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by Sharon Blumberg

I teach Spanish to seventh grade students. After students and I return from holiday vacations such as winter and spring break, I need to mentally transition myself back into the school routine. If I need to do this, I figure my students need assistance with this, as well.

Sometimes, I ask my students individually to verbally share with the class what they did over break, or what they will be doing, if a break is about to begin.

One activity that encourages written literacy, and fluency along with self-expression, is what I refer to as Holiday Participation Strips or Tiras de Participacion in Spanish. Since most of my students are beginning Spanish language learners, they need to write on their notecards in English. I ask them to write at least four to six sentences in English about their favorite activities during vacation. Beforehand, though, I share and talk about my own highlights with them - to model and encourage an atmosphere of sharing.

This activity encourages written fluency because students are writing about enjoyable activities from their holiday vacations. They are also writing about a high interest topic they are quite familiar with, themselves! So even students who do not participate in the writing can individually reflect upon their experiences as a means to transition themselves back into school life, socio-emotionally. A few students sometimes ask to read about their experiences to the class before turning in their completed cards.

Since this activity is not part of the Spanish language curriculum, I don’t require everyone to take part in it. They have an option. I like giving students choices from time to time. Students who turn in a notecard to share receive credit. Students who choose not to participate will not have it count against their participation grade.

I tell students ahead of time that I will display the notecards for their classmates to read. Some students turn their cards in, but write a note saying they don’t want their card publicly displayed, and I honor that choice.

After collecting the holiday participation cards, I paste them on sheets of construction paper by class periods, laminate them, then post them on a display wall. Students occasionally peruse through the writings. They are allowed to read the cards during circulation opportunities within the classroom.

Their highlighted activities fall under a number of categories. Students enjoy writing about going shopping in Chicago, traveling with their families to exciting destinations, visiting with relatives, socializing with friends, watching movies, attending parties, receiving presents, and how they celebrated the holidays. Many students have written that they enjoyed sleeping later and having the time to watch television shows that they did not typically have time to watch.

The most exciting part of this activity for me is to read the little things that make my students stand out in unique ways. The contributions come under many categories, but all are written in their own personal ways. For example, one student shared that it was the first time he had traveled in an airplane.

This is a writing and reading activity that enhances literacy skills in the classroom. It fosters connecting instruction as we, together, transition full circle back into the classroom and the curriculum.

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