Upper School Spanish News - December

Lower Elementary

Students are spelling out words in Spanish, translating the words using English or pictures, and then using those words to make new sentences in Spanish.

We write stories together and students personalize them.

Students are practicing compound words, "palabras compuestas."

As an extension of botany lessons in the classroom, students are learning the Spanish names for the parts of the leaves.

Lower Elementary students enjoy playing games and practicing dances from Hispanic countries. This is a great way to learn the language and culture.

Upper Elementary

We take many of our lessons outside if the weather permits. Dancing, games, we do it all!  

One group of students is working on a play that focuses on the verbs baila, corre, salta, lanza, Éste/a, a es, se llama, and tiene; the nouns perro, gato, chico, chica; and the adjectives guapo/feo, gordo/flaco, inteligente/ estupido, rapido/lento.

Older Upper Elementary students are continuing their grammar work with translations and indirect/direct pronouns, and are researching cultural information about the Hispanic community in the United States. We found out that 500 million people speak Spanish in the world, which makes it the second most spoken language!

A favorite activity is looking through the Spanish/English dictionary and building sentences.

After students finish a chapter from the novel that they are reading, they create “Matchbook Summaries" (the style resembles that of a matchbook). On one side, students draw and color their favorite scenes from the chapter. On the other side, students write a summary of the chapter.

Upper Elementary students engage in handwork activities in the afternoon, and during that time I give instructions in Spanish, while Maria Burke gives instructions in English. As we say,  “Las dos Marias!”

Middle School

Students are working hard learning grammar rules, which is good practice for high school Spanish classes. Now we are working with daily schedules and the verb tener, or to have.

The majority of class instruction is given in Spanish.

Students are making videos and Spanish commercials. They are also following a Spanish TV series, El internado (The Boarding School).  Each episode is divided in halves or thirds, and we make sure everyone understands each section. Activities follow each episode. 

Maria Asuncion Myers