Summer Spanish

Pre-Primary School

List of 3 items.

  • Rising Two and Three-Year-Olds

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    Opportunities for Reinforcement
    • Social-Emotional
      • Encourage your child to try new things
        • Sensory activities like cooking together, making slime/playdough, playing in the sand, making mud, digging in the dirt/gardening
      • Give your child opportunities to play with other children their age
        • Have play dates with neighborhood children and/or future classmates at a local park or in your backyard
        • Go to the library and join the weekly story time and/or check out books
      • Establish daily routines
        • Take pictures of daily activities (e.g., potty breaks, outside time, snack time, playtime, lunch, rest time, etc.) and have them put them in order every morning on a Morning Schedule Board.
      • Paint, draw and write
        • Use extra-large paper to foster motor skills—these are great ways to manage and express big emotions like disappointment or sadness.
      • Play music
        • Freeze Dance, Achy Breaky Bottom
        • Jump around and “act out” music
        • Create music with materials around the house
    • Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
      • Science
        • Do experiments
        • Make predictions
      • Math
        • Count and add
        • Recognize shapes and patterns
      • Literacy
        • Pre-Literacy skills are critical to your child’s reading performance in the future. Early literacy development includes awareness of books and print, hearing and playing with sounds in words, the relationships between letters and sounds, vocabulary development, story comprehension, and more! A few fun literacy activities are:
          • READ, READ, READ!
          • Visit your local library.
          • Storytelling (Picture books are great to use for storytelling. Storytelling is a fantastic activity for children to learn new vocabulary and how to construct their messages, sharpen memory, and improve listening skills. Encourage children to describe what they see.)
          • Blocks (Build castles, houses, farms. Once your masterpiece is built, create stories out of your play with animals and people.)
          • Acting out Stories (Read a story/rhyme together and discuss which characters you each want to be. Consider the props you might want to bring to this story alive.)
          • Treasure hunt (Use a tray or a toy box and throw a bunch of toys in it. Close your eyes and go on a “treasure hunt.” You can do this activity in a sandbox too. Bury toys in the sand and then go on a treasure hunt. As you and the child take turns pulling toys out of the box, encourage them to create a story from what they find. Storytelling is an important skill for oral language development.)
          • Crocodile Circle (Create a bin with a crocodile face on top, filled with letters and surprise cards. Pass the crocodile around the circle, singing, “Crocodile, crocodile down by the lake; I’m going to reach right in and see what (letter) you ate.” The person holding the crocodile then pulls a letter and calls it out. Start with the letters in your child’s name. Emphasize the sound of each letter!)
      • Hold something in one hand while using the other hand (e.g., hold a container and take the lid off)
      • Try to use switches, knobs, or buttons on a toy
      • Play with more than one toy at the same time (e.g., putting toy food on a toy plate)
      • Puzzles with 25-50 pieces
        • This work fosters:
          • Concentration
          • Spatial awareness
          • Shape recognition
          • Fine motor ability
          • Hand-eye coordination
          • Problem-solving skills
          • Language
      • Visit a local museums website, plan a day trip, and participate in their scavenger hunt
    • Physical / Core Strength Building (movement, fine motor, gross motor)
      • Swimming
      • Jumping on a trampoline
      • Climbing on playground equipment
      • Walking/Moving like a bear, crab, or other animals
      • Practicing yoga
      • Riding a bike
    Spontaneous and Structured Play
    Summertime is filled with many great opportunities for play, both spontaneous and structured. Continue to implement a consistent structure and routine for your child. This will allow them time to foster independence and autonomy.

