The Week Before Winter Break

8th grade Spanish students did a great deal of input activities this week one of which featured a short "Toopy y Binoo" episode followed by an reading and writing questionnaire. The link can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGaUedF_ajU


Students also did a "Descripciones" activity where they read paragraph descriptions in Spanish and drew whatever character was being described. Directions were given in written AND orally.

7th grade Spanish students worked primarily with their new unit "Objetos de la Clase." Students have been also learning prepositions to better understand and communicate locations of classroom objects (books are found in the library, pencils are found in school, staples are inside stapelers, etc).

6th grade Spanish students did a mini-comic conversation activity to supplement their unit surrounding courteous expressions. Our focus will shift after the winter break and we will move into how to address certain people in certain situations using the 3 ways to say "you" (Tú, Usted, and Ustedes).

Have a happy holiday and a restful break. I'll see you next year!

A New Trimester

8th grade Spanish students did their first "Reader's Theatre" presentations early this week and they did an excellent job. All students were very enthusiastic and the skits were very entertaining. We ended the week with a "StoryBoard" which featured "El hombre de pan de jengibre" (The Gingerbread Man). Students had used a series of pictures and written Spanish cards and had to figure out the plot line using the pictures and dialogue. The ending of "El hombre de pan de jengibre" was open-ended, and students created their own ending for this tale in Spanish.

7th grade Spanish students received their graded tests back for "La Comunidad" and synthesized their unit with a jeopardy game of La comunidad, La familia, and we recycled some categories from 6th grade Spanish as a much-needed vocabulary refresher.

6th grade Spanish students practiced their expressions of courtesy in mini-skits this week. This week we strived to make the interactions more authentic rather than scripted which meant a great deal of improv was required. We will add more expressions leading up to the winter break.

Just before grades are due

8th grade Spanish students heard/read the stories "El pequeño pianista" ("The Little Pianist") AND a clip from a popular hispanic TV series, "Toopy y Binoo: La caza del tesoro" ("Toopy & Binoo: Treasure Hunt"). The links to these stories can be found at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdafCqHO7Bs (El pequeño pianista)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyIBJO6eZiI (Toopy y Binoo)

Students then discussed the stories and answered questions about their understanding of the plot, characters, and lesson of each story. Next week we will do a reading with non-fiction rather than fiction which centers around Thanksgiving.

7th grade Spanish students have now completed presentations of their project on "La Comunidad" and they had an exam this week on this unit. Next week we will begin our unit in classroom objects.

6th grade did their first "Culture Corner" activity in which they learned about Spain, Spanish America, and the Spanish language. We discussed and read articles about how ancient indigenous cultures and Spanish influence has shaped the hispanic identity today.

¡Feliz día de acción de gracias!

6th, 7th, and 8th grade Spanish students had a very abbreviated week of foreign language. All grades did a brief Thanksgiving activity in Spanish where we talked about what we are thankful for. We did a short reading in Spanish about "Los peregrinos, los americanos nativos, y la barca se llama el Muguete" (pilgrims, native Americans, and the ship called the Mayflower). I want to wish all students and their families a "Feliz día de acción de gracias" (a Happy Thanksgiving)! 

What's going on in 6th, 7th, & 8th

6th grade Spanish students are practicing "Beginner Conversation" or expressions of courtesy. Meeting people and holding basic conversation is the focus of this unit such as:

* Buenos días, ¿cómo estás? (Good morning, how are you?)
* ¡Bienvenidos! (Welcome)
* Muy bien/muy mal/así-así. (Very well/very bad/so-so).
* Buenas tardes, ¿cómo te llamas? (Good afternoon, what is your name?)
*Me llamo _________. (My name is  _________.)
* Mucho gusto. (Nice to meet you)
* El gusto es mío. (The pleasure is mine)
* ¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?)
* Tengo  ____ años. (I am ____ years old).
* Adíos, hasta mañana. (Good bye, see you tomorrow)
* Por favor/gracias. (Please/Thank you)
* De nada (You're welcome)
* Lo siento/perdone (I am sorry/Pardon)

Students have also learned "rules of proximity" which refers to the rules of space in other countries. Students are learning that the amount of space you give friends/family/colleagues/etc. is different in other places. They are also practicing appropriate gestures and physical greetings in hispanic places.




7th grade Spanish students are working on "La Comunidad" and a "Lugares en la comunidad" presentation. They are primarily working with the verbs "Tener: To Have" and "Estar: To be." This is their first project where writing is their primary focus. Projects are due Friday, November 22nd.

