Today we will start a new series called, “Busy Box Viernes.” Viernesis the word in Spanish for Friday. The “v” letter in Spanish is pronounced like a mix between the English “b” and “v.” For that reason, I chose Fridays to showcase a new “Busy Box” idea—I thought “Busy Box Viernes” had a nice ring to it.
Busy boxes are like busy bags or work boxes, containing a simple, hands-on activity that focuses on a particular skill set or theme. For example, in today’s Busy Box, we are learning and practicing vocabulary words about food (la comida). In our box is a set of index cards with pictures of food. Each card has a corresponding clothespin with the Spanish word for that food. Students get to match the clothespins to the right card as a way of practicing la comida vocabulary! I like this method better than flash cards, because students get to match the word to a picture, so they start visualizing the picture with the Spanish word, instead of translating from the English word to the Spanish word—it is a way to start thinking in Spanish.
Here’s what you need:
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| Some advertisements from your local grocery store or newspaper. |
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| Clothespins, tape or glue, scissors, index cards (4×6 is a good size), and a permanent marker. |
Here’s what you do:
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| Cut out your favorite food pictures and glue to a card. |
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| Look up the Spanish word for each picture at www.wordreference.com and write it on a clothespin. Be sure to find out if it is feminine or masculine, singular or plural. Write the correct word for “the” before each word. El for singular masculine, la for singular feminine, los for plural masculine, and las for plural feminine. |
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| “La pera” means “the pear.” |
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| “Las galletas” means “the cookies.” |
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| “El elote” means “the corn.” |
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| Sort all the feminine clothespins in one bag for storage… |
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| …and all the masculine clothespins in another bag for storage. Then assemple it all in your busy box. (You can also use a gallon baggie if you do not have a box.) |
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| Then label your box (or gallon baggie) “la comida” (food). |
Here’s a list of vocab from our Busy Box:
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Masculine Singular Nouns
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el pan
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bread
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el melón chino
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honeydew melon
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el arándano
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blueberry
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el helado
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ice cream
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el jugo de naranja
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orange juice
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el sándwich
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sandwich
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el bocadillo
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sandwich
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el perrito caliente
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hot dog
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el yogur
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yogurt
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el cantalupo
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cantaloupe
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el melocotón
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peach
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el durazno
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peach
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el aguacate
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avocado
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el pimiento
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pepper
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el queso
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cheese
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el té
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tea
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el elote
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corn
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el maíz
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corn
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el limón
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lemon
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el pastel
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pie/cake
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Feminine Singular Nouns
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la tarta
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cake/pie
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la hamburguesa
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hamburger
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la hamburguesa con queso
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cheeseburger
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la mantequilla de cacahuete
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peanut butter
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la mantequilla de maní
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peanut butter
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la mora
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blackberry
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la zarazmora
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blackberry
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la naranja
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orange
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la pera
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pear
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la frambuesa
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raspberry
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la Coca (cola)
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Coca-a-Cola/cola
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el agua*
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water
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la mantequilla
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butter
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Masculine Plural Nouns**
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los refrescos
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soda/refreshments/
beverages
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los tomates
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tomatoes
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los pimientos
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peppers
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Feminine Plural Nouns
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las galletas
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cookies
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las uvas
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grapes
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las cerezas
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cherries
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las cervezas
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beers
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*The word for water “agua” is actually feminine, but because it begins with an “a,” the masculine definite article “el” is used in front of it—because “la agua” would be awkward to pronounce.
**To make a noun plural follow these guidelines:
If a noun ends in a vowel add an “s” to make it plural.
If a noun ends in a consonant add an “es” to make it plural
If a noun ends in z, change the z to c and add “es.”
If a noun ends in –ión, add “es” and drop the accent mark.
Have fun making your Busy Boxes!! And be sure to post a picture of yours on our Facebook page!
¡Nos vemos el viernes! (See you Friday!)
