It's that time of the year again!

It's that time of the year again......September 1 is almost here.  Very soon students will once again be filling our hallways and rooms.   While I hate to think of summer ending, I am very much looking forward to working with this year's students to increase their knowledge of and proficiency in the Spanish language.  And of course, a trip to Guatemala and Belice at the end of the year will give some  Spanish Club members something to look forward to.


My wish for my students this year is that they find that thing that sets their souls on fire and that they pursue it fearlessly.  (And who knows.....just maybe it might be Spanish!)

3rd quarter underway

THe thrid quarter is off to a great start.  Here is what we are currently working on:

Spanish 1:  We finished our unit on food by cooking a complete Hispanic meal.  Dishes students chose to make included such things as tostadas, chicken enchiladas, tropical fruit salad, cornbread, churros, and a variety of fruit drinks.  Everything turned out well and was delicious! After a couple of days working on our piñatas, we are now talking about going to the beach--probably not the most relevant topic while in the middle of a blizzard, but for some, it is leading to some wishful thinking.

Spanish 2:  We finished exploring Puerto Rico and decided that we would really like to visit there to check out some of the things we read/learned about--the bioluminesent  swimming/kayaking seemed to spark a lot of interest.  We are now talking about skiing in Portillo, Chile.  Yep, we have gone from warm and tropical to cold and snowy.  Students are currently working on a project dealing with positives and negatives.  Completed videos will be shared in the next post.

Spanish 3:  We had been talking about chores and household responsibilities.  From this topic, we compared our chores to those that might be different for someone living in an Hispanic country.  This lead us to the topic of water and how many people in certain areas of Latin America (and other areas of the world) do not have access to clean water without walking a long distance and the other problems this lack of access can bring about.  To gather some firsthand experience in what this daily water-gathering might be like, students did their own water-gatherng walk--carrying gallon jugs of water for 30 minutes.  It generated a very good discussion.  We have since gone on to talk about water access as a human right and what can happen when water sources are privatized.  We are currently watching the movie "Even the Rain" about  a situation in Bolivia dealing with water privatization.  We will next be talking about solutions to water access issues and creating public service announcements about the water crisis.  If I can convince them to try it, students may also be participating in their own 4-liter challenge--a challenge in which individuals agree to live for 24 hours on just 4 liters (about 1 gallon) of water.

Spanish 4:   We are continuing with our immigration unit. We have finished both reading "Enrique's Journey" and watching "Which Way Home".  We have listened to a wide variety of music that expresses very different attitudes towards immigration.  We have researched various myths surrounding immigration to learn if they were based on proven facts or based on fear and prejudice.  (Students were surprised by many of the things they learned.)  We are now discussing the American Dream and looking at how attitudes regarding immigration have changed through time.

End of a semester

Don't know why I ddin't post this when I wrote it!!!

Hard to believe the year is just about half done.  Here is what we have been up to lately:

Spanish 1:  Students have learned how to talk about various activities that they or their classmates may do at school or at home.  They were very excited to start working on constructing piñatas.  So far, there are many layers of papier mache.  Can you guess what they will end up being?

 

Spanish 2:  Students have been learning about traveling by plane.  They are researching tourist sites in Puerto Rico, a country that could eventually become our 51st state.  They also took time out from work to learn about Christmas customs in Hispanic countries and to sing some seasonal songs. They decorated in Spanish style and are working on putting the finishing touches on their gift requests to the 3 Reyes Magos.

Spanish 3:  Students have been working on how to express their wishes and desires.  We had a great discussion about  Disney princesses and role-played various characters from Cinderella all discussing what they wanted/demanded/suggested that Cinderella do.  We also discussed our ideal Prince Charmings and what we would expect from them.  And with a class of al females, there were no guys to tell us that our expectations were unreasonable.

Spanish 4:  Students have started the unit on immigration.  We are watching the video "Which Way Home", reading the novel (in Spanish) "Enrique's Journey", and listening to a lot of great music that deals with issues surrrounding immigration.  We have had some great discussions based on Gaby Moreno's  "Ave que Emigra" and Ricardo Arjona's "Mojado".  And Spanish 4 students also took a break to do a small Christmas poem project in which they had to write a poem about a seasonal symbol and present it while dressed as the symbol.  Can you guess what these students wrote about?

Another mid-term.....already?

Went to write a new post, and found that I had never published this one!

