Kindergarten has the following central idea for the year: Language is a way to connect with others. This is an introductory unit that explores what language is, how there are different languages around the world and how language enables us to connect with people. They will also get an overview of the various places in the world where Spanish is spoken. This unit is designed to give them a firm foundation in the language in a fun and positive way. We sing a lot of songs, act out stories and play games. We also use a lot of gestures that help students remember vocabulary.
Each week they will have a different "can do" statement that reflects our goal for that class. We will, however, continue to review and practice these in subsequent classes.
Lesson 1: I can use Spanish to greet someone. In this lesson, We learned that English and Spanish are only 2 of the many languages represented at our school. We enjoyed watching a video of Spicewood students and staff saying hello in their language. We learned that 'hola' is the Spanish word for 'hi' or 'hello' and that the 'h' is always silent. We practiced counting to 3 in Spanish and learned a fun song about counting friends. We learned that the word 'amigo' refers to a friend that is a boy and 'amiga' is a friend that is a girl. We practiced using the American sign language for friend. (ASLpro.com is a great resource to look up individual signs.)
(tune - One little, two little, three little Indians)
Uno, dos, tres amigos
Uno, dos, tres amigos
Uno, dos, tres amigos
Tres amigos son....son, son, son (son means 'they are')
Lesson 2: I can introduce myself in Spanish. We used cartoon characters to learn how to introduce ourselves in addition to a little song.
Teacher sings: Everybody say me llamo.
Students echo: me llamo, me llamo
We also learned the essential agreement chant for Mrs.Teal's class.
Respect everybody and every little thing.
Control yourself, your hands, your feet, your mouth, your everything.
Pay attention. Listen up. Your eyes will tell it all.
Participate no matter what. We're gonna have a ball!
Lesson 3: I can count to 6 in Spanish. This lesson consisted of a series of activities to practice counting to 6, including a song, a game, and an activity with big foam dice. Can you count to 6 in Spanish? Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis (rhymes with 'face'). We also learned the Spanish words for the colors red (rojo), yellow (amarillo), and green (verde), and played Red Light, Green Light.
Mrs. Teal's silly joke: What is Santa's favorite color? Answer: ro-jo-jo (the 'j' always sounds like an English 'h')
Lesson 4: I can use a complete sentence in Spanish to describe the color of a Lego. This lesson began with a conversation about where the Spanish language first originated and how it came to be spoken throughout much of the Americas. We talked about the explorer Christopher Columbus asking the King of Spain for ships so that he could sail East across the Atlantic in search of land. When he discovered the islands of the Caribbean, he kept his promise to the King and claimed the land for Spain. The inhabitants of that land did not speak Spanish at that time. The King sent more ships and soldiers to colonize the land, and the Spanish language began to be taught to the native peoples. 3 of those island countries speak Spanish today: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Central America, was eventually discovered, as well. Of the 7 current day Central American countries, only 1 is non-Spanish-speaking. We also learned the colors orange (anaranjado) and blue (azul). We then practiced using a complete sentence to tell the color of a Lego using the colors we have learned. Ex: El lego es rojo. El lego es amarillo. El lego es verde. El lego es anaranjado. El lego es azul.
Lesson 5: I can use Spanish to invite a friend to play with me. Students learned the word and action for 'plays with' which is 'juega con'. They acted out one student playing with legos and another friend is not playing with legos. We learned an echo song that teaches them to invite a friend to play with them:
Amiga, amiga (friend that is a girl)
Amigo, amigo (friend that is a boy)
Juega, juega (play)
conmigo, conmigo (with me)
Amiga, amiga (friend that is a girl)
Amigo, amigo (friend that is a boy)
Juega conmigo, por favor. Juega conmigo, por favor. (play with me, please)
Lesson 6: I can tell about the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead.
After reviewing counting to 7 and singing our new song 'Amiga, amigo', we reviewed the 5 colors we already know and learned 3 new ones: rosado (pink), morado (purple), and gris (gray). We learned the word for cat (gato) and the gesture for it and practiced telling the colors and names of Mrs. Teal's 3 stuffed cats in a complete sentence.
