I call this introduction / review technique "Conversaciones de camisetas."
I have been using a new review/introduction technique for vocabulary in the curriculum as a jump-start for a few fifteen minute Spanish classes every week. When I first enter the room, I quickly scan the children for interesting tee shirts. I look for anyone wearing a shirt with numbers, things in nature (stars, trees, flowers, mountains), sports, fruits, animals, people, flags, or large letters [GAP and IZOD are especially good to review tricky letters in Spanish]. The persons come up to the front of the class or just stand at the desk or table (the latter if the room is especially crowded with furniture). I ask what color the shirt is and then ask what the highlighted item(s) on the shirt is/are.
I call attention to the shirt only, not to the pants. When I need to focus the class on a specific item on the shirt, I use a special short pointer from Lakeshore learning which has different objects on the end to avoid touching with my finger or hand.
My second, third, and fourth graders love it! It gives special attention to children who might not ordinarily get some. And, most children love to come to the front of the room anyway. For those who don't, it's a good way to get them used to coming in front of the room in preparation for future oral presentations.
And, since the public school is adjacent to the University of Connecticut, we always do a special cheer should anyone be wearing a UConn shirt. (¡Chi-jí, chi-já! ¡Chi-já-já-já! UConn Huskies, ¡arriba van!) Any school could be substituted for the underlined part. Since our school PTO sells Goodwin School tee shirts as a fundraiser, we replace "UConn Huskies" with "Escuela Goodwin."
More cheers in Spanish modifiable for use in la escuela primaria are found here:
Whenever a child is wearing a really nice shirt (for any creative reason -- you decide!), we sing a special song to the tune of ¡Qué bonita bandera! found in Volume 6 of José-Luis Orozco's new FIESTA album and also available inexpensively as sheet music by Alejandro Jiménez. The song teaches the possessive. In addition, you can ask, ¿De quién es la camiseta? (Whose tee shirt is it?) as well.
¡Qué bonita camiseta! ¡Qué bonita camiseta! La camiseta de Luis.
Lastly, I find that sometimes a child will wear the same special Spanish language tee shirt a couple of days in a row just to be "fussed about." :) I am definitely filling a need there.
