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Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Saturday May 1, 2010: Whittier Presents at Ethnic Fest & World Languages Day
Dear Families,
Please join students of Oak Park School District 97 in celebrating World Languages Day 2010, our 7th annual showcase of student language learning activities. This year World Languages Day will take place jointly with the 30th annual District 97 Ethnic Festival at Whittier School on Saturday, May 1, 2010.
The Ethnic Fest parade steps off at 10 and all families are invited to join in with the Whittier group. Just look for the Whittier banner or familiar faces along the parade staging area. After the parade, the day is filled with dance, music, food, hands-on activities and more.
Whittier students in grades K, 1, & 2 will join together to sing “Somos como las flores” and “Plátanos y manzanas.” Students in Grade 3 will sing “La vuelta” and “De colores.” Students in Grades 4/5 will present an original dance, and perhaps poetry readings, and puppet shows.
When students are not presenting, you and they are encouraged to participate in other activities around the festival. It is a very exciting time!
Time & Place: Whittier will present in the small tent from about 2:30-3:30 pm. Each Whittier group will have approximately 10 -15 minutes total time. We will start with the younger students and end with the “olders.” Students should meet Sra. Deaton at the tent about 5-10 minutes before their group is set to perform. Here’s the order (times are approximate):
2:30: Grades K-2: Somos como las flores; Plátanos y manzanas
2:45: Grade 3: De colores; La vuelta
3:00: Grade 4/5: Puppet show or poetry readings (**depending on students – may not take place and dance would be earlier)
3:15: Grade 4/5: Original Dance to “America Baila”
Clothing: With the exception of the 4/5 “America Baila” dancers, students may wear whatever they like. I would ask that you/they remember that they are proudly representing Whittier School and that clothing be neat and appropriate. (Yes, if they are coming from T-ball/softball/baseball/soccer, they can stay in uniform.)
4th/5th grade “America Baila” dancers will chose their own performance outfits, most likely bright T-shirts and jeans.
The year is fast coming to an end -- the younger students started their alphabet countdown yesterday! Check back here for more news about our May learning and events and during the summer for enrichment ideas and fun family activities.
I look forward to seeing you at the festival. Gracias for all you do to support your child's language learning.
Hasta pronto y gracias por todo,
Sra. Deaton
Please join students of Oak Park School District 97 in celebrating World Languages Day 2010, our 7th annual showcase of student language learning activities. This year World Languages Day will take place jointly with the 30th annual District 97 Ethnic Festival at Whittier School on Saturday, May 1, 2010.
The Ethnic Fest parade steps off at 10 and all families are invited to join in with the Whittier group. Just look for the Whittier banner or familiar faces along the parade staging area. After the parade, the day is filled with dance, music, food, hands-on activities and more.
Whittier students in grades K, 1, & 2 will join together to sing “Somos como las flores” and “Plátanos y manzanas.” Students in Grade 3 will sing “La vuelta” and “De colores.” Students in Grades 4/5 will present an original dance, and perhaps poetry readings, and puppet shows.
When students are not presenting, you and they are encouraged to participate in other activities around the festival. It is a very exciting time!
Time & Place: Whittier will present in the small tent from about 2:30-3:30 pm. Each Whittier group will have approximately 10 -15 minutes total time. We will start with the younger students and end with the “olders.” Students should meet Sra. Deaton at the tent about 5-10 minutes before their group is set to perform. Here’s the order (times are approximate):
2:30: Grades K-2: Somos como las flores; Plátanos y manzanas
2:45: Grade 3: De colores; La vuelta
3:00: Grade 4/5: Puppet show or poetry readings (**depending on students – may not take place and dance would be earlier)
3:15: Grade 4/5: Original Dance to “America Baila”
Clothing: With the exception of the 4/5 “America Baila” dancers, students may wear whatever they like. I would ask that you/they remember that they are proudly representing Whittier School and that clothing be neat and appropriate. (Yes, if they are coming from T-ball/softball/baseball/soccer, they can stay in uniform.)
