The Lantern: A Look Inside the Classroom

by Sra. Mixon

¡Hola!
I am very happy to be contributing an article to the Awareness newsletter because it gives me the opportunity to tell you about all the wonderful things I am planning for this school year’s Spanish classes. This year we will be learning songs, poems, games and arts and crafts from different Spanish-speaking countries, mostly Mexico and Spain. In October we will focus on Mexico as we prepare to celebrate El Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead. This is one of the most important holidays of the year in Mexico. The children will be learning about the rich cultural traditions associated with this holiday and each grade will be celebrating in different ways. Ask you child to tell you all about it- they are already very excited!
Although we’ve only been in school for over a month, the children have been very busy! In first grade we have been learning how to greet our teachers and each other (yes, it’s different depending on who you are speaking to!) We have also been learning our colors and how to count to 10. We will soon be learning about the seasons
and the names of our different body parts. The second graders have learned two new poems- one about a spider and another about autumn. We have also been reviewing all the things we learned in first grade- colors, counting to 50, body parts, shapes and animals. In third grade we started the year by reviewing as well and now we are learning how to tell time in Spanish. We are also going to begin learning a few Bible verses in Spanish and the Spanish alphabet. The fourth graders have been reviewing the alphabet they learned last year and I have been pleasantly surprised at how much they remember! We are now writing the story about the house that Jack built that we memorized last year. In fact, the children are each making their own books with their own illustrations. The fifth graders were so excited about using their new Spanish dictionaries and they have learned how to use them. Any time there is a word to look up, they are all so eager to do so! We have learned how to write the date in Spanish and we’ve reviewed the seasons, months, and days of the week. We’ve also reviewed the alphabet and played spelling games. Currently we are learning about sentence structure. The sixth and seventh graders have been learning about verbs and the different verb conjugations. This is not the easiest work and it involves a good bit of memorization but they are working hard and completing their homework! We will then move to writing descriptions about self and others. Lastly, the eighth graders have just finished learning all about a sacred pilgrimage route that runs from France through Spain called the “Camino a Santiago de Compostela”. Pilgrims have been traveling this very same route since the 14th Century! We have looked at route maps and pictures taken by modern-day pilgrims who set out to retrace this ancient route. We also took a field trip to the UAB Visual Arts Gallery to see some paintings and photographs of the “Camino”. The students have written about their impressions in Spanish and done their own artistic reproductions. These are currently on display in the grades hallway on the bulletin board - please take a moment to stop by and admire their beautiful work.
Gracias, Señora Mixon