Señora Starr's Spanish Blog

ADIOS Y QUE PASEN BIEN EL VERANO/GOOD-BYE AND HAVE A NICE SUMMER

2010-05-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

It's been a wonderful year of learning for our Spanish students, and an especially meaningful one for me, since it's my last year at Shorecrest. I won't be far away, though, since I've accepted a teaching position at the University of South Florida.

Before I go, I'd like to thank my students for their curiosity and enthusiasm in learning a new language; and I'd also like to thank you, the parents and guardians, for your collaboration and the support which you give to your children.

Sincere regards,

Sra. Starr

THIRD GRADE UPDATE: 5/25/2010

2010-05-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

The third graders did a great job learning the Definite Articles (el,la,los,las)and impressed me by also telling me the meaning of the sentences on the evaluation.

Way to go Third Grade!

We're now saying our goodbyes (sniff-sniff) by playing Jeopardy, singing a new song (Como se dice en espanol?) and joking around with "Lazaro," the class puppet.

Sra. Starr

FOURTH GRADE UPDATE: 5/25/2010

2010-05-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

The fourth graders have been hard at work finishing their stories and going over their writing together with me. They're now mostly done, and have put a great deal of effort into their writing.

On the last day of Spanish class I'll be returning their stories to them along with their Spanish folders to take home. Please encourage your child to read their story out loud and to share what their story is about with you and other family members.

Sra. Starr

Lyrics to "Tengo dolores:

2010-05-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

¡Tengo Dolores! (Tune: Mamá yo quiero)

© 2001 Uwe Kind/Mark Schaffel

Characters: Dolores & the doctor

Dolores: ¡Tengo dolores! ¡Tengo dolores! ¡Ay, ay, doctor, tengo dolores!

Doctor: ¿Dónde los tienes? ¿Dónde los tienes?

Dolores: ¡Aquí, aquí, aquí, doctor, aquí!

Doctor: ¿Tiene usted fiebre? ¿Tiene usted fiebre?

Dolores: ¡No, no, no, no, no tengo fiebre!

Doctor: ¿Dónde los tienes? ¿Dónde los tienes?

Dolores: ¡Aquí, aquí, aquí, doctor, aquí!

Doctor: ¿Es la garganta? ¿Es la garganta?

Dolores: ¡No, no, no no es la garganta!

Doctor: ¿Dónde los tienes? ¿Dónde los tienes?

Dolores: ¡Aquí, aquí, aquí, doctor, aquí!

Doctor: ¿Es la espalda? ¿Es la espalda?

Dolores: ¡No, no, no, no es la espalda!

Doctor: ¿Dónde los tienes? ¿Dónde los tienes?

Dolores: ¡Yo creo que debe ser mi corazón!

Translation:
¡Tengo dolores! = I have pains; ¿Dónde los tiene? = Where does it hurt?
Aquí, doctor, aquí! = Here, doctor, here; ¿Es la garganta? = Is it your
throat?; No es la garganta = It’s not my throat; ¿Es la espalda? = Is it
your back?; Yo creo que debe ser mi corazón = I think it must be my heart.

FOURTH GR UPDATE: 5/14/2010

2010-05-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Story Wrtiting (TPR Story-Telling):
The fourth graders have resumed writing their stories based on the situational drawings from earlier in the year (the boy with the mice). It's rewarding for me to observe the students as they look up words, help eachother out, and make corrections to their earlier drafts; adding both adjectives and location words to their stories. ¡Muy bien cuarto grado!/Well done Fourth Grade!

New Song (Lingo-Tech):
The students have been enjoying making up the dance moves to a new song by Mr. Uwe Kind. The song's called "Tengo dolores"/"I Have These Pains" and is about a patient's visit to the doctor. In the song they learn to name some new areas of the body and say where they are hurting.

I've borrowed some stethoscopes from the school nurse, and the students have enjoyed using these as they demonstrate the different areas of the body mentioned in the song.

¡Qué divertido!/How fun!

Sra. Starr

Sra. Starr

Last Third Grade Self-Evaluation: 5/11/2010

2010-05-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

I plan on giving the third graders an informal evaluation on the following days:

Hensler: Wednesday, 5/19
Wolfrath: Thursday, 5/20
Laduke: Friday, 5/21

This evaluation will be on the Spanish Definite Articles. I'll give the students a list of ten words, and I'll ask them to write the correct definite article in front of the word.

About Definite Articles:

There are four ways to say "the" in Spanish. These are "el","la","los," and "las."

All masculine singular(one thing) words take "el" in front of the noun.

Example: el perro/the male dog

All feminine singular words take "la" in front of the noun.

Example: la perra/the female dog

By adding an "s" at the end of the word, we make it plural(more than one). And if it's masculine, it'll take "los" in front.

Example: los perros/the male dogs

If the word's feminine and plural, it'll take "las" in front of it.

Example: las perras/the female dogs

HOWEVER: THERE ARE SOME WORDS THAT DON'T FOLLOW THESE RULES.

Example: el día / the day, el mapa / the map, el agua/the water

STUDY LIST (The words may not necessarily be in this order on the evaluation, and are taken from the song "Una pera y dos bananas.")

la pera - the pear

las peras - the pears

la banana - the banana

las bananas - the bananas

el peso - the dollar (or Mexican dollar)

los pesos - the dollars

el beso - the kiss

los besos - the kisses

el día - the day

los días - the days

¡Buena suerte! / Good luck!

Sra. Starr

Trabalenguas / Tongue Twisters: 5/10/2010

2010-05-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some the tongue twisters I frequently ask my students to say before leaving the third/fourth grade Spanish room. I find that tongue twisters are good practice for pronunciation, since many of the sounds are repetitive. You may want to ask your child to repeat his (or her)favorite tongue twister to you, other family members or friends.

Diviertase! / Have fun!

1.
Tres tristes tigres toman te.

Tress treess-tehss tee-gress toh-man teh.

Three sad tigers drink tea.

2.
Pepe el pato patina sobre el piano.

Peh-peh ell pah-toh pah-tee-nah soh-breh ell pee-ah-noh.

Pepe the duck skates on the piano top.

3.
Quiero a mi abuelita con la cara tan bonita.

Key-eh-roh ah mee ah-boo-eh-lee-tah cohn lah cah-rah tahn boh-knee-tah.

I love my granny with the pretty face.

4.
Quiero mucho a mi tio. Es un gran amigo mio.

Key-eh-roh ah mee tee-oh. Ehss oon grahn ah-mee-goh mee-oh.

I love my uncle. He's a great friend.

5.
La nina pequena come pina en el bano.

Lah knee-knee-ah peh-keh-knee-ah coh-meh pee-knee-ah ehn ehll bah-knee-oh.

The small girl eats pineapple in the bathroom.

And here's a popular Spanish saying:

En boca cerrada no entran moscas.

Ehn boh-cah sseh-rrah-dah noh ehn-trahn mohss-cahss.

No flies enter a closed mouth. (Sometimes it's better to stay quiet.)

FELIZ CINCO DE MAYO!!

2010-05-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

TERCER GRADO / THIRD GRADE:

The third graders have just finished their unit on the extended family and are learning a great deal about the Mexican Cinco de Mayo celebration; it's origins and how this holiday is celebrated in the United States.

In order to do this I've shown them an iteresting film made for and by children their own age. In the film, they've watched Latino-American children having fun at a Piñata celebration and dancing traditional folk dances.

The third graders will soon be bringing home colorful drawings celebrating the Mayan legend of the discovery of Mexico.

CUARTO GRADO / FOURTH GRADE:

Skit Performances:
The fourth graders are now putting on their fire skits for their friends. I've very much enjoyed the process of observing the students as they came up with ideas, written their lines, selected their props and rehearsed. I can tell they're proud of the results of their hard work, as I see their faces light up on hearing their classmates' loud applause. WAY TO GO FOURTH GRADE!

Cinco de Mayo:
For the Cinco de Mayo celebration the students are/will be revisiting the Mayan Creation Myth, reciting a cute Cinco de Mayo poem, and making colorful drawings of Mayan hyroglyphic figures.

¡VIVA EL CINCO DE MAYO! ¡BRAVO! ¡OLÉ!

NO TUTORING MONDAY (5/10)

2010-05-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

I'm cancelling both drop-in and enrichment tutoring on the week of May 10th., due to additional work duties during that week.

All tutoring will resume as usual on Monday, May 17th.

Hasta pronto (See you later.),

Sra. Starr

THIRD GRADE UPDATE: 5/5/2010

2010-05-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

The third graders have been extending their knowledge of the family by coloring in a drawing of a family. For example, I've asked them in Spanish to use a specific colored crayon to fill in the color of an item of clothing worn by a famiy member. In this way the students have reviewed their colors, learned new items of clothing and extended their knowledge of family members.

The family vocabulary is as follows:

La familia/The family

el tío - the uncle
la tía - the aunt
el primo - the boy cousin
la prima - the girl cousin
el padre - the father
la madre - the mother
el papá - the dad
la mamá - the mom
el hijo - the son
la hija - the daughter
el abuelo - the grandfather
la abuela - the granmother

La ropa/Items of Clothing

el suéter - the sweater
los pantalones - the pants
la camisa - the shirt
la blusa - the blouse
la falda - the skirt
los zapatos - the shoes
el vestido - the dress
la chaqueta - the jaquet

Los colores/The Colors

azul - blue
amarillo - yellow
negro - black
blanco - white
rosa - pink
rojo - red
morado - purple
verde - green
café (marrón) - brown

QUESTION FOR OUR FRIENDS IN MADRID (4/30)

2010-04-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hola a nuestros amigos del "Colegio Giner de los Ríos,"

Les queremos hacer una pregunta en español:

¿Adónde vas en tu tiempo libre?