4th/5th grade “America Baila” dancers will chose their own performance outfits, most likely bright T-shirts and jeans.
The year is fast coming to an end -- the younger students started their alphabet countdown yesterday! Check back here for more news about our May learning and events and during the summer for enrichment ideas and fun family activities.
I look forward to seeing you at the festival. Gracias for all you do to support your child's language learning.
Hasta pronto y gracias por todo,
Sra. Deaton
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
¡Feliz Día de San Patricio! ¡Feliz Primavera!
Hola todos,
¡Cómo vuela el tiempo! Por fin, la primavera toca la puerta. Los días son más largos y los pájaros canta a fuerzas. Los brotes de las plantas muestran sus cabecitas y el sol nos calienta más y más. Los niños felices de correr y jugar, tiran sus chaquetas por todos lados. ¡Así es la primavera!
How time flies! Finally spring is knocking at the door. The days are longer and the birds singing away. The sprouts of plants are showing their heads and the sun warms us more and more. The children happily run and play, tossing their jackets everywhere. Such is spring!
Thanks to all who helped with the Spanish games at the Whittier Fun Fair! It's so awesome that the students are exposed to additional Spanish speakers and I think the families enjoy connecting. The students really enjoy the games and come back to school Monday talking all about them! I look forward to continuing to build our network of Whittier Spanish speakers!
I apologize for not writing more frequently to keep you up on our work. We have been very busy from the start of the new year till now. In the younger grades, we worked on winter words and winter clothing for most of January. In grades 4 & 5, we wrote and performed conversational puppet shows. In February, we celebrated One Hundred Day by creating a list of 100 words (or more!) en español. We continue to build our vocabulary, understanding of the culture, and use of the language through multiple activities, music and movement, and games. In getting ready for ISATs we practiced our math facts en español. What fun!
On March 9, we welcomed special visitors from Nakano Nishi High School in Nagano, Japan. They spent the morning at Whittier, moving from class to class and working in small groups to teach our students a bit about their country, a few words, and doing an origami project with them. Ask your child what he/she did and learned. The trip to Whittier has become an annual tradition when the Japanese students who are with students at OPRF High School for two weeks come for their visit. On both sides, we gain much from sharing our time together.
Last week was especially eventful when I lost my voice from Wednesday to Friday. We had class as usual but I planned activities that the students could lead without my using my voice much. Interesting being a language teacher with no voice!! Sure brings out your creativity as a teacher! The students were very empathetic, checking on me daily to see if I had re-gained my voice. And what a great job they did with the learning! ¡Bravo!
Here's a taste of our learning in March:
K, K-1: Greetings, calendar, numbers, Spring themes
K-2: Greetings, calendar, numbers, Spring themes, Getting reading for Spring Sing
Some of our new vocabulary: flores (flowers), lluvia (rain), sol (sun), luna, (moon),tierra (earth), brisa (breeze), primavera (spring)
2, 2/3: Greetings, numbers, cardinal directions, Getting ready for Spring Sing
Some of our new vocabulary: norte (north), sur (south), este (east), oeste (west), nordeste (northeast), sudeste (southeast), nordoeste (northwest), sudoeste (southwest)
3: Greetings, numbers, cardinal directions, Getting ready for Spring Sing, Spanish alphabet with special emphasis on vowels
Spanish is such a phonetic language that if one masters the vowels, s/he's got 70+ per cent of the pronunciation!
4/5: Vocabulary building: nouns, questions, and other key words
Some of our new vocabulary: nada (nothing), algo (something), nadie (no one, nobody), alguien (someone, somebody), ¿Quíen? (Who?), ¿Qué? (What?), ¿Cuándo? (When?), ¿Dónde? (Where?), ¿Cómo? (How?), ¿Por qué? (Why?), ¿Cuántos? (How many?), ¿Cuánto? (How much?)
