20.10.12

Spanish part 3

This year is my first teaching Spanish part 3 (we teach Spanish I in 3 trimesters over 6th, 7th, and 8th grade).  I am trying a new technique:  Real Language Right Away.  It's a program that gets students speaking Spanish by memorizing "sound bites" in actual conversations.  My students LOVE it, and so do I.  I have found myself looking forward to Spanish 3 all morning.  Yesterday we had our first Spanish only day, I was so impressed.  Students were able to communicate what they were wearing, how they were feeling, what problems they might have, what others looked like, their personality, it was a truly magical moment (and I'm not being hokey).  They spoke for nearly an hour WITHOUT ANY ENGLISH!  One student even answered the phone and responded in Spanish.  I realized that I am finding the magic formula which I knew all along.  Be happy when students speak Spanish, quietly correct errors by repeating their phrase in the third person, reward students for their success, and make it fun.  I am really going to miss these students, their enthusiasm and excitement are contagious.