Classroom Connections
Classroom teachers work collaboratively with the Spanish teacher to incorporate
language into the regular classroom through reading, writing, and speaking. Many of the
elementary books that are used for reading time have words in Spanish. These books are
a regular classroom resource, but also emphasize the use of the multitude of Spanish
words that are part of our own language, such as: rodeo, Florida, Colorado, and Rio
Grande.
Teachers have allowed students opportunities to do projects that are appropriate in either
Spanish or English to reinforce the grade level standards that they are learning in both
classes. Third grade teachers have found that less time is spent on teaching landforms as
the students have learned them first in Spanish and that knowledge has transferred into
their English language acquisition.
Teachers also make connections to what students are learning during the Spanish videos
and face to face lessons by having students use Spanish colors to describe, and by having
them count off in Spanish for activities. Other teachers have shared that their students
often use the classroom posters to incorporate Spanish colors or numbers in their writing
workshop books. Gradually classrooms are being transformed by labeling common
objects in Spanish that are in all classrooms.
Teachers that are more proficient in the language often use Spanish to describe something
that the students have already studied. Other teachers use the Sylvan Dell books that are
projected on the Promethean Board to reinforce reading skills. First students practice with
the book in English and after their success in English they listen to the same material in
Spanish.