Bienvenidos again to the Spanish blog!

Sorry! I have “abandoned” my blog for a while.

I hope everyone had a blessed and wonderful Easter. This year I celebrated Easter in the country where I was born, Argentina.
The Holy Week celebrations are a little different from here. On Holy Thursday we attended mass.
On Good Friday , there was no ceremony in the church like at Holy Family, but there were outdoor Via Crucis in all the churches. They processed in the streets around the church, and the congregation stops at designated places, representing the different stations, (the police has blocked traffic in all the streets around the church.)
On Holy Saturday , my husband and I attended the Vigil Easter Mass at the “Padres Trinitarios Church”, which is the church where we got married. It was very moving to be there in such important day. The Pascal fire was placed outside the church, on the sidewalk, in a big pit. We were asked to go outside to begin the ceremony. After the initial prayers, the Priest lit and blessed the Baptismal candle and then, we lit our candles from it. It was a gorgeous 86 degrees evening. Then, we processed into the church for the rest of the ceremony.
Easter Sunday was another beautiful day, (85 degrees). After celebrating at church, we gathered with my immediate relatives at a long table and had a wonderful Easter meal.
I spent a very nice time in Argentina. Now, I am very happy to be back teaching at HFA.


A reminder to All students:

Remember to take the binder home every time you have Spanish , so you can study and review what we do in class.

6th Grade

The project on “Food of the Spanish country” of your choice was due on April 3rd . Now you have to be ready to present the project to the class when I call any student. Three students already presented their work. They even brought samples of the country food. Congratulations for a job well done! The “menus”, which are part of the project, were also due on the same day. For those of you that did not turn in your work on time , you still have to do it, even though points will be deducted , since they were not presented on the due date.

¡Hola!


What are we doing in Español?

Let me begin with the “H” word; Homework

Homework is NOT only when the students have to do something “written”. Students will be able to participate enthusiastically and enjoy Spanish when they review what we do in class, at home.
Students should bring the Spanish binder home and they should read the stories and study the vocabulary for every class. This is also homework. I give a “print” after we have been learning and practicing orally for a couple of classes. If they pay attention in class, the time dedicated to Spanish at home, should not be more than 6 or10 minutes, according to the grade level.
When First Grade students, take the print sheet home, the only thing parents have to do, is listen to them read. Please, listen to them and give them immediate praise for a job well done. I also recommend asking them to translate what they are reading for you, since in most cases, you do not know Spanish. Then, write a comment (just one or two words) and sign it. (If they are hesitant or they do a poor job, ask them how they are behaving in class, and please contact me through email.)


3rd-6th Grades: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

6th Grade

- Remember ; Study! Monday 10th Test
-Review episodes #1, #2, #3 and #4 from “Las aventuras de Gabi”. You should know the vocabulary and be able to answer questions ,use the words in sentences and in personal short stories. - Start researching typical “Food” from the Spanish spoken country that you have chosen.
- We are reading the play “Un Comensal Dificil de Agradar”. We will be working on different parts. All the students have to be able to represent any of the characters. Practice reading the play as many times as necessary.

5th Grade

-Countries, states, capitals, cities, nationalities and languages. (Countries that we have studied: United State, Mexico, Spain, England, Germany, France and Argentina)
-Verbs: “querer’ + infinitive (want to). All persons. “María quiere ir a Alemania (Mary wants to go to Germany). Yo quiero ir de viaje. (I want to go on a trip) etc.
-Cuentito #9
-Cuentito #10


4th Grade

- Remember! Study Test on Monday March 10th.
“El invierno.)(winter). Special holidays during winter months.
Which is the first and last day of winter? When do we celebrate Christmas/etc… ? Los meses del invierno (The winter months.)
Study all the vocabulary.
-Los amigos internacionales. (International friends; Loco, Spot, Fritz,etc.) Verb “ir’ (to go) en auto, en autobús, en avión
-From - to

3rd Grade

- Quiz on Monday 10th Días de la semana, los alimentos y las comidas. (Days of the week , food and meals. )
-Los días de la semana. (days of the week). You have to know how to spell them.
-Las comidas. (the meals)El desayuno. El almuerzo. La merienda. La cena. By now, you should know the vocabulary and how to spell these words. Also, reviewr “los alimentos”
-This week :La escuela. (The school).We are learning grammar and vocabulary through questions and short stories.


2nd Grade (Monday and Thursday)

Parents, please, ask your kids what they are doing in Spanish. Ask them to read to you from their worksheets. Congratulate them on a job well done! If they are having problems, most probably, they are not behaving properly or paying attention in class. When I give them a worksheet, we have been working orally on it for quite a long time. Nothing of what they take home is “new”

-We are learning “esta contento”, “esta triste” and the verb “llora.” (Happy, sad and to cry.)
-Plurals. Gato/gatos. Pez/peces.
-Vocabulary: gordo/flaco
-Verbs; to be, to eat, to drink, to cry, to laugh. 3rd person singular
- “Hay’ (There is/there are.)

1st Grade. (Monday and Wednesday)

-Los números. 1-20. We are learning how to add in Spanish. They love to do this. We are also doing basic mental additions.
-Verb “tomar” y “comer”. (to drink and to eat).Third person singular. Example: El gato toma agua. (The cat drinks water) Patricia come pan. (Patricia eats bread)
-Negative form. La vaca no come pan. La vaca come … . (The cow does not eat bread. The cow eats …)
-“tiene frío”.”tiene calor”. (s/he is cold, s/he is hot.)Vocabulary: hambre, sed, calor, frío, sueño, miedo, dolor. (hungry,thirsty,hot,cold,sleepy,scared,hurt)

In a house there was a cat, always ready to run after a mouse, but with no luck at all.
One day, in the usual chase the mouse found its way into a little hole and the cat was left with no alternative than to wait hopefully outside.
A few moments later the mouse heard a dog barking and automatically came to the conclusion that if there was a dog in the house, the cat would have to go. So he came out only to fall in the cat's grasp.
"But where is the dog?"-asked the trembling mouse.
"There isn't any dog- it was only me imitating a barking dog," explained the happy cat, and after a pause added, "My dear fellow, if you don't speak at least two languages, you can't get anywhere nowadays."

(from BBC Modern English, Vol.2,No.10)