8th grade Spanish students are reading/listening to new stories for their "Los Cuentos" unit. They listened to/read "El tesoro más grande: The Greatest Treasure" this week. We listened to the story as a class and then read the story. We then discussed the plot-line of Pedro and his friends they met along the way and the jobs each character had. They used their reading strategies they acquired previously to help them along. Students will do 2 more stories in the coming week and they will gradually assume more and more responsibility to extract meaning from oral/written text. They answer questions about the story after the story as a performance/formative assessment. They are getting very good at it!

Conference Info

6th grade Spanish students are finishing up their calendar unit with a strong emphasis on "Los números." The calendar unit has included Days of the Week, Months of the Year, Weather, and Seasons. Next week we will be moving into "Courteous Expressions" and "Rules of Proximity" in Spanish speaking countries (we will practice and discuss how the rules of space are different from those in the United States.)

7th grade Spanish students are working on "La Comunidad" and learning about Hispanic communities during "Hispanic Heritage Month." Students are learning specifically abut what life is like for children their age in Hispanic places. They are learning what schooling is like, household responsibilities, and their roles in the family and larger community. They have also begun a Keynote writing project featuring "la comunidad."

8th grade Spanish students are learning how to read Spanish stories and acquire language through reading context clues in Spanish. Last week, we practiced as a class with the short "story" of a woman named Emma, and this week they will put these skills to use on their own. Students read the short tale, "La Gallina Roja" (The Little Red Hen) in Spanish and practiced their reading strategies.

All grades are preparing for conferences by organizing their work in their folders and ipads. Students will be showing their portfolios, projects, apps, and blog during conferences. The foreign language curriculum will be available for parents on both conference days.

Learning through Storytelling!

6th grade Spanish students finished their Day of the Dead "calacas and mascaras" early this week and ended with desciption adjectives so they could describe their final products to the class in Spanish.

7th and 8th graders are doing more Total Physical Response in Storytelling (TPRS) through Ana Lomba stories. Students are being exposed to a wealth of vocabulary and picking up new vocabulary everyday by reading and hearing words in the context of an interactive storyline. 

There are more of Ana Lomba’s  “Spanish for Kids” Classic E-Storybooks to download in the iTunes App Store. I introduced "La Gallina Roja" (The Little Red Hen) in an earlier blog, and I will now endorse five additional classic stories:

IT MAY BE unintuitive – especially if you don’t speak Spanish – but one of the fastest ways to help your kids (and yourself) build fluency in Spanish is to read aloud in Spanish. When you read aloud with your children you are setting in motion the four blades of a very powerful “Language Propeller” that will launch your fluency with rocket. These stories are all easy downloads and, best of all, FREE!

Students should consider creating a folder on their iPads to store their Ana Lomba stories. When all are downloaded, they should have access to the following:

• The Red Hen / La gallina roja
• Cinderella / Cenicienta
• The Three Little Pigs / Los tres cerditos
• Jack and the Beanstalk / Juan y las habichuelas mágicas
• Thumbelina / Pulgarcita
• The Ugly Duckling / El patito feo

El día de los muertos

El día de los muertos is fast approaching (November 1st and 2nd). All 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students will take part in the Day of the Dead learning experience this week and early next week. Day of the Dead is a Mexican celebration that remembers loved ones who have died. Students will learn specifically how this holiday is celebrated, and this year we have the good fortune of doing so through our ipads.



Simply Sweet Apps has created an iPhone/iPad app in honor of Day of the Dead, a traditional family oriented holiday.

Many celebrate this holiday of remembrance by dressing up in costumes and makeup inspired by La Calavera Catrina (or ‘The Elegant Skull’); the DAY of the DEAD ME app gives you the opportunity to decorate an image with traditional festive makeup and flowers.

Day of the Dead Me app allows you to place a variety of traditional images, such a painted eyes and facial decorations, onto any photo and digital face paint in the style of sugar skull makeup. You can personalize photos of yourself and loved ones, or even pictures of your favorite celebrities. The app is user-friendly, age-friendly, and is less than a dollar.

Day of the Dead Me app includes resizable image templates: Roses, facial scrolls, skull nose, hats, moustaches, painted eyes & chins, and much more! There are additional face-decorating features and flowers options available for purchase in art packs.

