We are thrilled to announce that Spanish-4-You got a new office in downtown Long Beach. It is gorgeous with plenty of space for our growing clientele. We have two conference rooms to hold Spanish classes so we will be announcing our group class schedule soon.
Please drop by and say 'Hola' anytime, just let me know in advance to make sure I am not out in the field teaching. The address is: 111 W. Ocean Blvd, Suite 400, Long Beach, CA 90202
I would like to personally wish all our current, past and potential clients a very happy holiday season. It has been a great year for us teaching at so many wonderful schools in Los Angeles and Orange County. We look forward to a 2013 filled with many kids putting to good use their Spanish oral skills. This is a fun project done by one of our private students. The teacher, Elvira, had her private students prepare either a Christmas or Hannukah final project which they had to describe in Spanish. It was a great way of finishing a very productive semester.
Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!
Spanish-4-You hired a great Spanish teacher. Her name is Elvira Lahoz-Martínez and she is from Spain. She has a lot of experience teaching Spanish at all levels, from very small children to adults, from beginners to advanced. She is currently teaching Spanish in after-school programs at two schools, Muir Elementary and McKinley Elementary, both located in the CIty of Santa Monica. She started on April 16 and next week will be the end of the 8 week program.
She has done a fantastic job even though it was her first class group teaching assignments. To make matters worse, one class has been very challenging. The class at Muir has been tough from the beginning. There are only 8 kids but they range in age from 5 to 10 years old. The reason there is such a disparity was that one K class was cancelled and those kids were transferred to the older kids' class. What the little ones enjoy doing, the older ones find it boring so Elvira has been very creative in trying to accommodate their different interests. That creativity is one of her best qualities. Even though she knows I am always available to help, she has not needed any support or guidance. She has been very resourceful and has come up with wonderful ideas. The result has been spectacular. Out of 8 children, 7 said the class is great.
This is a great picture of that class after they finished a class project. There were only 6 students that day. Look at the funny expression of the small girl looking at the big kids to her left and the big boy in turn making a funny face. This is one of my favorite pictures because it really captures the complexity of the class in a cute way.
I have not written a blog in 3 months! Very busy teaching Spanish to 4 new group classes, including one in HSC (HomeSchool Campus) in Costa Mesa, CA. This is a great place for homeschooled children in Orange County, CA. It is called the Disneyland of HomeSchoolers because they can choose from dozens of fabulous classes. They are all taught by phenomenal instructors and the cost is very affordable. Many of those families do not even have to pay out-of-pocket because they have their kids registered in HomeSchooling institutions such as Sky Mountain.
Here's the HSC website for those who have home-schooled children. http://www.homeschoolcampusoc.com
Here are some cute videos of one of my classes.
In the first one the children are doing some simple oral presentations after doing a fun arts and craft project.
In the second one the children are singing their favorite song in Spanish.
Body parts is one of the easiest lessons to teach. Children have a natural curiosity to learn the names of body parts in the second language they are learning. We use a picture of a very ugly monster that for some weird reason kids find very attractive. In this particular video you will see Alex (age 4) answering questions about number of body parts/color the monster has. It was very funny when I asked him to name the monster and he said "Laura" (my name)
If you'd like the exact same Body Parts lesson I use to teach children, email me at lzayas@spanish-4-you.com
Music should be a crucial component in any language class. It makes learning more enjoyable and it helps children learn the words faster. Just to give you an example, I taught the days of the week to a group of 1st graders at a school in Granada Hills last month. They were struggling memorizing the days until I taught them a silly Days of the Week song (watch the first video). It was an instant success. After practicing twice, they already knew how to sing it with a perfect pronunciation.
In the second video, you will see how much a home-schooled boy likes music. His favorite song is "Las Vocales en Español". He is a ball of energy and goes crazy everytime he hears it. It really makes the learning experience so much more enjoyable for the kids and for the teacher.
In language class when teaching foods, the instructor should always divide them by topic such as main meals, fruits and veggies, and breakfast. Otherwise it becomes overwhelming for the student. It takes approximately 3 to 4 sessions to teach this important lesson. Aside from poster-size color drawings, we introduce the foods with plastic ones. I mention each item twice and have the student repeat it. We review colors, numbers and the phrases: Me gusta/No me gusta (I like/I don't like) and Dame por favor (Give me please) We do entertaining matching and coloring exercises and have lots of fun creating foods with play-doh. We also practice by "going" to McDonalds where we take turns ordering what we want to eat and drink.
In the first video you will see Alex preparing a hamburger. He has a little bit of trouble but manages to follow the instructions well.
In the second video, Alex points to the foods he has made with play-doh. He was very proud of all the pretty foods he made with a little help from me.
If you'd like the exact same Food lesson I use to teach children, email me at lzayas@spanish-4-you.com
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