rich culture – Clairbourn School News

February 25, 2022March 2, 2022

Fluid and Boundless Education: Open your door to Spanish, one word at a time!

A Clairbourn parent once said, “Clairbourn learning is fluid and boundless. Both of my children learn not only through textbooks, but also from the daily conversations they have with their teachers and their interactions with their peers. It’s amazing how every moment is a learning moment at Clairbourn!” When we think about our lower school Spanish program, this is the perfect description: Every moment is a learning moment!

When you walk by our lower school Spanish classroom, you are immediately drawn to a festive door — the gateway to the world of Spanish! You hear conversations and singing in Spanish and Mrs. Rubio talking about Hispanic culture.

This program is offered from kindergarten to fifth grade. Different teaching approaches are incorporated to keep students engaged. Sensory exploration is a big part of our learning experience. Students run their fingers through orange rice and count the pieces of black bowtie pasta they find in the tray. They practice their vocabulary by singing La Araña pequeñita (Itsy Bitsy Spider) while busy freeing a plastic glow-in-the dark spider from a block of frozen ice. “This is so much fun! I love Spanish class!” a first grader said with such excitement.

The rich culture and history of Spanish speaking countries is also brought to life in this language program. Students listen to stories and taste various Hispanic dishes. They even got to make both sweet and savory tamales which were a big hit! Students stay motivated and learn through a wide range of hands-on activities. To strengthen vocabulary, students toss balls in the air while shouting out Spanish words and then they construct these words into complete sentences. Technology is also used as a supporting tool for students to expand and review their understanding of Spanish.

Currently, students are learning how to make orugüitas (caterpillars) while memorizing a Spanish song called Dos Oruguitas. Mrs. Rubio helps students gain confidence by analyzing the lyrics and using strategies to make the task managable. It is a joy to walk by the classroom and hear the students sing fluently in a second language. At Clairbourn, each classroom is alive and learning is boundless!

February 1, 2022February 1, 2022

Readers’ Theater: Clairbourn Middle School Spanish

The Middle School Spanish Program at Clairbourn focuses on both written and oral Spanish, along with the culture and geography of regions where Spanish is spoken. Language is one of the most important parts of any culture and we embrace the diversity and love for languages among our students and faculty at Clairbourn.

Middle School students recently completed a Reader’s Theater activity in Mrs. Drazic’s Spanish classes. Students were grouped and assigned a story to read aloud for the class. They first read the story to themselves and were asked to think about how many characters and narrators they would need. Once they selected their roles, they planned how their play would be presented. Students asked themselves: What staging should be used? What props should be incorporated? Students decided which role they would feel the most comfortable interpreting and no memorization was required. They completed a dress rehearsal to put the final touches on their performance before presenting it to the class.

Through the Reader’s Theater, our students developed fluency, increased reading comprehension, and integrated reading, writing, speaking and listening in an authentic context. Working collaboratively also allowed the students to engage in skills that are essential for interpreting information, evaluating and solving problems, and developing management skills to create a final product. At Clairbourn, we continue to create scholars and leaders geared toward life-long learning and equipped with problem-solving skills they will need to thrive in their future endeavors.

November 4, 2021December 15, 2021

Clairbourn Students Celebrated the Rich and Diverse Culture and Traditions of Dia de Los Muertos!

Clairbourn offers an enriching and robust language program and for the past few weeks students learned about the Dia De Los Muertos.

Our lower school students in Mrs. Rubio’s kindergarten to fifth grade classes started this unit by listening to Dia de los Muertos stories, and making flash cards of vocabulary such as pan de muerto (bread of the dead) and galleta (cookies). Students also learned new words through songs, explored the colorful Hispanic culture, and created papel picado (cut paper) to decorate their classroom. At the end of the learning journey, Lower School students got to taste the pan de muerto and decorate the skeleton cookies while calling out each color in Spanish! A third grader said, “This pan de muerto is too good! Can I have some more?”

Middle School students in Mrs. Drazic’s class read the book Tumba which takes place in Mexico during the celebration of Dia de los Muertos. Students engaged with the literature through listening, reading, writing and speaking activities, such as recording a scary ghost story and illustrating a storyboard of a traditional ‘calavera’ poem. Students also learned about the Mexican Revolution and they enjoyed drawing parallels between the colonial influence of Spain in Mexico and that of the U.S. colonial past. Students learned about the significance of calaveras (skulls), esqueletos (skeletons) and cempasúchil (marigold flowers) as they constructed an altar in the classroom using paper flowers and papel picado banners they made, and added personal elements like stuffed animals, and our favorite, Mexican candies. The best part was having Lower School students visiting the middle school altar they built!

It is wonderful to see students make their own cultural connections while learning about this tradition. At Clairbourn, we continue to celebrate the rich culture of diverse traditions!