Abrazos,

Vuestros amigos de Shorecrest

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello to our friends at the "Giner de los Ríos School,"

We'd like to ask you a question in Spanish:

Where do you go on your free time?

Hugs,

Your friends at Shorecrest

THIRD GR PINATA PARTY SUCCESS!

2010-04-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

¡Todos los grupos de tercer grado entregaron sus tareas a tiempo! ¡Felicitaciones a todos!

All the third grade classes have turned their homework in on time! Congratulations to all!

Sra. Starr

FOURTH GRADE UPDATE (4/22)

2010-04-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

PIÑATA PARTIES & ADJECTIVES HOMEWORK:

Congratulations to the fourth grade classes who handed in their adjectives homework on time.

It was great showing you the dance moves for the song "El cuerpo Señor."

Did you know that this song was created by world-famous language teacher and pop-star "Etiénne?"

Etiénne is from Canada and teaches kids both Spanish and French. This motivated language teacher travels around the world teaching cool dance moves and songs to kids of all ages and natinalities.

Boy, you kids can really hit a Piñata!

SPEAKING QUIZZES:

The fourth grade did a terrific job answering the questions I assigned to them for their recent speaking quiz.

Our Spanish students' comprehension is excellent and their accents are near-native.

Awesome!

FIRE VOCABULARY:

The students have worked very hard at learning the fire vocabulary. They've done this by writing the words and completing enjoyable word-searches.

Here's the vocabulary they've learned:

el bombero - the fireman
la ambulancia - the ambulance
la boca de incendios - the fire hydrant
el extintor de incendios - the fire extinguisher
la alarma de bomberos - the fire alarm
ayuda - help
auxilio - help
socorro - help
ayudame - help me
fuego - fire
incendio - fire

FIRE EMERGENCY SKITS:

After discussing an imaginary emergency scenario, the fourth graders have been hard at work using their imaginations and acting skills to create Spanish skits to perform in front of the class.

The kids are now practicing their lines and starting to use the props available in the Spanish room. The performances take place in restaurants, parks, and hotel rooms, and include such interesting characters as martians, talking cows, parrots and mariachi entertainers!

TECHNOLOGY ASSIGNMENT:

The students have completed this assignment and have become quite savvy at using our Spanish blog.

¡Una pera y dos bananas! (Song Lyrics)

2010-04-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

Una pera, dos bananas

Tres tortugas, tres manzanas

Cuatro cuadros, cinco días

Seis semanas, seis tortillas

Una pera, dos bananas

Tres tortugas, tres manzanas

Cuatro cuadros, cinco días

Seis semanas, seis tortillas

Una pera y dos bananas

Una pera y dos bananas

¡Arriba, arriba, a la derecha!

¡Abajo, abajo, a la izquierda!

¡Arriba, arriba, a la derecha!

¡Abajo, abajo, a la izquierda!

Cinco sellos, seis semanas

Ocho ríos, nueve ranas

Diez calles, veinte días

Treinta tías, cuarenta días

Cinco sellos, seis semanas

Ocho ríos, nueve ranas

Diez calles, veinte días

Treinta tías, cuarenta días

Una pera y dos bananas

Una pera y dos bananas

¡Arriba, arriba, a la derecha!

¡Abajo, abajo, a la izquierda!

¡Arriba, arriba, a la derecha!

¡Abajo, abajo, a la izquierda!

Sesenta gatos, ochenta pesos

Noventa platos y cien besos

Sesenta gatos, ochenta pesos

Noventa platos y cien besos

Sesenta gatos, ochenta pesos

Noventa platos y cien besos

Sesenta gatos, ochenta pesos

Noventa platos y cien besos

Una pera y dos bananas

Una pera y dos bananas

¡Arriba, arriba, a la derecha!

¡Abajo, abajo, a la izquierda!

¡Arriba, arriba, a la derecha!

¡Abajo, abajo, a la izquierda!

From: “Tune in to español,” lyrics by Uwe Kind; music by Mark Schaffel; teaching through song & movement developed by Mr. Kind at Harvard University.
For more information about this music, go to the links list and click on Lingo Tech Song Lyrics.

THIRD GRADE UPDATE: APRIL 19

2010-04-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

After reviewing the clock on the hour and learning the clock on the half hour by playing "Clock Baseball," the third graders learned the enjoyable song: "Una pera y dos bananas (One Pear and Two Bananas)."

I have the kind permission of Mr. Uwe Kind, the author of many catchy Spanish songs, to put his lyrics on our blog. Please ask your child to sing it for you and maybe you'll be singing it soon too!

The students are now learning the names for the extended family by role playing different family members.

Here's a list of the family names:

La familia - The Family
la mamá - the mom
el papá - the dad
la hija - the daughter
el hijo - the son
la abuela - the grandmother
el abuelo - the grandfather
el tío - the uncle
la tía - the aunt
la prima - the cousin (girl)
el primo - the cousin (boy)

Lázaro, the puppet, has again appeared on the scene and is teaching the students how to say the name's of their family members. Here's a couple of examples:

Mi padre se llama Anthony. (My dad's name is Anthony.)
Mis padres se llaman Susan y Anthony. (My parents names are Susan and Anthony.)

The students have been also been having a lot of fun learning the names of Lázaro's many brothers(hermanos) and sisters(hermanas). His brother's names are Timoteo and Tomás, and his sister's names are Teresa, Tatiana, Tomasina, Tania and Tuti!

Hasta luego/See you later,
Sra. Starr

THIRD GR PINATA PARTY HOMEWORK REMINDER

2010-04-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

THE DEADLINE FOR THE THIRD GRADE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT IS FAST APPROACHING!

LADUKE: TUESDAY, APRIL 20
HENSLER: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21
WOLFRATH: THURSDAY, APRIL 22

SO FAR, THE CLASS WITH THE MOST ASSIGNMENTS HANDED IN IS SR. WOLFRATH'S CLASS. SRA. LADUKE'S CLASS AND SRA. HENSLER'S CLASSES ARE TIED FOR SECOND.

I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE OUR PARTIES. SO FAR WE HAVE A DRAGON PINATA AND A BURRO PINATA, BUT I'M LOOKING AT TWO MORE REALLY COOL ONES TO GET FOR US.

THE ASSIGNMENT'S REALLY EASY TO DO. MANY OF YOUR FRIENDS WERE DONE IN FIVE MINUTES.

THE ASSIGNMENT:
WRITE FIVE SENTENCES DESCRIBING ONE OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS. YOU'LL NEED YOUR SUBJECT, YOUR VERB (ES) AND YOUR ADJECTIVE.

FOR EXAMPLE:
MI MADRE ES VALIENTE. (MY MOTHER IS BRAVE.)
MI PADRE ES AMABLE. (MY FATHER IS KIND.)

HASTA PRONTO/SEE YOU SOON,
SRA. STARR : )

School in Madrid likes our Blog

2010-04-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

Saludos,

The "Giner de los Rios" School in Madrid has modeled their English blog along the lines of our own Spanish blog.

If you'd like to take a peek at their blog, just type the following address into your browser window:

http://ingleseandoginer.blogspot.com

Hasta luego,

Sra. Starr

Bienvenidos a Nuestros Amigos de Giner de los Rios

2010-04-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

¡Hola!

Les queremos enviar un gran saludo a nuestros amigos de la escuela Giner de los Rios en Madrid, y especialmente a los alumnos de Eva.

Estamos encantados con vuestro blog, y nos gusta los carteles que hicieron de la Florida. Tambien fue interesante ver las fotos de las cartas en espanol que algunos de nuestros alumnos les enviaron.

Muchos saludos,

Sus amigos de Shorecrest

PS: ¡La caricatura de Homer Simpson estuvo chulisima! : )

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi!
We'd like to send a big "Hello!" to our friends in Madrid at the "Giner de los Rios" school, and especially to Eva's students.

We really like your blog and the posters you made of Florida. It was also interesting to see the pictures of the Spanish letters some of our students have sent you.

Best regards,

Your Friends at Shorecrest

PS: The Homer Simpson cartoon was really cool! : )

THIRD GRADE: CLOCK QUIZ: EXAMPLES FOR STUDYING (3/30)

2010-03-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

ES LA UNA. (1:00)
ES LA UNA Y MEDIA. (1:30)
SON LAS DOS. (2:00)
SON LAS DOS Y MEDIA. (2:30)
SON LAS TRES. (3:00)
SON LAS TRES Y MEDIA. (3:30)
SON LAS CUATRO. (4:00)
SON LAS CUATRO Y MEDIA. (4:30)
SON LAS SEIS. (6:00)
SON LAS SEIS Y MEDIA. (6:30)
SON LAS SIETE. (7:00)
SON LAS SIETE Y MEDIA. (7:30)
SON LAS OCHO. (8:00)
SON LAS OCHO Y MEDIA. (8:30)
SON LAS NUEVE. (9:00)
SON LAS NUEVE Y MEDIA. (9:30)
SON LAS DIEZ. (10:00)
SON LAS DIEZ Y MEDIA. (10:30)
SON LAS ONCE. (11:00)
SON LAS ONCE Y MEDIA. (11:30)
SON LAS DOCE. (12:00)
SON LAS DOCE Y MEDIA. (12:30)

ADVANCED (NOT REQUIRED):
ES LA UNA Y CUARTO. (1:15)
SON LAS DOS Y CUARTO. (2:15)

THIRD GRADE QUIZ WEEK OF MARCH 29

2010-03-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

The third graders have been having a lot of fun playing Clock Baseball! They've learned to tell time on the hour and the half hour and have written the following in their notebooks:

Es la una. (1:00) It's one o'clock.
Son las dos. (2:00) It's two o'clock.
Son las tres y media. (3:30)It's three thirty.

