Work and Play-8th Graders

The first few days after we came back from our Christmas break were gray and dismal, weather-wise.   Class-wise, we were starting to feel the doldrums, too.  We had worked hard on some tough grammar concepts, slogging through rules and worksheets, and though the students put great effort into it and didn't complain, the spark wasn't quite there.

I had just finished grading some leyendas misteriosas that our eighth grade class had written to contrast the preterite and imperfect and I was amazed at their competence and creativity.  On the spur of the moment, we switched up the lesson plan and decided to have them write and perform a mini-play for the Spanish kindergarten class.

We had learned the Apostles' Creed in Spanish last semester and discussed the differences in Spanish and English.  In Spanish, it reads that Jesus, "fue concebido por obra y gracias del Espíritu Santo" (was conceived by the work and grace of the Holy Spirit).  We had talked about differences in the words trabajo and obra in Spanish, and that the word obra could mean many things, from a deed or action to a work of art or a play.  

It takes much, much more effort to produce language than to merely understand it.  Reading Spanish is comparatively easy.  Writing it isn't, especially when you are talking about a five minute play completely in Spanish.  But the students embraced the challenge and poured themselves into it.  They formed small groups, wrote their own stories and scripts, and designed their own costumes and props.   As we revised the scripts, we reviewed ser vs estar, the preterite vs imperfect, direct vs indirect object pronouns, vocabulary and more, all in a context that mattered because they wrote it.  Next week, we will be performing for the little ones.

As you can see, their stories are full of princesses, peril and picos (beaks)!   If we have even half as much fun performing them as we have had preparing them, it will be a treat indeed.  It is a good class when work and play mean the same thing.