5th Grade Semester Final

It is that time of year again! The good news is that the semester final is actually shorter than our regular chapter exams, since they are taken over two class periods and the final is only one class period.  The other good news (not sure my students will agree on this ;) ) is that the final is comprehensive, so it is a chance to review all of the material covered so far.  That means you can review and take comfort from the areas where you are very strong, and work a little more on areas that need improvement.

Our first unit  (Lección preliminar) focused almost exclusively on vocabulary.  The complete vocab list is on page 25 of the textbook, and can also be found at this Avancemos link.  Students need to know how to write and respond to all of the vocabulary here.  The only real grammar is to understand the difference between the formal and informal expressions.

Our next unit, (unidad uno, lección uno), has a complete vocabulary list on page 55, or the Avancemos link here.   This chapter also covered the subject pronouns and the present tense conjugations of the verb ser.  Our students also have several handouts covering this material.  For the final, I will not include gustar and the indirect object pronouns, since they have not had as much time with that material.

There will also be a question over cultural material, and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

I hope that this will be an opportunity for all of our wonderful 5th graders to realize how much they have accomplished and to strengthen their foundation for the next semester.

6th Grade Essay ~ La familia

When learning a language, it is usually easier to understand it, either in written or spoken form, than it is to actually produce the language yourself.  In order to really grow in the language, you have to push yourself (or be...gently nudged...by your teacher) to speak and write. Last week our 6th graders created some remarkable family tree posters.

(Seriously--isn't this Harry Potter family tree by Trey M. awesome?)

This week, they are using those posters as the basis for an essay on their family members. Each essay must contain the following information for a grandfather, grandmother, parents, siblings, aunt, uncle and cousins according to the poster you created last week:

•     Name using the verb llamarse
•     Where they are from
•     Relationship to you
•     Age (don’t forget to use tener!)
•     Physical description (at least two adjectives)
•     Personality description (at least two adjectives)

·    They may type or hand write the essay, but it should be double-spaced, and include any appropriate accent marks. Remember: mi = my. Mí = me (the object of a preposition). Page 83 of our textbook contains several adjectives that may be helpful, too.  I can't wait to read more about your families!

I

What We're Learning in November - Middle School

I love our middle school classes.  When you genuinely look forward to seeing 6th, 7th and 8th graders every day, it is a good thing, and I truly enjoy these kids!

A quick note about homework:  in general, I try to give about 3 assignments a week, and leave the weekends clear.  However, at this level, all students should be reviewing their vocab daily, and reading through vocabulary from previous chapters about once a week.  They have learned so much that it can easily be forgotten if they don't review!

6th Grade: We have covered the basic irregular verbs (ser, estar, tener and ir) and regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs in the present tense.  Our new vocab for this unit covers all of the family members and pets, as well as giving dates, expressing age, and the numbers beyond 100.  Our grammar points are going to focus on showing ownership with ser + de, the possessive adjectives, expressions with tener and the comparatives.  Our culture theme is still Puerto Rico, and will will be talking about celebrating the quinceañera, government elections, and portraits by artists from Puerto Rico and Peru.  We are going to be alternating oral and written quizzes nearly every week.  I would encourage the students to review the verb tener, because we will be using it frequently.

7th Grade: The kids are already excited about the vocab for our new unit, which is all about sports.  We have several cognates in this chapter, so it will be pretty easy to remember the vocabulary.  Our grammar for this unit is also very easy compared to some of our previous chapters--we are doing the only u to ue stem-changing verb, jugar, and then the two verbs that mean to know: saber and conocer.  After all of the other stem-changers, and the differences between ser and estar, this will be one of those "catch your breath" units.  We will move through it very quickly, though, since I expect them to master the vocabulary and grammar easily.

8th Grade: This unit is also sports-related, expanding on the vocabulario that the students learned in 7th grade.  The grammar from this chapter is all review--the preterite of -er and -ir verbs, along with the demonstrative adjectives and pronouns.  These concepts are important, but our class did a great job with them last year, so we are going to go through them very quickly and then move through the next unit, which is also review of the reflexive verbs and the present progressive.  We will be doing a great deal of speaking and writing during this unit, and focus on refining both oral and written communication so that it is more polished.  The wonderful thing about units where most of the grammar is review material is that we can devote more time to truly using the language instead of explaining it!

