The Spanish 1 classes did a very fun activity today! We presented a lesson on colors and feelings. Kinder students watched Animoto videos, made by Spanish 1 students, focusing on all things amarillo(yellow), anaranjado(orange), azul(blue), negro(black), verde(green), marrón (brown), and gris (grey). While making their videos, students played music in the background to provoke feelings of happiness, sadness, fear, boredom, tiredness, and relaxation. Then, while watching the video, kinders colored a part of the rainbow that correlated with their feelings while watching. See pic below.
The lesson was good, for both Spanish I students and kinders for several reasons:
When the HS students were making the color Animoto videos they were using higher order thinking skills. Even though they are basic videos, they had to think about their audience. At first, some students were using pics and music that a kinder couldn’t relate to. They had to research what kinders like to watch and listen to. You should have seen their faces when they saw their favorite cartoon character on the screen! Warmed our hearts! See the bundle below to see Animoto videos made by HS students:
HS students, the kinders call them their “buddies” wrote simple sentences, in Spanish and English, about colors. Example: The bees are yellow (Las abejas son amarillas). First year learners have a lot of trouble with noun/adjective agreement. What a better way to practice in front of kinders. Their Spanish writing development matches pretty well with kinder writing . Students read their sentences in front of the class. Great way to practice pronunciation! Why not combine the two classes?!
The aspect I really like about this Kinder lesson is the student to student interaction. HS students seem to understand the concept better when they are teaching the content to the kinders. You could hear the students saying and reviewing color and feeling words with the students ultimately helping them understand the content better while spreading the love of the Spanish language around our community. See pic below to see what the students were filling out. Anything with rainbows is just MORE fun! Students received “rainbow candy” (M & Ms) after the lesson.
A great book to intertwine into the lesson is My Many Colored Days by Dr. Suess. It fits perfectly! See the bundle above for the book on Youtube. Next, year, we hope to translate the book in Spanish and Spanglish for the kinders.
Every time I go into a Kinder or early elementary classroom, I have immense appreciation for what Kindergarten teachers do on a daily basis. Not only are they teaching students how to read, write, and comprehend, they are teaching important social skills like sharing, kindness, and listening to others. They have to be AWESOME at differentiation as many students are at many different levels in both academic and social development. The students always have fun and enjoy the interaction with the kinders. I truly believe that true learning is happening on both ends. What projects do you do with your classes to promote community connections and authentic learning?