Looking ahead a bit:
K-2: Spring themes continued; food
2, 2/3, 3: Telling time; food
4/5: Review of time; work on adjectives and poetry; writing about ourselves
Thanks for all you do to support your child's language learning and exposure to Spanish-speaking and other cultures. The more language, the better! I look forward to hearing all about your experiences and travels -- near and far.
As always do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns. Check back soon for more details on what we're up to!
Gracias por todo y hasta pronto,
Sra. Deaton
¡Cómo vuela el tiempo! Por fin, la primavera toca la puerta. Los días son más largos y los pájaros canta a fuerzas. Los brotes de las plantas muestran sus cabecitas y el sol nos calienta más y más. Los niños felices de correr y jugar, tiran sus chaquetas por todos lados. ¡Así es la primavera!
How time flies! Finally spring is knocking at the door. The days are longer and the birds singing away. The sprouts of plants are showing their heads and the sun warms us more and more. The children happily run and play, tossing their jackets everywhere. Such is spring!
Thanks to all who helped with the Spanish games at the Whittier Fun Fair! It's so awesome that the students are exposed to additional Spanish speakers and I think the families enjoy connecting. The students really enjoy the games and come back to school Monday talking all about them! I look forward to continuing to build our network of Whittier Spanish speakers!
I apologize for not writing more frequently to keep you up on our work. We have been very busy from the start of the new year till now. In the younger grades, we worked on winter words and winter clothing for most of January. In grades 4 & 5, we wrote and performed conversational puppet shows. In February, we celebrated One Hundred Day by creating a list of 100 words (or more!) en español. We continue to build our vocabulary, understanding of the culture, and use of the language through multiple activities, music and movement, and games. In getting ready for ISATs we practiced our math facts en español. What fun!
On March 9, we welcomed special visitors from Nakano Nishi High School in Nagano, Japan. They spent the morning at Whittier, moving from class to class and working in small groups to teach our students a bit about their country, a few words, and doing an origami project with them. Ask your child what he/she did and learned. The trip to Whittier has become an annual tradition when the Japanese students who are with students at OPRF High School for two weeks come for their visit. On both sides, we gain much from sharing our time together.
Last week was especially eventful when I lost my voice from Wednesday to Friday. We had class as usual but I planned activities that the students could lead without my using my voice much. Interesting being a language teacher with no voice!! Sure brings out your creativity as a teacher! The students were very empathetic, checking on me daily to see if I had re-gained my voice. And what a great job they did with the learning! ¡Bravo!
Here's a taste of our learning in March:
K, K-1: Greetings, calendar, numbers, Spring themes
K-2: Greetings, calendar, numbers, Spring themes, Getting reading for Spring Sing
Some of our new vocabulary: flores (flowers), lluvia (rain), sol (sun), luna, (moon),tierra (earth), brisa (breeze), primavera (spring)
2, 2/3: Greetings, numbers, cardinal directions, Getting ready for Spring Sing
Some of our new vocabulary: norte (north), sur (south), este (east), oeste (west), nordeste (northeast), sudeste (southeast), nordoeste (northwest), sudoeste (southwest)
3: Greetings, numbers, cardinal directions, Getting ready for Spring Sing, Spanish alphabet with special emphasis on vowels
Spanish is such a phonetic language that if one masters the vowels, s/he's got 70+ per cent of the pronunciation!
4/5: Vocabulary building: nouns, questions, and other key words
Some of our new vocabulary: nada (nothing), algo (something), nadie (no one, nobody), alguien (someone, somebody), ¿Quíen? (Who?), ¿Qué? (What?), ¿Cuándo? (When?), ¿Dónde? (Where?), ¿Cómo? (How?), ¿Por qué? (Why?), ¿Cuántos? (How many?), ¿Cuánto? (How much?)
Looking ahead a bit:
K-2: Spring themes continued; food
2, 2/3, 3: Telling time; food
4/5: Review of time; work on adjectives and poetry; writing about ourselves
Thanks for all you do to support your child's language learning and exposure to Spanish-speaking and other cultures. The more language, the better! I look forward to hearing all about your experiences and travels -- near and far.
