THIRD GRADE UPDATE: OCT. 17

After taking their quiz the third graders began exploring one of Spain and Latin America’s most traditional dance forms – Flamenco!

As an introduction to Flamenco the students experimented with some different sound patterns on the castanets. The kids loved making up new tapping patterns, and were especially thrilled to demonstrate their own made-up patterns for the class. The students then saw an authentic Flamenco dress and accessories, before being asked to imagine going on a visit to a Flamenco store. As they watched a film about the dance, they practiced repeating the phrase “I’d like to buy ________.,” which in Spanish is:

“Yo quisiera comprar ______________. “ (yoh-key-sea-eh-rah-comp-rar)

Of the many vocabulary words introduced were:

tela – cloth
una tela con lunares – a polka-dotted cloth
un vestido - a dress
una falda – a skirt
una falda con volantes – a ruffled skirt
un pico – a flamenco scarf
un mantón – a flamenco shawl
un abanico – a fan
un pericón – a dance fan
unas castañuelas – some castanets
unos palillos – some background castanets (not for dancing)
una peineta – a decorative hair comb
una mantilla – a lace veil
unos pantalones – some pants
un bolero – a bolero jacket
un sombrero – a hat
una faja – a sash

Many of the students have started to draw pictures of Flamenco dancers which they’ll be asked to label and present to their class. Oh! I almost forgot to mention that the dance they've been learning about is called “Flamenco,” and not “Flamingo! You may want to go over this with your child. ; )