What do radio, factual, and idea all have in common?

In 5th grade Spanish recently, students reviewed cognates. A Spanish Cognate is a word that looks like the English word, sounds kind of like the English word, and means the same thing as the English word. Cognados perfectos are words that are the EXACT same in both languages - radio, factual, actual, club, idea, and global are a few examples. Near perfect cognates are those that have small differences - poema, teatro, opción.

To share this new information, Señora WalkerHolmes didn't stand at the front of the classroom while students took notes on a worksheet. At Oakhill, "notes" are often activities!

Students worked in teams to gather and write as many cognados as they could possibly think of to create a class list. In the cover photo, you can see Elaina, Eva, and Jameson reviewing their additions. Below, Avery, Brighton, and Madeline search the room for cognates to add to their list.

Each team got to learn cognados from other teams of students, and they all reviewed cognatos and cognatos perfectos together! Señora WalkerHolmes and the fifth graders demonstrated one of teaching beliefs we hold at Oakhill: sometimes, it's best to get out of the way and let the students discover for themselves!

By the way, the 5th graders also learned a few tips to help them say words in Spanish when they know the English word. Ask them:

• Words that end in -tion in English...what are their Spanish endings?
• If a word ends in -oso/osa in Spanish, how do they end in English?
• Do words in English that end in -ly end in -mente or -ity in Spanish?