Second grade and weather!

Our second graders here at McDowell will begin 2012 learning all about weather or el tiempo  in Spanish. For example: Hoy hace mucho calor. (Today is very hot)

Kindergarten update!

The students have been learning in Spanish all about face and body parts. We have begun to draw our own faces and will begin to start on our bodies; making a life size puppet!

Estar for Fourth and Fifth

Both fourth and fifth grade have been learning how to use the verb Estar. Estar means "to be," especially with locations. For example, if one wanted to say that "She is at the museum" you would say in Spanish "Ella está en el museo."

Estar= to be

Yo estoy
Tú estás
Él/ ella/ usted está
Nosotros estamos
Ellos/ ellas/ ustedes están

In English, the translation of the above conjugations are:

I am
You are (informal- used with friends)
He/ she/ you (formal) is/ are
We are
They/ they (formal) are

Both grade levels are using a city map of Barcelona to learn how to use the verb Estar. They also are viewing a movie of the city's tourist attractions!

Kindergarden is learning basic greetings!

Buenos días and buenas noches are the two greetings that Kindergarden is learning this week. Buenos días in English is good morning and buenas noches is good night. After teaching, practicing and writing both, I asked all students to go home and tell their loved ones at night "Buenas noches" and when they wake up to say "Buenos días."

Learning the difference between good morning and good night!

Our Kinder students hard at work!

Middle School is reviewing present and present progressive

Grades 6, 7, and 8 are reviewing the present and present progressive verb tenses. Here are some examples:

Presente:                               Yo estudio Español cada día.  (I study spanish every day)
Presente progresivo:             Estoy estudiando Español cada día. ( I am studying spanish every day)

The main differences between the two tenses are that the present progressive has the addition of estar (conjugated) and the -ando and -iendo ending to each AR and ER/ IR verb. In English it translates as "I am" doing something; example: Estoy hablando, I am talking.

Sixth and Seventh grade will have a quiz on Friday Sept. 23, 2011. 

Second Grade is learning numbers 30-60

Second grade will be reviewing this week numbers 1-30 and then learning numbers 30-60.

Here are some helpful hints:

10- diez

20- veinte

30- treinta

40- cuarenta

50- cinquenta

60- sesenta

We are learning these numbers in a fun way by playing bingo!

Middle School Projects

Here is a list of possible Middle School Spanish projects. At the end of each quarter a new project will be due. 

* All projects must be okayed through Sra. Flagstad before beginning.*

Spanish Projects 2011- 2012

McDowell Middle School

This list of project ideas is a great way to get our Spanish class involved in the Spanish language. Let’s use our creative minds and have fun with these projects!

Educational Video (Group of 3)

Submit a video that effectively teaches a concept that we have covered this year in class. This would be something  I could use next year, so make it clear and appropriate. The length of the video should last about 10- 15 minutes and include a short skit in Spanish that applies the concept covered. Some examples of concepts would be: regular verb conjugation, preterit verb conjugation, food vocabulary, and animal vocabulary. All SPANISH would need to be approved by me before the video is make to ensure accuracy. 

Cooking Project (2 people)

Prepare and cook a meal from a Spanish speaking country with your classmates. This should be presented in either a video or power point format depicting the steps that are involved; meaning show us how you made the meal either with video or photos. Also, please include the country of origin, the history of the dish, and why you chose the food.  You will need to prepare the meal and bring in for the class to share with all necessary materials (plates, forks, napkins).  ** Consult an adult for assistance and supervision**

Musical Lyrics (1-2 people)

If you wish to complete this project, please come and speak to me about your ideas. I want to keep all ideas that you may have open to discussion to keep the creativity flowing.

Photobook (1 person)

Take pictures that tell as story and make a book about it. Your subject can be anything that you chose, with Spanish teacher approval. Write captions that narrate your story in SPANISH. You will put them into a photo book or paste them into a scrapbook. Be prepared to present your book to the class. You can also make the photobook into a power point presentation if you wish. You will need to include at least 20 photos with at least one sentence for each photo. 

Skit/ Short Play (3-4 people)

Perform a short skit or play in Spanish lasting at least 5-7 minutes for the class. You must type out your lines in English and Spanish and have the lines approved by the Spanish teacher before the presentation. You may wish to have one person be the narrator for ease of understanding the play or skit. You may write your own play or TRANSLATE an existing one. 

Please do not repeat your projects from last year.