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