As always do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns. Check back soon for more details on what we're up to!
Gracias por todo y hasta pronto,
Sra. Deaton
Friday, December 11, 2009
Verb Quiz 4th/5th grades
Hola todos,
We have been working on verbs for many weeks and now it's time for the quiz to show what we've learned. In class we've reviewed the material and talked about the format for the exam. We've also made study sheets so that students can work on their own outside of class as needed.
Ms. Darley's and Ms. McDaniel's classes will have their quiz on Monday, December 14.
Mr. Lukehart's, Ms. Klemchuk's, Ms. Wennerberg's, and Ms. McGurn's classes will have their quiz on Wed., Dec. 16.
Here's the list of the verbs we've been studying with their English meanings.
abrir -to open
cerrar - to close
bailar - to dance
cantar - to sing
comer - to eat
beber -to drink
brincar - to jump or to hop
saltar - to jump or to hop
hablar - to talk, to speak
escuchar - to listen
gritar - to yell, to shout
mirar - to look at
ver - to see
caminar - to walk
correr - to run
escribir - to write
dibujar - to draw
pintar - to paint
reir(se) - to laugh
llorar - to cry
estudiar - to study
leer - to read
levantarse - to get up, to stand up
sentarse - to sit down
nadar - to swim
cocinar - to cook
jugar - to play (games)
tocar - to touch; to play (instruments)
We've been working so hard and having fun along the way, so I know they'll do a great job, especially with a little review on their own.
You can help them by having them say the verb and acting it out in a game of charades and seeing if you can guess the English meaning. Or if you like to draw, try Pictionary. If you're a Spanish speaker, or even studied it once upon a time, see what other ways you might help them review.
And as far as testing in general, help them relax. This quiz is a QUIZ meant as an opportunity for them to show what they know! They know what it will look like, they know the scope of the material, and they've had time to practice. Now it's time to come in and shine!!!!
gracias por todo, hasta pronto, Sra. Deaton
We have been working on verbs for many weeks and now it's time for the quiz to show what we've learned. In class we've reviewed the material and talked about the format for the exam. We've also made study sheets so that students can work on their own outside of class as needed.
Ms. Darley's and Ms. McDaniel's classes will have their quiz on Monday, December 14.
Mr. Lukehart's, Ms. Klemchuk's, Ms. Wennerberg's, and Ms. McGurn's classes will have their quiz on Wed., Dec. 16.
Here's the list of the verbs we've been studying with their English meanings.
abrir -to open
cerrar - to close
bailar - to dance
cantar - to sing
comer - to eat
beber -to drink
brincar - to jump or to hop
saltar - to jump or to hop
hablar - to talk, to speak
escuchar - to listen
gritar - to yell, to shout
mirar - to look at
ver - to see
caminar - to walk
correr - to run
escribir - to write
dibujar - to draw
pintar - to paint
reir(se) - to laugh
llorar - to cry
estudiar - to study
leer - to read
levantarse - to get up, to stand up
sentarse - to sit down
nadar - to swim
cocinar - to cook
jugar - to play (games)
tocar - to touch; to play (instruments)
We've been working so hard and having fun along the way, so I know they'll do a great job, especially with a little review on their own.
You can help them by having them say the verb and acting it out in a game of charades and seeing if you can guess the English meaning. Or if you like to draw, try Pictionary. If you're a Spanish speaker, or even studied it once upon a time, see what other ways you might help them review.
And as far as testing in general, help them relax. This quiz is a QUIZ meant as an opportunity for them to show what they know! They know what it will look like, they know the scope of the material, and they've had time to practice. Now it's time to come in and shine!!!!
gracias por todo, hasta pronto, Sra. Deaton
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Supt. Collins reads Spanish books at Whittier!
