitchen cooking. It is fascinating to note how global we really are.
Finally, third graders focused on team-building skills and building a stronger class community, by participating in both the Marshmallow Challenge as well as Policías y ladrones/Cops and Robbers games outside (from last year). While learning a language takes a tremendous amount of grit, strength of character, and independence, it is always more fun with other people!
*ASIDE: As you may already know by this other post, native speakers were recently given a list of ideas to supplement their language study. They also have personal journals/diarios in which they are aiming to write a page entry each class day, in lieu of the regular written work. So far, they are doing really well!
4
Fourth Grade- This trimester, Summit students began with a “News Show” in Spanish–“En vivo, desde México” (Live, from Mexico)–where they took turns being reporters, working tech, and dramatically presenting the weather (¡El tiempo!/the weather). Each week, they added a new commercial, which was usually a translated slogan of a well-known brand (WalMart: save more, live better/ahorra más, vive mejor; Nike: Just do it/Sólo hazlo; McDonald’s: I’m lovin’ it/Me encanta; etc.).
Once fourth graders felt comfortable with their script, each class transitioned to a more in-depth project, that was going to make national news. Well, that was the plan, anyway! Let me explain. 4A voted that they wanted to travel to and focus on Spain, while 4B chose Mexico. Both classes brought their backpacks to Spanish class; removed their shoes when passing through security; boarded the airplane; graciously accepted Cheez-Its and water from their stewardesses; took advantage of the in-flight entertainment (iPads); and after a long flight, finally landed.
Next, wearing backpacks, they followed a QR code hunt around campus, learning about famous monuments and cultural tidbits. Right when they thought things were winding down, their teacher hailed a taxi and they drove around the neighborhood, seeing the sights of [either] Madrid, Spain or Mexico City, Mexico from a cab. [Note that your children were safe at all times here–Ms. Berry was the “cab driver” of the school van!]
Students in 4A drove past the Prado Museum. El Prado in Madrid, Spain is one of the most famous museums in the world, housing over 27,000 objects and artworks. In fact, it was the Google Doodle [the week students learned about it], which celebrated the museum’s 200th anniversary! For this project, students took an 8.5×11 copy of a well-known painting and transferred it by eye to a large trifold, trying to imagine how artists filled such massive canvases. For images of their work, please visit THIS LINK.
During the painting process, one student learned that the Prado was actually robbed in 2014— of a shocking 885 artworks. As a result, more than several classes were spent trying to merge their Spanish news show with an iMovie green screen breaking news “robbery” of their paintings in the style of Oceans 12. Ultimately, the project lost steam, but it was fun while it lasted! Here is the soundtrack we used.
Students in 4B drove past the Museo Soumaya, a Mexican museum with completely different exhibits. Here, fourth graders learned that in 1715, a fleet of Spanish ships sank off the coast of Florida, en route to Spain and loaded with treasure from the new world. Modern treasure hunters have discovered some of this lost treasure–one family made $4.5 million dollars in 2017!–but much still remains on the ocean floor. Students acted out this story as a class (with Spanish dialogue, of course), and then created artifacts for a faux museum display. After painting the Spanish crest and flag on them, students broke a few of the plates intentionally to make it seem more realistic!
Both classes tried to make a green screen iMovie for their News Show, but meeting only once or twice a week caused the process to lose steam. That said, they ALL did an amazing job with this! I wish we could have had a final product, but… c’est la vie!
Throughout these projects, students worked on Duolingo (or Memrise) every day. At some point, they became über-motivated and completely addicted to the app. This was and is great to see. The top scores right now are as follows:
Additionally, fourth graders had several conversations about language on a more philosophical level this trimester. They learned about hyperpolyglots, or people who speak an extreme number of languages; explored books from my personal collection that are in multiple languages; and discussed several statistics, such as 1) that there are 7,000 languages in the world, but that it is hard to define what exactly a language is, especially when compared to something like Spanglish; and 2) it is funny that we think of the internet as so ‘global’, when 52% of its content is in English (1 out of 7,000 languages). In that light, the web seems pretty limited, in terms of perspective taking.
As the trimester came to a close, students requested center work again. Here, they sign up via letters for what they want to do each day. While this is remarkably similar to last year and what other grades do from time to time, I have to emphasize here that their written work has grown tremendously as a group. Last year, their letters were all the same, very uniform. Now, I am reading all different types of letters–some are serious, others silly, and others a combination of the two. They are a delight to read each day. Keep up the excellent work, fourth grade!
5
Fifth Grade- This trimester, Summit students began with a “News Show” in Spanish–“En vivo, desde México” (Live, from Mexico)–where they took turns being reporters, working tech, and dramatically presenting the weather (¡El tiempo!/the weather). Each week, they added a new commercial, which was usually a translated slogan of a well-known brand (WalMart: save more, live better/ahorra más, vive mejor; Nike: Just do it/Sólo hazlo; McDonald’s: I’m lovin’ it/Me encanta; etc.). The goal here was mostly to work on basic facts, such as days, dates, weather, but also to recognize how many things in our world have been translated.
The bulk of time leading up to winter break, however, was spent on museum exhibits. Here, fifth graders proposed an idea to research re: a cultural aspect of a Spanish-speaking country–and then got to work. Here is a list of sample projects. For student work, see THIS LINK.
Following this independent work, fifth graders came back together as a class and were introduced to a play in the target language. Here, they rehearsed lines, worked on expression (both stage placement as well as intonation), and practiced presenting to the class. One class, they even tasted Yerba Mate, a special tea from Argentina, because it was mentioned in the play. The goal each day was to work on Duolingo, split into groups for quality rehearsals, and then play “Spanish Soccer” outside, where students are only allowed to shout/speak in the target language (instinctive response). This rhythm was interrupted with field trips, assemblies, and more, however, which disrupted the class’s general flow and progress. As a result, fifth graders requested center work similar to last year.
It is not clear whether the plays increased their confidence with the language in general, or if they have just started working on Duolingo much more frequently at home, but regardless, something has clicked! Their letters to sign up for centers are beginning to show personality and expression and voice; this is wonderful. Students are learning to mix and match language, to play and manipulate it to say what they want.
Last but not least, students spent some time playing with accents and sounds. While 5B saw THIS VIDEO back in the fall, 5A watched it only a few weeks ago–and were blown away (Santa Anas winds, anyone?!). Since then, many have been working on improving their ear for language in general and becoming linguistic chameleons. Keep up the great work!
OVERVIEW: Students in Lower School have spent a good chunk of time this trimester immersed in cultural projects and ideas. Some projects have spanned multiple levels and lasted several weeks, while others have been grade-specific and only taken a day or two to complete. These projects emerge due to student interest, but also when a visual product (painting, tower, image, etc.) in the room sparks a conversation.
While I initially fell in love with Spanish via linguistics (and philosophy)–you can’t get much deeper into words and language than that–I have come to value culture just as much in recent years. After all, as the saying goes, you don’t learn to speak a language; you learn to speak a culture. ASIDE: The tricky part with Spanish is that we are not talking about one culture here, but rather myriad cultures and subcultures of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries.
*I would love for everyone to read through everything that I’ve written, but I realize that is not realistic. As a result, I have added headings per grade level to facilitate in the scrolling process. I recognize this is a lengthy post.
To sum up, it is clear that we have made significant progress this trimester. Thank you SO MUCH if you have taken the time to read through all of my rambling. I know it is a lot, but hopefully it gives you a better picture of the program in general. Thanks again and have a great day.
In what seems like a lifetime ago, I used to take ballroom dance lessons. This “phase” lasted for close to seven years. While my dance journey began gracias a mi padre—“You really need to know how to Salsa if you speak Spanish!”–my takeaways were much more than just proficiency in rhythm and smooth dances. What I remember most, perhaps more than gliding around the floor in a Viennese Waltz or sweating profusely from an impossibly long eight-minute “Proud Mary” Jive, was the poise and class of it all. I appreciate and admire everything classy, from the wisdom of our elders and ages gone by, to black and white Audrey Hepburn/George Peppard films and Jane Austen novels. As much time as I have dedicated to this site, I also long for those pre-Internet days where life had a much slower and enjoyable pace.
For the 100th Day this year, we wanted to see if students in Lower School represented 100 or more countries, by heritage. By “heritage”, we mean any country in your bloodline: where are you from? Where are/were your parents or grandparents from? What about your great-grandparents?
While we did not reach the 100th country, the results were staggering: as a Lower School, we represent 58 countries. Wow! Thank you so much for responding. Please check out the interactive map (link above) and pie chart (below) for a more visual representation of the survey results.
Data in List Form
Albania
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bavaria
Belarus
Brazil
Canada
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cuba
Czechoslovakia
Denmark
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
England
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Kenya
Laos
Lebanon
Lithuania
Macedonia
Mexico
Netherlands
Nigeria
Norway
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico (territory)
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Scotland
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
Ukraine
USA**
Venezuela
Vietnam
Wales
*Native American: Black Foot Indian, Cherokee,Mohawk
**NOTE: I forgot to keep tally marks for the USA, ergo, data was not included on pie chart (mea culpa). Native American data was also not included because it is an ethnicity but not a country in itself.
NICARAGUA: Do you know what snowboarding is? Well, volcano boarding is just like that… except that you slide down the side of a volcano. Really! This is an extreme sport that began in Nicaragua fairly recently (2005). It is considered extreme due to the 40% gradient of the volcano–you are going straight down–but also because of the poisonous gases and the fact that the ash can cut your skin (you usually wear an orange suit to protect yourself).
Check out the video to see what it is like–and let me know if you find any VR apps to simulate the experience. This video at 0:25 is also awesome (see below), but the background music is a little weird (FYI). Note that Cerro Negro is the only active volcano in the world where you can do this. Eeek!
Volcano Burritos
“Volcanic rock is not as forgiving as snow or sand. I found this out the hard way. When I finally stopped rolling down the slope, I realized my bald head felt hot & wet. Was that blood running down my scalp? […]
At the bottom we walked back to the truck and ate Volcano Burritos that had been freshly cooked inside the volcano itself! A hole had been dug at the summit, and a metal box containing the food was buried there. The heat from the volcano had cooked the burritos.“
This is a digital collection of our Spanish art/science/history museum. To see the “Museum Exhibits” page and a description of the project, click HERE.Update: I have added the pages [where these projects come from] directly below. For the original post, just keep scrolling…
This is a digital collection of our Spanish art/science/history museum. The photos on the left-hand side are from real life and represent a cultural aspect of one of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries, while the right-hand side photos are what students did in class. Click on any of the images to enlarge them. Enjoy!
GUATEMALA
GUATEMALA: Thousands of Catholics in Antigua, Guatemala join together during Lent each year to make colored sawdust carpets in preparation for Semana Santa, or Holy Week. In 2014, they broke the Guinness Book of World Records and made the longest sawdust carpet ever, at an astounding 6,600 feet. Last year, the art teacher drew stencils in pencil on colored bulletin board paper, and then students filled in the designs with colored sand and glue. For more images of the real thing, see HERE. Student work from home (Continued Learning) is below.
PUERTO RICO
PUERTO RICO: Students were so fascinated by the tiny size and loud voice of the Coquí frog (native to Puerto Rico), that they wanted to create a whole unit out of it. Diving into history, they learned that a long time ago, the Taíno people carved petroglyphs into rocks and caves, including a special symbol for the Coquí frog. To apply what they had learned, some students gathered natural materials outside and then drew the coquí symbol on the leaves and bark; others created a diorama with real dirt, sticks, and leaves (but fake frogs!); and others opted for the tree frog coloring page. Many were enchanted by The Legend of the Golden Coquí, and listened to the story repeatedly.
SPAIN
Still Life with Game, Vegetables and Fruit, by Juan Sánchez Cotán; The Persistence of Memory, by Salvador Dalí; La vista de Toledo, by El Greco; Las Meninas, by Diego Velázquez
SPAIN:El Prado in Madrid, Spain is one of the most famous museums in the world, housing over 27,000 objects and artworks. In fact, it was the Google Doodle just this week, which celebrated the museum’s 200th anniversary! For this exhibit, students took an 8.5×11 copy of Still Life with Game, Vegetables, and Fruit (the first Spanish still life, by Juan Sánchez Cotán) and transferred it by eye to a large trifold, trying to imagine how artists filled such massive canvases. Fourth graders did an amazing job here!
During the painting process, one student learned that the Prado was actually robbed in 2014— of a shocking 885 artworks. As a result, more than several classes were spent trying to merge their Spanish news show (including translated advertising slogans and commercial breaks) with an iMovie green screen breaking news “robbery” of their paintings in the style of Oceans 12. Ultimately, the project lost steam, but it was fun while it lasted! Here is the soundtrack we used.
CUBA/SPAIN
CUBA/SPAIN: In 1715, a fleet of Spanish ships sank off the coast of Florida, en route to Spain and loaded with treasure from the new world. Modern treasure hunters have discovered some of this lost treasure–one family made $4.5 million dollars in 2017!–but much still remains on the ocean floor. Students acted out this story as a class, and then made artifacts for a faux museum display. After painting the Spanish crest and flag on them, students broke a few of the plates intentionally to make it seem more realistic! More info HERE.
PERU
PERU: Rainbow Mountain, or Vinicunca in Quechua, has a unique composition–14 different, colorful minerals–that makes the mountain range appear like the inside of a jawbreaker. For more information, visit this link and scroll to “Top Facts”. While the class used THIS amazing, paint-pouring video to make a model of the mountain–crazy fun but really messy!–one student painted the middle image on a canvas (above). Wow!
BOLIVIA
BOLIVIA: Yungas Road in Bolivia is one of the most dangerous roads in the world. It is only 12 feet wide, and the elevation varies from 4,000 to 15,000 feet high. Yikes! Third graders made a miniature diorama of this road, and presented their research at the weekly assembly. Would you dare to ride on it? For videos, see THIS LINK.
Quote: “For me an object is something living. This cigarette or this box of matches contains a secret life much more intense than that of certain human beings./Para mí, un objeto es algo vivo. Este cigarrilo o esta caja de cerillos contiene una vida secreta mucho más intensa y apasionada que la de muchos seres humanos.” -Joan Miró
MEXICO
MEXICO: Alebrijes are mythical-type creatures and spirit animals. You may remember the alebrije Dante if you have seen the movie Coco. The origin of this art had an interesting beginning (read below). Fifth graders created their own alebrije out of papier-mâché.
“In 1936, when he was 30 years old, [Pedro] Linares fell ill with a high fever, which caused him to hallucinate. In his fever dreams, he was in a forest with rocks and clouds, many of which turned into wild, unnaturally colored creatures, frequently featuring wings, horns, tails, fierce teeth and bulging eyes. He heard a crowd of voices repeating the nonsense word “alebrije.” After he recovered, he began to re-create the creatures he’d seen, using papier-mâché and cardboard” (Source).
SPAIN
SPAIN: Pamplona, Spain is perhaps most famous for its celebration of San Fermín and the annual Running of the Bulls. This tradition, although a huge part of Spanish culture, is highly controversial. Do you see the nobility of the beast and the elegance of the bullfight, or do you see animal cruelty? Whatever your stance, start a conversation and try to understand both perspectives. Here, a fifth grader researched bullfighting, and then built his own bullring- complete with real sand!
GUATEMALA
GUATEMALA: These are tiny Worry Dolls from Guatemala. Children make them and put them under their pillows at night to take away their worries (e.g., monsters, nightmares). Students were fascinated by these. They took a day to glue small pieces of fabric to balsa wood sticks, added a face, and soon afterwards, had their very own Worry Dolls. This Silly Billy video story is a great introduction.
SPAIN
SPAIN: The Camino de Santiago is a 500-mile hike across northern Spain. It takes about 30 days to complete on foot. You carry everything you need in a backpack, and follow the arrows and shells so you don’t get lost. Second graders made a very cool green screen video (click HERE) showing us their journey, while fifth graders opted to make a topographical representation of the walk.
CHILE
CHILE: Easter Island is an island located in the South Pacific. There are hundreds of massive statues and wooden tablets scattered over this landmass, but no one knows how they got there–it is a mystery! The tablets have a mysterious language written on them (called Rongorongo) that no one can read. Third graders carved 3-D models of the statues and wooden tablets with clay and toothpicks.
ARGENTINA
ARGENTINA: This terrifyingly high “Tren a las nubes” (Train to the Clouds) in Argentina is, well, terrifyingly high! Students are in the middle of creating a model of it out of Popsicle sticks.
SPAIN
SPAIN: Gazpacho is a delicious soup from Spain, and the perfect cold tomato dish to enjoy on a hot summer day. Third, fourth, and fifth graders took a day to celebrate La Tomatina, or tomato-throwing fight in Spain, by making Gazpacho in class. This is the recipe we used.
MEXICO
MEXICO: This pyramid is called “El Castillo” in Chichen Itza (2:19-2:36). It was built hundreds of years ago by the Maya civilization, but the amazing part here is that twice a year, exactly on the Spring and Fall equinoxes, a shadow appears that aligns perfectly with a serpent’s head. How did the Maya figure this out? For project ideas, one year Lower School students created almost 400 miniature cubes to literally build “El Castillo”. This year, third graders are using LED lights to create a shadow of the serpent’s tail inside a diorama.
SOUTH AMERICA
SOUTH AMERICA: The Andean Condor is the largest flying bird in the world. It weighs up to 33 pounds and can have a wingspan of nearly 11 feet. Last year, students tried to make a life-size replica of this massive bird with paper feathers, but ultimately tired of cutting them out. So many feathers!! This year, a fifth grader cut one out of cardboard and painted it–much more efficient! Now there will be time to explore legends based on Andean mythology and Incan folklore…
PUERTO RICO
PUERTO RICO: Bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon where “living organisms emit light”, oftentimes when disturbed. You have probably seen this on land–fireflies lighting up the night–but it can also occur in the water. Mosquito Bay in Vieques Puerto Rico is the brightest glowing bioluminescent bay in the world. If you scribble on your hands with yellow florescent markers and put them under a blacklight, it produces a similar effect. Note: This made my hands itchy, so be sure to wash up immediately afterwards.
SPAIN
SPAIN: Don Quijote de La Mancha is a world-renowned, 900-page novel from Spain, written by Miguel de Cervantes way back in the 1600’s. Centuries later, Picasso made a sketch of the two main characters to commemorate the novel’s 350th anniversary. First graders put a photocopy of this up to the window, placed pastel-colored paper on top of it, and then trace-scribbled the drawing with a Sharpie to create a two-tone replica. The class joke and icing on the cake was to cross out Picasso’s name and replace it with their own!
CHILE
CHILE: Chile’s Marble Caves are a truly beautiful natural wonder. Students mixed teal and green paints to capture different shades, and later added true-to-life purples and yellows to their paintings to accent the vibrant backdrop. This VIDEO describes the caves as “like being inside the Aurora Borealis”. Wow!
PERU
PERU: The Nazca Lines are a group of ancient geoglyphs in Peru. They are made out of naturally occurring elements, like rocks, stones, or earth. These trenches–running in all different directions in this part of Peru–appear to be roads from ground level. However, from an airplane, you can see that they are actually huge designs depicting anything from hummingbirds and lizards to astronauts and spiral shapes. Drones are helping to uncover even more in recent years. HERE is one activity you can do in class or at home. Students also recreated these designs with masking tape on the floor. Click this LINK for more pics and videos.
PANAMA
PANAMA: The Kuna Indians of the San Blas Islands off of Panama are famous for a specific type of art, called mola. Mola means ‘blouse’ (or clothing) in the Kuna language. While women used to paint geometric designs on their bodies, nowadays the patterns come from nature—or, plants and animals—and are created with layers of fabric. Students opted to trace the mola patterns instead. This in itself took time, and gave them a glimpse into the detail-oriented, intricate work involved in the process. In a word, paciencia. HERE is a video to learn more.
ARGENTINA
ARGENTINA: Yerba Mate Tea is the ‘friendship drink’ of South America, especially Argentina Uruguay, Bolivia, and Paraguay. You drink the tea out of a gourd, and keep refilling it with hot water all day long to sip. The tea leaves are loose (not in a tea bag). It can be quite strong to some people. Fifth graders tasted it and heard the Guaraní legend of how Mate came to be.
BOLIVIA
BOLIVIA:Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat formation in the world. During the rainy season, a light coat of water creates a perfect reflection of the sky–from sunrises and sunsets to beautiful starry nights. Students used watercolors to paint a sunrise on half of a sheet of paper, and then folded it over while still wet to create fun mirror-images. Later, we all tasted a lot of salt and contrasted it with azúcar/sugar, and discussed how salt is a natural resource.
ECUADOR
ECUADOR: There are sneezing iguanas that live here… and actually sneeze! HERE is a hilarious video to put on loop. We blend cultures by using the Colombian practice of saying, “Salud, dinero, amor” (health, money, love) every time someone sneezes in class, and then listen to a classic song about “Las tres cosas” by Cristina y los Stop, link HERE.
COLOMBIA
COLOMBIA: Is this the world’s most colorful town? Students painted colorful buildings and houses on tri-folds, and set up the cardboard in two lines so that they can ‘walk’ through town, stopping at various businesses and mercados along the way. The Señor Wooly song, “¿Adónde vas?” works well with this unit. In Guatapé, Colombia, there is also the famous Peñón de Guatapé–a 70-million-year-old rock that stands 656 feet high–which somehow begs for a project. *Photo credit to photographer Jessica Devnani
For more links, videos, photos, and research about each of these places, visit the “Projects” page.
I am sure that some of you are already making summer plans. How time flies! With that in mind, for parents and/or students seeking a fun and educational language camp over the summer, I highly recommendConcordia Language Villages.
Languages offered include Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish for pretty much every age, but there are also family camps as well as adult programs. While the prices are on the higher end, the program is highly renowned, 100% cultural and linguistic immersion, and well worth the cost. There are also scholarships available and virtual village experiences (TBD). Please visit their site for more information.
Concordia Language Villages
I have also just learned about another program, but it is only for 11-year-olds. This camp seems to focus more on building global friendships, and has students from many different countries from around the world. Check it outHERE if you are interested. Thanks and happy language learning!
PANAMA: The Kuna Indians of the San Blas Islands off of Panama are famous for a specific type of art, called mola. Mola means ‘blouse’ (or clothing) in the Kuna language. While women used to paint geometric designs on their bodies, nowadays the patterns come from nature—or, plants and animals—and are created with layers of fabric.
Students opted to trace the mola patterns instead. This in itself took time, and gave them a glimpse into the detail-oriented, intricate work involved in the process. In a word, paciencia.
November: Because children are experiencing immersion in the target language, it is difficult to know when to send an update. They respond to me in class but may not bring home words to you; while frustrating, this is also completely natural: why would they speak to you in Spanish if you don’t speak it? They probably do not associate you with the target language. I hesitate in sending home word lists because in an immersive environment, each child will pick up something different each day. That said, I wanted to give you a general synopsis of what a day looks like for JK.
The 15-minute long class starts with a beginning-of-class song–Yo me llamo; Buenos días; or La araña pequeñita/Itsy Bitzy Spider; and as of this week, Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas) and Mi hombre de nieve (Frosty the Snowman); progresses to actions (stand up, sit down, run or spin around, jump, etc.) and rhymes–Arriba, abajo, de lado a lado; Sí me gusta, no me gusta, para nada/Yes I like it, no I don’t, not at all–where we discuss things they like or dislike (e.g., fruit, ice cream, pizza) and do a quick weather report (this emerged because of the Itzy Bitzy Spider and sun/rain vocabulary); and then there is a magical chant–Abracadabra, pata de cabra, ¡chiquitipuf! I will call on a student to bring me a magic wand, and then we transform into various animals.
Some days, I choose the animals; other days, I will ask for suggestions/sugerencias. If they answer in English, I am happy they comprehended; if they answer in Spanish, I know that they have fully internalized the vocabulary and it is time to move on (too easy!). For example, at this point they have ALL mastered “tiburón“, or shark, and I have to think of creative ways to avoid this word or else the entire lesson reverts back to hungry sharks (Tengo hambre is another song here). When they can’t agree on an animal as a class, we will do a “lotería/lottery”, and they can do any animal they want (for about three seconds). I count up or down from five and they have to get back to their letter or animal on the carpet by the last number (cero/zero or cinco/five).
At this point, we are about halfway through the lesson, and it is time to continue our Adventures in Stuffed Animal World with their stuffed animal friend, Pato (a duck with a strong personality and ridiculous squeaky voice). Pato is always getting into some sort of mischief, and while not every lesson has a “moral of the story”, I try to lead it in that direction. The stories range from mini-stories, where I introduce new vocabulary, to full-on five-minute long sagas where I leave the JK room sweating from having exerted so much energy (between ventriloquism for the various stuffed animal characters and what can only be described as “extreme adventures”).
For example, I had been trying to shift their focus away from sharks to fish/pececitos, and so we went fishing with magnetic fish last week (another song here: Diez pececitos nadando en el río… link on Seesaw). The fish lesson led to water, where I sprinkled droplets of water/agua on their head/cabeza or hands/manitas (they chose), which led to me bringing an ice-pack to pass around and Pato taking on and off his sweater and scarf/bufanda because he couldn’t decide if he was hot or cold (tengo frío/tengo calor). I also brought a hair dryer so that they could feel the heat and experience the contrast between hot and cold.
Naturally, there was a Pocoyo cartoon episode about fishing–and one about pirates–and the pirate one was such a big hit that JK-A began a story about a pirate who lived on a boat and Pato needed help because he was swimming in the water but there was a ravenous shark nearby (which he saw through a telescope/catalejo)–and then I randomly received a phone call during the lesson (#truestory)–and claimed that it was the pirate calling me on his cell (of course!), and we took Saywer’s boot and used it as a boat for Pato to swim back to the main ship with his mapa/map–which tied in nicely with their map and community study in their regular classroom (*breath*). There was also a tesoro-tesoro-tesoro-TREASURE, but we have yet to flesh out that part of the story.
Students have been requesting to draw parts of the story on the board, so I will ask them tons of comprehension questions (Does he live in a big house or small house/casa grande o casa pequeña? Are there turtles/tortugas and snakes/serpientes and fish/pececitos in the water? Where is the pirate/pirata?, Is the house red/roja or azul/blue?, etc.), and they get to decide. Again, whether they respond in English or Spanish determines where we go. That said, comprehension is the most important thing right now, not production or output of the target language (though obviously, that makes my day when it happens).
Note: In JK-B, we have not gotten to a full story (only mini-stories), but we have started playing with names and nicknames because they wanted to know what their names were in Spanish. Some names translate directly–Josephine to Josefina–while others are actual words: Isla means “island” in Spanish. And some are just silly class jokes–fresa/strawberry for the Berry boys.
Anyway, at the end of class, we sing another song–Te amo, me amas and now this week, Estrellita/Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star–and then the children sit up straight and tall with their hands in their laps and we whisper to their classroom teacher, “Sorpresa” (surprise!) because they are so quiet and ready to continue with their day.
Are you beginning to understand how it would take me three hours every day to explain what has happened in our 15-minute Spanish class? I do apologize for the lack of Seesaw posts, but I tend to feel overwhelmed when trying to explain it all. Each day, I focus on recycling or spiraling old vocabulary and feeling out where they are and what they know, connecting new and old vocabulary, and/or adding brand new information. The latter can be in the form of a mini-story, science experiment, book, or Pocoyo cartoon. HERE is the Pirate episode link.
ASIDE: I do not like teaching colors, numbers, etc. explicitly in the traditional sense because it does not feel natural. You did not test your baby out of the womb on a list of colors, so neither will I. I will describe what is happening and what we are doing, and tell stories and ask questions in the target language, just as you spoke to your children before they knew how to talk. If your child is not bringing home words yet, please be patient.
We have had 39 classes so far this year, which is equivalent to 585 minutes, or 9.75 hours. Do you remember pressuring your child to speak less than 10 hours after they were born? I’m not trying to be cheeky here, just realistic. Remember to put things in perspective and celebrate anything they bring home! If you want to supplement their language study at home, make a habit of watching a Spanish cartoon every day for five or ten minutes with your child.
Whew! If you have read this far, thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to do so. And please let me know if you would like me to start putting recordings from time to time of songs we are working on in class, or vocabulary videos. Thanks and have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND!
Recently, I have had several questions about native (and heritage) speakers and how to improve their reading and writing skills in the target language. In list form, here are a few ideas:
Doblajes, o covers en inglés. Es que, ¡me encantan! Alejandro Cázares es buenísimo como cantante y sus videos tienen toda la letra escrita, para que los nativos puedan leer y cantar a la vez. Encima, durante el proceso de escuchar, pueden aprender cómo es una adaptación–no resulta una traducción directa en muchos casos. Para empezar, una de las canciones de Ed Sheeran está aquí (por Kevin Karla y la banda) y hay otra aquí de Alejandro.
Nuestra escuela tiene una suscripción a BrainPop, la cual incluye la versión española de BrainPop. Pueden aprender y ver videos relevantes a lo que están aprendiendo en clase (o de lo que les interesa) y LEER los subtítulos. Esto es un poco más académico–depende de lo que buscas en cuanto a la lectura.
Educatina es otra opción educativa y muy semejante a Khan Academy, pero desafortunadamente, no hay cuenta del colegio.
En cualquier momento, los niños pueden utilizar los libros bilingües y españoles en la biblioteca de mi aula. No hay problema–solo le pido que ellos me avisen antes de tomar uno.
Esta PÁGINA de mi sitio web tiene un montón de chistes y enlaces. Hay un slideshow de mis chistes favoritos. Se ve mejor en un escritorio (desktop). Yo recuerdo que aprendí tanto vocabulario de Calvin y Hobbes cuando era niña (en inglés, claro, pero la traducción es muy buena) y ¡es muy divertido! Lo mejor es reír y aprender, en mi opinión.
Si está permitido en casa, dales la libertad de colgar pósters o imágenes con dichos/refranes que a ellos les gustan en sus recámaras.
Una idea más: crear/recopilar una carpeta llena de sus poemas favoritos, chistes favoritos, dichos/refranes favoritos, historietas favoritas, cuadros favoritos, adivinanzas favoritas, etc. Les paso unos enlaces aquí abajo para empezar su viaje. A lo mejor, ¡lo hacemos en clase! Para más ideas, piensen en lo siguiente:
PARTE II: Vas a recopilar una coleccion de todos tus ‘favoritos’ del español (en la misma carpeta que PARTE I, según ciertas categorías. Estas seran las categorias:
tu obra teatral o cuento favorito (Borges, Cervantes, Gabriel García Marquez, Julio Cortazar, Carlos Solorzano, Alfonsina Storni, Horacio Quiroga, Jose Martí, Isabel Allende, etc.)
un párrafo favorito (~de literatura traducida o auténtica)
tu película favorita y el nombre del libro con capítulos que leíste este año
tu cuadro favorito (Xul Solar, Velázquez, El Greco, Goya, Salvador Dalí, Antonio Berni, Alejandro Obregón, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Joaquín Torres García, Picasso, Vik Muniz, etc.)
