Learning Spanish Together

Transcription

1 Learning Spanish Together A handbook for Early Childhood Educators in New Zealand Written and prepared by Megan Howie

2 Contents Page Introduction to the handbook 3 Getting started in Spanish 6 Pronunciation guide 7 Practising greetings: Te Whariki links 8 Try it today! Practising Greetings 9 Mix and Mingle 10 Balloon Salutations 11 Who is that? 12 Secret Names 13 Dónde está? Peek-a-boo game 14 Practising Numbers: Te Whariki links 15 Try it today! Practising Numbers and Counting 16 Surprise Numbers 17 I spy 18 Texture Numbers 19 Number Photography 20 Coin Rubbings 21 Number Run 22 Practising Colours: Te Whariki links 23 Try it today! Practising Colours 24 Colour Run 25 Colour Treasure Hunt 26 Colour Sort 28 Colour Circle 29 Colour Peek-a-boo 30 Colour Swap 31 Colour Jump 32 Practising Opposites: Te Whariki links 33 Try it today! Big and Small 34 Try it today! Up and Down 35 Try it today! Fast and Slow 36 Try it today! Yes or No/ Sí o No 37 Glossary 38 Printable resources

3 Introduction to the handbook Who is this handbook for? This handbook has been prepared for Early Childhood educators who are interested in assisting young people make connections with foreign languages and cultures, with a particular focus on Spanish. It is for Early Childhood educators to read and use as often as they can to further enrich their Early Childhood Education programme. The learning engagements outlined in this handbook are intended for educators who do not speak Spanish fluently. It is for those who wish to engage children further in cultural and linguistic learning and encourage them to have fun with Spanish. These short and simple engagements have been successfully tried and tested to stimulate young children, ensuring their interests, capabilities and enjoyment are at the centre. What is Chiquimundo? Chiquimundo is a unique New Zealand owned and based Spanish Language School. Megan Howie is the founder, director and lead teacher. She is a qualified New Zealand Primary School teacher with lots of experience with children of different ages. She is bilingual - having learned Spanish as an adult - and is an active advocate for adults learning another language - it is never too late! Chiquimundo differs from other language schools because we have very strong beliefs that in order for children to successfully learn another language they must have regular opportunities for reinforcement, and they must drive the learning. We encourage and support educators and parents to learn alongside the children. Research has shown that children learn best when they perceive interest from peers, mentors, parents and teachers. This means, that when children see Mum, Dad, their friend or their teacher having a go and showing an interest, they will too! We welcome and encourage children to contribute their own skills, knowledge and experiences to our lessons. Children feel valued and respected when we notice their contributions and ideas, so we ensure this becomes the starting point for planning our sessions. Te Whariki links The engagements in this handbook have connections with the Te Whariki New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum. Particular attention is given to the five strands Well-Being; Belonging; Contribution; Communication and; Exploration when engaging with Spanish language and culture. We have hand-picked learning experiences that will help to develop children s language and cultural knowledge, skills and attitudes. 3

4 How to approach the activities As an Early Childhood educator, you will already understand that children do their best learning when they are in the driver s seat. We must become skilled at recognising learning opportunities and work alongside children to help them make connections with the world around them. Language is best learned when it comes up in natural contexts, for example when the children are washing their hands, sharing toys, observing nature, greeting others and using manners. This handbook will help you to map simple Spanish phrases and vocabulary with every day experiences, as well as introduce fun and stimulating games and activities that children will enjoy and be challenged by. Look for the page at the beginning of each section titled Try it today! to read about short, simple ways to use Spanish right away! A quick note on the way the modelled engagements are organised: Practice vocabulary Aim of the game What is needed Warm up/hook in Having a go The intended vocabulary and phrases to be practised in the activity. However, this does not mean other vocabulary cannot be reinforced also! The skills, knowledge and attitudes that are being targeted in the activity. Outlines the materials and preparation needed for the activity to be successful The initial teaser to get children excited and interested in the activity. Remember, if they see you getting excited about it, they ll want to join in the fun! This is what we also refer to as handing over. This is when the teacher has explained the game to the children, boundaries have been established and it s time for the children to have a turn and take ownership of the activity. More often than not, you will find children have their own take on the situation and adapt it in ways we couldn t imagine! Encourage this creativity and be sure to let us know YOUR version! Some activities, highlighted by this symbol are intended for small group (4 or less) or one on one situations that might arise spontaneously. Other activities are better suited to larger groups in situations like Mat time. These are highlighted by this symbol: Do we need special resources? We have specifically designed this handbook knowing that very few centres will be equipped with an extensive range of Spanish resources suitable for early learners. For this reason, our learning engagements are designed to utilise generic centre resources and require little to no set up. Any additional printable props or resources are included in the back of this handbook. 4

