Parents of young students (especially Kindergarten students) may frequently see unfinished work coming home from Spanish. Please rest assured, that unless this work is CLEARLY marked that it needs to be returned (not often in younger grades) none of the papers need to be returned to school.
Why start work we can't finish? Much like when we learn our first language, the focus when beginning to learn a new language is on speaking. When students get excited about vocabulary, or ask me about new words they want to learn, I try to stay in the 'teachable moment' for as long as possible. This is because one of the key elements of moving information into long term memory is to make it meaningful. If students are excited enough to keep speaking about a topic, or want to learn more words about a certain subject, I try to encourage that when possible. Teaching our children to be curious about language and learning, is always a key goal for me. That being said, paying attention in a different language is a lot of work. It is creating a whole new path in the brain (different than the path of your first language). Sometimes students need a break from this type of concentration. A Spanish worksheet is a great way to give students a break from that intense level of listening. It also helps students in the process of matching the sounds of the Spanish language to the written word. Additionally, it gives students a chance to personalize the language. To parents, this may often look like your student wasn't working very hard. What it actually means, is we were having so much fun speaking Spanish that we didn't get much time to write any Spanish. Students can try to finish papers at home if they want, but it is not required. We don't want students to feel very frustrated when learning Spanish, as this impedes the learning process, so if your student doesn't know all the answers, that is okay, and even expected at this point in the year. Anything that needs to come back to school will be clearly marked. Thank you very much for your support, and feel free to contact me with questions at any time!
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AuthorI am in my 11th year teaching in Saline. I've taught: 3rd grade, 5th grade, Spanish/French/German Intro, Quest, Middle School Spanish, and Elementary Spanish. Archives
July 2016
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Son of Groucho, donnierayjones, Dimitris Graffin, donnierayjones