Photos courtesy of the North Bellmore School District
Asked if they are excited to learn another language, the answer by students across the North Bellmore School District is simple – “Si.”
Kristen Giris, the new Spanish teacher in the North Bellmore School District, meets with students at Saw Mill Road Elementary School, who get a 40-minute block of language instruction each cycle.
The district relaunched its Spanish program this year, with regular instruction for fifth and sixth graders at the five elementary schools, as well as a kindergarten enrichment program. Spanish teacher Kristen Giris incorporates Spanish language and culture into her lessons. Early topics included the Spanish alphabet, numbers, greetings, feelings, holidays, the calendar, weather, colors, shapes, family members, classroom objects and adjectives.
“To get students engaged in learning language, I like to make the class fun,” Ms. Giris said. “I incorporate a lot of games, pictures, choral repetition, songs and movement. Language is meant to be spoken and we work in groups and pairs frequently.”
Spanish culture is an important part of her lessons. Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, gave Ms. Giris an early opportunity to integrate Spanish customs into her instruction. Students also learn about the history of Latin American nations, famous Hispanic people and points of interest in Spanish-speaking countries. Music frequently plays in the background during class.
Students say the Spanish skills they are developing now will help them in middle school and beyond. Martin Avenue Elementary School fifth grader Kendall Cava said the vocabulary sheets provided by Ms. Giris help her memorize words. Her favorite assignment was a research project on famous people from Spanish-speaking countries and she chose Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa. Kallyx Agpalo fondly remembers an activity about feelings. Working with a partner, one student would say an emotion in Spanish, and the other would match it to a card with a picture of that emotion.
Martin Avenue Elementary School students Ellie Jakubowski and Peyton Paul learned how to say the different colors in Spanish.
Sixth grader Rex Dietrich, whose great-grandfather hails from Argentina, enjoys connecting with his Hispanic heritage. He appreciates that Ms. Giris spends most of class speaking Spanish, not English, which helps him learn the language better.
“It’s important because around this age, we’re going to start meeting people who speak other languages, and one of the most popular languages is Spanish,” Rex said.
Sixth grader Shiba Das loves learning other languages and about other countries. He has already been overseas with aspirations to travel to even more places, so he knows that knowledge of any language will be a great benefit.
Fifth and sixth graders receive one 40-minute block of Spanish per six-day cycle. The kindergarten enrichment program is designed to expose children to the language at a young age, focusing on basic vocabulary and phrases. Ms. Giris described the classes as fun and communicative, with lots of singing and games.
“Learning languages at the elementary level provides a huge benefit for students,” Ms. Giris said. “At a young age, they are more inclined and open to trying new things. Research shows that when students begin language learning at the elementary level, they are able to pick up languages faster with more native-like fluency and a higher level of proficiency. A language is a bridge to understanding and an appreciation of differences in a rapidly diversifying world.”
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