5 Are we supposed to teach Spanish with this handbook? Whilst your Chiquimundo visiting teacher will be in charge of new learning and establishing a solid base for developing an understanding of Spanish language and culture, your centre teachers will be able to practise the basics to further cement understanding, confidence and provoke further inquiry and interest in the Spanish language. These learning experiences are designed for teachers to help reinforce vocabulary and phrases learned in Chiquimundo sessions and are not intended to be used to teach new Spanish. So relax and enjoy learning Spanish alongside the children in your centre! We welcome and encourage questions and clarifications, so please either ask your visiting teacher, or us at info@chiquimundo.co.nz. 5

6 Getting started in Spanish Here are some basic Spanish words and phrases we use in our Chiquimundo sessions, and ones that can be regularly reinforced at your centre: The basics/lo básico Spanish Pronunciation English Sí see yes No noh No Por favor pour fah-vohr please Gracias grah-see-ahs Thank you De nada deh nah-dah You re welcome Permiso pehr-mee-soh Excuse me (when you re coming through) Greetings/Saludos Spanish Pronunciation English Hola Oh-lah Hello Cómo estás? Koh-moh eh-stahs How are you? (1 person) Cómo están? Koh-moh eh-stahn How are you? (more than 1 person - in Latin America) Bien, gracias Byehn grah-see-ahs Good/well thanks Adiós Ah-dee-ohs Goodbye (formal) Chau Chow Bye! Nos vemos! Nohs beh-mohs (Literal) We see us -used to mean we ll see each other soon Hasta luego Ah-stah loo-weh-goh See you later Praise Spanish Pronunciation English Muy bien! Mooy byen Very good/very well Excelente! Ex-seh-lehn-teh Excellent! Perfecto! Pehr-fec-toh Perfect! Qué bueno! Keh bweh-noh How cool/good! Qué bonito! Keh boh-nee-toh How lovely! 6

7 Pronunciation guide Most of the letters in Spanish are pronounced in the same way they are in English, for example: L, m, b, s, k etc... However, there are a few letters that are pronounced very differently, and need practice as often the sound is not found in English. VOWELS Vowels are always pronounced in the same way, unlike English. They are very similar to Maori vowels which are: A E I O U As in father As in peg As in feet As in Auckland As in flu CONSONANTS B is sometimes pronounced as a v sound, Spanish speakers generally don t differentiate between a v and b sound. So the word verde (green) could be pronounced behr-deh OR vehr-deh. Likewise, the letter v is sometimes pronounced like a b, so the word bueno could be pronounced vweh-noh C is the same as in English, when paired with an a, o or u is a hard k sound, and with i and e makes a soft s sound. Example: Cambio (change) is pronounced kahm-bee-oh and Centro (centre) is sehn-troh G is pronounced hkk when followed by an e or i. When followed by a, o or u makes a g sound as in English. Observe the difference in: Amigo (friend) is ahmee-goh and Jorge (Hkohr-hkay) H is always silent, except when paired with an s where it makes sh as in English, or a c where is makes ch as in English. Example: Hola (hello), hora (hour) J makes a hkk sound. Example: Jorge (George) is pronounced Hkohr-hkay and Japón (Japan) is hkah-pon LL makes a yeh sound, like the letter y would in English. Example: Llama (llama) is pronounced yah-mah and amarillo (yellow) is ah-mah-ree-yo Ñ is pronounced nyeh as in onion in English. Example: niño (boy) is pronounced nee-nyoh and mañana (morning/tomorrow) is mah-nyah-nah. Q is pronounced like a k, although it is always paired with a u it keeps the same sound, so in English we pronounce queen like kween the word que (what) in Spanish is pronounced keh and quince (15) is pronounced keen-seh RR is rolled more than an r on its own. Example: pero (but) and perro (dog) Z is pronounced just like s. Example zapato (shoe) is pronounced sah-pah-toh 7