Ojalá que esto les ayude un poco. Hay que darse cuenta que esta no es una escuela de inmersión y muchas veces solo nos juntamos UNA VEZ a la semana. Por lo tanto, aprecio mucho cualquier apoyo pueden darles a sus hijos en casa ya que en primer lugar, no los veo con mucha frecuencia. Voy a requerir pronto que los hispanohablantes escriban en un diario (‘diary’) cada clase, algo semejante a un “RJ”. Escribir, escribir, escribir. Y cuando se cansen de eso, ¡A LEER!
“For me an object is something living. This cigarette or this box of matches contains a secret life much more intense than that of certain human beings./Para mí, un objeto es algo vivo. Este cigarrilo o esta caja de cerillos contiene una vida secreta mucho más intensa y apasionada que la de muchos seres humanos.“
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: “Defy gravity in Barahona! In the southwestern part of the Dominican Republic, there is a town called Polo. There you can go challenge gravity at the Magnetic Pole (El Polo Magnético). If you stop your car in neutral gear downhill, your car will roll up! As cool as it sounds, this is what’s called a gravity hill. This is caused by an optical illusion that has to do with the shape of the road and the landscape. Still, pretty cool to experience in person!” (Source)
PLANTAINS: While plantains appear very similar to bananas, they are not the same food at all: plantains are starchy and much harder, and cannot be eaten raw. There are several ways to prepare them.
In class, some years we have made tostones or patacones (plantain chips) to taste, which are a very popular snack in some Spanish-speaking countries. Chifles are much more thinly sliced, fried green plantain chips. At the store, you can buy Chifles plantain chips; while these are tasty, the chips are very thin and not the same as homemade tostones or patacones. Someone from Cuba told me that the plantain chips they make at home are sweet, almost like a dessert; so I think that there are probably quite a few varieties. If you would like to make this delicious snack at home, HERE is a recipe.
Other years, we taste-tested a variety of brands and flavors of fried plantain chips. Students loved the garlic flavor, which surprised me!
Another way to prepare plantains is for breakfast, as mangú (eaten especially in the Dominican Republic)–recipe HERE. See below for the etymological origin of this word and a fun story.
“The origin of mangú started back in 1916 when the Americans invaded the Dominican Republic; afterwards, the soldiers would go into town. Then one day, one of the soldiers wanted to taste some of the mashed plantains he saw the locals eat.
When he tasted it, he said ‘Man, this is good’ and pointing at it, he said in short ‘man good!’. The locals thought that the name of the mashed plantains in English was mangú.”
ANECDOTE: This morning in Spanish class, third graders started a cooking project that first graders ended up finishing (because Señorita overloaded the electrical circuits… whoops! and had to restart, ahem). As serendipity would have it, the end product was even better than planned: a beautiful mix of first and third graders working and cooking side-by-side.
CUBA/SPAIN: It is the year 1715–King Felipe V wants his treasure, and he wants it now. As a result, he demands that his Spanish fleet (of 12 ships) makes its way back from Cuba to Spain, even though it is hurricane season in the Caribbean. The 1715 fleet gets caught in a terrible storm and sinks, with 1500 sailors aboard–and the treasure is lost. Modern treasure hunters have discovered some of this lost treasure–one family made $4.5 million dollars in 2017!–but much still remains somewhere on the ocean floor. Students acted out this story as a class, and then made artifacts for a faux museum display. After painting the Spanish crest and flag on them, students broke a few of the plates intentionally to make it seem more realistic!
For treasure artifacts, try this repoussévideo for coins; painting actual plates and dishware with the Spanish crest; stringing together gold and silver beads for necklaces; painting those cardboard stuffers you find inside boxes a silvery-gold-rose quartz hue; and finally, drawing old navigation maps on paper soaked in coffee (to give it an ‘old’ look). These can be as artistic as is possible for the age group you teach. Good luck!
In 1715, a fleet of Spanish ships sank off the coast of Florida, en route to Spain and loaded with treasure from the New World.
VENEZUELA: Catatumbo Lightning is a naturally occurring phenomenon in Venezuela. Here, lightning strikes continuously above Lake Maracaibo for 140-160 nights per year (some sources say up to 300) for 10-12 hours straight each night. This can produce up to 40,000 strikes per night!
To learn more, read this article HERE!! Or, to make lightning in a bottle at home, try this experiment. Mystery History has some great photos HERE.
MEXICO: In 2005, someone noticed that tourists, anchors, snorkelers, and divers were damaging the coral reefs in Mexico–in particular, the Manchones Reef. By 2013, an underwater museum (MUSA/Museo Subacuático de Arte) had been created around the reef, in order to help protect it. Currently, there are about 500 sculptures that have been placed in the ocean. In class, students took an old fish tank and made their own waterproof sculptures to place underwater. This was fantastic, until the tank started leaking! Beyond the physical representation, it would be easy to extend this project into a discussion about how observant and considerate we are of others and the world in which we live, particularly because the exhibit:
“shows how humans can live with nature and make a workable future between the two, but also how humans have damaged nature, specifically the coral reefs, and show no sympathy. The statues in The Silent Evolution show how some humans see their surrounding and embrace [it] while others hide their faces. Each statue was made to resemble members of a local fishing community where Taylor lives. Each statue has its own personality and features. Taylor made sure every detail from the hair to the clothes of the statues was perfect. They include a little girl with a faint smile on her face looking up to the surface; six businessmen with their heads in the sand, not paying attention to their surroundings; and even a man behind a desk with his dog lying him, but looking tired and uninvolved in the environment.“
ARGENTINA:Las cataratas de Iguazú, or Iguazú Falls, is the largest set of waterfalls in the world. “Iguazú” means “big water” in the Guaraní language. Here is some basic information about them.
It is easy to forget that Argentina is about one third the size of the United States. That said, its climate goes to the extremes. When I was there, half of our group traveled south to see the penguins and snow (cold–Ushuaia), while my group went north to see the waterfalls (hot–Puerto Iguazú). Remember, this is the southern hemisphere, so “north” means closer to the equator.
Anyway, the day we visited Iguazú Falls, it was a balmy 85*F. First, we saw a perfect rainbow over the falls, and later, after a bit of hiking, my friends and I took a speedboat under the falls! We were completely drenched, and it was amazing!
I also saw beautiful butterflies and a baby coatí in almost every direction while there. The latter were running around like squirrels and clearly thought they owned the place. For more information on the coatí, visit THIS LINK.
In class, students made a model of the falls by stacking and painting rocks, and affixing them with a hot-glue-gun. Some year, we will figure out the mechanics of making it with real water, like THIS or THIS.
ARGENTINA: This terrifyingly high “Tren a las nubes” (Train to the Clouds) in Argentina is, well, terrifyingly high! Students are in the middle of creating a model of it out of Popsicle sticks. Check out this video compilation of “The World’s Most Dangerous and Extreme Railways“, including trains in Argentina (Tren a las nubes, 7:35), Ecuador (Nariz del diablo, 1:47), and Peru (Ferrocarril Central Andino). Oh my!
For more information on the railways of South America, read THIS ARTICLE or watch the “Tough Train Series: Across Bolivia The Pantanal to the Pacific” below.
SPAIN:El Prado in Madrid, Spain is one of the most famous museums in the world, housing over 27,000 objects and artworks. In fact, it was the Google Doodle just this week, which celebrated the museum’s 200th anniversary! For this exhibit, students took an 8.5×11 copy of Still Life with Game, Vegetables, and Fruit (the first Spanish still life, by Juan Sánchez Cotán) and transferred it by eye to a large trifold, trying to imagine how artists filled such massive canvases. Fourth graders did an amazing job here! (See below.)
During the painting process, one student learned that the Prado was actually robbed in 2014— of a shocking 885 artworks. As a result, more than several classes were spent trying to merge their Spanish news show (including translated advertising slogans and commercial breaks) with an iMovie green screen breaking news “robbery” of their paintings in the style of Oceans 12. Ultimately, the project lost steam, but it was fun while it lasted! Here is the soundtrack we used.
FEATURED ARTISTS: Juan Sánchez Cotán, El Greco, Salvador Dalí, Diego Velázquez
Still Life with Game, Vegetables, and Fruit, Juan Sánchez Cotán
“This is considered the first surviving bodegon, or Spanish still life. As a result, it is one of the most famous paintings in the Prado. Still life with Game, Vegetables, and Fruit is one of six known Sanchez Cotan paintings. Nonetheless, he is called the father of Spanish still life painting.As a result, Sanchez Cotan’s style–a strong light source illuminating objects set against a black background–heavily influenced Spanish painters. They subsequently influenced other European painters.”
Source unknown
La vista de Toledo, El Greco
“The painting is also so admired and famous because of its beauty. The way El Greco painted the sky is considered to be among the best representations of the sky in Western art. It has been compared to Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, which was painted around 300 years later. The use of contrast between the dark sky and the brilliant green hills is also admired. […]
The dominating and ominous sky creates a sense of danger and vulnerability for the city below. Art historians consider this painting to represent El Greco’s idea that the world outside can be dangerous and how there are more powerful forces than we can sometimes see.“
“This iconic and much-reproduced painting depicts a scene with watches melting slowly on rocks and the branch of a tree, with the ocean as a backdrop. Dali uses the concept of hard and soft in this painting. This concept may be illustrated in a number of ways like the human mind moving from the softness of sleep to the hardness of reality. In his masterpiece, Dali uses melting watches and rocks to represent the soft and hard aspects of the world, respectively.
The Persistence of Memory has been much analyzed over the years as Dali never explained his work. The melting watches have been thought to be an unconscious symbol of the relavitiy of space and time; as a symbol of mortality with the ants surrounding the watches representing decay; and as irrationality of dreams. The Persistence of Memory is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of twentieth century art. It is not only the most famous painting of Salvador Dali but also the most renowned artwork in Surrealism.“
Source Unknown
Las Meninas, Diego Velázquez
“The Infanta Margarita of Spain stands between her two maids of honour, Doña Isabel de Velasco and Doña María Augustina Sarmiento, who curtsies to the little princess as she offers her a beaker of water.
On the right stand two dwarves, Mari-Bárbola and Nicolás de Pertusato, the latter of whom gently pushes a sleeping bull mastiff with his foot so that the dog will attend to his master and mistress, Philip IV of Spain and Queen Mariana. The king and queen are reflected in a mirror at the back of the room as they stand under a red curtain and pose for the court artist, Velázquez himself.
SPAIN: Pamplona, Spain is perhaps most famous for its celebration of San Fermín and the annual Running of the Bulls. This tradition, although a huge part of Spanish culture, is highly controversial. To learn more, read this Wikipedia or Scholastic article, and watch the YouTube video below about the Running of the Bulls.
Next, try debating the topic with your family, and take time to listen to the feel of Paso Doble music. Do you see the nobility of the beast and the elegance of the bullfight, or do you see animal cruelty? Whatever your stance, start a conversation and try to understand both perspectives.
When Ferdinand came out in movie theaters, students recognized Spain’s flag in the film and asked about it in class. Before long, the Spanish Cave became the streets of Pamplona and a bullfighting ring arena! One girl found a sheet of reddish paper, named herself la torera, and took it upon herself to lead the bulls down the streets to the arena. Another student waved Spain’s flag to the beat of Spain’s National Anthem playing in the background. Amazing!
*To see the digital collection and your child’s work, please visit THIS LINK.
Students in Lower School have been working for the past few weeks on creating a Spanish museum with a wide variety of science, art, and history exhibits in preparation for GGD. In some classes, children are working individually or with a small group, while in others, the entire class is working together towards one goal.
For example, in 4.A, students are ‘living’ in Spain, and are therefore recreating famous Spanish works of art that are currently in El Prado Museum in Madrid (image above). In 4.B, students are ‘living’ in Mexico and creating artifacts for a sunken treasure display, based on the Spanish Shipwreck of 1715. In K.B, students made a model of Angel Falls in Venezuela, by collecting bark, small stones, and leaves outside, and adding water. In 1.B, a group of girls were inspired by seeing another class’ Worry Dolls from Guatemala, and wanted to make their own. Other classes are jumping on board as they see new projects pop up around the room.
In second, third, and fifth grade, students have chosen and created projects based on real-life images in the Spanish room. Some students are creating an underwater museum in Mexico; others are creating a gold trophy for Messi to represent the importance of soccer in many Spanish-speaking countries; some are trying to make the Basilisk Lizard from Costa Rica run on water, as it does in real-life; others are building a model of the “Tren a las nubes/Train to the Clouds” (skip to 3:45 in video) in Argentina; some have been creating instruments out of trash and recycled materials, like this town in Paraguay; and one even made a life-sized model of the Andean Condor–which has a wingspan of eleven feet, wow!
To learn more about these projects, please visit the PROJECTS page, now under the Home drop-down menu. I have been decluttering and reorganizing my website this week, in the hopes of making it more user-friendly–feel free to check it out HERE and let me know what you think!
NOTE: For all of my Language Challenge friends, posts are now divided into two different categories on the INSPIRATION page: Duolingo motivation (“Language Challenge”) and thoughts on culture (all other posts).
MEXICO: This pyramid is called “El Castillo” in Chichen Itza (2:19-2:36). It was built hundreds of years ago by the Maya civilization, but the amazing part here is that twice a year, exactly on the Spring and Fall equinoxes, a shadow appears that aligns perfectly with a serpent’s head. How did the Maya figure this out?
For project ideas, one year Lower School students created almost 400 miniature cubes to literally build “El Castillo”. This year, third graders are using LED lights to create a shadow of the serpent’s tail inside a diorama. Aside: The video below is subtitled in Chinese, but narrated in English.
BOLIVIA: Yungas Road is one of the most dangerous roads in the world. It is only 12 feet wide, and the elevation varies from 4,000 to 15,000 feet high. Yikes! Third graders made a miniature diorama of this road, and presented their research at the weekly assembly. Would you dare to ride on it?
MEXICO: Alebrijes are mythical-type creatures and spirit animals. You may remember the alebrije Dante if you have seen the movie Coco. The origin of this art had an interesting beginning (read below). Fifth graders created their own alebrije out of papier-mâché.
“In 1936, when he was 30 years old, [Pedro] Linares fell ill with a high fever, which caused him to hallucinate. In his fever dreams, he was in a forest with rocks and clouds, many of which turned into wild, unnaturally colored creatures, frequently featuring wings, horns, tails, fierce teeth and bulging eyes. He heard a crowd of voices repeating the nonsense word “alebrije.” After he recovered, he began to re-create the creatures he’d seen, using papier-mâché and cardboard” (Source).
GUATEMALA: These tiny Worry Dolls are from Guatemala. Children make them and put them under their pillows at night to take away their worries (e.g., monsters, nightmares).
Students were fascinated by these. They took a day to glue small pieces of fabric to mini Popsicle sticks, added a face, and soon afterwards, had their very own Worry Dolls. This Silly Billy video story below is a great introduction. Aside: Adults make Worry Dolls, too!
MEXICO:El Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is a day to honor family members who have passed away. This tradition dates back to the Aztecs. People believe that spirits come back to visit us from Oct. 31-Nov. 2nd. The skeletons you see are very happy to be reunited with their loved ones.
People make ofrendas, or altars, in their homes to remember and honor their dearly departed. The movie Cocois a great introduction to this Mexican holiday, as well as the cortometraje/ short film below. Keep scrolling to see an infographic contrasting Halloween and the Day of the Dead–they are not the same!
SOUTH AMERICA: The Andean Condor is the largest flying bird in the world. It weighs up to 33 pounds and can have a wingspan of nearly 11 feet. Students tried to make a life-size replica of this massive bird with paper feathers, but ultimately tired of cutting them out. So many feathers!
Last year, a fifth grader cut one out of cardboard and painted it–much more efficient! Now there will be time to explore legends based on Andean mythology and Incan folklore.
SPAIN: The Camino de Santiago is a 500-mile hike across northern Spain. It takes about 30 days to complete on foot. You carry everything you need in a backpack, and follow the arrows and shells so you don’t get lost.
One year, second graders made a very cool green screen video showing us their journey, while fifth graders opted to make a topographical representation of the walk. Another year, students drew chalk arrows and shells all around campus, adding piles of rocks and nature to mark the way.
At home, you can do the same: put arrows and shells all over the house, leading to your learning space or bedroom, like it is the Camino de Santiago. Feel free to pack a bag and go on a mini-hike with your parents walking around the block, if you feel like it. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes! If you are really committed, check out this app to virtually hike the Camino.
CHILE: Chile’s Marble Caves are a truly beautiful natural wonder. Students mixed teal and green paints to capture different shades, and later added true-to-life purples and yellows to their paintings to accent the vibrant backdrop. The author of the video below describes the caves as “like being inside the Aurora Borealis”. Wow!
PERU: Rainbow Mountain, or Vinicunca in Quechua, has a unique composition–14 different, colorful minerals–that makes the mountain range appear like the inside of a jawbreaker. For more information on Rainbow Mountain, visit this link. Here are a few quick facts from the aforementioned site:
In class, students painted their own versions of Rainbow Mountain and/or tried to build a super high tower with blocks to represent the highest city (La Rinconada). One year, a class used this amazing, paint-pouring technique–see video below–to make a model of the mountain. This was crazy fun but really messy! Another student enjoyed the project so much that he painted Vinicunca on a canvas at home just for fun (see below). Wow!
ECUADOR: The Galápagos Islands off of Ecuador are known for their diverse range of wildlife, including Galápagos tortoises and iguanas. In class, our class joke was to say, “Ecua-DOOR”, and my stuffed animal Pato would pretend to look for the door that led to Ecuador.
Last year, to follow up with this silliness, kindergarteners cut out slits in a brightly colored sheet of paper to create a folding “door”, behind which was a picture of a huge Galápagos tortoise. Did you know that on average, these reptiles [chelonians] live more than 100 years? And no, Pato, it’s not Ecua-PUERTA!! (puerta means door in Spanish, for those of you who didn’t follow)
This year, students made miniature books with all types of tiny doors–as illustrated on THIS PAGE–as part of a strong effort to find the door to Ecuador. We have yet to find it, but Pato thinks we’re close.
Anyway, there are also sneezing iguanas that live in Ecuador… and actually sneeze! HERE is a hilarious video to put on loop. We blend cultures by using the Colombian practice of saying, “Salud, dinero, amor” (health, money, love) every time someone sneezes in class, and then listen to a classic song about “Las tres cosas” by Cristina y los Stop, link HERE. And why do they sneeze? Check out this ARTICLE’S explanation. Interesting! Last but not least, this page shows a Christmas iguana, but there are many other types of marine iguanas. Check out the “Godzilla” Iguana in the video below, eek!
SPAIN: Don Quijote de La Mancha is a world-renowned, 900-page novel from Spain, written by Miguel de Cervantes way back in the 1600’s. Centuries later, Picasso made a sketch of the two main characters to commemorate the novel’s 350th anniversary.
After hearing and acting out the famous windmill chapter in class, students put a photocopy of Picasso’s sketch up to the window, place pastel-colored paper on top of it, and then trace-scribble the drawing with a Sharpie to create a two-tone replica. The class joke and icing on the cake was to cross out Picasso’s name and replace it with their own!
CHILE: Easter Island is an island located in the South Pacific. There are hundreds of massive statues and wooden tablets scattered over this landmass, but no one knows how they got there–it is a mystery! The tablets have a mysterious language written on them (called Rongorongo) that no one can read.
In class, students carved 3-D models of the statues and wooden tablets with clay and toothpicks.
This year, students in grades 3-5 have been using the language-learning app Duolingo to supplement their Spanish study. I want to lead by example, and therefore have chosen German to study alongside my students. While I have already invited faculty and staff to join me in a friendly in-house Language Challenge, I thought that it might be fun to include our parent community as well.
Here, participants (aka Language Ninja Warriors) are challenged to work on the Duolingo app for three days a week, for only five minutes each time. The goal here is frequency. Two hours a day is not sustainable long-term, anyway, unless you are a hyperpolyglot. (More about Timothy Doner HERE.) Point being, this could be a lot of fun for everyone if a lot of us participated, and it would start a lot of conversations with students as well. We could have pockets of language teams–people who are studying the same language–throughout the community.
That said,if you are interested: 1) choose a language to study; 2) download the Duolingo app; and 3) send me a quick email so that I know you are participating.
While this is only a 15-minute commitment per week, I completely understand and respect the fact that sometimes you have to say, “No”. This is merely a chance to grab onto that lifelong dream of wanting to learn another language… and encouraging you to get started. I will send quotes and messages from time to time to keep you motivated and on track. PLEASE keep in mind that this process should be primarily enjoyable. If you have had negative language-learning experiences in the past, or have ever said, “I took four years of XXX and can’t say anything”, let this be an opportunity to clear the slate and begin anew. Here is a quote from Kató Lomb (an amazing Hungarian hyperpolyglot) to consider:
“We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly. If someone knows how to play the violin only a little, he will find that the painful minutes he causes are not in proportion to the possible joy he gains from his playing. The amateur chemist spares himself ridicule only as long as he doesn’t aspire for professional laurels. The man somewhat skilled in medicine will not go far, and if he tries to trade on his knowledge without certification, he will be locked up as a quack doctor.
Solely in the world of languages is the amateur of value. Well-intentioned sentences full of mistakes can still build bridges between people. Asking in broken Italian which train we are supposed to board at the Venice railway station is far from useless. Indeed, it is better to do that than to remain uncertain and silent and end up back in Budapest rather than in Milan.” (POLYGLOT: HOW I LEARN LANGUAGES– book in PDF, by Kató Lomb)
Please let me know if you would like to participate. Happy language learning!
-Your Resident Linguist
Week #2: Jump!
DUOLINGO: The Language Challenge is picking up speed. I have already talked with many parents, faculty, and staff interested in joining this friendly competition. Thinking about everyone beginning a language-learning journey and working towards a common goal is motivating in itself, but I thought I might share a few tips or pieces of advice each week, to help keep you–and me!–on track.
WEEK #2: This week, commit to a set timeduring the day when you will either 1) work on the Duolingo app; or 2) listen to your target language for five minutes (e.g. Pocoyo cartoons, radio, internet, podcast, YT channels, etc.). This exercise could easily be built into a family routine–before or after dinner, during your commute–or, alternatively, a more private practice (before anyone gets up in the morning). Remember, five minutes 3-4 times per week is more than enough. Commit to establishing a routine. Just do it–jump!
When you listen to the target language, the idea is to become accustomed to hearing a bullet train of unintelligible sounds pass you by at the speed of light (squared), and simply enjoy the cadence and rhythm. Relax. As the days pass, your brain will begin to pick up on details and cognates (words that sound similar in English), and do a lot of subconscious work. If you studied your target language in school at some point, you might begin to recall vocabulary from a lifetime ago, or distinguish between accents from different countries. Duolingo will build your vocabulary phrase by phrase; listening to the target language will train your ear.
Anyway, thank you for reading. Until next time, create and stick to your language-learning schedule. YOU CAN DO IT! And last but not least, remember that, “We should learn languages because language is the only thing worth knowing even poorly” (-Kató Lomb, hyperpolyglot).
Week #3: Setting a Pace
DUOLINGO: I have just discovered that you can follow people on Duolingo in order to compete by number of EXP points. If you are the competitive type, search your friends’ emails and add them. I didn’t think I was that competitive… until I saw the division I was in [shield icon] and wanted to get to number one! Try it on for size, if you like.
WEEK #3: Hopefully, you have started to establish a language-learning routine. Now, the race has truly begun. After a few dozen times around the track (metaphorically speaking), you will begin to notice oddities, or so-called quirks in your target language. Many of these will fall in the category of syntax–the arrangement of words and phrases in language; or, how language is organized–that differs from your native tongue. “Juice of orange/jugo de naranja” instead of orange juice (Spanish); “I doctor/Я доктор”, instead of “I am a doctor” (Russian); “Electric brain/电脑“, instead of “computer” (Mandarin Chinese). You may not be here yet, but when you arrive, try to be flexible in your thinking. “We” are not any more right than “they” are. This is where the beautiful flower of language begins to blossom.
In addition, there can also be more nebulous types of translations, or even completely untranslatable phrases. Regarding the former, Spanish does not have as many words as English, so one word can encompass numerous meanings and nuances; in English, we might have a more specific term. In fact, I have heard before that Swahili is incredibly metaphorical because it only has 5,000 words. Spanish has many more than 5,000 words–rough estimates might say 150,000 words in Spanish. Below, see a few more thoughts on the subject:
With respect to untranslatable words, komorebi/木漏れ日 (in Japanese) means ‘sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees’; there is no English equivalent. Pisanzapra (in Malay) is the time needed to eat a banana. In case you are interested, Ella Frances Sanders has two books devoted entirely to this fascinating topic. Here is one of my favorite untranslatable words:
Week #4: Climb the Mountain
DUOLINGO: You have courageously jumped into a new language. You have begun to set a pace. Now is the time to make some serious progress and climb the mountain. If you are a numbers person, note that staying in the top 10 of your division (by number of EXP points) in Duolingo allows you to advance each week to a new division. Moreover, earning a gold, silver, or bronze shield this way earns you A TON of gems. Climb to the top!
WEEK #4: This week, visit your local library and take some time to see what language-learning resources are available. I would highly recommend checking out the children’s foreign language section, along with the 400’s (Language) in the adult section, and also DVD’s, CD’s, and audiobooks for your target language. Be a Word Detective and scan the children’s books for words you know, not words you don’t. They will jump out at you! I checked out some audiobooks for German (Pimsleur) recently as well, and they are so much fun to listen to and repeat aloud, both intentionally and randomly.
Repeating words aloud allows you to get a sense for the feel, character, and personality of a language. For example, when I repeat a word, it helps me to get into the character of that language. Not only does your language have its own personality, but you also have a slightly different personality with each language you speak: that said, do not shy away from a ‘you’ that is more bold, or less so, in your target language. I tend to be more introverted in English and more extroverted in Spanish, while German feels strong and robust: I may not know what I am saying, but I will be confident, that is for sure–ja, voll! What personality traits does your new language bring out in you? What does it feel like?
Shouting random words and phrases aloud may seem silly at first, but it builds confidence and is also a technique used by some hyperpolyglots (people who speak and have studied an extreme number of languages). Accomplished linguist Alexander Arguelles employs this technique: “In [shadowing], students listen to language recordings on a portable player while briskly walking in a public place, gesticulating energetically as they shout out the foreign words and phrases they are listening to” (Babel No More, Michael Erard).
If you do not feel comfortable shouting in a public place, a more private venue is equally effective. Just make sure to repeat the words out loud. Queens, NYC has the most concentrated number of languages spoken in the world–simply imagine that you are there. You won’t understand everyone around you, ergo they won’t understand you, either. For more ear training, feel free to check out these videos by Amy Walker, an American actress and accent specialist: 21 Accents and Fun Tour of American Accents. She is amazing!
This week’s focus, then? Remember that yes, you are climbing a mountain, and yes, it will be tough to keep to a schedule some days. HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun along the way. Enjoy the climb!
Week #5: Numbers
WEEK #5- NUMBERS: Learning a language is not an overnight project. It is not even a project where there is a clear telos, or end point. You just keep chipping away at your own pace, and the graph naturally swings up and down: you make a lot of progress, a little progress, plateau, and then make more progress. At some point, you are able to communicate the bare minimum to survive in another land. Later on down the road, your thoughts drift into the target language. Your confidence improves, and you start to feel good, really good, about your proficiency level. Fluency is somewhere out there, but it is not easily defined (see this post).
Now on this journey, life can get in the way. You must deal with more pressing matters and day-to-day tasks, and before you know it, language-learning has slipped between the cracks. Duolingo? Oh yeah, that… whoops. Taking a break and allowing your new language to settle into the long-term memory portion of your cerebral region is actually crucial to success. (Isn’t there a weird satisfaction in knowing that not doing anything is justified?!) Why you took a break is irrelevant. Maybe you broke a toe last week (true fact). Maybe you are just being lazy (partially true). Maybe cleaning the house took precedence (most definitely). Whatever the reason, give yourself permission to pause and then, get back on the horse. Picking yourself up and continuing where you left off is key to success; this is where and when you will make the most progress.
It can be helpful to visualize your daily highs and lows to keep things in perspective. Initially, the language-learning process probably sounds like this–Yesss, progress! Nooooo, I forgot that word. Yes, now I remember! Up-down-up-down ad infinitum–and looks like the graph below, or f(x)=(cosx^2+3).
Fastforward a few weeks later. Despite your studying, you feel like you’re going in circles, so many circles. You know it’s all leading somewhere–where [0,0] is your target language–but it feels like nothing is happening. X means apple, Y means eats, Z means girl, A keeps popping up but the exact translation remains unclear. Rules are scattered in your mind, and none of the pieces seem to fit together. I just want to speak! You attack the language from all sides, but there seems to be no progress, just a pretty design and neat mathematical function [r > (sin (a/b)(θ)), where 0 < θ < 12π and a=5 and b=6].
And then, finally, your two-dimensional rose becomes a spiraling logarithmic beauty! Something clicks inside, and you begin to connect the dots; information that seemed irrevelant suddenly has a place; you create your first sentence in the target language! It is magical! You are no longer spinning in circles but rather, living in 3D, spiraling out into the universe, empowered by your language-learning prowess, ready to take on the world, maybe even ask a native speaker a question. Wunderbar/wonderful! [r = a^θ, where 0 < θ < 12π and a=1.25].
This is, undoubtedly, a Math Tangent on this weeks’ Language Blog, but… sometimes you need a new perspective. You need to step back, recognize your progress, and then consciously decide to keep moving forward toward your goal. Your task this week, then, is about moving past fear, moving past failures, moving past guilt, just keep moving. Forgive yourself for the breaks and silly excuses, and get back on the horse. There is a whole world (read: language) out there to explore!
Let’s imagine for a moment that languages are like cities. There are the Preposition subdivisions, the Noun suburbs, the Direct and Indirect Objects kicking around a ball out in the countryside, the Subjects floating like Bohemian rhapsodies from this place to that… and then the hardcore Verbs, who hang in the barrio and treat the Adverbs like second-class gang members–commands and no respeto.
The Punctuation Police try to keep things orderly, with Commas encouraging citizens to pause; Semi-colons forcing a respite; Quotation Marks making announcements; Periods demanding that everyone STOP; and New Paragraphs introducing off-beat ideas every chance they get–but ultimately, the Verbs occupy a no-go zone, where Punctuation dares not enter. Why do you think the general public hems and haws about splitting infinitives?
Nouns decline and can get an attitude from time to time (e.g., German capitalization), but Verbs conjugate irregularly, and frequently insist upon having Cases, lots of Cases. They live in and for the judicial system, but remain unpredictable and unruly, behaving as though in a lawless society. Constantly in flux, no one really knows them.
But I digress. Today was the day I would swallow hard and muster the courage (foolishness?) to visit the rough side of town. Yep. El barrio [Arabic root, بَرِّيّ (barriyy, ‘wild’)]. Whether they liked it or not, I was coming to the party. Sure, I could bother getting an Invitation from the Noun Suburbs, even spice it up with something Official from Adjective Headquarters, or have a Pronoun accompany me for protection… but really, this was a solo job.
Verbs versus Me, round one. I hoped they liked me. Icelandic was tough enough without any extra drama.