I plan on quizzing them on the clock the second time I meet with them next week (wk. of March 29).

Buena suerte! Good luck!

Sra. Starr

SPEAKING QUIZ & NEW STUDENTS:3/25

2010-03-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

Students who are new to Spanish this year will be assessed on questions 1 - 5 only.

¡Buena suerte!

Sra. Starr

2010-03-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

SPANISH QUESTIONS TO PRACTICE ANSWERING AT HOME FOR NEXT WEEKS' SPEAKING QUIZ

1. ¿Cómo te llamas? (¿Coe-moe teh yamas? What’s your name?)

Me llamo_______. (Meh yamoh ________________. My name is ____________.)

2, ¿Cuántos años tienes? (¿Coo-ahn-tohs ah-nee-oss tee-eh-ness? How old are you?)

Tengo ______ años. (Ten-goh ______________ ah-nee-oss. I’m ___________ years old.)

Ages(numbers): see-eh-teh (siete/seven), oh-choh (ocho/eight), noo-eh-veh (nueve/nine), dee-ess (diez/ten), ohn-seh (once/eleven)

3. ¿Cuál es tu color favorito?(¿Coo-all ehss too coe-lor fav-oh-ree-toh? What’s your favorite color?)

Mi color favorito es _______. (Mee coe-lor fav-oh-ree-toh ess ________________.

My favorite color is ___________________.)

Colors: roh-ho (rojo/red), ah-sool (azul/blue), ah-mah-ree-yoh (amarillo/yellow), vehr-deh (verde/green), rroh-sah (rosa/pink), moh-rah-doh (morado/purple), blahn-coh (blanco/white), neh-groh (negro/black)

4.¿Qué haces en la clase de español? (¿Keh ahss-ess ehn lah clah-sseh deh ess-spah-nee-ohll? What do you do in Spanish class?)

Ex: Hablo en la clase de español. (Ah-bloh ehn lah clah-sseh deh ess-spah-nee-ohll. I talk in Spanish class.)

The verb "Hablo/I talk" can be substituted by any of the verbs below. Students can insert the word "No" in front of the verb to also say what they DON'T do in Spanish class.

Activity verbs to insert in the blank:

Hablo/Ah-bloh: I speak

Escribo/Ess-cree-boh: I write

Leo/Leh-oh: I read

Estudio/Ess-too-dee-oh: I study

Camino/Kah-mee-noh: I walk

Bailo/Bah-ee-loh: I dance

Como/Coh-moh: I eat

Juego/Hoo-eh-goh: I play

Salto/Sall-toh: I jump

Corro/Korr-rroh: I run

5.¿En qué edificio vives? (¿EHN KEH EH-DEE-FEE-SEE-OH VEE-VEHS?)
In which building do you live? ANSWER: VIVO EN EL APARTAMENTO. (Vea-voh ehn ehl ah-par-ta-mehn-toh/I LIVE IN THE APARTMENT.)/VIVO EN EL RASCACIELOS.(I LIVE IN THE SKY SCRAPER.)/VIVO EN LA CASA.
(I LIVE IN THE HOUSE.)

6. ¿Adónde vas? (¿AH-DOEN-DEH VAHS?)
Where are you going?
ANSWER: VOY A LA CLASE DE MúSICA.(Voh-ee ah lah class-eh deh moo-see-kah. I'M GOING TO MUSIC CLASS.)/VOY A LA CLASE DE EDUCACIóN FíSICA. (I'M GOING TO P.E.) /VOY A LA CLASE DE ARTE. (I'M GOING TO ART CLASS.)/VOY A LA CLASE DE MúSICA.(I'M GOING TO MUSIC CLASS.)/VOY A LA HORA DE RECREO.(I'M GOING TO RECESS.)

¡BUENA SUERTE! : )

SEñORA STARR

FOURTH GRADE: QUESTIONS FOR NEXT WEEK'S SPEAKING QUIZ

2010-03-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

Please click on "Older Posts" to see the questions that were posted on December 17th. and on March 8th.

Gracias,

Señora

ONLINE COMMUNITY INFORMATION FROM LD PRINCIPAL

2010-03-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

The Lower School administration uses Online Community to communicate with our families. Dr. Bianco and Mrs. Weinman's letters and Lower Division reminders are posted on a Lower Division blog. This is the school administration's main form of communication, so EVERYONE should subscribe. In order to have access, you will need to subscribe to the Lower Division blog.

Directions:
First log into the Online Community. After logging into the Online Community, go to Community > Groups > Lower Division Group from the green menu bar. First, click on the icon "Join Group." Next, scroll down the page and click on the Subscribe button. This will send you e-mail alerts whenever I write a new blog post.

For help with subscribing or if you've forgotten your login information:
acb@shorecrest.org

FOURTH GR HOMEWORK CLARIFICATION & DEADLINES:WEEKS OF 3/22 & 3/29

2010-03-23T04:43:00.000-07:00

TECHNOLOGY ASSIGNMENT (IN-CLASS, DUE IN APRIL):
The on-line technology assignment is a task the students are doing on their own during class. It's due in April and the deadline for this could be extended due to student absences.

ADJECTIVES SENTENCES DESCRIBING THREE FAMILY MEMBERS (HOMEWORK DUE THIS WEEK):
This is a sheet I handed out on 3/12 before the Spring Break. This assignment is due on the following dates:

LEE & LEMON: MARCH 26
HUGHES: MARCH 24
TUCKER: MARCH 25

I've asked my students to describe three family members of their choice by writing three differenct sentences for each. The take-home sheet has a list of subjects on it
for the students to use. This is written first. Then they should use the verb "es" which means "is," and finally they should finish their sentence with one of the adjectives they've learned. They can also access a list of adjectives to use on this blog. Please go to the link at the bottom of the page and click on "Older Links."

Here's a sample sentence:

Mi madre (subject) es (verb) alta (adjective).
Mi mother (subject) is (verb) tall (adjective).

IF EVERYONE HANDS IN THEIR HOMEWORK BY THE DEADLINE, WE'LL HAVE A FIESTA IN CLASS!!

SPEAKING QUIZ: WEEK OF MARCH 23
During the course of this week I'll be individually assessing each student on his/her
ability to answer certain basic questions in Spanish. Please click on "Older Links"
to find the list of questions. ¡Gracias y buena suerte!

Señora Starr :-)

4TH. GR. HOMEWORK: DUE WK. OF 3/22

2010-03-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

¡Hola, estudiantes! (Hi, students!)
This is to remind you that you can use the list of adjectives on this blog to complete your adjectives homework assignment. The homework is due during the week of March 22nd.(Sr. Hughes' Class:3/24, Srta. Tucker's Class: 3/25, Srta. Lemon's Class March 26th.) (This is the week you return from Spring Break.)

REMEMBER - IF ALL YOUR CLASSMATES AND YOU HAND IN YOUR HOMEWORK ON TIME, THERE WILL BE A FIESTA ON THAT DAY!!!

¡HASTA LUEGO!

SEñORA STARR

3rd. Grade Don Quijote Adjectives Lists

2010-03-12T06:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the adjectives the third graders came up with to describe the main characters from the book "Don Quijote de la Mancha." ¡Fantástico! ¡Olé!

DON QUIJOTE:
TALL-ALTO
SKINNY-FLACO
DREAMER-SOñADOR
EDUCATED-EDUCADO/CULTO
DIFFERENT-DIFERENTE

SANCHO PANZA:
SHORT-BAJO
CHUBBY-GORDITO
FUNNY-CóMICO
KIND-AMABLE
AFFECTIONATE-CARIñOSO

LADY DULCINEA: (Some of these adjectives end in an "a" because Dulcinea is a woman.)
SWEET-DULCE
BEAUTIFUL-HERMOSA
POWERFUL-PODEROSA
ELEGANT-ELEGANTE
SMART-LISTA
PRETTY-BONITA

4TH. GRADE ADJECTIVES TO USE FOR HW:

2010-03-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of many of the adjectives the fourth graders have found to describe the characters of Don Quijote and Sancho Panza. THIS LIST CAN BE USED FOR THE UPCOMING ADJECTIVES ASSIGNMENT.

THOSE WORDS MARKED WITH THE WORDS "MASCULINE" AND "FEMININE" CHANGE THEIR ENDINGS TO AGREE WITH A MALE OR FEMALE SUBJECT.
EXAMPLE: EL HOMBRE IMAGINATIVO (THE IMAGINATIVE MAN) LA MUJER IMAGINATIVA (THE IMAGINATIVE WOMAN)

GREAT JOB FOURTH GRADE!!