I would also encourage students to download the following game to help them learn about the traditions surround Day of the Dead:

Día de Muertos by WashaWasha Games

 This game is surprisingly simple, and incredibly addicting. Watch the skeletons pop up in different boxes, wait to see the icon for which element of the ofrenda they need – flowers, pan de muerto, prayer, or tequila – and then race to give it to them before they go back underground. Sometimes, two or three of them will pop up at one time! And watch out for the bar at the top that fills as you miss opportunities to feed them; that indicates they are “pulling your feet.”

Find Día de Muertos on iTunes

Available for iPad and iPhone

Lastly, students should download Day of the Dead Experience the Tradition by University of Notre Dame.

Explore the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos), a traditional Mexican celebration of the lives of ancestors, through spectacular photographs, audio, interviews, and video footage. Experience this growing cultural tradition, which has, in recent years, become a cross-border cultural movement embraced as a new—and evolving—American tradition. 

Ana Lomba's Spanish for Kids: Learn Spanish through a Classic Stories

Storytelling is a fantastic strategy to advance quickly in Spanish. Why? Because in the process of learning to do lively readings or act out stories, you are intensifying the development of oral and literacy skills. Combining these skills makes a HUGE difference.

However, not all story based materials are created equal. I have designed this selection of classic stories specifically for parents and children to learn Spanish together. I am inviting both parents and students to try this FREE version designed for ipad of "The Little Red Hen," or "La Gallina Roja."

This app features:

* Everyday language a dialogue at a kid's level.
* A "pause" button so you can replay shorter chunks of texts.
* Vibrant, comic-style illustrations, providing strong non-verbal cues to reinforce comprehension.
* Voice over by native actresses for a captivating effect and to model native speech.
* Easy toggle between English and Spanish to check for meaning when stuck.
* Divided into scenes so you can concentrate on one section at a time for easy reenactment.

Strategies to focus on after downloading:

* Personal interaction: Children learn languages best through personal interaction. Even older children and adults benefits from "Learning Buddies."

* Animate your story reading/telling sessions. Make pretend voices, act out some parts, wear wigs; be as animated and lively as possible.

* Use your Spanish! Make a point of using the words that stick with you in daily life. DO NOT worry about speaking with perfect grammar or pronunciation, usage is what is more important at this point.

* Play the story frequently. This is both to train your ear to the flow of real Spanish in action and also to imprint large volumes of Spanish grammar, intonation, and cultural flair, etc., in your brain (a lot of this will take place unconsciously).

* Set personal learning goals. For example: "This week I will learn at least 5 new expressions." Challenge yourself as you become more strategic in your learning. You could even keep a language learning journal and keep track of the progress you have made. It would be gratifying to see how far you have come!

Learn Spanish with Busuu!

I would like all 7th and 8th graders to try Busuu, another free download in the App Store! This is the only language learning app in the world which includes direct interaction with native speakers. You must set up an account (or registration ) to begin. 

Busuu offers courses based on levels A1, A2, B1 and B2. The study material for a language is typically broken down into around 150 units. Units consist of multiple-choice questions, speaking assignments, and writing assignments. Some sections within each unit include multimedia material, such as spoken multiple-choice questions. Users act as both student and tutor, correcting one another's work. They can converse via chat-window, an audio connection, or a webcam connection.

    

A Younger Alternative: "Kids Learn Spanish with Busuu"




There is also a version that was created for a younger audience called "Kids Learn Spanish with Busuu." KLSWB is one of an emerging crop of high-quality apps that help out. Aimed at 4-11 year-olds. Primarily focusing on vocabulary, it teaches them 150 core Spanish words using interactive exercises and mini-games. 30 units are included in the course, with the first three included in the initial (free) app download. You can then pay via in-app purchase for units four, five and six, or for the entire course. There are some nifty features too, such as the ‘language garden’ where a new flower grows every time your child completes an exercise. We can imagine some parents brushing up their Spanish vocab with the app, too, when the kids aren’t using the app!

 

Destinos: A Mystery Telenovela

Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish


Find the link here: http://learner.org/series/destinos/


Travel the world with lawyer Raquel Rodríguez as she solves a mystery for a dying man. Watch the complete Destinos series, practice your Spanish, and find new resources for learning and teaching Spanish.

What Is Destinos?

Destinos teaches speaking, listening, and comprehension skills in Spanish. Thist elenovela, or Spanish soap opera, immerses students in a mysterious and entertaining story while viewing everyday situations with native speakers. It also introduces the cultures, accents, and dialects of Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Puerto Rico, helping students understand a range of Spanish and appreciate many Hispanic cultures. The programs are closed captioned in Spanish and can be used as a teaching and literacy resource. The series is also appropriate for teacher professional development.

