Los Colores (Colors)
The teacher will only speak in Spanish for the duration of this class for a more immersive language learning experience.
We practice this vocabulary by identifying colors we see every day. For example, teachers might name the colors of children's clothes and toys in Spanish.
Materials needed: Read-aloud book, colored paper, tape, music, and images.
Workshop Activities:
Introducing Vocabulary and Read Aloud
1) Teacher will introduce colors through choral repetition while showing strips of colored paper.
Tip: Students will often mimic the manner in which a word is being presented to them so try whispering, yelling, cheering, etc the vocabulary to get learners more engaged!
Vocabulary: Rojo (red), Amarillo (yellow), Azul (blue), Verde (green), Naranja (orange), Pardo (brown), Morado (purple), Negro (black), Blanco (white), Gris (grey).
2) Teacher will read a book about colors like Oso Pardo, Oso Pardo, que ves ahi? [Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See?] by Eric Carle and Bill Martin or El Artista que Pintó un Caballo Azul [The Artist who Painted a Blue Horse] by Eric Carle and point out colors they see using the new vocabulary.
Musical march
1) Children and teacher will work together to tape a different color paper to each of the four corners of the room.
2) Teacher will play lively music and run, dance, skip etc. around the room. Children will be encouraged to join in through gestures. Teacher will pause the music occasionally to shout out the name of one of the colors in Spanish. Teacher will encourage children to run to the color announced, expressing enthusiasm when they find the right color.
Matching Activity
1) Teacher will hand out black-and-white images of iconic objects/items associated with each of the four colors on the wall (ex. a sunshine, a fire engine, a tree).
2) Children will match the black-and-white pictures with the color that best fits. Teacher may help children when they are stuck by asking paired questions and pointing to the options (¿El sol es verde o amarillo?)
Review:
Silent teacher and Closed-eyes surprise
As a review of colors in the following class.
1) Teacher will take out four sheets of colored paper. She will point to each color and say its name (repeating this activity multiple times).
2) Teacher will point to each color, covering her mouth and cupping her ears (indicating that she would like to hear the words). She will wait for children (or caregivers) to say the names of the colors they remember (Students should not be pressured to respond, they should only respond if they want to).
3) Teacher will hand out the colored sheets of paper to the children. She will close her eyes and reach out with open palms asking for each color (one at a time) in Spanish. Each time she is handed a colored paper, she will open her eyes to see if it is the color she asked for.
Libros:
For more language practice at home check out the following books from the library’s Spanish collection
Oso Pardo by Eric Carle, What do I Say? By Norma Simon, My World of Spanish Words by Debbie MacKinnon, Colores, Formas, Tamaños by Angela Wilkes, My First Spanish and English Dictionary by Passport Books, Mi primer Diccionario Ilustrado by Editorial Cordillera.
Citation:
Farnsworth, May and Isabelle Girolamo, “Los Colores (Colors),” Spanish and Hispanic Studies Digital Gallery at HWS, July 2024, https://galeriahispana.omeka.net/exhibits/show/spanish-for-children/colores-spanish.