Next we reviewed where Spanish originated, as well as the countries we already know of that speak Spanish today - 3 in the Caribbean and 6 in Central America. Today we learned that Mexico also speaks Spanish! We also found out that they have a very very important holiday coming up called Day of the Dead (Día de los muertos.) It is on November 2nd and is a day for remembering loved ones who have died. The people believe that the spirits of their loved ones come back to visit on that day. There is much excitement and anticipation as people prepare for the celebration. We read a book about Day of the Dead and colored a picture to take home. Here are some links if you would like to do some exploring on your own!
Day of the Dead Facts - a fun and informative website
Mexico's Day of the Dead - a video of beautiful Day of the Dead images
Book of Life film short
Lesson 7: I can use Spanish to tell what someone has.
After our review, we learned that the Spanish word for the color black is negro. Mrs. Teal told us another silly joke.
What does the black horse say? Neigh-gro!
We learned that not only does a spider (la araña) have 8 legs (patas), he also has 8 eyes (ojos). We learned that the word for 'has' in Spanish is 'tiene' (pronounced 'teeyen eh'). We learned a new song about the spider!
Each week they will have a different "can do" statement that reflects our goal for that class. We will, however, continue to review and practice these in subsequent classes.
Lesson 1: I can use Spanish to greet someone. In this lesson, We learned that English and Spanish are only 2 of the many languages represented at our school. We enjoyed watching a video of Spicewood students and staff saying hello in their language. We learned that 'hola' is the Spanish word for 'hi' or 'hello' and that the 'h' is always silent. We practiced counting to 3 in Spanish and learned a fun song about counting friends. We learned that the word 'amigo' refers to a friend that is a boy and 'amiga' is a friend that is a girl. We practiced using the American sign language for friend. (ASLpro.com is a great resource to look up individual signs.)
(tune - One little, two little, three little Indians)
Uno, dos, tres amigos
Uno, dos, tres amigos
Uno, dos, tres amigos
Tres amigos son....son, son, son (son means 'they are')
Lesson 2: I can introduce myself in Spanish. We used cartoon characters to learn how to introduce ourselves in addition to a little song.
Teacher sings: Everybody say me llamo.
Students echo: me llamo, me llamo
We also learned the essential agreement chant for Mrs.Teal's class.
Respect everybody and every little thing.
Control yourself, your hands, your feet, your mouth, your everything.
Pay attention. Listen up. Your eyes will tell it all.
Participate no matter what. We're gonna have a ball!
Lesson 3: I can count to 6 in Spanish. This lesson consisted of a series of activities to practice counting to 6, including a song, a game, and an activity with big foam dice. Can you count to 6 in Spanish? Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis (rhymes with 'face'). We also learned the Spanish words for the colors red (rojo), yellow (amarillo), and green (verde), and played Red Light, Green Light.
Mrs. Teal's silly joke: What is Santa's favorite color? Answer: ro-jo-jo (the 'j' always sounds like an English 'h')
Lesson 4: I can use a complete sentence in Spanish to describe the color of a Lego. This lesson began with a conversation about where the Spanish language first originated and how it came to be spoken throughout much of the Americas. We talked about the explorer Christopher Columbus asking the King of Spain for ships so that he could sail East across the Atlantic in search of land. When he discovered the islands of the Caribbean, he kept his promise to the King and claimed the land for Spain. The inhabitants of that land did not speak Spanish at that time. The King sent more ships and soldiers to colonize the land, and the Spanish language began to be taught to the native peoples. 3 of those island countries speak Spanish today: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Central America, was eventually discovered, as well. Of the 7 current day Central American countries, only 1 is non-Spanish-speaking. We also learned the colors orange (anaranjado) and blue (azul). We then practiced using a complete sentence to tell the color of a Lego using the colors we have learned. Ex: El lego es rojo. El lego es amarillo. El lego es verde. El lego es anaranjado. El lego es azul.
Lesson 5: I can use Spanish to invite a friend to play with me. Students learned the word and action for 'plays with' which is 'juega con'. They acted out one student playing with legos and another friend is not playing with legos. We learned an echo song that teaches them to invite a friend to play with them:
Amiga, amiga (friend that is a girl)
Amigo, amigo (friend that is a boy)
Juega, juega (play)
conmigo, conmigo (with me)
Amiga, amiga (friend that is a girl)
Amigo, amigo (friend that is a boy)
Juega conmigo, por favor. Juega conmigo, por favor. (play with me, please)
Lesson 6: I can tell about the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead.
