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.