Some reflections...

I have been thinking about how I try to address the multiple intelligences that I see in all of the students at Beye. The special area teachers get to know all the children in the school, that is about 400 kids!
The verbal-linguistic intelligence: Spanish has different sounds than English. In addition to that there is a wide variety of dialects of Spanish in the vast territories of Spain and the Americas. Children notice right away when somebody doesn't speak like the teacher; "it sounds funny", they say. I smile because this is proof of this intelligence. The teaching of sounds and the rhythm of words is reinforced in my classes with songs. The verbal ability to speak a languages is key when we tell and act out stories using TPRS.
Mathematical-logical intelligence: I encourage this in different ways: the obvious one is when we learn about numbers. When the children learn to write numbers and count they look for a pattern: how does Spanish construct the numbers? They reflect about "how we do it in English" and how are they different/the same. They use the numbers in authentic situations, I joke with them: "If you can do this I know I can send you on a field trip to Mexico" Another way is when we learn about verb conjugation: it takes a logical mind to search for a pattern and apply it when writing and speaking. I also like to label everything in the classroom: masculine nouns have a blue background, feminine nouns have a pink one. The first week of school a KINDEGARTENER came to me and said, and I quote: "I know what you are doing, the blue words end in -O and the pink end in -A. I don't know what it is yet, but it has a meaning and I will find it". Isn't that something?
Musical intelligence: I remember when I was learning French in elementary school, I looooved singing in French, I pretended I was a French child and tried to imitate the pitch, timber, the accent... We love doing that in class: el baile the los colores, los dias de la semana, arriba-abajo, etc If you listen carefully you won't hear an accent either!
Visual-spatial intelligence: When we act out a story the children draw a cartoon of what takes place where. When the third graders build a school or design a city, or even work with the big model of the city of Chicago that we have upstairs they are using their visual-spatial intelligence to learn a language.
Kinesthetic intelligence: Music come accompanied by body movement. When Kindergarten, first and second graders practice the date they use their bodies to say that "hoy es mier-co-les, 19 de no-viem-bre, dos mil ocho". Ask your child to show you. When we learn the time we use our arms, when we learn seasons and clothes that we need for our trip we'll use our bodies to pretend we are getting dressed, etc. There is something to be said about muscle memory, whether it is writing in a foreign language or speaking. At the beginning it is like driving: you need to focus on every step, then it becomes automatic.
Interpersonal intelligence: Some of the work we do is individual, but a lot of it is interpersonal. Language, by nature, is interpersonal; it is bridge out to people and cultures. There is constant work in collaborative groups within the classroom and collaboration between me and the classroom teachers and other special area teachers. There are dialogs in Spanish, presentations and games where you also have to focus and be fast!
Intrapersonal intelligence: Students also have the option of working on their own. Sometimes they will ask for a place where they can work on their own. I got to see how your children use this intelligence during the celebration of the Day of the Dead. Their self awareness regarding this topic was amazing . I was humbled by how genuinely they shared with me their feelings and values.
Naturalist intelligence: There is a big tree out side our window, and because it is high on the wall, we see the sky. When we learn about the weather it is right in front of our eyes. We learn about farm animals, pets, even take polls on what is their favorite insect... The favorite topic in second grade is dinosaurios. We dedicate 2 weeks to learn about them in Spanish (but they already know everything!!) Third grades are absolutely fascinated about El sistema solar. Even children who do not like to read will do so in Spanish: a package on information on every planet and questions about them. Space is fascinating, I agree, in my next life I want to be an astronaut...