FOURTH GRADE ADJECTIVES LIST:
IMAGINATIVE-IMAGINATIVO
EDUCATED-EDUCADO/CULTO (MASCULINE AND FEMININE)
IDEALIST-IDEALISTA
DIFFERENT-DIFERENTE
ODD-RARO (M & F)
SPANISH-ESPAÑOL/ESPAñOLA
ADVENTUROUS-AVENTUROSO (M & F)
CARING/LOVING-CARIÑOSO (M & F)
REALIST-REALíSTICO (M & F)/REALISTA
SMART-LISTO(M & F)
FUNNY-CóMICO (M & F)
BEARDED-BARBUDO
RESPONSIBLE-RESPONSABLE
OLD-VIEJO (M & F)
YOUNG-JOVEN
HAPPY-ALEGRE
POOR-POBRE
FRIENDLY-AMISTOSO (M & F)
DREAMY-SOÑOSO (M&f)
ENERGETIC-ENÉRGICO (M&F)
IMPATIENT/EAGER-IMPACIENTE
OBEDIENT-OBEDIENTE
MATURE-MADURO (M&F)
IMATURE-IMADURO(M&F)
GENEROUS-GENEROSO (M&F)
INTELIGENT-INTELIGENTE
TALL-ALTO(M&F)
SHORT=BAJO (M&F)
SKINNY-FLACO (M&F)/DELGADO (M&F)
SERIOUS-SERIO (M&F)
CAREFUL-CUIDADOSO (M&F)
QUIET=SILENCIOSO (M&F)
STRANGE-EXTRAñO (M&F)
LARGE-GRANDE
PEQUEñO-SMALL
BRAVE-VALIENTE
KIND-AMABLE
NORMAL-NORMAL
CALM-TRANQUILO (M&F)/CALMO (M&F)
HAPPY-FELIZ
OBEDIENT-ODEDIENTE
DISOBEDIENT-DESOBEDIENTE
CURIOUS-CURIOSO (M&F)
WISE-SABIO (M&F)
STRONG-FUERTE
KIND HEARTED-BONDADOSO (M&F)
TALKATIVE-HABLADOR/HABLADORA
SILENT-SILENCIOSO (M&F)

DROP-IN TUTORING: MONDAYS AFTER SCHOOL

2010-03-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

On Mondays from 2:45 to 3:30, I'm available to my students for any additional help they may need. This can be for Spanish homework assignments or for help with speaking.

If for any reason I'm unavailable on that day (illness,etc.), I'll post that information on the blog.

¡Bienvenidos! Welcome!

Sra. Starr

THIRD & FOURTH GRADES UPDATE: 3/8/2010

2010-03-08T05:48:00.000-08:00

THIRD GRADE: STORY/BILINGUAL DICTIONARIES/SPANISH ADJECTIVES
After Reading Week, the third graders listened to an exciting Spanish story, very similar to the English book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." The name of the book
was "¡Por favor no tires tus dulces!" or "Please don't through your candies!" Thereafter the class compared and contrasted three of the characters from Don Quijote: Don Quijote, Sancho Panza and Lady Dulcinea. Working in pairs, the students found English adjectives to describe these characters, which they later learned to look up in Spanish using bilingual dictionaries. The students are currently writing and illustrating their own Spanish books titled "Mi dia" or "My Day." In the book they have the opportunity to use much of the vocabulary they've learned so far this year.

FOURTH GRADE: IDEALISM/ADVANCED ADJECTIVES/SHIELDS/TECHNOLOGY/SPEAKING QUIZ
After discussing the idealistic qualities of Spain's Don Quijote as compared to historical figures such as Ben Franklin, Govenor Winthrop and Martin Luther King, the students worked in pairs to create Venn Diagrams comparing the two main characters of the book. Thereafter, the students came up with some English adjectives to describe each character (How are they different? How are they the same?). The fourth graders then collaborated on looking up the words to find their Spanish equivalents. To conclude this activity, the students watched a DVD about knighthood and learned how to make a Coat of Arms on the internet. The fourth graders are currently making their own shields, in which they will write four Spanish adjectives to describe their personal values. ¡Magnífico trabajo cuarto grado!

FOURTH GRADE ONLINE TECHNOLOGY PROJECT:
The students are enjoying learning how to use the Spanish blog to answer questions in Spanish about their families.

FOURTH GRADE SPEAKING QUIZ: Please review the Spanish questions previously posted on this site with your child. (Go to "Older Posts")I plan to test each child individually during the week of March 29. Additional questions that will be asked are:

¿En qué edificio vives? (¿EHN KEH EH-DEE-FEE-SEE-OH VEE-VEHS?)
In which building do you live? ANSWER: VIVO EN EL APARTAMENTO. (I LIVE IN THE APARTMENT.)/VIVO EN EL RASCACIELOS.(I LIVE IN THE SKY SCRAPER.)/VIVO EN LA CASA.
(I LIVE IN THE HOUSE.)

¿Adónde vas? (¿AH-DOEN-DEH VAHS?)
Where are you going?
ANSWER: VOY A LA CLASE DE MúSICA.(I'M GOING TO MUSIC CLASS.)/VOY A LA CLASE DE EDUCACIóN FíSICA. (I'M GOING TO P.E.) /VOY A LA CLASE DE ARTE. (I'M GOING TO ART CLASS.)/VOY A LA CLASE DE MúSICA.(I'M GOING TO MUSIC CLASS.)/VOY A LA HORA DE RECREO.(I'M GOING TO RECESS.)

¡BUENA SUERTE! (GOOD LUCK!)

SRA. STARR

THIRD GRADE UPDATE 2/22

2010-02-23T05:25:00.000-08:00

READING WEEK (2/1-2/5):
Many of my students enjoyed the after school sessions about Puerto Rico's adorable, but very LOUD tree frog - The Coquí! Students got to see this tiny frog in action on-line and hear it's wonderful singing. They then got to make tree-frog shadow puppets and performed wonderful Spanish skits for their families!
¡Coquí! ¡Coquí! ¡Co-quí-quí-quí-quí!

MORE ON VERBS & WORDS FOR CLASSES:
I'm delighted by how well the third graders have learned their Spanish verbs. Not only have they been able to learn the correct verb endings for the "I" form of these words, but they're becoming comfortable using them when referring to other people.
Here's an example: (Yo) corro. (I run.) Rosa corre. (Rosa runs.)
The students have looked through their notebooks and listed all the verbs they've learned on one page so they have easy access to them when doing writing assignments. They've also listed the names for their classes and composed sentences in which they say what they do in their classes. This has helped them during speaking practice.
Example: ¿Qué haces en la clase de español?/What do you do in Spanish class?
Hablo en la clase de español./I talk in Spanish class.

VALENTINE FORTUNE TELLERS:
For our Valentine celebration the students made Origami Fortune Tellers which they used to review their numbers and colors. They've also enjoyed making up "fortunes" to read to their families and friends. After making the fortune tellers, the students walked around the classroom and had a lot of fun speaking in Spanish as they read their classmates "fortunes."
Here are a few examples: Más amor/More love, Más amigos/More friends, Más diversión/More fun...

DON QUIJOTE:
The students loved learning about one of the world's oldest books: Don Quijote de la Mancha! I read the chapter on the windmills to the children and then they discussed the characteristics of three of the characters: want-to-be knight Don Quijote, his "squire" Sancho Panza and the beautiful lady Dulcinea. I taught the students how to use bilingual dictionaries to look up the English adjectives they thought up for each character.

STORY - ¡NO TIRES TUS DULCES!/DON'T THROW YOUR CANDIES!:
I'm now reading this funny story to my students. It's all about a chain reaction of events that could happen if a girl spills her bowl of candies...

SHARING IN CLASS:
Thank you so much for providing opportunities for your children to speak Spanish outside of school! So many of the students are sharing their "Spanish" experiences with their friends at the beginning of class. ¡MUCHAS GRACIAS!

FOURTH GR 2/18: UPDATE

2010-02-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

Reading Week/Adjectives:
After taking their vocabulary evaluation on places words, many of the fourth graders played educational games before their introduction to the Spanish Reading Week theme. The theme for the week was "Don Quijote de la Mancha," wich is one of the world's oldest books and (Europe's first Novel)!

The students loved learning about the fairy-tale world of knights in shining armor and lovely ladies! We had lively discussions about the story and the two main characters: want-to-be knight Don Quijote and his "squire" Sancho Panzo. The students were asked to compare the two characters and then list some English adjectives to later look up in Spanish.

Valentine Fortune Tellers/Numbers, Colors, Predictions:
For the Valentine's celebrations, we took a pause from our unit on descriptive words and have been making Origami Fortune Tellers! This activity is helping the students review Spanish colors and numbers as well as using new verb forms to make predictions. Each class has come up with some really fun Spanish "fortunes" to share with friends and family!

Reading Week After-School Sessions:
Many of my students enjoyed the after school sessions about Puerto Rico's adorable, but very LOUD tree frog - The Coquí! Students got to see this tiny frog in action on film and hear it's wonderful singing. They then got to make tree-frog shadow puppets and performed wonderful Spanish skits for their families!
¡Coquí! ¡Coquí! ¡Co-quí-quí-quí!

February 10: Fourth Gr. Technology Assignment (Due: April 19th.)

2010-02-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

Hi, kids! Blogs are helpful tools for communicating with others in our community and around the world. Did you know that people in 24 countries have had a look at our Spanish blog?

Using the blog can also be a good way for you to practice your Spanish. In the next couple of weeks I’m going to be asking the fourth graders to answer several questions about their families on the blog.

On your way into the Spanish room take a look at your class schedule. The schedule will tell you which two students in your class will be posting their questions to the blog on that day.

