Spanish IV students participated in their own bazaar to practice bartering in Spanish on Friday, November 17.
Each student brought in seven different items to “sell” to classmates, which were paid for in paper pesos provided by the teacher. The seller posed a price, then the buyer bartered to get a lower price.
“I love hearing the students use Spanish in a real way,” Spanish teacher Katie Hayes said. “I think it’s a way they would use it after Pius when they’re shopping in an actual marketplace.”
The students enjoyed the project and showed their excitement by playing into the bartering while trying to get the best deals.
“I liked bartering with people and seeing how fired up everybody got in a fun way and how energetic everybody was,” senior Sophia Davis said.
Everything was game to sell at the bazaar. Students brought in Spam, board games and even a live fish.
“One girl made crocheted animals, and she got attacked right away,” Hayes said. “Everybody wanted to buy her stuff. It sounded like it took her two hours per animal to make, so she was charging some high prices.”
Not only was the bazaar a fun experience to get some wacky items, but it also helped students learn the concept better than ordinary notes and homework.
“Doing the bazaar helped me understand the concept more than vocab and sentences,” Davis said. “I actually learned how to barter and how to lower and raise prices while buying and selling things in Spanish.”
In Spanish IV, the teachers try to assign lots of fun projects so students can learn in a hands-on way that will help them in the real world.
“I think the students experienced the joy of using the language in a real way,” Hayes said. “Speaking Spanish doesn’t have to be scary. You can just try it and people will understand you, and you can just communicate until you get your message across.”
