¡Chichicastenango!

Spontaneous, creative conversations are a main focus of our work in class, being asking and answering creative questions part of our daily routines. Therefore, ¡Chichicastenango! is a game that allows us to hit that Intermediate Mid level target, asking and answering many spontaneous questions. It also helps us study for our Charlamos quiz next week. Chichicastenango is a very famous market in Guatemala.

How it works:

• Profe has a magic wand that turns anyone she gently taps into a "Chichicastenango". Chichicastenango students can only respond with the word Chichicastenango.
• The students gather in a circle with a chair, except for the Policía, who stands in the middle of the circle.
• Students "sleep" with eyes closed, including the Policía in the middle, until Profe is done delivering an unknown number of magic taps, turning different students into Chichicastenangos.
• The Policía needs to find the Chichicastenangos by asking questions in Spanish. Regular students will answer in Spanish, while Chichicastenangos will only respond with "Chichicastenago". It is how the magic works...
• At the sound of ¡Chichicastenango! everyone must change seats, and the Policía needs to try to seat as well. The last student to find a seat is the next Policía.

¡Chichicastenango en acción!

Noticias del mes de octubre

Hola familias,

We have been busy reviewing and launching into our new units in español. In class, the students are encouraged to use botones with their group tables in order to track how much español they use in class: all of the botones in the cup earns them Dojo points for the work well done speaking español! Be sure to ask your student about the botones, and whether their group earned points during class.

¡Bravo! ¡Felicidades! This group spoke bunches of español in class...

On another note, our cultural focus for 7th and 8th graders for the unit is Guatemala and the Latino Community in the US. Are you an expert on clothing fair trade or salsa dancing? We welcome you into our classroom! In the meantime, here is a little excerpt regarding two famous ladies, one from Guatemala and one from Cuba, that we will talk about in class: Rigoberta Menchú and Celia Cruz.

Rigoberta Menchú y Celia Cruz

Enjoy! ¡Hasta pronto, amigos!

Los muñecos quitapenas

In our Guatemala unit the 7Th, graders are studying about clothing and presents. Can your student recall the name of a traditional blouse? Or the actual currency in Guatemala? We have also been learning about the muñecos quitapenas, the very tiny little dolls that take your worries away.

Here is a link for some more fun reading about them: muñecos quitapenas