Evergreen Students Strut the Runway and Bargain with Pesos

With summer just around the corner, third and fourth graders at Evergreen Elementary School finished up the year’s Spanish Language curriculum with a fashion show and a Spanish Marketplace. Dozens of parents attended the two events to experience this living, breathing culmination of learning.

Much like theorchestrated for Evergreen fourth graders earlier this year, participating in the fashion show gave students the opportunity to use their Spanish speaking skills in a real life situation.

Fourth grade Spanish students ended their studies by participating in a Mexican Market.  The students put their Spanish language skills to the test, buying and sell real food from one another with fake pesos.

“We learned the expressions needed to communicate in a Mexican market and I taught them bargaining skills,” Evergreen Spanish Language teacher added. 

During Monday’s fashion show, third grade students strutted, and even danced down the “runway” while a classmate described what article of clothing they were wearing, the cost of the item, the color, the season it is sworn in, as well as the name and age of the “model.” Each student had an opportunity to walk the runway to upbeat salsa music, and to describe a classmate’s runway ready look.

“This year, the third graders learned descriptive vocabulary such as colors, ages, months, seasons, and clothing, and the difference between feminine and masculine phrasing,” Lipton said.

After the fashion show, students taught their parents Spanish songs and dances, including the unforgettable 90’s dance hit - the Macarena.  Parents also had an opportunity to see “family albums” created by the students throughout the year.

“Each unit was framed around describing the family,” Lipton explained. “After a unit was completed, the students added a page to their family album, using new vocabulary to describe a sister, brother, or parent.”

After the fashion show had ended, Lipton was overjoyed with her student’s achievements. The longtime educator expressed confidence in her student’s preparedness for the next level of foreign language education.

“By learning these new vocabulary words, the students can move on to the next level with the ability to construct real sentences and understand the difference between feminine and masculine phrasing,” Lipton said. “These are essential skills needed to study any romance language in middle school.”