Posting your answers to the blog is something I would like you to be able to work on independently, while I’m teaching your classmates that day’s lesson.

Every month there will be two “experts” whom I’ve assigned from your class to help you, if you’re not sure how to post your answers. Their names will be on your class schedule.

I’ll also have a list of Spanish phrases with their English meanings near the computers which you can use to help you complete your assignment.

This should be a fun assignment for you, since you can never know who from our community (or the world!) will be posting a comment to our blog.

¡”Buena suerte” and have fun blogging!

Señora Starr

ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS:

Remember how you learned some of the names of Lázaro’s brothers and sisters from last year? They were Teresa, Tomás, Tomasina, Tita…

Whew! It’s hard to remember them all!

Can you use Spanish to tell me the names of some of your family members? Here’s your big chance! I only want the FIRST name of your family members, and if you’re not sure of a word use the lists next to the computers for help.

If you can’t figure out the meaning of a word in Spanish, go ahead and write the word in English. When I see that you’ve written in English, I’ll get back to you after our next class meeting to help you out. I’d like your answers to be in COMPLETE sentences.

"Tu familia" (Your Family)

SPANISH QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO ANSWER:

1. ¿Cómo se llaman tus padres?

2. ¿Cómo se llaman tus hermanos?

3. ¿Cómo se llaman tus primos?

About this week's Fourth Gr. Self-Evaluation: 1/27

2010-01-27T16:11:00.000-08:00

¡Hola!
The students have taken home a study-sheet with a list of many of the "places" vocabulary words on it. This is for them to study from. I'd also like to remind the students once more that the complete list of vocabulary for the evaluation is on this blog and that the question that will be asked on the evaluation is:

¿En qué edificio vives? In what building do you live?
Answer Examples: Vivo en el rascacielos./Vivo en el cine./Vivo en el museo.

The answer should contain "Vivo en/I live in" followed by the name of the place you choose to pretend you live in.
Again - ¡Buena suerte! Good luck!
Sra. Starr : )

FOURTH GR 1/25: MORE WORDS FOR PLACES

2010-01-25T22:00:00.000-08:00

The following is the complete list of places vocabulary that the students have practiced in class, and which they should be prepared to know for the evaluation this week. (This is not a spelling test, but as mentioned before, there will be a sentence to write.)

Newer Places Vocabulary:
el rascacielos-the skyscraper
el cine-the movie theatre
la tienda-the store
el supermercado-the grocery store

Older Places Vocabulary:
Los apartamentos-the apartments
el museo-the museum
la biblioteca-the library
el restaurante-the restaurant
el hospital-the hospital
el estadio-the stadium
el centro comercial-the mall or shopping center

¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)
Sra. Starr

THIRD & FOURTH GRADES UPDATE: 1/21/2010

2010-01-21T21:57:00.000-08:00

THIRD GRADE UPDATE AND QUIZ INFO:
The students have been learning the Spanish names for their classes and have been introduced to many new verbs in the "I" form. They've written these words in their notebooks and will be practicing asking and answering about what they do in their classes. THERE WILL BE A MATCHING QUIZ ON ALL OF THE VERBS ON THEIR SECOND MEETING DAY WITH ME NEXT WEEK. HENSLER: WED. 1/27, WOLFRATH: TH. 1/28, LADUKE: FRI. 1/29

New Verbs:
Estudio-I study
Corro-I run
Camino-I walk
Escribo-I write
Leo-I read
Salto-I jump
Bailo-I dance

Old Verbs:
Juego-I play
Hablo-I talk
Como-I eat

FOURTH GRADE UPDATE AND QUIZ INFO:
The fourth graders have finished their Three King's Day translation and writing activity. In this activity they used bilingual dictionaries to find the meanings of topics they were asked to discuss. After deciding on their answers, they again used the dictionaries to write down their ideas. The goal was for them to write material and non-material gifts that they wished for themselves and others in the new year. The students are now playing a game of classroom "T-Ball" in which they are asked and answer questions about where they live. (Their answers can be a little silly, since not everyone lives at the movies or in the library!) THERE WILL BE A MATCHING QUIZ ON THESE WORDS NEXT WEEK. THEY'LL ALSO BE ASKED TO WRITE THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION: ¿EN QUé EDIFICIO VIVES?(IN WHAT BUILDING DO YOU LIVE?)
HUGHES-WED, 1/27, TUCKER-TH. 1/28, LEMON & LEE-FRIDAY 1/29.

Places Vocabulary:
Los apartamentos-the apartments
El museo-the museum
La biblioteca-the library
El restaurante-the restaurant
El hospital-the hospital
El estadio-the stadium
El centro comercial- the mall

¡Hasta luego! Sra. Starr

Please View Older Posts: 1/14

2010-01-14T07:25:00.000-08:00

Please click "Older Posts" at the bottom right side to see all the posts for 1/14th.
These include the updates, a thank you note, and a Spanish Club anouncement.
Gracias,
Sra. Starr

THIRD & FOURTH GRADES UPDATE: 1/14/2010

2010-01-14T07:06:00.000-08:00

THIRD GRADE:
Since the holidays,the children have celebrated and discussed THREE KING'S DAY (1/6) and have learned a new verb (Estudio/I study). They've also started to ask and answer a question about what they do in their clases:

¿Qué haces en la clase de español? (What do you do in Spanish class?)
Estudio en la clase de español. (I study in Spanish class.)

Vocabulary:
la clase de español - Spanish Class
la clase de ciencia - Science Class
la clase de arte - Art Class
la clase de estudios sociales - Social Studies Class
la clase de educación física - Physical Education Class
la clase de inglés - English Class
la clase de matemáticas - Math Class
la clase de música - Music Class
la hora de recreo - Recess

FOURTH GRADE:

The fouth grade has also discussed "Three King's Day," and have pretended to be a child from Puerto Rico by symbolically filling a shoe box with grass for the King's camels, and waiting until the next moring to find three gifts from theM. Our class gifts have been three wonderful books which the students have explored and presented to the class.

The fourth graders are currently working on a translation activity where they look up four Spanish sentences which represent the Three King's gifts they themselves would ask for, for themselves, friends, classmates, parents and the world. After figuring out the sentence meanings, they've discussed what gifts they would choose, and are now writing their answers in Spanish.

IMPORTANT DEADLINE: TUESDAY, JANUARY 19TH., SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION SHEETS ARE DUE. THESE TELL ME WHETHER OR NOT YOUR CHILD HAS READ THE INTRODUCTION TO THEIR STORY TO YOU. THANK YOU FOR GETTING THESE IN TO ME BY THE DUE DATE.

SPANISH CLUB: ADVENTURES WITH DON QUIJOTE

2010-01-14T06:33:00.000-08:00

Do you like reading about BRAVE KNIGHTS and BEAUTIFUL LADIES? Do you enjoy HISTORY and ADVENTURE? TRAVELING THROUGH TIME? How about A GOOD LAUGH? If your answer is YES to any of these questions, then the SPANISH CLUB is for YOU!

Every Monday afternoon we'll be exploring the story of "DON QUIJOTE DE LA MANCHA;" one of the OLDEST BOOKS AROUND! It's the story about a man who read sooooo many books about knights, that he woke up one day and decided that he was no longer an ordinary person, but A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR! But, wait a minute, who would be his SQUIRE? And where would he find his ARMOR? And who would be HIS LADY?

FIND OUT ON MONDAY, JANUARY 25 IN THE SPANISH ROOM!
TO SIGN UP CALL OR TALK TO MRS. CHAR FLACH IN THE FRONT OFFICE.
THE CLUB STARTS ON MONDAY, JANUARY 25 (THAT'S IN A WEEK!).
¡Hasta Pronto!
Señora Starr : )

GOOD WISHES TO ALL

2010-01-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

¡FELIZ AÑO NUEVO!/HAPPY NEW YEAR!
¡FEH-LEES AH-NI-OH NOO-EH-VOH!)
---------------------------------

THANK YOU:
"Gracias a todos por sus bellos regalos y cariñosos sentimientos!"(Thanks to all of you for your beautiful gifts and affectionate wishes!)These were all so appreciated.
The gift cards went towards a new home printer and I have a special place in my heart(and tummy!) for all the candies, cookies, doughnuts, books, decorations and hand-made gifts the children gave me.

A GIFT FROM SPAIN:
A special thank you also goes out to Señorita Eva San Hipolito Bermejo and her fifth grade English class in Madrid, Spain. She and her students have sent our children a holiday card and a wonderful book of skits for our Spanish classroom. They've also been inspired by our blog to create a blog of their own. ¡Felicitaciones!(Congratulations!)

THIRD GRADE UPDATE 11/17: HAPPY HOLIDAY!

2009-12-17T05:19:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Last Friday was a big day for our Spanish students. Mrs. Rosario was lovely in her bright yellow Flamenco dress, as she performed seven different Spanish dances for our students. The children were impressed by her heal-tapping and by the sounds she made with her castanets. They were also able to recognize many of the items they had studied during the fall: the castanets, the mantón (shawl) and the pericón (dance fan).

This week many of the students have been writing and illustrating thank you letters to Mrs. Rosario. They've also been making Guatemalan friendship bracelets to give to their families and friends over the holidays. Like Rosita in the story "A Gift for Abuela," they've been weaving all their good wishes into their bracelets...