In the Watch section of the Destinos web site, you can view the entire 52-episode 
Destinos series. With each 30-minute episode, you are drawn deeper into the 
mystery of Don Fernando's past, while hearing and learning new and increasingly 
challenging vocabulary and grammar. You can further practice your Spanish with 
supplementary activities in the Practice section. At the end of each Practice activity,
un paso más suggestions will allow you to take your learning further. Tips for Teachers 
and web Resources provide additional support and encourage further learning

Every episode of Destinos covers new grammatical concepts, vocabulary, and cultural practices. The 52 episodes are divided into five destinations: La Gavia, España, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and México. As a learner moves from episode to episode and destination to destination, the content grows more challenging.

The Practice section of Destinos parallels the Watch section, in that the Practice activities are organized by destination. Each activity relates to one or several episodes, and provides opportunities to review the grammar, vocabulary, or cultural practices. In Practice, as in Watch, as you move from destination to destination, the content becomes more rigorous.

Website Reminders

Just a reminder that the following links should be bookmarked by all 6th graders:

www.spanishspanish.com
(This website has the toenail game, number scramble, funny body parts. etc)

www.quia.com/shared/spanish
(Quia has Jeopardy [aka Challenge Board], Battleship, Hangman, Who Wants to be a Millionnairre [aka Rags to Riches], etc).

www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish
(This is "Mi Vida Loca" the Spanish murder mystery that has 24 interactive episodes.)

www.duolingo.com
(This is like a Rosetta Stone for kids. If students have not created an account, please do so. You need an email address to create an account. You may use your student ID # @portlandschools.org if you do not have your own email. Example: 12345@portlandschools.org)

www.learnspanishtoday.com/learning_module
(This is "Build a Burrito," it has not been working lately, but it is a speed game that helps with vocabulary).

Just a reminder that the following apps should be downloaded on iPads by all 7th and 8th graders:

Duolingo Spanish
(This is like a Rosetta Stone for kids. If students have not created an account, please do so. You need an email address to create an account. You may use your student ID # @portlandschools.org if you do not have your own email. Example: 12345@portlandschools.org)

Spanish Mindsnacks
(This a game site that works with Spanish expressions/vocabulary)

iPad App of the Week

Spanish Mindsnacks

 

Best for: Beginners, Visual Learners, Game fans. Primarily an application that enhances vocabulary. I would like all 7th and 8th graders to download. 6th graders cannot download as they have Macbook devices but if they own an ipad/iphone device at home, this is a great (and free) app!

Mindsnacks is perhaps the best foreign language learning app on the market and really takes the “gameization” of foreign language concept and excels at it like no one else has. The graphics are great, gameplay is excellent and fun, and you really end up learning a lot of essential vocabulary. I used both Spanish and French versions and learned colors very quickly. 

The app teaches vocabulary by having the student play different vocabulary games that test your speed,  understanding and spelling. The better you are and the higher the score the more games you end up unlocking. I expect more and more apps will try and do what Mindsnacks does, by putting a lot of time and money into creating fun games that students want to play, and as a result learn the foreign language. 

This app is best for learning vocab and will not teach you much in the way of grammar, and they do have most of the vocabulary in audio form so you can hear the pronunciation, which will help with yours. Mindsnacks is best used to reinforce learning from a textbook or in a class, and is probably not the best for learning travel and common phrases. 

You can try the Mindsnacks app for free or upgrade to the full version with 50 lessons for $4.99. 

Pros: Vocabulary, Audio pronunciation, Games are addicting and fun. 

8th grade Spanish students are expected to do their gallery walks next week. I would like them to all to have downloaded DuoLingo and created an account by Monday of next week. 

7th grade Spanish students received their rubrics for their "Family Tree" project. This project is in lieu of a test. I expect red day students to hand them in by Tuesday (10/15) and Blue day students by Wednesday (10/16). This gives them Columbus day weekend to bring them home if they got slightly behind in their execution of this project.

6th grade Spanish students did more extensive work with weather. They were also introduced to Tú versus Usted in Spanish (a formal and an informal way to say "you"). We talked about how one might address certain people in certain circumstances in a Spanish speaking country.

An App for All Grades

¡Gracias por su visita! I am requesting that all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders have the following app/website downloaded (or bookmarked) on their electronic devices: 

www.duolingo.com

DuoLingo is a free language-learning website. Duolingo offers extensive written lessons and dictation, with less practice speaking. It has a gamified skill tree which users can progress through, and avocabulary section where learned words can be practiced.

