Spanish On-Location: Immersive Opportunities in the U.S. for Your Classroom

Did you ever think you could expose your class to Spanish language and culture through a travel opportunity right here in the U.S.?

ACIS USA’s Spanish on Location programs offer students the chance to apply the Spanish language skills they learn in the classroom in real-world settings while participating in authentic cultural experiences and exploring the in-depth diversity that the U.S. has to offer. Plus, students still get to enjoy traditional highlights of the cities they visit.

Recently, a large group of middle school students from the Ephraim Curtis Middle School in Sudbury, MA, embarked on a Spanish On-Location trip to New York City.

The 3-day language immersion experience hit many of the familiar sights of New York – from the American Museum of Natural History, to Central Park, Times Square and the One World Observatory, but also integrated a number of Spanish cultural experiences found right in and around Manhattan:

• On the first day of the tour, the group visited the Hall of Mexico and Central America, as well as the South American Peoples exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History, had dinner at an authentic Cuban restaurant in Havana Central and ended the day with a salsa lesson.

• The second day of the tour was filled with Spanish cultural immersion – from a Taller Americano (percussion workshop), where they learned the beats and rhythm of several Latin cultures, to a walking tour of Spanish Harlem to a guided tour of European art (focused on Spanish art from the Masters including Goya, El Greco, Velazquez and Picasso) at the MET, an empanada making class at Empanada Mammas in Hell’s Kitchen and finally a traditional Peruvian dinner at Pio Pio in Hell’s Kitchen.

We had a chance to catch up with a father who chaperoned this trip, Sean, and his daughter Molly, to get some feedback on how they enjoyed the trip. Here’s what they had to say:

From Sean: “Field trips are exciting ways for kids to have experiences that might be hard to replicate in the classroom, and New York City has so much to offer that I knew the trip would be educational and fun. There were parts of the trip that provided vivid illustrations of that [Hispanic] culture that was exciting for me and the students. I think that she [Molly] made lasting memories with her friends, the kinds of memories that come from the independence and excitement of an overnight trip with your closest friends.

From Molly: “I was moderately familiar with Hispanic culture, language and cuisine. The trip helped me to become more familiar. Eating different foods, like empanadas and tacos, was fun. I got to experience some parts of Hispanic culture that I don’t see as much at home. The trip, I think it was a good balance. We saw some Spanish culture and tried some new foods, and we also got to see things in New York that were fun to see, like Times Square and One World Observatory. So, the balance was a good one.”

If you are interested in taking your class on one of our Spanish On-Location trips, we offer them to New York, Chicago and Miami. Fill out a form on the trip you are interested in, and we will be in touch to help you bring it to life.