SPAIN:La Tomatina is a famous tomato-throwing fight that takes place every August in Spain. Tens of thousands of visitors flock to the city of Buñol to participate. While some say that it is a huge waste of tomatoes, a #funfact is that the acidity of the tomatoes actually cleans all of the streets, which I personally found pretty interesting. To say the least, it is a very unique tradition and an ‘attention-grabbing’ way to start the first semester.
“What is ‘La Tomatina’? Well, it is Spain’s most bizarre festival… ‘the tomato fight’! Legend has it this strange celebration began in the 1940’s in the town of Buñol. One hot summer day a squabble broke out in the town square and quickly developed into a massive brawl. Instead of using their fists, the locals grabbed tomatoes and began throwing them at one another!
Despite all efforts to break it up, the townsfolk found such great satisfaction in squishing the tomatoes that the battle continued well into the night. It was such a ‘smash’ it became an annual event. Today this ‘street fight’ draws locals and visitors from all over the world. The 35,000 participants go through about 50,000 kilos of tomatoes on the last Wednesday of every August! Wow! That sure is a lot of sauce!”
Gazpacho is a delicious soup from Spain, and the perfect cold tomato dish to enjoy on a hot summer day. This year, grade levels “visiting” Spain (~in the curriculum) reenacted the history of the day. One class even had a [pretend] tomato fight with soft, multicolored snowballs. Later, students added a different ingredient one by one, and then had the opportunity to taste our gazpacho. This is the recipe we used.
ARCHIVES: In years past, older grades have also made gazpacho in class with a different, more traditional recipe. Note that Salmorejo is very similar to gazpacho, but it contains a few additional ingredients.
Another year, to celebrate and reenact the day sans actual tomatoes (someone had allergies), fourth graders made catapults out of Popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and hot glue, and launched decorative, lightweight balls at G.I. Joe firemen and LEGO men figurines. This was a great exercise in teambuilding and community to start the year, but did take more than one class period to complete.
Throwing crumpled up pieces of red paper, Dodgeball-style, in two teams can also be an exciting alternative and simulation.
Since you cannot see your child’s digital portfolio (Seesaw) for another few weeks, I thought I would give you a brief update about the goings-on in Spanish class so far this year. For an explanation of the photos, keep reading. And to learn about La Tomatina, the tomato-throwing holiday festival in Spain this past week, check out the following.
Gazpacho Recipe Link– Due to schedule interruptions, not all classes in grades 3-5 have talked about/made this yet.
Grade
PK
Junior Knights– Students have settled into a routine of songs to begin and end class (most notably, Yo me llamo, Buenos días, and Te amo, me amas); met several famed characters from the Spanish Cave, including Pato, Oso, and Changuito/Mono (a duck, bear, and monkey, respectively); and begun to adjust to the fact that I speak Spanish. Which is not English. Which sounds a bit different. They were tickled pink this week upon seeing the cartoon Pocoyoin Spanish, and hearing familiar words like “¡Hola!” and “¡Adiós!“. Please visit this page for more episodes, if you would like to watch at home with your child.
K
Kindergarten– Students jumped into several science experiments to start the new year. First, kindergarteners made baking soda and vinegar volcanoes, but with neon food coloring! Students had fun smelling the two identical-in-appearance (but not so much for smell) liquids: agua/water and vinagre/vinegar. Immersion slides to the periphery when hands-on projects excite the senses; students barely noticed that I was speaking another language!
Later, they chose from eight different food coloring bottles to create beautiful designs on coffee filters; used their imagination to “see” what was in-between the dots; and drew a scene around said image. At this point, the goal is for students to comprehend the language and work on answering questions; although well-intentioned, please refrain from pressuring your child to produce language at this stage. HERE is a blog post that explains why in greater depth.
1
First Grade- Students reviewed key terms from last year, and jumped into center work. Here, first graders dance around to the Song of the Month, settle on the carpet to read the Daily Letter aloud as a class, and then sign up for activities of their choice: “¡Hola! Yo me llamo ______. Yo quiero [jugar] y [pintar]” (Hi! My name is ______. I want to play and build“).
Students are currently motivated to clean up said centers after working so that they can watch a very silly “baño/bathroom song” before their teacher arrives at the end of class. Soon, you will be receiving information on how to create a Señor Wooly account at home through the school’s subscription so that you can watch it at home as well.
2
Second Grade- Students began by reviewing the names of the Spanish-speaking countries in South and Central America from last year, and then proceeded to paint the two 6’x9′ cloth maps. To go along with the new rule of, “Un-dos-tres, ¡no inglés!” (One-two-three, no English!), second graders started out slowly by reviewing color names and then deciding as a class which country would be which color, before diving into the project.
Aside: The maps are beautiful! Now that the project is finished, second graders will continue with their center work from last year, while reading and writing skills in the target language are turbo-charged. Let’s do this!
3
Third Grade- Students in this class adjusted well to the new rule of, “Un-dos-tres, ¡no inglés!” (One-two-three, no English!), although initially nervous about the idea. They began their immersive experience with a focus on cognados/cognates, or words that sound the same in both languages, to help ease the transition; for example, arte/art, famoso/ famous, and catedral/cathedral are all relatively easy to muster a guess (though cathedral took a little longer).
As there are, in fact, many cathedrals throughout Spain (among other countries), third graders took a few classes to transform my room into a cathedral with vidrieras, or stained-glass windows. These came out even better than expected, wow! They also listened to the song of the month, La Roja Baila, on loop. It is from the 2010 World Cup, and a lovely tune! Students also have been working on Duolingo at the beginning of every class, and took a day to celebrate La Tomatina and make gazpacho (a delicious soup from Spain). Yum!
4
Fourth Grade- Students in this class also adjusted well to the new rule of, “Un-dos-tres, ¡no inglés!” (One-two-three, no English!). As with other grade levels, they began with a project in order to emphasize family, community, and working together as a team. Their project was to build a truss bridge, or puente de armadura. Here, students learned through immersion that triangles increase the strength of a bridge significantly, and allow it to hold much more weight and undergo more force than a simple design.
Fourth graders used balsa wood to build the bridges, after working on a blueprint of the bridge first. Always have a plan! Before they could finish, however, it became incumbent upon me to take a day to celebrate La Tomatina and make gazpacho (a delicious soup from Spain) with classes. Yum! We will return to the bridge-building next week. Students also have been working on Duolingo at the beginning of every class.
5
Fifth Grade- Students in this class also adjusted well to the new rule of, “Un-dos-tres, ¡no inglés!” (One-two-three, no English!). As with other grade levels, they began with a project in order to emphasize family, community, and working together as a team–as well as attention to detail and absorbing and understanding the target language by watching/illustration, as opposed to being able to translate every word.
Their project was to design a stepping stone mosaic/mosaico with grout and colorful, glass tiles; the stones turned out beautifully, even after a mishap with a slight grout:water ratio issue in one class. Fifth graders also 1) began a theater/film unit–more info to come!; and 2) took a day to celebrate La Tomatina and make gazpacho (a delicious soup from Spain). Yum! Please read the document below if you are unfamiliar with this fun tomato-throwing festival. Students also have been working on Duolingo at the beginning of every class.
My Dear Friends, Fellow Linguists, and Citizens of the World:
Welcome back! I hope you are having (and have had) a wonderfully adventurous summer. As we look forward to the start of another school year, there are a few things I would like to share with you. For any new families, I am “Señorita”, the Spanish teacher for grades PK-5.
First, you may have noticed the image at the top of this page. It is of The Temples of Mount Fanjing in southwestern China. If there is any conversation that you have with your child(ren) about Spanish class before school begins, please remind them that–much like the 8,000-step trek to the top of this mountain–language-learning is a journey. Fluency does not occur overnight. It is a process where, after many successes, failures, and moments of uncertainty, coupled with much determination, grit, and hard work, progress is made. If your child can learn just one new thing each day in class, they will be well on their way.
Second, I will communicate with you through Seesaw and my website. I have spent a good deal of time this summer revamping my site; please take a look when you get a chance. There are numerous language-learning and cultural resources there, Language Blog articles, a slideshow of last year’s Spanish class at the bottom of the Photo Gallery page, as well as photo collages of my own travels overseas on the “About” tab. If there is a linguistic topic you would like to see addressed, please do not hesitate to contact me via email.
Third, if your child will be in third, fourth, or fifth grade and does not have a Duolingo or Memrise account, please have them open a free account for Spanish before the first day of school. We will be using these accounts throughout the year. PLEASE NOTE that if your child is a native speaker and already very fluent, they may either choose a different language to study, and/or wait to meet with me individually. For younger students, check out this page for 20+ games and apps.
Fourth, Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15th, and to that end, I would love to continue the Parent Speaker Series from last year. Please read THIS POST for more information and if you have any connection at all to one of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries in our world. I would love to hear from you!
And last but not least, for anyone wondering why you should learn another language, please read the following for a hearty laugh.
My Dear Friends, Fellow Linguists, and Citizens of the World:
WE LIVE in a World of Words, where every conversation, every interaction, everything we read and hear is, ultimately, a story of our lives.
Some are stories of heartbreak, others of adventure, wonder, or joy; some are apathetic, others filled with purpose and intention. Our stories change course frequently, and expand from the microcosm of our personal selves and family histories, to the stories of our world. Our identities emerge from the stories we tell ourselves and hear, and the words we use frame these stories, to create the essence of who we are, as individuals and as a human race. Our stories have a past, present, and future. Whether or not we realize it, we are all storytellers—because in the end, our lives come alive in and through language.
With all of this in mind, and instead of sending home worksheets or grammar packets this summer, I have compiled a list of ideas to weave the Spanish language and culture into your own personal story. I want you to make your story powerful, adventurous, and loving, but most of all, to make it yours, and remember who is telling it. If you are bored with your day, your story, then change it. The world is your oyster! We must remember that we are the superheroes of our own narratives. As the saying goes, “When something goes wrong in your life, just yell, ‘Plot twist!’ and move on”. Move on to a new chapter, a better story…
Below, please pick and choose what fits in your story. Some ideas might resonate, and others might not. As always, though, know that every activity outlined below is 100% optional. Each one is meant to enhance your own story.
1) For a GLOWING story: Try a Bioluminescent Kayaking Tour. Bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon caused by algae that makes the water light up when touched (or “disturbed”). A land example of this would be the light emitted by fireflies. While lightning bugs are found around the world, “water” bioluminescence is much more scarce. It is famously found in Puerto Rico (Mosquito Bioluminescent Bay, on the Island of Vieques), but can be seen in other places as well, especially when there is little to no moonlight. Check out this video HERE if you have never seen it before–and let me know if you take the tour!
2) For a MUSICAL story: Let’s continue jazzing up your summer story by adding some new music. For starters, visit the link below* for pop songs translated/ adapted from English to Spanish. Visit this page for more songs in Spanish, and here for songs in languages that are not English. Also, if you have any translation requests or song suggestions (clean lyrics only), please let me know.
A few favorites: Sounds European – pop music by country, updated daily! Pop Songs Playlist* – songs translated/adapted from English to Spanish Señor Wooly – please contact me if you do not have an account
3) For a MESSY story: There is a special montaña/mountain in Peru called Vinicunca, or Rainbow Mountain, located near Machu Picchu. The mountain has a unique mineral composition that makes the range appear like the inside of a jawbreaker! For this project, the goal is to make a piece of artwork to represent Vinicunca, using THIS amazing video as a guide. If you have a lot of paint lying around in the garage, put down a big tarp on the floor and start pouring! Make sure to ask your parents before you start this very messy project. And if you end up covered in paint with a product that did not turn out exactly as you planned, do not despair: at least you got a good story out of it!
4) For a FAMILY story: Ask your parents if they have ever traveled to another country. If they have, see if you can find tickets, receipts, foreign currency*, brochures, postcards, magnets, or anything else from their trip. If it was a long time ago, this might turn into a TREASURE HUNT type of story! After you collect a few souvenirs, either decorate or buy a small decorative box to put them inside. Ask your parents to tell you stories about their adventures overseas. If your parents have NOT traveled, use the same decorative box as a “Vision Board”, where you put names and photos of places you would like to travel to inside.
*ASIDE: I never know what to do with foreign coins–and after 13 or 14 countries, I have collected quite a few! To get cash for your change, check out THIS link.
5) For a HISTORICAL story: Visit the Henry B. Plant Museum in Tampa to explore their exhibit on the Spanish-American War and Its Tampa Connection. It will be around until February of 2027, so do not worry if you can’t get there right away!
6) For a DELICIOUS story: Try visually documenting a Food Tour of at least FIVE Spanish-speaking restaurants. In other words, visit a Cuban restaurant one day, have a meal, and take a picture of your plate. Next, visit a Venezuelan restaurant, have a meal, and take a picture of your plate. Next, visit a Mexican restaurant, have a meal, and take a picture of your plate. Do this five times. Try a food, drink, or dessert you haven’t tried before at each place, and make sure to write down what it is called (in case you really like it and want to order it again someday!). Any authentic restaurants (no Taco Bell!) from the 21 Spanish-speaking countries are game here. Have fun!
7) For a DIGITAL story: Change all of your devices to Spanish (go to Settings –> General –> Language and Region –> Spanish)… and keep it that way for as long as you can. How long can you last? An hour? A day? A week? A month? All summer? If you are feeling especially motivated, sign up for (or continue working on, if you are in Summit) Duolingo or Memrise, and see how many days in a row you can keep up with it. The first day or two is easy, but after that, you might be tempted to quit. Remember, consistency is key when learning a language; the more frequently you keep at it, the stronger and smarter your brain will get! Make it a game, choose a goal, and then reward yourself with a prize when you stick with it for five or more days in a row, or three times a week, etc.
8) For a TRAVEL story: Check out Universal Yums!, where you order snacks from a different country every month. The fun part is, you never know where they are coming from next, or what you will get in a box–every country has its own ideas about what are tasty snacks! Please note that this website includes countries from all around the world (and not only Spanish-speaking cultures).
9) For an ARTISTIC story: Take a field trip with your family and explore the Salvador Dalí Museum, and then try to recreate some of his works yourself. See how creative you can get!
10) For a DIFFERENT story: Take a break and consider someone else’s story. Choose from this list of Spanish Movies for Kids, with G and PG rated titles and a blogger’s commentary on the films.
For more linguistic-oriented activities, check out THIS LINK. And if you are interested in my story, please read THIS POST. Have fun, be safe, and see you in August! I wish you happiness wherever your story takes you.
Today, kindergarteners and third graders had a special presentation about Mexico [from Regina and Isabella’s mom and grandmother]. In it, students learned that the Aztecs were warriors, or guerreros, who needed to eat very good food to keep them strong. Corn tortillas provided just the strength they needed, and this food acted as their main source of energy, especially when combined with chili, meat, beans, and vegetables. They also saw a short video about Mexico that you are welcome to revisit at home.
Students learned that making homemade tortilla shells is very easy. All you need is warm water and ground corn (flour) to create the dough/masa. Knead it together into small rounded balls, press it flat in a tortilla press, cook it on a cast-iron skillet, and… time to eat!
During the presentation, children ate quesadillas, and then balled up the dough and put it in the press (one at a time) to make (and eat) their own Mexican tortillas. Later, they were given a surprise treat of Mexican candy, Paletón de Cajeta (a goat milk caramel lollipop). What a lovely and informative presentation–thank you so much for your time! ¡Mil gracias!
HONDURAS
This morning, first graders heard a special presentation about Honduras [from Marcelo’s mom]. She intertwined authentic realia and artifacts, photos of the colorful guacamayo and orchid (national flower), and videos of Tegucigalpa and Lenca weaving to give insight into this beautiful Central American country.
She also told a Mayan legend about the hummingbird; explained the flag’s significance (blue represents the water on each side of the country; the five stars are for the five original Central American countries); talked about the Mayan calendar (see photo of glyphs below); and ended by teaching a Honduran folkloric dance to students. There was a brief Q&A as the class came to a close. Thank you so much for your time! ¡Mil gracias!
VENEZUELA
Yesterday, Junior Knights had a combined art and Spanish class so that they could hear a special presentation about Venezuela [from Eva’s mom]. Class began with a brief discussion about, “What is culture?” and children deduced on their own that they speak Spanish in Venezuela (quote: “I think they speak Spanish there because Eva speaks Spanish, and that is Eva’s mom!”). Excellent!
In the presentation itself, students learned about animals native to Venezuela, including the cabybara and the most poisonous snake in the world; saw a video emphasizing how tall the famous waterfall Angel Falls actually is; made arepas; heard about the water balloon fight tradition for Carnaval; folded their own paper hats and reenacted a parade to celebrate their own mini Carnaval; and received a goodie bag of Venezuelan treats. Thank you so much for your time. ¡Mil gracias!
This month, students in fifth grade worked to create an epic saga in the target language. These class stories are teacher-asked and student-led (agency), and tend to get rather creative rather quickly. For example, for 5.A, this meant an extraterrestrial named Bobby who lives on the sun and whose ultimate adversary in life is Señor Dorito (yes, like the chips). For 5.B, this meant an intense rivalry between two classmates, where McDonald’s was pitted against Chick-fil-A/PDQ, which ended when both restaurants were closed—because their owners, the Kardashians, were on vacation with their evil donkey. Ahem.
In other news, fifth graders also chose individualized password cards; responded to action commands; watched a YouTube video about the Bolivian railway system; and also learned that there are 21 Spanish-speaking countries and 400+ million Spanish speakers, but that Chinese is actually the most-spoken language in the world right now (English is number three behind Spanish). Gracias for a great month. For links, please visit my other website and look under “Monthly Updates”.
SEPT
This month, students in fifth grade practiced jumping on and naming Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map before they sat down each day (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay). For their Summit mini culture project for Chile and Argentina, students “built” the Andes Mountains in three minutes with building blocks, and then watched as a terrible “mudslide” destroyed the mountain range—so that the next group could have a turn to build. For Uruguay, they traced a painting of a famous Uruguayan artist who wanted to define and identify Latin American art on his own terms, instead of in relation to North America and Europe; ultimately, the painting of an inverted map is about taking new perspectives and questioning tradition.
Fifth graders also continued working on their class stories. It is important to remember here that storytelling is the linguistic foundation of every culture: whether it is a simple conversation about where you bought your coffee this morning, or a more detailed narrative about how your two-year-old dumped juice all over the floor and then ran around the house screaming, we all partake in the timeless tradition of storytelling on a daily basis. Every conversation is a story—and sometimes the story leads where you least expect it.
That said, the story of 5.A. led to Señor Dorito escaping from jail with his two evil donkey friends in a broken down school bus (autobús roto). When fifth graders could not agree on an ending, they broke off into groups and wrote out their ideas—agreeing to disagree.
In 5.B, a slightly more realistic plot ensued, where Frito Bandito ‘rescued’ the imprisoned evil donkey and escaped, only to find himself in a courtroom in the next scene being tried for multiple crimes. In between the judge announcing, “Se abre la sesión” (court is in session), inkpad fingerprints presented as evidence, and an unexpected, but tearful confession, there was also a zumo y limonada/juice and lemonade break to ease the unspoken tension in the room.
Last but not least, students continued acting out their animal passwords, played Hangman/ Dunk Tank (tú ganas/you win), and learned part of the chorus to Pedro Infante’s famous “Cielito lindo” (ay yie yie yie, canta, no llores/ay yie yie yie, sing, don’t cry)—which managed to make its way into both class stories. They also watched the Frito Bandito commercial from the 1960’s, which can only be fully appreciated after you are familiar with the original [aforementioned] song. Gracias for a great month. For links, please visit my other website below and look under “Monthly Updates”.
T1
This trimester, students in fifth grade began by creating several wildly creative class stories, with plots about evil donkeys, broken down school buses, a serious Chick-fil-A vs. PDQ rivalry, stolen jewels from an art museum, and even a real courtroom trial (5.B). Here, fifth graders worked on answering questions about the stories and composing their own original sentences in the target language. Fifth graders also jumped on and named the Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map, and played a highly addictive, “Guess the Language” online game (LingLang) to strengthen and hone their listening abilities; being able to distinguish one language’s sounds and cadence from another takes time and is a skill that will only benefit their language study.
Cultural tidbits were sprinkled throughout the trimester: from sneezing iguanas (Ecuador), dangerous railroads (Bolivia), a painting of an inverted map (Uruguayan artist), and the frightening legend of the Chupacabra (Puerto Rico/5.A), to Pedro Infante’s famous “Cielito lindo” (ay yie yie yie, canta, no llores/ay yie yie yie, sing, don’t cry/Mexican singer), El Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead class discussions (Mexico), and a tradition of saying, “Salud, dinero, amor” (health, money, love) when a person sneezes (Colombia), fifth graders began to deepen their appreciation for different and new perspectives. Gracias for a great first trimester.
*Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras.
NOV
This month, students in fifth grade began a theater unit. First, fifth graders heard a short legend in the target language, and then were assigned groups and given scripts to practice reading lines and acting out the legends: La casa embrujada/The Haunted House (Peru); El ratoncito que sabía ladrar/The Mouse Who Knew How to Bark (Cuba); and El collar de oro/The Gold Necklace (New Mexico). The goal here was not to memorize parts but rather to get into the routine of rehearsing in another language, as—fingers crossed—fifth graders will be presenting a formal program of Spanish plays at the end of the year for you in the target language. Both classes started reviewing their first official plays for the program this past week. You will receive more information and details/specifics about this event in the January newsletter.
Summit students also learned to dance how to dance the Salsa after they started naming Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean on the tape floor map; the dance is particularly popular there. To inspire them for their cookie cutter design project, 5.B learned about the Night of the Radishes Festival in Oaxaca (Mexico), where enormous radishes are carved in the days leading up to Christmas. As always, feel free to visit my website for links and more information.
NOTE:Due to both a short month [December] as well as class cancellations for rehearsals, field trips, class parties, etc., you will receive the next newsletter at the end of January.
JAN
This month, students in fifth grade became a bit fanatical about jumping on and naming all of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map in a certain number of seconds. The Lower School record at this point is 8.32 seconds—wow! Students took an official test to demonstrate their mastery of the material. Fifth graders also began rehearsing their Spanish plays in the White Box Theater, playing with the new space and working to not back the audience. They took a day to create humorous commercials (Target/Espera más, paga menos/Expect more, pay less, McDonald’s/Me encanta, Crest toothpaste, etc.).
Later, they delved into a mini-grammar unit, learning that nouns in the target language are organized as masculine and feminine, or “boy” (el) and “girl” (la) words. Students had fun racing to the board—markers in hand—and trying to find, translate, and spell words and short phrases correctly… before their opponent, of course. Finally, students listened to a few song covers in the target language. For example, HERE is the Spanish cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect”.
NOTE: Due to rehearsals, holiday parties (Christmas and Valentine’s), and several long weekends, fifth graders have missed quite a few Spanish classes this past month. Because they only meet twice a week as it is, in January students began working to fill in these gaps by signing up for a language-learning app of their choice (i.e., Duolingo, Memrise, MindSnacks, FluentU), and spending three days a week, for five minutes each day on the app. If your child has taken a break from this practice, please encourage them to restart! […particularly because ALL of Summit will be participating in this Spanish App Challenge very soon, and there may be prizes down the road…] And as always, feel free to visit my website below for links and more information.
This month, students in fourth grade learned about Spain’s famous tomato-throwing festival, La Tomatina, held the last Wednesday of August every year. To celebrate and reenact the day sans actual tomatoes, fourth graders made catapults out of Popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and hot glue, and launched decorative, lightweight balls at G.I. Joe firemen and LEGO men figurines. Students also chose individualized password cards, and then practiced thinking up ways to physically act out each one as part of their beginning-of-class routine; responded to action commands; and worked on their class stories, which are interactive, teacher-asked but student-led creations in the target language.
Here, the main character is absolutely ravenous, and desires a plateful of juicy, red tomatoes; however, his foe (in one class, Taylor Swift) has eaten all of the tomatoes in the entire world. Thus, our hero must travel to Mars, the red planet, to get what he wants—and, presumably, battle Taylor for it, in a struggle not unlike La Tomatina, thereby spreading Spanish culture beyond this world (4.B). Last but not least, students learned that there are 21 Spanish-speaking countries and 400+ million Spanish speakers, but that Chinese is actually the most-spoken language in the world right now (English is number three behind Spanish). Gracias for a great month.
SEPT
This month, students in fourth grade made copies of their animal password cards for the Summit hallway bulletin board; sang along to a silly video called, “¿Puedo ir al baño?” (Can I go to the bathroom?); and took a trip down memory lane by watching Pocoyo: Invisible in the target language. They also jumped on and named certain Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map before they sat down each day: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. For their Summit mini culture project for Chile and Argentina, students “built” the Andes Mountains in three minutes with building blocks, and then watched as a “terrible mudslide” destroyed the mountain range—so that the next group could have a turn to build. For Uruguay, they traced a painting of a famous Uruguayan artist who wanted to define and identify Latin American art on his own terms, instead of in relation to North America and Europe; ultimately, the painting of an inverted map is about taking new perspectives and questioning tradition.
Fourth graders also continued their tomato saga, adding kings and queens of various planets (and even the galaxy!) to round out the story, and ended with a dramatic, slow motion, galactic force fight inside Taylor Swift’s jail cell—with Kung Fu Fighting playing in the background, of course. Taylor refused to hand over all of the tomatoes (todos los tomates), so really, there was no other option: “¡La fuerza!” (the force!). Since then, fourth graders have been working on a humorous script of their class story in Spanish—trying to memorize lines, coordinating words and movements onstage and, most importantly, making sure they know what they are saying! Gracias for a great month.
T1
This trimester, students in fourth grade began by celebrating La Tomatina, a famous tomato-throwing festival in Spain. To celebrate and reenact the day sans actual tomatoes, fourth graders made catapults out of Popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and hot glue, and launched decorative, lightweight balls at G.I. Joe firemen and LEGO men figurines. Other cultural projects included ‘building’ the Andes Mountains out of blocks on the tape floor map (South America); tracing an inverted painting that is meant to change one’s perspective and question tradition (Uruguay); and decorating sugar skull cookies for El Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead (Mexico).
Fourth graders also created and acted out several class stories. In one, a dramatic, slow motion, galactic force fight inside Taylor Swift’s jail cell ensued—with Kung Fu Fighting playing in the background—because Taylor would not hand over all of the tomatoes in the galaxy to the planetary kings and queens (la fuerza/the force). In another (4.B), a rocket ship with alien sisters on board crash-lands in the Atacama Desert (Chile); two groups of spies witness the crash and begin throwing lemons at the intruders; unexpectedly, the aliens love the sour flavor and graciously thank their attackers. Students built spy forts in the classroom to act this out and participated in official Spy Training.
Fourth graders also practiced reading and writing sentences and mini-stories in the target language; jumped on and named the Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map; played a highly addictive, “Guess the Language” online game (LingLang); and made connections between their project time topics (Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans) and Spanish class. Gracias for a great first trimester.
*Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras.
NOV
This month, students in fourth grade worked on starting their sentences with, “Pregunta” (question) whenever they wanted to ask something, and learned how to dance the Salsa after they started naming Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean on the tape floor map; the dance is particularly popular there. Fourth graders also played the “offline dinosaur game” and designed their own live video game course in the Spanish classroom, complete with jumping obstacles, gold as the prize for completing all of the levels, and Super Mario music playing in the background for 4.B—whereas talented 4.A musicians opted to play video game type songs on the class keyboard (jugar/play; nivel uno/level one; salta/jump; el oro/gold).
Students also helped create more mini-stories in the target language. For example, in 4.A, an orca named Flippers has a boat/barco and is saved by a student in an airplane during a highly unusual storm, where it rains lemons. Fourth graders listened to the famous Ojalá llueva café en el campo by Juan Luis Guerra(Dominican Republic); in the song, it rains coffee. In another story, a Minecraft lamb named Lime/Limón Verde lives in a haunted house. Students have begun bringing in their favorite stuffed animals and toys around which the stories are then created. In 4.B, students chose a spooky genre, and things got a little weird: a lizard named Burrito lives in a haunted house with ghosts and zombies. One night, his dog is sleeping, and one of the zombies, Pocoyo—fourth graders decided on this cartoon character because the stuffed toy version’s head spins—is hungry and eats the dog’s brain/cerebro. The puppy calls a doctor, but the doctor is actually a mad scientist/cientítifico loco and gives him a super brain, with all of the information in the entire world. Yikes!
Last but not least, students in 4.A learned a clapping rhyme that children recite to pass the time when they are waiting (~in line, on the bus, etc.): Jorge robó pan en la casa de San Juan, quién yo, sí tú, yo no fui, entonces quién/lit., George stole bread from Saint John’s house/who me/yes, you/it wasn’t me/then who). To inspire them for their cookie cutter design project, 4.B learned about Las Fallas, a unique celebration in Valencia (Spain) where people build massive parade floats, and then burn them all at the end of the week.
JAN
This month, students in fourth grade moved on from naming all of the twenty-one Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map, to identifying major landforms in South America: montañas/mountains (Andes Mountains); desierto/desert (Atacama Desert); and río/river (Amazon River). They made storyboard comic strips in the target language to wrap up their storytelling unit; chose Spanish first and last names; and practiced reciting the Pledge of Allegiance/Juro fidelidad a la bandera—at students’ request. Fourth graders also listened to both more traditional music (Mama Tingo, Johnny Ventura; Ojalá, Silvio Rodriguez/esp. 4.A) as well as pop songs (Tal vez me llames/Call Me Maybe Spanish cover; No tengo dinero, MAFFiO).
Later on, they began a centers unit. Here, students write form letters in the target language, filling in the blanks where necessary—or sometimes reconstructing it from memory—and receive immediate feedback re: accents, spelling, punctuation, etc. They choose their preferred activity of the day: tocar el piano/play the piano; jugar baloncesto/play basketball; pintar/paint; jugar a los naipes/play cards; jugar en la fortaleza/play in the fort; construir un videojuego/build a videogame; and/or work on a guided culture project—e.g., painting tiles for La Alhambra, a Moorish palace in southern Spain. The goal is to incorporate more Spanish words, phrases, and expressions at each center.
For example, when they play cards, students exclaim, “¡Tú ganas!/you win!” or “¡Yo gano!/I win”; in basketball, they might say, “Pásala/pass it”, or in the fort, “¡No zapatos!/No shoes!”. Any time they want to switch centers during a class period or leave the room to get extra materials or go to the bathroom, they have to ask in the target language. Naturally, certain items will intentionally go ‘missing’ from time to time, leading to forced linguistic interactions; if I hide the basketballs in the closet, fourth graders must ask for the keys in Spanish to open the closet (Necesito las llaves/I need the keys). Teehehee. If you are intrigued or questioning the importance of play in the classroom, please visit the Language Blog* on my website and read my latest post entitled, “Just Play”.
On one particularly exciting day, a student colored all over his hands with florescent marker (wait for the explanation before you say, “WHAT??!”), and put them under the class black light to demonstrate bioluminescence—a natural phenomenon where your skin glows underwater when it comes in contact with algae in certain parts of the world, including Puerto Rico. This kind of experiential creativity, combined with language and culture, is what learning is all about to me.
NOTE: Parents with children in multiple grades may notice that there has been some overlap in terms of content between the grades this past month and half. The purpose here is twofold. First, when children realize that they know the same Spanish vocabulary, a conversation begins—a door opens between grade levels where everyone is invited to the Party called Learning. If everyone in the world only knew segregated vocabularies, no one could talk to anyone!
