What is happening in the Spanish Class in November.

¡Hola!


I can’t believe it is November already! The children at OWS are doing a great job learning Spanish. I am amazed by how well the Kindergarteners through Fifth Graders are connecting with the language. Thank you for having such wonderful children!

The Kindergarten Class will be talking about the feelings this month, such as: estoy feliz (I am happy), estoy triste (I am sad), estoy enojado/a (I am angry), and estoy asustado/a (I am scared). We will also be learning vocabulary words related to autumn and Thanksgiving in November. We continue to sing songs to help learn vocabulary. One very exciting activity we have been participating in is visiting the Vista Spanish Department. The Seventh Grade students have been kind enough to interact with the Kindergartners by reading to them and reviewing vocabulary. The visits have been fun for both ages of students. I am looking forward to continuing the adventure of introducing the new language to the Kindergartners.

The First Graders have been reviewing the numbers, the days of the week, the weather, how to introduce themselves, and greeting each other. This month we will be learning autumn-related vocabulary and what they like and do not like to eat. Here are the basic phrases you can practice with them: Me gusta comer ______ (I like to eat _____); No me gusta comer _____ (I don’t like to eat ____); filling in the blanks with words such as: vegetales (vegetables), frutas (fruit), pollo (chicken), carne (meat), leche (milk), agua (water), jugo (juice), pan bread), etc.

The Second Graders are excited to have their own binders in Spanish, for storing their assignments. They are starting a new book, ¡Viva El Español! System A. We have been spending time reviewing vocabulary in Spanish. This month, we will be learning the numbers 11 through 30, learning the shapes, and practicing vocabulary related to autumn and Thanksgiving. They will be asking each other, “¿Qué figura es?” (What shape is it?) and “¿Qué numero es?” (What number is it?).

The Third Graders have been spending time with the new book, ¡Viva El Español! System C, reviewing most of the vocabulary learned last year. I am very impressed by how well they remember the vocabulary. I am also pleased to see the Third Graders turning in their Spanish homework every Thursday and Friday. Thank you parents for helping to make this happen! This month we will be focusing on learning activities related to: “¿Qué hay en nuestra casa?” (What is in your house?).

The Fourth Graders have just completed the first unit in the new book they will be using this year, ¡Viva El Español! Hola. They are doing an amazing job of turning in their homework every Friday. ¡Gracias! We are starting a new unit covering the animals from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Spain. The Fourth Graders will be able to describe the animals by using size, colors, physical characteristics, and where they are from. Each student will develop a project where they will select a specific animal to describe. I will send home instructions soon on how they will be expected to present this project next month.

The Fifth Graders are responding well to the new Spanish text book, ¡Expresate! We have completed Chapter 1, which was mainly a review of the greetings, introducing themselves, numbers, the alphabet, and telling time. They have also been learning grammar with a video guide that makes the lessons easy to understand. We are now starting Chapter 2, which will focus on “all about you.” The Fifth Graders will be able to talk about themselves, their likes and dislikes, favorite sports, favorite pastimes, and foods. The students have been doing an excellent job of turning in their homework every Thursday; keep up the good work!

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me in person, by phone, or by email. I am looking forward to continuing a great year with all of the students at OWS in Spanish!

Mary Brodahl (Spanish Specialist)

(425) 747-2911, Ext 212
mariab@ows.org

The Day of the Dead! (El DIa De Los Muertos)

What is happening in Spanish Class In October?


This month in the Spanish room, we will be talking about the holiday celebrated in Mexico October 31st through November 2nd called, “El Dia de los Muertos,” which translates as, “The Day of the Dead.” The celebration might sound morbid, but it is not observed in that Spirit. It is a festive and joyous celebration that demonstrates a strong sense of love for cherished ones who have passed away, and at the same time, celebrates the continuance of important family relationships. The students will participate in different types of activities to experience some elements of the celebration including making papel picado (tissue paper decorations), paper skeletons, interpretive drawings, paper flowers (marigolds) and decorating sugar skulls. They will also be learning related vocabulary.