    You will be your child’s primary playmate during these months—practice turn-taking and flexibility. For example, your child can choose what they would like to use, and then you can choose what will be next. We want children to continue hearing and accepting other people’s perspectives while implementing empathy and responsiveness.
    • Explore the Outdoors!
      • Have fun with bubbles.
      • Play with water and sponges.
      • Play hide and seek.
      • Collect rocks, wash, and paint them.
      • Toss water balloons.
      • Decorate a bike or scooter.
      • Paint a cardboard house outdoors.
      • Paint a mural outdoors. Go on a bug hunt.
      • Plant seeds in a garden.
      • Play with a water table.
      • Have a toy car wash.
      • Make a nature collage. 
    Providing opportunities for children to use their senses through sensory play is extremely beneficial for brain development. Sensory play builds nerve connections, promotes problem-solving and creativity, and enhances children’s scientific minds. Here are a few quick and easy recipes:
    • DIY Chalk Paint
      • 1 cup Cornstarch
      • 1 ½ cup water
      • Food coloring or washable paint 
      1. Let their imaginations go wild with this vibrant and easy recipe. Provide them with paintbrushes. They will have a blast painting sidewalks and driveways.
    • Honey Slime
      • 1 cup cornstarch
      • ½ cup honey
      1. Heat the cornstarch and honey in the microwave for a few seconds
      2. Then add 3-5 tbsp oil.
    • Cloud Dough
      • 1 cup cornstarch
      • ½ cup hair conditioner (any kind will do)
      1. Begin by adding the cup of cornstarch to your bowl. Then add your measured 1/2 cup of hair conditioner. Add it gradually to the bowl and mix both ingredients until you get a thick mixture. Continue stirring until it is soft and fluffy.
      2. Make sure you have a clean and flat surface to work on for this step!
      3. Grab the mixture and knead it for about one minute or until it is soft.
      4. Play with the cloud dough immediately and store it in an airtight container when done. 
    • Playdough
      • 2.5 cup water
      • 1 ¼ cup salt
      • 1 ½ tbsp cream of tartar
      • 5 tbsp of vegetable oil
      • 2.5 cups of flour (all-purpose)
      • Food coloring or watercolors
      1. Place all the ingredients minus the food coloring together in a large pot and stir until somewhat smooth. It will be lumpy. Not to worry, the dough will get smoother as it cooks.
      2. Place the pot on the stove and cook over low heat. Stir frequently with a large spoon. The water will slowly cook out of the mixture, and you’ll notice it starts to take on a sticky dough appearance. Keep mixing until the edges of the dough along the side and bottom of the pan appear dry. Pinch a piece of dough. If it’s not gooey, the dough is ready.
      3. Place the dough on a countertop, baking sheet, or large cutting board that can withstand a little food coloring.
      4. Knead the warm dough until it’s smooth, and then divide it into the number of colors you’d like to make. If you don’t want paint-stained hands, you could wear gloves for this step.
      5. Play with the dough immediately or store it in a large Ziplock bag or sealed container. Unused, it’ll keep for months.
  • Rising Four-Year-Olds

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    Opportunities for Reinforcement

    • Literacy
      • Have a scavenger hunt (e.g., find the letter, find the letter sound)
      • Visit libraries
      • Read books and ask open-ended questions (i.e., “How..,” “What do you think…,” “Why...”)
      • Visit museums
      • Make cards for friends
      • Trace shapes and letters in sand or shaving cream
    • Math
      • Have a scavenger hunt (e.g., find this number, what has four legs)
      • Cook together (e.g., making playdough, making fruit kabobs, measuring)
      • Sort things (e.g., group leaves, rocks, and sticks; sort by size)
      • Make shapes (e.g., wiki stix, pipe cleaners)
    • Physical
      • Outdoor
        • Climb trees
        • Swim
        • Have a wheelbarrow race
        • Ride bikes or scooters
        • Have a scavenger hunt (e.g., nature)
        • Blow and/or play with bubbles
      • Art
        • Use sidewalk chalk
        • Paint with brushes and water
        • Practice finger painting
        • Hide things in playdough
        • Make a treasure map
        • Practice using scissors
        • Do a puzzle
    • Social and Emotional
      • Practice self-help skills to build autonomy (e.g., opening containers and bags; putting away toys/belongings)
      • Play cooperative games (e.g., Peaceable Kingdom)
  • Rising Kindergarten