Second, in the cultural realm, and now that students have more or less mastered the map, projects have begun popping up all around the Spanish room. When a class enters and there are suddenly masking tape designs all over the floor and a cardboard box tower in the corner, they naturally want to learn why and who and where and how and what. Of course, lessons are differentiated and age-appropriate, but it is absurdly exciting to hear first and fifth graders reference La Alhambra (Spain) or ‘jugar’/play in conversation. I feel that it builds a more inclusive, Spanish language-learning community when there are a few common building blocks.
This month, students learned that they have been selected to join the world-renowned Spanish Acting Company. As participants, third graders will perform in multiple shows throughout the year, as main characters and audience members. The importance of each role was emphasized here. Performed as theatrical plays, each story will include both fiction (creative, student ideas) and nonfiction (cultural, historical facts) elements.
The first story begins with the following: a famous actor with absurdly strong bodyguards—stuffed animals under students’ sleeves as muscles—must summon his courage to deal with a most calamitous situation: his arch-nemesis has stolen all of his money and pets (3.A) and car (3.B). How to manage? Only time will tell… particularly as the class stories are teacher-asked but student-led. In addition to storytelling, third graders also chose individualized password cards, and then practiced thinking up ways to physically act out each one as part of their beginning-of-class routine; responded to action commands; and danced to the song Madre Tierra during brain breaks. Gracias for a great month.
SEPT
This month, students in third grade chose animal password cards and made sure to ask, “¿Qué es?” (What is it?/“K S”, pronounced like the alphabet letters) when they could not remember a word. If their password card was at the wrong seat, third graders responded, “¡Esta no es mi contraseña!/ This is not my password!, focusing on the “ñ” sound that requires your nose to crinkle a bit when you say it—‘nyah’, as in español, contraseña, baño, etcetera. 3.B got excited about their sound study and proceeded to work on a tricky tongue twister, just for fun: Pepe Pecas pica papas con un pico. Con un pico pica papas Pepe Pecas. (Pepe Pecas picks potatoes with a pick. With a pick picks potatoes Pepe Pecas.)
Third graders also jumped on and named certain Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map before they sat down each day; a new country is added about once a week. To make this activity more meaningful, students created pasaportes/passports that are stamped as they enter and exit each country. They began their travels at the tip of South America with Chile and Argentina; more stamps will be added upon completing the continent. Now that they have finished working on the actual passports, students must show their booklets upon crossing the official frontera/border 0f the Spanish Cave every class (“customs”). No passport, no entry!
Later, third graders learned about Easter Island (Chile), and then created and painted replicas with air-dry clay of either the Moai statues or one of the undecipherable Rongorongo tablets (written in hieroglyphs and reverse boustrophedon). Students seemed to latch on to the idea that the tablets were engraved/carved using shark teeth and volcanic rock, but gracefully accepted that they would only be using toothpicks in Spanish class. Note to self: next year, I will not use the word ‘tablet’ to describe the wooden boards; in this digital age, third graders thought I meant that iPads were discovered on Easter Island. Ahem.
Third graders continued with their class stories as well. Updates as follows: In 3.A, the enemy forces—namely, a magic school bus/autobús mágico and train/tren—traveled from Egypt to Los Angeles, California to steal a famous actress’ money and pets, and then escaped with the goods to Hawaii, with an out of the way stop at Easter Island. The class went to Easter Island to fight the enemies—but tragically, students were hungry upon arrival, rashly touched a magical apple, and were turned into statues. Better luck next time? Note: If anyone reading this happens to be in possession of a large refrigerator box, I would gladly take it off your hands to build a time machine and change students’ luck.
In 3.B, and with Pato held captive as his prisoner, the evil pig (el cerdo malvado) decided that a delicious bocadillo de pato (duck sandwich) would really whet his appetite. The class voted by chanting either, “¡Ayúdame!” (Help me!, as the voice of Pato) or “¡Cómelo!” (Eat him!, as encouragement to the evil pig); when the votes were tallied, the evil pig was no longer hungry. *Sniff, sniff* However, students ended up making unicorn, witch, and wizard hats and turned our dear friend Pato into a ghost. Obviously, he has some unfinished business on Earth.
Last but not least, third graders were given the terribly onerous, yearlong task of collecting one fruit and vegetable sticker, label, and/or clothing tag, from each of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. They were told to keep their eyes open particularly when grocery shopping; bananas, for example, are frequently from Spanish-speaking countries: if/when you buy them, students may add said sticker to their page (and eventually, passport). They are strongly advised to post a blank page on the refrigerator so as not to lose it! This homework assignment (and import/export study) will be ongoing throughout the year. If one country is particularly difficult to find, we will discuss as a class the “why” behind it. For now, please just encourage students to keep their eyes open! Gracias for a great month.
T1
This trimester, students in third grade practiced acting out their password cards and naming the Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map. They also acted out wildly creative story plots: from an evil pig, duck sandwich, powerful notebook, town named HairGel, and a ghost who wants revenge (3.B), to a magic school bus, stolen pets, daring enemy escape by plane, and musical keyboard accompaniment by talented student musicians (3.A), third graders began to grasp how to make the target language come alive in their minds. In addition, students had fun identifying ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ words (i.e., masculine and feminine nouns: el/la/los/las, or the four ways to say ‘the’ in Spanish), and ‘claiming’ them as their own property, respectively; began tuning in to pronunciation details and new sounds, such as “ñ” (nyah) and the forever silent “h” (hola); and took a few “Kindergarten/Activity Days”, where third graders painted, drew on the board, played fútbol/soccer, and explored their own personal interests via centers.
Cultural projects and facts were sprinkled throughout the trimester: from sculpting Easter Island statues out of clay (Chile), coloring calaveras/skulls and making papel picado for Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead (Mexico), learning about the 900-page, world renowned novel Don Quijote and tracing Picasso’s painting of the main characters (Spain), to singing La cucaracha and hearing different types of güiros (Latin America), third graders’ energy and thoughtful questions continue to inspire. Gracias for a great first trimester.
*Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras.
NOV
This month, students in third grade practiced saying the Pledge of Allegiance (Juro fidelidad a la bandera) to continue working on their phonetics study. They also sat according to their birthday months, made personalized passports—with miniature flags of all of the Spanish-speaking countries—and continued telling and acting out their class stories.
In 3.B, Pato was eaten by an evil pig, who is friends with a Powerful Notebook. Students paused here to brainstorm a list of powerful things and then drew a collage of said concepts around the word poderoso/powerful. Anyway, the fantasma/ghost of Pato wants revenge, and decides that because the evil pig is allergic to flan (a Spanish dessert), he will use it to get back at him and make him sneeze uncontrollably—there is a tradition of saying, “Salud, dinero, amor/health, money, love” when a person sneezes (Colombia). However, because the Powerful Notebook, or cuaderno poderoso has the flan, he will have to visit his home, a cobertizo/shed filled with cucarachas/cockroaches and other insectos/insects.
Because the story centers around venganza/revenge, third graders watched a silly cartoon chicken video about animal sounds in Spanish, where the chicken gets strong and gets revenge against a truck (Pollito pío). Additionally, third graders took a day to made Popsicle stick sheds with paper insects. This class also went on a tangent one day—though I realize all of this sounds like a tangent!—and had a mature discussion about endangered languages and untranslatable words. Students tasted dulce de leche (not flan, but very sweet at least!) and fried crickets, too, as it was [mostly] relevant to their class story.
In 3.A, students only had four classes in November, due to Student-Led Conferences and Golden Guest Day rehearsals, and spent the time finishing their passport booklets and reviewing their class story: here, a policeman and dog chase after two enemies that have stolen money and stuffed animals from the main character. The enemies put dulce de leche (Argentina) on the ground, which slows down the police. Students were also able to taste this sweet, caramel-like spread in class.
JAN
This month, students in third grade worked on naming and jumping on all of the twenty-one Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map independently. Many have demonstrated complete mastery of this skill. It is almost overwhelming—when you hear them rattled off— to grasp that there are completely different Spanish accents, vocabularies, and cultures (music, foods, art, sports, customs, etc.) in each of these places. My goal as an educator is to provide a general overview here; now that students are familiar with the names of these places, they can associate cultural and historical events with said countries in a more meaningful context.
With that in mind, third graders spent a day trying to replicate the Nazca Lines (Peru) around the Spanish room. These are an ancient mystery: at ground level, they appear to be lines, or trenches, in the desert going in all directions; however, from an airplane, you see that they are in reality massive geoglyphs of animals and plants—and yet, these civilizations existed prior to the invention of the airplane! Hmm… Students also painted and colored tiles for the class fort, aka La Alhambra, which is based on an actual Moorish palace/fortress in southern Spain; ate twelve grapes to celebrate New Year’s Eve (tradition in Spain); learned that an ice cream shop in Venezuela holds the world record for the greatest number of flavors offered: 900 (3.B); and began building a model of Machu Picchu in Peru (3.A).
In other news, students wrote first and second drafts of their storyboard comic strip stories in Spanish, and then shifted from storytelling (Q&A in the target language) to centers, where third graders sign up for their center of choice each day (tweeting, writing a form letter, or speaking aloud), requesting any materials they need and explaining what they want to do in Spanish* (e.g., build roads to drive their Spheros (construir/build), play Twister or basketball (jugar/play), make slime (hacer baba/make slime), play the piano (tocar el piano), etc.).
They have been listening to Tal vez me llames (Call Me Maybe) by Kevin Karla y la banda regularly as well; it is funny to hear the cover of a song you are already familiar with in another language! As always, feel free to visit my website below for links and more information. If you are intrigued or questioning the importance of play in the classroom, please visit the Language Blog* on my website and read my latest post entitled, “Just Play”. Last but not least, students chose Spanish first and last names in the target language, and had fun practicing writing their new signatures all over my whiteboards.
MAR
This month, students in third grade had more than a few discussions about phonetics and language in a more general sense, as opposed to “only” Spanish. There are, after all, about 7,000 languages in the world! These conversations touched on word loans—tacos, tortillas, quesadillas, and deja-vu, for example, have all been borrowed from other languages; there is no word in English for “taco”.
This led to more talk about untranslatable words; there are many words with no English equivalent, such as pisanzapra in Malay (the time needed to eat a banana), or 木漏れ日 (komorebi) in Japanese (the light that filters through the trees). It is easy to describe these concepts with English words, but there is not a single word that encompasses either concept. Third graders also watched a video by an actress, Amy Walker, who travels geographically around the world and says the same thing in 21 different accents—from England and Russia to New Zealand, South Carolina, and New York; they later practiced identifying languages on a “Guess the Language” online game to hone their ears. At one point, English was spoken with such an unfamiliar accent that students guessed it was Czech!
Third graders continued adding to their Spanish vocabularies via center work, and spent a chunk of time presenting in front of their peers in the target language in mini-speech form. Their confidence has grown tremendously since they began this practice near the end of January. They also heard several jokes in the target language, some of which were in Spanish and others with Spanish and English wordplays—e.g., Seven days without tacos makes Juan weak. Students are also required to say the password upon entering the Spanish Cave: after one student says, “Dime la contraseña” (tell me the password), the other responds with the fruit or vegetable of the week (that is, naranja/orange, plátano/ banana, zanahoria/carrot, espárrago/asparagus, melocotón, durazno/peach, arándano/blueberry, cebolla/onion).
In the culture realm, students learned a bit about El Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile hike and pilgrimage across northern Spain (that their teacher completed last summer); cooked and tasted fried plantains (patacones or tostones), which are eaten in many Spanish-speaking countries; and used photos in the Spanish classroom to inspire various projects during center time. For instance, some students tried to create a replica of an underwater art museum in Mexico in a fish tank with florescent paper fish, rocks, and flowers, which was amazing… until the tank started leaking; others made dozens of Coquí frogs (Puerto Rico) out of green paper; and still others opted for pick-up soccer games (fútbol) outside, as soccer is a hugely popular sport in many countries.
This month, students in second grade chose individualized password cards, and then practiced thinking up ways to physically act out each one as part of their beginning-of-class routine. They also began rehearsing a class script for what will eventually be a news show, with famous, real-life Univisión anchors, Jorge Ramos and María Elena Salinas, as leads (all the boys played Jorge; all the girls were María).
Later, second graders worked on a teacher-asked, student-led class story: here, an evil penguin with an unbearably evil cackle flies to a student’s house and steals a sword (2.A) and hat (2.B) from the protagonist during a tremendous rainstorm; the two characters do slow-motion karate, but in the end, the enemy escapes—oh no! Obviously, this crime will make its way into the news show at some point in time. Last but not least, students read a letter from their trustworthy but silly, stuffed animal language-learning companion, Pato (duck), and signed up for centers in the target language—construir/build; pintar/paint. Each week, a new center (and sight word) will be added, so that by the end of the year, second graders will have a substantial word collection. Gracias for a great month.
SEPT
This month, students in second grade continued acting out their password cards, and added a few more centers (¡Mira!/Look!), paying special attention to the upside-down question marks in the target language when signing up for one (¿Puedo hacer un avión de papel?/Can I make a paper airplane?; “¿Puedo hacer un comecocos?/Can I make a fortune teller?).
Later, they learned that their beloved stuffed animal duck friend, Pato, had been listening when they were jumping on the tape floor map in the Spanish room (naming Spanish-speaking countries)—and decided to travel to Argentina… without them! However, he was kind enough to send a text and video informing of his whereabouts, and claimed he would be back soon. He is currently exploring Iguazu Falls, or one of the world wonders, which is made up of an amazing 275 waterfalls! Song lyrics: “Where is Pato? Where is Pato? ¿Dónde está? ¿Dónde está? / ¡Dime, por favor! ¡Dime, por favor! Tell me, please! Tell me, please!”
Students also learned that their teacher hiked a famous 500-mile long walk in northern Spain this summer, called the Camino de Santiago, and decided to make their own Camino down the Lower School hallway (2.B) with flechas/arrows and conchas/shells—symbols of the actual Camino. Later, they walked it, complete with backpacks, walking poles (hockey sticks), and water bottles.
When Pato returned from his travels the following week, he had no interest in sharing stories about Argentina, but instead, was already planning another trip. Apparently, the stuffed animal duck is jetting off to España/Spain next to walk the Camino de Santiago (he must be telepathic, although neuroscientists need to explain this one to me). However, he personally informed that directions are not exactly his forte; and thus requested second graders’ help (2.A) in creating a faux Camino outside, with chalk arrows and shells, and piles of rocks to help guide him. Second graders even built a ‘chair mountain’ for him to practice climbing in the Spanish Cave. Later, they listened to a fast, upbeat song (in Euskara, a language spoken in Northern Spain) about the Camino as well.
In other news, students continued with their class story. Update as follows: the protagonist is upset that evil Pingüino has stolen his/her things, but decides to think before acting; in fact, s/he thinks and thinks (piensa y piensa) for ten years (2.A) and ten centuries (2.B). To represent this passage of time, students made paper beards and moustaches, at which point the main character finally comes up with step one of a brilliant plan: to build a bridge (construir un puente)—but the bridge is a trick. ¡Peligro, peligro! (Danger, danger!)
Students built said bridge in class with Kleenex, paper clips, tape, and many, many, many Popsicle sticks, and then watched a slow-motion video of Pingüino falling off the [intentionally] poorly constructed bridge… and then transforming into a fantasma/ghost (i.e., the teacher trying to introduce Halloween vocabulary before Halloween). Gracias for a great month.
T1
This trimester, students in second grade practiced acting out their password cards and naming the Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map. While the map focused on South America, culture projects and discussions were not limited to these countries. For example, after learning about El Camino de Santiago in northern Spain, second graders created their own faux Camino both down the Lower School hallway as well as outside, with arrows, shells, and rock piles.
They also acted out one of the chapters of Don Quijote, a world renowned, 900-page novel from Spain; spent a day talking about El Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead (Mexico); learned that children in Guatemala put tiny Worry Dolls under their pillows at night to take away their worries while they sleep; and watched a video from Pato about his travels in Argentina. In the linguistic realm, students began the term with a class story about an evil penguin who falls off a (student-constructed) paper clip and Popsicle stick bridge and transforms into a ghost after stealing from a student (what?!). Later, they signed up for centers, or sight words, which morphed into a class town.
At this point in time, the town’s most popular destinations include the aeropuerto/airport (international flights available) and teatro/theater (watch mini Don Quijote and Coco plays performed). The dinero/moneysituation is developing, as second graders begin to demand compensation for products and services. One class also incorporated a cemetery and ofrenda after learning about the Day of the Dead, while the other started up a street market/mercado (without realizing that mercados are actually very culturally relevant and present in many Spanish-speaking countries). Gracias for a great first trimester.
NOV
This month, students in second grade continued naming more Spanish-speaking countries and developing new businesses and locations in their class pueblo/town. For example, one day a student created an enormous soccer field in the classroom out of masking tape and asked to play (¿Puedo jugar al fútbol?/Can I play soccer?). Next, some second graders at the class hotel/hotel hung paper television frames to watch the game and videoed it all on an iPad, while others took it upon themselves to make banderas/flags for the Spanish-speaking teams playing (i.e., Colombia vs. España/Spain) and cheered on the sidelines (golazo/goal; por acá/over here; pásala/pass it; casi/almost; vamos/let’s go; rápido/quickly). Later, the team decided to stand for Spain’s National Anthem before starting the game. Amazing!
Students also recently created an art museum/museo de arte and zoológico/zoo (with feeding stations and live pets as well as toy animals; one day, a bunny escaped from the zoo and ended up on the soccer field (2.A), which caused a bit of chaos until animal control was able to handle the situation). Another week, a few talented street musicians even entertained on the keyboard for tips. Last but not least, students learned that the map of their town was created on an authentic map of downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina, home of the widest avenue in the world: 16 lanes of traffic. Second graders also tasted dulce de leche, a sweet, caramel-type of spread eaten in Argentina and many parts of South America.
JAN
This month, students in second grade worked on naming and jumping on all of the twenty-one Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map independently. Many have demonstrated complete mastery of this skill—bravo! In the written world, they began differentiating between statements and questions “quiero/I want and ¿puedo?/can I?”, in both speaking and writing (e.g., intonation, punctuation). Here, second graders chose various (differentiated) modes to express themselves; while some opted for a fill-in-the-blank style letter or posting to Seesaw, others preferred to “text” back and forth to a friend in Spanish on printed out phone templates (not sure if this counts as tech integration or not!).
In order to emphasize why spelling and details matter, they learned about a true translation disaster: once, shirts were printed for the Pope’s visit, but the translator messed up and the shirts ended up saying, “I love potatoes” (la papa/potato, el Papa/the Pope, el papá/dad)—whoops! Translations are funny things: we like “see you later, alligator” in English because of the sound, but in Spanish, in order for it to rhyme, you say, “Adiós, corazón de arroz” (goodbye, heart of rice). Second graders had a good laugh at that one!
Once second graders became pretty comfortable with naming the Spanish-speaking countries, they took a day to redesign the Spanish room for a more project-based approach. Some days, culture was merely a fun fact or short activity. For example, when students saw a thirty-second video of sneezing iguanas (Ecuador), they physically reacted—jumping and sneezing around the room for a few minutes, mimicking the reptiles’ action. Another class, they ate twelve grapes and hoisted a plastic disco ball to celebrate the New Year in Spain.
On other days, however, culture was a full-fledged project: students cut out feathers to create a bulletin board display of the Andean Condor, a bird with a wingspan of nearly eleven feet; built a replica of the Alhambra (Spain) out of cardboard boxes and massive amounts of tape, and then decorated the Moorish palace with painted geometric tiles (a lot of LS classes helped with this!); and drew out the Nazca Lines (Peru) with masking tape all over the floor—designs in the desert that you can only see from an airplane.
MAR
This month*, students in second grade had fun adjusting to a new daily routine: at the door of the Spanish Cave, after one student says, “Dime la contraseña” (tell me the password), the other responds with the fruit or vegetable of the week (that is, naranja/orange, plátano/banana, zanahoria/carrot, espárrago/asparagus, melocotón, durazno/peach, arándano/blueberry, cebolla/onion). To start the month, they took a day to welcome seventh graders and listen to Powerpoint presentations of mini-stories that students had written in the target language. After phasing out their center work (e.g., quiero trabajar en la máquina del tiempo/I want to work on the time machine; quiero jugar baloncesto, ajedrez/I want to play basketball, chess; quiero ser una espía/I want to be a spy), second graders launched into several new culture projects with the question and song, “¿Adónde vas?” (Where are you going?).
First, they “went” to Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia) and tasted sal/salt—and azúcar/sugar, just for fun!—because it is the largest salt flat in the world. The interesting thing, is that during the rainy season, a thin layer of water over the salt allows the sky to be reflected perfectly, which is especially gorgeous during sunrises, sunsets, and starry nights. Second graders recreated these symmetrical reflections with watercolors by folding papers in half.
Later, students began assembling paper cubes to build a replica of “El Castillo”, a pyramid in Chichen Itza (Mexico), which is famous for its extraordinary mathematical calculations: every year, exactly on the equinox, a shadow of a tail appears on the side of the pyramid, which aligns perfectly with a snake head. While recreating the shadow itself would be difficult, second graders worked together to try to build the pyramid as a class. They also tasted fried plantains (patacones or tostones) that first and third graders had made (a popular snack in many Spanish-speaking countries), and were encouraged to make them at home. Last but not least, they played a game called Tingo-Tingo-Tango (Colombia).
More recently, second graders have been building their vocabularies by playing Policías y ladrones (Cops and Robbers) outside: quiero ser un policía/I want to be a police officer; ¡a la cárcel!/go to jail!; no quiero ir/I don’t want to go; ayúdame/help me; soy inocente/I’m innocent; libertad/freedom; no evidencia/no evidence; juez(a)/judge). 2.A also took a day to act out a very exciting pirate play in the target language, with kings, queens, a boy named Target and a pirate named Jimmy, a shipwreck during a terrible storm/tormenta, and an evil forest allergic to maíz/corn. It has been an exciting few months.
**NOTE: Parents with children in multiple grades may notice that there has been some overlap in terms of content between the grades this past month and half. The purpose here is twofold. First, when children realize that they know the same Spanish vocabulary, a conversation begins—a door opens between grade levels where everyone is invited to the Party called Learning! If everyone in the world only knew segregated vocabularies, no one could talk to anyone.
Second, in the cultural realm, and now that students have more or less mastered the map, projects have begun popping up all around the Spanish room. When a class enters and there are suddenly masking tape designs all over the floor and a cardboard box tower in the corner, they naturally want to learn why and who and where and how and what. Of course, lessons are differentiated and age-appropriate, but it is absurdly exciting to hear first and fifth graders reference La Alhambra (Spain) or ‘jugar’/play in conversation. I feel that it builds a more inclusive, Spanish language-learning community when there are a few common building blocks.
This month, students in first grade chose individualized password cards, and then practiced thinking up ways to physically act out each one as part of their beginning-of-class routine. Later, students read the daily Letter from Pato—a very lovable, stuffed animal duck who is learning how to read Spanish himself; jammed to the theme song from Rompe Ralph/Wreck-It Ralph; and signed up for centers in the target language (colorear/color; jugar/play). Each week, a new center (and sight word) will be added, so that by the end of the year, first graders will have a substantial word collection.
First graders have already demonstrated ownership and agency within these centers, as in one class, the “jugar/play” center morphed from a golf course spread out across the Spanish room (with plastic white balls and paper cups) to a bowling alley (stacking the cups and knocking them down with colorful, oversized dice). Another day, “jugar/play” became a class parade, complete with students marching around the room to Spain’s National Anthem, all while dressed up in scarves and sombreros, and carrying a huge flag of Spain. Language grows ever deeper within a meaningful context; when its layers and roots begin to connect with real-life experiences and memories, “jugar/play” is no longer a translation, but a breathing, living entity in students’ minds. Gracias for a great month.
SEPT
This month, students in first grade continued acting out their password cards and reading the daily letter from Pato. By the end of September, students were able to recite the letter as a class group effort—bravo! First graders also watched a silly video called, “¿Puedo ir al baño?” (Can I go to the bathroom?), and practiced naming Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay.
They continued to add centers to the daily Letter from Pato as well (who managed to fit in a quick trip to Argentina while first graders were working hard and he was, ahem, hardly working). Centers—i.e., sight words—up to this point include: colorear/to color; jugar/to play; pintar/to paint; construir/to build; cantar/to sing; and the newest addition, hablar/to talk. To start building short sentences in the target language, first graders added, “Quiero” (I want/‘key-arrow’) when signing up for centers: for example, Quiero pintar/I want to paint.
As their list of centers begins to grow, students learn vocabulary specific and relevant to each center. For example, in one class, the porristas/ cheerleaders learned a cheer for the soccer game (este partido, lo vamos a ganar/we’re going to win this game), whereas students more interested in coloring or painting learned words like papel/ paper, cinta/ tape, tarjetas/ cards, marcadores/ markers, etc. As a result, and when first graders want to try a new center, they are encouraged to teach each other new words. That way, it becomes a genuine community of learners where knowledge is not hoarded but rather shared for the growth and advancement of all. Gracias for a great month.
T1
This trimester, students in first grade practiced acting out their password cards, reading the Letter from Pato, naming the Spanish-speaking countries in South America on the tape floor map, and singing and dancing along to daily class songs (esp. Rompe Ralph, Moana in Spanish, and “¿Puedo ir al baño?” [Can I go to the bathroom?]). Their primary focus, however, was on signing up for centers in the target language, and adding new sight words each week. Centers are teacher-guided but ultimately student-created.
For example, when “construir” (to build) was added, first graders grew this into a complex fort-building project—with chairs, blankets, flags, cardboard boxes, a spinning disco ball, etc.—until “Quiero construir una fortaleza” (I want to build a fort) rolled off their tongues. When they tired of that, soccer games and paper dragon-type creature crafts became the new rage. Later, students worked on leading group discussions with the question, “¿Qué quieres hacer?” (“K key-air-race ah-s(air)”/What do you want to do?). They also took a day to learn about El Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead, and made connections with the movie Coco. Gracias for a great first trimester.
*Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela.
KEY VOCABULARY: Quiero pintar/I want to paint; Quiero construir una fortaleza/ I want to build a fort; Quiero jugar (al fútbol)/ I want to play (soccer); Quiero colorear/ I want to color; Quiero cantar/ I want to sing; Quiero bailar/ I want to dance; Quiero hablar/ I want to talk; ¿Puedo ir al baño?/ Can I go to the bathroom?; las tarjetas/ cards (index); los marcadores/ markers; la bandera/ the flag; la cinta/ tape; el papel/ paper; por favor/ please; este partido, lo vamos a ganar/ we’re going to win this game (chant/only 1.A); and much, much more. Newer: ¿Qué quieres hacer?/ What do you want to do?
NOV
This month, students in first grade continued naming more Spanish-speaking countries and adding new centers to their Spanish sight word collection (e.g., dormir/to sleep; trabajar/to work—students get to use the fake dinero/money and ‘work’ at the bank). They also began using lapices/pencils instead of marcadores/markers when signing up for centers, and explained with whom they were planning on playing (Quiero jugar con…/I want to play with…), both to learn the word ‘with’ as well as how to spell their classmates’ names.
As part of the beginning-of-class routine, first graders also jammed out to Feliz Navidad and pretended to be príncipes/princes, princesas/ princesses, reyes/kings, reinas/queens, unicornios/ unicorns, caballeros/ knights, caballos/horses,and more (the teacher went around and placed an invisible crown on their heads). Students have become masters at the daily routine and enjoy adding new, creative pieces to the ever-evolving puzzle each week.
JAN
This month, students in first grade began differentiating between “¿Qué quieres ser?” (What do you want to be?) and “¿Qué quieres hacer?” (What do you want to do?). This was actually an unintentional wordplay that grew out of the class activity of pretending to be príncipes/princes, princesas/princesses, reyes/kings, reinas/queens, unicornios/unicorns, futbolistas/soccer players, caballos/horses, perritos/puppies, and bufones/jestors from last month. As a result, “Quiero ser…” (I want to be) became the new rage; but phonetically, it was a challenge to hear the difference between ser (“s[air]”/to be) and hacer (“ah-s[air]”/to do).
First graders alternated days writing and speaking in the target language, while continuing their map practice. The majority can now name fourteen of the twenty-one Spanish-speaking countries—bravo! Their official class song has changed as well: the translated version of Wreck-It Ralph/Rompe Ralph (by Auryn, a pop group from Spain) had been a favorite for many months, but with the clean slate and fresh air of 2019 came a new beat—Hoy es domingo (Today is Sunday) by Diego Torres. It is about how wonderfully relaxing Sundays can be, and students have already started singing along with the words.
Last but not least, and as part of an all-of-Lower-School project, first graders painted and colored tiles for the class fort, aka La Alhambra, which is based on an actual Moorish palace/fortress in southern Spain.
MAR
This month*, students in first grade began class by putting their shoes in the center of the circle and tapping their feet to the names of each of the Spanish-speaking countries they knew (instead of jumping on the map, for a change). They also had fun singing the “Buenos días” song (good morning) and explaining how they were feeling that day.
To enter the room, prior to any of this, they were required to repeat the fruit or vegetable password of the week (that is, naranja/orange, plátano/ banana, zanahoria/carrot, espárrago/ asparagus, melocotón or durazno/ peach, arándano/blueberry, cebolla/onion). Students’ end-of-class routine was to try and clean up before their teacher arrived and then wait, crouched down in line with the lights off, so that they could jump up and shout, “¡Sorpresa!” (surprise), once their teacher returned—the surprise being that they had cleaned up on time.
In the linguistic realm, in order to build their noun vocabularies, first graders focused on completing the sentence, “Necesito…” (I need). First graders presented at the class podium in front of their peers (¡Hola! Buenos días. Soy X. Hoy quiero X. Necesito X. ¡Próximo!/Hello! Good morning. I’m X. Today I want to X. I need X. Next!), and some of these new nouns quickly became class jokes. For example, one girl uses the word, “cobija” (blanket) at home with her Spanish-speaking nanny, and as a result, took this opportunity to teach it to all of her classmates, repeating, “Cobija-cobija-cobija-cobija-cobija” nonstop whenever anyone asked her.
In 1.A, the word, “Chocolate” (‘cho-koh-lah-tay’) reduced everyone to giggles. The ‘chocolate’ piece came about after learning a Mexican rhyme (Bate, bate chocolate, tu nariz de cacahuate/stir, stir the chocolate, your nose is a peanut!), and seeing a video about how the tool used to stir the chocolate—un molinillo—is carved out of wood. It is absolutely gorgeous.
After first graders asked how to say, ‘fox’ in Spanish, they learned that ‘zorro’, or fox, was also the name of a fictitious character who used to save people in trouble (that took place in the Mexico/California region), and would carve the sign of the “Z” wherever he went to let the villains know he had been there. Students watched the black and white introduction and theme song to this show from 1958; some were even overheard afterwards declaring, “¡Soy Zorro!” (I’m Zorro!).