Users gain “skill points” as they learn a language, such as when they complete a lesson. Skills are considered “learned” when users complete all the lessons associated with the skill. Up to 14 points are awarded per lesson, with one deducted for each mistake. Users start with four “lives” on early lessons, and three on later lessons, a “life” being lost with each mistake. A user must retry the lesson if they make a mistake after all lives have been lost. Duolingo also includes a timed practice feature, where users are given 30 seconds and twenty questions and awarded a skill point and seven or ten additional seconds for each correct answer.The whole course teaches more than 2,000 words.

Duolingo uses a heavily data-driven approach to education. At each step along the way, the system measures which questions the users struggle with, and what sorts of mistakes they make. It then aggregates that data and learns from the patterns it sees.

8th graders have continued work on their Comic Strip Projects this week and have been learning how to access Spanish apps on their new Apple devices.

7th graders have done work with "El árbol genealógico" (Family Tree) and have been learning about possessive adjectives in Spanish. They were also introduced to some Spanish contractions and how to indicate ownership in  Spanish.

6th graders have continued working with the Spanish calendar (how the order of the days of the week differs) as well as weather, seasons, and talking about the past, present, and future using these words (Ayer era... (Yesterday was...); Hoy es... (Today is...); Mañana será... (Tomorrow will be...)

Getting started

¡Hola y bienvenidos! This what we have been working on this week.

8th graders have begun working on their "Conversation Comic Strips." They have created rough drafts and begun working on their final draft paper. This will take them into next week. This unit will end with a gallery walk in which students will reflect and observe on their own work and the work of others.

7th grade Spanish students have been working on their "La Familia" unit. This week we talked about family during warm-up, and we discussed how the hispanic household is similar and different to families across the globe. We learned some new vocabulary and did a short reading in Spanish about "Los Rodriguez," a Mexican family.

6th graders have been bookmarking Spanish websites to practice and review vocabulary they learned in elementary school as well as doing their first speaking activities (warm-up and introductions). We have discussed Latin and romance languages and learned about how words are similar in romance languages. Students reviewed cognates, the importance of accent marks, and basic expressions like stating their birthday, the date, and the weather outside.

Have a great weekend!

First Week of Spanish

8th grade AND 7th grade Spanish students have been using this first week to refresh and review everything have learned in Spanish in 6th and 7th grade. 8th graders have also engaged in a class activity called "Meet My Friend" where they introduced a friend from their new class in Spanish. They found basic information about this friend, their birthday (el cumpleaños), their favorite sport (el deporte favorito), favorite food (la comida favorita), their favorite class (la clase favorita), where they live (¿dónde vives?), etc. Students shared their findings about their new classmates with the group. This has been a good way to jog their memories from last year, and learn about their new housemates.

6th Grade Spanish students learned the routines and procedures of Spanish class this week. They learned how to conduct themselves during our "Daily Warm Up" which is all oral conversation in Spanish. The received their Spanish folders, and learned what can be expected of me and what I expect from 6th graders. We were able to begin talking about the importance of learning a language and world cultures and we began talking about Cognates (words in Spanish that look/sound like words in English and mean the same thing), and False Cognates (words in Spanish that look/sound like words in English but DO NOT mean the same thing). We also reviewed some "días de la semana" (Days of the Week), and "los meses del año" (Months of the Year), "las estaciones" (Seasons) and "el tiempo" (Weather). I am excited to see everything they have learned/remember from elementary Spanish!

¡Bienvenidos! Welcome back!

¡Buenos días! I hope all students and parents had a restful and relaxing summer. I am excited to be starting this fresh new year with some fantastic veteran 7th and 8th graders, and I am thrilled to be meeting my incoming 6th graders.

The first week of school we will be reviewing content from last year and we will use that prior knowledge as a springboard for a productive 2013-2014 Spanish year. Below I am providing some Spanish websites that students utilized last year and are also ones that my new 6th graders will find very accessible. I am going to strongly encourage students to take 10-15 minutes for the next week or so, to review colors, days of the week, months of the year, seasons, weather, body parts, family, numbers, animals, and courteous expressions. I am hoping that the games will jog some memories so all students will start this year in the right mindset and in a good place.

These Spanish game-websites can be found at the following links:

www.spanishspanish.com

www.quia.com/shared/spanish

www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish

www.learnspanishtoday.com/learning_module