Inside the Classroom: Blanca Guerrero - Prairie View Elementary
Inside the Classroom: Blanca Guerrero - Prairie View Elementary
Inside the Classroom is a series that visits Northwest ISD campuses throughout the year and highlights the magical moments that happen between teachers and students each and every day across the entire 234 square miles of NISD.
As students and staff across Northwest ISD continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, our next edition of Inside the Classroom takes you to a first-grade class that got completely immersed in a traditional Hispanic celebration.
We visited Blanca Guerrero and her first-grade dual language class at Prairie View Elementary during their social studies time. The Hawks had already created posters about their heritage that were hanging on the walls of Ms. Guerrero’s classroom, and now they were set to learn more about various cultures, customs and traditions.
They started the lesson by circling around Ms. Guerrero who read adivinanzas (riddles) to the class. The answer to each riddle was a popular Hispanic tradition; for example…
Con colores y formas para romper, (With colors and shapes to break,)
Dulces y risas al caer van a llover. (Sweets and laughter will rain down as they fall.)
Que es? (What is it?)
Students were all smiles when they shouted out piñata and saw Ms. Guerrero pull a miniature piñata from her bag. Ms. Guerrero read a few more riddles, and the final riddles’ answer was a cascarón, or confetti egg. This would be the tradition Ms. Guerrero’s class would focus on for the rest of their social studies time.
First, Ms. Guerrero read “La Explosión del Cascarón” (Crack Goes the Cascarón) to the class. The book taught students more about cascarónes, a playful tradition of good luck, friendship and celebration.
The practice of cracking a cascarón over someone's head is believed to bring prosperity. While they are typically an Easter tradition, cascarónes are also used for birthdays, weddings and various family celebrations.
Ms. Guerrero’s class was excited when they learned they would be making their own cascarónes.
As students returned to their tables and awaited instructions, some grabbed supplies to help prepare for the project. With their eggs, glue, tissue paper and confetti at the ready, students turned their attention to Ms. Guerrero who was at the class camera demonstrating how to assemble a cascarón.
Students quickly got to work filling their eggs, gluing the paper tops and showing off their creations. Ms. Guerrero walked around the class offering assistance, and of course more confetti!
Students had time to make two or three cascarónes, and they were excited to find out they could take them home and enjoy them with their families.
After a quick clean up, the class returned to the carpet where they played a game of “Pass the Pen.” Ms. Guerrero gave each student a dry erase marker and board, then said out loud a sentence themed around cascarónes.
A student came to the board to write the first word, then passed the pen to someone else who wrote the next word. Meanwhile, all students followed along on their own boards, allowing them the chance to practice their writing and spelling skills.
Ms. Guerrero’s passion was evident throughout our visit. Not only did she help her students celebrate their Hispanic heritage, she made sure they were learning along the way. She made each student feel like an individual while also coming together to collectively celebrate their cultures and traditions.
Just like Ms. Guerrero, teachers throughout NISD work hard to make their students feel like they belong. Just like Prairie View Elementary, campuses all across NISD thrive to celebrate the multiple cultures that make up our communities. When people with hearts that big come together, that is something surely worth celebrating!
Check back regularly all year as we continue to visit students and teachers throughout Northwest ISD and offer a rarely seen look Inside the Classroom.