After reviewing counting to 7 and singing our new song 'Amiga, amigo', we reviewed the 5 colors we already know and learned 3 new ones: rosado (pink), morado (purple), and gris (gray). We learned the word for cat (gato) and the gesture for it and practiced telling the colors and names of Mrs. Teal's 3 stuffed cats in a complete sentence.
Next we reviewed where Spanish originated, as well as the countries we already know of that speak Spanish today - 3 in the Caribbean and 6 in Central America. Today we learned that Mexico also speaks Spanish! We also found out that they have a very very important holiday coming up called Day of the Dead (Día de los muertos.) It is on November 2nd and is a day for remembering loved ones who have died. The people believe that the spirits of their loved ones come back to visit on that day. There is much excitement and anticipation as people prepare for the celebration. We read a book about Day of the Dead and colored a picture to take home. Here are some links if you would like to do some exploring on your own!
Day of the Dead Facts - a fun and informative website
Mexico's Day of the Dead - a video of beautiful Day of the Dead images
Book of Life film short
Lesson 7: I can use Spanish to tell what someone has.
After our review, we learned that the Spanish word for the color black is negro. Mrs. Teal told us another silly joke.
What does the black horse say? Neigh-gro!
We learned that not only does a spider (la araña) have 8 legs (patas), he also has 8 eyes (ojos). We learned that the word for 'has' in Spanish is 'tiene' (pronounced 'teeyen eh'). We learned a new song about the spider!
After learning and singing the song, we sang verses about other animals and how many legs and eyes they have. Finally, we acted out a story about a boy who has a pet dragon and a pet penguin but isn't happy because he doesn't have a dog. If time permitted, we took turns choosing a stuffed animal, and the rest of the class told what we had using the word 'tiene'. For example, Sofia tiene un gato. (Sophia has a cat.)
Lesson 8: I can use Spanish to tell what someone has. (again!)
We needed more practice telling what someone has. We first reviewed everything we have been working on so far, then worked some more on telling what someone has using silly pictures of cartoon monsters. Check it out!
We finished up by acting out another silly story about a monster family. The daddy monster and the mommy monster each have 3 eyes, but their baby only has 2 eyes. They are sad and take the baby to the monster doctor who gives the baby another eye, and everyone is happy.
Lesson 9: I can use Spanish to tell whether something is big or small.
In this lesson we learned that in addition to Spain, Mexico, 3 Caribbean islands and 6 Central American countries, Spanish is also spoken in 9 South American countries! We added another color - 'blanco' (white) - to the ones we already know and practiced telling the color of different black and white animals in Spanish. Students were then introduced to the words 'grande' (big) and 'pequeño' (small) using a cute ppt and a book called Big & Little. Then we enjoyed a partner activity where students took turns holding out their closed hand with a button inside. Their partner would guess whether the button was 'grande' or 'pequeño'.
Lesson 10: I know the 2 Spanish words for ball.
First we reviewed, and then added our last color - café! We played a shell game where there were 3 circles - one pink, one brown and one gray. We tried to guess which one the fish was hiding under by saying the color in Spanish.
Next we learned 2 of the Spanish words for ball. The first one is 'balón'. It looks and sounds a lot like our word 'balloon'. Likewise, it usually refers to a ball that is big and filled with air:
balón de básquetbol -basketball
balón de voleibol - volleyball
balón de fútbol - soccer ball
balón de fútbol americano - football
The other word for ball that we learned is 'pelota'. This usually refers to a smaller ball and not filled with air.
pelota de tenis - tennis ball
pelota de golf - golf ball
pelota de plástico - plastic ball
pelota de goma - rubber ball
pelota béisbol - baseball
We learned a little echo song/chant to help us remember the 2 Spanish words for ball.
Pelota, pelota
Balón, balón
Pelota, pelota
Balón, balón
Rebota la pelota, rebota la pelota (bounce the ball)
Rebota el balón, rebota el balón
Next we looked at pictures of different animals playing with balls. We made sentences in Spanish about each picture. Next we circled up in the floor with a lot of pictures of different types of balls and different animals playing with balls. Mrs. Teal described a picture in Spanish and we looked for it and raised our hand once we saw it.
Lesson 11: I can tell some similarities and differences between myself and children in other countries.
In Lesson 5, we learned an echo song that teaches students how to invite a friend to play with them. We only learned the chorus. Here is it:
Amiga, amiga (friend that is a girl)
Amigo, amigo (friend that is a boy)
Juega, juega (play)
conmigo, conmigo (with me)
Amiga, amiga (friend that is a girl)
Amigo, amigo (friend that is a boy)
Juega conmigo, por favor. (play with me, please)
So, today we learned the first verse to this song.