Later, they played Musical Chairs and a game from Colombia called Tingo-Tingo-Tango, and calmed down with a “siesta” (nap) after hearing about this custom in Spain—all of the businesses really do shut down in the middle of the day! Last but not least, they enjoyed marching around to Spain’s National Anthem; watched Pocoyó: Piratas and El perro y el gato; and—as you already know—cooked and tasted fried plantains (patacones or tostones), which are eaten in many Spanish-speaking countries.
This month, kindergarteners met “Pato”, a very lovable and silly stuffed animal who speaks Spanish but forgets how to say a lot of things… a lot of the time. However, he always has a new idea up his sleeve (wing?). For example, one week, kindergarteners took turns hoisting him up-up-up to the sky on a yarn pulley so that he could learn how to fly. This skill became particularly relevant and useful after a tremendous baking soda and vinegar volcanic eruption forced him to flee for safety. Kindergarteners crinkled their noses after getting a chance to smell the vinegar and then gasped as the powder turned into a foamy mess.
Students also had fun lining up as a class “tren/train”, repeating “el cacahuete/peanut” and dancing to the beat (part of a rhyme kindergartners will learn later on), and stopping periodically to fill up the gas tank. They also learned how to say, “Tengo sed/I’m thirsty” to get a drink from the water fountain; responded to action and animal commands in the target language; giggled as they read the translated version of ¡No, David! by David Shannon, responding “¡Qué problema!” to each page when David misbehaves; and worked on a design project that involved food coloring, paper, and coffee filters. Gracias for a great month.
SEPT
This month, kindergarteners began an ocean unit. First, and whenever they wanted to go get a drink (Tengo sed/I’m thirsty), students were required to bring back a cup of water to the classroom from the water fountain. In this way, they managed to fill up a plastic container (más agua/more water); underneath the clear plastic was a printout of sea creatures, making it appear to be the ocean—especially after adding a few drops of blue food coloring. Later, kindergarteners hypothesized whether or not items would float or sink (flota/floats; se hunde/sinks), and later built group boats out of Popsicle sticks (barcos/boats), complete with paper flags! To test their craftsmanship, students put the boats in a bowl of water (2.A) and kiddie pool outside (2.B) and watched as they… ultimately sank, ¡qué problema! Students also made catalejos/spyglasses with orcas and octopi and fish at the end of the telescopes, pretending to be pirates, and saw a very relevant episode of Pocoyo: Pirates.
To shift away from constant trips to the water fountain, a new song was introduced: “Tengo hambre” (I’m hungry). Afterwards, students broke off into groups and used tiny, lightweight, wicker-type balls to knock down “fish”, or GI Joe men standing on pictures of sea creatures. Then they shouted, “¡No me comas!” (don’t eat me!), and giggled as a ravenous tiburón/shark (read: manila folder with scary shark pictures) ate up all of the knocked down “fish”.
Kindergarteners also searched for “tesoro-tesoro-tesoro-TREASURE!” at the bottom of the sea; watched a few more episodes of Pocoyo; and, lastly, built a submarine out of chairs to keep them safe from any other hungry sharks (grande/big; pequeño/small). Gracias for a great month.
T1
This trimester, students in kindergarten experienced immersion in the target language through a variety of multi-sensory and scientific activities. From hoisting their stuffed animal friend Pato up-up-up to the sky on a yarn pulley so that he could learn how to fly; to crinkling their noses at the smell of vinegar and gasping as baking soda turned it into a foamy, volcanic eruption mess; to a design project that involved food coloring, paper, and coffee filters; to building group boats out of Popsicle sticks, complete with paper flags; to floating and sinking objects and pirate adventures with spyglasses; […]
to searching for treasure, swimming away from hungry sharks, building submarines, singing along with Elmo to Para bailar la bamba and making sailor hats and boat steering wheels; to fort building, fruit markets, and writing Spanish sight words for the very first time; and finally, to making a class video of their ocean unit and learning about molinillos, a wooden tool used to stir chocolate in Mexico (bate, bate chocolate, tu nariz de cacachuate/stir, stir the chocolate, your nose is a peanut!), kindergarteners certainly gave it their “all”. Gracias for a great first trimester.
NOTE: If you would like to reinforce Spanish at home, one of the best ways is to watch cartoons and listen to songs (with your child) in the target language; their brains do an incredible amount of work subconsciously just by listening to comprehensible input. Click below for links, and feel free to scroll down on this page HERE for movies in Spanish.
KEY VOCABULARY: tengo hambre/I’m hungry; tengo sed/I’m thirsty; el cacahuate/ peanut; el tiburón/ shark; no me comas/don’t eat me; yo no soy marinero, soy capitán/I’m not a sailor, I’m the captain; el barco/boat; el submarino/submarine; Pato/duck; el tesoro/treasure; flota/floats; se hunde/sinks; la fortaleza/fort; la fruta/fruit; los pececitos/fish; más agua, por favor/more water, please; bate, bate, chocolate/stir, stir the chocolate (rhyme); and much, much more.
NOV
This month, students in kindergarten spent a class learning about El Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead, and were thoroughly fascinated by a silent film about the holiday—so much so, in fact, that each class ending up watching the three-minute video on repeat for a minimum of thirty minutes. To tap into the essential question of their regular classroom, kindergarteners made superhero masks to demonstrate their own personal poder, or power; learned a po-der-o-so/powerful clapping rhyme; and built card houses, until the power of various forces (esp. air and breath) knocked down the delicate constructions.
Students at first thought that agua/water was not powerful, until they considered hurricanes. K.B also made a planetarium of stars underneath one of the tables in the Spanish room—the power of the beauty of the night sky? Finally, they began a structured free play unit, where students chose and wrote down a Spanish sight word; this determined their activity for the day (e.g., colorear/color; jugar/play). Many kindergarteners tilted their heads, a bit perplexed, when trying to match the “who-garr” pronunciation with a word that starts with “j”; their understanding of the phonetics world has officially been turned upside-down!
JAN
This month, students in kindergarten continued with their free play unit, with a special focus on math in the target language. Here, class begins with a Buenos días (good morning) song and answering the question, “¿Cómo estás?” (how are you?) with muy bien/very good, bien/good, mal/bad, tengo sueño/I’m sleepy, tengo sed/I’m thirsty, tengo hambre/I’m hungry, or me duele/it hurts (~head, knee, etc.).
Next, kindergarteners make a class bar graph of who wants to do what—colorear/color, jugar/play, pintar/paint, dormir/sleep, construir/build, or leer/read—and practice counting the votes (from cero/zero), working to isolate numbers and identify them out of sequence. Students note which is the tallest column, and sometimes even try to add all of them together to see the total. Granted, this number is slightly skewed and does not represent the number of students in class because they are allowed to choose more than one activity. Next, kindergarteners proceed to write their preferred sight word on the board before launching into said activity. Students heard Corre, perro, corre (Go, Dog, Go) over several classes as well (¿Te gusta mi sombrero?/Do you like my hat?; Sí me gusta/yes, I like it; No, no me gusta/no, I don’t like it).
Students also hum and sing along with Feliz Navidad, Rompe Ralph, and Para bailar la bamba playing in the background, many times without even realizing they are doing so! Please feel free to add these songs (links on my website) to your car playlist and see if your children notice, just for fun!
MAR
This month*, students in kindergarten were encouraged to add more depth to their center work. The sight word, ir/to go (pronunciation: ‘ear’), for instance, became an entire week’s activity. Steps 1-5 as follows: build an airplane out of chairs (construir un avión); draw a plane ticket with name, destination, and a picture of the flag of said destination; pack a bag with clothes and toys; order jugo/juice, agua/water, and/or fruta/fruit from the stewardess (yours truly); and land after a tiny bit of [feigned] turbulence. Some students traveled to Mexico and the Alhambra in Spain (la fortaleza/the fort), while others ventured as far as China, and one even went to Colorado for the skiing—read: taped paper skis onto her sneakers and pretended to ski down the Lower School hallway.
Another week, kindergarteners wanted to play with the [fake] dinero/ money in the Spanish classroom, but had to think up ways to earn it—money is not free for the taking; you must be willing to work/trabajar. As a result, some students tidied the classroom, while others felt inspired to set up small businesses after seeing photos of the popular street markets/mercados or ferias in Argentina. Students set out blankets on the floor, and sold everything from art supplies to stuffed animals. A few even started making paper wallets to hold their cash. Nice!
In the culture realm, kindergarteners made abanicos, or hand-held fans, and learned that due to the extreme heat, daily siestas/naps are part of the culture (Spain). They also practiced basic steps to the Tango. This is a ballroom dance from Argentina, but was taught with the American T-A-N-G-O style because the Argentine variations are too difficult for this age. Additionally, they sang along with and danced to A mí me gusta bailar el ritmo vuelta, a Merengue group dance, and took a day to play a game called Tingo-Tingo-Tango (Colombia).
Finally, students watched a few new episodes of Pocoyo (including Pocoyo: Despierta; Pocoyo: El baño de Loula); mimicked the movements in two silly videos about animal sounds in Spanish that have more than a billion hits online (Pollito Pío: Original/ Venganza); were intrigued by a calming flower/flor mindfulness activity; practiced saying, “¡Sorpresa!” (surprise) when their teacher came to pick them up; and worked to master their trickiest sight word yet: “y”—which means ‘and’ but is pronounced like the English alphabet letter “e”.
This month, students in PreK learned that “Señorita” speaks Spanish, which sounds a little different than English. They were not sure at first that they could follow the strange new mix of sounds, but after a few “tests” (toca la cabeza/touch your head, salta/jump, etc.), Junior Knights realized it was not so difficult—even if it still sounded funny! In terms of content, students heard and followed gestures for the song Saco una manita; responded to action commands; met a stuffed animal duck named Pato, who will be their trusty companion all year long; made monsters out of paper, cups, and green pipe cleaners; and took a ‘Field Trip’ down the long Lower School hallway to identify all of the puertas/doors (note: there are quite a few).
They also jammed to the theme song from Rompe Ralph/Wreck-It Ralph, and watched two episodes of the cartoon Pocoyo in the target language. Many lessons this year will be built around Pocoyo: students will do a class project or hear a story, and then watch a cartoon that follows the same theme and vocabulary. Gracias for a great month!
SEPT
This month, students in PreK continued responding to action commands (cohete/rocket ship, baila/dance, marcha/march), following the gestures for the song Saco una manita, dancing to Rompe Ralph/Wreck-It Ralph, and watching relevant Pocoyo episodes (Pocoyo:La llave maestra; Pocoyo: Vamos de pesca; Pocoyo: Grande y pequeño). They also practiced requesting markers [colors] in the target language during project time. One week, for example, students made fishing poles with Pato out of Popsicle sticks, yarn, and tape. After decorating the poles, they were able to “go fishing” in a kiddie pool filled with pictures of sea creatures—the adhesiveness of the tape “caught” the paper fish!
Another week, students played a hot/cold game while searching for tesoro-tesoro-tesoro-TREASURE! Inspired by their enthusiasm for treasure, the teacher presented two different types of treasure, divided by size—gigantic stuffed animals and tiny books, cars, and beads (grande/ big; pequeño/ small). Students then chose a size, and either 1) filled a box with very large or very small treasures; or 2) drew a very large or very small picture. Some pre-kindergarteners even taped multiple pieces of paper together to make their drawings even bigger—bravo! Later, students made an enormous car out of chairs in the classroom. Where will they go? Only time will tell. Gracias for a great month!
T1
This trimester, students in PK responded to action commands (baila/dance, toca la cabeza/touch your head, salta/jump, da la vuelta/turn around, etc.); sang along with Saco una manita; followed the gestures to Estrellita (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star); danced to Rompe Ralph/Wreck-It Ralph; and watched relevant Pocoyo episodes—see my website for links. Basic skills such as color and number practice were incorporated into project days, of which there were many.
From making monsters out of paper, cups, and green pipe cleaners and taking a ‘Field Trip’ down the long Lower School hallway to identify all of the puertas/doors, to fishing with Pato for sea creatures in a kiddie pool, searching for tesoro-tesoro-tesoro-TREASURE!, painting cohetes/ rocket ships, building towers out of cups, blocks, and markers, getting stuck in traffic with ‘car-chairs’, playing Luz roja, luz verde (Red Light, Green Light), and marveling at the sound and feel of maracas, students adjusted well to being immersed in the target language. Gracias for a great first trimester.
NOV
This month, students in PK only had two classes, due to the Thanksgiving break and Trim the Towne celebration. (This is why the Spanish Seesaw Corner has been virtually silent [bad pun] as of late.) In one class, they made spiders and spider webs out of a variety of materials to make connections with the nature unit in their regular classroom.
The following week, they practiced saying and acting out the lyrics to a clapping rhyme in the target language—Jorge robó pan en la casa de San Juan/quién, yo/sí, tú/yo no fui/entonces, quién? (lit., George stole bread in Saint John’s house/who, me/yes, you/it wasn’t me/then, who?)—where “Jorge” becomes each persons’ name in the circle. It is a difficult rhyme to catch on in one class, but students did quite well with the challenge. As always, feel free to visit my website below for links and more information.
JAN
This month, students in PK continued experiencing the target language in context with more project days. For example, one week, they stretched the creative part of their brain by seeing what they could make with a single sheet of paper—no other materials allowed! Initial frustration—no scissors? no markers?!—turned into something beautiful by the end: from treasure maps and a shirt to telescopes, the letter “r” and a pizza, students’ imagination shined. Another week, they painted tiles for the Alhambra fort that other Lower School students had built for the Spanish room, and then had fun taking a “siesta” (nap) inside the cardboard construction.
Pre-kindergarteners also practiced singing along with the Buenos días (good morning) song and answering the question, “¿Cómo estás?” (how are you?) with muy bien/very good, bien/good, mal/bad, or tengo sueño/I’m sleepy. Students kept track of who said what, and then counted how many of each response there were as a class (uno-dos-tres, etc.). They were encouraged to not spit out a series of numbers and instead focus on relating number values with individual digits.
While learning how to count to ten is valuable, it is more meaningful to understand that “tres” is “three”. In the culture realm, they heard the Legend of the Poinsettias (Mexico) for Christmas, and then ate twelve grapes to celebrate the New Year (tradition in Spain).
MAR
This month*, students in PK worked on a variety of culture-based projects to point out that Spanish is spoken in many different places (and not “just” Spain and Mexico). For example, one day, they made and played güiros—an instrument from the Caribbean—out of paper and toothpicks, and tried to identify this unique sound in the song, La cucaracha (the cockroach).
Another day, to connect with their classroom nature unit, they discussed where salt comes from, and then tasted salt and made watercolor reflections of the sky based on photos of the largest salt flat in the world, Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia); during the rainy season, a thin layer of water over the salt allows the sky to be reflected perfectly, which is especially gorgeous during sunrises, sunsets, and starry nights.
Pre-kindergarteners ‘traveled’ to Costa Rica the following week, and made Morpho butterflies with tissue paper, while listening to a song called Mariposita (little butterfly); these creatures are naturally bright blue in color and found in some parts of South America as well. Finally, students learned a popular rhyme from Mexico (Bate, bate chocolate, tu nariz de cacahuate/stir, stir the chocolate, your nose is a peanut!), and saw a video about how the tool used to stir the chocolate—un molinillo—is carved out of wood.
Students also played musical chairs, where the person who ‘gets out’ has to answer a question in Spanish; played duck-duck-goose (pato-pato-ganso); read Itzi Bitzi Araña (Itsy Bitsy Spider, to go along with the song); saw several new Pocoyo episodes (Pocoyó: Mercado; Pocoyó: Supermercado; and Pocoyó: La ducha de Pato); and continued with their regular classroom routine–i.e., passwords to enter the Spanish room, songs, action commands, and circle time.
*Note that my definition of “month” here is not necessarily aligned with society’s views on temporality…
MEXICO: This is amate bark paper from Mexico. The Kid World Citizen blog has an article about amate paper and a great project how-to. Read below for a quick history of the art.
As the year has progressed (we are already in the third trimester!), I have learned that many families have a connection with one or more of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries in our world. Some of you speak only Spanish at home with your children, others speak a mixture of Spanish and English, and others have a strong cultural presence, in the sense that you celebrate certain traditions, play childhood games, tell stories, sing songs, or make recipes from many of these places.
I love learning about different cultures and adore the Spanish language, but I did not grow up speaking Spanish at home; therefore, I would love to hear from those of you who have, and feel that it would be valuable to our student body if you were able to share some of your wisdom and experiences. That said, I am now formally inviting any of you who feel passionate and knowledgeable about some aspect of Spanish and/or Hispanic culture (e.g., music, food, games, sports, holidays, traditions, etc.) to come speak and present to a class or classes, to be scheduled after spring break.
If this piques your interest, please let me know by the end of March**, so that I have time to work on a schedule. If there is a lot of interest, perhaps we could schedule some sort of assembly or have weekly speakers. And if you are interested but have not decided on a topic yet, just let me know the country and we can figure out the details later. Thanks for reading and have a great week. ¡Muchas gracias!
**For 2019-20, the invitation to present is open and ongoing throughout the year.
I used to be quite good at mazes. I could see where to go and how to get there without much effort or thought. Getting from start to finish was very clear in my mind; intuition simply led me there when I was younger. Lit by imaginary crystal chandeliers–sunlight filtering down through the leaves [komorebi/木漏れ日, Japanese]–the path was covered in soft brown pine needles. My best friend, it kept me safe, calmed me, gave me confidence to travel.
Imagine my surprise, then, when someone sold off part of the land to a developer. Suddenly, the path began to change. Loggers chopped down spruces and evergreens by the hundreds. I didn’t know or recognize where I was anymore. My spatial abilities disappeared like an exhalation–gone, sucked into the void. New buildings and boulevards began popping up everywhere: popcorn kernels jumping in a pot of oil without a lid. Real estate took off, and much like the old-school version of SimCity, I watched as sidewalks replaced grassy fields, neighbors moved in next door, and skyscrapers and restaurants littered the world. My world. Except that I was not in charge of this urban development, and didn’t know who was. No one had asked me. Couldn’t I at least have been paid off?
The mental labyrinth, once an easy, back road cornfield maze and my dear friend, mocked me when I reached “No Outlet” signs, let out an evil cackle when the chandeliers broke, wouldn’t reveal who or what forces insisted on such radical changes. I felt abandoned and alone: Me separated from Myself and I.
As we grow older and wiser, the labyrinth also grows and expands. Emotional layers develop, becoming cloud forests on the path: we squint in the face of heavy water droplets but see no further. What was clear in childhood is no longer so transparent. So we move on, step by step, and trust that “Sometimes our lives have to be completely shaken up, changed, and rearranged to relocate us to the place we’re meant to be.”
This month*, students in PK worked on a variety of culture-based projects to point out that Spanish is spoken in many different places (and not “just” Spain and Mexico). For example, one day, they made and played güiros—an instrument from the Caribbean—out of paper and toothpicks, and tried to identify this unique sound in the song, La cucaracha (the cockroach).
Another day, to connect with their classroom nature unit, they discussed where salt comes from, and then tasted salt and made watercolor reflections of the sky based on photos of the largest salt flat in the world, Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia); during the rainy season, a thin layer of water over the salt allows the sky to be reflected perfectly, which is especially gorgeous during sunrises, sunsets, and starry nights.
Pre-kindergarteners ‘traveled’ to Costa Rica the following week, and made Morpho butterflies with tissue paper, while listening to a song called Mariposita (little butterfly); these creatures are naturally bright blue in color and found in some parts of South America as well. Finally, students learned a popular rhyme from Mexico (Bate, bate chocolate, tu nariz de cacahuate/stir, stir the chocolate, your nose is a peanut!), and saw a video about how the tool used to stir the chocolate—un molinillo—is carved out of wood.
Students also played musical chairs, where the person who ‘gets out’ has to answer a question in Spanish; played duck-duck-goose (pato-pato-ganso); read Itzi Bitzi Araña (Itsy Bitsy Spider, to go along with the song); saw several new Pocoyo episodes (Pocoyó: Mercado; Pocoyó: Supermercado; and Pocoyó: La ducha de Pato); and continued with their regular classroom routine–i.e., passwords to enter the Spanish room, songs, action commands, and circle time.
*Note that my definition of “month” here is not necessarily aligned with society’s views on temporality…
K
This month*, students in kindergarten were encouraged to add more depth to their center work. The sight word, i/to go (pronunciation: ‘ear’), for instance, became an entire week’s activity. Steps 1-5 as follows: build an airplane out of chairs (construir un avión); draw a plane ticket with name, destination, and a picture of the flag of said destination; pack a bag with clothes and toys; order jugo/juice, agua/water, and/or fruta/fruit from the stewardess (yours truly); and land after a tiny bit of [feigned] turbulence. Some students traveled to Mexico and the Alhambra in Spain (la fortaleza/the fort), while others ventured as far as China, and one even went to Colorado for the skiing—read: taped paper skis onto her sneakers and pretended to ski down the Lower School hallway.
Another week, kindergarteners wanted to play with the [fake] dinero/ money in the Spanish classroom, but had to think up ways to earn it—money is not free for the taking; you must be willing to work/trabajar. As a result, some students tidied the classroom, while others felt inspired to set up small businesses after seeing photos of the popular street markets/mercados or ferias in Argentina. Students set out blankets on the floor, and sold everything from art supplies to stuffed animals. A few even started making paper wallets to hold their cash. Nice!
In the culture realm, kindergarteners made abanicos, or hand-held fans, and learned that due to the extreme heat, daily siestas/naps are part of the culture (Spain). They also practiced basic steps to the Tango. This is a ballroom dance from Argentina, but was taught with the American T-A-N-G-O style because the Argentine variations are too difficult for this age. Additionally, they sang along with and danced to A mí me gusta bailar el ritmo vuelta, a Merengue group dance, and took a day to play a game called Tingo-Tingo-Tango (Colombia).
Finally, students watched a few new episodes of Pocoyo (including Pocoyo: Despierta; Pocoyo: El baño de Loula); mimicked the movements in two silly videos about animal sounds in Spanish that have more than a billion hits online (Pollito Pío: Original/ Venganza); were intrigued by a calming flower/flor mindfulness activity; practiced saying, “¡Sorpresa!” (surprise) when their teacher came to pick them up; and worked to master their trickiest sight word yet: “y”—which means ‘and’ but is pronounced like the English alphabet letter “e”.
1
This month*, students in first grade began class by putting their shoes in the center of the circle and tapping their feet to the names of each of the Spanish-speaking countries they knew (instead of jumping on the map, for a change). They also had fun singing the “Buenos días” song (good morning) and explaining how they were feeling that day.
To enter the room, prior to any of this, they were required to repeat the fruit or vegetable password of the week (that is, naranja/orange, plátano/ banana, zanahoria/carrot, espárrago/ asparagus, melocotón or durazno/ peach, arándano/blueberry, cebolla/onion). Students’ end-of-class routine was to try and clean up before their teacher arrived and then wait, crouched down in line with the lights off, so that they could jump up and shout, “¡Sorpresa!” (surprise), once their teacher returned—the surprise being that they had cleaned up on time.
In the linguistic realm, in order to build their noun vocabularies, first graders focused on completing the sentence, “Necesito…” (I need). First graders presented at the class podium in front of their peers (¡Hola! Buenos días. Soy X. Hoy quiero X. Necesito X. ¡Próximo!/Hello! Good morning. I’m X. Today I want to X. I need X. Next!), and some of these new nouns quickly became class jokes. For example, one girl uses the word, “cobija” (blanket) at home with her Spanish-speaking nanny, and as a result, took this opportunity to teach it to all of her classmates, repeating, “Cobija-cobija-cobija-cobija-cobija” nonstop whenever anyone asked her.
In 1.A, the word, “Chocolate” (‘cho-koh-lah-tay’) reduced everyone to giggles. The ‘chocolate’ piece came about after learning a Mexican rhyme (Bate, bate chocolate, tu nariz de cacahuate/stir, stir the chocolate, your nose is a peanut!), and seeing a video about how the tool used to stir the chocolate—un molinillo—is carved out of wood. It is absolutely gorgeous.
After first graders asked how to say, ‘fox’ in Spanish, they learned that ‘zorro’, or fox, was also the name of a fictitious character who used to save people in trouble (that took place in the Mexico/California region), and would carve the sign of the “Z” wherever he went to let the villains know he had been there. Students watched the black and white introduction and theme song to this show from 1958; some were even overheard afterwards declaring, “¡Soy Zorro!” (I’m Zorro!).
Later, they played Musical Chairs and a game from Colombia called Tingo-Tingo-Tango, and calmed down with a “siesta” (nap) after hearing about this custom in Spain—all of the businesses really do shut down in the middle of the day! Last but not least, they enjoyed marching around to Spain’s National Anthem; watched Pocoyó: Piratas and El perro y el gato; and—as you already know—cooked and tasted fried plantains (patacones or tostones), which are eaten in many Spanish-speaking countries.
2
This month*, students in second grade had fun adjusting to a new daily routine: at the door of the Spanish Cave, after one student says, “Dime la contraseña” (tell me the password), the other responds with the fruit or vegetable of the week (that is, naranja/orange, plátano/banana, zanahoria/carrot, espárrago/asparagus, melocotón, durazno/peach, arándano/blueberry, cebolla/onion). To start the month, they took a day to welcome seventh graders and listen to Powerpoint presentations of mini-stories that students had written in the target language. After phasing out their center work (e.g., quiero trabajar en la máquina del tiempo/I want to work on the time machine; quiero jugar baloncesto, ajedrez/I want to play basketball, chess; quiero ser una espía/I want to be a spy), second graders launched into several new culture projects with the question and song, “¿Adónde vas?” (Where are you going?).
First, they “went” to Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia) and tasted sal/salt—and azúcar/sugar, just for fun!—because it is the largest salt flat in the world. The interesting thing, is that during the rainy season, a thin layer of water over the salt allows the sky to be reflected perfectly, which is especially gorgeous during sunrises, sunsets, and starry nights. Second graders recreated these symmetrical reflections with watercolors by folding papers in half.
Later, students began assembling paper cubes to build a replica of “El Castillo”, a pyramid in Chichen Itza (Mexico), which is famous for its extraordinary mathematical calculations: every year, exactly on the equinox, a shadow of a tail appears on the side of the pyramid, which aligns perfectly with a snake head. While recreating the shadow itself would be difficult, second graders worked together to try to build the pyramid as a class. They also tasted fried plantains (patacones or tostones) that first and third graders had made (a popular snack in many Spanish-speaking countries), and were encouraged to make them at home. Last but not least, they played a game called Tingo-Tingo-Tango (Colombia).
More recently, second graders have been building their vocabularies by playing Policías y ladrones (Cops and Robbers) outside: quiero ser un policía/I want to be a police officer; ¡a la cárcel!/go to jail!; no quiero ir/I don’t want to go; ayúdame/help me; soy inocente/I’m innocent; libertad/freedom; no evidencia/no evidence; juez(a)/judge). 2.A also took a day to act out a very exciting pirate play in the target language, with kings, queens, a boy named Target and a pirate named Jimmy, a shipwreck during a terrible storm/tormenta, and an evil forest allergic to maíz/corn. It has been an exciting few months.
3
This month*, students in third grade had more than a few discussions about phonetics and language in a more general sense, as opposed to “only” Spanish. There are, after all, about 7,000 languages in the world! These conversations touched on word loans—tacos, tortillas, quesadillas, and deja-vu, for example, have all been borrowed from other languages; there is no word in English for “taco”.
This led to more talk about untranslatable words; there are many words with no English equivalent, such as pisanzapra in Malay (the time needed to eat a banana), or 木漏れ日 (komorebi) in Japanese (the light that filters through the trees). It is easy to describe these concepts with English words, but there is not a single word that encompasses either concept. Third graders also watched a video by an actress, Amy Walker, who travels geographically around the world and says the same thing in 21 different accents—from England and Russia to New Zealand, South Carolina, and New York; they later practiced identifying languages on a “Guess the Language” online game to hone their ears. At one point, English was spoken with such an unfamiliar accent that students guessed it was Czech!
Third graders continued adding to their Spanish vocabularies via center work, and spent a chunk of time presenting in front of their peers in the target language in mini-speech form. Their confidence has grown tremendously since they began this practice near the end of January. They also heard several jokes in the target language, some of which were in Spanish and others with Spanish and English wordplays—e.g., Seven days without tacos makes Juan weak. Students are also required to say the password upon entering the Spanish Cave: after one student says, “Dime la contraseña” (tell me the password), the other responds with the fruit or vegetable of the week (that is, naranja/orange, plátano/ banana, zanahoria/carrot, espárrago/asparagus, melocotón, durazno/peach, arándano/blueberry, cebolla/onion).
In the culture realm, students learned a bit about El Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile hike and pilgrimage across northern Spain (that their teacher completed last summer); cooked and tasted fried plantains (patacones or tostones), which are eaten in many Spanish-speaking countries; and used photos in the Spanish classroom to inspire various projects during center time. For instance, some students tried to create a replica of an underwater art museum in Mexico in a fish tank with florescent paper fish, rocks, and flowers, which was amazing… until the tank started leaking; others made dozens of Coquí frogs (Puerto Rico) out of green paper; and still others opted for pick-up soccer games (fútbol) outside, as soccer is a hugely popular sport in many countries.
This month, students in PK continued experiencing the target language in context with more project days. For example, one week, they stretched the creative part of their brain by seeing what they could make with a single sheet of paper—no other materials allowed! Initial frustration—no scissors? no markers?!—turned into something beautiful by the end: from treasure maps and a shirt to telescopes, the letter “r” and a pizza, students’ imagination shined. Another week, they painted tiles for the Alhambra fort that other Lower School students had built for the Spanish room, and then had fun taking a “siesta” (nap) inside the cardboard construction.
Pre-kindergarteners also practiced singing along with the Buenos días (good morning) song and answering the question, “¿Cómo estás?” (how are you?) with muy bien/very good, bien/good, mal/bad, or tengo sueño/I’m sleepy. Students kept track of who said what, and then counted how many of each response there were as a class (uno-dos-tres, etc.). They were encouraged to not spit out a series of numbers and instead focus on relating number values with individual digits.
While learning how to count to ten is valuable, it is more meaningful to understand that “tres” is “three”. In the culture realm, they heard the Legend of the Poinsettias (Mexico) for Christmas, and then ate twelve grapes to celebrate the New Year (tradition in Spain).
K
This month, students in kindergarten continued with their free play unit, with a special focus on math in the target language. Here, class begins with a Buenos días (good morning) song and answering the question, “¿Cómo estás?” (how are you?) with muy bien/very good, bien/good, mal/bad, tengo sueño/I’m sleepy, tengo sed/I’m thirsty, tengo hambre/I’m hungry, or me duele/it hurts (~head, knee, etc.).
Next, kindergarteners make a class bar graph of who wants to do what—colorear/color, jugar/play, pintar/paint, dormir/sleep, construir/build, or leer/read—and practice counting the votes (from cero/zero), working to isolate numbers and identify them out of sequence. Students note which is the tallest column, and sometimes even try to add all of them together to see the total. Granted, this number is slightly skewed and does not represent the number of students in class because they are allowed to choose more than one activity. Next, kindergarteners proceed to write their preferred sight word on the board before launching into said activity. Students heard Corre, perro, corre (Go, Dog, Go) over several classes as well (¿Te gusta mi sombrero?/Do you like my hat?; Sí me gusta/yes, I like it; No, no me gusta/no, I don’t like it).
