International Week Photos

International week was so much fun and was such a success because of the wonderful support of the amazing Grange Hall families.  We were visited by family members and friends from so many countries.  The students learned about The Dominican Republic, Argentina, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Kenya, Bolivia, and Peru.  So many great questions were asked by the students, I think they have a much better idea of what life is like in all of those beautiful countries and a more global view overall.  Some of the highlights were learning about different traditions, sports, animals and foods in those countries.  One parent shared food treats and music and merengue dancing from the Dominican Republic while another shared a traditional mate or tea ceremony from Argentina.  Some brought pictures and things from their country and others brought wonderful stories.  Their students were so proud that they could share their heritage with their classes. 

Thank you to all of the parents who visited and the students who made t-shirts or found t-shirts with another language on them.  Sombrero day was fun too and it was fun to see the kids walking around with their tiny, fitting and huge sombreros.

We are still looking forward to visitors in the coming weeks who just couldn't make it this past week.  We hope to learn more about Costa Rica, Japan, Italy, Canada and France soon.

¿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.