Upcoming:  There are two very exciting things in the future for our 7th and 8th graders.  One is that they will be able to earn service hours by tutoring the 5th and 6th graders.  Explaining grammar concepts to someone else is the best way I know of to make sure that you have them down yourself.  This will be tremendously helpful to both the students who are being tutored and the ones who are doing the tutoring.  Sometimes just having a different person explain it makes all the difference. Also, we are going to be doing the National Spanish Exam in the spring, and will begin preparing for it after Thanksgiving.  The exam is given to more than 150,000 students nationwide, and I am delighted that our students will be participating.  More on that soon!

As I count my blessings this month, the students here make me more grateful than I can adequately express in either language.  <3

What We're Learning in November-3rd Grade -- 5th Grade

We are going full speed ahead with our vocabulary and grammar in all the grades.  Here is what we are covering:

3rd Grade: We have been working on the colores and la ropa (clothing).  We have learned songs to help out with our vocab:
Red is rojo

Green is verde

Blue, azul

Negro, black

Yellow, amarillo

Purple is morado

Brown, café

Gris is gray

Rosa or rosado, pink

White is blanco,

Orange, anaranjado

Gold, dorado

Plateado, silver

Blonde hair is rubio

Moreno, brunette (dark hair)

Pelirrojo, red hair

Dress is vestido, shirt is camisa,

pantalones cortos—shorts,

Coat is abrigo, belt—cinturón,

Zapatos are a pair of shoes.

Chaqueta—jacket, blouse is a blusa,

Guantes are a pair of gloves,

Skirt is a falda, socks—calcetines,

Botas are a pair of boots.

Pants—pantalones, sandals—sandalias,

Un sombrero is a hat,

Scarf is bufanda, clothing is ropa,

And a gorro is a cap.

Later this month, we will be using the definite articles and ser to create sentences and describe the colors of clothing and school items.

4th Grade: Along with reviewing the colors, we are learning the singular possessive adjectives mi (my), tu (your-informal), su (your-formal, your-plural, his, her, their), nuestro (our-masculine object) and nuestra (our-feminine object). In Spanish, the gender of the possessive adjective matches up with the item, not with the owner.  For example, our house is nuestra casa because the word casa is feminine, even if the people who own the house are male.  I have been so impressed at how well our fourth graders remembered the gender of nouns from last year, and how readily they have applied these concepts.  The gender of nouns can be tricky, because there are many exceptions.  In general, nouns ending in -o, -ma, -ta, -l and -r tend to be masculine, along with words that identify boys, days of the week, months of the year and the names of rivers.  Most nouns that end in -a, -d and -ión tend to be feminine, along with time (la hora) and words that identify girls.  There are several exceptions, though, including día (masculine, which is why it is buenos días) and mano (feminine).   We are writing sentences telling to whom different things belong, as well as describing the colors of those objects.  Examples: Su cuaderno es morado.  Nuestra mesa es de color café.

5th Grade: We have been working with all of the subject pronouns and the present tense conjugations of the verb ser, as well as the use and omission of subject pronouns.  Soon we will be using the prepositional pronouns, indirect object pronouns, the verb gustar and the infinitive of other verbs from this chapter to express how we like or dislike different activities.  We are generally alternating written and oral quizzes each Friday, so they are practicing all their skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).  It is a lot for them to keep track of and fit together, but they are doing very well.  At this stage, they should also be reading through their vocab lists once every day, even if they do not have an assignment to turn in.  Because the grammar structures are pretty intense, we are spending more class time on the grammar than the vocabulary, and it helps tremendously for them to review it frequently on their own. Don't forget the ¡Avancemos! links on the right hand side of the blog.  They are great for practice!

I am always impressed and excited by the proficiency that our students are developing in Spanish.  They work very hard, and I hope that they can see how much they are accomplishing!

Día de los muertos-5th and 2nd Collaboration

Celebrating the rhythms of the liturgical year is one of my favorite things about teaching in a Catholic school.  While Advent and Lent are always special times, we also enjoy observing some of the holidays and feast days, especially those that are an important part of Hispanic culture.  For the día de los muertos (Day of the dead), we participate with an altar downtown, where our art teacher, Ms. Proctor, creates a beautiful display, including a book of letters and drawings from our 3rd and 4th grade students in honor of their loved ones who have died.