"¡GRACIAS!" for all the support you've given your children this year, and have a "FELIZ" holiday and a "FANTÁSTICO" New Year!! Sra. Starr

FOURTH GR 12/18: HOLIDAY READING

2009-12-17T05:01:00.000-08:00

Dear parents and guardians,

I'm sending your child's Spanish folder home with her/him over the holiday.

Please ask your child to read the introduction to his/her story to you in Spanish. The students are so proud of the reading they've done in class, that I'm sure they'd like to share the introduction to their story with you!

Mrs. Starr

FOURTH GR 12/17: AT-HOME SPEAKING PRACTICE

2009-12-17T04:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Please help your child to practice answering the following Spanish questions at home.
I've spelled the syllables of each Spanish word in English for you. I know that trying to say the questions to your child may initially feel daunting, but it's my feeling that your child will recognize the sounds. These are all questions that your child has rehearsed in class. If you should have any questions about this activity, please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail.

Since I plan to assess the students on their ability to answer these questions during the rest of the year, I would very much appreciate your at-home help.
"GRACIAS" AND HAVE A SUPER HOLIDAY!

SPANISH QUESTIONS TO PRACTICE ANSWERING AT HOME

1. ¿Coe-moe teh yamas? What’s your name?

Meh yamoh ________________. My name is ____________.

2, ¿Coo-ahn-tohs ah-nee-oss tee-eh-ness? How old are you _____________.

Ten-goh ______________ ah-nee-oss. I’m ___________ years old.

Ages: see-eh-teh (seven), oh-choh (eight), noo-eh-veh (nine), dee-ess (ten),
ohn-seh (eleven)

3. ¿Coo-all ehss too coe-lor fav-oh-ree-toh? What’s your favorite color?

Mee coe-lor fav-oh-ree-toh ess ________________.

My favorite color is ___________________.

Colors: roe-ho (red), ahss-ool (blue), ah-mah-ree-yo (yellow), vehr-deh (green), rroh-sah (pink), moh-rah-doh (purple), blahn-coh (white), neh-groh (black)

4.¿Keh ahss-ess ehn lah clah-sseh deh ess-spah-nee-ohll?

What do you do in Spanish class?

_________________ ehn lah clah-sseh deh ess-spah-nee-ohll.

Ex: "I talk" in Spanish class.

Activity verbs to insert in the blank:

Ah-bloh: I speak

Ess-cree-boh: I write

Leh-oh: I read

Ess-too-dee-oh: I study

Kah-mee-noh: I walk

Bah-ee-loh: I dance

Coh-moh: I eat

FOURTH GR UPDATE: DEC. 16, 2009

2009-12-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

STORY WRITING AND READING:
The Fourth Grade has done a tremendous job of writing the introductions to their stories! I'm very pleased with the creativity they've shown in interpreting the pictures I've asked them to use for inspirtation. The students will be working on the different parts of their stories throughout the coming months and reading these out loud in front of the class.
STORY READING:
After the students have written the different components of their stories(introduction, body and conclusion), I've asked them to read these to the class. The students have worked very hard not only on their writing, but also on their reading. They've done this by reading their introductions back and forth to a partner. With my supervision, they've been able to work on their Spanish pronuciation and how to use verbs when writing about another person.
CELEBRATIONS:
The students have enjoyed their classmates' story-introductions while eating plantain chips and pretzels. This lead to fun discussions about Plantains and all the different types of bananas that are eaten in Latin America!
LOCATION WORDS/AT HOME SUPPORT:
Recently, the students took an Evaluation (Quiz) on location words. Although most of the kids know these words very well, please go over them routinely at home so they won't forget them. SUGGESTIONS: ASK THEM TO TAKE A FAVORITE ITEM (BOOK, STUFFED ANIMAL, ETC.) AND TELL YOU WHERE IT'S LOCATED IN RELATION TO ANOTHER HOUSEHOLD ITEM. THEY CAN ALSO TELL YOU WHERE THEY THEMSELVES ARE IN RELATION TO THE LIVING ROOM FURNITURE. ¡BUENA SUERTE!/GOOD LUCK!

DEBAJO DE - UNDERNEATH
JUNTO A - NEXT TO
DELANTE DE - IN FRONT OF
ENCIMA DE - ON TOP OF
EN MEDIO DE - IN THE MIDDLE OF (AS IN THE MIDDLE OF A CIRCLE)
DETRáS DE - BEHIND
ENTRE - IN BETWEEN (AS IN BETWEEN TWO OBJECTS)
EN - "IN" OR "ON"

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING YOUR CHILDREN AND HAVE A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY!!!
MRS. STARR : )

THIRD GRADE UPDATE: 12/3/09

2009-12-04T06:51:00.000-08:00

FLAMENCO PERFORMANCE:

On Friday, December 11th. Yanina Rosario will be demonstrating Flamenco dance to the Lower Division’s Second and Third Grades. Sra. Rosario, who is originally from Puerto Rico, is a dance instructor at the Patel Conservatory of The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. The 45 minute presentation is based on the Flamenco unit which the Third Grade studied during the fall. This promises to be a colorful and interactive performance!

SELF EVALUATION NEXT WEEK:

This week the third graders have enjoyed asking and answering about their classmate’s food preferences. The foods have been divided into breakfast, lunch and dinner items which have been printed onto cards. The students organized the cards by meaning and took turns asking each other: “¿Qué quieres comer?” In next week’s evaluation the students will be asked to write the correct corresponding food item under the headings for “desayuno,” “almuerzo,” and “cena.” The Spanish words will be written on the board for them to copy. ¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)

Evaluation Days:

Mrs. Hensler: Wednesday, Dec. 9th.
Mr. Wolfrath: Thursday, Dec. 10th.
Mrs. LaDuke: Friday, Dec. 11th.

FOURTH GR. UPDATE: 12/4/09

2009-12-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

¡Bienvenidos!(Welcome Back!):
I hope you've all had a relaxing and fun Thanksgiving break. It was great seeing the kids again, and listening to their stories about the many ways they and their families have been practicing Spanish outside of the classroom. This is exciting news for me, since speaking Spanish outside of school is a wonderful way for students to apply their knowledge in a real-life context. So many of the students are surprised and pleased to know that "Hey! This stuff really works!" or "I said "Hola" and he said "Hola" back, and now I'm teaching him English and he's teaching me Spanish!" Thanks to all of you for making these experiences possible for you children.

A New Name for Quizzes:
In order to promote a sense of ownership and a comfortable atmosphere during quiz- taking, I've decided to rename quizzes "self evaluations."

SELF EVALUATION NEXT WEEK:
Next week's self evaluation will be on the location words (Prepositions). You'll find these words/phrases listed at the bottom of the vocabulary list I posted before the break. A good way to practice for the self evaluation, is to ask your child to hide a favorite item somewhere in the house and to play a "Hot" and "Cold" game to find the item. The word for "Hot" in Spanish is "Caliente" and the word for "Cold" is "Frío!"

Evaluation Days:
Mr. Hughes: Wed., December 9
Ms. Tucker: Th., December 10
Ms. Lemmon and Mr. Lee: Fr., December 11

¡Hasta la vista!
Sra. Starr : )

NOV. 2O: VOCAB. TO REVIEW FOURTH GRADE

2009-11-20T06:23:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of many of the words the fourth graders have been learning to use. Using the "Creativity Cards" they've made sentences in groups on the board, read them out loud, and then written ther own sentences. These list can be cut and pasted into a word document, enlarged, and cut up for flash cards or to assemble into sentences on a flat surface. ¡"Hasta la vista" and have a wonderful Thanksgiving break! Señora Starr

Subjects:
Antonio
Rosa
el perro
el maestro
Señora Lopez

Verbs:
habla-he talks
lee-she reads
juega-he plays
escribe-she writes
mira-he looks
trabaja-she works
tiene-he has
quiere-she wants
le gusta- he likes

Places:
la biblioteca-the library
la tienda-the store
el parque-the park
la piscina-the pool
la escuela-the school

Things:
el cuaderno azul-the blue notebook
la pelota amarilla-the yellow ball
el lápiz rojo-the read pencil
la bicicleta verde-the green bicycle

Connectors:
con-with
y-and

Belonging:
de-belonging to (also means "of")

Location:
en: in/at
entre: in between (as in between two things)
en medio de: in the middle of (as in the middle of a circle)
junto a: next to
encima de: on top of
debajo de: underneath
delante de: in front of
detrás de: behind

NOV. 2O: VOCAB. TO REVIEW FOURTH GRADE

2009-11-20T06:02:00.000-08:00

¡Hola padres! (Hello parents!)
I would love to see our kids reviewing their vocabulary at home on a regular basis. I've been asking the fourth graders to come up with some fun ways to do this. Here are their ideas: (PS: Have a super Thanksgiving!)

1. Tape a list of words to learn on the wall. Play a favorite family game (one where you earn points) and every time someone wins, they have to say the word and its meaning to get the point.
2. Put signs at the entrance to your room and every time you go in, you say one of the words.
3. Play a game of Charades and act out the words.
4. Have relay races with friends where the word's written down and the first one to say the word, gets a point.
5. Make flashcards and have a parent quiz you (play music in the background).
6. Make up a song, a dance or a cheer with the words and perform them for your family.

NOV. 2O: NEW VOCAB. FOR THIRD GRADE

2009-11-20T05:54:00.000-08:00

¡Hola padres! (Hello parents!)

The following is a list of the vocabulary your children will be learning after the Thanksgiving break. "Perfecto" for going over with them at the dinner table or on the way to grandma's. I wish you all an enjoyable and safe holiday!

