¿Qué Pasa en la Clase de Español?

One of the latest projects was to create a mini-newscast in Spanish. After an announcer introduced himself and the program with the day and the date, a weather forecaster provided a weather report. The telecast ended with a commercial. As you can see from the above slide show, some of the students transformed into some interesting characters. Others made some excellent graphics to enhance their presentations. Enjoy the show!

¡GRACIAS, GRACIAS, GRACIAS!

Special thanks to the 6th grade classes who contributed items for the "Care Boxes" to be mailed to those serving in the military. You were a great help to the 7th graders by participating in their 2nd quarter leadership project. Thank you also to the 6th and 7th graders who created many wonderful holiday cards to include in the "Care Boxes." I am sure many will be inspired and touched by your good wishes. ¡Buen trabajo, clases!

New Vocabulary - Family Members

This week students will be introduced to vocabulary to describe family members in Spanish. Just in case you want to use this information on your final project (due Friday), I am posting the words early. See Files for a complete list.

Salsa Club Meeting - Wednesday - December 17th

Calling all Salseros! Our next Salsa Club meets on Wednesday. Don't forget to bring something to drink and please remind parents that you must be picked up by 4:00 p.m. in front of the school on Thacker Ave.

Final Project - Introduction to Spanish

Our course is coming to a close, and students were given a handout today with instructions on how to complete a final project for "Introduction to Spanish." See Files for a copy of the handout. Projects must be turned in by Friday, December 19th. This project counts as a test grade (100 points). After the holidays, students will also take a final exam on Wednesday, January 7th.

New Vocabulary! - Activities

Students were introduced to a new list of vocabulary describing different activities. See Files for a complete list. Tonight they are writing sentences describing 3 things they like to do and 3 things they don't like to do. We will be working with this new vocabulary in class, but they should review the words nightly in preparation for a quiz on Friday.

Quiz on Friday

Students will be tested on telling time in Spanish on Friday. It would be a good idea to review numbers from 1-59, including how to spell the numbers. We have two more days to practice so be sure to ask questions in class.

What time is it?

Time for some new vocabulary!!! Today students learned how to tell time in Spanish and practiced with some workbook exercises (11A,B,C). For homework, students should divide a piece of paper into 4 parts and make a clock or watch with the time of their choice on each. Then they should write how to say the time in Spanish on the back. For extra help, see the vocabulary/notes files.

Salsa Club Meets Wednesday

Don't forget that our next Salsa Club meeting will be on Wednesday, December 3rd from 2:45 to 4:00. Practice those basic steps and be ready to move!!!

We're Talking About Weather

Students learned new vocabulary today to describe the weather. See the files for a complete list. We'll work with these phrases next week, so students should be ready for a quiz on Wednesday, November 19th.

Sooooooooo Proud!!!

I just have to send a special message to all of my first period 6th grade Spanish students. You all made me so proud last Friday when Dr. Davis, Duval County Supervisor for Foreign Languages, visited our class. I couldn't have asked for better participation and cooperation. ¡Buen trabajo, clase!

Salsa Club Meets on Wednesday - 11/12/08

Be sure to bring your comfortable dancing shoes and something to drink. We'll be meeting in Mr. Beckstrom's Music Room. If anyone has any Salsa music you'd love to dance to, bring it along!

Quiz Time Again!

Time to start studying for a quiz on the animals vocabulary. This will be a 20 point quiz where you match Spanish to English. The quiz is on Friday - November 7th - but don't wait til the last minute to study!!! See files for a list of the words.

New Vocabulary - Los Animales

Today students were introduced to names for 24 different animals in Spanish. Please consult the files for the study list. Due to the shortened class period to adjust for the in-school football game, students are bringing home their workbooks to complete p. 15 & 16 (Rev. Ex. B, Ex. 9A, 9B, 9C) for homework. This folder also contains many of their test papers and class work, so it would be a great opportunity for you to take a look at what they've been doing in class. Students, don't forget to bring a picture of one of the animals on the list to class on Tuesday.

Get Ready for Quiz on Thursday!

¡Atención! There will be a quiz on Thursday over numbers 0-100 and calendar words. You will not be asked to spell any of the words, but you should be able to identify them in matching and be able to translate dates and numbers. Today students practiced calendar words by completing a worksheet. If not finished in class, it should be completed for homework.

New Vocabulary - Calendar Words

¡Hola! Students took lots of notes today to learn vocabulary to describe days of the week and months of the year. See files for a complete list. They also worked on 4 practice exercises out of the workbook (p. 13/14 - Ex. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D) and have time to complete those exercises at home tonight if they were not finished during class today.

I collected the Spanish ads today and looks like I got some really good ones. ¡Buen trabajo, clase!

Salsa Club Meets Wednesday - October 29th

Calling all Salseros! We're having our second Salsa Club meeting from 2:40 to 4:00 on Wednesday. Due to our large numbers, we will be moving to a new location. Please meet in Rm. 001 (Mr. Beckstrom's classroom/band room) in Building 3 and don't forget your dancin' shoes!!! Parents, thank you for being so cooperative last time about picking students up by 4:00 p.m. Pick-up will still be in front of the school on Thaxton.