Yo tengo (I have)
una pelota (a ball)
Vamos a jugar con la pelota (let's play with the ball)
This verse is the pattern for all the other verses that we will learn over the course of the year. All we will change is the toy. In fact, the possibilities are endless! It seems a little difficult at first, but before long we will be singing it like pros!
After our review and learning the new verse to our song, we began to talk about what we have in common with children around the world, as well as how we differ. For example, all children like to play, but children from other countries might play different games than we do, or they might a variation of a game that we are familiar with. We looked at pictures of children in different countries playing in different ways and used Spanish to talk about them.
Finally, Mrs. Teal introduced us to a game that is popular in many Spanish speaking countries. It is like a combination of 2 games that we play here: London Bridges and Tug-o-war. We enjoyed playing the London Bridges-type game in class. Children formed a line and went under a 'bridge' made by Mrs. Teal and a student. Mrs. Teal sang the Spanish song and at the end a child was 'caught'! Children took turns helping Mrs. Teal form the bridge with the hands for others to walk under. It was so much fun! Here are the words to the song and the general meaning (a loose translation). Click here to hear a Youtube version of the song.
A la víbora, víbora de la mar, de la mar (Serpent, serpent of the sea, of the sea)
por aquí pueden pasar (you can pass through here)
Los de adelante corren mucho (those in front run fast and get away)
Los de atrás se quedarán, trás, trás, trás, trás (those in back stay behind or get caught)
Lesson 12: I can use Spanish to tell if someone is happy or sad.
Today we learned that 'está contento' means 'he/she is happy' and 'está triste' means 'he/she is sad'. We also learned that the word 'llora' (pronounced yore uh) means 'he/she cries' or 'he/she is crying'. In Spanish, 2 L's together always sound like the English 'y'. Mrs. Teal told a story called Perro's happy/sad day about a dog whose day is filled with events that make him either happy or sad, and he is rather dramatic in his reactions.
After hearing the story, the students then got to act out a story about a dad and a baby. Here are the words to the story, along with the translation:
Papá está contento. (Dad is happy.)
El bebé está triste. (The baby is sad.)
El bebé llora. (The baby cries.)
Ahora, papá no está contento. (Now, Dad isn't happy.)
Some classes had time to act out the story again and this time we had a mom and a girl baby. Can you spot the differences?
Mamá está contenta. (Dad is happy.)
La bebé está triste. (The baby is sad.)
La bebé llora. (The baby cries.)
Ahora, mamá no está contenta. (Now, Dad isn't happy.)
Spanish adjectives change to match the noun they modify (masculine/feminine), so that 'contento' which describes dad becomes 'contenta' when describing mom. Likewise, 'el bebé' is a boy baby and 'la bebé' is a girl baby. Students will quickly become masters of this concept, even though we don't do this in the English language.
Lesson 13: I can use Spanish to tell if someone is happy or sad. (again!)
Today we reviewed how to tell that someone is happy or sad using Spanish. One of the things some students noticed is that there are 2 words for 'is' in Spanish. The word 'es' is one we have been using to describe. 'El tigre es grande.' 'El tigre es negro y anaranjado.' But when we are talking about how someone feels, we use the word 'está'. 'El bebé está triste. (The baby is sad.) Today we practiced making sentences about animals who were sad, happy or crying. Check out this powerpoint to practice it at home! (BTW - don't forget that the word 'llora' means someone is crying and is pronounced like it begins with a 'y')
We also practiced inviting someone to play with us by saying 'vamos a jugar'. The 'j' sounds like an 'h' so the word sounds like 'who gar'. If you add 'con' (sounds like 'cone'), it means let's play with ______. Example: Vamos a jugar con Legos. (Let's play with Legos.) Vamos a jugar con la pelota. (Let's play with the ball.)
Lesson 14: I can use Spanish to tell what there is.
Today we learned a word that is used a lot in Spanish. The word is 'hay' - which sounds like our word 'I' or 'eye'. Don't be tricked by the fact that it looks like the English word for the straw that horses eat. That is not what it means! It actually means 'there is' or 'there are'. So, if you said "Hay un elefante." That means "There is an elephant." If you said "Hay 3 tigres." That means "There are 3 tigers."
