This year brought a major change to WSD’s foreign language program, with the implementation of a Spanish language curriculum for grades 5 – 8. We checked in with new Spanish teacher McKinly Moynier to see how things are going:
WSD: What has it been like for you to start a Spanish program that serves 4 grade levels?
McKinly: So fun! The students are getting the hang of it and we are learning a lot and having a lot of fun together. My favorite is hearing them in the halls repeating the phrases or singing the songs we practice in class.
WSD: How do 5th graders compare with 8th graders?
McKinly: All grades are basically learning at the same speed. Fifth graders won’t get through all the grammar, but they do get a lot of vocabulary. They are so smart and are picking up on the language so fast. It’s a fun age – they love to get out of their seats and participate.
WSD: What holidays are the most fun?
McKinly: Day of the Dead, for sure. This year, each student created an ofrenda, which is a remembrance of a loved one. They included mementos and we added candy skulls. They also created a papel picado, which is like a Day of the Dead garland. Very fun and very creative! Students also really loved Día de los Reyes, or Three Kings Day, which happens at Christmastime and has a lot to do with food. The traditional dessert has a bean inside it and the person who finds it has good luck all year. I made cinnamon tortillas and hid a Tic Tac inside!
WSD: Do you have a favorite Spanish idiom that makes absolutely no sense when translated into English?
McKinly: Oh yes. “Ponte trucha” literally means “put yourself trout,” but as an idiom it means “be ready for anything.” That’s my favorite.
WSD: You incorporate a lot of games and activities in your teaching. Do students have a favorite?
McKinly: Jeopardy gets the most requests to play again, but the kids also like Heads Up, 7-Up. I have them participate in games that they already know, but with a Spanish twist.
WSD: I see you have a Spotify playlist of Spanish songs. If we caught you all alone in your classroom, who would you be listening to?
McKinly: Probably Sebastian Yatra, I really love his music. And I would probably be listening to “Tacones Rojos.”
WSD: If you could fly free to any Spanish-speaking country, where would you go and what is the first thing you would eat?
McKinly: Finally we get to food! My first choice would be eating arepas in Peru; my second choice would be having pupusas in El Salvador.
WSD: What has been the biggest surprise so far in this teaching year for you?
McKinly: That’s an easy one – the kids’ willingness and eagerness to learn, and their parents’ overwhelming support for the Spanish program at WSD.