Hola todos,
Click here to see photos of Dr. Collins' visit to Whittier.
http://www.op97.org/curriculum/worldlang/whitterstory/index.html
hasta pronto, Sra. Deaton
Click here to see photos of Dr. Collins' visit to Whittier.
http://www.op97.org/curriculum/worldlang/whitterstory/index.html
hasta pronto, Sra. Deaton
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Noticias de octubre
Estimadas familias/Dear families:
Ha llegado el otoño con los días más cortos y un clima indecisivo. Un día es muy bonito, calientito con cielo azul y un sol brillante, árboles de muchos colores, pájaros y ardillas alistándose para el invierno, y niños jugando -- sus chaquetas y suéteres tirados por todas partes. El próximo día es oscuro, hojas caen del cielo, y un viento frío ruge. Espero que gozen de los días fresquitos antes de que llegue el invierno.
Fall has arrived with its shorter days and indecisive climate. One day is lovely, warm with sunshine and blue sky, trees of many colors, birds and squirrels getting ready for winter, and children playing -- their jackets and sweaters strewn everywhere. The next is dark, leaves fall all around, and a fierce wind roars. I hope you are enjoying the cool days before winter arrives.
Special guest:
We have been having so much fun in our language learning. Last week we had a very special guest. Our district superintendent, Dr. Collins, came to Whittier to read to our K-1 students in Spanish in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. She read one book in both languages, Dulces Sueños, by Pat Mora and another in Spanish only, Spot va a la escuela (Spot Goes to School). The students were very attentive and enjoyed learning the new vocabulary that came with those stories. They made beautiful class thank you cards to send to her. Watch for photos on the Whittier and D97 websites. It turns out that Dr. Collins loves to read in Spanish, especially to her little granddaughter. We hope Dr. Collins will come back again.
Enrichment ideas:
Don't forget to take advantage of all the opportunities the Chicago area offers for cultural and language enrichment. The National Museum of Mexican Art, located in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, has a wonderful permanent exhibit on Mexicanidad and offers multiple temporary exhibits that are definitely worth the trip. At this time of year, it features the Día de Muertos, a celebration in which Mexicans remember family and friends who have passed away. The museum store itself is like a trip to a mercado in Mexico.
If you want to work on your own language skills, log on to the Oak Park Public Library research page, find Mango languages and start your multilingual adventure from home -- all you need is your library card. Great for helping get those language channels that have been dormant since high school or college working again -- and for starting another language! If you're in the market for something more, Rosetta Stone offers great language learning.
Don't forget all the other exciting things around the Chicago area. My favorite Mexican restaurant, Oak Park's own New Rebozo, was just featured on WTTW's show, Check Please! ¡Delicioso! ¡Dios mío! Check it out at www.wttw.com/checkplease.
Summer camps are already starting to fill up, so it's not too early to think about it. If you'd like your student to have an immersion experience and would consider a summer camp (1 week, 2 weeks, or a month), check out Concordia Language Villages, offering 15 languages!!
¡Leer! Read! ¡Leer! Read! ¡Leer! Read!
A great way to promote language learning (yours or your child's) is to read en español. If you studied Spanish at any time, dust off those brain cells and read to/with your child. If you are a native speaker, all the more!! And encourage your child to try, too! Start with easy board books, progress to simple or familiar stories, and more. Our school and local libraries have many books as do area book stores. If you need more guidance or suggestions, let me know.
Check out the Fun Links section for more info and ideas!
Here's a taste of our learning in octubre:
K, MAP K-1: We continue our work with body parts and just added two new songs to our repetoire: Tengo comezón (I'm itchy!) and Mi cuerpo hace música. In addition to calendar, numbers, shapes, and colors, we've started on a new theme, food!! Yum! ¡Delicioso! This week we've been getting acquainted with fruits (and of course, learning a song to go with them!!) We'll also be learning some seasonal words along the way.
MAP K-2: We are finishing our animales theme and are drawing our animal favorito. We continue with basic expressions, calendar etc. We have begun with a bit of seasonal vocabulary and will soon turn to food and expressing our likes and dislikes.
