10. ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
10. ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? When's your birthday? Now that pupils know the months of the year and numbers 1-31, they are ready to move on to say when their birthdays are. This increases their repertoire of language for talking about themselves and finding out about other people. Once they have learnt how to ask when someone's birthday is, they will also be exposed to a whole range of different answers - all of which they should now be able to understand.
VIDEO section 10 Children saying when their birthdays are: Mi cumpleaños es el 27 de mayo Mi cumplaños es el 27 de abril Mi cumpleaños es el 17 de abril Mi cumpleaños es el 19 de noviembre Mi cumpleaños es el 4 de diciembre Mi cumpleaños es el 2 de enero Mi cumpleaños es el 12 de agosto Mi cumplaños es el 7 de octubre
NEW WORDS AND PHRASES
BIRTHDAY PARTY:
Mi cumpleaños es el ... de ... My birthday is the ... of ... ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? When's your birthday? ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Happy birthday!
This sequence includes a small amount of extra language. Pupils should try to follow the “gist” of what is said, without translating - there are plenty of clues! The transcript below includes all the key new words and phrases for this section, together with instances of familiar language heard in the party. It is Néstor's ninth birthday. The video shows one of his friends, Miguel, arriving for the party. At the entry-phone to the block of flats, Miguel's mother says who is at the door “Soy Susana.” When Néstor opens the door to the flat, Miguel greets him with “Hola, ¡feliz cumpleaños!“ (happy birthday). He gives him his present, then pulls his ear nine times, counting the numbers as he does so. The two boys go into the living room to join the other guests.
HOW SPANISH WORKS Spanish speakers do not use “first, second, third etc.” in relation to dates. They simply say and write the number in exactly the same way as they would when counting. This makes learning dates very easy, although pupils will still need to become used to saying:
Mi cumpleaños es el ... de ... My birthday is the ... of ...
Scenes from video section 10: “Mi cumpleaños es el 27 de mayo.”
Scenes from video section 10: Birthday party.
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10. ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? The children are shown enjoying the birthday tea. Néstor's mother brings in the cake; everyone sings the Spanish equivalent of “Happy birthday to you” as he blows out the candle. ¡Cumpleaños feliz! ¡Cumpleaños feliz! Te deseamos todos, ¡cumpleaños feliz! (“Te deseamos todos” means “we all wish you”) The children eat the cake. Néstor gives everyone a chocolate egg with a small present inside - a brand that is sold all over Europe. The children are then shown leaving the party and saying goodbye to Néstor and his mother.
Scenes from video section 10: Birthday party.
QUESTION AND ANSWER: Children reply to the question “¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?” The final child, Yolanda, responds to questions about her name, age and when her birthday is.
Activities Before watching video section 10, it is a good idea to have a brief “warm up” session to revise the numbers 1-31 and the months of the year. You could also talk briefly with pupils about how they celebrate their own birthdays .
Introducing the written word
Several children from the opening sequence are seen again. As they say when their birthdays are, the words are superimposed over the pictures. At the end of the sequence one child asks the viewers “¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?” The words are shown on the screen. You may choose to omit this part when pupils are watching the video for the first time. You can then show it at a later date when they have had plenty of practice at saying when their birthdays are. They will then be ready to make more connections between the written word and pronunciation.
❑ Watch video section 10: “¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?” ❑ Echoing: Attach a selection of number flashcards and months flashcards to the board or use transparencies on the OHP. Say when your birthday is, e.g: “Mi cumpleaños es el 12 de junio.” As you speak, point to the number and the month on the board. If you are using transparencies, simply show the number “12” and the “junio” transparency. Pupils echo your words. Repeat this several times with different dates.
KEY SOUNDS
cumpleaños reinforcement of“ñ”
❑ Photocopy the months flashcards so that each pupil has a card representing their birthday month. Ask them to write the number of their birthday on a sheet of paper, big enough for everyone to read. The class hold their numbers and cards so that you can see them. Call out a selection of dates e.g. “Mi cumpleaños es el 20 de diciembre.” When a pupil recognises his/her birthday, he/she jumps up (or holds the cards up for everyone to see) and the rest of the class echoes the date.
Scenes from video section 10: “Mi cumpleaños es el 19 de noviembre.”
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10. ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? ❑ Show the“ question and answer” sequence of the video again, then move around the room asking different pupils “¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?” Pupils reply as the children do on the video, e.g. “El 2 de enero”. To make this activity more amusing, you could use one of your class puppets. Ask the puppet “¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?” The puppet replies. He then asks different pupils when their birthdays are.
