Mi casa

La casa

Talking about different homes and different styles based on geography has always been exciting to me. When the unit of La casa approaches my classroom, I try to do new and different things that engage my students in different ways.

As a creative person, I encourage my students to experience language through crafts, colors and more! I try to bring different options to accommodate those less creative and there is always a more open ended approach that my most creative students can take and go wild!

In the past, I have used homes to address cultural topics like Cinco de Mayo. You can read that here.

This time around, I wanted to students to see the value of pictures as a mean to familiarize themselves with new vocabulary. We often doodle and create connections in that manner, so I had high hopes for this manipulative.

Visuals are super important for our young learners, but never underestimate the power of a "cute" handout when you teach older students (high school and college). These simple activities in those age groups can really spark wonderful conversations in the target language.

This week, we are starting a unit on houses: rooms, furniture, accessories, etc. We are also working hard on spatial descriptions and physical ones as well. Students usually resort to copying their vocab on their notes or Quizlet. Enter @FunforSpanishTeachers' lovely resource. My students loved labelling it, coloring it and just getting creative with it.

The second day after it has been labelled and customized, my students will walk the classroom and chat with different partners about their unique homes. They will talk about what rooms they can find in the home, what furniture, accessories, etc. They will review how to create descriptions and be able to share details of their particular homes.

¿Cuántos cuartos tienes?

¿Cuál es tu cuarto favorito y por qué?

¿Cómo es tu sala?

¿De qué color es el sofá en tu casa?

But this is just the beginning!!!

Another approach for our more novice learners is to come up with sample questions as a group, have them displayed or written on the board along with some sample answers. This will build the student's confidence and serve as a resource for when they may feel stuck. You more proficient students will not need the help, but it will make a huge difference to those who may struggle a bit.

Stay tuned for more house resources and ideas.

I have no business relationship with Fun For Spanish Teachers. I just bought this resource and loved it so much I wanted to share. 
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/La-Casa-House-Interactive-Notebook-3702194

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How I Cinco de Mayo

How I “Cinco de Mayo”.

Every year, I think SO hard about ways in which I can educate those around me about Cinco de Mayo. “Why does she need to do that?”, you may ask. Well, this year I had one of my favorite bloggers put into words the things I was feeling! This is what she wrote: 

“I remember my first year as a Spanish teacher in the United States. I was also new in the country and have to admit that I had never heard of "Cinco de Mayo." I was quietly walking into the school library when I suddenly heard "Happy Cinco de Mayo." Happy Cinco de Mayo? What was that all about? It was another teacher wishing me the best Cinco de Mayo ever! I was so confused and asked, "What are you talking about? Cinco de Mayo?" She opened her eyes widely and told me, "I can't believe it! You are a Spanish teacher and you don't know anything about Cinco de Mayo?" She was so right, I didn't know anything about it! I was so embarrassed and shyly said, "No, I don't know anything about it." Oh, well, it's a Mexican celebration", she said.  And that answer was how our conversation ended. 

I went to look for the other Spanish teachers in the district and they told that me they didn't want this to be included in the curriculum, that this was a celebration filled with a lot of stereotypes, burritos, tacos and other icons that don't even exist in the Mexican culture. As years went by, I decided that it was not to be a big part in my curriculum, that it was not even important to mention it or include other Mexican celebrations in my class. How wrong I was! Soon enough I learned that as a language teacher, it is my responsibility to help guide that young people beyond stereotypes. I heard things I am sure other Spanish teachers have heard: "El Dia de los Muertos" is like Halloween, or the Cinco de Mayo is the Mexican Independence Day. 

I have decided to take a more proactive role, to educate myself about other cultures and share what I know with my students. This is why, I, a Colombian Spanish teacher celebrate "El Cinco de Mayo." I have challenged myself to take my students beyond sombreros, tacos and burritos.”  http://funforspanishteachers.blogspot.com/2012/05/why-do-i-celebrate-cinco-de-mayo-in-my.html

So this year, I was also inspired by one of her blogs (http://funforspanishteachers.blogspot.com/2016/06/proyecto-para-ninos-la-casal-azul.html?m=1)

and incorporated it into my classes. In her blog, aimed for elementary educators, she teaches everyone about Frida Khalo and then has a fun project about making Frida’s “casa azul”.  The units being presented in my classes lend themselves to be able to create a short biography about who she was (preterit vs. imperfect) for one class, and my other class wrote some descriptions about the house itself (ser vs. estar). The results were incredible and multi-purpose! 1. Students were educated on what Cinco de mayo really is about; 2. they learned more about other cultures (mexican) by reading about Frida; 3. researched and used what we were learning in class; 4. HAD FUN by creating their own houses!

Take a look at some of the spectacular samples.

UPDATE:   Since writing this post in 2017 the world has changed a LOT! With 2020 and COVID, many places have made virtual tours to give us a way to travel. 

Check out this amazing tour of Frida's "Casa azul"

http://www.openculture.com/2020/08/take-a-virtual-tour-of-frida-kahlos-blue-house-free-online.html?fbclid=IwAR3GXS2kOW5IDwOraH7-Jdy0E390act0fv8kBZC9RRiYrEQG2Q_8s6iimys