Spanish Beyond the Classroom
Launch the media gallery 1 playerExperiencing culture and sharing it in the classroom truly enhances language learning. Each week I try to sneak some into every class period. However, it seems that Mother Nature has had her own plans. We made every attempt to celebrate the completion of our chapters with the breaking of piñatas a bit early this year, but the weather didn’t want to cooperate and created some very short weeks. With the help of students bringing in candy and Mr. Wergin allowing us to invade his classes for a bit, they all finally had the opportunity to scramble for some treats. While some students choose to hold on to their master pieces, others allow us to stuff them with candy and destroy them. To these students, I also say, “gracias”.
Launch the media gallery 2 playerIt is also this time of year that upper level Spanish classes prepare for the annual foreign language fair held at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. However, due to UNL’s cancellation, students prepared for a different experience. During “Read Across America“ week, Spanish III and IV students instead traveled a bit closer and shared their expertise with Bennett Elementary to do a little reading and a little teaching. We shared “Are You My Mom?“, “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut“, and so many more. “They surprised me with how much they actually knew about these books already,” said Rylehe Wobig. Danny Versaw thought, “They paid attention so well.” Grace Leuschen shared that she felt “this was a cool way to come into contact with Spanish since it’s no longer being taught at the elementary,” like it used to be when we were there. And while she is right (due to federal funding for programs like these), it does give the opportunity for Spanish students to give back to the school district, enhance their language skills, all while showcasing their leadership skills. We are making future plans to visit more often to do more fun activities.