CD Available to Help Practice Pronunciation

Still not quite getting the correct pronunciation for the words we're learning in class? I've created a CD with the proper pronunciation of words and phrases on our vocabulary lists. The CD uses native speakers and is based on the words lists in the "Realidades - Level 1" textbook used by Duval County for the Spanish 1 courses. You can also access these sound files by logging on to www.phschool.com and typing in the webcode "jcd-0099." Then scroll down to pick the list you would like to hear. You can download these files to make your own CD or even put them on your MP-3 player. So just sign out a copy of the CD or check out the website

Ad Project - Due Monday - October 27th

Students have been learning numbers and names of items found in a classroom, so with this assignment, they'll be putting all their new information together to create an ad in Spanish. The ad should include a picture of at least 10 objects being sold, the name of the item (spelled correctly) in Spanish and the price in pesos (using an exchange rate of 10 pesos = $1.00. They are welcome to enhance their ad with other phrases in Spanish like "Super Ganga!" (Big Bargain) or "Dos por Uno" (Two for One), but the objects for sale must be from our vocabulary lists. Ad should be ready to turn in on Monday - October 27th.

New Vocabulary

Students learned how to count by ten's in Spanish today, so combining what they have already learned with what we learned today, they should be able to count up to 199! For a list of the vocabulary, take a look at the files.

¡Viva el Club de Salsa!

Salsa Club had its first meeting after school on Wednesday, October 15th. Thirty-six students learned to "move it, move it" to the fast beat of some great salsa music. I was really impressed with how fast you all picked up the steps! Thank you, also, to the parents who were so prompt in picking up the students by 4:00 p.m. We're going to have a fantastic club this year. I can't wait for our next meeting on Wednesday, October 29th. In the meantime, keep practicing!

Salsa Club Starts Wednesday October 15th

Calling all Salseros! Don't forget to turn in your permission slip on Monday if you wish to participate in Salsa Club. If you misplaced your slip, look under files to print a new one. I'm really looking forward to our first club meeting! Remember to wear tennis shoes or shoes with a back strap. No flip flops allowed. You will also need some water or juice and a healthy snack like a granola bar or apple. Salsa dancing is VERY energetic, so I want you ready to sweat and "muévete"! Parents, be ready to pick up your student in front of the school on Thaxton St. at 4:00 p.m. Thanks for your cooperation! See you Wednesday!

9 Week Exam - Wednesday - Oct. 15th

Our "9 Week Exam" will be an oral exam. Each student will be taken aside and tested individually while the other students are engaged in another activity. This test covers material learned since the beginning of the school year and targets the student's ability to comprehend and speak Spanish in an interactive situation. Today we discussed some of the types of questions and situations that may come up on the test. Please consult the files for a list of typical commands and questions. It's important to review the alphabet and the vocabulary lists as well to prepare for the test.

New Notes/HW

Students were given notes today to help them create sentences with yesterday's new vocabulary. Please go to files and look for "Notes - Hay, No hay." For classwork/homework, they were also asked to create a picture of a "Clase Ideal" (an ideal classroom) and include items that are on their vocabulary lists. Items off the list should be labeled in Spanish. These will be used on Friday for a speaking exercise, so have them ready to go!

New Vocabulary List

Yesterday I introduced new vocabulary describing things found in a classroom. Please check out the files for a study list.

¡Vamos a Ecuador!

Today students took a closer look at the geography, life, and culture of the people of Ecuador. Just in case you missed the trip or would like to explore more cool places to visit, click on this great "travel for kids" website and select "Ecuador." ¡Buen Viaje!

Upcoming Quiz

Students have been busy learning new vocabulary. The next quiz will be on Tuesday, October 7th. This quiz will focus on colors and objects found in a classroom. Vocabulary should be listed in their notebooks, but lists are also available by clicking on files.

Parent and Student Alert

¡Hola! We've been working on numbers from 0-20 in Spanish. Students should be prepared for a quiz on Monday (September 22nd). Yes, spelling "counts"! Please see the files if you need a copy of the vocabulary list.

¡Vamos a México!

Let's Go to Mexico! We watched a DVD and got an an idea of places you could visit and what it was like to travel in Mexico....but maybe you'd like to learn a little more. Here is a great website designed just for kids. I highly recommend reading the myth about chocolate!

Parent and Student Alert

¡Hola! Just wanted to remind you that there is a vocabulary test on Thursday (September 11th). If you go to the files, you will find a list of the vocabulary that you can print and use to review. You can fold back one side and practice going from Spanish to English. Then fold back the other side and practice going from English to Spanish. Parents are welcome to learn, too! ¡Buena Suerte!

Classroom Update

*First of all, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed meeting so many parents at Open House. "Muchas gracias" for coming.
*Please feel free to check the "files" for a current list of vocabulary we are studying in class. Today students created and typed a short dialogue using phrases from the list.
*A map test identifying the countries where Spanish is spoken is also coming up on Thursday.

Especially for Parents

¡Hola! Just in case your son or daughter's response to "What did you do in Spanish class today?" is "...Nothing...," you might like to take a look at the "Curriculum Paper for 6th Grade" or the "Curriculum Paper for 7th Grade" to give you a better idea of class content and expectations. Another great option is to come to Open House on September 2nd. I'd love to have an opportunity to meet you and let you experience firsthand what your student's classroom is like.

Where in the World is Spanish Spoken?

Depending on the survey, Spanish is either the third or fourth most-spoken language in the world! Any idea what might be in the #1 and #2 spots? Most of the countries where Spanish is the official language are located in Central America and South America. Get to know where these countries are located and what are their capitals by doing some interactive "map puzzles." Just click on this link and select "Maps and Map Puzzles." Then select "Map Puzzles" from the tool bar at the top. ¡Buena Suerte!

All About Your Tour Guide

¡Bienvenidos! Me llamo Señora Dennis. Yo soy de Indiana en los Estados Unidos. Me gusta bailar, escuchar música, y tocar la guitarra. También, me gusta leer y ver películas interesantes. (Take a look at my profile in English and see if you can translate my message.)