The Class: Spanish B for 7th Grade Students

The Middle School Spanish curriculum is designed for students to explore the language in a three-year sequence. Students learn basic to intermediate conversational skills, fundamental grammar, and vocabulary, and undertake level-appropriate reading and writing activities while making natural comparisons to their own language and culture. Students practice memorization techniques, recognition of cognates, and pattern identification. Supplemental materials introduce students to how the language varies in different parts of the world, as well as among native speakers in the United States. Students learn songs and poems, write and perform short skits, play games, cook traditional dishes, complete a variety of cultural and linguistic projects, and celebrate holidays and customs of the Hispanic world. 

The Task: Talking Tours to Learn Conversational Spanish

In Spanish B for 7th grade students, Spanish Teacher Jacob Taylor-Mosquera says on of his goals is for students to feel confident about having conversations all in Spanish with each other by the December break. During Talking Tours, which happen once or twice a week, the students make basic conversation in the present tense, speaking all Spanish in the Commons or outside if the weather is nice. The students each have a "convo helper," a sheet of paper with phrases and words to help them make conversation. If an adult stops to speak to them, they must speak to them in Spanish, too. Jacob rotates the groups of two or three students every seven or eight minutes. 

The Outcomes

According to Jacob, Talking Tours are the tangible results from classroom community-building efforts. "My kids won't feel comfortable speaking exclusively in Spanish if they haven't built some rapport with their classmates. This is why I don't invite them on Talking Tours within the first month of school," he said. In preparation, students build up their vocabulary and understanding of grammatical concepts. 

"The essential ingredient for building community is trust. We spend a lot of time getting to know each other at the beginning of the year. There are a lot of games and icebreakers to make sure they feel comfortable speaking to each other in English first. Ideally, they'll feel less intimidated to do so in Spanish eventually," said Jacob. He believes it is important to build community in any class.

"I see the classroom as a smaller version of our larger school community. Students need to feel OK with making mistakes in Spanish. I want them to feel comfortable around each other and me before they are asked to go on the Talking Tours."

Student Zoe Mirchandani said Profe Jacob, as the students call him, creates a very cheerful and accepting classroom environment. "He provides structure to the class but also lets us take time to socialize, which helps make Spanish very enjoyable," she said. "In 6th grade and this year, we had many opportunities to talk in Spanish with each other. By the time our first Talking Tour came up, I felt confident enough to be able to have a genuine conversation with my peers."

Student Dev Parikh thinks Profe Jacob builds community in the classroom through being an energetic teacher who makes everyone feel at ease. "In our class, we do a lot of Quizlets [a website for practicing verbs and vocab that has interactive team or individual games], and I think that helps prepare us for the Talking Tours," he said. "Most of our class is comfortable speaking in the Talking Tours because we know we don't have to be perfect; it's about the efforts we make. No one minds switching partners because everyone is kind and trusts the teacher to put us in groups that we work well in."

Still, Zoe noted that the Talking Tours were extremely difficult for her at first. "But, as we continue, I find myself feeling more confident in speaking in the language," she said. "The tours also provide a fun and different way for me to connect with my peers while learning more about Spanish. I've learned what celebrities my peers would invite to a fancy dinner and why they think learning about Spanish is important. We've talked about our families and friends, and hobbies we enjoy. Talking Tours have created a unique community in my class."

Jacob's intended outcome is for his students to truly understand that Spanish should not just stay in Spanish class. "They should become more accustomed to speaking it with their friends at lunch, in the hallways, in other classes, at the dinner table with siblings who also study the language, etc. It has to become immediately and sustainably relevant for them. If the opposite is true, then I'm not doing my job," he said. 

Jacob tells his students that people learn a language to speak it out in the world. "It makes so much sense, especially if we are serious about living our mission of being intellectually courageous and socially responsible citizens who are thinking about the world beyond Seattle. Language has to, and gets to, be part of living out this mission." 

GET TO KNOW TEACHER JACOB TAYLOR-MOSQUERA

Spanish Teacher Jacob Taylor-Mosquera studied international relations and Spanish, then public policy in Latin America. He got a taste of teaching while in the Peace Corps. Upon his return in 2011, he taught Spanish for two years at the Annie Wright Schools before he began teaching at UPrep. "Teaching Spanish is a way for me to have a daily connection to my biological family and culture in Colombia. I've worked hard to reclaim the language and I love finding ways to get my students excited about it," said Jacob, who has a BA from Pacific Lutheran University, an MA from Universiteit Leiden in the Netherlands, and a graduate certificate in public administration from Seattle University. Jacob was appointed to the King County Immigrant and Refugee Commission in 2021, and the Spanish version of his memoir, I Met Myself in October, is being published this year.