¡Estoy  Emocionado/a!! Second Graders Explore Feelings in Spanish Class

In Lower School Spanish Teacher Señora Adriana Sykora’s second-grade Spanish class, students recently dove into the world of emotions—using selfies! As part of a creative and engaging lesson on vocabulary, students were tasked with identifying emotions using the verb tener vs estar and acting out a variety of feelings such as estoy feliz (I am happy), estoy triste (I am sad), estoy enojado/a (I am angry), tengo hambre (I am hungry), tengo calor (I am hot), estoy emocionado (excited), and more.

From beaming smiles to dramatic frowns—and every expression in between—the classroom buzzed with laughter and language as students enthusiastically practiced emotional phrases in Spanish, recording themselves on their iPads. The repeated speaking and recording of each phrase helped reinforce vocabulary and pronunciation, making the learning stick in a fun and memorable way.

Each student snapped selfies to match their expressions, carefully labeling the photos with the correct Spanish terms. By the end of the activity, they had created a delightful collage of expressive faces—each one showcasing a different emotion and a growing confidence in their language skills.

“It was such a fun and meaningful way for students to connect their emotions to new vocabulary,” said Sykora. “They were so engaged, and now they can not only name their feelings—they can do it in Spanish!”