2, 2/3, 3: We have finished our work on places in the community and have begun our food unit. In addition to learning basic vocabulary for food names, we will categorize things (like "fruta", "no fruta"), will learn about different meals (desayuno, almuerzo, cena), make our own menus, and practice ordering and buying foods.
4/5: We are hard at work on our verb unit. One of the most important concepts we are trying to master is that verbos = palabras de acción (verbs = action words). Among our activities are drawing and acting out verbs. Now we are making collages about ourselves and the things we like to do. Once we finish our collages, we will make oral presentations to our class. We still have a ways to go before we finish our verb unit and will do lots of work in class to learn the words -- playing games, doing puzzles, and more. In early November, we will have a quiz.
Words! ¡Palabras! Words! ¡Palabras! Words!
Some of our fruta vocabulary: la manzana (the apple), la pera (the pear), la fresa (the strawberry), el limón (the lemon), la naranja (the orange), el plátano (the banana), las uvas (the grapes), el melón (the melon.) We also learned el teléfono (the telephone -- Why? What can you do with a banana!!!) and "Sí, me gusta." "No, no me gusta." (Yes, I like. No, I do not like.)
Algunos verbos importantes: If you had Spanish in high school or college, hopefully some of these will sound familiar! If you want to practice at home, say the verb and see if your student can act it out (or vice versa -- act it out and see if your student can say the verbo en español.) We've had fun doing this in class. [pronunciation tips: j in Spanish sounds like h in English; h is silent, and we pronounce all vowels - a =ah. e =ay, i=ee, o=o (so), u =oo (moo)]
caminar (to walk), correr (to run), saltar (to jump, to hop), brincar (to hop, to jump), hablar (to talk), escuchar (to listen to), mirar (to look at), gritar (to yell), jugar (to play), tocar (to touch, to play an instrument), abrir (to open), cerrar (to close), escribir (to write), dibujar (to draw), pintar (to paint), leer (to read), nadar (to swim), reir (to laugh), llorar (to cry), beber (to drink), comer (to eat), dormir (to sleep), levantarse (to get up, to stand up), sentarse (to sit down), cantar (to sing), bailar (t0 dance).
Conferencias/Conferences:
I enjoyed meeting and talking with so many of you at conferences. Fue un placer conocer a tantas personas en la ocasión de las conferencias. Keep those language channels humming! ¡Mantengan los "canales españoles" corriendo! Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time. Favor de comunicarse conmigo por cualquier cosa.
¡Hasta pronto y gracias por todo! Sra. D.
Ha llegado el otoño con los días más cortos y un clima indecisivo. Un día es muy bonito, calientito con cielo azul y un sol brillante, árboles de muchos colores, pájaros y ardillas alistándose para el invierno, y niños jugando -- sus chaquetas y suéteres tirados por todas partes. El próximo día es oscuro, hojas caen del cielo, y un viento frío ruge. Espero que gozen de los días fresquitos antes de que llegue el invierno.
Fall has arrived with its shorter days and indecisive climate. One day is lovely, warm with sunshine and blue sky, trees of many colors, birds and squirrels getting ready for winter, and children playing -- their jackets and sweaters strewn everywhere. The next is dark, leaves fall all around, and a fierce wind roars. I hope you are enjoying the cool days before winter arrives.
Special guest:
We have been having so much fun in our language learning. Last week we had a very special guest. Our district superintendent, Dr. Collins, came to Whittier to read to our K-1 students in Spanish in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. She read one book in both languages, Dulces Sueños, by Pat Mora and another in Spanish only, Spot va a la escuela (Spot Goes to School). The students were very attentive and enjoyed learning the new vocabulary that came with those stories. They made beautiful class thank you cards to send to her. Watch for photos on the Whittier and D97 websites. It turns out that Dr. Collins loves to read in Spanish, especially to her little granddaughter. We hope Dr. Collins will come back again.