We discuss how the Day of the Dead and the way people celebrate Halloween now are very different, even though some parts look similar.  This is a very Catholic celebration for us: a reminder to pray for the dead, and a way to remember and celebrate the lives of our loved ones who have passed.  We also talk about the differences between an altar of remembrance for our loved ones, which is not meant for worship, and the altar in our churches.  It is not scary, but it is fun, and reminds us that we do not have to be afraid of death, because our Lord Jesus has defeated death, and through Him we believe in life everlasting.

Our 5th graders have teamed up with Mrs. Stafford's 2nd grade class to create calacas made out of q-tips.  As cute as their creations are, seeing the kids work together is even cuter!  <3

 

After all that we had talked about, we agreed that the pan de muertos (bread of the dead) was something that could only be learned through experience.  Of course, the best way to enjoy pan is with a nice cup of chocolate mexicano (Mexican hot chocolate).

The Best Teachers

I love teaching.  It makes me happy, excited and inspired.  It is also humbling to realize that, despite my years of practice, studying and professional development, the best teachers are actually my students.  This year we have given them more opportunities to share with each other, and it has been so much fun.  Our All Saints 6th and 7th graders came up with their own little presentations for the verb estar, and they were far more entertaining than any worksheet.  They listened courteously to each other with genuine interest, and they remembered the material.  It is so exciting to see them have fun with Spanish and apply it.  And I may be biased, but if any of these kids go on to be TV stars, it won't surprise me, because they have the personality and talent to succeed in anything!

3rd and 4th Grade Vocabulary

¡Hola! Our 3rd and 4th grade students have quizzes this week over vocabulary.  In this second quarter, we will be building on the vocabulary we have learned and adding some grammar, including definite and indefinite articles, how to make nouns and adjectives plural, adjective agreement, and much more.  Our students have these handouts in their binders, but I wanted to share them here for your convenience: 

Hola—hello

Buenos días—good morning

Buenas tardes—good afternoon

Buenas noches—good evening

Maestro—male teacher

Profesor—male teacher

Maestra—female teacher

Profesora—female teacher

Señor—Mr., sir

Señora—Mrs., ma’am

Señorita—Miss

Amigo—friend (boy)

Amiga—friend (girl)

¿Cómo se llama Ud. (usted)?—What’s your name (adult)?

¿Cómo te llamas?—What is your name (child)?

Me llamo—my name is (I call myself)

¿Cómo está Ud.?—How are you? (adult)

¿Cómo estás?—How are you? (child)

Bien, gracias—Fine, thanks.

Mal—bad, not well.

Así-así—so-so, OK.

¿Cuántos años tienes?—How old are you?

Tengo ___ años—I am ___ years old.

Por favor—please

Gracias—thank you

De nada—you’re welcome (it was nothing)

Adiós—goodbye

Hasta luego—See you later

Hasta mañana—See you tomorrow

Nos vemos—See you later

0 – cero

1 – uno

2 – dos

3 – tres

4 – cuatro

5 – cinco

6 – seis

7 – siete

8 – ocho

9 – nueve

10 – diez

11 – once

12 – doce

13 – trece

14 – catorce

15 – quince

16 -dieciséis

17 – diecisiete

18 – dieciocho

19 – diecinueve

20 – veinte

21 – veintiuno

22 – veintidós

23 – veintitrés

24 – veinticuatro

25 – veinticinco

26 – veintiséis

27 – veintisiete

28 – veintiocho

29 – veintinueve

30 – treinta

31 – treinta y uno

32 – treinta y dos

33 – treinta y tres

34- treinta y cuatro

35 – treinta y cinco

36 – treinta y seis

37 – treinta y siete

38 – treinta y ocho

39 – treinta y nueve

40 – cuarenta

50 – cincuenta

60 – sesenta

Book is a libro, map is a mapa

And a puerta is a door.

Table is mesa, scissors—tijeras,

And eraser—borrador

Chalkboard—pizarra,

Ruler is regla,

And a silla is a chair

Pen is a pluma,

Notebook—cuaderno,

Calendario—calendar

A globe is globo,

Papel is paper,

And a clock is un reloj,

Pencil is lápiz,

Ventana, window,

Desk is escritorio

Days of the week in Spanish

In Spanish, days of the week are not generally capitalized, and Monday is usually considered the first day of the week.

