Gambling in Spanish Class

In preparing for our final, I felt as though my classes were using the whiteboards for group activities more than the usual amount.  I don't like class to consist of the same activities day after day so I wanted to come up with at least a twist for the review.

Students were still put into groups with each student having a worksheet with all of the questions I would be asking (all informal commands, a mix of affirmative and negative, normal verbs all the way to completely irregular).  I would call out a number and the students on a team would work together to write down an answer.  However, before they held up the boards for me to check, they would also have to place a bet of 0, 1, or 2 points.  They would then gain or lose that many points based on if their answer was correct or incorrect.  I started with some of the easier questions to try to give teams a buffer away from a negative score (each team started with five points) which worked overall--only one team went below zero in both of my classes.  If teams missed a question, I gave feedback on the answer.  Also, all students wrote down the correct verb form before we moved on to the next question.

I liked this method of scoring because it helped teams to think about how sure they were in their answer rather than just hoping they were right.  It also gave students a way to minimize the damage so to speak if they were unsure of a response.

Nuestro Viaje

A huge change for me when I switched to my current school in the fall of 2011 was being entire Spanish department.  Not only was I teaching Spanish IV for the first time but I faced the challenge of being the only foreign language teacher these students would know in high school (barring moving in and out of the district).  If my style of teaching didn't match a learning style, it was going to be a rough time with this new language.

That fall I met a group with varying attitudes towards the new teacher: uncertain seniors, bounced-around juniors, largely-unaffected sophomores, and blank freshmen, teenagers who had no previous experience with a Spanish teacher.  Those three classes of young learners pared down over the next few years to fourteen.  Fourteen young men and women I said good-bye to today, the first time that I could look at a group that only knew me as their foreign language teacher.

The relationships that I have formed with some of these students are special.  I will always remember this group because of how they are my first graduating class that I knew as freshmen.  I wanted to do a little something special for them so last night I went through the photos I could find that I had taken throughout the years in class and in Spanish club and made a Google slideshow.

We started class today by having them think about a good memory from class.  Then I showed them the slideshow and loved listening to the laughter and comments as they saw themselves (and their hair!) from freshman year to senior year.  Afterwards, we shared our memories for a little bit before one last round of Uno.

I will miss you all.  Thank you for the last four years.

End-of-Year Dinner

I don't feel adequate as a Spanish Club adviser.  There is a lot more that I feel I could do with the club.  However, there is one event that we hold that I definitely enjoy and am pleased that we have it.

We hold an end-of-the-year dinner at one of the local restaurants.  They put us in their second room so we have private space.  I don't decorate a lot but always make sure to put the Mexican flag colors across the table.

The restaurant coordinates with me for a Spanish-themed meal, usually more Mexican than European.  This year we had tacos and a fruit dessert.  The sixteen students--a really good turnout--enjoyed their meal overall :)

I gave the seniors a small parting gift of little bobblehead turtles that are coveted prizes from games during our meetings.  They had a lot of fun naming their new critters.

For next year I would like to add a little game and maybe print out some pictures from activities throughout the year to add to the decorations.

Chili Treats

Kids love food.  Food is part of culture.  Therefore, I always try to integrate some sort of a snack at Spanish Club meetings.  It is usually something basic that I can just buy off the shelf at the store.

Last week I came across these limited edition cookies from Milano in the aisles at Wal-Mart.

(sorry that the image is sideways)

I had to pick up two bags for my club's monthly meeting!

The kids were a little hesitant at first to try them; the idea of something spicy in a cookie is different.  However, after one of my seniors gave them the green light, the others were easily on board to taste them.  The chocolate flavor is first followed by a little bit of a chili aftertaste but overall just a little kick.  Not the most authentic snack on the market (although in my area, there are very few options for truly authentic) but a great introduction to the concept of chili and chocolate.