Beginning Spanish: Weeks 1-6

¡Hola padres!

We're heading in to our seventh week of Spanish class, and I am so pleased with what the kids have retained so far!  

I've implemented a star/point system, which has worked out well.  Each child starts the class with five stars, and they get an extra star for being early.  Throughout the class, I give stars based on participation and focus and take stars away for lack of participation or disruptive behavior. Every Friday, the three students who have the most points get a prize from the prize bag!

At the beginning of the month, I also introduced teacher vs student points.  The students get a point if the entire class is participating, being respectful, and paying attention.  I get a point if they do the opposite.  If at the end of the month, the kids have more points than the teacher, they get a special day!  This could be anything from playing games to a special bocadillo (snack).  This has really motivated the kids to help each other to focus on what we're doing that day.

Here's a recap of what we've covered:

Week 1- 

Meeting the kids!

This was a fun way to get to know the kids and their personalities.  I asked them all to hold the frame and make whatever face they'd like, and this is the result!

                        

The kids learned how to say mi nombre es ______, tengo ___ años, yo soy de _____, buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas noches and some basic commands that we use almost every day in the class room.

Week 2- Los colores y las formas

This week we learned the colors and shapes!

To make sure they retained what I had taught them, I had them play running bingo.  I would call out either a shape or a color, and the kids would have to run to the card that had whatever I said. Here's a picture, but they were moving so fast that all I got were blurry pictures!

Running bingo- this was the clearest picture of them all!

Some other games that we played were:

A form of Pictionary-  I would say a color or a shape in Spanish and they would either draw the shape or write the color in English on mini whiteboards.

Find it!- I would say a color and a shape in Spanish, and the kids would have to point out the correct card on the wall.

Week 3- El alfabeto

This week we learned the alphabet!  The kids picked up the four differences between the English alphabet and el alfabeto en español really quickly (ch, ll, ñ y rr).  They had a lot of fun practicing how to pronounce the four *special* letters of the Spanish alphabet, even though some of the kids couldn't roll their r's.  But they certainly ha a great time trying!

The video I showed them every morning to review was this one: Spanish alphabet - Learn Spanish with BASHO & FRIENDS. They kept on asking for Basho, the little white dinosaur in the video, every morning so I didn't need to find another video to peak their interest!

Some of the games we played this week included: 

What letter am I?- I would either say a the letter in Spanish or the sound it makes, and the kids would have to write down their guess on the mini whiteboards.

Form it!- I would say a letter and the kids would have to form the letter using their bodies.

 

A- First attempt

A- Second attempt

Ñ

O

M

SLAP!- The kids paired up, spread out their stack of letters and tried to "slap" the letter once it was called out. Whoever got the most letters, won!

Hangman- Using terms that we had learned the week before (shapes and colors), I had the kids guess letters in Spanish.

Week 4- Repaso

We reviewed all the things we learned the previous three weeks!

Here is the list again-

Games we played:

Draw it!- Kids divided in to teams and I would call out a shape and a color in Spanish. They would either crab walk or bunny hop to the other side of the room and draw the shape with the correct color.

Crab walking

Bunny hopping 

So exicted!

What is it?- I would say a command/phrase in Spanish and the kids would have to either show what the command was saying or translate it.

Spell it!- Using the alphabet cards, they kids had to work together to spell the word correctly.

Spelling cubo

¡Cubo!

Spelling cuadrado

Spelling rectángulo

Alphabet ball- Kids would toss a beach ball that had the alphabet taped on and whichever letter landed facing them, they would have to say it or the sound it makes.

Shape it!- Using glow sticks, the kids had to manipulate them to form the letter called out.

Ñ

Week 5- En la escuela

The kids learned different objects you could find in a typical classroom. I drew the items on little flashcards and had the kids first identify what it was in English.  I would then tell them what it was in Spanish and had them write it down in their notebooks.

One of the projects for the week was ¿Qué hay en tu mochila? (What is in your backpack?).  If the specified term could fit inside a backpack, the kids taped it on to a backpack printout.

 Games that we played:

Find it!- The school items were placed in the room, I would say the item in Spanish and the kids would have to point out the item.

Pictionary- Kids would pick out a strip of paper that had the school item written in Spanish, and they would have to draw it on the whiteboard so the other kids could guess what it is!
                       

Week 6- Pronombres personales y la familia

This past week the kids learned personal pronouns and family members.  Our project for the week was labeling family pictures! I also had the kids write down in their notebooks the personal pronouns and family members in Spanish/English.

Some games we played:

What do we use?- The kids would tell me the correct pronoun used. I would form them in to groups and they would have to say the correct pronoun based on the grouping.

Find it!- I would say a personal pronoun in English, and the kids would have to find the correct sticky note that was placed across the room.

Spell it!- Using the alphabet cards, the kids had to spell out the terms they learned this week.


That's it for now! Once we have our next review week, I'll update the blog again. Until then...


¡Adiós!

 Maestra Analy