Monday—lunes

Tuesday—martes

Wednesday—miércoles

Thursday—jueves

Friday—viernes

Saturday—sábado

Sunday—domingo

To express doing an activity on a day of the week, we use the definite articles <<el>> and <<los>> to say “on”.  If it only happens once, use <<el>>.  If it happens every week, use <<los>>.  Examples: Voy a una fiesta el viernes. (I’m going to a party on Friday).  Vamos a la casa de mis abuelos los domingos. (We go to my grandparents’ house on Sundays).

Los meses

enero - January

febrero – February

marzo - March

abril - April

mayo - May

junio - June

julio - July

agosto - August

septiembre - September

octubre - October

noviembre - November

diciembre - December

They have also learned several prayers in Spanish, and we are learning the Apostles' Creed, as well.  

For the quiz, each student will get three questions.  Some examples of the types of questions are: "Name three things that you use in school each day." "What month were you born in?" "¿Qué día es hoy?" "¿Cómo te llamas?" "¿Cuántos años tienes?"  They will be graded on pronunciation, fluency, correctness of the response and, if the question is in Spanish, on comprehension.  They have done a fabulous job with this material in class, and I am confident that they will be just as successful on their quiz.  ¡Buena suerte! :) 

Oral Quizzes--Tips for Success

The most disappointing thing to hear in my college classes is that students have already studied Spanish for years, but couldn't speak it if their lives depended on it.  What a waste of their time! Along with speaking Spanish regularly in our classroom, we also assess our students' speaking proficiency with oral quizzes and oral sections on every chapter exam.

It doesn't have to be scary.  Honest.  There are simple things that you can do to make sure that you do well:

1. Slow down and breathe.  When you get nervous, you naturally start to speak faster.  Your perception of time becomes distorted, and you feel as though you are taking longer than you really are.  Stop and take a deep breath.  Think through your answer, and say it clearly without rushing.

2. Stick with what you know.  It is tempting to want to use words and expressions that you haven't learned yet.  I am testing you for the things we have covered, not material that you haven't seen yet.  Even if it doesn't include all of the details you want to share, use the vocabulary and grammar that we have been going over in class.

3. If you get stuck, say it another way.  Everyone has moments where the word is on the tip of your tongues and you can't find it.  Nearly always, there is a different way to communicate the same idea or elicit the same information.  If you are talking about the near future and can't remember how to use ir + a + infinitive, just use the present tense.  If you can't remember a vocabulary word, think of a more general term.

4. If you make a mistake, fix it and go on.  Regardless of the language, most of us can think of times we wished we could take back a word as soon as it left our lips.  You can.  If you realize that you meant to use a different word, let me know.  If you correct yourself, I won't have to.  However, don't get caught second-guessing yourself.  Unless you are sure, just keep going.  You may have been right to begin with, or I might not notice a mistake if you keep talking and the rest of what you say is right.  :)

5. Practice, practice, practice.  The more you speak, the more comfortable you will be.  Get used to hearing native speakers, and your pronunciation skills will improve.  Use Spanish every chance you get, and it will show in your confidence and skill!

Love Notes and Scavenger Hunts

One of my favorite things about our school is the sense of community and the way that students from different grades look out for each other.  It doesn't always work out that our Spanish concepts match up, but this week my 6th grade students are learning estar with prepositions, and the 7th graders are reviewing estar as they work on the differences between the verbs ser and estar.

This morning, my 6th graders left a surprise for the 7th grade class.  They took sticky notes and wrote sentences in Spanish using estar and the prepositions to express where the note would be, and then stuck it around the room. So it might read something like, "El papel está debajo del escritorio." Or, "El papel está al lado del reloj."

 

Our 7th grade class will go on a little note hunt, sort of like an easter-egg hunt, to see how many they can find, and will then read them to the class. :)

We have been a bit note-card happy lately, in more ways than one.  As a way to build our friendships, we have been taking note cards and each class period everyone writes a card for our student of the day.  They may mention things that they like or admire, or a word, they can draw a picture or write a favorite memory--just something to build up their friends.  I read through all of them (easily one of the best parts of my day!) and then give them to the student to keep.  The deep thoughtfulness that goes into some of these cards amazes me, and the look on the students' faces as they read through their cards is priceless.  Often siblings will keep track of when it will be their brother or sister's turn, and ask if they can slip a card in.  It is absolutely precious.  Looking for sticky notes is a fun way to practice Spanish, but looking for the best in each other is even better.

