Fourth-grade students at Sale International Studies Magnet School are visiting various Spanish-speaking countries through the work of Columbus High School International Baccalaureate Spanish students.
Through a partnership project between CHS and Sale, high school students in Courtney Stanback”s Spanish class wrote books, in both English and Spanish, about different Spanish-speaking countries and included the names of Sale fourth-graders in the storylines.
Having read the books with the CHS students, the Sale students are helping to create illustrations for the books; the CHS and Sale students will meet once a month to work on the project.
“I”m just wanting my children to be exposed (to other cultures),” said Sale Spanish teacher Jane Robertson.
“Oh, they loved it,” she added of the Sale students” reactions to being presented with the books by the CHS students. “We will continue with the culture and make illustrations that are culturally correct. It”s a study of culture, as well as learning to pronounce their (Spanish) words.”
All of Sale”s fourth grade students — 60 — are involved in the project, with about 14 CHS students.
Each CHS student included a few Sale students” names in his or her book and will be grouped with the children whose names are in the book.
“The high school students are actually getting to use what they”ve learned to benefit the children and our children are getting the individual attention to learn the language, the culture and just to show the high school students care about them,” said Robertson.
“I am very anxious for the CHS IB Spanish students to begin collaborating with the Sale IB students, because both groups have so much to offer,” said Stanback. “Not only will they be sharing their language skills with each other, but they will also share cultural discoveries about the Spanish-speaking world.”
Other activities to be included in the project include adding cultural experiences for Sale students, like Latin music and dance in costume.
In addition to practicing their listening and speaking skills in Spanish with CHS students, Sale students will create a play to be presented later in the year.
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