Newark Valley High School Spanish 4 and 5 students visited the 3rd grade classrooms at Nathan T. Hall Elementary School to teach about the Spanish language and some Spanish speaking cultures from around the globe. Small groups of Spanish 4 and 5 students created interactive lessons on Hispanic countries on different continents that tie into the 3rd grade Countries/Continents unit. They researched interesting information on a variety of topics regarding their chosen country, such as flag, traditional food, music, dance, clothing, sports, animals, dances, and much more.
One group of students (Bela Krenner, Aiden Klingle, Kayden Rockwell) presented Argentina and Argentinian culture to Ms. Hochberg's class. They incorporated slides on traditional foods like alfajores, empanadas, and dulce de leche. In addition to the food the presentation also featured a colorful artistic region in Buenos Aires called La Boca. The high school students directed the 3rd graders how to make their own craft version of La Boca with colorful buildings, roofs and more.
A group of Spanish 5 students (Brianna Miller, Bianca Milewski, Emmett Hendrickson) introduced Spain's European culture to Mrs. Asfoury's 3rd graders. Their presentation included a bit about art, soccer, fans, traditional food, bullfighting, castles, Flamenco music/dance, The King and Queen, and more. Bianca and Emmett were able to share some of their experiences from their own student tours in Spain. They capped off their presentation with a small art project with a Flamenco Dancer or Matador.
In Mrs. Reynold's Class, a group of Spanish 4 students (Adriana Rich, Aubrey Kwiatkowski, Anika Smith, Anna Sailus) taught about Costa Rica, representing North America. All four of these students are eager to teach about Costa Rica's culture as they are preparing for a tour to the country in 2026. Their presentation incorporated famous destinations with natural beauty, examples of Costa Rica's diverse wildlife, traditional oxcarts, authentic foods and of course some basic Spanish words/phrases. The 3rd graders got a chance to make their very own sloth craft and color their own oxcart.
Mrs. Webb's 3rd grade students were told about one of the most unique Spanish speaking country in the world, Equatorial Guinea, the only country in Africa with Spanish as an official language. The Spanish 4 students (Anna Roth, Alex Payne, Carissa Sweet) presented a brief history of the nation, the vibrant clothing, traditional music, instruments, dance, etc. Mrs. Webb's class were very curious to learn how to say many of their favorite English words in Spanish. This class had a chance to create their own traditional Equatorial Guinean necklace at the end of the lesson.
Interactive lessons like these are always wonderful learning experiences for both the high school and elementary students.