LAS COMIDAS – FOODS
¿Qué quieres comer? What would you like to eat?
Quiero comer __________. I want to eat __________.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EL DESAYUNO THE BREAKFAST
LA LECHE THE MILK
EL CEREAL THE CEREAL
EL PAN TOSTADO THE TOAST
EL JUGO DE NARANJA THE ORANGE JUICE

EL ALMUERZO THE LUNCH
LA SOPA THE SOUP
LAS GALLETAS THE CRACKERS
EL QUESO THE CHEESE
EL SÁNDWICH THE SANDWICH

LA CENA THE DINNER
LA CARNE THE MEAT
LA PAPA THE POTATO
EL PESCADO THE FISH
LAS ZANAHORIAS THE CARROTS

FOURTH GRADE UPDATE: 11/19/09

2009-11-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

SPANISH STORIES:
I've so enjoyed watching my students learn new vocabulary and grammar as they've been writing a story about a boy with a mouse problem. The students are now finished writing the introductions to their stories, and have started to read their intros to the class. Some have also taken their Spanish notebooks home to practice reading out loud at home.

Reminder to the families of those who've taken their folders home:

Please remind your child to bring his Spanish folder to class next week.

Gracias,
Sra. Starr

FOURTH GRADE UPDATE: 11/17/09

2009-11-17T06:12:00.000-08:00

After listening to some of the students read their Hispanic Heritage paragraphs to the class, the kids used the magnetic visual cards to compose and read sentences on the board. This was done at first individually, then in pairs, and finally as pairs racing against each other. This activity was later extended into writing when the students combined words for people, verbs, objects, connectors and location words, to write logical sentences. I was so impressed when I saw how much fun the kids had making longer and more elaborate sentences to present to their classmates!

In order to create a sense of ownership in my students, I asked them to come up with a new name for the visual cards. After much discussion and voting, the students have decided to call them “Creativity Cards.”

Thereafter, the kids sang the "Noviembre" song and I began reading my translation of the book “The Madrid of the Asturias as told to Children.” This is a children’s book I picked up in Spain last summer, which uses fantasy to teach young people about Velazquez’ famous painting “Las meninas (The Ladies in Waiting),” and to also teach the history of Spain’s capital. You may want to ask your child about the whereabouts of the dog “Salomón” from the painting…

Most recently, I’ve given the students four unusual pictures to use as illustrations for a story that they are writing in Spanish. The students have been asked to write an introduction, a body and a conclusion to their story which they will also present to the class.

The kids have also been given Question Word cards to put stickers on when they use question words in class. These words are:

Qué
Quién
Cómo
Dónde
Cuándo
Por qué

Our next unit will be on words for different places in our community and how to ask and say where one is going. ¡Hasta la vista!

THIRD GRADE UPDATE 11/17: Self Evaluations this Week

2009-11-17T04:48:00.000-08:00

After presenting their wonderful Flamenco Drawings to the class, the students enjoyed singing the Señor Huesos (Mr. Bones) song and doing a coloring activity in preparation for the Fall Festival celebrations. Thereafter, I read “A Gift for Abuelita” to them, which is the touching story of the loving relationship between a little Mexican girl and her grandmother. In the story Rosita braids a beautiful bracelet to be presented to her grandmother on the Day of the Dead, which is a traditional children's holiday in Mexico. The students then wrote a paragraph about the story, and returned to writing more sentences with the rooms of the house vocabulary.

I’m now helping the children to learn words that describe a table's place-setting. They’ve been doing this by practicing the commands: "Pon" (Place/Put) and "Quita" (Remove/Take away)combined with the new vocabulary. The students have been asking each other to place and remove the objects using real plastic utensils, napkins and plates. I've enjoyed listening to each of my students as I've evaluated their understanding and pronunciation during their activity.

SELF EVALUATION:
These are the words which I’d like to see your child practicing at home for their self evaluation this week (Mrs. Hensler’s class: Wednesday, 11/18, Mr. Wolfrath's class: Thursday, 11/19, Mrs. LaDuke's class: Friday, 11/20.):

Pon (Place/Put)
Quita (Remove/Take away)
El tenedor – the fork
El cuchillo – the knife
La cuchara – the spoon
La servilleta – the napkin
El vaso – the glass
El plato – the plate

FOURTH GRADE UPDATE: OCT. 17

2009-10-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

After playing a challenging relay race about famous Hispanic Americans, the Spanish students returned to learning prepositions by playing “Where is Frida Kahlo?”

The prepositions of location they’ve practiced thus far are:

junto a – next to
entre – between
en medio de – in the middle of (as in the middle of a circle)
delante de – infront of
detrás de – behind the
encima de – on top of
debajo de – under the

After reviewing these words, students were introduced to the parts of the sentence and composed, individually or in teams, sentences using magnetic visual cards (“Symtalk”). It was fascinating to see the class analyze the sentences their classmates had made and if needed, find ways to correct, lengthen or minimize a sentence!

Many of the fourth graders have recently started a writing activity where they identify Spanish words to combine into original sentences of their own.
The students have also gone over their latest quiz, and enjoyed reading their homework paragraphs to their classmates.

I found their paragraphs both enjoyable to read and very informative.

THIRD GRADE UPDATE: OCT. 17

2009-10-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

After taking their quiz the third graders began exploring one of Spain and Latin America’s most traditional dance forms – Flamenco!

As an introduction to Flamenco the students experimented with some different sound patterns on the castanets. The kids loved making up new tapping patterns, and were especially thrilled to demonstrate their own made-up patterns for the class. The students then saw an authentic Flamenco dress and accessories, before being asked to imagine going on a visit to a Flamenco store. As they watched a film about the dance, they practiced repeating the phrase “I’d like to buy ________.,” which in Spanish is:

“Yo quisiera comprar ______________. “ (yoh-key-sea-eh-rah-comp-rar)

Of the many vocabulary words introduced were:

tela – cloth
una tela con lunares – a polka-dotted cloth
un vestido - a dress
una falda – a skirt
una falda con volantes – a ruffled skirt
un pico – a flamenco scarf
un mantón – a flamenco shawl
un abanico – a fan
un pericón – a dance fan
unas castañuelas – some castanets
unos palillos – some background castanets (not for dancing)
una peineta – a decorative hair comb
una mantilla – a lace veil
unos pantalones – some pants
un bolero – a bolero jacket
un sombrero – a hat
una faja – a sash

Many of the students have started to draw pictures of Flamenco dancers which they’ll be asked to label and present to their class. Oh! I almost forgot to mention that the dance they've been learning about is called “Flamenco,” and not “Flamingo! You may want to go over this with your child. ; )

THIRD GRADE HOMEWORK OCT. 2

2009-10-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

For our second meeting day of next week, I'd like the students to return a slip that I will have sent home with them. The slip should have the signature of a parent or guardian stating that their child has been on the Spanish Blog, and viewed the picture of the Royal Palace of Spain, situated in Madrid.

¡Gracias por su gran apoyo! (Thank you for your wonderful support!)

Señora Starr

FOURTH GRADE HOMEWORK: OCT. 2

2009-10-02T06:42:00.000-07:00

I'm also very proud of my fouth grade students performance on the Definite Articles quiz. It looks as if I'll be making future quizzes more of a challenge! : )

I'm asking the students to write two paragraphs in English for our second meeting day next week. In the first paragraph, I've asked them to write six sentences answering basic questions about three famous Hispanic/Latino people.

1. Sonia Sotomayor
2. Fernando Valenzuela
3. José Feliciano

In the second paragraph I'd like the students to say whether or not they'd like to have that person's job and why. The paragraph should be about five sentences long.

For Sonia Sotomayor, the students may have to do some of their research on the internet.

¡Hasta pronto! (See you/Talk to you soon!)
Señora Starr

Third Grade Quiz

2009-09-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of the third graders progress in reading and writing in Spanish!
With Lazaro's help and the use of magnetic visual cards, the students have learned the verbs "hablo" I talk, "como" I eat, and "juego" I play. They've learned to use "no" placed before the verb to indicate that they don't perform a particular action.

Example: No hablo. I don't talk.

By adding the preposition "en (in)," they can state the place in which they talk or don't talk.

Example: Hablo en el comedor. I talk in the dining room.
No hablo en el atico. I don't talk in the attic.

The kids have been practicing reading and writing the sentences, which they first made themselves by using the magnetic cards on the board.

I plan on quizing them on the rooms of the house vocabulary on the following days of next week. Please see the update of Sept. 28th. for a list of the vocabulary. They only need to know the meanings, not how to spell the words. Sra. Starr

Hensler: Wednesday, Oct. 7
Wolfrath: Thursday, Oct. 8
LaDuke: Friday, Oct. 9

Hispanic American Heritage Month: 3rd. & 4th.

2009-09-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

Established in 1989, Hispanic American Heritage Month is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the diverse Hispanic Cultures existing within our communities. This celebration is observed each year from September 15 to October 15, when many Latin American countries celebrate their independence.

The Fourth Grade has begun this month's celebrations by discussing the United States as a "melting pot" of cultures and nationalities. The kids kicked off our celebration by sharing some of the nationalities that have gone into making their families uniquely American. Of the nationalities I've heard so far are included: Polish, Spanish, German, African, Chinese, Russian and French.

The Third Grade will start their celebration after they've been quizzed on the rooms of the house. Their celebration will start with learning how to play the Spanish "castanets!"

