Vocabulary Lists and Themes for 2nd Quarter
In the interest of saving paper I am going to be posting all of my vocabulary lists online. Please click on the link for your child's grade level and it should open the list in a new window through googledocs.
Kindergarten 2nd quarter
1st grade 2nd quarter
2nd grade 2nd quarter
3rd grade 2nd quarter
4th grade 2nd quarter
5th grade 2nd quarter
Please e-mail me if you are having trouble with any of these links. My e-mail address is michelle_melara@ccpsnet.net.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
El Día de los Muertos updates
As promised I am sharing pictures of what has been happening in Spanish class.
Here are some examples of Calaveras made by 4th graders:
Here are some examples of Ofrendas made by 5th graders:
And finally, I snapped some pictures of my wonderful fast working 1st graders reading board books in Spanish while waiting for their friends to finish their Oso's (bears) they made to show appropriate clothing for different weather situations. 
Here are some examples of Calaveras made by 4th graders:
Ofrendas are small tributes to pets, and loved ones who have passed away. This was a very meaningful project for many 5th graders.
5th graders have been extra busy as they have also written letters to their Harrowgate Pen Pals. Here are some pictures of a few of the letters:
Monday, October 10, 2011
In other news...
In addition to the Symbolic Migration project 3rd graders are also learning about the Ancient Civilizations of the Maya, the Azteca and the Incas. Students learned about how the Mayan people used symbols for writing and students created name plates in Mayan symbols. The Aztecas will be discussed in conjunction with Day of the Dead. Bright new decorations are coming to the Spanish classroom in honor of this Memorial Day type of holiday. Then we will discuss the Incas and their way of keeping records with quipus.
4th graders have finished reviewing their important phrases about themselves and asking questions and are now moving onto learning about the Day of the Dead. They will create some festive art for the Day of the Dead and will begin learning more about Mexico.
5th graders are finishing up a letter to a pen pal at Harrowgate Elementary. Samples to be posted soon. Since they have received so many postcards from all over the United States they are creating their own postcard to send to a pen-pal that will represent Grange Hall and they are using their Spanish vocabulary to tell about themselves. They are also practicing a new skill, they are learning to use the picture dictionaries in class to look up words they don't already know.
Kindergarteners are still coming to Spanish twice a week for 20-25 minutes each time. This has helped them learn the routine for Spanish class and to pick up the vocabulary so much faster than only coming once a week. They are doing great with counting, and colors and many of the songs we sing. They know how to respond to ¿Cómo estás? pretty well and are just being introduced to Muzzy and the characters from that program. The kids love Muzzy and it is a great resource for reviewing what is taught in the Spanish classroom.
2nd graders have reviewed schedules and resource classes. They are now beginning to learn all of the different areas of the school and will soon be making labels for the school in groups of two. Look for these labels when you are at Grange Hall in the next few weeks. Second graders work very hard to represent the different rooms in the school in their artwork.
1st graders are working on numbers and colors review and are learning about the school supplies we use most in the Spanish classroom. Last week they enjoyed completing an activity using Baby Bear Counters and are thrilled each time I allow them to sing the color song while holding the color bean bags.
4th graders have finished reviewing their important phrases about themselves and asking questions and are now moving onto learning about the Day of the Dead. They will create some festive art for the Day of the Dead and will begin learning more about Mexico.
5th graders are finishing up a letter to a pen pal at Harrowgate Elementary. Samples to be posted soon. Since they have received so many postcards from all over the United States they are creating their own postcard to send to a pen-pal that will represent Grange Hall and they are using their Spanish vocabulary to tell about themselves. They are also practicing a new skill, they are learning to use the picture dictionaries in class to look up words they don't already know.
Kindergarteners are still coming to Spanish twice a week for 20-25 minutes each time. This has helped them learn the routine for Spanish class and to pick up the vocabulary so much faster than only coming once a week. They are doing great with counting, and colors and many of the songs we sing. They know how to respond to ¿Cómo estás? pretty well and are just being introduced to Muzzy and the characters from that program. The kids love Muzzy and it is a great resource for reviewing what is taught in the Spanish classroom.
2nd graders have reviewed schedules and resource classes. They are now beginning to learn all of the different areas of the school and will soon be making labels for the school in groups of two. Look for these labels when you are at Grange Hall in the next few weeks. Second graders work very hard to represent the different rooms in the school in their artwork.
