WHY SPANISH TWO?
Park elementary PROJECT AND REFLECTION
The purpose of going to Park Elementary to talk to spanish speaking students, was to allow us to understand the language learning process through somebody else's eyes and to get inspired about learning new language. We prepared in class by writing notecards in spanish to break the ice with the kids. This was an effective way to get to know the kids and make sure that we were using the correct grammar in our spanish to communicate with them. The overall plan for the field trip was to begin with a game outside to break the ice, then either follow them to their next class or stay outside for a little until their next class began. After spending time in their classroom, we regrouped outside for the last 20 minutes to read books in Spanish and play games as a group.
The first time I meeting Alexis he was relatively shy, he was very sweet and loved to play on the swings. The first thing the class did was recess so I asked hims about the sports he liked to play, and what he usually does at recess. Some of the other students were confused why I was there but they were all very excited to have a stranger in the classroom. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the second day of the field trip, so I only had one day with Alexis. On the day I was there, the students did stations of activities to help them learn their shapes, reading, memorization and puzzles. They then broke off individually, which is when I helped Alexis write in his journal about his field trip to the discovery museum. Although I only had one day with Alexis, we had so much fun together! He was a wonderful listener and seemed to excel in the classroom.
For someone as young as Alexis, I am sure that it is really easy for him to get confused between speaking Spanish at home, and English at school. There is the slight disadvantage of the language barrier, and since he is only immersed in English for half of his day, I'm sure he isn't being exposed to as much English vocabulary as his peers. It will end up being an advantage later in life to know two languages, but at the same time his English may never be as strong as his peers. The other thing that Alexis might struggle with is the idea that there are multiple languages in the world. At this age he is just unaware of language barriers that exist in the world.
As a language learner it was really inspirational to see such young kids becoming bilingual. It gives me motivation to keep pushing through the struggles I face with learning a new language just like they do everyday. Alexis never complained about it being difficult or confusing which was also pretty inspiring. If I were to do this again, I would probably try to speak more spanish to him. In the classroom we only did things in English, but I still should have tried to have more conversation with him in Spanish. I also wish that I was able to make it the second day just so I could develop the relationship further.
Overall, this was a really fun experience and a great approach to learning Spanish through the kids. I was amazed that they were able to know two languages at such a young age and was impressed with their abilities. I am glad that we were able to connect with the community, make kids feel outstanding, and make a difference as a whole.
The first time I meeting Alexis he was relatively shy, he was very sweet and loved to play on the swings. The first thing the class did was recess so I asked hims about the sports he liked to play, and what he usually does at recess. Some of the other students were confused why I was there but they were all very excited to have a stranger in the classroom. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the second day of the field trip, so I only had one day with Alexis. On the day I was there, the students did stations of activities to help them learn their shapes, reading, memorization and puzzles. They then broke off individually, which is when I helped Alexis write in his journal about his field trip to the discovery museum. Although I only had one day with Alexis, we had so much fun together! He was a wonderful listener and seemed to excel in the classroom.
For someone as young as Alexis, I am sure that it is really easy for him to get confused between speaking Spanish at home, and English at school. There is the slight disadvantage of the language barrier, and since he is only immersed in English for half of his day, I'm sure he isn't being exposed to as much English vocabulary as his peers. It will end up being an advantage later in life to know two languages, but at the same time his English may never be as strong as his peers. The other thing that Alexis might struggle with is the idea that there are multiple languages in the world. At this age he is just unaware of language barriers that exist in the world.
As a language learner it was really inspirational to see such young kids becoming bilingual. It gives me motivation to keep pushing through the struggles I face with learning a new language just like they do everyday. Alexis never complained about it being difficult or confusing which was also pretty inspiring. If I were to do this again, I would probably try to speak more spanish to him. In the classroom we only did things in English, but I still should have tried to have more conversation with him in Spanish. I also wish that I was able to make it the second day just so I could develop the relationship further.
Overall, this was a really fun experience and a great approach to learning Spanish through the kids. I was amazed that they were able to know two languages at such a young age and was impressed with their abilities. I am glad that we were able to connect with the community, make kids feel outstanding, and make a difference as a whole.
Spanish Skit: Airport vocabulary
For this project, we were required to create a skit that incorporated the vocabulary we were assigned and culture of the place that we traveled to. My group was assigned airport vocabulary and we traveled to Mexico. In order to make our skit culturally accurate we did research to not only learn more about the area but to expand our knowledge on Mexican culture in general. We also focused on the pronunciation of the vocabulary and became more comfortable with speaking and acquired better understanding of airport terminology. After a few weeks of practicing and refining our skit, we presented the finished product to an audience.
This project allowed my group and I to become more familiar with speaking in public, and more importantly we were able to add more Spanish to our vocabulary. We became more comfortable with an audience by using wit and enthusiasm throughout the project. My group made the process a great experience and one to remember! Personally, I feel more confident when speaking about Mexican culture and if I am ever in a Mexican airport, I have some new vocabulary up my sleeve to assist me in that situation. Overall, this project was fun, insightful, and a unique approach to learning new vocabulary.