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Local educators explored how to use Hispanic children’s literature
to design interdisciplinary Spanish lessons in grades 1-3 during a Summer
Institute in July. The institute was the result of collaborative efforts
between UMass Dartmouth, the Fall River Public Schools and the Old Rochester
Regional School District. Dr. Christina Makara-Biron, professor of Spanish
at UMass Dartmouth, authored and received two Goals 2000 grants totaling
$50,000 to conduct the first institute of this kind in the region. The
institute was geared toward classroom teachers, reading specialists, librarians,
and administrators. “This institute responds to a community need
to bring Spanish into the elementary classroom. It demonstrates how Spanish
can be integrated within the larger interdisciplinary curriculum of elementary
schools," said Makara-Biron. Biron was project director and Spanish
instructor for the institute.
Other instructors included Dr. Palma Longo from the biology department
and Dr. James Bobrick from the English department. Project consultants
were Fall River educators Melissa Smith, arts consultant, and Colleen
Farrissey, dance consultant. The first part of each day was conducted
in Spanish and modeled interdisciplinary lessons generated from the children’s
text “Los Pajáros de la Cosecha/Harvest Birds." Through
the Spanish experience, Makara-Biron said that teachers progressed toward
the first level of proficiency, learning to introduce, greet, ask questions,
respond to questions, express needs and describe people, places and things.
During the second part of each day, participants generated their own interdisciplinary
units and Spanish lessons using other children’s literature texts.
The institute also featured daily hands-on presentations. “The interest
by teachers has been just overwhelming. The commitment and enthusiasm
they’ve shown has been exciting," Makara-Biron said.
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