1st graders are working on numbers and colors review and are learning about the school supplies we use most in the Spanish classroom. Last week they enjoyed completing an activity using Baby Bear Counters and are thrilled each time I allow them to sing the color song while holding the color bean bags.
Las Mariposas have flown:
Third graders have completed their symbolic butterflies and we have sent them off to be cared for by our neighbors to the south in Michoacan, Mexico. Each student made their own individual butterfly and a puzzle piece to go on our class butterfly. Each student wrote a message of goodwill on their butterfly in Spanish. Here are the butterflies we sent:
Mrs. Hobbs' class:
Mrs. Sayegh's class:
Mrs. Tiba's class:
In the spring we should receive a small butterfly in return for each student that sent one and 4 large class size butterflies. This is the 3rd year that Grange Hall is participating in this wonderful activity and each year is slightly different. We all have something wonderful to look forward to in the spring.
For more information on this program, and to follow our school on the Symbolic Migration map please go to the following website: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/sm/index.html
Mrs. Hobbs' class:
Mrs. Marshall's class:
For more information on this program, and to follow our school on the Symbolic Migration map please go to the following website: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/sm/index.html
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Introductory Activities and Palabras Claves
To remind many of the students of the important phrases for getting along in the Spanish classroom my 3rd 4th and 5th graders participated in a scavenger hunt to find as many Palabras Claves or Key Words as they could around the classroom. This activity was a fun way to get back into the swing of things in Spanish. Returning students and new students alike will be expected to use these phrases in Spanish class.
Some of the phrases they need to use are:
May I go to the bathroom? ¿Puedo ir al baño?
I need a pencil. Necesito un lápiz.
I don't understand. No entiendo.
How do you say __? ¿Cómo se dice ___?
Please. Por favor.
Thank you. Gracias.
De nada. You're welcome.
And some phrases that they'll need to be able to understand are:
Everyone sit down. Siéntanse.
Everyone stand up. Levántense.
Write it. Escribe.
Draw it. Dibuja.
Touch it. Toca.
Show me it. Señala.
Soon we'll be moving on to the curriculum and regular Spanish class activities. For now it's fun getting back into the swing of things with fun games and activities. 4th and 5th graders have chosen their Hispanic name for Spanish class. Do you know your child's name?
Monday, August 22, 2011
Back to school means back to Spanish class
It's been a wonderful summer this year. The weather has been great for getting outside, playing in the water and in the gardens. I hope you and your children have spent plenty of time outside enjoying all Virginia has to offer. It's almost time to go back to school and start thinking about math, science, language arts, music, P.E., art, library and Spanish.
Ah...Spanish. Most children have not heard one Spanish word since June when they went home for the summer. Maybe they heard a little bit on TV through Dora or another television program and that's great. But when they get back to Spanish class and it's 100% Spanish all the time it might feel like they've forgotten all they had learned before. Please do not panic! They will catch on sooner than later. They might tell you they don't understand a thing I say and that I go too fast or don't tell them what I'm saying in English. Well, I won't tell them in English. Not even the new kids who haven't had Spanish ever before. I will go slowly and repeat myself and show them what I mean with gestures. I will review a lot of the basic vocabulary we need to get through the year. But I won't tell them what I mean in English. Why not? Well, let me show you some excerpts from an article written by Helena Curtain, author of Languages and Children, Making the Match.
As we focus on learners and what they need from their teachers during language classes, one of the most important elements is their need to access the new language through the language itself and not through English. Janice Erickson, ACTFL past president, compared using English to teach another language like teaching kids how to swim without water. We know from research in second-language acquisition that learners need to be surrounded with input that is meaningful and interesting in order to acquire a new language.
How Much Target Language Use is Appropriate?
We must provide this kind of input consistently, from the very beginning and for every class period. Many teachers speak exclusively in the target language; others recommend use of the new language 95 to 100 percent of the time. ACTFL in its position statement on this topic (http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4368 - targetlang) recommends that the target language be used a minimum of 90% of the time. It is especially important that the teacher use the new language for regular classroom tasks, such as giving directions and managing behavior because this demonstrates to the students that the new language is useful and works for all the business of the classroom.
