VHHS Language Students Read To Elementary Students

By Katie Huang and Pablo Velez Garcia

VHHS Spanish students Holland Backus and Madeline Rubery after reading to a class at Cahaba Heights Elementary.

On Wednesday, March 20th, in the midst of I Am Vestavia week, Vestavia Hills High School Spanish, German, Latin, and ASL (American Sign Language) students visited first- and second-grade classes at Vestavia Hills Elementary Schools East, Cahaba Heights, Dolly Ridge, and Liberty Park to teach the children a bit about their respective language. 

At Vestavia Hills Elementary East, German students read Brauner Bär, wen siehst denn du?, the German language version of the classic children’s book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and the children learned about colors and animals in German. Many of the children were interested in learning that the German letter “ß” (the Eszett) was actually not a letter “B” and instead made an “S” sound. They also sang and danced along to the song “Hallo Leute, wir sind da.” A VHHS German student said “The children loved learning German. They were really curious, and after the reading, they kept asking how to say more words!” 

At Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge, first- and second-graders learned animals and how to sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” in Latin. Meanwhile, at Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park, ASL students signed the book “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?” to the children! The children learned how to sign different colors and animals. One VHHS student said they hope to do it again next year.

At Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights, children in 1st grade learned about animals and colors through the book “¿Oso Pardo, Oso Pardo, Qué ves ahí?”. The children also learned common greetings and a little dance with the song “Hola, Amigos”. As the lesson progressed, one VHHS student shared, “The kids were so sweet! And they loved sharing what pets they have!” Another declared, “Purple cats are real.” after seeing a purple cat on the slide show. Overall, the language programs had a huge success at the elementary schools, and hope to be there again soon!