I encourage you and your OWS child to learn more about this interesting cultural celebration. Have a great time!

Gracias,

Mary Brodahl

Spanish Specialist

mariab@ows.org

Welcome Back to the Spanish CLass!

¡Hola y bienvenidos a la Clase de Español! Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year! I am very excited to be teaching Kindergarten through Fifth Grade here in my sixth year at OWS and to be part of the language learning experience as it continues forward.


To our new students at OWS, last week I sent out a Spanish handout containing simple phrases, vocabulary review, and activities to practice at home.

In the month of September the students will be reviewing materials from last year to refresh and re-connect with the Spanish language. They will continue building new vocabulary and phrases throughout the year, and working on becoming more fluent in conversational Spanish.

This year Kindergarten through Second Grade will be taking home a list of words and simple phrases each month to practice and reinforce their new Spanish skills. I encourage you to practice these lists with your child, and in listening to them practice, you might pick up some Spanish as well. I would highly recommend this year that the Third, Fourth and Fifth Graders have a Spanish / English Dictionary at home for reference to build more strength in the language and to help with the assignments that will be provided this year. Some good publishers of Spanish / English dictionaries include Larousse, Oxford and Webster. Also, with parent permission, students can use an internet search engine to look up Spanish translation to help with the homework.

We will also be learning about various cultures and countries that speak Spanish through art projects, stories, videos, and more. If you are interested in giving a presentation to the students relating to the Spanish language and culture that will enhance the learning experience, please let me know.

Please feel free to contact me at any time if you would like more information about our class or other resources to supplement the classroom curriculum.

I look forward to a very exciting year of Spanish with the students of OWS!

Gracias,

Mary Brodahl, Spanish Specialist
mariab@ows.org

March News From The Spanish Class!

La Clase de Kindergarten

What are the Kindergarteners learning in Spanish? Last month we learned Valentine words such as I love you (te amo), friends (amigos), cards (tarjetas), and Happy Valentine’s Day (Feliz Dia de San Valentin). We also reviewed phrases such as the following: Tengo frio (I am cold), Tengo calor (I am hot), Tengo hambre (I am hungry), etc. The Kindergarteners are doing an amazing job learning the Spanish alphabet with song and games. The following link is to a website where you can listen to the Spanish alphabet song with your child: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUcu9PUh9_A This month, they will also learn: ¿Qué te gusta comer? (What do you like to eat?). They will answer by using the phrases: I like… (Me gusta…) or I don’t like (No me gusta...).

La Clase de Primer Grado (First Grade)

What are the First Graders learning in Spanish? Last month, the students wrote sentences in Spanish about Valentine’s Day and learned vocabulary words relating to February. We also reviewed the alphabet and they practiced spelling their own names in Spanish. This month, we will continue to learn more about what their favorite foods are by asking the question, “¿Qué te gusta comer?” (What do you like to eat?). They will make a list of their favorite and their least favorite foods, and learn phrases such as: Me gusta comer (I like to eat) and No me gusta comer (I don’t like to eat). They will also be learning new vocabulary for March words. A vocabulary list should be coming home soon with your student.

La Clase de Segundo Grado (Second Grade)

In February, the Second Graders learned to tell how they feel and ask others how they feel, by using the phrases: Tengo (I am), Tengo frio (I am cold), Tengo calor (I am hot), Tengo miedo (I am scared), etc. We also wrote a list of Valentine’s Day vocabulary in Spanish. This month they will learn to recognize more numbers by working with the calendar and dates. They will also be learning family members and describing the family using: ¿Como es tu mama? (How is your mother?) and similar phrases for other family members.

La Clase de Tercer Grado (Third Grade)

Last month, the Third Graders reviewed more numbers by subtracting and adding the numbers in Spanish. We also started lessons about foods including the fruits, basic meals, and telling when we eat desayuno (breakfast), almuerzo (lunch), and cena (dinner). This month, the Third Graders will be creating a miniature mercado (open market) by making their favorite foods using Migajon. Migajon originates from Ecuador and is made by mixing together white bread and glue, which functions similar to clay. If you would like to visit the Spanish room to see the Third Graders’ miniature mercados, feel free to stop by.