First Exam - 5th Grade

¡Hola!  Our fifth grade class will be taking their first exam next week, and I know that it can be a bit nerve-wracking to prepare for the first test.  To help reduce any fears, I wanted to give a breakdown of what will be on the test and what they need to study:

Our goals for the capítulo preliminar are that the students will have successfully learned to:

• Greet people and say goodbye
• Introduce themselves and others
• Ask and say how to spell names
• Say where they are from
• Exchange phone numbers
• Say what day of the week it is
• Describe the weather
• Respond to classroom instructions

The exam will test all four skills ~ listening comprehension, reading, writing and speaking.  There will be a listening section at the beginning of the exam with our audio program.  I will play through it twice. Next is a vocabulary section where students will be writing sentences, completing a cloze passage (filling in the blanks of a dialogue), choosing expressions that fit a situation, describing weather, and giving class instructions.  There is a true/false and short answer reading section. That is followed by a speaking section.  For the speaking part of the exam, students will go out in the hall individually and respond to basic questions in Spanish. Finally, there is a writing section of five sentences based on prompts. 

As you can see, the exam is very thorough.  We usually break up the exams into sections over two class periods so that the students will not be rushed. 

In order to be prepared for the exam, it is important that the students know their vocabulary list well, and that they are able to spell the words correctly.  Accent marks do count.  

We have covered quite a bit of ground with this first unit.  I always want to remind the students that even the best designed tests can only show aspects of what they have learned.  If they study and miss something, they have not failed: it has just shown us both an area where they need more practice.  We have had several quizzes at this point, and I feel confident that they will be able to do well on this test. I hope that as they realize how much they are able to communicate, that they will be proud of the effort that they have put into the course and excited about their progress.  As always, feel free to email me at any time!

¡Buena suerte! 

7th Grade Improv

This group of 7th graders is, without doubt, one of the most talented group of kids that I have ever had the privilege to teach!  And their improvisational skills are downright amazing.  One of the things that I have implemented this year is conversation cue cards that are passed out to each student at the beginning of class.  The students then take turns coming to the front of the class and speaking in Spanish on the theme they were given.  That is much harder than it sounds!  I have been so impressed by their courage and by their proficiency.

As if extemporaneous speaking in Spanish weren't enough, they have been practicing their singing and songwriting skills by composing their own songs for irregular verbs and performing them in front of the class!  Sadly, my videography skills are not nearly as good as their performances, and I can't post the videos of their compositions, but it has been incredibly entertaining to watch them sing and dance.

Finally, we have been practicing our own version of DEAR (Drop Everything And Read).  Once a week, all of our middle school students take about 10 minutes to read in Spanish.  We practice gisting--getting the gist of what is going on, even without knowing every single word--but we also stop every now and then to find a key word and put it on a sticky note for our door.  It is fun to read the notes and guess which book a particular word came from (Clifford, el gran perro colorado is one favorite). What is even better is seeing how all of this translates into proficiency in real life and higher test scores!

De colores and Caring for Beauty

I just wanted to share a quick note about a conversation in our classes yesterday.  One of the things that we are incorporating this year is becoming familiar with traditional songs in Spanish.  We listened to "De colores," a well-known song that talks about love and the beauty of nature, and discussed the lyrics.  I was amazed by the insightful comments!



The students talked about the way that the colors God uses to paint creation make it beautiful and exciting.  They make us feel happy!  From there, the conversation went to our responsibility to care for creation and keep it beautiful.  Instead of being selfish, we need to think of what is best for everyone.

What happened next surprised and delighted me.
The students made the connection that just as God has made creation lovely and we should take care of it, each person who is created in the image of God is also beautiful, and we have a responsibility to help nurture and protect that beauty in the way that we treat each other.  

What gorgeous hearts these children have!

Bienvenidos ~ Confidence, Love and Mercy

¡Hola y bienvenidos al nuevo año escolar!  Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year!  I am so, so excited about the opportunity to help the students at All Saints to succeed in Spanish.

In preparation for this year, there have been two themes that are directing some of our goals.  The first is our school theme, "Be merciful, as your Father is merciful," ~ Mt. 6:36.