Teacher as Culture Bearer
Language is the key to the culture. Even though not all teachers are native speakers, all teachers serve as culture bearers--the representatives of the culture in the classroom. When students have the feeling of being surrounded by the language, they also have the feeling of what it might be like to actually be in a place where this language is spoken. If we spend much of classroom time in English, we are actually denying students access to the language and the culture.
The rest of this article can be accessed here: http://nclrc.org/about_teaching/topics/feature.html#new but you'll need to scroll down to find this article.
I speak almost 100% Spanish from the beginning to establish the norms and expectations. I speak almost 100% Spanish so they can learn the language. I speak almost 100% Spanish so they can understand the culture and feel the culture. I don't measure on a daily basis if I speak 100% or 90% in each class. But I think my students will say it's a very high number. I know the amount of English I speak is very small. At the end of the school year 2011 a first grader who had been with me for 2 years by then was surprised when he overheard me speaking English to another child. He asked me "So...you speak Spanish AND English?" He never knew I could even speak English. That made me very happy. Please tell your children that if they continue to TRY to understand the Spanish, they will amaze themselves at how much they actually learn!
I am looking forward to another wonderful year of teaching Spanish to the great students of Grange Hall Elementary. I hope you and your children are looking forward to this school year as well.
Ah...Spanish. Most children have not heard one Spanish word since June when they went home for the summer. Maybe they heard a little bit on TV through Dora or another television program and that's great. But when they get back to Spanish class and it's 100% Spanish all the time it might feel like they've forgotten all they had learned before. Please do not panic! They will catch on sooner than later. They might tell you they don't understand a thing I say and that I go too fast or don't tell them what I'm saying in English. Well, I won't tell them in English. Not even the new kids who haven't had Spanish ever before. I will go slowly and repeat myself and show them what I mean with gestures. I will review a lot of the basic vocabulary we need to get through the year. But I won't tell them what I mean in English. Why not? Well, let me show you some excerpts from an article written by Helena Curtain, author of Languages and Children, Making the Match.
As we focus on learners and what they need from their teachers during language classes, one of the most important elements is their need to access the new language through the language itself and not through English. Janice Erickson, ACTFL past president, compared using English to teach another language like teaching kids how to swim without water. We know from research in second-language acquisition that learners need to be surrounded with input that is meaningful and interesting in order to acquire a new language.
How Much Target Language Use is Appropriate?
We must provide this kind of input consistently, from the very beginning and for every class period. Many teachers speak exclusively in the target language; others recommend use of the new language 95 to 100 percent of the time. ACTFL in its position statement on this topic (http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4368 - targetlang) recommends that the target language be used a minimum of 90% of the time. It is especially important that the teacher use the new language for regular classroom tasks, such as giving directions and managing behavior because this demonstrates to the students that the new language is useful and works for all the business of the classroom.
Teacher as Culture Bearer
Language is the key to the culture. Even though not all teachers are native speakers, all teachers serve as culture bearers--the representatives of the culture in the classroom. When students have the feeling of being surrounded by the language, they also have the feeling of what it might be like to actually be in a place where this language is spoken. If we spend much of classroom time in English, we are actually denying students access to the language and the culture.
The rest of this article can be accessed here: http://nclrc.org/about_teaching/topics/feature.html#new but you'll need to scroll down to find this article.
I speak almost 100% Spanish from the beginning to establish the norms and expectations. I speak almost 100% Spanish so they can learn the language. I speak almost 100% Spanish so they can understand the culture and feel the culture. I don't measure on a daily basis if I speak 100% or 90% in each class. But I think my students will say it's a very high number. I know the amount of English I speak is very small. At the end of the school year 2011 a first grader who had been with me for 2 years by then was surprised when he overheard me speaking English to another child. He asked me "So...you speak Spanish AND English?" He never knew I could even speak English. That made me very happy. Please tell your children that if they continue to TRY to understand the Spanish, they will amaze themselves at how much they actually learn!
I am looking forward to another wonderful year of teaching Spanish to the great students of Grange Hall Elementary. I hope you and your children are looking forward to this school year as well.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
El Día E
Saturday, June 18th is the day to celebrate speaking Spanish. Watch this video about el Día E.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHDF34hRBU0&feature=player_embedded
Happy Spanish Day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHDF34hRBU0&feature=player_embedded
Happy Spanish Day!
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