Wow, the second quarter is already half done.  The school year is definitely flying by.  Here is what has been happening in Spanish classes the past couple of weeks:

Spanish 1:  students have been learning how to describe ourselves and others (only in the most complementary terms, of course).  Students made "Selfie" portraits and described themselves and also made fotobabbles in which they talked about and described some of their friends.  See the examples below:

Spanish 2:  students have learned how to talk about their daily routine, from the time they get up to the time they fall asleep at night.  They did a variety of projects that described the routines of various people.  (See below.) and continue to show their competitive streak in our daily game of Around the World vocabulary review.


Spanish 3:  students finished up a unit in which we reviewed daily routines.  They wrote letters to their (imaginary) host families in which they described their horrible (imaginary) college roommate who is the exact opposite of themselves.  I found the pictures they photoshopped of themselves on vacation and at college to be quite humorous.  (Example below.)

Spanish 4:  students have finished our unit on Monstruos y Miedos (Monsters and Fears).  They compared many monsters of American culture with those of Hispanic culture, as well as talked about things they used to be/are afraid of, and told stories of a time they were afraid.  As we also reviewed the past tenses in this unit, students also told stories from their past, played 2 Truths and 1 Lie with information from their past, and played detective to write the story of a missing person.  (What really happened to mi amiga, Helga?  They had some very interesting theories--I tried embedding one of their presentations, but apparently it is not compatible with blogger.)

All classes have started new units, but we won't forget to leave some time for some activities for Navidad.

Cuarto 2

¡Aprendemos mucho!  Spanish students have been very busy the past couple of weeks.  Not only did we complete our regular units, but we also celebrated el Día de los Muertos.

Spanish 1:  Students completed units on the weather and on their favorite activities.  They auditioned for a job as a meteorologist (see video of the finalists below) and wrote and illustrated a children's book about the seasons (see example below.)  They also decorated paper skulls for Día de los Muertos (pictured below also).  We are now moving on to describing people and objects.

Spanish 2:  Students finished their unit on their favorite activities/sports.  They created posters and wrote a short essay about their favorite activity to accompany the poster (example pictured below).  They did an indepth study of Día de Muertos--it's history and how it is celebrated.  They made some typical Día de Muertos decorations (also pictured below).  Next up, a unit on Peru and its many charms.

Spanish 3:  Spanish 3 students learned about the construction of ofrendas for Día de Muertos and then contributed decorations for the one in our classroom.  They also drew calacas and wrote calaveritas (pictured below). They enjoyed listening/watching the song "Calaverita" by the Santa Cecilia and its depiction of Día de Muertos.   They are now returning to the regular unit reviewing their daily routines.

Spanish 4:  Spanish 4 started a unit on Myths, Monsters, and Fears.  This led into some activities for Día de Muertos and how the Hispanic attitude towards death is somewhat different from the American attitude.  Students researched famous dead Hispanics and constructed miniature altars in their honor (pictured below).  They also watched the movie, "The Book of Life".  They are now looking at famous mythical monsters of the Hispanic culture.  They may not have the Boogeyman, but they certainly do have El Cuco.

El tiempo vuela

The first quarter seems to be flying by.  Here is what Spanish classes have been up to the past couple of weeks:

Spanish 1:  Students have mastered vocabulary dealing with things found in a typical classroom.  They can tell what items they have with them as well as ask to borrow items such as a pen or pencil.  In addition, they are now able to count to at least 1000 and tell time in Spanish.  They had a great time playing "El osito perdido" (Lost Bear) to practice their counting skills.

Spanish 2:  Students are talking about sports and other  favorite activities.  They enjoyed the song Paraiso by Dvicio and even learned the dance that was done as a flashmob in McDonald's in Spain.

Spanish 3:  Students finished recording their "dating profiles" and are awaiting the final video product (as soon as I get time to do the editing).  They are now working on talking about their daily lives and routines.

Spanish 4:  Inca Cola --good.  Gazpacho--not so much.  That was the consensus after trying both. We finished our food unit by looking at what typical families around the world eat, and are now watching the movie "Canela" about a young girl, her grandmother, and their love of cooking.  (All Spanish, no subtitles--students are really getting a workout on their listening skills.)

First quarter mid-term...already?

It has been a busy couple of weeks,but we have survived Homecoming week and the first quarter is half done already. How time flies. Here is what we have been doing in Spanish classes recently.

  Spanish 1: We finished our introduction vokis. Here are a couple of examples:
 In the past week we have been working on learning things found in the classroom. Next up, counting and telling time.

Spanish 2:  We finished our Pixton Comics project which involved using many question words.  Here is an example:

In the past week we have practiced giving descriptions and have written poems describing ourselves. We are currently working on videos in which we talk about ourselves and various aspects of our lives.

