Welcome back to Spanish!

¡Bienvenidos a la Clase de Español!  Welcome to the Spanish 2012-2013 school year!

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

This month, the students are 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.  The students will work with a paper puppet they created in class throughout the year.  This tool will help them build more confidence in speaking Spanish by making the puppet speak in a motivating and fun way.

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 that 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 homework 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.  There is also a free website for additional practice and reinforcement the students can use:  www.123teachme.com.  This year for the Third Graders, homework will be sent out in their weekly homework packet.  The Fourth Graders will also continue taking homework home once each week.

New OWS Students
For 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.  These packets are for students to use at home, and they do not need to be returned to class.

 

We will continue learning about Spanish and Latin American culture through art projects, stories, videos and more.  If you would like to share any experiences relating to Spanish or Latin American culture with the students, please let me know and we can discuss the arrangements.

 

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

 

I look forward to another exciting and successful year of Spanish with the students of OWS.

 

Thank you,

 Maria Brodahl, Spanish Specialist

mariab@ows.org