FOURTH GRADE QUIZ DAYS WK. OF SEPT. 28

2009-09-28T16:16:00.001-07:00

¡Hola!

Please scroll down to view the quiz days for this week.

Sra. Starr

The Royal Palace in Madrid

2009-09-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

Hey kids!

The Spanish Palace

Did you know that some countries have Kings and Queens? Spain does! This the palace where they meet important people from other countries. So... if our president were to visit King Juan Carlos of Spain, he'd have dinner with him in this beautiful building.

Señora Starr

PS: I'm glad the test worked and you could see this picture!

The Royal Palace in Madrid - Test

2009-09-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

THIRD GRADE VOCABULARY WORDS SEPTEMBER 28

2009-09-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

¡Hola!

The third graders are now writing sentences using the new verbs they've learned and the following words that describe the rooms of the house. If you'd like to play a game of concentration, charades or make flash cards of the words with your child, that would be a great way to reinforce what she or he is learning in my class!

The Rooms of the House

el cuarto/the room
el dormitorio/the bedroom
la sala/the living room
el comedor/the dining room
el ático/the attic
el sótano/the basement
la cocina/the kitchen

¡Buena suerte!
Señora Starr : )

FOURTH GRADE UPDATE 9/28-QUIZ DAYS THIS WEEK

2009-09-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

The fourth grade will be having their quiz on the following days this week.:

Tucker: Thursday, October 1.
Hughes: Thursday, October 1.
Lemon: Monday, October 5. (Due to conflict with other quizes on Oct. 2.)
Lee: Friday, October 2.

I'll be asking the students to bring their Spanish notebooks home with them this week. Please be on the look-out for these, because the kids' study materials for the quiz are in the pockets of their notebooks. Your child will need the mix and match papers that are inside their zip-lock bags and the hand-out on Definite Articles. You can help your child to study by writing one of the following words listed below on a piece of paper and seeing how quickly he or she matches the article (el,la, los, and las) to the word. Have fun playing "¡Palabras locas!(Crazy words!)"

Here are the words that're in the ziplock. I'll only be selecting ten words for the quiz. STUDENTS DON'T NEED TO LEARN THESE WORDS, NOR HOW TO SPELL THEM. THEY ONLY NEED TO KNOW HOW TO MATCH "EL","LA","LOS", AND "LAS" WITH THEM.

techo/roof (el)
techos/roofs (los)
puerta/door (la)
puertas/doors (las)
ventana/window (la)
ventanas/windows (las)
patio/patio (el)
patios/patios (los)
jardín/garden (el)
jardines/gardens (los)
casa/house (la)
casas/houses (las)
canario/canary (el)
canarios/canaries (los)
lagarto/lizard (el)
lagartos/lizards (los)
jaula/cage (la)
jaulas/cages (las)
tortuga/turtle (la)
tortugas/turtles (las)
tenedor/fork (el)
tenedores/forks (los)
tortuga/turtle (la)
tortugas/turtles (las)
cuchara/spoon (la)
cucharas/spoons (las)
cuchillo/knife (el)
cuchillos/knives (los)
mariposa/butterfly (la)
mariposas/butterflies (las)
árbol/tree (el)
árboles/trees (los)
canasta/basket (la)
canastas/baskets (las)
hormiga/ant (la)
hormigas/ants (las)
maestro/male teacher (el)
maestra/female teacher (la)
mapa/map (el) THE BIG EXCEPTION!
mapas/maps (los)ANOTHER EXCEPTION!
lápiz/pencil (el)
lápices/pencils (los)
cuaderno/notebook (el)
cuadernos/notebooks (los)

THIRD GRADE UPDATE SEPTEMBER 23

2009-09-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

Our puppet friend Lázaro, has taught the third graders three new phrases for actions.These are "I talk," "I play," and "I eat" (Hablo, juego, como). Using the magnetic Symtalk cards, the students have started to form sentences incorporating the parts of the house which they'v learned. The students have also learned to place the word "no" in front of an action to express negation. Ex. No hablo. I don't talk.

International Peace Day (Monday) was also discussed in our class, and the kids discussed ways in which they could make their communities a more peaceful place. We finished our discussion by shaking maracas North, South, East, and West, as a way of wishing peace throughout the world.

The students have also enjoyed listening to an excerpt from the bilingual book "My Diary from Here to There." Listening to the sounds made in both English and Spanish helped the children to compare and contrast the two languages. Currently I'm teaching the kids about the different rooms of the house, and they'll soon be making new sentences with these words.

FOURTH GRADE UPDATE 9/23

2009-09-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

The students have been learning about the Definite Articles el, la, los, and las and when these are used. They've also learned that certain nouns that describe occupations, some animals, and family members, change their endings to masculine(-o) or feminine(-a). Not all the nouns(person, place, or thing) do this, and there are always exceptions to the rule! To learn about the endings, the fourth graders have completed two written assignments, and had a lot of fun competing in the "Palabras Locas" game. In the game, they match el, la, los, and las as quickly as they can to earn a point against another team.
UPCOMING QUIZ: The students will be quizzed on the definite articles next week. I'll have the days posted for you as soon as I hear from their classroom teachers.
NOW: The kids have started learning about the prepositions of location, and will be writing sentences using the magnetic Symtalk cards.

Third Grade Update Wk. of September 7

2009-09-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

The Third Grade Update for the week of September 7th, is underneath the Fourth Grade Update.
¡Adiós!
Señora Starr

Fourth Grade Clarification for Song Lyrics

2009-09-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

When viewing or downloading the new "Buenos días" song do as follows:
1. Click on the Lingo Tech link.
2. Find the section heading: Lyrics, Lyrics, Lyrics
3. Click on the second link under this heading: Download "Tune in to Español Lyrics."
Enjoy!

Fourth Grade Spanish Update: Wk. of September Seven

2009-09-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

Last Week: The students may have found remembering some of last year’s Spanish initially challenging, but by the end of the week they were again counting and using math terms, telling time, and saying the words for pets and good manners.

This Week: The fourth graders will be learning a new class warm-up song. If you’d like to sing the song with your child, you can view the lyrics by going to the links section of the Spanish blog, click on “Lingo Tech,” then on “Lyrics, Lyrics, Lyrics,” and scroll to “Unit 2: Buenos días.” We’ll also be reading about Nobel Laureate Gabriela Mistral and playing the “Palabras Locas” matching game. This game will help the students better understand the use of the definite articles: "el","los","la" and "las."

Spanish Update: Week of September Seven

2009-09-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of last week the students were introduced to Lázaro the puppet, who asked them how they were. They enjoyed answering him in Spanish and were amazed by his silly antics! The students then played Simon-Says with some new class requests (show me, draw, turn around, touch your head…) and drew the parts of the house. They concluded the week by playing a relay race to help them learn the parts of the new words.
This week the third graders will play a game with self-made flashcards to further reinforce their knowledge of the parts of the house (see vocabulary below). The students will then be quizzed on these this week (Wolfrath, LaDuke) and next week (Hensler). Please review the new vocabulary with your child and note the quiz dates are below. ¡Gracias!

House Vocabulary:
La casa – The house
El techo – the roof
La puerta – the door
La ventana – the window
El jardín – the garden
El garage –the garage

Quiz Dates:
Sr. Wolfrath – Thursday, September 10
Sra. Hensler – Wednesday, September 16th
Sra. LaDuke – Friday, September 11th

2009-09-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Sra. Starr's Blog!

2009-09-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hola estudiantes,
I hope you've all had a super vacation and are ready to start a new year at Shorecrest. I reminded many of you to keep on using your Spanish over the break and can't wait to hear your stories.

There are many ways to practice Spanish outside of the classroom. You can listen to tapes when on car rides, watch movies in Spanish (Ask your parent to help you with the language "Set Up" feature.), read Spanish books, play games on a web-site, or talk to Spanish-speaking friends, classmates, or relatives.

There are always ways for you to use your Spanish. You've just got to be on the look out for new and cool ways to do this! How did you use your Spanish this Summer?
I can't wait to read your posts to my new blog...

Spanish Update: Week of August 24th.

2009-08-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

Third Grade:
This week the students learned the routines for Spanish class; entering and exiting the room, finding their seats, assembling their folders and going over the class rules. A fun way for them to learn some of the rules was by learning the "Buenos dias" song, which I asked them to share with their families. They were so proud today (8/28) when they told me they'd shared their song with you! Next week they'll be reviewing class commands in Spanish (stand up, sit down, show me) and will start a unit on the rooms of the house.

Fourth Grade:
The fourth graders got reacquainted this week with the class routines and rules. They've also put their Spanish folders together and shared some of the ways they used their Spanish over the summer. I've asked the students to look at the Spanish Blog and to try one of the games listed in the links. Next week the students will be reviewing, by playing games where they count, use math symbols, and speak in Spanish. The vocabulary they'll review will be the words they learned from the chapters on pets and good manners.

Seeing Your Comments

2009-08-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

¡Hola!
When you post a comment you might not see it right away because I have to publish it first. Once it's published, you can see your comment in the lower right hand corner of the blog page.
¡Buena suerte! Good luck and have FUN!
Señora

New Game Links

2009-08-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

I've just added some links to some fun games in Spanish. Give them a try!

2009-08-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

I know that some of you are having trouble commenting to my blog. While I'm busy fixing it, you can still think of ways that you used Spanish over the summer or at other times. Just be ready to share your ideas with your class. Gracias.