The Classroom

If there is a hands-on project for Spanish students, my students have probably done it. I am all about project based learning and I use that in almost every unit I teach. In a typical unit, students can expect to learn new vocabulary and an aspect of culture along with participating in a speaking and writing assignment, and to round out the unit, they almost always have a project. Here are just a few projects they have done in the past three years.

Shoebox Ofrendas

During Día de los Muertos, families make ofrendas for their loved ones who have passed away. While we were learning "to be" verbs and adjectives, students created ofrendas for family members or celebrities who had passed away. They wrote mini-biographies about them to practice their new vocabulary skills.

Rock Calaveras

Also, during Día de los Muertos, people painted their faces as if they were skulls or calaveras. Instead of painting faces, students painted rocks that became a part of the school's garden for decoration.

Spot-it Vocab

Students practice vocabulary in various ways, but one of their favorites is a classic game called Spot-it. In this game, students have to match an item on the card they are holding with the card on top of the pile. When they find one that matches, they say the word in Spanish and take that card. The person with the most cards wins in the end.

Piñata

At the end of the year, we do a food unit where students select a Spanish-speaking country, create a presentation about it, and present it in Spanish. At the end of the unit, we have the Spanish Lunch, where students bring a food dish to share from their chosen country. This year, students made pinatas to break open after lunch to try candy from Spanish-speaking countries.

The Details

Here is a tour of my classroom before the students arrived. I try incorporating many colors, even with my school's no-bright color policy. I also try to make the space as collaborative as possible by using the semi-circle shape to encourage students to talk during class. I have a variety of fidgets for students to use to help them stay focused. When students walk into my room, I want them to feel safe and cared for, which is what I want my classroom to convey.