Students also hum and sing along with Feliz Navidad, Rompe Ralph, and Para bailar la bamba playing in the background, many times without even realizing they are doing so! Please feel free to add these songs (links on my website) to your car playlist and see if your children notice, just for fun!
1
This month, students in first grade began differentiating between “¿Qué quieres ser?” (What do you want to be?) and “¿Qué quieres hacer?” (What do you want to do?). This was actually an unintentional wordplay that grew out of the class activity of pretending to be príncipes/princes, princesas/princesses, reyes/kings, reinas/queens, unicornios/unicorns, futbolistas/soccer players, caballos/horses, perritos/puppies, and bufones/jestors from last month. As a result, “Quiero ser…” (I want to be) became the new rage; but phonetically, it was a challenge to hear the difference between ser (“s[air]”/to be) and hacer (“ah-s[air]”/to do).
First graders alternated days writing and speaking in the target language, while continuing their map practice. The majority can now name fourteen of the twenty-one Spanish-speaking countries—bravo! Their official class song has changed as well: the translated version of Wreck-It Ralph/Rompe Ralph (by Auryn, a pop group from Spain) had been a favorite for many months, but with the clean slate and fresh air of 2019 came a new beat—Hoy es domingo (Today is Sunday) by Diego Torres. It is about how wonderfully relaxing Sundays can be, and students have already started singing along with the words.
Last but not least, and as part of an all-of-Lower-School project, first graders painted and colored tiles for the class fort, aka La Alhambra, which is based on an actual Moorish palace/fortress in southern Spain.
2
This month, students in second grade worked on naming and jumping on all of the twenty-one Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map independently. Many have demonstrated complete mastery of this skill—bravo! In the written world, they began differentiating between statements and questions “quiero/I want and ¿puedo?/can I?”, in both speaking and writing (e.g., intonation, punctuation). Here, second graders chose various (differentiated) modes to express themselves; while some opted for a fill-in-the-blank style letter or posting to Seesaw, others preferred to “text” back and forth to a friend in Spanish on printed out phone templates (not sure if this counts as tech integration or not!).
In order to emphasize why spelling and details matter, they learned about a true translation disaster: once, shirts were printed for the Pope’s visit, but the translator messed up and the shirts ended up saying, “I love potatoes” (la papa/potato, el Papa/the Pope, el papá/dad)—whoops! Translations are funny things: we like “see you later, alligator” in English because of the sound, but in Spanish, in order for it to rhyme, you say, “Adiós, corazón de arroz” (goodbye, heart of rice). Second graders had a good laugh at that one!
Once second graders became pretty comfortable with naming the Spanish-speaking countries, they took a day to redesign the Spanish room for a more project-based approach. Some days, culture was merely a fun fact or short activity. For example, when students saw a thirty-second video of sneezing iguanas (Ecuador), they physically reacted—jumping and sneezing around the room for a few minutes, mimicking the reptiles’ action. Another class, they ate twelve grapes and hoisted a plastic disco ball to celebrate the New Year in Spain.
On other days, however, culture was a full-fledged project: students cut out feathers to create a bulletin board display of the Andean Condor, a bird with a wingspan of nearly eleven feet; built a replica of the Alhambra (Spain) out of cardboard boxes and massive amounts of tape, and then decorated the Moorish palace with painted geometric tiles (a lot of LS classes helped with this!); and drew out the Nazca Lines (Peru) with masking tape all over the floor—designs in the desert that you can only see from an airplane.
3
This month, students in third grade worked on naming and jumping on all of the twenty-one Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map independently. Many have demonstrated complete mastery of this skill. It is almost overwhelming—when you hear them rattled off— to grasp that there are completely different Spanish accents, vocabularies, and cultures (music, foods, art, sports, customs, etc.) in each of these places. My goal as an educator is to provide a general overview here; now that students are familiar with the names of these places, they can associate cultural and historical events with said countries in a more meaningful context.
With that in mind, third graders spent a day trying to replicate the Nazca Lines (Peru) around the Spanish room. These are an ancient mystery: at ground level, they appear to be lines, or trenches, in the desert going in all directions; however, from an airplane, you see that they are in reality massive geoglyphs of animals and plants—and yet, these civilizations existed prior to the invention of the airplane! Hmm… Students also painted and colored tiles for the class fort, aka La Alhambra, which is based on an actual Moorish palace/fortress in southern Spain; ate twelve grapes to celebrate New Year’s Eve (tradition in Spain); learned that an ice cream shop in Venezuela holds the world record for the greatest number of flavors offered: 900 (3.B); and began building a model of Machu Picchu in Peru (3.A).
In other news, students wrote first and second drafts of their storyboard comic strip stories in Spanish, and then shifted from storytelling (Q&A in the target language) to centers, where third graders sign up for their center of choice each day (tweeting, writing a form letter, or speaking aloud), requesting any materials they need and explaining what they want to do in Spanish* (e.g., build roads to drive their Spheros (construir/build), play Twister or basketball (jugar/play), make slime (hacer baba/make slime), play the piano (tocar el piano), etc.).
They have been listening to Tal vez me llames (Call Me Maybe) by Kevin Karla y la banda regularly as well; it is funny to hear the cover of a song you are already familiar with in another language! As always, feel free to visit my website below for links and more information. If you are intrigued or questioning the importance of play in the classroom, please visit the Language Blog* on my website and read my latest post entitled, “Just Play”. Last but not least, students chose Spanish first and last names in the target language, and had fun practicing writing their new signatures all over my whiteboards.
4
This month, students in fourth grade moved on from naming all of the twenty-one Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map, to identifying major landforms in South America: montañas/mountains (Andes Mountains); desierto/desert (Atacama Desert); and río/river (Amazon River). They made storyboard comic strips in the target language to wrap up their storytelling unit; chose Spanish first and last names; and practiced reciting the Pledge of Allegiance/Juro fidelidad a la bandera—at students’ request. Fourth graders also listened to both more traditional music (Mama Tingo, Johnny Ventura; Ojalá, Silvio Rodriguez/esp. 4.A) as well as pop songs (Tal vez me llames/Call Me Maybe Spanish cover; No tengo dinero, MAFFiO).
Later on, they began a centers unit. Here, students write form letters in the target language, filling in the blanks where necessary—or sometimes reconstructing it from memory—and receive immediate feedback re: accents, spelling, punctuation, etc. They choose their preferred activity of the day: tocar el piano/play the piano; jugar baloncesto/play basketball; pintar/paint; jugar a los naipes/play cards; jugar en la fortaleza/play in the fort; construir un videojuego/build a videogame; and/or work on a guided culture project—e.g., painting tiles for La Alhambra, a Moorish palace in southern Spain. The goal is to incorporate more Spanish words, phrases, and expressions at each center.
For example, when they play cards, students exclaim, “¡Tú ganas!/you win!” or “¡Yo gano!/I win”; in basketball, they might say, “Pásala/pass it”, or in the fort, “¡No zapatos!/No shoes!”. Any time they want to switch centers during a class period or leave the room to get extra materials or go to the bathroom, they have to ask in the target language. Naturally, certain items will intentionally go ‘missing’ from time to time, leading to forced linguistic interactions; if I hide the basketballs in the closet, fourth graders must ask for the keys in Spanish to open the closet (Necesito las llaves/I need the keys). Teehehee. If you are intrigued or questioning the importance of play in the classroom, please visit the Language Blog* on my website and read my latest post entitled, “Just Play”.
On one particularly exciting day, a student colored all over his hands with florescent marker (wait for the explanation before you say, “WHAT??!”), and put them under the class black light to demonstrate bioluminescence—a natural phenomenon where your skin glows underwater when it comes in contact with algae in certain parts of the world, including Puerto Rico. This kind of experiential creativity, combined with language and culture, is what learning is all about to me.
NOTE: Parents with children in multiple grades may notice that there has been some overlap in terms of content between the grades this past month and half. The purpose here is twofold. First, when children realize that they know the same Spanish vocabulary, a conversation begins—a door opens between grade levels where everyone is invited to the Party called Learning. If everyone in the world only knew segregated vocabularies, no one could talk to anyone!
Second, in the cultural realm, and now that students have more or less mastered the map, projects have begun popping up all around the Spanish room. When a class enters and there are suddenly masking tape designs all over the floor and a cardboard box tower in the corner, they naturally want to learn why and who and where and how and what. Of course, lessons are differentiated and age-appropriate, but it is absurdly exciting to hear first and fifth graders reference La Alhambra (Spain) or ‘jugar’/play in conversation. I feel that it builds a more inclusive, Spanish language-learning community when there are a few common building blocks.
5
This month, students in fifth grade became a bit fanatical about jumping on and naming all of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map in a certain number of seconds. The Lower School record at this point is 8.32 seconds—wow! Students took an official test to demonstrate their mastery of the material. Fifth graders also began rehearsing their Spanish plays in the White Box Theater, playing with the new space and working to not back the audience. They took a day to create humorous commercials (Target/Espera más, paga menos/Expect more, pay less, McDonald’s/Me encanta, Crest toothpaste, etc.).
Later, they delved into a mini-grammar unit, learning that nouns in the target language are organized as masculine and feminine, or “boy” (el) and “girl” (la) words. Students had fun racing to the board—markers in hand—and trying to find, translate, and spell words and short phrases correctly… before their opponent, of course. Finally, students listened to a few song covers in the target language. For example, HERE is the Spanish cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect”.
NOTE: Due to rehearsals, holiday parties (Christmas and Valentine’s), and several long weekends, fifth graders have missed quite a few Spanish classes this past month. Because they only meet twice a week as it is, in January students began working to fill in these gaps by signing up for a language-learning app of their choice (i.e., Duolingo, Memrise, MindSnacks, FluentU), and spending three days a week, for five minutes each day on the app. If your child has taken a break from this practice, please encourage them to restart! […particularly because ALL of Summit will be participating in this Spanish App Challenge very soon, and there may be prizes down the road…] And as always, feel free to visit my website below for links and more information.
Happy New Year! It is a new year, and a new you. Fifth grade is a fabulous class, but because we only meet twice a week, there is a lot of time during the week without Spanish (boo hoo!); so we are going to level up and try to change this for 2019.
That means that for all of January, I would like you to 1) find a Spanish language-learning app that you like; 2) sign up for it on the device of your choice; and 3) spend three times a week leveling up and learning Spanish at home on the app. It is much better to spend five or ten minutes each day learning a language than two hours on Saturday… so think more in terms of baby steps–five minutes a day is plenty.
We will beta-test these apps as a class, and vote later on about which one is the best and why. However, for January, I would like you to choose only one of the following. In February, you will have the opportunity to switch to a new app, if you so desire. Here are your choices:
*Guess the Languageis also a really fun and highly addictive game, but it is not just Spanish and therefore does not count for this homework challenge. Maybe it could be a prize/reward activity at the end of the week when you log three days in a row. Just a thought!
PLEASE NOTE that if you already speak Spanish at home, you are welcome to spend the five minutes a day, three days a week watching cartoons, movies, news, sports games, YouTube videos, etc. in the target language. Apps may not be developmentally appropriate here, as they are geared more towards beginner language-learners and not native speakers. The goal is to enrich your Spanish study at home and learn at your own pace.
If you have questions, we can talk more tomorrow. In the meantime, have fun exploring! I am excited to see what you choose. And one last note, please do NOT pay for any of these apps. We are beta-testing the free versions!
This month, students in PK only had two classes, due to the Thanksgiving break and Trim the Towne celebration. (This is why the Spanish Seesaw Corner has been virtually silent [bad pun] as of late.) In one class, they made spiders and spider webs out of a variety of materials to make connections with the nature unit in their regular classroom.
The following week, they practiced saying and acting out the lyrics to a clapping rhyme in the target language—Jorge robó pan en la casa de San Juan/quién, yo/sí, tú/yo no fui/entonces, quién? (lit., George stole bread in Saint John’s house/who, me/yes, you/it wasn’t me/then, who?)—where “Jorge” becomes each persons’ name in the circle. It is a difficult rhyme to catch on in one class, but students did quite well with the challenge. As always, feel free to visit my website below for links and more information.
K
This month, students in kindergarten spent a class learning about El Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead, and were thoroughly fascinated by a silent film about the holiday—so much so, in fact, that each class ending up watching the three-minute video on repeat for a minimum of thirty minutes. To tap into the essential question of their regular classroom, kindergarteners made superhero masks to demonstrate their own personal poder, or power; learned a po-der-o-so/powerful clapping rhyme; and built card houses, until the power of various forces (esp. air and breath) knocked down the delicate constructions.
Students at first thought that agua/water was not powerful, until they considered hurricanes. K.B also made a planetarium of stars underneath one of the tables in the Spanish room—the power of the beauty of the night sky? Finally, they began a structured free play unit, where students chose and wrote down a Spanish sight word; this determined their activity for the day (e.g., colorear/color; jugar/play). Many kindergarteners tilted their heads, a bit perplexed, when trying to match the “who-garr” pronunciation with a word that starts with “j”; their understanding of the phonetics world has officially been turned upside-down!
1
This month, students in first grade continued naming more Spanish-speaking countries and adding new centers to their Spanish sight word collection (e.g., dormir/to sleep; trabajar/to work—students get to use the fake dinero/money and ‘work’ at the bank). They also began using lapices/pencils instead of marcadores/markers when signing up for centers, and explained with whom they were planning on playing (Quiero jugar con…/I want to play with…), both to learn the word ‘with’ as well as how to spell their classmates’ names.
As part of the beginning-of-class routine, first graders also jammed out to Feliz Navidad and pretended to be príncipes/princes, princesas/princesses, reyes/kings, reinas/queens, unicornios/unicorns, caballeros/knights, caballos/horses,and more (the teacher went around and placed an invisible crown on their heads). Students have become masters at the daily routine and enjoy adding new, creative pieces to the ever-evolving puzzle each week.
2
This month, students in second grade continued naming more Spanish-speaking countries and developing new businesses and locations in their class pueblo/town. For example, one day a student created an enormous soccer field in the classroom out of masking tape and asked to play (¿Puedo jugar al fútbol?/Can I play soccer?). Next, some second graders at the class hotel/hotel hung paper television frames to watch the game and videoed it all on an iPad, while others took it upon themselves to make banderas/flags for the Spanish-speaking teams playing (i.e., Colombia vs. España/Spain) and cheered on the sidelines (golazo/goal; por acá/over here; pásala/pass it; casi/almost; vamos/let’s go; rápido/quickly). Later, the team decided to stand for Spain’s National Anthem before starting the game. Amazing!
Students also recently created an art museum/museo de arte and zoológico/zoo (with feeding stations and live pets as well as toy animals; one day, a bunny escaped from the zoo and ended up on the soccer field (2.A), which caused a bit of chaos until animal control was able to handle the situation). Another week, a few talented street musicians even entertained on the keyboard for tips. Last but not least, students learned that the map of their town was created on an authentic map of downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina, home of the widest avenue in the world: 16 lanes of traffic. Second graders also tasted dulce de leche, a sweet, caramel-type of spread eaten in Argentina and many parts of South America.
3
This month, students in third grade practiced saying the Pledge of Allegiance (Juro fidelidad a la bandera) to continue working on their phonetics study. They also sat according to their birthday months, made personalized passports—with miniature flags of all of the Spanish-speaking countries—and continued telling and acting out their class stories.
In 3.B, Pato was eaten by an evil pig, who is friends with a Powerful Notebook. Students paused here to brainstorm a list of powerful things and then drew a collage of said concepts around the word poderoso/powerful. Anyway, the fantasma/ghost of Pato wants revenge, and decides that because the evil pig is allergic to flan (a Spanish dessert), he will use it to get back at him and make him sneeze uncontrollably—there is a tradition of saying, “Salud, dinero, amor/health, money, love” when a person sneezes (Colombia). However, because the Powerful Notebook, or cuaderno poderoso has the flan, he will have to visit his home, a cobertizo/shed filled with cucarachas/cockroaches and other insectos/insects.
Because the story centers around venganza/revenge, third graders watched a silly cartoon chicken video about animal sounds in Spanish, where the chicken gets strong and gets revenge against a truck (Pollito pío). Additionally, third graders took a day to made Popsicle stick sheds with paper insects. This class also went on a tangent one day—though I realize all of this sounds like a tangent!—and had a mature discussion about endangered languages and untranslatable words. Students tasted dulce de leche (not flan, but very sweet at least!) and fried crickets, too, as it was [mostly] relevant to their class story.
In 3.A, students only had four classes in November, due to Student-Led Conferences and Golden Guest Day rehearsals, and spent the time finishing their passport booklets and reviewing their class story: here, a policeman and dog chase after two enemies that have stolen money and stuffed animals from the main character. The enemies put dulce de leche (Argentina) on the ground, which slows down the police. Students were also able to taste this sweet, caramel-like spread in class.
4
This month, students in fourth grade worked on starting their sentences with, “Pregunta” (question) whenever they wanted to ask something, and learned how to dance the Salsa after they started naming Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean on the tape floor map; the dance is particularly popular there. Fourth graders also played the “offline dinosaur game” and designed their own live video game course in the Spanish classroom, complete with jumping obstacles, gold as the prize for completing all of the levels, and Super Mario music playing in the background for 4.B—whereas talented 4.A musicians opted to play video game type songs on the class keyboard (jugar/play; nivel uno/level one; salta/jump; el oro/gold).
Students also helped create more mini-stories in the target language. For example, in 4.A, an orca named Flippers has a boat/barco and is saved by a student in an airplane during a highly unusual storm, where it rains lemons. Fourth graders listened to the famous Ojalá llueva café en el campo by Juan Luis Guerra(Dominican Republic); in the song, it rains coffee. In another story, a Minecraft lamb named Lime/Limón Verde lives in a haunted house. Students have begun bringing in their favorite stuffed animals and toys around which the stories are then created. In 4.B, students chose a spooky genre, and things got a little weird: a lizard named Burrito lives in a haunted house with ghosts and zombies. One night, his dog is sleeping, and one of the zombies, Pocoyo—fourth graders decided on this cartoon character because the stuffed toy version’s head spins—is hungry and eats the dog’s brain/cerebro. The puppy calls a doctor, but the doctor is actually a mad scientist/cientítifico loco and gives him a super brain, with all of the information in the entire world. Yikes!
Last but not least, students in 4.A learned a clapping rhyme that children recite to pass the time when they are waiting (~in line, on the bus, etc.): Jorge robó pan en la casa de San Juan, quién yo, sí tú, yo no fui, entonces quién/lit., George stole bread from Saint John’s house/who me/yes, you/it wasn’t me/then who). To inspire them for their cookie cutter design project, 4.B learned about Las Fallas, a unique celebration in Valencia (Spain) where people build massive parade floats, and then burn them all at the end of the week.
5
This month, students in fifth grade began a theater unit. First, fifth graders heard a short legend in the target language, and then were assigned groups and given scripts to practice reading lines and acting out the legends: La casa embrujada/The Haunted House (Peru); El ratoncito que sabía ladrar/The Mouse Who Knew How to Bark (Cuba); and El collar de oro/The Gold Necklace (New Mexico). The goal here was not to memorize parts but rather to get into the routine of rehearsing in another language, as—fingers crossed—fifth graders will be presenting a formal program of Spanish plays at the end of the year for you in the target language. Both classes started reviewing their first official plays for the program this past week. You will receive more information and details/specifics about this event in the January newsletter.
Summit students also learned to dance how to dance the Salsa after they started naming Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean on the tape floor map; the dance is particularly popular there. To inspire them for their cookie cutter design project, 5.B learned about the Night of the Radishes Festival in Oaxaca (Mexico), where enormous radishes are carved in the days leading up to Christmas. As always, feel free to visit my website for links and more information.
NOTE:Due to both a short month [December] as well as class cancellations for rehearsals, field trips, class parties, etc., you will receive the next newsletter at the end of January.
16-17
September: This month, students in fourth grade learned that they will be participating in a yearlong town simulation. Their first stop was Argentina, where fourth graders explored the history of Yerba Mate, or ‘the friendship drink’ of South America via photos and physical cultural artifacts, and later were able to taste the strong, somewhat bitter (but delicious!) tea. Then, it was time to travel again: after grabbing their passports, boarding passes, and luggage from the Locker Bay; removing their zapatos/shoes for the infamous TSA security screening process; watching a bilingual ‘safety instructions’ video; enjoying snacks—goldfish and water—from the stewardess during the flight; and experiencing a tiny bit of turbulence, students finally arrived in Madrid, the capital of Spain.
Then, it was only a matter of deciphering the puzzling (but authentic) city map, a quick trip on the Metro (Subway) and a three-hour train ride (Renfe) through the Andalusian countryside (see all the olive trees?!), before students settled in what is to be their new home: Granada, España/Spain. The intense summer heat of southern Spain was reflected (bad pun) in the covered streets—colorful sheet canopies high above protect the city from the urban heat effect. Students left their baggage at the hotel, noticed the famous Moorish palace (La Alhambra) across the street (beautiful!), and set about their first set of business: deciding where to live and drawing up floorplans of the inside of their new homes. Yay! Fourth graders also practiced acting out their passwords, in order to associate a specific motion with each word.
I wander through a foreign land, searching, forever searching. Tantalizing smells waft past, weaving in and out and around the city like Aladdin’s magic carpet. Do I follow my nose? Is Jafar (جعفر) lurking close by? “Fears, begone!” I hear myself say aloud. Words have power; but do my words have power? What control do I have over their creation, over my thoughts?
On the one hand, I live in and around them. They are my neighbors, my family, my arch-nemeses. When I seek the lake’s stillness, they hover—patiently waiting, or with a child’s stubbornness, refusing to leave? Ready to strike? Words I cannot escape. They follow me wherever I go, a pack of lone wolves: loyal, until one is not.
This cloud, this “linguistic nebula” (Saussure) into which I am born, evolves throughout my life. My vocabulary grows; my understanding of cultural nuances deepens; my eyes are opened to loanwords, those asylum seekers whose skills are so adept we forget from whence they have emigrated: “How do you say, ‘taco’ in Spanish?” I am constantly influenced. I constantly consume the world.
And yet, my thoughts on this battlefield of sorts fight to create and maintain their space. They push and stretch and pull words in unexpected directions. It is a vicious cycle and fragile ecosystem: they must consume in order to create, and create in order to consume, lest they be absorbed into the system, lest they lose the “I” of creation, the one who ultimately powers Thought. It is a stick-shift vehicle, where both man and machine are necessary.
I continue wandering, staring blindly at dust-coated street signs as I amble past, feigning comprehension in a world so different from mine. Another linguistic layer. Tres leches cake. Tiramisu. Double Ninth Cake. Mochi ice cream. Silver spoons clank against plates and bowls. “Abu, hands off!” Yes, let’s follow my nose. Oh, Genie…
“Without language, thought is a vague, uncharted nebula.” -Ferdinand de Saussure
This trimester, students in PK responded to action commands (baila/dance, toca la cabeza/touch your head, salta/jump, da la vuelta/turn around, etc.); sang along with Saco una manita; followed the gestures to Estrellita (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star); danced to Rompe Ralph/Wreck-It Ralph; and watched relevant Pocoyo episodes—see my website for links. Basic skills such as color and number practice were incorporated into project days, of which there were many.
From making monsters out of paper, cups, and green pipe cleaners and taking a ‘Field Trip’ down the long Lower School hallway to identify all of the puertas/doors, to fishing with Pato for sea creatures in a kiddie pool, searching for tesoro-tesoro-tesoro-TREASURE!, painting cohetes/rocket ships, building towers out of cups, blocks, and markers, getting stuck in traffic with ‘car-chairs’, playing Luz roja, luz verde (Red Light, Green Light), and marveling at the sound and feel of maracas, students adjusted well to being immersed in the target language. Gracias for a great first trimester.
K
This trimester, students in kindergarten experienced immersion in the target language through a variety of multi-sensory and scientific activities. From hoisting their stuffed animal friend Pato up-up-up to the sky on a yarn pulley so that he could learn how to fly; to crinkling their noses at the smell of vinegar and gasping as baking soda turned it into a foamy, volcanic eruption mess; to a design project that involved food coloring, paper, and coffee filters; to building group boats out of Popsicle sticks, complete with paper flags; to floating and sinking objects and pirate adventures with spyglasses; […]
to searching for treasure, swimming away from hungry sharks, building submarines, singing along with Elmo to Para bailar la bamba and making sailor hats and boat steering wheels; to fort building, fruit markets, and writing Spanish sight words for the very first time; and finally, to making a class video of their ocean unit and learning about molinillos, a wooden tool used to stir chocolate in Mexico (bate, bate chocolate, tu nariz de cacachuate/stir, stir the chocolate, your nose is a peanut!), kindergarteners certainly gave it their “all”. Gracias for a great first trimester.
1
This trimester, students in first grade practiced acting out their password cards, reading the Letter from Pato, naming the Spanish-speaking countries in South America on the tape floor map, and singing and dancing along to daily class songs (esp. Rompe Ralph, Moana in Spanish, and “¿Puedo ir al baño?” [Can I go to the bathroom?]). Their primary focus, however, was on signing up for centers in the target language, and adding new sight words each week. Centers are teacher-guided but ultimately student-created.
For example, when “construir” (to build) was added, first graders grew this into a complex fort-building project—with chairs, blankets, flags, cardboard boxes, a spinning disco ball, etc.—until “Quiero construir una fortaleza” (I want to build a fort) rolled off their tongues. When they tired of that, soccer games and paper dragon-type creature crafts became the new rage. Later, students worked on leading group discussions with the question, “¿Qué quieres hacer?” (“K key-air-race ah-s(air)”/What do you want to do?). They also took a day to learn about El Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead, and made connections with the movie Coco. Gracias for a great first trimester.
2
This trimester, students in second grade practiced acting out their password cards and naming the Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map. While the map focused on South America, culture projects and discussions were not limited to these countries. For example, after learning about El Camino de Santiago in northern Spain, second graders created their own faux Camino both down the Lower School hallway as well as outside, with arrows, shells, and rock piles.
They also acted out one of the chapters of Don Quijote, a world renowned, 900-page novel from Spain; spent a day talking about El Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead (Mexico); learned that children in Guatemala put tiny Worry Dolls under their pillows at night to take away their worries while they sleep; and watched a video from Pato about his travels in Argentina. In the linguistic realm, students began the term with a class story about an evil penguin who falls off a (student-constructed) paper clip and Popsicle stick bridge and transforms into a ghost after stealing from a student (what?!). Later, they signed up for centers, or sight words, which morphed into a class town.
At this point in time, the town’s most popular destinations include the aeropuerto/airport (international flights available) and teatro/theater (watch mini Don Quijote and Coco plays performed). The dinero/moneysituation is developing, as second graders begin to demand compensation for products and services. One class also incorporated a cemetery and ofrenda after learning about the Day of the Dead, while the other started up a street market/mercado (without realizing that mercados are actually very culturally relevant and present in many Spanish-speaking countries). Gracias for a great first trimester.
3
This trimester, students in third grade practiced acting out their password cards and naming the Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map. They also acted out wildly creative story plots: from an evil pig, duck sandwich, powerful notebook, town named HairGel, and a ghost who wants revenge (3.B), to a magic school bus, stolen pets, daring enemy escape by plane, and musical keyboard accompaniment by talented student musicians (3.A), third graders began to grasp how to make the target language come alive in their minds. In addition, students had fun identifying ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ words (i.e., masculine and feminine nouns: el/la/los/las, or the four ways to say ‘the’ in Spanish), and ‘claiming’ them as their own property, respectively; began tuning in to pronunciation details and new sounds, such as “ñ” (nyah) and the forever silent “h” (hola); and took a few “Kindergarten/Activity Days”, where third graders painted, drew on the board, played fútbol/soccer, and explored their own personal interests via centers.
Cultural projects and facts were sprinkled throughout the trimester: from sculpting Easter Island statues out of clay (Chile), coloring calaveras/skulls and making papel picado for Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead (Mexico), learning about the 900-page, world renowned novel Don Quijote and tracing Picasso’s painting of the main characters (Spain), to singing La cucaracha and hearing different types of güiros (Latin America), third graders’ energy and thoughtful questions continue to inspire. Gracias for a great first trimester.
4
This trimester, students in fourth grade began by celebrating La Tomatina, a famous tomato-throwing festival in Spain. To celebrate and reenact the day sans actual tomatoes, fourth graders made catapults out of Popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and hot glue, and launched decorative, lightweight balls at G.I. Joe firemen and LEGO men figurines. Other cultural projects included ‘building’ the Andes Mountains out of blocks on the tape floor map (South America); tracing an inverted painting that is meant to change one’s perspective and question tradition (Uruguay); and decorating sugar skull cookies for El Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead (Mexico).
Fourth graders also created and acted out several class stories. In one, a dramatic, slow motion, galactic force fight inside Taylor Swift’s jail cell ensued—with Kung Fu Fighting playing in the background—because Taylor would not hand over all of the tomatoes in the galaxy to the planetary kings and queens (la fuerza/the force). In another (4.B), a rocket ship with alien sisters on board crash-lands in the Atacama Desert (Chile); two groups of spies witness the crash and begin throwing lemons at the intruders; unexpectedly, the aliens love the sour flavor and graciously thank their attackers. Students built spy forts in the classroom to act this out and participated in official Spy Training.
Fourth graders also practiced reading and writing sentences and mini-stories in the target language; jumped on and named the Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map; played a highly addictive, “Guess the Language” online game (LingLang); and made connections between their project time topics (Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans) and Spanish class. Gracias for a great first trimester.
5
This trimester, students in fifth grade began by creating several wildly creative class stories, with plots about evil donkeys, broken down school buses, a serious Chick-fil-A vs. PDQ rivalry, stolen jewels from an art museum, and even a real courtroom trial (5.B). Here, fifth graders worked on answering questions about the stories and composing their own original sentences in the target language. Fifth graders also jumped on and named the Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map, and played a highly addictive, “Guess the Language” online game (LingLang) to strengthen and hone their listening abilities; being able to distinguish one language’s sounds and cadence from another takes time and is a skill that will only benefit their language study.
Cultural tidbits were sprinkled throughout the trimester: from sneezing iguanas (Ecuador), dangerous railroads (Bolivia), a painting of an inverted map (Uruguayan artist), and the frightening legend of the Chupacabra (Puerto Rico/5.A), to Pedro Infante’s famous “Cielito lindo” (ay yie yie yie, canta, no llores/ay yie yie yie, sing, don’t cry/Mexican singer), El Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead class discussions (Mexico), and a tradition of saying, “Salud, dinero, amor” (health, money, love) when a person sneezes (Colombia), fifth graders began to deepen their appreciation for different and new perspectives. Gracias for a great first trimester.
Please visit thespanishcave.wordpress.com (“Monthly Updates”) for links and more information.
