I just finished grading the Spanish I homework. It was really fun to read!
I assigned the Spanish I students to interview two different native Spanish-speakers. My goal was to get them speaking Spanish outside the classroom and to try to connect with the other Spanish-speaking students at our school.
The students wrote reflections with statements like:
"I dont know him that well but I thought it was a good chance to get to know him a little better."
"After the interview, I perceived that using the language with people out of class really helps you learn."
"I was ready to try out my Spanish in a real conversation."
"He complimented me on my Spanish and said that if I keep on practicing we can converse together."
It was so rewarding to me to read these comments from students. I know that four of the Spanish-speakers in our school are freshmen, and they haven't connected much with many of the grade 10-11 in my class. Assignments like this are the teacher's strategy to help people make new friends and reach out to the new people! Hahahaha!
I wanted the students from Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama to feel special as other students in the school are trying to learn their language and speak with them in Spanish. It also made learning fun for my Spanish students because they were able to put it to immediate use in new friendships!
Your Spanish-speaking connection in the Philippines,
Sra. Panadero
Saturday night the staff at our high school put on a banquet to serve our students. We had a rodeo/western theme, so we called it the "Rockin' m Ranch." It was really fun and I think it was a great success! Nate and I had fun sportin' our cowboy hats =)
I loved seeing the creativitiy of our students in the costumes they chose. I liked this theme because it was affordable and cute to dress for the occasion (unlike other fancier events we have had). I love these students!
One fun activity we planned for the students was to pass out "Most Wanted" posters of all the teachers. We gave them markers and divided the paper in half so students could mark them up for the most funny one. My picture won! Can you recognize me?
We also made the students work for their meal. We had a "Cornhusking" race. Yes, it was like being back in Nebraska! Most students had never done it before, so it was fun watching them try!
At the end of the evening we had fun teaching them all to line dance. I was having flash backs of my junior high days when we learned the line dances in gym class. Memories were made by all and we had a wonderful night!