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    Vocabulary
     
    los saludos/greetings
    los sentimentos/feelings
    los colores/colors
    los números/numbers
    ¿Cuántos años tienes?/How old are you?
    las figuras geométricas/geometric figures, las formas geométricas/geometric shapes
    las vocales y el alfabeto/the vowels and the alphabet: a, e, i, o, u, y, el ABC
    las vocales y los animales/vowels and animals
    • la vaca/the cow, el pollo/the chick, el cerdo/the pig, la abeja/the bee, el elefante/the elephant, la iguana/the iguana, el oso/the bear, las uvas/the grapes
    partes del cuerpo/body parts
    los animales de la granja/animals from the farm
    las mascotas/pets
    el jardin/the garden
    la familia y yo/the family and I
    • Storytime Mi Familia y Yo
    • yo/I, mi mamá/my mom, mi papá/my dad, mi abuelo/my grandfather, mi abuela/my grandmother, el bebé/the baby, el hermano/the brother, la hermana/the sister, Yo soy/I am, Yo tengo/I have, Yo no soy/I am not, Yo no tengo/I do not have
    animals from the sea and the family
    • tiburón bebé/baby shark, tiburón mamá/mama shark, tiburón papá/daddy shark, tiburón abuela/grandma shark, tiburón abuelo/grandpa shark
    • Baby Shark/Tiburón Bebé
    el calendario/the calendar
    las estaciones/the seasons
    el tiempo/the weather
     
    Fun for All
     
    Videos for Spanish Native Speakers

Primary School

List of 5 items.

Middle School

List of 3 items.

  • Rising 6th Grade

    We encourage middle school students to practice Spanish over the summer. The frequency of practice is more important than the length of practice. In other words, a few minutes of practice most days is better than hours of practice in just a handful of days.

    Required Work

    New to Lowell students who have not previously taken Spanish must work on Duolingo throughout the summer to prepare for Middle School Spanish. 

    Resources

    We encourage students to use Duolingo to practice. The Duolingo web application can be used for minutes or hours at a time. They can download the Duolingo app on a mobile device or access it via a computer.

    If you want other ideas for summer practice, please feel free to reach out via email to Sara Hodges.

    Download a copy of this information.
  • Rising 7th Grade

    We encourage middle school students to practice Spanish over the summer. The frequency of practice is more important than the length of practice. In other words, a few minutes of practice most days is better than hours of practice in just a handful of days.

    Required Work

    New to Lowell students who have not previously taken Spanish must work on Duolingo throughout the summer to prepare for Middle School Spanish. 

    Resources

    We encourage students to use Duolingo to practice. The Duolingo web application can be used for minutes or hours at a time. They can download the Duolingo app on a mobile device or access it via a computer.

    If you want other ideas for summer practice, please feel free to reach out via email to Sara Hodges.

    Download a copy of this information.
  • Rising 8th Grade

    We encourage middle school students to practice Spanish over the summer. The frequency of practice is more important than the length of practice. In other words, a few minutes of practice most days is better than hours of practice in just a handful of days.

    Required Work

    New to Lowell students who have not previously taken Spanish must work on Duolingo throughout the summer to prepare for Middle School Spanish. 

    Resources

    We encourage students to use Duolingo to practice. The Duolingo web application can be used for minutes or hours at a time. They can download the Duolingo app on a mobile device or access it via a computer.

    If you want other ideas for summer practice, please feel free to reach out via email to Sara Hodges.

    Download a copy of this information.

Duolingo

How Does Duolingo Work?
Duolingo is broken into “units” that look like medallions on the home screen. Within each unit is a range of 3 to 10 different lessons a student can complete. There is also a function called “Strengthen Skills,” which encourages users to repeat for retention and mastery. When a student has mastered a unit, it becomes gold in color. If a student stops using Duolingo for a while, those gold units change back to their original colors, encouraging users to practice again.

Over the summer, students should work on maintaining units they have covered and work ahead into new units once all their previous units are gold. Here is a video that explains more.
 
Why Duolingo?
We have used Duolingo in the classroom for almost three years. There are many advantages to using Duolingo for summer practice, including:
  • immediate assessment and feedback based on student responses
  • explanations and instructions are included in the website feedback
  • algorithms track student use of the site and adjust review material accordingly to create better retention
  • practice includes not just reading and writing but listening and speaking as well
  • practice can easily be broken into many small sessions that can better fit within busy summer schedules
  • practice anywhere: when downloaded on a mobile device, students can practice when in the car or on the Metro 
Lowell School is a private PK-8th grade school located in NW Washington, DC. Our mission is to create an inclusive community of lifelong learners in which each individual is valued and respected.