This month, students in PreK continued responding to action commands (cohete/rocket ship, baila/dance, marcha/march), following the gestures for the song Saco una manita, dancing to Rompe Ralph/Wreck-It Ralph, and watching relevant Pocoyo episodes (Pocoyo:La llave maestra; Pocoyo: Vamos de pesca; Pocoyo: Grande y pequeño). They also practiced requesting markers [colors] in the target language during project time. One week, for example, students made fishing poles with Pato out of Popsicle sticks, yarn, and tape. After decorating the poles, they were able to “go fishing” in a kiddie pool filled with pictures of sea creatures—the adhesiveness of the tape “caught” the paper fish!
Another week, students played a hot/cold game while searching for tesoro-tesoro-tesoro-TREASURE! Inspired by their enthusiasm for treasure, the teacher presented two different types of treasure, divided by size—gigantic stuffed animals and tiny books, cars, and beads (grande/big; pequeño/small). Students then chose a size, and either 1) filled a box with very large or very small treasures; or 2) drew a very large or very small picture. Some pre-kindergarteners even taped multiple pieces of paper together to make their drawings even bigger—bravo! Later, students made an enormous car out of chairs in the classroom. Where will they go? Only time will tell. Gracias for a great month!
K
This month, kindergarteners began an ocean unit. First, and whenever they wanted to go get a drink (Tengo sed/I’m thirsty), students were required to bring back a cup of water to the classroom from the water fountain. In this way, they managed to fill up a plastic container (más agua/more water); underneath the clear plastic was a printout of sea creatures, making it appear to be the ocean—especially after adding a few drops of blue food coloring. Later, kindergarteners hypothesized whether or not items would float or sink (flota/floats; se hunde/sinks), and later built group boats out of Popsicle sticks (barcos/boats), complete with paper flags! To test their craftsmanship, students put the boats in a bowl of water (2.A) and kiddie pool outside (2.B) and watched as they… ultimately sank, ¡qué problema! Students also made catalejos/spyglasses with orcas and octopi and fish at the end of the telescopes, pretending to be pirates, and saw a very relevant episode of Pocoyo: Pirates.
To shift away from constant trips to the water fountain, a new song was introduced: “Tengo hambre” (I’m hungry). Afterwards, students broke off into groups and used tiny, lightweight, wicker-type balls to knock down “fish”, or GI Joe men standing on pictures of sea creatures. Then they shouted, “¡No me comas!” (don’t eat me!), and giggled as a ravenous tiburón/shark (read: manila folder with scary shark pictures) ate up all of the knocked down “fish”.
Kindergarteners also searched for “tesoro-tesoro-tesoro-TREASURE!” at the bottom of the sea; watched a few more episodes of Pocoyo; and, lastly, built a submarine out of chairs to keep them safe from any other hungry sharks (grande/big; pequeño/small). Gracias for a great month.
1
This month, students in first grade continued acting out their password cards and reading the daily letter from Pato. By the end of September, students were able to recite the letter as a class group effort—bravo! First graders also watched a silly video called, “¿Puedo ir al baño?” (Can I go to the bathroom?), and practiced naming Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay.
They continued to add centers to the daily Letter from Pato as well (who managed to fit in a quick trip to Argentina while first graders were working hard and he was, ahem, hardly working). Centers—i.e., sight words—up to this point include: colorear/to color; jugar/to play; pintar/to paint; construir/to build; cantar/to sing; and the newest addition, hablar/to talk. To start building short sentences in the target language, first graders added, “Quiero” (I want/‘key-arrow’) when signing up for centers: for example, Quiero pintar/I want to paint.
As their list of centers begins to grow, students learn vocabulary specific and relevant to each center. For example, in one class, the porristas/cheerleaders learned a cheer for the soccer game (este partido, lo vamos a ganar/we’re going to win this game), whereas students more interested in coloring or painting learned words like papel/paper, cinta/tape, tarjetas/cards, marcadores/ markers, etc. As a result, and when first graders want to try a new center, they are encouraged to teach each other new words. That way, it becomes a genuine community of learners where knowledge is not hoarded but rather shared for the growth and advancement of all. Gracias for a great month.
2
This month, students in second grade continued acting out their password cards, and added a few more centers (¡Mira!/Look!), paying special attention to the upside-down question marks in the target language when signing up for one (¿Puedo hacer un avión de papel?/Can I make a paper airplane?; “¿Puedo hacer un comecocos?/Can I make a fortune teller?).
Later, they learned that their beloved stuffed animal duck friend, Pato, had been listening when they were jumping on the tape floor map in the Spanish room (naming Spanish-speaking countries)—and decided to travel to Argentina… without them! However, he was kind enough to send a text and video informing of his whereabouts, and claimed he would be back soon. He is currently exploring Iguazu Falls, or one of the world wonders, which is made up of an amazing 275 waterfalls! Song lyrics: “Where is Pato? Where is Pato? ¿Dónde está? ¿Dónde está? / ¡Dime, por favor! ¡Dime, por favor! Tell me, please! Tell me, please!”
Students also learned that their teacher hiked a famous 500-mile long walk in northern Spain this summer, called the Camino de Santiago, and decided to make their own Camino down the Lower School hallway (2.B) with flechas/arrows and conchas/shells—symbols of the actual Camino. Later, they walked it, complete with backpacks, walking poles (hockey sticks), and water bottles.
When Pato returned from his travels the following week, he had no interest in sharing stories about Argentina, but instead, was already planning another trip. Apparently, the stuffed animal duck is jetting off to España/Spain next to walk the Camino de Santiago (he must be telepathic, although neuroscientists need to explain this one to me). However, he personally informed that directions are not exactly his forte; and thus requested second graders’ help (2.A) in creating a faux Camino outside, with chalk arrows and shells, and piles of rocks to help guide him. Second graders even built a ‘chair mountain’ for him to practice climbing in the Spanish Cave. Later, they listened to a fast, upbeat song (in Euskara, a language spoken in Northern Spain) about the Camino as well.
In other news, students continued with their class story. Update as follows: the protagonist is upset that evil Pingüino has stolen his/her things, but decides to think before acting; in fact, s/he thinks and thinks (piensa y piensa) for ten years (2.A) and ten centuries (2.B). To represent this passage of time, students made paper beards and moustaches, at which point the main character finally comes up with step one of a brilliant plan: to build a bridge (construir un puente)—but the bridge is a trick. ¡Peligro, peligro! (Danger, danger!)
Students built said bridge in class with Kleenex, paper clips, tape, and many, many, many Popsicle sticks, and then watched a slow-motion video of Pingüino falling off the [intentionally] poorly constructed bridge… and then transforming into a fantasma/ghost (i.e., the teacher trying to introduce Halloween vocabulary before Halloween). Gracias for a great month.
3
This month, students in third grade chose animal password cards and made sure to ask, “¿Qué es?” (What is it?/“K S”, pronounced like the alphabet letters) when they could not remember a word. If their password card was at the wrong seat, third graders responded, “¡Esta no es mi contraseña!/ This is not my password!, focusing on the “ñ” sound that requires your nose to crinkle a bit when you say it—‘nyah’, as in español, contraseña, baño, etcetera. 3.B got excited about their sound study and proceeded to work on a tricky tongue twister, just for fun: Pepe Pecas pica papas con un pico. Con un pico pica papas Pepe Pecas. (Pepe Pecas picks potatoes with a pick. With a pick picks potatoes Pepe Pecas.)
Third graders also jumped on and named certain Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map before they sat down each day; a new country is added about once a week. To make this activity more meaningful, students created pasaportes/passports that are stamped as they enter and exit each country. They began their travels at the tip of South America with Chile and Argentina; more stamps will be added upon completing the continent. Now that they have finished working on the actual passports, students must show their booklets upon crossing the official frontera/border 0f the Spanish Cave every class (“customs”). No passport, no entry!
Later, third graders learned about Easter Island (Chile), and then created and painted replicas with air-dry clay of either the Moai statues or one of the undecipherable Rongorongo tablets (written in hieroglyphs and reverse boustrophedon). Students seemed to latch on to the idea that the tablets were engraved/carved using shark teeth and volcanic rock, but gracefully accepted that they would only be using toothpicks in Spanish class. Note to self: next year, I will not use the word ‘tablet’ to describe the wooden boards; in this digital age, third graders thought I meant that iPads were discovered on Easter Island. Ahem.
Third graders continued with their class stories as well. Updates as follows: In 3.A, the enemy forces—namely, a magic school bus/autobús mágico and train/tren—traveled from Egypt to Los Angeles, California to steal a famous actress’ money and pets, and then escaped with the goods to Hawaii, with an out of the way stop at Easter Island. The class went to Easter Island to fight the enemies—but tragically, students were hungry upon arrival, rashly touched a magical apple, and were turned into statues. Better luck next time? Note: If anyone reading this happens to be in possession of a large refrigerator box, I would gladly take it off your hands to build a time machine and change students’ luck.
In 3.B, and with Pato held captive as his prisoner, the evil pig (el cerdo malvado) decided that a delicious bocadillo de pato (duck sandwich) would really whet his appetite. The class voted by chanting either, “¡Ayúdame!” (Help me!, as the voice of Pato) or “¡Cómelo!” (Eat him!, as encouragement to the evil pig); when the votes were tallied, the evil pig was no longer hungry. *Sniff, sniff* However, students ended up making unicorn, witch, and wizard hats and turned our dear friend Pato into a ghost. Obviously, he has some unfinished business on Earth.
Last but not least, third graders were given the terribly onerous, yearlong task of collecting one fruit and vegetable sticker, label, and/or clothing tag, from each of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. They were told to keep their eyes open particularly when grocery shopping; bananas, for example, are frequently from Spanish-speaking countries: if/when you buy them, students may add said sticker to their page (and eventually, passport). They are strongly advised to post a blank page on the refrigerator so as not to lose it! This homework assignment (and import/export study) will be ongoing throughout the year. If one country is particularly difficult to find, we will discuss as a class the “why” behind it. For now, please just encourage students to keep their eyes open! Gracias for a great month.
4
This month, students in fourth grade made copies of their animal password cards for the Summit hallway bulletin board; sang along to a silly video called, “¿Puedo ir al baño?” (Can I go to the bathroom?); and took a trip down memory lane by watching Pocoyo: Invisible in the target language. They also jumped on and named certain Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map before they sat down each day: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. For their Summit mini culture project for Chile and Argentina, students “built” the Andes Mountains in three minutes with building blocks, and then watched as a “terrible mudslide” destroyed the mountain range—so that the next group could have a turn to build. For Uruguay, they traced a painting of a famous Uruguayan artist who wanted to define and identify Latin American art on his own terms, instead of in relation to North America and Europe; ultimately, the painting of an inverted map is about taking new perspectives and questioning tradition.
Fourth graders also continued their tomato saga, adding kings and queens of various planets (and even the galaxy!) to round out the story, and ended with a dramatic, slow motion, galactic force fight inside Taylor Swift’s jail cell—with Kung Fu Fighting playing in the background, of course. Taylor refused to hand over all of the tomatoes (todos los tomates), so really, there was no other option: “¡La fuerza!” (the force!). Since then, fourth graders have been working on a humorous script of their class story in Spanish—trying to memorize lines, coordinating words and movements onstage and, most importantly, making sure they know what they are saying! Gracias for a great month.
5
This month, students in fifth grade practiced jumping on and naming Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map before they sat down each day (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay). For their Summit mini culture project for Chile and Argentina, students “built” the Andes Mountains in three minutes with building blocks, and then watched as a terrible “mudslide” destroyed the mountain range—so that the next group could have a turn to build. For Uruguay, they traced a painting of a famous Uruguayan artist who wanted to define and identify Latin American art on his own terms, instead of in relation to North America and Europe; ultimately, the painting of an inverted map is about taking new perspectives and questioning tradition.
Fifth graders also continued working on their class stories. It is important to remember here that storytelling is the linguistic foundation of every culture: whether it is a simple conversation about where you bought your coffee this morning, or a more detailed narrative about how your two-year-old dumped juice all over the floor and then ran around the house screaming, we all partake in the timeless tradition of storytelling on a daily basis. Every conversation is a story—and sometimes the story leads where you least expect it.
That said, the story of 5.A. led to Señor Dorito escaping from jail with his two evil donkey friends in a broken down school bus (autobús roto). When fifth graders could not agree on an ending, they broke off into groups and wrote out their ideas—agreeing to disagree.
In 5.B, a slightly more realistic plot ensued, where Frito Bandito ‘rescued’ the imprisoned evil donkey and escaped, only to find himself in a courtroom in the next scene being tried for multiple crimes. In between the judge announcing, “Se abre la sesión” (court is in session), inkpad fingerprints presented as evidence, and an unexpected, but tearful confession, there was also a zumo y limonada/juice and lemonade break to ease the unspoken tension in the room.
Last but not least, students continued acting out their animal passwords, played Hangman/ Dunk Tank (tú ganas/you win), and learned part of the chorus to Pedro Infante’s famous “Cielito lindo” (ay yie yie yie, canta, no llores/ay yie yie yie, sing, don’t cry)—which managed to make its way into both class stories. They also watched the Frito Bandito commercial from the 1960’s, which can only be fully appreciated after you are familiar with the original [aforementioned] song. Gracias for a great month. For links, please visit my other website below and look under “Monthly Updates”.
A very specific coldness crept into the air, one reminiscent of pumpkin spice teas, axes chopping wood in preparation for what the Farmer’s Almanac predicted, “the worst yet”, and home-cooked stews with warm bread and butter. Ever more bizarre costume designs appeared in stores, urging the collective consciousness to reach its full creative capacity; runners fretted about how to dress appropriately in layers; and that orange, gray, and white spotted cat started hanging around again, eyes longingly pleading to step inside, just for a minute. Fingers almost numb, she typed the words slowly, letting them sift down into her subconscious mind, adjusting to the idea:
Fall had arrived.
Not gradually, not with clues or banners or RSVP’s announcing its arrival, but tout de suite–a super-ninja martial arts master landing in the middle of a city street, origin unknown. She liked its style. No false pretenses of maybe there, maybe not. No teasing gusts of autumn winds on a ninety degree day. Just suddenly there: raw, unedited, real.
Materializing out of thin air, air descending from snow-capped Machu Picchu mountains, air breathing new life into the world, air requiring slippers for bare feet, the seasoned martial arts master was smart. It knew what it was doing. After all, super-ninjas encompassed the wisdom of the ages. They intuitively understood the matrix of the world’s modern technology. They embraced a mental sagacity others could only dream of. They were always two steps ahead. Of course, this was in part due to the fact that they could also run and leap and bound and somersault and do splits in mid-air.
But even super-ninjas got cold. And boy, was it cold today, she thought. Fall had definitely arrived.
This month, students in PreK learned that “Señorita” speaks Spanish, which sounds a little different than English. They were not sure at first that they could follow the strange new mix of sounds, but after a few “tests” (toca la cabeza/touch your head, salta/jump, etc.), Junior Knights realized it was not so difficult—even if it still sounded funny! In terms of content, students heard and followed gestures for the song Saco una manita; responded to action commands; met a stuffed animal duck named Pato, who will be their trusty companion all year long; made monsters out of paper, cups, and green pipe cleaners; and took a ‘Field Trip’ down the long Lower School hallway to identify all of the puertas/doors (note: there are quite a few).
They also jammed to the theme song from Rompe Ralph/Wreck-It Ralph, and watched two episodes of the cartoon Pocoyo in the target language. Many lessons this year will be built around Pocoyo: students will do a class project or hear a story, and then watch a cartoon that follows the same theme and vocabulary. Gracias for a great month!
K
This month, kindergarteners met “Pato”, a very lovable and silly stuffed animal who speaks Spanish but forgets how to say a lot of things… a lot of the time. However, he always has a new idea up his sleeve (wing?). For example, one week, kindergarteners took turns hoisting him up-up-up to the sky on a yarn pulley so that he could learn how to fly. This skill became particularly relevant and useful after a tremendous baking soda and vinegar volcanic eruption forced him to flee for safety. Kindergarteners crinkled their noses after getting a chance to smell the vinegar and then gasped as the powder turned into a foamy mess.
Students also had fun lining up as a class “tren/train”, repeating “el cacahuete/peanut” and dancing to the beat (part of a rhyme kindergartners will learn later on), and stopping periodically to fill up the gas tank. They also learned how to say, “Tengo sed/I’m thirsty” to get a drink from the water fountain; responded to action and animal commands in the target language; giggled as they read the translated version of ¡No, David! by David Shannon, responding “¡Qué problema!” to each page when David misbehaves; and worked on a design project that involved food coloring, paper, and coffee filters. Gracias for a great month.
1
This month, students in first grade chose individualized password cards, and then practiced thinking up ways to physically act out each one as part of their beginning-of-class routine. Later, students read the daily Letter from Pato—a very lovable, stuffed animal duck who is learning how to read Spanish himself; jammed to the theme song from Rompe Ralph/Wreck-It Ralph; and signed up for centers in the target language (colorear/color; jugar/play). Each week, a new center (and sight word) will be added, so that by the end of the year, first graders will have a substantial word collection.
First graders have already demonstrated ownership and agency within these centers, as in one class, the “jugar/play” center morphed from a golf course spread out across the Spanish room (with plastic white balls and paper cups) to a bowling alley (stacking the cups and knocking them down with colorful, oversized dice). Another day, “jugar/play” became a class parade, complete with students marching around the room to Spain’s National Anthem, all while dressed up in scarves and sombreros, and carrying a huge flag of Spain. Language grows ever deeper within a meaningful context; when its layers and roots begin to connect with real-life experiences and memories, “jugar/play” is no longer a translation, but a breathing, living entity in students’ minds. Gracias for a great month.
2
This month, students in second grade chose individualized password cards, and then practiced thinking up ways to physically act out each one as part of their beginning-of-class routine. They also began rehearsing a class script for what will eventually be a news show, with famous, real-life Univisión anchors, Jorge Ramos and María Elena Salinas, as leads (all the boys played Jorge; all the girls were María).
Later, second graders worked on a teacher-asked, student-led class story: here, an evil penguin with an unbearably evil cackle flies to a student’s house and steals a sword (2.A) and hat (2.B) from the protagonist during a tremendous rainstorm; the two characters do slow-motion karate, but in the end, the enemy escapes—oh no! Obviously, this crime will make its way into the news show at some point in time. Last but not least, students read a letter from their trustworthy but silly, stuffed animal language-learning companion, Pato (duck), and signed up for centers in the target language—construir/build; pintar/paint. Each week, a new center (and sight word) will be added, so that by the end of the year, second graders will have a substantial word collection. Gracias for a great month.
3
This month, students learned that they have been selected to join the world-renowned Spanish Acting Company. As participants, third graders will perform in multiple shows throughout the year, as main characters and audience members. The importance of each role was emphasized here. Performed as theatrical plays, each story will include both fiction (creative, student ideas) and nonfiction (cultural, historical facts) elements.
The first story begins with the following: a famous actor with absurdly strong bodyguards—stuffed animals under students’ sleeves as muscles—must summon his courage to deal with a most calamitous situation: his arch-nemesis has stolen all of his money and pets (3.A) and car (3.B). How to manage? Only time will tell… particularly as the class stories are teacher-asked but student-led. In addition to storytelling, third graders also chose individualized password cards, and then practiced thinking up ways to physically act out each one as part of their beginning-of-class routine; responded to action commands; and danced to the song Madre Tierra during brain breaks. Gracias for a great month.
4
This month, students in fourth grade learned about Spain’s famous tomato-throwing festival, La Tomatina, held the last Wednesday of August every year. To celebrate and reenact the day sans actual tomatoes, fourth graders made catapults out of Popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and hot glue, and launched decorative, lightweight balls at G.I. Joe firemen and LEGO men figurines. Students also chose individualized password cards, and then practiced thinking up ways to physically act out each one as part of their beginning-of-class routine; responded to action commands; and worked on their class stories, which are interactive, teacher-asked but student-led creations in the target language.
Here, the main character is absolutely ravenous, and desires a plateful of juicy, red tomatoes; however, his foe (in one class, Taylor Swift) has eaten all of the tomatoes in the entire world. Thus, our hero must travel to Mars, the red planet, to get what he wants—and, presumably, battle Taylor for it, in a struggle not unlike La Tomatina, thereby spreading Spanish culture beyond this world (4.B). Last but not least, students learned that there are 21 Spanish-speaking countries and 400+ million Spanish speakers, but that Chinese is actually the most-spoken language in the world right now (English is number three behind Spanish). Gracias for a great month.
5
This month, students in fifth grade worked to create an epic saga in the target language. These class stories are teacher-asked and student-led (agency), and tend to get rather creative rather quickly. For example, for 5.A, this meant an extraterrestrial named Bobby who lives on the sun and whose ultimate adversary in life is Señor Dorito (yes, like the chips). For 5.B, this meant an intense rivalry between two classmates, where McDonald’s was pitted against Chick-fil-A/PDQ, which ended when both restaurants were closed—because their owners, the Kardashians, were on vacation with their evil donkey. Ahem.
In other news, fifth graders also chose individualized password cards; responded to action commands; watched a YouTube video about the Bolivian railway system; and also learned that there are 21 Spanish-speaking countries and 400+ million Spanish speakers, but that Chinese is actually the most-spoken language in the world right now (English is number three behind Spanish). Gracias for a great month. For links, please visit my other website and look under “Monthly Updates”.
The Camino de Santiago is a 500-mile hike across northern Spain. It takes about 30 days to complete on foot. You carry everything you need in a backpack, and follow the arrows and shells so you don’t get lost. Scroll down for a photo collage of my adventures. For more details about the pilgrimage, see HERE.
PART 1: The first summer, I walked from St. Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, to Burgos, Spain (273km/169 miles). However, I could not finish the pilgrimage and had to fly back home that summer because my foot was ridiculously swollen and no longer fit inside my shoe.
PART 2: The second summer, I walked from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela, and then we took a bus to the ocean in Finisterre, Spain, or “The End of the World” (708 kilometers/439 miles). We also spent one day sightseeing in Lisbon, Portugal, where I ate percebes, or barnacles. So grateful to have been able to return and finish the Camino!
The Camino de Santiago is a 500-mile hike across northern Spain. It takes about 30 days to complete on foot. You carry everything you need in a backpack, and follow the arrows and shells so you don’t get lost. Scroll down for photos of my adventures. For more details about the pilgrimage, see HERE.
PART 1: The first summer, I walked from St. Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, to Burgos, Spain (273km/169 miles). However, I could not finish the pilgrimage and had to fly back home that summer because my foot was ridiculously swollen and no longer fit inside my shoe.
PART 2: The second summer, I walked from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela, and then we took a bus to the ocean in Finisterre, Spain, or “The End of the World” (708 kilometers/439 miles). We also spent one day sightseeing in Lisbon, Portugal, where I ate percebes (more HERE), or barnacles. So grateful to have been able to return and finish the Camino!
A deep sadness seeps into my bones. The Camino is coming to an end. This adventure—as with so many trips—has passed by too quickly; I have not yet begun to absorb it all.
A cloud of cigarette smoke wafts through the air: the ephemeral taking on a physical form. Gallego (Galician) starts and stops abruptly, pausing in odd places, bursting with an irregular cadence, yet familiar like déjà-vu: bits and pieces slipping, distant and nebulous memories, reminiscent of times from long ago, past lives, Portuguese echoing against the walls, Portuguese reflected in the mirror, writings on the wall, but here we look and do not see—Gallego is a different beast. Thoughts resound, metaphorical trumpets blare; am I a different person than when I started?
I have traveled to France; all across northern Spain; to Iceland; Ireland; Belgium; to NYC and back to Spain; a day in both Germany and Portugal; I have learned about web design and been sucked into the allure of the digital world; I have refreshed my knowledge of French and regained my excitement and energy and enthusiasm for teaching. I have grown tremendously, personally and—this coming year—professionally, I imagine. I have felt at times that my Spanish was close to native and, a few hours later, that I was a beginning student. I have processed my life up to this point in a matter of weeks, recalling distant and close memories in a sort of verbal-vomit cleanse, purifying and cleansing my soul for this next phase of my life.
The Spanish sun begins to beat down on the sidewalk, a relentless, constant force of nature, harsh and yet beautiful; God’s wrath suddenly makes sense. The air is dry, still. I seek stillness and it arrives, invisible like the heat. I close the French patio glass doors to keep the heat out, the cool in. There will always be the daily Camino to walk, but I am glad to be here, living it, breathing it, being, just being. Life is a beautiful work of art, a white canvas of possibilities—brush, paints, and instructions not included. What will you paint today? Suddenly excited and unsure: Santiago!
Highlights: Ice-skating at Rockefeller Center, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Central Park, chancing upon Mandarin speakers!, eating the best Avocado Benedict I’ve ever had (at Little Collins), five-hour NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Waldorf-Astoria, and the Empire State Building.
Highlights: Ghent, dragons, Christmas Markets, roasted chestnuts, went via Metro to the Atomium–an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times–during a snowstorm with huge flakes, saw beautiful light and sound show in the Grand-Place de Bruxelles, heard Mongolian street band, ate a lot of gaufres, found the Musical Instrument Museum, signs all in Dutch but many speak French as well, hot chocolate because was freezing, bought Macaroons, went to Royal Palace of Brussels, and Gare Central.
Highlights: Blue Lagoon, Hallgrímskirkja, Jökulsárlón, Þingvellir National Park, Icelandic Symphony Orchestra at Harpa, Reykjavík Food Walk, Polyglot Conference (playlist), free walking tour, Northern Lights, Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, glacier hiking, geysers, waterfalls, troll and elf legends, volcanoes, lava fields, whale-watching, snowstorms, one-way tunnels, exploring around Reykjavík, fermented shark, Skyr, Pylsa með öllu (hotdog with everything), a six-day tour around the Ring Road, super jeeps, Sturlureykir Horse Farm, surviving a hurricane, and a million hours trying to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull, Akureyri, vatn, and most of the words in Icelandic. I absolutely adore this country! *National saying: “þetta reddast” (þ is pronounced as “th”), meaning: “Everything will all work out“.
Highlights: Saw Northern Lights from plane at eye level-wow!, Dublin Castle, absolutely loved the Chester Beatty Library, saw Trinity College, Book of Kells and Long Room, attended a beautiful Irish River Dance show, National Leprechaun Museum (myths), delicious breakfast at Avoca Café, visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral, took a day trip to visit Malahide Castle and Howth, went Salsa dancing, Fab Food Tour, saw street where Spice Girls filmed one of their videos, a five-day tour of Ireland, Ed Sheeran’s Pub, haunted Charleville Castle with swinging pendulum, Kylemore Abbey, Poulnabrone Dolmen, Leprechaun Wishing Well, Dún Chaoin, Dingle Peninsula, Blarney Castle and Blarney Stone, Dunguaire Castle, Cliffs of Moher, and met a lot of Spanish-speakers in the country, and had a lot of difficulty pronouncing “Go raibh maith agat” (thank you in Irish, lit. ‘may you have goodness’).
LANGUAGE-LEARNING IS HARD- TRUE OR FALSE?: We live in an ‘instant-gratification’ society these days. In a way, the time it takes to pronounce the word ‘instant’ is counterproductive to the actual definition of the word. When people claim that language-learning is hard, they tend to mean that they have to wait for what they want. We can’t instantly download every aspect of a language–grammar, syntax, vocabulary, intonation, tones, etc.–into our brains [at least not yet], so the language-learning process becomes frustrating. We have to wait for these linguistic pieces, or ‘documents’, to load and then synthesize… which gives the impression that language-learning is ‘hard’. In reality, it just takes more time to ‘download’ than many are willing to wait. But we all accepted dial-up at one point in time, so just wait it out. It will be worth the tried patience.
How We Learn Language
When friends or relatives hear that you are learning a foreign language, the first question they invariably ask is, “What can you say?” Unfortunately, and although usually well-intentioned, this is the wrong question. As you stammer and mutter about what you are learning in your class, instead of producing actual language, mortification settles in and you ask to be excused. What a pity, right? You know you are learning, but you can’t say anything.
Stop for a second now and think about how you learned language as a baby. Did anyone ask you on Day #1 what you could say? What about Day #200? If you are the student, give yourself a break. Babies must hear a lot of language before they begin speaking; the same is true for you. Likewise, if you know someone who is learning a new language, give them a break. Show your enthusiasm and encouragement, but avoid pressuring them to produce language. Keep in mind that the emotional connection grows deeper and more profound as you grow older (and spend more time with a language). The same is true in your native tongue. You gain more insight and knowledge of cultural nuances every day. Fascinating, isn’t it?
“An endangered language, or moribund language, is a language that is at risk of falling out of use as its speakers die out or shift to speaking another language. Language loss occurs when the language has no more native speakers and becomes a ‘dead language'” (Wikipedia).
Please see below for links to articles about endangered languages. For a more academic source than Wikipedia, Ethnologue is a great place to start (e.g. see chart for numbers of living languages, by continent).
Update: For photos of my Camino adventures, visit THIS PAGE.
My Dearest Friends:
As most of you know, I will not be returning next year. I have loved teaching here, but I also love learning and traveling and exploring, and need to go see the world. That said, I care deeply for each and every one of your children, and would like to leave a final Spanish Summer Packet Challenge that parallels the first part of this new chapter of my life.
My adventures will begin in St. Jean-Pied-du-Port (France), where I will start walking El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James). El Camino is a 500 mile walk or pilgrimage across northern Spain that begins by crossing the Pyrenees Mountains (France/Spain border). It typically takes pilgrims thirty days to complete the walk on foot and arrive in Santiago de Compostela, España. To that end, students will have the opportunity to walk “with me” over the summer by completing specific challenges that correspond to mileage and geographic locations. (Pato will obviously be coming along—but primarily for the food and to post selfies on Instagram.)
1) Preparation: It is strongly recommended for anyone walking to have a special passport book specific to the Camino. The albergues (hostels for pilgrims) stamp your book each night so that you have a personalized record of where you stayed; it is also a nice memento, as every stamp is unique. Your first challenge, then, is to create a small passport booklet with five or ten pages to keep track of where you travel this summer. After you visit a place—local or overseas—design a miniature sticker/stamp/little picture to represent that place, and copy it into your passport booklet. If you are going to travel out of state, make one per state or country. If you are staying put, make one for each town you visit!
2) Preparation: Imagine that you are going on this walk for real: what would you pack? There are restaurants and stores along the way, so you do not need to carry much food, but water is a necessity during the hot summer months in Spain, and you must fit everything you need into a single backpack. Make a list and then… get packing! Encourage your family and/or friends to participate, and to complete this challenge, go on an actual hike with your bag and a friend. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes!
3) Week 1 (Crossing the Pyrenees Mountains from France into Spain): Play this Language Game online at least three times. Here you will learn to recognize the world’s languages, one language at a time. Around 8,000 people walk El Camino during July, so I will be surrounded by many, many languages. This challenge is meant to mimic jumping into this incomprehensible but delightful swirl of linguistic happiness. High scores do not matter here; just have fun guessing!
4) Week 1: Pamplona, Spain is perhaps most famous for its celebration of San Fermín and the annual Running of the Bulls. This tradition, although a huge part of Spanish culture, is highly controversial. This challenge asks you to read a Wikipedia or Scholastic article and watch a short YouTube video about the Running of the Bulls, and then debate the topic with your family with Paso Doblemusic playing in the background. Do you see the nobility of the beast and the elegance of the bullfight, or do you see animal cruelty? Whatever your stance, start a conversation and try to understand both perspectives.