To help students get used to saying the word, we played a little game called ¿Qué hay? (which means 'What is there?') In this game, students got to take turns reaching into a bag filled with many things. They were to feel of one of the items and without looking at it, try to determine what the item was. The rest of the class asked them the question "¿Qué hay? What is there?" They would tell us their guess and then pull out the item to see if they were right.
After everyone had a turn, we used a little powerpoint to help us get used to making sentences to tell what there is. Why don't you see if you can do it at home! It will be great practice!
Lesson 15: I can use several Spanish action verbs to tell what someone is doing.
The first thing we did today was learn a new way to say hello in Spanish. 'Buenos días' means 'Good morning!' We learned the first verse of a little song that will help us learn this. Here are the words:
Buenos días, in the morning I say hello. iBuenos días!
Buenos días, in the morning I say hello. iBuenos días!
iBuenos días! iBuenos días! iBuenos días! iBuenos días!
Buenos días, in the morning I say hello. iBuenos días!
Today we talked about our central idea in Spanish class for the year. 'Language is a way to connect with others.' We talked about how we use language to talk to people and communicate how we feel, what we want, etc. We talked about the different types of language. We can use our words, and many of us use different words because we speak different languages. We can use our facial expressions. We can use gestures or sign language. All of these help us to connect with others. Students have enjoyed practicing their communication skills in Spanish by greeting each other, introducing themselves, and inviting others to play with them. Way to go Kinder!
The next thing we learned was that a verb is a word that tells something we can do. For example, we can 'eat'. 'Eat' is a verb! We can 'run' and we can 'cry' and we can 'swim'. All of these words are verbs. They show action. We can't 'lego', and we can't 'globe'. These words are not verbs. We spent the remainder of our time learning a fun verb chant to help us remember 8 common verbs in Spanish! Students, can you show your parents how we do the chant? Here are the verbs and what they mean:
salta = jumps
corre = runs
sube = climbs
nada = swims
come = eats
baila = dances
camina = walks
duerme = sleeps
Here is a fun youtube video to help you practice some more!
Lesson 16: I can use several Spanish action verbs to tell what someone is doing. (again!)
Today we got to review and practice the action verbs we learned last time in lots of fun ways. We did our little chant, watched the video of the song 'Con Cosmo' again, played Simon dice (Simón Says), and played Around the World! Finally, we read a story about 2 gatos. Here is the story and its translation, or click on this link to view the powerpoint!
Hay un gato morado. (There is a purple cat.)
El gato morado es grande. (The purple cat is big.)
Hay un gato rosado. (There is a pink cat.)
El gato rosado es pequeño. (The pink cat is small.)
El gato morado come mucho. (The purple cat eats a lot.)
El gato rosado no come. (The pink cat doesn't eat.)
Pobre gato rosado. (Poor pink cat.)
Lesson 17: I can use several Spanish action verbs to tell what someone is doing. (again!)
Today we reviewed the action verbs we have been learning using the chant, the Con Cosmo video, and by rereading the purple cat story (see lesson 16). We then worked together to read and fill in the blanks of a story about a big fish and a little fish. Once we had done it together as a class, each student received their own copy of the story to complete and color. They could choose the one with the pictures (they just need to color) or they could choose to draw their own pictures! These stories will go in their PYP portfolio as evidence of their progress in Spanish this year. Students practiced reading with each other once they finished writing and coloring! Be sure to look for these in your child's portfolio when you have your end of the year student-led conference with them. I'm so proud of what these kiddos are able to do. Here is the story in case your student would like to print it to practice at home!
Lesson 18 & 19: I can use several Spanish action verbs to tell that I like or don't like something.
Today we learned a new toy word: camiones (trucks & cars). We used a fun picture of some trucks and cars to talk about the colors, how many, and the size of the toy cars. We then learned a new verse of our song (see lesson 11). Here are the words to the new verse:
Yo tengo (I have)
unos camiones (some trucks and cars)
Vamos a jugar con los camiones (let's play with the trucks and cars)
Mrs. Teal read a book about a little boy who loves trucks. The book is called 'A Pedro Perez le gustan los camiones'. Before reading the book, we learned that the phrase 'le gusta' means that someone likes something. We also learned that just like in English, Spanish can have several words that mean the same thing. In English, the words small, little, tiny, and minute all mean basically the same thing. Spanish also has other words for small besides pequeño. One of them is 'chico'.
