Igual y diferente (Same and Different)

Despite differences in how we look or dress, or what we eat or celebrate, we are all humans.

In our quest to instill a deep capacity for inclusion in all our learners, igual y diferente (same and different) are the two concepts we have been talking about during Spanish class with our youngest students, the Catbirds and Cardinals. We began by having conversations on ways we could be igual y diferente such as in language. Most of us use words to communicate, that’s igual, but what is diferente is the language we may use to share our words. We are igual because we all have a body but diferente because bodies come in different sizes, shapes and shades.We then focused on facial components and the Spanish words were introduced.

cabeza - head

ojos - eyes

orejas - ears

nariz - nose

boca  - mouth

pelo - hair

After, to help reinforce the new vocabulary, fun games were presented, songs were introduced and books were read.

Juego de matamoscas (fly swatter game); fly swatters are used to swat the matching flashcard to the oral command.

Camina (walk); camina is chanted as all walk around the room and then ¡Para! (Stop!) is called out and everyone stops where they are at. A command to touch a body part is requested, e.g., toca tu cabeza (touch your head).

When singing the Cabeza y hombros (Head and Shoulders) song, three other body parts were introduced:

hombros - shoulders

rodillas - knees

pies - feet

And, books were read such as the latest, “The Boy with The Pink Hair” by Perez Hilton, a fun story about self-acceptance.

Through ongoing conversations followed by fun games, activities and songs we aim to teach all our learners to respect and celebrate the differences in all people.