Now that we have gotten through the first part of school review time, the Spanish classes are delving much more deeply into new grammar and vocabulary. We are starting to have more frequent quizzes and tests as they show mastery in new areas.
Spanish builds just like mathematics. We are constantly recycling words and grammar concepts learned before, and students will need to continue to stay fresh with the vocabulary from previous chapters. Each new chapter adds dozens of new vocabulary words, as well as verbs, pronouns and other grammar points that will continue to be used in subsequent chapters. It is a considerable amount of information to keep track of!
Homework can be a very helpful tool to reinforce the material that our students are learning in class. However, as a student, I hated busywork. As a teacher now, I still hate it--it is not fun to grade! I will be working with the students to balance the homework assignments so that they receive the practice and reinforcement that they need, without a lot of extra work.
One strategy that helps some students is to use commercial chunks. Pretend that your favorite TV show is not on the DVR, and instead of fast-forwarding through the commercials, use that time to review flashcards or vocabulary lists. Sometimes, just knowing that you only have to focus for three or four minutes keeps it from being overwhelming, and it is surprising how much material you will retain.
Another tip, especially for more visual learners, is to color-code vocabulary. Nouns in Spanish are either masculine or feminine. When students write out their vocabulary for each new chapter, it can help to use blue for the masculine nouns and pink for the feminine nouns to remember whether the words are masculine or feminine.
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| Excellent work from one of my 5th graders! |
Make it fun. I have been amazed at some students who create beautiful and detailed pictures with all of the vocabulary words. It may seem like a somewhat inefficient use of time, but when you are going to be looking at the words over and over for the next few weeks, it is a lot more fun if it is interesting to look at.
Organize it. When I was a student, my notes would make sense to me as I was writing them down, but if I went too long before reviewing them I would forget details. (And as my mother pointed out, my handwriting wasn't always legible--sometimes even I had a hard time deciphering it!) It helped me tremendously to go back within the next day or two and rewrite them, taking my time to add details or clarification of important points, relevant examples, and make them easy to read. The bonus was that by the time we were ready for a test, I had my own study guide ready to go! I am encouraging my students to do this, too.
I know that nobody really likes homework, but I hope that these tips will make it less of an ordeal and a more helpful use of your time. As you look back on all that you have learned, your homework helps provide a clear record of the things that you have mastered, and a valuable tool to remember them.
