Learning Spanish for a restaurant setting

by Markella Giannakopoulos, co editor in chief

For most people, it is quite easy to order food at a restaurant. However, for the Spanish class taught by Mr. Reff, ordering has become quite difficult when having to do so in Spanish.

Students went to Queensborough Community College (QCC) to collaborate with the college Spanish class on Tuesday, April 21st. These higher level learners got in front of Mr. Reff’s class and taught them a couple lessons on the Spanish food.

“The trip went pretty well. I was surprised at the outcome. The technology used on the trip was very good, it gave everyone a new perspective on learning,” Mr. Reff said.

Three QCC students created powerpoints complete with voice recordings, vocabulary lists, worksheets, and flashcards on quizlet. The topics covered were Spanish food and drinks. Students listened to the pronunciation of the word, repeated the word, and after all of them were repeated, they continued on to the worksheets.

“My favorite part of the trip was applying what we learned to real conversations,” junior Demetri Mihalios said.

After the lessons were finished, instead of students going right back to school, they were taken on a tour of a couple QCC buildings including the Holocaust building. Finally, they sat down to eat lunch on a grassy clearing.

As part of the schedule, Mr. Reff’s class went again to QCC the following week on April 28th. Then, they learned vocabulary that would enable them to hold a conversation between the waiter and the customer in spanish. After the vocabulary, students held mock conversations with the teachers to show their mastery of the language.

“I learned a lot of new vocabulary words that I can use both in Spanish class and the real world,” Mihalios said.