Third graders have been hard at work this trimester in Spanish! They have been learning how to say all kinds of comidas (foods) and most recently have been learning about table setting and utensils. They started by learning the names of the food groups:
- los granos (grains)
- los lácteos (dairy)
- las proteínas (protein)
- las verduras (vegetables)
- las frutas (fruits)
Next we moved on to categorizing different types of foods into the food groups and expanded our vocabulary list to include specific fruits and vegetables. Students have used several different methods to increase their language retention, including recording their vocabulary lists in their Spanish journals, informal vocabulary quizzes with a partner, and in-class games. Lately we have added other foods such as el pollo (chicken), el pan (bread), and el arroz (rice), as well as words for silverware and other dinnerware.
One popular game the class likes to play is called Quiz Quiz Trade. This game involves several flashcards that each have a Spanish vocabulary word as well as its English translation. Students wander the classroom until they find a partner, and then do a quick informal quiz over each other’s flashcards. After they are done, they switch cards and each find new partners. This is a useful exercise as it involves students speaking several different Spanish vocab words to each other in just a short amount of time. It also helps that it is fun and engaging as well!
Next we will move on to learning how to order food in Spanish, with hopes to be able to apply that new knowledge in the coming weeks!
Señora Cordel
