Spanish Fiesta!

By Dana Burke

Students in the 3rd and 4th grade classes celebrated a Spanish Fiesta recently as a culminating activity that combined math and Spanish units into one big party! The 3rd grade was working on Math on the Menu from Great Exploration in Math and Science (GEMs). This unit tells the taste-full story of two family owned restaurants. Basic skills are practiced and key mathematic content is presented in an interesting real-world context. Students worked on number sense with opportunities to use addition and multiplication skills including money, measurement, geometry, and graphing. At the same time, the 3rd and 4th grade Spanish classes were learning numbers and how to add/ subtract prices using Spanish.

Parents, friends, and family came to share in the festivities. Students decorated the room with signs of Mexican foods and ingredients that involved items like tostadas, queso, salsa, meat, cheese, and much more. In preparation for the day, students measured out and made queso. The students also worked hard chopping lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and cheese for the tostados. Family members watched while students presented Spanish songs and served fellow students and parents tostadas using Spanish vocabulary. This was a terrific opportunity for the girls to show what they have learned throughout the last couple of months. The girls had a lot of fun and it was great that the parents and family members were able to participate in the Fiesta. Gracias!