Instituto Internacional: Inglés Americano para Jóvenes

Preparing for the Show

With the end of the trimester approaching, the YL 3 weekday group began making decorations for their play, “JDDCAF.” The Young Learners wrote the entire script themselves, based on research they did throughout the term in the computer laboratory. We look forward to seeing their performance on June 23, 2014!   

Have You Ever Tried Sushi?

Today the YL 3 Saturday group practiced the present perfect tense with questions like, “have you ever tried sushi before?” They also learned why raw fish is much softer than other raw meats such as chicken or beef. In the ocean fish swim and feel the effects of gravity less than land animals because of their buoyancy. Their muscles do not have to work as hard as a cow’s, for example, to move around, and so their muscles do not grow to be as dense! With this theme, the YL 3 members made their own versions of sushi and an accompanying menu.

Celebrating Families with a Sweet Gesture

International Day of Families was on May 15th. To celebrate their loved ones, the Young Learners 3 Saturday group made cupcakes using felt and paper. With tons of creativity each member added his or her own twist to the beautiful pastries. Some had many eyes, others had hearts or sprinkles. While these cupcakes are not edible, the YL 3 members made them extra “sweet” by adding loving notes to their families on them.

What’s Your Story?

“Happy Children’s Books” week is celebrated in May in many countries. Both the weekday and weekend YL 3 class members worked on book projects, choosing either to interview a classmate and write a mini-biography or pen his/her own autobiography. All the students handcrafted their books, using interesting methods of binding which ranged from sewing with thread to rolled, paper-woven holds. The Young Learners learned many new things about each other. Some prefer tennis over soccer, and one member broke a T.V. screen with a baseball bat when she was only three years old!

When was the last time you interviewed someone and learned something very interesting?

The Easter Bunnies Are Coming

The weekday Young Learners 3 group celebrated the upcoming vacation with a quick Easter egg hunt in the garden. Afterwards they made their own cupcake Easter bunnies. The Young Learners gave life to the cupcakes with frosting fur, jelly bean eyes, gummy noses, and candy ears. They also gave their sweet bunnies bright whiskers. Happy vacation to all!

A New Trimester

For the first Saturday class of the trimester the Young Learners 3 group read and discussed the incredible story of Roy Sullivan, the Guinness World Record holder for person struck the most times by lightning: seven times! They also reviewed when to use the past simple and past continuous tenses; for example, “Roy was climbing a tree when a bolt of lightning struck him for the first time.” Towards the end of class they went in the opposite direction, looking to the future and the upcoming Semana Santa vacation. Using their creativity and colorful paper they designed and made 3D eggs!

Vernal Equinox

For our last YL 3 class of the trimester, we talked about the vernal equinox and how the tilt of the Earth’s axis contributes to the change in seasons here in Madrid. Spain and the U.S. are both located in the Northern Hemisphere; thus, both countries have recently welcomed Spring! To celebrate this season, the Young Learners made paper birds and 3-D flower ornaments.