The second theme is closely tied to that, and is a quote from my saint, Don Bosco. "Without confidence and love, there can be no true education."

This applies in so many ways.  I want our class to be a place of safety and joy, so that our students are confident that they are loved.  This will happen as we learn together to show mercy to all--teachers to students, students to each other, and parents and students to teachers ;).

We will be speaking a lot of Spanish this year, and that requires courage, willingness to make mistakes, and showing mercy to ourselves and our classmates.  It is hard to speak up in any language, let alone one that you are just learning.  As they see their skills grow, I hope that their confidence in their ability and their delight in Spanish will increase, as well.

I want our students to grow in confidence and love for themselves, for others, and most of all, their trust and love for their heavenly Father.  If they do, their education will truly be worth learning.

Passing it On

One of the best things about All Saints is the way that older students and younger ones interact together frequently.  Nearly every day, I see pre-K, kindergarten or first graders hugging or high-fiving our middle schoolers, and often they pair up with buddies for special activities.  This was reflected in the final project for my 8th grade class.  They decided to make Spanish videos for the younger students here, especially the 5th graders.

This 8th grade class amazes me with their initiative and maturity.  They came up with everything on their own--designed their own themes, wrote their own scripts, did all of their own filming and editing.  And they did it in less than a week! This was their project from start to finish, and it turned into a remarkable gift for our younger students.   Although I cannot share all of the videos for privacy reasons (some included last names), they were so much fun.  And the looks on the faces of several of the younger siblings who saw their brothers and sisters in the videos were absolutely priceless!  The 2015 class set the bar very high for our younger students, not just academically, but in every way.  But I believe the upcoming classes are ready to follow in the steps of this class, and the example from the 8th grade class will inspire and encourage them in the coming year.

  

Happy Spring!

Spring is a busy time of year!  As we are heading into the last few weeks of school, the students are still working hard.  Our 8th graders took a Spanish Placement Exam for a local high school with an outstanding Spanish program this week.  Several did very well on the Spanish III exam, and most of them performed excellently on the Spanish II test.  It is always interesting to see how students do on tests outside of our own program, because the approach and material can be quite different.  I hope that the 8th graders are very proud of their achievements, and I am confident that they will continue to succeed in Spanish at any school they attend.

For a final project, the 8th grade students are designing Spanish videos to help out the 5th grade students as they strive to master verb conjugation and Spanish vocabulary.  I am so excited about seeing these videos.  To make it even better, many of the 8th graders have younger siblings in the 5th grade class!  I know that they will enjoying seeing what their older brothers and sisters pass on to their class.

During the NCEA conference that I attended, one of my favorite workshops featured learning games, and I have had so much fun adapting them for my classes here.  We have taken advantage of the gorgeous weather to take "Frederico" (the students' name for the beach ball--not sure where they got that) outside and practice.

Depending on the class, we have several variations.  For some, the color that their right thumb lands on when they catch the ball determines the type of word.  Other simply practice verb conjugations by using one in a sentence and sharing what it means.  Some use it for vocabulary practice.  The one constant is that we stay focused on Spanish while having a lot of fun!

National Spanish Exam Results

All Saints participated in the National Spanish Exam this year for the very first time, and the results were announced this morning.  A HUGE congratulations to Meagan K, winner of the Premio de Plata (Silver Medal), Hallie H. and Sarah W., winners of the Premio de Bronce (Bronze Medal) and to Freddie B., Bri M., Sam S., and Jericho D., for Mención Honorífica (Honorable Mention)!

I would like to specially recognize Hallie for scoring in the 98th percentile on the grammar section of the exam.  That is the 98th percentile out of about 100,000 students who took the exam!  Because of having had Spanish twice a week in elementary grades, our students were placed in the Outside Experience category, but nearly all of the students who participated in the exam would have qualified for an Honorable Mention in the Regular category, and Sam, Bri and Jericho would all have received medals, as well.  That is a wonderful achievement for any student, and particularly for middle school students who are competing against high school students!  As always, I am so impressed by the diligence and hard work that our students demonstrate.  It is truly an honor to be their teacher.

