World and Classical Languages News Archive

In an innovative unit, Teacher Flor Berman's 7th and 8th Grade students completed their study on Ecotourism in Central America by creating publicity -- in Spanish -- to promote the 17 UNESCO world heritage sites in Central America.

On a beautiful and sunny Tuesday in May, our Mandarin 3HS class took a field trip to Flushing, Queens. Our first stop was the Hua Lian Tsu Hui Temple where we were lucky to witness the morning rituals and prayers performed by members of the temple’s clergy. The temple was beautifully decorated with intricate gold decor and sculptures of important gods and goddesses. During our tour of the temple, we learned about which god corresponds to the year we were born (like a horoscope). The temple provided us, as a class, with a more realistic understanding of Chinese culture because we were able to witness everyday people in their religious environment.

The Spanish Language and Culture class celebrated its annual Frida Day. Students and faculty come together to celebrate Frida Kahlo. Frida represented endurance and determination to many because she lived true to herself rather than conforming to the status quo. Dalton students commemorated an individual who, against all odds, significantly impacted society as an artist, a woman, and a person. Unafraid to express herself through her art, her clothing, and her words, Kahlo portrayed raw, controversial, and authentic sides of herself in ways that were uncommon for a woman of her time.

High School Language and Culture classes engaged in two recent authentic experiences; practicing their Spanish by teleconferencing with their San Juan, Puerto Rican counterparts and cooking together to compete in Taco Wars in the 89th Street Cafeteria.

Students from Grades 6-12 took the National Latin Exam. The NLE, a multiple choice exam, tests entrants on vocabulary, syntax and translating skills as well as their knowledge of Roman geography, history, mythology, culture, and institutions. Each year, over 130,000 Latin students worldwide sit for this exam. Of Dalton's 109 participants, 90 students received awards in this exam.

Kindergarten parents visited classrooms to talk about Lunar New Year celebrations, customs and traditions. Students were shown typical clothing worn by children their same age; they counted in Chinese, made lanterns and learned how everyone is wished good luck, long life and wisdom.

After a unit study on foods, Dr. Campos’ 6th grade Spanish class put on a puppet performance of La Tortilla Corredora/The Runaway Tortilla for Sra. D’Ecclesiis Grade 2 Spanish class. This story is a folktale similar to the Gingerbread Man. The Grade 6 students studied the importance of tortillas in Latin American cultures as well as its history. House 25 read "La tortilla de Burro" and discussed the ingredients and the process of making fresh tortillas, to get ready for a puppet show prepared by the Grade 6 Spanish students. As a culminating project, students also presented cooking videos with tortillas as their inspiration for their recipe!