8 Practising greetings Te Whariki links Strand Learning Outcomes: Children develop Well-being - A capacity to pay attention, maintain concentration, and be involved - A sense of personal worth - An ability to identify their own emotional responses and those of others Belonging - Awareness of connections between events and experiences within and beyond the early childhood education setting - A feeling of belonging, and having a right to belong in the early childhood setting - An increasing ability to play an active part in the running of the programme - An understanding of the routines, customs, and regular events of the early childhood education setting Communication - Responsive and reciprocal skills, such as turn-taking and offering - Language skills in real, play, and problem solving contexts - Language skills for increasingly complex purposes - An increasing knowledge and skill, in both syntax and meaning in at least one language - The inclination and ability to listen attentively and respond appropriately to speakers Exploration - The knowledge that trying things out, exploration, and curiosity are important and valued ways of learning 8

9 Try it today! Greetings and Basics / Saludos y Lo básico Greet the children with hola as they arrive to the centre. After doing this for a while, ask the child Cómo estás? (How are you?) and offer an option Bien? (hold one thumb up) or Muy bien! (two thumbs up) When a child is engaging in pretend play with dolls or puppets, greet the character in Spanish, and encourage the child to give it a try too Hide behind the whiteboard or a part of the outside equipment and each time you pop out say hola!, when you go away again say chau! Greet other staff members in Spanish as they arrive or pass by Use a Spanish greeting hola or buenos días as a way to greet the children at Mat Time If a child is observing an animal outside, greet the animal in Spanish (to call a cat nearby, Spanish speakers say mishu, mishu, mishu in the same way we would say puss, puss, puss ) When the children leave the centre, say adiós or chau When you hand something to a child, offer the Spanish word gracias, they will quickly catch on and repeat after you! When a child says thank you, say de nada (you re welcome) When a child is sharing with another, help the other child to say gracias to show their appreciation When two children are trying to move past one another in a tight space, say permiso (excuse me) 9

10 Mix and Mingle Practice vocabulary: Spanish Pronunciation English Hola Oh-lah Hello Buenos días Bweh-nohs dee-ahs Good morning Cómo estás? Bien/Muy bien Koh-moh eh-stahs Byen/Mooy byen How are you? Well/ Very well Chau! Adiós! Hasta luego! Chow! Ah-dee-ohs! Ah-stah lweh-goh See ya! Good bye! See you soon! Aim of the game: Children practise greeting one another in Spanish using a variety of salutations and responses. What is needed: A large space for children to move around in Music and speakers Warm up/ hook in: How do we greet one another in English? What do we say to our friends in the morning? What can we say at any time of the day? What would we say in the afternoon? Who knows how we can say these things in Spanish? Let s practise greeting our friends in Spanish! Having a go: Play some Spanish music for the children to move (dance, walk, wiggle!) safely around the room to. When the music stops, the children need to make eye contact with the nearest person to them and greet them in Spanish. At first, they can start with hola (hello) accompanied by a wave. Then, move on to buenos días (good morning) or buenas tardes (good afternoon). Before children practise Cómo estás? (How are you?) They will need to know how to respond appropriately with bien (well) muy bien (very well) or bien/muy bien gracias (well/very well thank you) 10