The outer circle moves clockwise, the inner anticlockwise. When the music stops, pupils ask the person opposite ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? ❑ Play “true or false” To help develop pupils' listening skills, write a selection of birthday dates on the board or use cut out months and numbers on the OHP. When you point to a date say “Mi cumpleaños es el ... ” and either the correct date, or a date that is slightly different from the one you are pointing to. If the date you say is the same as the one you are pointing to, pupils echo the date; if it is different, they remain silent. You might, for example, say just one of the components correctly. Numbers which are sometimes misheard by beginners are 2 and 12, 3 and 13, 4 and 14 etc. It is best to wait until pupils are confident with saying dates and birthdays before trying this activity.
Cultural awareness ❑ When pupils have had the opportunity to practise some of the new language, you can talk with them about the images they have seen on the video. See this chapter's talking point about birthdays. You may find it useful to replay the party sequence at this point. Ask pupils to look carefully to see what sort of building Néstor lives in. What does Miguel do when he greets Néstor at the door? Can they identify what sort of food is on the tea table?
❑ Watch video section 10: “¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?” again for reinforcement. CROSS CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
❑ Classroom routines: Sing “Cumpleaños feliz” whenever someone in the class has a birthday. ❑ Do a “Mexican wave” to practise saying birthdays. The first pupil in the circle says when his/ her birthday is, e.g.“Mi cumpleaños es el 20 de mayo.” The rest of the pupils take it in turns to say just the dates of their birthdays. e.g. “el 14 de enero.”
❑ Art and design: Pupils can design and make Spanish birthday cards.
❑ Play “musical birthdays” Pupils move around the room with Spanish music playing in the background. When the music stops, they ask the person nearest to them when their birthdays are e.g. Pupil 1: “¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?” Pupil 2: “El 5 de febrero. ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?” Pupil 1: “El 17 de marzo” Alternatively, pupils form two circles.
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10. ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? ❑ IT/data handling: Pupils can make a survey of how many people have birthdays in different months. They could collect information from other classes as well as their own. The results can be shown in a chart or graph.
Talking point EVERYDAY LIFE IN SPAIN Celebrating birthdays Spanish children celebrate their birthdays in much the same way as British children do. Birthday parties like the one shown in the video are still popular, particularly with younger children. However, many families live in flats, particularly in the towns and cities and so there is not always enough space to have a party. Instead children will often go on a special trip, perhaps to the swimming pool or to see a film. The trend for having a birthday party in a burger restaurant is also growing in Spain! At a typical birthday party children will start their tea with savoury foods like crisps and sandwiches. Smoked ham is very popular delicacy in Spain and will nearly always be included as part of any birthday tea either as a sandwich filling or eaten on its own.
See the Early Start website for: ideas for suitable software
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❑ Drama: Pupils can use their puppets to improvise a birthday party. Pupils may be surprised when they realise just how much Spanish they have at their command to equip them for this activity. The puppets can now greet each other and wish each other happy birthday. They can count the numbers as the guests attempt to pull the birthday puppet’s ears. The birthday puppet can say “gracias” when he receives his present. Puppets who do not know each other can introduce themselves and find out how old the other puppets are. They can all sing “Cumpleaños feliz” and say goodbye as they leave the party.
Scenes from video section 10: Birthday cake with one candle.
Instead of the “traditional” multiple candles on the birthday cake, Spanish parents can buy a single large candle made with a number which shows how old the child is. The cake is normally eaten after the savoury foods and before the sweets and biscuits are brought out. In the video Néstor is shown giving each of his friends a chocolate egg with a small present inside. It is traditional for the host to give his or her guests a small token or present at the end of the party, but this would not always be a chocolate egg.
❑ Drama: Pupils who enjoy role-playing themselves could improvise a birthday party along similar lines. They could also include one or two “party” games that they are familiar with from their Spanish activities, such as “musical birthdays”, “swap colours” or “jump to the number”. 69
10. ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
Scenes from video section 10: Ear pulling!
Scenes from video section 10: Singing “¡Cumpleaños feliz!”
The tradition of pulling a birthday child's ear is common throughout Spain - one pull for every year. This normally takes place as you say “¡Feliz cumpleaños!” either as a greeting or later on when the birthday cake is presented. Birthday cards are growing in popularity in Spain but are not an essential part of birthday celebrations. Close friends and relatives give presents, but they do not usually give cards unless they are very much in touch with British and American culture. However, it would not be uncommon for a group of Spanish pupils, particularly those of primary school age, to make a birthday card for a classmate. Children will have recognized the familiar birthday song, which is a Spanish version of the “Happy Birthday” song written in the USA in the 20th century and spread round the world by films, radio and TV.
How did we ever celebrate birthdays without it? It might be interesting for children to enquire of elderly relatives. Saints’ days Traditionally Spanish families celebrate a child’s saint’s day, i.e. the day devoted to the saint they are named after. Many still observe this custom.
Cultural awareness ❑ Pupils can compare their own birthday celebrations with those they have seen on the video. What are the differences and similarities? If you are linked with a Spanish primary school, pupils can draw pictures showing how they celebrate their birthdays and exchange these with their Spanish counterparts.
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