Spanish 3:  Between Homecoming activities and other field trips, it seems that we haven't had much classtime lately.  We have continued working on our detailed description skills.  We made word clouds about ourselves using descriptive words and phrases which became the headings on our webpages.  Here is an example:

Students have been working on designing a Wanted poster.  They continue to independently read a novel in the Spanish language as well as post to their individual blogs in Spanish.  Hopefully we will fit in some new music this week, as well as begin work on a new project.

Spanish 4:  We are continuing our study of foods of the Hispanic world.  We have taken a look at some of typical foods of Peru (including sipping some Inca Cola) and Spain (trying gazpacho tomorrow!)  Our unit will soon be ending with the viewing of the Spanish langage film, Canela.

More updates in a couple of weeks.

Another year has begun...

Although it still feels like summer, the first quarter is well underway. Here is a rundown of what has been happeining in the various Spanish classes:

Spanish 1:  We are off to a great start.  Students have mastered the Spanish alphabet (and can sing it for you) and can great one another, introduce themselves, and tell you something they like.  Coming soon:  our voki introductions.  This is the first year that 8th graders have been allowed to take Spanish 1 and they are doing a great job.

Spanish 2:  We have started the year with review of many things we learned last year.  I am pleased with how much this year's student remember.  Right now, we are focusing on our ability to ask questions.  Coming soon:  question comic strips.  (And I love how this group enthusiastiacally embraces anything musical!)

Spanish 3:  We have started the year working on giving detailed descriptions.  We are taking a break from that to learn about Mexico's Independence celebrations (which are Spetember 15-16, not May 5 as many people believe).  We have done some research and are comparing the Mexican struggle for independence with that of the US.  In additon, students are busy blogging (in Spanish) and reading their favorite novel in Spanish.

Spanish 4:  Our first unit of the year deals with something everyone loves--food!  We have talked about some traditional Mexican foods and are now looking at fast food in Hispanic countries.  (No Taco Bells in México, but McDonalds and Subway, sí!)  We will also be looking at traditional foods of Argentina, Spain, and Perú and making some comparisons to our own favorite foods.

All-in-all it has been a great start to the year!



photo:  http://mundoimagenes.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/465x290xRegreso.jpg.pagespeed.ic.UjVuzxvHvU.webp

La mitad del cuarto

Hard to believe we are already at the midpoint of the 1st quarter. Here is what we have been working on lately:

 Spanish 1:  We can not only introduce ourselves (see our vokis in the previous post), but also introduce our friends to each other.  We can tell you where we are from (and some of us are from quite exotic places) or where other people are from.  We have also done a bit of Geography and can  tell you the 21 Spanish-speaking countries of the world and their capitals. (Better yet, we can sing them for you!)  We are now learning to talk about the typical things in our classroom.

Spanish 2:  We have been working on describing ourselves and other people as well as other things.  We recently wrote about what we felt were the most important things in our lives.  Here is the result:

qué es vida

View more presentations or Upload your own.

We will next be reviewing family and home.

Spanish 3:  We have continued working on our descriptive abilities.  We completed posters to help out the FBI with their Most-Wanted List.  Here are a few of examples:


We are also working on Introduction Vokis to share with our wikiamig@s--students from Pardeeville, Randolph, CWC, and Oakfield.  Some examples are below along with those from Spanish 4 who are also working with a wikiamig@.




Spanish 4:  We continue our exploration of foods of the Hispanic world.  In the past few days we have learned a great deal about Chocolate and its part in pre-Colombian culture, as well as the foods of Argentina, Mexico, and soon, Peru--roasted guinea pig anyone?

¿Quiénes somos?

As part of our first unit on introductions in Spanish 1, students created vokis, speaking avatars, and recorded themselves introducing themselves to the class.  Here are the results:

¡Ay, Caramba!

Wow!  I can't believe how quickly the first 2 weeks of school have passed.  Spanish classes have gotten right down to the business of....learning Spanish!  Here is what we have been up to so far:

Spanish 1:  Students can introduce themselves, say they like something, recite the Spanish alphabet (or sing it for you), ask permission to leave the room--ask them to sing the bathroom song for you :) and navigate our classroom wikipage and Google Classroom pages for handing in assignments,



Spanish 2:  The first part of the first quarter is a review.  So far we have been focusing in on asking questions--Who?, What?, Where?, When?, Why?, etc.  They are currently working on a short project with a partner to create a comic strip that involves amnesia and asking a lot of questions.  (We will be using the Pixton website to do this.)

