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.