Spanish IV Students Teach Elementary Students
The nine high school students in the Spanish IV class at Chatham Charter are teaching early elementary grades some Spanish vocabulary this week. The activity gives the high school students the chance to use their Spanish language skills and the elementary students a chance to experience the Spanish language in a school setting for the first time.
On Tuesday, April 19, Kyllian Coble and Rebecca Brookshire taught animal vocabulary to a kindergarten class while Lilly Milholen, Alison Perez Hernandez and Tamaya Walden taught a physical education lesson focusing on parts of the body to a first grade class. On Wednesday, April 20, Silas Christenbury and Lillian Jones taught a music lesson to a second grade class while the other second grade class have the PE lesson. Also on the 20th Austin Greene and Hailey Pelletier taught an art lesson focusing on vocabulary and materials to the second kindergarten class. The other first grade class had a PE lesson on April 21. The lessons are scheduled during the Spanish students’ first period class.
“Our students enjoyed Kyllian and Rebecca coming into our classroom to teach us about animals in Spanish. The students drew their favorite animal from the presentation and labeled it with the Spanish name,” added Kindergarten teacher Jaime Connor after her class’s Monday visit.
In initial preparation for the days of teaching at their own school, the students and their teacher, Mery Rojas, visited kindergarten and second grade classes at nearby Siler City Elementary School on March 3 to observe its Spanish dual language immersion program.
In the weeks since, the high school students have prepared the lessons for elementary students at their own school.
“The students enjoyed their experience and the planning that they put into it,” said Rojas. “The students who presented on Monday came back with positive comments and gave some suggestions for the next group. For me as their Spanish teacher it was a pleasure to see them so enthusiastic.”
