As they become more fluent in the Spanish language, fourth graders at Park Avenue Elementary School are now hearing from native speakers.
During a “Where are you from?” lesson, students watched videos from people native to different Spanish-speaking countries. They had to listen carefully as each person said his or her city of origin and match it on a list. Teacher Kristen Giris played each video four times, and students were asked to listen twice while their eyes were closed. This allowed them to eliminate distractions and fine tune their ears as they listened for the location, she explained.
Ms. Giris said that hearing authentic voices is important to mastering another language. She noted that there is a difference in hearing Spanish spoken by native Spanish speakers versus native English speakers.
North Bellmore students receive Spanish instruction in fourth, fifth and sixth grade. Even if they choose to study a different language when they reach the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, they can apply the language acquisition and listening strategies they learned in elementary school. Answering questions from listening passages is also part of world language testing in middle school and high school.
The “Where are you from?” lesson is part of an overall unit on personal identification. Students explore vocabulary for biographical information, physical and character traits, and likes and interests, then complete “All About Me” projects in Spanish.
Click here to view the Learning Spanish Through Listening at Park Avenue slideshow.
Date Added: 5/16/2025