Spanish students learn outside the classroom
Immersive learning is one of the philosophies of language instruction at Greenhills, so frequent field trips are a staple. Spanish students made several such forays into the Spanish-speaking community during the last school year.
In early May, for example, 100 students from high school Spanish classes spent the day in Detroit, helping out teachers in first- and second-grade Spanish immersion classes at Academy of the Americas. Greenhills students read to Academy students in Spanish, and had the younger students read back to them. They also helped the younger Academy students work on a craft project to help celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Greenhills also brought the school a donation of much needed school supplies.
“It was nice to get out of the classroom and take my Spanish to the real world,” said one student. “All of the kids were very excited, and so was I.”
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Afterwards, Greenhills students ate an authentic Mexican lunch at “El Kiosko” in Detroit, then visited the special exhibit of “Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit” at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
A week later, 50 middle and upper school Spanish students read the Spanish-language story books they had written, as well as other Spanish and English books, to kindergarten students learning English at the Perry Development Center in Ypsilanti.
And earlier in the year, 60 students from middle and upper school Spanish attended two performances of the Hispanic Flamenco Ballet Company at Washtenaw Community College. The first show, “Latin American Extravaganza,” featured a variety of traditional and contemporary dance and music from Latin American countries, while the second, “Spring in Spain,” showcased folkloric music and dance from Spain, including Tablao Flamenco, La Tuna Troubadours, and La Zarzuela. At the end of each show, students and teachers were invited up to the stage to participate.
“I really enjoyed interacting with the kids,” said one participant. “And it helped me with my Spanish!”