Spanish 3:  Spanish 3 students are busy reading novels (of their choice) in Spanish.  They have chosen quite a variety, from Marley and Me to Twilight to Harry Potter to The Magic Treehouse to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, all en español.  Some of these make for quite ambitious undertakings when it's not your primary language, but kudos to the students for taking it on.  They have also posted their first blog entries (in Spanish!) and been reviewing how to describe people (going beyond the basic, short/tall, fat/thin, etc.). This week we are going to talk about Mexico's Independence Day celebrations.

Spanish 4:  Spanish 4 is also busy reading novels and writing blog posts.  Our first unit of the year deals with one of everyone's favorite topics--food!  We have listened to some food-related songs, talked about a variety of Mexican food, and are currently looking at fast food, Hispanic style.  Looking at all those food pictures can sure make your mouth water!

Feliz día de muertos

Last week saw Spanish students working on a variety of projects relating to the celebration of El Día de los Muertos, a celebration in honor of one's deceased family members or friends.  It is characterized by the cleaning and decorating of cemeteries and gravestones, overnight picnics in the cemetery on the nights of Novemeber 1 and 2, constructing ofrendas with items of interest/value to the deceased, decorations ( a lot of skulls and skeletons), and of course, food.  Here are some samples of what each level did last week:

Spanish 1:  After reading a short article about El Día de los Muertos, students decorated skull.  Here is what they looked like:

Spanish 2:  Spanish 2 students read the ghostly story El Misterio de la Calle Olmedo (Mystery on Elem Street), discussed the origins of this holiday and compared/contrasted it to Halloween, decorated losas sepulcrales (gravestones), wrote anuncios fúnebres (obituaries), tried Pan de Muertos (bread of the dead), and made typical skeletal toys.  Here is our "cementerio":

Spanish 3:  After watching a video about El Día de los Muertos, students made papel picado with traditonal designs for this holiday as well as paper flowers in the traditional golden color. They also wrote calaveritas--short, humorous poems on skulls, and drew calacas--skeletons doing typical, everyday activities, an art form made famous by José Guadalupe Posada.

Spanish 4:  Spanish 4 students made and decorated sugar skulls.  They also researched a famous dead Hispanic celebritty and constructed an ofrenda in his/her honor.  Here are some examples of their work:

First quarter winding down

I can't believe the first quarter will be done in a week! Time flies when you are having fun...and I can't believe how hard it is to find time to keep this blog up-to-date. Here is what we have been doing in Spanish during the month of October: 

 Spanish 1: We have learned to count and tell time. We have also learned the days of the week and months of the year, as well as how to tell the date. (Students can sing the days of the week and dance the Macarena while singing the months of the year--they are a very talented bunch!) We will next be discussing the weather and doing a small project for El día de muertos. 

Spanish 2:  We have continued reviewing much of what was learned in Spanish 1.  This is a group that loves to sing, so I have tried to find a lot of music that reinforces many of the things we are reviewing.  We spent a lot of time on one of their favorite topics--sports.  Their projects about their favorite sport/activity are due tomorrow so I will hopefully post some of them next time.  We are currently doing an indepth study of the Mexican holiday, El día de los muertos, and I will also post some of the projects from this unit as well.

Spanish 3:  Students finished their wanted posters (examples below) and their dating videos (which I am still editing).  We have been reviewing talking about our daily routine, and will now be working on things for El día de los muertos.

Spanish 4:  We finished our food unit, although students are still editing their video projects.  We then did a short study of Christopher Columbus, taking a critical look at whether he was a villain or a hero.  Students then wrote posts on their blogs giving their opinions on that question.  Students are now in the process of researching a famous (dead) Hispanic as part of our día de muertos activities for next week.

Spanish 3 and 4 students don't know it yet, but they will shortly be doing a small collaborative project with their wikiamigo from Pardeeville.  More on this later.

Introducing....

Spanish 3 and 4 students once again will have wikiamigos from Pardeeville. To introudce themselves to their new partners, students created the following vokis:

 We are looking forward to collaborating with our new amigos.

Any questions?

Spanish 2 students had fun using Pixton to create cartoons in which they had to ask a lot of questions using question words in español.  Here are 2 of the finished comics:


Notice that not only can you read these comics, but you can also listen to them. ¡Qué bueno!

The vokis talk!

As promised, here are the Spanish 1 Introduction vokis:




 I´m sure students will someday look back at these and laugh as they remember that this is all the Spanish they once knew. We are now moving on to school and classroom items. What´s in your mochila?