Vocabulario: la universidad

This list (see image below) names the parts of a small iberal arts campus in Spanish. Bilingual professors and student researchers at Hobart and William Smith Colleges designed these materials and activities as part of a Spanish workshop for second-grade students. However, this plan could be adapted for use at any small liberal arts college. It is ideal for showing groups of small children the importance of Spanish and bilingualism in higher education. We found that the bilingual students were every bit as enthusiastic as the second-language learners.

Workshop Activities:

What you will need: tape, music, and images printed out (in color).

Vocabulary and Reading

1) Teachers introduce parts of campus through choral repetition while showing photographs.

2) Teachers make repetition fun by saying the words slowly, quickly, softly, and loudly.

Musical march

1) Children and teachers work together to tape a different photo to each of the four corners of the room. 

2) Teachers play lively music and run, dance, skip around the room. Children are encouraged to join in through gestures. Teachers pause occasionally to shout out the name of one of the places on campus (biblioteca, embarcadero, gimnasio...). Teachers encourage children to run to the place announced, expressing enthusaism when children run to the right place.

Matching

1) Teachers hand out images objects/items associated with each of the places featured on the wall (for example: books for the library, weights for the gym, boats for the boathouse).

2) Children match the objects with the place that best fits. Teachers may help children when they are stuck by asking paired questions and pointing to the options (¿El barco pretenece a la biblioteca o al embarcadero?)

Teaching Team:

This plan was created by Bilingual Summer Researchers at Hobart and William Smith Colleges for the collective-impact community education group, Geneva 2030, in Summer 2023.

Students

Abel Guzman, Isabelle Girolamo, Paulina Tejada, Angie Hernandez, Thao Bui Phuong

Professors

May Farnsworth and Carolina Travalia (Spanish and Hispanic Studies) and Audrey Roberson (Education).