Monday, September 12, 2011

¡Hola y bienvenidos a la Clase de Español! Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year!

I am very extremely excited to be teaching Kindergarten through Fourth Grade this year. It is my seventh year teaching at OWS and I am delighted to be part of the language learning experience for your children and look forward to helping them on their journey to becoming masters of the Spanish language.


This month, 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 while consistently working on becoming more fluent in conversational Spanish.

Kindergarten through 2nd Grade

Kindergarten through Second Grade students will be taking home flashcards created in class with words and simple phrases each month to practice and reinforce their new Spanish skills. I encourage you to practice these flashcards regularly with your child. You may even find yourself learning some Spanish in the process! 

3rd and 4th Grade

I highly recommend Third and Fourth Graders have access to a Spanish / English Dictionary at home during the school year. This will help them build more strength in the language as well as serve as a resource tool for completing class assignments. Some good publishers of Spanish / English dictionaries include Larousse, Oxford and Webster. Additionally, with parent’s permission, I allow students (on a limited basis only) to use an internet search engine to look up Spanish translations to help with homework when necessary.

New OWS Students

To our new students at OWS, I will be sending out a Spanish handout containing simple phrases, vocabulary review, and activities to practice at home. Be sure to check your children’s backpacks for this information.

Latin Countries & Culture Study

This year we will also be learning about various cultures and Spanish-speaking countries through art projects, stories, videos, and more. I highly encourage parent involvement in the classroom for this segment of the student’s learning! And…if you have first-hand knowledge of a country we are studying, I’d welcome the opportunity for you to come in and share your experience. The country we are embracing this month is SPAIN!

How to Reach Me & Communication


I have an open door policy when it comes to communication so please feel free to contact me at any time. I am always available to speak with you about your student individually, provide more information about our class, and offer other resources to supplement the classroom curriculum if desired. To keep you apprised of what is happening in our Spanish class, I’ll also send out monthly newsletter blogs.

Thanks so much in advance for being so supportive of your children as we embark on a journey together. I look forward to a very exciting year with the students of OWS!

Gracias,

Mary Brodahl, Spanish Specialist

mariab@ows.org

(425) 747-2911 ext. 212