Grade Levels

Being an auxiliar at the primary level was more complex than at the infantil level. In bilingual schools, there are curated English textbooks and workbooks for students at every grade. All teachers used these books to create lesson plans for their classrooms. Most classroom activities were based out of these books, so I did not have to create much content for the students myself. All grade levels that I assisted used me mainly for speaking purposes and most teachers guided me through their goals for that day's session.

Primero

I worked alongside Nieves during first grade English. Nieves used me for all speaking portions of her lessons because although she spoke fluent English, she is not a native speaker. Like my infantil students at Tirso de Molina, students at this level learned basic English vocabulary. Some vocabulary units covered were school supplies, days of the week, months of the year, weather, seasons, family members, body parts, food, and holidays. When the class started a new vocabulary unit, Nieves used me to teach pronunciation aloud to the class. I sometimes even worked with small groups outside of the classroom to help students master their new vocabulary terms. In small groups, we played flashcard games and quizzed one another until the students pronounced each word correctly.

When I was not in small groups with my first graders, I assisted in lessons that Nieves planned. I often walked around the classroom helping students complete activities in their English workbooks. After they completed their workbooks for the day, Nieves played English songs and videos on YouTube for the students to sing and dance along. I quickly learned that music is an important aspect of speaking and listening comprehension at this level, so I even broke out in song and dance with my students! These were the fun, intimate, and silly moments that I still cherish and miss deeply.

Cuarto

Fourth grade English was slightly different than first and third. I worked alongside Julio, the fourth grade English teacher, who preferred that I used my time with the fourth graders to complete workbook activities. I still worked with fourth graders in small groups outside of the classroom, but we focused on reading passages and completing comprehension questions in their workbooks. At this level, students were beginning to learn different verb tenses in English. Their vocabulary terms were much more complex and the speaking activities in their workbooks were difficult enough that they needed help with pronounciation. My role as a conversation assistant in the fourth grade English classroom was to emphasize the importance of correctly pronouncing these more difficult terms and mastering these challenging verb tenses.

Sexto

Like with every other class at Antonio Machado, I worked with the sixth graders in small groups during English class. While Ana, the sixth grade English teacher, taught a lesson to half of the class, the other half (roughly 12-15 students) came with me to practice their conversation skills. Like with Infantil, I planned my own lessons for sixth grade English. Since students at this age were expected to know an extensive amount of English vocabulary and verb tenses, I was given the responsibility to curate lessons on any topic I desired.

Although a little nerve-wracking, creating my own lessons for my sixth graders was exciting. I created Powerpoint slides, grammar games, and speaking activities to discuss as a group. We discussed many personal topics like hobbies, likes/dislikes, family/friends, race/ethnicity, career aspirations, life where we grew up, and even current events like COVID-19. These intimate discussions greatly intrigued my students, as they were eager and excited to learn about me and my opinions. These discussions forced them to pay attention to my lessons because they knew that they each needed to contribute in order to get participation points for that day. By discussing personal topics, students were encouraged to participate because they wanted to teach me all about their own lives in Spain and learn about mine in California. These conversations allowed for my students and me to get to know each other on a deeper level outside of the classroom.

Cultural Ambassador

My role in sixth grade English was much different than for any of my other classes. Not only was I a conversation assistant to listening and speaking aspects of their bilingual education, but I was also a cultural ambassador. At this age, learning English included studying cultural aspects of native English-speaking societies and countries like the United States. As a cultural ambassador, I planned lessons on cultural norms in the United States. Some lessons included Powerpoints on different American holidays, American birthday celebrations, and even life as a young kid in the United States.

These lectures and discussions allowed me to connect with my twelve-year-old students on a much deeper level than with my younger students. They knew that if they wanted to learn about my foreign life in the United States and get a good participation grade for that session, they needed to pay attention to my lessons. Because these students were my oldest of the bunch, we were able to discuss different cultural norms in each of our native countries and assess how they have impacted our daily lives.