La Clase de Cuarto Grado (Fourth Grade)

Last month, the Fourth Grade classes continued practicing the following questions: ¿A dónde vas? (Where are you going?), and ¿Cuando vas a la…? (When do you go to the…?), using their weekly class schedules. A related activity included the students walking around in the classroom asking each other similar types of questions. This month they will be practicing the question, “¿Que vas hacer?” (What are you going to do?), by using singular subjects and regular verbs. Examples of other phrases the students will learn include the following: Voy a pintar (I’m going to paint), and Voy a estudiar (I’m going to study), etc. We will also be talking about the culture, geography and the rain forests of Costa Rica and prepare Gallo Pinto in class.

La Clase de Quinto Grado (Fifth Grade)

The Fifth Graders have been continuing to ask what someone is like (¿Cómo eres?) and describing people (¿Cómo es?). They are able to ask about ages and birthdays: ¿Cuantos años tienes? (How old are you?) and ¿Cuando es tu cumpleaños? (When is your birthday?). They will also talk about what others like and dislike: ¿Qué te gusta? (What do you like?), and ¿Qué no te gusta? (What don’t you like?). This month they will have an assessment covering Chapter Two. We have been reviewing materials relating to the chapter test together. We will be starting Chapter Three, where we will be talking about what kind of sports they are interested in, and places they like to go. The Fifth Graders will also learn about regular verbs. Please remind your Fifth Grade children to turn in Spanish homework on Fridays.

Conference Visits!

Hola a todos,
Febrero was sure a short mes. March conferences for OWS will be on the 18th and 19th. I do not plan to schedule specific conference times. If you would like to see how your child is doing in Spanish this year, please feel free to stop by before or after the conference for your child’s homeroom and we can meet to discuss your child’s progress in Spanish class.

January News from the Spanish Class!

La Clase de Kindergarten
What are the kindergarteners learning this month in Spanish?
We are learning the months of the year with a Spanish song, followed by the seasons. We will also be learning to say phrases such as the following: Tengo frio (I am cold), Tengo calor (I am hot), Tengo hambre (I am hungry), Tengo sueño (I am sleepy), Tengo miedo (I am scared), etc.

La Clase de Primer Grado
What are the First Graders learning in Spanish?
The students are reviewing the parts of the human body along with the parts of the penguin’s body for comparison. We are also going to practice action verbs that humans perform in addition to those that penguins can do to. For example, Yo camino (I walk),El pinguino camina (A penguin walks), etc.

La Clase de Segundo Grado
This month the Second Graders will learn the animals and learn how to describe their favorite animals. They will be using adjectives to describe the animals. They will learn how to ask questions such as: ¿Como es? (What is it like?) and ¿Qué color es? (What color is it?). They will also practice the numbers during an activity that involves catching a beach ball containing numbers.

La Clase de Tercer Grado
This month the Third Graders will be reviewing vocabulary related to the months of the year and identifying different sporting activities such as the following: I am going to ski (Voy a esquiar), I am going to skate (Voy a patinar), I am going to fish (Voy a pescar). They will also review and identify the seasons.

La Clase de Cuarto Grado
This month the Fourth Grade classes are practicing questions such as the following: ¿A dónde vas? (Where are you going?), ¿Cuando vas a la…? (When do you go to the..?), using their weekly class schedules. A related activity includes the students walking around in the classroom asking each other similar types of questions.

La Clase de Quinto Grado
This month the Fifth Graders will learn to ask what someone is like, (¿Cómo eres?) and describe someone (¿Cómo es?) They will ask about ages and birthdays: ¿Cuantos años tienes? (How old are you?) ¿Cuando es tu cumpleaños? (When is your birthday?) They will also talk about what others like and dislike ¿Qué te gusta? (What do you like?) ¿Qué no te gusta? (What don’t you like?).