Order Up: Spanish Field Trip

6th grade students on the field trip

Order up! Students in Ms. Qualls’ Spanish class are prepared to take learning to the next level. Students will walk to Mamacita's Mexican Grill from Asheville Middle School and order burritos, tacos, churros and more. Here’s the twist though, students must order in Spanish. Students practice weeks in advance to perfect their order. “I will probably always remember how to order a chicken burrito in Spanish!” a student told me; “Quiero un burrito de pollo con lechuga, cebollas, queso y arroz”. Students can learn and remember much more Spanish if they are having conversations and engaging with real life Spanish speaking situations. Going to Mamacitas and ordering in Spanish is an honor for the class; Ms. Qualls has month long competitions that compete on which classes are able to go on this amazing field trip. Students must be perfectly behaved and always on task. Ms. Qualls wants every class to be able to have the opportunity to go on this field trip. Currently, 4 out of her 6 classes have gone!

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One student told me “I am so happy I got to go on this field trip, I love Mamacitas and I have never had an experience where I get to have conversations in Spanish!”. The competitions for the Mamacitas field trip motivate students to work hard, advance their Spanish skills and to always be paying attention in class. A student who hasn't been on the field trip said, “I work 10 times harder in Spanish class than I normally would, knowing that a trip to Mamacitas is on the line!”

Going to Mamacitas is a whole new way of learning. Having conversations in Spanish with real life situations, interacting with other people in Spanish, and getting to eat churros is one of the best possible ways to make your Spanish speaking skills better!

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Story by Kate Buys