Easter in our School

The children make 'Potato-Heads': we fill stockings with sawdust, and they put eyes, a nose, a mouth, and feet.

On Monday the 10th of March, we go to the Haagen Dazs Theater in Madrid and see a production of Robin Hood. It is in English, so the children have trouble understanding it, but they can enjoy the action and music.

The children look for small chocolate Easter eggs around different rooms in the school. Here, Alice, Raul, and Sheila look for them in the hall.

The children show the eggs that they've found.


Tiberius and Maite look for them in the gym.

Maite, Tiberius, Aitor, and Hugo show the eggs that they've found.

The Students Learn about Foods

We teach the students about the different types of food: some come from animals, and some come from plants.

Here, Jialing and Omayma role-play: Jialing acts as the customer, asking "Can I have _____?"; and Omayma acts as the clerk, who takes the food that Jialing asks for and gives it to him.

Irene and Miriam role-play too.

Lola's class makes posters of the different types of food and places them where they belong: some from plants and others from animals.



The posters from Isabel's class

In Isabel's class, the students cut out pictures of food from advertisements. In this project, they first color and cut out a fruit bowl. Then, they fold a piece of white paper into four and cut the corners to make a tablecloth. They stick both onto construction paper and then paste photos of food on top of the fruit bowl.

The students display their work on the windowsill.

In Lola's class, the students work in pairs: each pair separates their construction paper into two halves- one of plants and one of animals. Then, they cut out pictures of food and stick them onto the side where they belong.

Adelina and Alberto work on the project.

Here, Raul and Sheila work together.

Maite and Omayma work together across from Jialing and Veronica.

The project of Alice and Tiberius

Hugo and Carla's project

Christmas at our School

SEVERO OCHOA SCHOOL WISHES YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY VACATION!

We decorate the main hall. Here, one of our trees is adorned with blue-and-white tinsel.

Ruben always draws a face on the two 0's in 2007. Here, we've drawn Father Christmas.

We've decorated the doors with signs in both languages.

This is the Christmas Tree in Isabel's classroom, decorated with ornaments brought by her students.

We also told the story of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' by Dr. Seuss. In the story, the Grinch, inspired by his hatred of Christmas and all joy in the world, decides to steal all the presents, decorations, and food from the Whos down in Whoville.

But, instead of being crying and pouting, like the Grinch had expected, the Whos celebrate Christmas anyway because the festival isn't about possessions but about being with family. The Christmas cheer thaws the frozen heart of the Grinch, and he becomes caught up in the spirit of the season. Here, he is bringing back all the stolen goods to Whoville.

Here, the Whos celebrate their Christmas.

On Thursday the 20th, a trio presented a Christmas play to the children. In it, both protagonists have made a deal with the Devil: they have been gifted with great powers, but in exchange they have promised to commit numerous evil deeds within the year. However, it is New Year's Eve, and the Devil is not satisfied with their work, even though the male protagonist has kidnapped Father Christmas.

Threatened with the prospect of being taken to Hell, the two come up with the idea of baking a magical cake that will make all their spoken wishes come true. So, they called up ten children to act as the ingredients for the cake. They bake it and then speak their desires: that all the pets of all children would die; that the rivers, lakes, and oceans would become polluted so that children could not swim in them; that Father Christmas would not give any presents to any children.

At the end, the two protagonists begin to argue, and they each wish that the other would become a good person. So, when the clock tolls, all their evil wishes have come true, but they are now good-hearted, so they release Father Christmas, and the three set out to undo all their evil.

Here, Michael plays Silent Night (Noche de paz) and We Wish You a Merry Christmas for 1A.

Oh, yes, and the children did work as well. Here is one of the Christmas cards that they made for their families.

Here, some of their cards are on display on the window-sill.

Here, Sheila, Dani, Raul, Patrycza, Edison, Adelina, and Rebeca are working on the cards.

Thanksgiving for the 1st Year Students

On Thursday, November 22nd, I had the great honor to present Thanksgiving to our three classes of 1st Year Students. In the United States, Thanksgiving celebrates the story of the Pilgrims. In the days when Europeans were colonizing America, a small group of Pilgrims journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle Plymouth Rock, in what is now New England. Their first winter starved and weakened them, but then friendly Native Americans came and showed them how to grow food, hunt, and fish. The next harvest turned out so well, that the Pilgrims invited the Native Americans to join in a celebratory feast. They called it Thanksgiving because they had the feast in order to give thanks to the Native Americans for their help, and to God for His blessings.
Nowadays, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November, so on the 22nd I read three stories (Corduroy´s Thanksgiving, The Story of the Pilgrims by Katharine Ross, and Happy Thanksgiving Biscuit! by Alyssa Satin Capucilli) to the children. I also taught them important words like 'basket' and 'neighbor' and used the holiday, during which families gather for a large feast, as an opportunity to review the members of the family.
I am very grateful to Lola, Isabel, and Cesar for allowing me to share this very important American holiday with the children.
Written by,
Michael Kato

Here, I am reading Happy Thanksving, Biscuit!

Here, I am showing the children my mummy, my daddy, my grandpa, and my grandma.

Here, I am reading Corduroy's Thanksgiving.

Museum of Anthropology

On the 27th of November the first cycle enjoyed a fun and interesting trip to the Museum of Anthropology. Whilst they were there they learned a lot about different cultures and they were eager to participate when asked questions. It was a good day out for everyone.

The Hokey Pokey!

HERE IS A DANCE THAT WE TAUGHT THE STUDENTS: IT IS CALLED THE HOKEY POKEY!

CELEBRAMOS HALLOWEEN

LA CELEBRACIÓN SE DESARROLLÓ DE FORMA LÚDICA Y CON GRAN PARTICIPACIÓN Y ENTUSIASMO

A lavish celebration with unanimous participation and enthusiasm!

In the United States, Halloween is celebrated on the 31st of October. Though it originally was a Celtic festival to celebrate the harvest and prepare for a cold, dark winter, nowadays American children dress up as monsters, villains, and ghosts and walk from house to house asking for candy.

To celebrate Halloween, the students all made their own jack-o-lantern masks.

Students do the "Hokey Pokey"

Cesar demonstrates bobbing for apples to the 6-year-olds.

Part of the Halloween festivites was a relay race. Here, Paula balances on one of the planks.

The Teachers dressed up as well. Here, Lola is dressed as a witch, and Michael is dressed as the protagonist of A Clockwork Orange (La naranja mecanica in Spanish).