Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Sonrisas Spanish School Update: La Oruga Muy Hambrienta

I have been using Sonrisas Spanish School: A Preschool and Elementary Spanish Curriculum Level 1 off and on for over a year now with my daughter (Age 5). We were recently unpacking a few boxes and came across the curriculum book. Alyssa begged me to do a lesson and we finally had an opportunity to complete one. We would usually complete two lessons per week for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. My daughter's favorite part of Sonrisas Spanish School is story and art time. Well, honestly . . . she really LOVES all aspects of the curriculum because music and games are also incorporated into the lessons. I am impressed with the quality of the literature selections recommended in the curriculum. We will finish up our life cycle science unit soon so I thought it would be fun to revisit Lesson 23 "Tengo Hambre" utilizing the book the La Oruga Muy Hambrienta by Eric Carle from Sonrisas Spanish School Level 1. This board book has been an all time favorite since my daughter was a baby.
I must say our circle time including the greeting, calendar time, music, and games was a little disorganized during the lesson since most of our curricula and school items are still packed in boxes. One lesson is meant to last two days, but we completed the entire lesson in one day. I read the story and reviewed the days of the week, colors, and numbers. If you do not have the book, then you can listen to it on You Tube. This version is read too fast for children, but you can always do a Google search for a different one. I introduced the names of fruits and emphasized the life cycle stages in Spanish as an extension to our science unit. I usually add on a few fun extensions but we are still living in boxes.

A Few Lesson Extension Ideas
All extensions would use Spanish vocabulary and language.

  • Caterpillar and Butterfly Crafts (Label the animal and/or animal parts)
  • Sequence the Story Events Using Simple Phrases
  • Sequence the Days of the Week
  • Create a Pasta Life Cycle Wheel (huevecillo, oruga, capullo, mariposa)
  • Match Fruits (Real, Plastic, Paper) with Vocabulary Word
  • Play a "Concentration Game" 
  • Match Number to Fruit
  • Sort Healthy and Unhealthy Foods (Food Pyramid)
  • Create a Like /Don't Like T-Chart for Foods (Taste Test Real Food)
The hands-on art activity kept my daughter's attention. She hasn't been able to color or do many art activities since the move. It was just the break she needed. Alyssa drew the facial features on la oruga. This is a great time to review facial parts or even feelings in Spanish. She colored her caterpillar to match the book's cover. As she worked, I asked her if her caterpillar was hungry and if she was hungry. Of course, I try to teach the entire lesson in Spanish. She responded appropriately. Alyssa walked around the room and had the caterpillar eat the fruits in our kitchen. She later played with the la oruga (caterpillar) and la fresa (strawberry) while skimming the contents of the book. Yes, she even tried to read the book in Spanish.
Art Time!
La oruga
Coloring la fresa
Playing with the Props
Utilizing the Book
Please visit Sonrisas website for more information about their products. We adore the curriculum! They have a wonderful blog chocked full of informative articles that will help you with your journey when teaching children Spanish. Check out their Facebook and Pinterest pages as well. Samples of the Level 1 curriculum can be found on their blog or website. The scope and sequence can be found here.

Have you heard the news? Sonrisas Spanish School has introduced a business opportunity to their curricula users. You can contact the company or sign-up for their newsletter to receive more information. Are you fluent in Spanish? Have you ever been interested in teaching young students Spanish? Well, if so this may be something worth considering. I am currently weighing the pros and cons. The start up cost is one of the things keeping me from taking the step forward even though I know that with a successful year I can make the money spent back. I am not sure what the demand for Spanish classes would be in our small town. Please contact Sonrisas Spanish School for more information about this business opportunity.

No, I am not an affiliate and this isn't a review. I just absolutely LOVE the curriculum and wanted to spread the word a bit.

God bless,
Tracey

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