After reading the book, we did a fun activity where we learned to tell that we like or don't like something by using 'me gusta' or 'no me gusta'. We passed different plastic foods around and told whether we liked that food or not using Spanish. After practicing that, we learned that we can tell that we like something a lot by saying 'me gusta mucho'. Likewise, we can say that we don't like something at all by saying 'no me gusta nada'. We enjoyed extending this activity in order to practice these new phrases.
Finally, for those classes where time permitted, we began learning how to say the family members in Spanish. We also learned a fun song to help us practice and remember them. Here is the new vocabulary:
el papá - the dad
la mamá - the mom
el hermano - the brother (remember the 'h' is silent, so it sounds like air mah no)
la hermana - the sister
el bebé - the baby
Songs we have learned in Spanish class:
Lesson 8: I can use Spanish to tell what someone has. (again!)
We needed more practice telling what someone has. We first reviewed everything we have been working on so far, then worked some more on telling what someone has using silly pictures of cartoon monsters. Check it out!
We finished up by acting out another silly story about a monster family. The daddy monster and the mommy monster each have 3 eyes, but their baby only has 2 eyes. They are sad and take the baby to the monster doctor who gives the baby another eye, and everyone is happy.
Lesson 9: I can use Spanish to tell whether something is big or small.
In this lesson we learned that in addition to Spain, Mexico, 3 Caribbean islands and 6 Central American countries, Spanish is also spoken in 9 South American countries! We added another color - 'blanco' (white) - to the ones we already know and practiced telling the color of different black and white animals in Spanish. Students were then introduced to the words 'grande' (big) and 'pequeño' (small) using a cute ppt and a book called Big & Little. Then we enjoyed a partner activity where students took turns holding out their closed hand with a button inside. Their partner would guess whether the button was 'grande' or 'pequeño'.
Lesson 10: I know the 2 Spanish words for ball.
First we reviewed, and then added our last color - café! We played a shell game where there were 3 circles - one pink, one brown and one gray. We tried to guess which one the fish was hiding under by saying the color in Spanish.
Next we learned 2 of the Spanish words for ball. The first one is 'balón'. It looks and sounds a lot like our word 'balloon'. Likewise, it usually refers to a ball that is big and filled with air:
balón de básquetbol -basketball
balón de voleibol - volleyball
balón de fútbol - soccer ball
balón de fútbol americano - football
The other word for ball that we learned is 'pelota'. This usually refers to a smaller ball and not filled with air.
pelota de tenis - tennis ball
pelota de golf - golf ball
pelota de plástico - plastic ball
pelota de goma - rubber ball
pelota béisbol - baseball
We learned a little echo song/chant to help us remember the 2 Spanish words for ball.
Pelota, pelota
Balón, balón
Pelota, pelota
Balón, balón
Rebota la pelota, rebota la pelota (bounce the ball)
Rebota el balón, rebota el balón
Next we looked at pictures of different animals playing with balls. We made sentences in Spanish about each picture. Next we circled up in the floor with a lot of pictures of different types of balls and different animals playing with balls. Mrs. Teal described a picture in Spanish and we looked for it and raised our hand once we saw it.
Lesson 11: I can tell some similarities and differences between myself and children in other countries.
In Lesson 5, we learned an echo song that teaches students how to invite a friend to play with them. We only learned the chorus. Here is it:
Amiga, amiga (friend that is a girl)
Amigo, amigo (friend that is a boy)
Juega, juega (play)
conmigo, conmigo (with me)
Amiga, amiga (friend that is a girl)
Amigo, amigo (friend that is a boy)
Juega conmigo, por favor. (play with me, please)
So, today we learned the first verse to this song.
Yo tengo (I have)
una pelota (a ball)
Vamos a jugar con la pelota (let's play with the ball)
This verse is the pattern for all the other verses that we will learn over the course of the year. All we will change is the toy. In fact, the possibilities are endless! It seems a little difficult at first, but before long we will be singing it like pros!
After our review and learning the new verse to our song, we began to talk about what we have in common with children around the world, as well as how we differ. For example, all children like to play, but children from other countries might play different games than we do, or they might a variation of a game that we are familiar with. We looked at pictures of children in different countries playing in different ways and used Spanish to talk about them.