Hora de leer

We are celebrating our library/book fair week, and having so much fun!  One of the best parts is DEAR--Drop Everything And Read.  This afternoon my fourth graders were in the middle of class when we had to DEAR.  To my delight, several chose books in Spanish!  Although they are not yet at the level of fluency to read entire books in Spanish, we have several bilingual books that they can use to check comprehension, and if it is a translation of a story they already know in English they can often use that knowledge to help them understand new words.  I am especially grateful to our book fair volunteers who help make sure that we have Spanish titles available, to the generous parents and students who have donated for our class, and to Mrs. Scalet and others who have been so gracious to make sure that our students have so many resources in Spanish.  <3  

Ariana and Emileigh keep saying, "¡Qué chulo!" at the cute puppies.

Sam found a cozy nook to hide out in.

Austin is absorbed in his book.

The Wimpy Kids books are favorites in both languages.

Spanish Prayers

One of my favorite things about All Saints is that it is truly a Catholic school.   Although we are always in the presence of God, we deliberately take time throughout the school day to turn our hearts and attention to Him.  Not only do our children learn the prayers in English, but even before they come into third grade Spanish, they have learned many prayers in Spanish, too.

Why does this matter?  Well, in terms of faith. I believe that this opens our hearts and creates a beautiful rhythm to our days, bringing peace and virtue.  But even if you are not a Catholic family, I think that there are some wonderful blessings from a Spanish language standpoint to this practice.

First, it introduces vocabulary and grammar structures in an authentic way.  In particular, the students see and hear Spanish outside of a textbook.  There are new words, and patterns of words, that enrich their vocabulary.  Always, always, we find examples of the grammar concepts that we are reviewing, from adjectives to past participles to irregular verbs.

Additionally, it allows the students to see the progression and evolution of language, noting older examples of Spanish in some prayers, and how others have been slightly modernized.

One of the biggest pitfalls for elementary Spanish classes is that so often students hear isolated nouns instead of rich, flowing sentences.  As we practice the prayers and creeds in Spanish, our students experience the fluency of complete and complex thoughts being expressed in beautiful words.  They become accustomed to intonation patterns and internalize correct pronunciation.  

I want the prayers to be a source of peace for our students, not anxiety.  For the most part, they do not learn them as a test or assignment.  It is simply how we open our class.  Even our third graders have mostly memorized the Apostles' Creed in Spanish this way!

The following are some of the prayers we have learned:

The Sign of the Cross
Our Father
Mary, Queen of All Saints
Hail Mary
The Angelus
The Apostles' Creed

Although not all of the students know all of these yet, most of them are very familiar with these prayers and can easily pray along with the class.  As we talk about the meanings of each of the words, we find that we are truly learning them by heart.  It is not vain repetition, but more like breathing:  a regular and life-giving part of our day.

Round Up

We have had quite a time in Spanish the last few weeks!  There is so much going on this time of year with field trips, testing, (and unfortunately sickness), but we have been busy in Spanish.  The 7th and 8th graders participated in the National Spanish Exam.  I am so impressed by the effort that they have put into studying this year.  We will not have the official results of the NSE until May, but I expect some great scores.

Our 6th graders have been learning about e to ie stem-changing verbs.  These are a special group of irregular verbs in the present tense that follow a pattern of spelling changes.  They made boot posters to remember which conjugations show the stem-change (the ones inside the boot) and which ones follow the normal pattern (those outside the boot).  

Our 5th graders are learning about telling time this week.  Recently we finished a section on adjective agreement and they each wrote down the qualities that they admired in their classmates.  I am still working on getting all of those printed up and laminated, but reading all of the kind things that they expressed about each other made my whole day better.  

The 3rd and 4th grade students have been going over animal vocabulary.  I love it that they aren't content to learn the basics like cat, dog, bird.  We went over everything from anteaters to opossums to zebras!  As we continue this week, they are making masks of an animal, and will come to the front of the class, identify their animal in Spanish, and talk about care for creation and how we can help to care for animals and our environment. 

That is just a quick round up of some of the things we have been up to.   The school year is flying by, but I am so pleased by the things our students are learning, and so impressed by the people that they are becoming.

Fashion Week--3M

We have been continuing our practice with adjective agreement, the articles and the clothing vocabulary.  This week our third and fourth graders did a desfile de moda (fashion show) for us.  While we normally have some great-looking uniforms, it does tend to limit the variety for a fashion show.  Today several of our kids were wearing the Jump Rope for Heart styles.  I think they are all an incredibly cute group of kids!