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How to Use a Venn Diagram in Your World Language Classroom

GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS ARE A FANTASTIC TOOL FOR THE WORLD LANGUAGE CLASSROOM, most especially for novice level students of ANY AGE who do not have lots of language at their disposal, but can certainly participate in simple categorizing activities, such as filling out a Venn Diagram, either as a class or individually. And, they allow you to STAY IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE, a double win!

How to Use a Venn Diagram in a World Language Classroom Spanish

I AM PARTICULARLY FOND OF THE VENN DIAGRAM, as it allows for some higher order thinking involved in the process, especially for little learners who are still learning how to categorize items and concepts. Most students have had experience with Venn diagrams, as well as other graphic organizers, so you can leverage this knowledge to help stay in the target language-ie, you don't have to go into a big explanation as to how they function.

FOR MY LITTLE LEARNERS, I BORROW TWO HULA HOOPS from our PHYS ED teacher, which allow me to use not just pictures, but objects as well which otherwise couldn't be put in a pocket organizer or on the board/large sheet of paper. This does mean you have do the Venn Diagram on the floor, but I teach in circle so we are already there! For Middle & High school, you could put the hula hoops on a table so all can see.

BECAUSE VENN DIAGRAMS ARE ALL ABOUT COMPARISONS, looking for similarities as well differences, it lends itself really well to cultural comparisons, but there are SO MANY OTHER possibilities! Here are some ideas to spark some more for you:

Compare and contrast:
*two stories and their elements
*two animals
*two foods (similar or completely different- I do a comparison of Mexican chocolate caliente and US hot chocolate with my first graders each year; you can also see my post on comparing an authentic taco to a US one here)
*two games
*how a holiday is celebrated in the target language country and the US
*two meals; for example, what's for breakfast in a target language country and in the US
*typical pets
*weather
*animals of two different countries
*what the first day of school looks like in two places
*houses
*two habitats
*tooth traditions

Venn Diagrams for Cultural Comparison  in a World Language Classroom

You definitely want to choose two things to compare that have some similarities-I really try to highlight things that we have in common, not just things that are different; I think this is key to children gaining a better appreciation for, and understanding of, other cultures and peoples.

HOW TO CONDUCT THE LESSON:

Start by introducing the three categories, the center one being ____ AND _____, or 'the two of them', whatever works best for your classes.
I then start pulling items out of a bag or basket one at a time and asking the same question 'Is this from ___, ____, or the two of them?' (for ex). I call on kids to give me one of the headers- in the photo above, kids would tell me 'in Maine, in MĆ©xico, or in Maine and MĆ©xico. NOTE: for my little learners, I usually use the name of our state (Maine) instead of the US; it's way more familiar to them and easier for them as a concept-yup, 5 year olds have NO idea of geography, distance, what a state or country even is etc lol!
Once all the items have been placed accordingly, we do a quick debrief, commenting on what is in the center-for ex, 'Ahhh, there are lots of things in the middle, lots of things in Maine and MĆ©xico' (for novice learners my goal is to keep the input comprehensible since I am doing it all in the target language, so I am not looking for grand conclusions. With a higher level of proficiency, you can go into more in depth debriefing. )

Here's a quick video of one of my Kindergarten classes comparing two picnics, one our mini book Julieta y Mateo hacen un picnic, and the other a Peppa Pig episode. You can see how simple the activity is, yet completely comprehensible and accessible to these novice low students.


How have you used graphic organizers in your classes? Please share in the comments!

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Summer Reading List for Elementary Spanish Students 2018

THIS YEAR A NUMBER OF FANTASTIC BOOKS came out with Hispanic themes and characters, and I made some new discoveries of great books that have been around a bit... here is my 2018 Summer Reading List for my elementary students, a wonderful way to carry on connections with your classes over vacation and involve families in the process. And don't miss my lists from 2017 and 2015!

Summer Reading List for Elementary Spanish Students 2018

PICTURE BOOKS

*FRIDA KAHLO and HER ANIMALITOS by Monica Brown is another in Monica's long list of fabulous books!

*DANZA! by Donald Tontiuh tells the story of Amalia HernĆ”ndez and the Ballet FolklĆ³rico de MĆ©xico- a wonderful additional to any non fiction collection.


*THE CHUPACABRA ATE THE CANDELABRA by Marc Tyler Nobleman is a silly tale of three goats who go off in search of the mythical chupacabra. A light hearted take on this legendary creature.

*LA CUCURACHA MARTINA A Caribbean Folktale by Daniel Moreton is a classic, beautifully illustrated in this edition! A wonderfully fun read aloud!


CHAPTER BOOKS

*LOLA LEVINE AND THE VACATION DREAM by Monica Brown is part of a series of short chapter books featuring Lola, whose mother is from PerĆŗ. This book in particular is excellent- Lola and her family go to visit her aunt in PerĆŗ.. the book is infused with culture just right for middle elementary students.

*STELLA DIAZ HAS SOMETHING TO SAY by Angela Dominguez is one I have on MY list to read this summer. The reviews on Amazon are glowing, and I love the theme- a little girl who is uncomfortable about her speaking abilities in both English and Spanish- I actually think this is great for kids of all backgrounds who speak another language at home!

*ME, FRIDA, and the Secret of the PEACOCK RING by Angela Cervantes is the much anticipated book featuring Paloma, who travels to MĆ©xico and becomes embroiled in a mystery involving a search to find Frida Kahlo's ring. Excellent choice for Frida fans as well as adventure lovers!

*THE EPIC FAIL OF ARTURO ZAMORA by Pablo Cartaya is a great recommendation for your boys! I am always in search of books that will appeal to the boys in the crowd, and this author delivers-and be sure to put his newest book on your wish list, out in August- Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish.


*RETURN FIRE (Moving Target, Book 2) by Christina Diaz Gonzalez is the second in this series which I LOVE! The adventure continues as Cassie wields the Spear of Destiny with unexpected consequences!

*PABLO AND BIRDY by Alison McGhee is the touching story of Pablo, washed up on shore and taken in as an infant, only much later to discover his origins in Cuba. This is an AMAZING book but a major tear jerker!


Please also visit my friend, Emily's blog, for even more great books! Here is the link!

AND DON'T MISS OUR FREE DOWNLOADABLE BOOKMARKS! Click here to grab them :)

Free bookmarks in Spanish

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