Veinte y cinco vs. veinticinco

I have been teaching numbers over 20 the same way that I was taught in high school.. with the three word method: "Veinte y cinco" = "Twenty and five." I find this the easiest to understand, which is why it is the method I have chosen to teach.

I've been alerted on several occasions that it is far more common to use the one word method: "Veinticinco," but I have shied away from it because of the spelling change in the tens place and for general ease of teaching.

Should I start with the three word method at the elementary level, then introduce the alternative at the middle school level? After all, it would be beneficial for them to know both. Or, should I start off with the one word method straight off?

Uno

¿Cuál es la fecha? Grades 2-5

2nd through 5th grades: Instead of beginning a unit on the calendar, we've begun writing the date each day on the same sheet of paper. Students are recognizing patterns and making predictions. Ensures a writing component, however brief, in each lesson. Drawback: Students write the same two days of the week repeatedly based on the days of the week that they have Spanish class.

Next year, I'd like to make more use of the "Spanish spiral" in the primary grades by dating a page each day and writing some form of notes related to the day's lesson. This sets them up for good note taking skills in the future and ensures a writing component in each lesson.

Ideas:
Handwriting practice: ¿ and ¡, accent marks
Poems or prayers
Draw pictures related to cultural lessons