I have decided to go ahead and end the school year with an engaging project that can be used at the beginning of the new school year. Every year, from September 15th to October 15th, Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States. It’s a month to celebrate the Hispanic presence in the US and contributions to the country.
This celebration starts just a week after the school year has started here in Massachusetts. Because it’s so early in the school year, I feel it’s hard to start my class with a project when I am working hard just to make sure everyone understands the routine and dynamic of the class as we get used to new year.
I found a simple project posted on a middle school blog run by Señorita Lona. This past school year, I piggy-backed on her project for creating this poster. I had my third grade students pick a famous Hispanic person from the list below.
They did basic research on Wikipedia to find the person’s full name, date of birth, country of origin, and why the person was famous. They had to pretend they all were alive to be able to write the sentences in the present tense. Due to the limited time I had available for the project, I gave my students the questions in advance that they had to glue on their posters.
After getting all the information together, they had to answer using full sentences and decorate their posters.
Many of the students worked in pairs during this project. We recorded their voices with one being the interviewer and the other one being the interviewee, using a free version of the app called “Voice Record.” Then I created the QR codes with a free program called “QR code.” I plan to display the posters around the school in September and invite family members, school staff, and faculty to use their devices to listen to the children reading their interviews. That will be a starting point for my students to help celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in my school.
I like approaching the first days of school in a very low key manner. We are all getting ready and adjusting to the new routine, and as some suggest, it may take up to 6 weeks for children to finally feel ready for your class. This is especially true as I am an specialist, and I see my students two times during the week. I am not a lucky homeroom teacher who gets to see them everyday! I like to use my first classes to show my students how my class works and what I expect from them, but before I dive into rules and procedures, I introduce myself.
Every year I make a book or presentation where I share with my students a bit about myself, my family, my country of origin, and something fun I did during the summer. I create a short story book and use pictures to illustrate it. I call this book “Todo Sobre Mí.” Students really want to know who their teachers are, and they really appreciate the information you can give them, even telling them my first name, but letting them know that I prefer to be called “Señora Gómez” (however, note that this is not true anymore; this year I am going to make the shift to allowing them to use my first name, just like my students always did in Colombia.)
This is how mine looks!
Would you like to make your own? Grab materials to create yours HERE!
After sharing information about myself, I inform them about what I expect from each of them in my class. I predominantly use the target language for this purpose, but I also speak about 10% of the time in my students’ common language, as suggested by ACTFL. To convey my expectations clearly, I rely heavily on visuals, simplifying my class guidelines as much as possible. In fact, the expectations I use are as follows:1.Respeto 2. Bondad 4. Español
And of course, I don’t want to end my first class without knowing students’ names and introducing or reviewing “Yo me llamo…”
This is something I’ve always wanted to try. I have to say I was scared of it. I think it’s nice to know what my students think about me and my teaching style. I have had other teachers and my school principal observing my classes, but the group that I think knows the best about me as a teacher are my students.
Letting your students give you feedback will allow them have a different relationship with you and your subject matter. You’re empowering them, letting them know how important it is for you to know what they think. It’s really a no-brainer, as they are the ones that have first hand experience with you as their teacher. They can really help you shape your teaching style and let you know about simple things you didn’t realize, simple things like “you never gave me a turn to participate in the memory game” or “you always call girls first.” Things that sound simple, but at the end influence the atmosphere in your class and what your students think of you. Of course, they can also help you feel great when they give positive comments. Encouraging young people to think critically and give constructive feedback is something that I think all teachers can and should focus on. I know I didn’t have enough of it growing up in Colombia …
I teach students in the lower grades (pre-K to 1st), and I have conversations about what they liked in the class, what they’d like to learn in the future, and what they didn’t like in the class. I also teach second and third grades, and with this age group I let them fill out an anonymous feedback form with questions about the class in general and about me as their teacher.
You can grab a free copy of this form by clicking on the link below. Give it a try, put yourself out there, and let your students have a voice and active role in shaping who you are as a teacher. It’ll empower you and give you fuel for brilliance, too!
Hola amigos ¿cómo están? (Hi friends -boys-, how are you?)
Muy bien! (Very well). Hola, amigas ¿cómo están? (Hi friends -girls-, how are you?)
Muy bien! (Very well).
Bienvenidos amigos (welcome(boys)),
Bienvenidas amigas (welcome (girls))
Bienvenidos, bienvenidas, la, la, la,
Bienvenidos, bienvenidas, la, la, la.
Activities: • Use a friendly puppet to introduce the song. Have a short interaction with the puppet: You: Hola, ¿cómo estas? Puppet: Muy bien gracias Puppet and you: Bienvenido, bienvenida a la clase de español . • Pass the ball in the circle asking each student “Hola, ¿cómo estas?” and giving them the opportunity to answer “muy bien gracias”. Invite students to volunteer using two puppets with the same question and answer. • Make instruments with recycled materials such as cereal boxes, milk bottles, and spoons. Have students sing the song while playing instruments. Divide the class in two groups. Ask one side of the class to sing “hola, ¿cómo estas? And have the other group respond “muy bien”
(My name is Julián) A, E, I, O, U ¿Cómo te llamas tú?
(What’s your name?) A, E, I, O, U Yo me llamo Alana
(My name is Alana)
Activities: • Bring a puppet to class. Introduce it by saying “Yo me llamo ….”(my name is), and then say “¿Cómo te llamas tú?” (what’s your name) pointing at the puppet and have the puppet respond to you. • Have a puppet ask the children in class ¿cómo te llamas tú? • Have the class stand up in a circle. Throw a ball while asking “¿cómo te llamas tú? They should respond by saying “yo me llamo…” or simply say their name and throw the ball back to you, and then proceed to sit back down.
• Variation: The student with the ball responds to the question saying “Yo me llamo…” and then throws the ball to another classmate asking “¿Cómo te llamas”. Once their classmates answer, the student who had the ball previously can sit. The game continues until they are all seated.
At this point in the year, some of you are already back to school or getting ready for it! I still have a few days left until I see my students. I have some new things I would love to try this year. At a conference I attended this summer, a teacher shared with me that at the beginning of the school year she sends home a survey for her students to fill out along with their parents. I know homeroom teachers do it, and I recall getting a few of these when my own children were in preschool. How in the world is it that it never occurred to me that I could do this with my students? That’s why I love the teaching community, so much sharing and helping each other!
After doing some research, I adapted one that I will share with my students. I plan to use it in class in something like “el estudiante misterioso”which basically will be like sharing with the class special facts about this person, taking a few guesses, and then revealing the name of the mystery student. After revealing the name, I will again ask the class to give some facts about this person. For example,
1. ¿Cuántos hermanos tiene Anna?
2. ¿Quién tiene hermanos en la clase?
3. ¿Cuántos hermanos tienes?
This way other student can relate with the mystery student.
I’m not sure where I will take it from there. Maybe the mystery student will have a special place to sit in class or will have a special job. Please share your ideas in the comments. I will be so excited to hear them all and update this post with them!
Download your pages for “El estudiante misterioso” HERE!
¡Hola! I am Carolina, a Colombian elementary Spanish teacher based in Boston, MA. Fun for Spanish Teachers is the result of my passion for teaching Spanish to children and my desire to inspire collaboration and creativity in a vibrant teaching and learning community. It’s the perfect stop if you are looking for songs, games, teaching tips, stories, and fun for your classes.
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