Middle School Spanish Students

In 5th grade Spanish we have been talking about pets in our lives and learned how to use phrases like "I want / yo quiero" and "I have / you tengo" to talk about them. Students then learned phrases that describe the Secret Life of Pets film trailer and were able to answer questions in Spanish as we watched the shenanigans pets get into when their owners leave their homes. They used their bodies to help them remember words through gestures and also translation and drawing to help convey a meaning related to the topic of pets and the movie trailer.

 

In 8th grade Spanish for our "Entre mundos" unit, Between Worlds, we have been discussing how different cultures throughout Latin America and Spain have influenced one another as well as in the US. Students learned about the Columbian Exchange and foods that originate in Europe and the Americas that were exchanged during Columbus' voyages. We explored how foods throughout Latin America can differ and vary but also use common ingredients that originate from the Americas, such as corn. After practicing how to order in a restaurant, we went to El tío restaurante y tienda where they had a variety of cuisines from Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico as well as a small grocery store downstairs with items found in Spanish-speaking countries and communities. As they were connecting and eating together, students shared their opinions on what they enjoyed and also got to try something new, such as  maranon, a cashew drink common in El Salvador and other Central American countries.