Finally, Mrs. Teal introduced us to a game that is popular in many Spanish speaking countries. It is like a combination of 2 games that we play here: London Bridges and Tug-o-war. We enjoyed playing the London Bridges-type game in class. Children formed a line and went under a 'bridge' made by Mrs. Teal and a student. Mrs. Teal sang the Spanish song and at the end a child was 'caught'! Children took turns helping Mrs. Teal form the bridge with the hands for others to walk under. It was so much fun! Here are the words to the song and the general meaning (a loose translation). Click here to hear a Youtube version of the song.
A la víbora, víbora de la mar, de la mar (Serpent, serpent of the sea, of the sea)
por aquí pueden pasar (you can pass through here)
Los de adelante corren mucho (those in front run fast and get away)
Los de atrás se quedarán, trás, trás, trás, trás (those in back stay behind or get caught)
Lesson 12: I can use Spanish to tell if someone is happy or sad.
Today we learned that 'está contento' means 'he/she is happy' and 'está triste' means 'he/she is sad'. We also learned that the word 'llora' (pronounced yore uh) means 'he/she cries' or 'he/she is crying'. In Spanish, 2 L's together always sound like the English 'y'. Mrs. Teal told a story called Perro's happy/sad day about a dog whose day is filled with events that make him either happy or sad, and he is rather dramatic in his reactions.
After hearing the story, the students then got to act out a story about a dad and a baby. Here are the words to the story, along with the translation:
Papá está contento. (Dad is happy.)
El bebé está triste. (The baby is sad.)
El bebé llora. (The baby cries.)
Ahora, papá no está contento. (Now, Dad isn't happy.)
Some classes had time to act out the story again and this time we had a mom and a girl baby. Can you spot the differences?
Mamá está contenta. (Dad is happy.)
La bebé está triste. (The baby is sad.)
La bebé llora. (The baby cries.)
Ahora, mamá no está contenta. (Now, Dad isn't happy.)
Spanish adjectives change to match the noun they modify (masculine/feminine), so that 'contento' which describes dad becomes 'contenta' when describing mom. Likewise, 'el bebé' is a boy baby and 'la bebé' is a girl baby. Students will quickly become masters of this concept, even though we don't do this in the English language.
Lesson 13: I can use Spanish to tell if someone is happy or sad. (again!)
Today we reviewed how to tell that someone is happy or sad using Spanish. One of the things some students noticed is that there are 2 words for 'is' in Spanish. The word 'es' is one we have been using to describe. 'El tigre es grande.' 'El tigre es negro y anaranjado.' But when we are talking about how someone feels, we use the word 'está'. 'El bebé está triste. (The baby is sad.) Today we practiced making sentences about animals who were sad, happy or crying. Check out this powerpoint to practice it at home! (BTW - don't forget that the word 'llora' means someone is crying and is pronounced like it begins with a 'y')
We also practiced inviting someone to play with us by saying 'vamos a jugar'. The 'j' sounds like an 'h' so the word sounds like 'who gar'. If you add 'con' (sounds like 'cone'), it means let's play with ______. Example: Vamos a jugar con Legos. (Let's play with Legos.) Vamos a jugar con la pelota. (Let's play with the ball.)
Lesson 14: I can use Spanish to tell what there is.
Today we learned a word that is used a lot in Spanish. The word is 'hay' - which sounds like our word 'I' or 'eye'. Don't be tricked by the fact that it looks like the English word for the straw that horses eat. That is not what it means! It actually means 'there is' or 'there are'. So, if you said "Hay un elefante." That means "There is an elephant." If you said "Hay 3 tigres." That means "There are 3 tigers."
To help students get used to saying the word, we played a little game called ¿Qué hay? (which means 'What is there?') In this game, students got to take turns reaching into a bag filled with many things. They were to feel of one of the items and without looking at it, try to determine what the item was. The rest of the class asked them the question "¿Qué hay? What is there?" They would tell us their guess and then pull out the item to see if they were right.
After everyone had a turn, we used a little powerpoint to help us get used to making sentences to tell what there is. Why don't you see if you can do it at home! It will be great practice!
Lesson 15: I can use several Spanish action verbs to tell what someone is doing.
The first thing we did today was learn a new way to say hello in Spanish. 'Buenos días' means 'Good morning!' We learned the first verse of a little song that will help us learn this. Here are the words:
Buenos días, in the morning I say hello. iBuenos días!
