¿Qué pasa en la clase de español?

It's hard to believe that the last quarter of the school year is already here.  The students have been hard at work every week and are learning so much.  It is International Week here at Grange Hall and many people are scheduled to visit their child's classroom this week and next to celebrate the diverse group of families we have here at our school.  It's never too late to schedule a visit.  Contact me at michelle_melara@ccpsnet.net if you want to schedule a visit of your own. 

Las Mariposas Monarcas with Symbolic Migration have arrived.  The butterflies arrived a week or so ago and began going home with 3rd graders last week.  We received symbolic butterflies from all over the United States and Canada.  The students enjoyed getting back a butterfly from other students around the continent. 

In the next week or so 5th graders will be receiving their final pen pal letter from students at Harrowgate Elementary School.  This has been a rewarding opportunity for our students and theirs to practice using their written Spanish.  We can't wait to get those letters and finally get to see our pen pals as pictures will be included in this last letter.  I want to thank Mrs. Amy Miller from Harrowgate Elementary School for helping me to organize and plan this program.

It's a couple of weeks late but I wanted to share the curriculum for what is being taught this 9 weeks in Spanish class.  Please click on the grade level for your child and it will take you to the ¿Qué pasa? newsletter to let you know what is happening in Spanish class for that grade level. 

Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade

Ocean Animals

I just wanted to check in to show off some work done by some of the 5th graders. They have done a fantastic job all year with their writing and speaking in Spanish. This is a video of a rap song created by two students. They are very talented girls.

Why Bilinguals are Smarter

I've come across an interesting article I thought parents might be interested in reading.  Check it out to learn more about why learning a second (or third, etc.) language is beneficial to your child.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?_r=1

¿Qué pasa en la clase de español?

The second semester has begun and although I have not posted in a couple of months the students are working hard every day.  I had some wonderful videos to share of presentations the students did that were saved to my computer yesterday but can't be found today.  Hopefully I can share some pictures soon.

Below are the links for you to find the vocabulary concentration and theme for each grade level this quarter.

Kindergarten
1st grade
2nd grade
3rd grade
4th grade
5th grade

As always, please feel free to contact me any time by e-mail at michelle_melara@ccpsnet.net. 

¿Qué pasa en la clase de español?

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.

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:

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:

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.

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.