5) Week 2: An exciting part of traveling is getting to see and try different types of foods. What is “normal” to you is “strange” to others, and vice-versa. In Spain, tapas—also called pinchos when pierced with toothpicks—are found in many restaurants. They are snacks arranged in small dishes, and have an interesting history: a long time ago, many people were illiterate, so travelers going from one inn to the next could not read the menus; instead, they were given little plates to sample different types of food before ordering their meal. This challenge is to pretend you are in Spain and recreate tapas in your own kitchen. There are countless options, so find a few that you like, and have a little fiesta, or party. Some ideas include mixed olives and cheese; skewers with pickles; fried baby squid; mushrooms sautéed in garlic and oil, etc.—see more options HERE. Enjoy!
6) Week 2: The scallop shell is the symbol of the Camino, and represents the many paths pilgrims travel to reach one destination, namely, Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims attach a scallop to their backpacks, and follow the shell symbol on the Camino to stay on the right path. While I do not care where you purchase your petrol, I like seeing the Shell gas station signs around town, and pretend that when I see one, I know I am on the right road. This challenge asks you to go to the beach and see if you can find a scallop shell. If this is not an option, Bed Bath & Beyond (among other stores) also sells them!
7) Week 3: Typical walking hours for the Camino are usually 5am-1pm (due to the extreme summer heat). After that, pilgrims find a place to stay for the night, eat together, and rest their tired, blistered feet. Many people take a book along with them to read in the afternoons and later exchange with other pilgrims. Don Quijote de la Mancha is the main character in a very famous, very old, 900-page novel that takes place in Spain. While the literary masterpiece is probably too heavy to carry in book form, and the language the Spanish equivalent of Elizabethan English, it is world-renowned and well worth learning about. This challenge is to watch three chapters about Don Quijote on YouTube. What is your “impawssible” dream? “One day or Day One?”
8) Week 3: Did you think you were going to be able to survive only on tapas for 500 miles? Think again! This challenge is to cook a more complete meal: either una tortilla española or un bocadillo. The tortilla española is similar to an omelet, but much thicker and a very hearty breakfast. A bocadillo is an inexpensive and simple but delicious sandwich—I like to add pickles on mine! Note that “boca” means mouth in Spanish. If have some time on your hands and are interested in dessert, flan and churros (dipped in chocolate or dulce de leche) are also eaten in Spain. Yum!
*“History is divided on how exactly churros came to exist. Some say they were the invention of nomadic Spanish shepherds. Living high in the mountains with no access to bakeries, the Spanish shepherds supposedly created churros, which were easy for them to cook in frying pans over fire. Lending credibility to this version of history is the fact that there exists a breed of sheep called the ‘Navajo-Churro’, which are descended from the ‘Churra’ sheep of the Iberian Peninsula; the horns of these sheep look similar to the fried pastry.
Another story says that Portuguese sailors discovered a similar food in Northern China called ‘Yóu Tiáo’ and they brought it back with them. The Spanish learned of the new culinary treat from their neighbors, and put their own spin on it by passing the dough through a star-shaped tip which gives the churro its signature ridges.” (source).
9) Week 4: There are lush, rolling forests of Eucalyptus trees near the end of the Camino to welcome you into the final city of Santiago de Compostela. It is said that “the popular Spanish name for the astronomical Milky Way is El Camino de Santiago. According to a common medieval legend, the Milky Way was formed from the dust raised by traveling pilgrims” (Wikipedia). It makes perfect sense, then, that “Compostela” would mean field of stars. Two of my friends who walked the Camino last year told me that the smell of Eucalyptus is incredibly strong here. This challenge is to find Eucalyptus oil at a store and take a whiff of one of the samplers. Now imagine that scent times five million, and that is probably what I am smelling right now.
10) Week 4: There are hours upon hours to talk to people on the Camino, but when you get tired of that, many play music to pass the time. In northern Spain, five languages are spoken, namely, Spanish, Galician, Basque (Euskara), Aranès, and Catalan. For me, listening to languages I do not understand acts as a “brain break” and feels refreshing somehow; it helps to clear my mind. This challenge is to listen to a few of the songs below, and think about what makes you happy. Then, do something nice for a family member or friend—in other words, make someone else happy! If they want to ‘repay’ you with a gift, tell them to pay it forward. Regardless of the language you speak, always remember: “Kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can see” (Mark Twain).
**Quechua is an indigenous language spoken in the Andes Mountains and highlands of South America (and NOT Spain), but this young girl with a powerful voice is revitalizing her mother tongue through music; read the full story HERE.
My hope is that this Spanish Summer Packet reinforces the fact that language-learning is a journey. Do not be overly concerned with arriving, or that magical destination called Fluency. With hard work and passion, you will get there, I promise. Just never ever give up, ever! And in the meantime, revel in the magic of the present moment: enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures along the way… and “hashtag happiness” wherever you go (#happiness). We are all on this journey together, and I am grateful to have met each and every one of you. Be well, have a wonderful summer, fall, winter, spring, and life—and please keep in touch!
With all due respect, this question and its answer are not as simple or black-and-white as some would want to believe. Let’s consider its three main flaws.
1) This is not an immersion school. While its language classes may be taught 95-100% in the target language, these classes are language-specific, and not the medium of instruction for other subjects (fluency as such is possible at a much faster rate when the bulk of the day is spent in the target language). Language classes at this school are similar to Math or Science or Music classes in that there is an allotted time for each one. Specifically, Spanish classes meet twice a week (1st-5th) for 45 minutes each class. While this is impressive compared to many other elementary language programs out there, it is also misleading for both students and parents to claim that “Joey has been taking Spanish for seven years now”–meaning he began in PK and is now in fifth grade. Why is this misleading? Most people are highly disappointed upon discovering that “Joey” is not yet fluent in the target language, most of all, Joey himself. However, has he actually been taking Spanish for seven years? Let’s be realistic here and tally up the minutes, just for kicks and giggles.
Minutes
Days
Weeks
Total Minutes
PK
15
3
35
1575
K
30
3
35
3150
1
45
2
35
3150
2
45
2
35
3150
3
45
2
35
3150
4
45
2
35
3150
5
45
2
35
3150
Total Class Minutes
20475
Minutes per 24 hour day = 24×60
1440
CLASS DAYS(not including snow days or holidays)
14.218
Conclusion? In reality, students spend about two weeks with the target language over the course of seven years, or the equivalent of an extended vacation in Mexico (i.e., full immersion, or 24/7 in the target language, and this is assuming you are not speaking to your child in English on the trip). As I’ve mentioned numerous times before, does a baby speak two weeks out of the womb? Why are you pressuring your child to produce the target language so soon? This is discouraging for all parties involved. In doing so, you implicitly emphasize that the product is more important than the process, or journey, and moreover, that language learning and acquisition ought to happen overnight; but quite frankly, this is not the case. This sets up your student to buy into the ‘instant-gratification’ mentality; instead, let’s encourage our children and students to develop the strength of character to persevere in the long (but worthwhile) process of language acquisition. Inspire and motivate, but remember that linguistically, even as a fifth grader, your child is still an infant…
2) Now, let’s talk about fluency. Online dictionaries define fluency with increasingly vague terms, “the ability to express oneself easily and articulately” or even better, “the ability to speak or write a foreign language easily and accurately”. Well, which is it? Does fluency encompass speaking or writing–or both? There are many translators out there who very precisely transfer highly technical, written documents from one language to another with tremendous skill, yet who do not speak the language. Can they claim fluency? What about oral cultures? Are people whose languages lack a written form not fluent?
Even if we concede on the “the ability to speak OR write a foreign language”, the question of “easily and accurately” still poses a great deal of ambiguity. In what venue, exactly? I would be lost at sea in English at a medical conference (borborygmi?), just as many would fare poorly at a philosophical one (solipsism?). In general conversation, perhaps a majority of English speakers–[as evidenced through close observation with people of all education levels, and even in television shows and Hollywood blockbusters]–use “there is” or “there’s” with plurals on a regular basis. In some regions of the Midwest, people eliminate “to be” altogether (“the paper needs turned in”, “the house needs painted”). Yes, I may be a language prude, but in terms of fluency, those are both grammatically incorrect. And what about slang? Who is fluent in their native tongue, anyway?
Obviously, someone who can only ask, “Where is the bathroom?” is not fluent in that language, but when exactly are they? It is not an easy question. Consider a four-year-old: “The typical four-year-old child will have about a 1,500-1,600-word vocabulary. […] By the time a child is 12 years old, he/she will understand (have a receptive vocabulary) of about 50,000 words” (Vocabulary Chart). A ninth grader will not learn the same 1,500-1,600 words in a language that a four-year-old learns on the playground and at school, and each four-year-old’s vocabulary differs as well (though understandably and at a certain point, they do share a common pool). That said, how can we compare these ‘common pools’ of vocabulary from school to school, when each teacher and school focuses on different words and teaching methodologies? “Fluency levels” are eventually determined and assessed on the national AP exams, but until then, we remain in the black hole of, as Saussure so elegantly phrases it, “a vague, uncharted nebula”.
3) Lastly, intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors definitely play a role. And yet, I have heard numerous times, “Why does my child not speak to me in Spanish at home?” Let’s be honest: do you speak the target language to them? I ask the question not to be rude, but rather as a reminder of what is logical. General politeness mandates that you speak to others in a language they understand. Therefore, it would be wholly nonsensical for your child to blabber to you on a regular basis in the language they are learning, as they do not associate you with the target language. Vocabulary recall in your presence is oftentimes more challenging simply because it seems out of place. The brain constantly networks and categorizes knowledge, information, and sensory input. Think about it: how many times has SEEING someone jogged your memory? So visual associations actually play a legitimate role here. Students remember vocabulary in their teacher’s presence, but at home or in a restaurant, it proves more taxing for the brain, if not practiced consistently.
Extrinsic factors, then, include you pressuring your child to translate words at unexpected times and in unexpected places. Putting him or her on the spot to produce the target language is 1) having unreasonable expectations (see fluency above); and 2) not being considerate of the fact that you probably aren’t associated with the target language amidst your child’s cerebral gray matter. That said, do you encourage their study? Do you encourage them to have fun during the process? Do you talk about languages and multi-lingual people in a positive light? Whether your child speaks another language at home (besides English) is yet another contributing factor…
Intrinsic factors are simply motivation-related: does your child have an interest in language(s)? Do they want to spend time outside of class reviewing, practicing, prancing around the house or running up and down the stairs reciting vocabulary and shouting creative, ridiculous sentences in the target language? As a language teacher, my hope is YES!, but I am highly aware that this is not the case for everyone. This is, however, definitely a factor and can accelerate the language-learning process by leaps and bounds.
To sum up, then, no–I cannot give you a date and time when your child will be fluent–or even conversational–in the target language, just as you could not predict the moment when your child would stutter or stammer their first word or complete sentence in their native tongue. This treatise is not meant to lower your expectations of what your child will learn here, but rather to give a more realistic assessment of and appreciation for the process of learning/acquiring another language. It is not as simple as ‘downloading vocabulary’ and then ‘outputting’ a random combination of sounds or letters. Consider, then, Lower School as the ‘formative years’ [input], or ages 0-2: their brains are receiving a great deal of information re: language rhythms, cadence, vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and intonation, coupled with gestures, culture, and meaningful contexts. It will take a while for their neural matter to sort out everything. So please refrain from pressuring your child to speak, unless he or she wants to: children are wildflowers, and will bloom when they are ready.
This month, students in PK met several of the most beloved stuffed animals from the Spanish room, including Pato/Duck, Oso/Bear, and Tiburón/Shark. Getting down to business right away, it became apparent that Pato needed to learn how to fly, as any young duck ought to. Running up a ramp [book on an angle], jumping, and lifting off did not go as planned, however, since Pato has the attention span of a fly—[not entirely his fault, as the space between his nonexistent ears does consist of fluffy white stuffing]—and, in the case that he did lift off, got scared and failed to flap his wings. A pulley system was therefore erected, easily hoisting our hero off the ground and high, high, up to the sky.
Tired of the yarn harness cutting into his feathers, Pato opted to go sailing after a while, only to encounter a terrifying, four-foot-long shark in the ocean—who was ravenous for a “sándwich de pato”. While seriously distressing, this proved a wonderful impetus to learn how to fly—as in, immediately—or: to build a house at the bottom of the ocean, cover it with a blue blanket, and hope that the shark mistakes it for a lumpy wave. Right… In the end, the two become amigos/friends, and the shark wants to learn how to fly (since Pato is obviously an expert in this field).
Adventure #2 begins with Pato lifting weights (read: a pencil, then a marker) in order to increase his wing-strength (fuerte/strong) and be able to lift his new friend, the shark. In addition, students also hummed along to the beginning and end-of-class songs, responded to basic action commands, and said how they were feeling each day in the target language. Gracias for a great month!
K
This month, students in kindergarten reacquainted themselves with several of the most beloved stuffed animals in the Spanish room, including Pato/Duck, Oso/Bear, Conejito/Bunny, Patito/Ducky, and Ardilla/Squirrel. After a summer of scrounging on crumbs in the Spanish room, Pato was, not surprisingly, beyond famished, and discovered in a gigantic bag full of plastic eggs. Because the eggs happened to fit his head quite perfectly (just like a helmet), he decided to build a tobogán/slide with the class and cruise down at top speed—with the helmet, of course: safety first. Conejito likewise nestled himself inside a plastic egg, and whoosh, down the slide he went!
It should be noted that he kept a miniature cell phone inside the egg in case of an emergency, and did call initially because it was rather dark inside the shell and he was a bit scared. All of this led to Pato covering himself with plastic eggs (armor, obviously), jumping aboard a stuffed-animal-sized winter sled with Oso, and requesting that kindergarteners pull the sled across the table—there was a long piece of yarn attached to the sled—so that they could “go skiing”.
In-between these wild adventures in the target language, kindergarteners practiced acting out their password cards, made duplicates of said cards for their lockers, and held onto their sombreros—Pato is bound to be up a tree or scuba-diving at the bottom of the ocean the next time you see him. Life is far from boring with bilingual stuffed animals roaming the Spanish room…
1
This month, students in first grade chose individual professions passwords, and then practiced acting out each one. Later, they read the daily letter from Pato, wrote what they wanted to do on the miniature whiteboards (Quiero colorear, Quiero jugar//I want to color, I want to play), and then traveled to said isla, or island. First graders will continuously add new islands—aka sight words—to their repertoire throughout the year. These ‘play days’ will also be interspersed with ‘project days’, which build community, expose students to other cultures and perspectives, and/or reinforce sight words with a fun, hands-on assignment.
The first project day was based on Don Quijote, the 900-page, 400+ year-old Spanish literary masterpiece by Cervantes. In a nutshell, the adventures begin when Don Quijote goes crazy from reading too many books and decides to become a knight in shining armor like the ones he reads about. First graders became so excited about the novel that one project day turned into a week—and the Spanish classroom transformed into a stage, where student actors and actresses acted out multiple chapters. They even made a two-tone copy of Picasso’s famous black and white painting depicting the two main characters. Impressive!
2
This month, students in second grade chose new identities, that is, Spanish names. Because a majority of students wanted the same names, they had to choose a second name to help differentiate one from another. This means that not only is there a “Sofía Isabel” in class, but also an “Isabel Sofía”—just to keep us all mentally on our toes (neurons?). Second graders were also given cuadernos/notebooks in which to record important vocabulary, such as their new names and individual passwords. It should be noted that the latter are primarily sea creatures, but with a dinosaur, bumblebee, and fox thrown in there just for fun.
In fact, “fox” is “zorro” in Spanish, which led to a fun mini-lesson about Zorro, the fictional character from Mexico (now California) who “defends the commoners and indigenous peoples of the land against tyrannical officials and other villains” (Wikipedia), and makes sure to mark the letter “Z” wherever he goes. Second graders seemed to get a kick out of the black-and-white 1958 theme song introduction to the show. Finally, students practiced and presented a silly dialogue with puppets in the target language, which emphasized the importance of expression: ¡Oye-oye-oye-oye!/¿Qué?/Pues, nada/¡¿En serio?! (Hey-hey-hey-hey you!/What?/Well, nothing/Seriously?!).
3
This month, students in third grade learned that they have been selected to join the world-renowned Spanish Acting Company. A quick tour of the Walk of Fame—Hollywood squares with students’ names printed in the stars—confirmed this fact. As participants, third graders will perform in multiple shows throughout the year, as main characters and audience members. The importance of each role was emphasized here. Performed as theatrical plays, each story will include both fiction (creative, student ideas) and nonfiction (cultural, historical facts).
The first story begins with the following: Evil Orange lives in Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany (Deutschland/Alemania). One night, he laughs his notorious, evil cackle, and sails to Puerto Rico. The adorable Pato lives there and is nestled in bed with his favorite stuffed animal, Patito, dreaming of raindrops on roses and everything nice, when Evil Orange proceeds to kidnap Patito. Oh no! Evil Orange brings Patito back to Neuschwanstein Castle, and… you’ll have to tune in next month to find out what happens next. “Duh-duh-duhhhhh!” Third graders also practiced acting out their passwords in a timed setting, trying to associate a specific action with each word; began recording key vocabulary in their Spanish notebooks; and saw pictures of bioluminescence—their nonfiction fact of the month.
4
This month, students in fourth grade learned that they will be participating in a yearlong town simulation. Their first stop was Argentina, where fourth graders explored the history of Yerba Mate, or ‘the friendship drink’ of South America via photos and physical cultural artifacts, and later were able to taste the strong, somewhat bitter (but delicious!) tea. Then, it was time to travel again: after grabbing their passports, boarding passes, and luggage from the Locker Bay; removing their zapatos/shoes for the infamous TSA security screening process; watching a bilingual ‘safety instructions’ video; enjoying snacks—goldfish and water—from the stewardess during the flight; and experiencing a tiny bit of turbulence, students finally arrived in Madrid, the capital of Spain.
Then, it was only a matter of deciphering the puzzling (but authentic) city map, a quick trip on the Metro (Subway) and a three-hour train ride (Renfe) through the Andalusian countryside (see all the olive trees?!), before students settled in what is to be their new home: Granada, España/Spain. The intense summer heat of southern Spain was reflected (bad pun) in the covered streets—colorful sheet canopies high above protect the city from the urban heat effect. Students left their baggage at the hotel, noticed the famous Moorish palace (La Alhambra) across the street (beautiful!), and set about their first set of business: deciding where to live and drawing up floorplans of the inside of their new homes. Yay! Fourth graders also practiced acting out their passwords, in order to associate a specific motion with each word.
5
This month, students in fifth grade learned that their end-of-the-year Spanish Program will actually take place in February this year. As a result, fifth graders launched into full-fledged rehearsal mode. Their first play begins with two news reporters. To make this more culturally authentic, students learned about and watched a short video clip of two famous reporters from the Spanish-speaking television network, UNIVISIÓN—Jorge Ramos and María Elena Salinas. From there, they proceeded to unravel the complex mess of new Spanish vocabulary, stage directions, and what is hidden between the lines yet nevertheless crucial to express on stage.
For example, when Pato poisons Dora the Explorer on live television and the news reporters are undecided as to whether or not they should cut to a commercial, fifth graders must create an intense, unspoken tension in the room. What?! Daily oral assessments and weekly written quizzes ensured that students stayed focused and on top of the material. Additionally, fifth graders randomly chose a number from 0-105, which became their age and consequent ‘role’ (i.e., mother, father, grandfather, cousin, etc.) in the Class Family. This was to emphasize the importance of working together as a team and family, particularly in light of the aforementioned theatrical debut, scheduled for February 17, 2017. Can’t wait to see you there!
Grade
PK
This term, students in prekindergarten learned several songs in the target language (Buenos días; Tengo hambre; La araña pequeñita;Sí me gusta/No me gusta; Te amo; Adiós, amigos); were introduced to numerous stuffed animals from the Spanish room; practiced responding to action commands; listened to stories; made miniature piñatas; and participated in class conversations. Because the class is 100% immersion, each student picks up different vocabulary each day, and may or may not share those words at home. Please keep in mind that the focus at this stage is comprehension—any verbal production is going above and beyond! Gracias for a great quarter.
K
This term, students in kindergarten reacquainted themselves with several of the most beloved stuffed animals in the Spanish room, including Pato/Duck, Oso/Bear, and Ardilla/Squirrel. Over time, kindergarteners began to understand that the stuffed animals are quite silly, and as a result, most classes begin with a humorous mini-story that naturally leads into a hands-on class activity—e.g., vinegar volcanoes, disappearing ink, food coloring, dyed paper, fort-building, etc. In-between activities, students jam to the theme-song from Rompe Ralph (Wreck-It Ralph) and watch Pocoyó. Gracias for a great quarter.
1
This term, students in first grade read and translated the daily letter from Pato (at times needing to correct the duck’s careless grammar); submitted written requests expressing what they wanted to do in the target language; and listened to two very silly songs… repeatedly: “¿Puedo ir al baño?” (Can I go to the bathroom?) and “La invitación” (The Invitation). First graders also spent a good portion of September studying and acting out various chapters of the 900-page, 400+ year-old, Spanish literary masterpiece, Don Quijote de la Mancha by Cervantes, and even made a two-tone copy of Picasso’s famous black and white painting depicting the two main characters in the novel (i.e., Don Quijote and Sancho Panza). Gracias for a great quarter.
2
This term, students in second grade chose new identities, or Spanish names, as well as sea creature passwords; rehearsed and presented silly mini-conversations in the target language with puppets; danced to Madre Tierra by Chayanne; and learned about Zorro, the fictional character from Mexico [now California] who “defends the commoners and indigenous peoples of the land against tyrannical officials and other villains” (Wikipedia). Later, second graders created a class story with Zorro as the main character. The story required full audience participation—choral responses, gestures, actions, and student actors—and took over a month to tell. Gracias for a great quarter.
3
This term, students in third grade learned that they were selected to join the world-renowned Spanish Acting Company. A quick tour of the Walk of Fame—Hollywood squares with students’ names printed in the stars—confirmed this fact. As participants, third graders fact in multiple shows throughout the year, as main characters and audience members. Each story, or theatrical play, includes both fiction (creative, student ideas) and nonfiction (cultural, historical facts) elements. The first story of the year was about Evil Orange, who lives in Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, and kidnaps Patito, the adorable stuffed animal belonging to the equally adorable Pato. Hence began nine weeks of Adventures in Stuffed Animal World! Gracias for a great quarter.
4
This term, students in fourth grade learned that they will be participating in a yearlong town simulation. After a brief layover in Argentina—primarily for the purpose of tasting Yerba Mate, or ‘the friendship drink’ of South America—fourth graders grabbed their passports, boarding passes, and luggage, and finally arrived in Madrid, the capital of Spain, following a somewhat turbulent flight. Then it was only a matter of a quick trip on the Metro (Subway), and a three-hour train ride (Renfe) through the Andalusian countryside (see all the olive trees?!) before students settled in what is to be their new home: Granada, España/Spain. Later, they bought houses, and, well… got to work! Gracias for a great quarter.
5
This term, students in fifth grade learned that their end-of-the-year Spanish Program will actually take place in February this year. As a result, fifth graders launched into full-fledged rehearsal mode, first familiarizing themselves with each of the three plays as a class. Next, fifth graders split off into groups, and began focusing in on their assigned play. Specifically, students have been working on using appropriate vocal intonation and expression; facing the audience; memorizing their lines; and beginning to brainstorm prop, music, and costume ideas. Gracias for a great quarter.
This term, students in prekindergarten learned several songs in the target language (Buenos días; Tengo hambre; La araña pequeñita;Sí me gusta/No me gusta; Te amo; Adiós, amigos); were introduced to numerous stuffed animals from the Spanish room; practiced responding to action commands; listened to stories; made miniature piñatas; and participated in class conversations. Because the class is 100% immersion, each student picks up different vocabulary each day, and may or may not share those words at home. Please keep in mind that the focus at this stage is comprehension—any verbal production is going above and beyond! Gracias for a great quarter.
K
This term, students in kindergarten reacquainted themselves with several of the most beloved stuffed animals in the Spanish room, including Pato/Duck, Oso/Bear, and Ardilla/Squirrel. Over time, kindergarteners began to understand that the stuffed animals are quite silly, and as a result, most classes begin with a humorous mini-story that naturally leads into a hands-on class activity—e.g., vinegar volcanoes, disappearing ink, food coloring, dyed paper, fort-building, etc. In-between activities, students jam to the theme-song from Rompe Ralph (Wreck-It Ralph) and watch Pocoyó. Gracias for a great quarter.
1
This term, students in first grade read and translated the daily letter from Pato (at times needing to correct the duck’s careless grammar); submitted written requests expressing what they wanted to do in the target language; and listened to two very silly songs… repeatedly: “¿Puedo ir al baño?” (Can I go to the bathroom?) and “La invitación” (The Invitation). First graders also spent a good portion of September studying and acting out various chapters of the 900-page, 400+ year-old, Spanish literary masterpiece, Don Quijote de la Mancha by Cervantes, and even made a two-tone copy of Picasso’s famous black and white painting depicting the two main characters in the novel (i.e., Don Quijote and Sancho Panza). Gracias for a great quarter.
2
This term, students in second grade chose new identities, or Spanish names, as well as sea creature passwords; rehearsed and presented silly mini-conversations in the target language with puppets; danced to Madre Tierra by Chayanne; and learned about Zorro, the fictional character from Mexico [now California] who “defends the commoners and indigenous peoples of the land against tyrannical officials and other villains” (Wikipedia). Later, second graders created a class story with Zorro as the main character. The story required full audience participation—choral responses, gestures, actions, and student actors—and took over a month to tell. Gracias for a great quarter.
3
This term, students in third grade learned that they were selected to join the world-renowned Spanish Acting Company. A quick tour of the Walk of Fame—Hollywood squares with students’ names printed in the stars—confirmed this fact. As participants, third graders fact in multiple shows throughout the year, as main characters and audience members. Each story, or theatrical play, includes both fiction (creative, student ideas) and nonfiction (cultural, historical facts) elements. The first story of the year was about Evil Orange, who lives in Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, and kidnaps Patito, the adorable stuffed animal belonging to the equally adorable Pato. Hence began nine weeks of Adventures in Stuffed Animal World! Gracias for a great quarter.
4
This term, students in fourth grade learned that they will be participating in a yearlong town simulation. After a brief layover in Argentina—primarily for the purpose of tasting Yerba Mate, or ‘the friendship drink’ of South America—fourth graders grabbed their passports, boarding passes, and luggage, and finally arrived in Madrid, the capital of Spain, following a somewhat turbulent flight. Then it was only a matter of a quick trip on the Metro (Subway), and a three-hour train ride (Renfe) through the Andalusian countryside (see all the olive trees?!) before students settled in what is to be their new home: Granada, España/Spain. Later, they bought houses, and, well… got to work! Gracias for a great quarter.
5
This term, students in fifth grade learned that their end-of-the-year Spanish Program will actually take place in February this year. As a result, fifth graders launched into full-fledged rehearsal mode, first familiarizing themselves with each of the three plays as a class. Next, fifth graders split off into groups, and began focusing in on their assigned play. Specifically, students have been working on using appropriate vocal intonation and expression; facing the audience; memorizing their lines; and beginning to brainstorm prop, music, and costume ideas. Gracias for a great quarter.
2016-17
September: This month, students in first grade chose individual professions passwords, and then practiced acting out each one. Later, they read the daily letter from Pato, wrote what they wanted to do on the miniature whiteboards (Quiero colorear, Quiero jugar//I want to color, I want to play), and then traveled to said isla, or island. First graders will continuously add new islands—aka sight words—to their repertoire throughout the year. These ‘play days’ will also be interspersed with ‘project days’, which build community, expose students to other cultures and perspectives, and/or reinforce sight words with a fun, hands-on assignment. The first project day was based on Don Quijote, the 900-page, 400+ year-old Spanish literary masterpiece by Cervantes. In a nutshell, the adventures begin when Don Quijote goes crazy from reading too many books and decides to become a knight in shining armor like the ones he reads about. First graders became so excited about the novel that one project day turned into a week—and the Spanish classroom transformed into a stage, where student actors and actresses acted out multiple chapters. They even made a two-tone copy of Picasso’s famous black and white painting depicting the two main characters. Impressive!
September: This month, students in second grade chose new identities, that is, Spanish names. Because a majority of students wanted the same names, they had to choose a second name to help differentiate one from another. This means that not only is there a “Sofía Isabel” in class, but also an “Isabel Sofía”—just to keep us all mentally on our toes (neurons?). Second graders were also given cuadernos/notebooks in which to record important vocabulary, such as their new names and individual passwords. It should be noted that the latter are primarily sea creatures, but with a dinosaur, bumblebee, and fox thrown in there just for fun. In fact, “fox” is “zorro” in Spanish, which led to a fun mini-lesson about Zorro, the fictional character from Mexico (now California) who “defends the commoners and indigenous peoples of the land against tyrannical officials and other villains” (Wikipedia), and makes sure to mark the letter “Z” wherever he goes. Second graders seemed to get a kick out of the black-and-white 1958 theme song introduction to the show. Finally, students practiced and presented a silly dialogue with puppets in the target language, which emphasized the importance of expression: ¡Oye-oye-oye-oye!/¿Qué?/Pues, nada/¡¿En serio?! (Hey-hey-hey-hey you!/What?/Well, nothing/Seriously?!).
Kesäyö. The linguist was tired. Her brain had morphed into a glob of jelly. Or perhaps jam. Something squishy and clearly unable to function. What did it mean? She craved just a pinch of the artists’ inspiration, a formula to recall the word, a starting point to bring its life to the surface, make its meaning known. Letters merely signified geometric nonsense lacking dimensionality. Eh, what was the use?
Pen in hand, her mind wandered… fingers slowly releasing the tension, muscles relaxing (could tendons loosen on command?), jaw unclenching, imagination gaining control… Suddenly, she was flying over snow-capped mountains, squinting and shivering as the sun radiated blinding rays but only a dull warmth. A light mist began to shower the land: Mellow and refreshing, the cleanse was just what she needed. Landing quietly, as though wearing fuzzy slippers, she entered the castle.
The castle invited joyful persons inside, persons fully alive, persons desiring to share their enthusiasm and passion for life with others. It was peace of mind and inspiration itself embodied—truly, a happy place. She skipped stairs, three at a time, allowing the energy to penetrate her weakened state, already feeling rejuvenated. Kesäyö. The sound pattern reverberated through her skull. Meaning: Unknown. She turned the corner, arriving at her destination, and placed the small package carefully on a table. She felt a surge of energy, the high-frequency kind, and knew that everything was going to be all right.
Back home, she turned on some music. After a drink, noting her altered mood and feeling considerably more focused, she scanned the neurons, the axons, even the synapses. There were so many files. A note stirred something in the intellect, and at last, a definition emerged—Kesäyö: Summer night. She thought it was brilliant how music could transcend language, at least enough to suggest a translation. After all, summer nights were all that and more—kesäyö felt like radiant light, sounded like rain, seemed mellow and refreshing… was comforting and lovely, like a true friend. Or a fairy. Now, if only she trace, or rather, Finnish her original thought.
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