Buenos días, in the morning I say hello. iBuenos días!
iBuenos días! iBuenos días! iBuenos días! iBuenos días!
Buenos días, in the morning I say hello. iBuenos días!
Today we talked about our central idea in Spanish class for the year. 'Language is a way to connect with others.' We talked about how we use language to talk to people and communicate how we feel, what we want, etc. We talked about the different types of language. We can use our words, and many of us use different words because we speak different languages. We can use our facial expressions. We can use gestures or sign language. All of these help us to connect with others. Students have enjoyed practicing their communication skills in Spanish by greeting each other, introducing themselves, and inviting others to play with them. Way to go Kinder!
The next thing we learned was that a verb is a word that tells something we can do. For example, we can 'eat'. 'Eat' is a verb! We can 'run' and we can 'cry' and we can 'swim'. All of these words are verbs. They show action. We can't 'lego', and we can't 'globe'. These words are not verbs. We spent the remainder of our time learning a fun verb chant to help us remember 8 common verbs in Spanish! Students, can you show your parents how we do the chant? Here are the verbs and what they mean:
salta = jumps
corre = runs
sube = climbs
nada = swims
come = eats
baila = dances
camina = walks
duerme = sleeps
Here is a fun youtube video to help you practice some more!
Lesson 16: I can use several Spanish action verbs to tell what someone is doing. (again!)
Today we got to review and practice the action verbs we learned last time in lots of fun ways. We did our little chant, watched the video of the song 'Con Cosmo' again, played Simon dice (Simón Says), and played Around the World! Finally, we read a story about 2 gatos. Here is the story and its translation, or click on this link to view the powerpoint!
Hay un gato morado. (There is a purple cat.)
El gato morado es grande. (The purple cat is big.)
Hay un gato rosado. (There is a pink cat.)
El gato rosado es pequeño. (The pink cat is small.)
El gato morado come mucho. (The purple cat eats a lot.)
El gato rosado no come. (The pink cat doesn't eat.)
Pobre gato rosado. (Poor pink cat.)
Lesson 17: I can use several Spanish action verbs to tell what someone is doing. (again!)
Today we reviewed the action verbs we have been learning using the chant, the Con Cosmo video, and by rereading the purple cat story (see lesson 16). We then worked together to read and fill in the blanks of a story about a big fish and a little fish. Once we had done it together as a class, each student received their own copy of the story to complete and color. They could choose the one with the pictures (they just need to color) or they could choose to draw their own pictures! These stories will go in their PYP portfolio as evidence of their progress in Spanish this year. Students practiced reading with each other once they finished writing and coloring! Be sure to look for these in your child's portfolio when you have your end of the year student-led conference with them. I'm so proud of what these kiddos are able to do. Here is the story in case your student would like to print it to practice at home!
Lesson 18 & 19: I can use several Spanish action verbs to tell that I like or don't like something.
Today we learned a new toy word: camiones (trucks & cars). We used a fun picture of some trucks and cars to talk about the colors, how many, and the size of the toy cars. We then learned a new verse of our song (see lesson 11). Here are the words to the new verse:
Yo tengo (I have)
unos camiones (some trucks and cars)
Vamos a jugar con los camiones (let's play with the trucks and cars)
Mrs. Teal read a book about a little boy who loves trucks. The book is called 'A Pedro Perez le gustan los camiones'. Before reading the book, we learned that the phrase 'le gusta' means that someone likes something. We also learned that just like in English, Spanish can have several words that mean the same thing. In English, the words small, little, tiny, and minute all mean basically the same thing. Spanish also has other words for small besides pequeño. One of them is 'chico'.
After reading the book, we did a fun activity where we learned to tell that we like or don't like something by using 'me gusta' or 'no me gusta'. We passed different plastic foods around and told whether we liked that food or not using Spanish. After practicing that, we learned that we can tell that we like something a lot by saying 'me gusta mucho'. Likewise, we can say that we don't like something at all by saying 'no me gusta nada'. We enjoyed extending this activity in order to practice these new phrases.
Finally, for those classes where time permitted, we began learning how to say the family members in Spanish. We also learned a fun song to help us practice and remember them. Here is the new vocabulary:
el papá - the dad
la mamá - the mom
el hermano - the brother (remember the 'h' is silent, so it sounds like air mah no)
la hermana - the sister
el bebé - the baby
Songs we have learned in Spanish class: