Spanish 4 students in Cesar Guerrero’s class took a field trip to restaurant El Jacalito in Sterling, IL. The class voted to go to El Jacalito on February 19 during their class period where they ate and spoke in spanish for a grade. 

  Señor Guerrero teaches Spanish 2, 3 and 4. Guerrero has been planning an annual trip for four years. The only students eligible to go on the field trip would include Spanish 4 students. Each year students voted on their favorite Mexican restaurant in Sterling to go eat at. In previous years the students chose between La Laguna or El Jacalito, this was the second year that the class had chosen El Jacalito. 

  This year’s trip was accompanied by Mr. Schott and Señor Guerrero. Guerrero initiated this trip to ensure that all of his students got the experience of speaking outside the classroom. Guerrero adds “I wanted each student to experience reality when speaking spanish outside of the classroom, they need to expand their speaking and apply it.”

  A week before the trip, Spanish 4 students went over how to order in spanish and go over drills with partners to efficiently speak with the fluent waiter. Señor started grading the students as soon as they began their trip on the bus. When arriving at the restaurant, Guerrero walked around each student and graded their speaking proficiency to the waiter and to their classmates while they waited for their food. The menu had both English and Spanish translations which helped the students apply their skills from previous chapters.  Senior Mackenzie Wolfe adds “I really enjoyed being able to speak Spanish outside of the classroom and apply what we have learned.”

  When coming back to the classroom the next day, Spanish 4 students wrote an article in Spanish to summarize their trip. They expressed what they did on the bus, what they did while waiting for their food and their overall experience of the trip. The students then shared their experiences with the class.