Enrichment ideas:
Don't forget to take advantage of all the opportunities the Chicago area offers for cultural and language enrichment. The National Museum of Mexican Art, located in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, has a wonderful permanent exhibit on Mexicanidad and offers multiple temporary exhibits that are definitely worth the trip. At this time of year, it features the Día de Muertos, a celebration in which Mexicans remember family and friends who have passed away. The museum store itself is like a trip to a mercado in Mexico.
If you want to work on your own language skills, log on to the Oak Park Public Library research page, find Mango languages and start your multilingual adventure from home -- all you need is your library card. Great for helping get those language channels that have been dormant since high school or college working again -- and for starting another language! If you're in the market for something more, Rosetta Stone offers great language learning.
Don't forget all the other exciting things around the Chicago area. My favorite Mexican restaurant, Oak Park's own New Rebozo, was just featured on WTTW's show, Check Please! ¡Delicioso! ¡Dios mío! Check it out at www.wttw.com/checkplease.
Summer camps are already starting to fill up, so it's not too early to think about it. If you'd like your student to have an immersion experience and would consider a summer camp (1 week, 2 weeks, or a month), check out Concordia Language Villages, offering 15 languages!!
¡Leer! Read! ¡Leer! Read! ¡Leer! Read!
A great way to promote language learning (yours or your child's) is to read en español. If you studied Spanish at any time, dust off those brain cells and read to/with your child. If you are a native speaker, all the more!! And encourage your child to try, too! Start with easy board books, progress to simple or familiar stories, and more. Our school and local libraries have many books as do area book stores. If you need more guidance or suggestions, let me know.
Check out the Fun Links section for more info and ideas!
Here's a taste of our learning in octubre:
K, MAP K-1: We continue our work with body parts and just added two new songs to our repetoire: Tengo comezón (I'm itchy!) and Mi cuerpo hace música. In addition to calendar, numbers, shapes, and colors, we've started on a new theme, food!! Yum! ¡Delicioso! This week we've been getting acquainted with fruits (and of course, learning a song to go with them!!) We'll also be learning some seasonal words along the way.
MAP K-2: We are finishing our animales theme and are drawing our animal favorito. We continue with basic expressions, calendar etc. We have begun with a bit of seasonal vocabulary and will soon turn to food and expressing our likes and dislikes.
2, 2/3, 3: We have finished our work on places in the community and have begun our food unit. In addition to learning basic vocabulary for food names, we will categorize things (like "fruta", "no fruta"), will learn about different meals (desayuno, almuerzo, cena), make our own menus, and practice ordering and buying foods.
4/5: We are hard at work on our verb unit. One of the most important concepts we are trying to master is that verbos = palabras de acción (verbs = action words). Among our activities are drawing and acting out verbs. Now we are making collages about ourselves and the things we like to do. Once we finish our collages, we will make oral presentations to our class. We still have a ways to go before we finish our verb unit and will do lots of work in class to learn the words -- playing games, doing puzzles, and more. In early November, we will have a quiz.
Words! ¡Palabras! Words! ¡Palabras! Words!
Some of our fruta vocabulary: la manzana (the apple), la pera (the pear), la fresa (the strawberry), el limón (the lemon), la naranja (the orange), el plátano (the banana), las uvas (the grapes), el melón (the melon.) We also learned el teléfono (the telephone -- Why? What can you do with a banana!!!) and "Sí, me gusta." "No, no me gusta." (Yes, I like. No, I do not like.)
Algunos verbos importantes: If you had Spanish in high school or college, hopefully some of these will sound familiar! If you want to practice at home, say the verb and see if your student can act it out (or vice versa -- act it out and see if your student can say the verbo en español.) We've had fun doing this in class. [pronunciation tips: j in Spanish sounds like h in English; h is silent, and we pronounce all vowels - a =ah. e =ay, i=ee, o=o (so), u =oo (moo)]
caminar (to walk), correr (to run), saltar (to jump, to hop), brincar (to hop, to jump), hablar (to talk), escuchar (to listen to), mirar (to look at), gritar (to yell), jugar (to play), tocar (to touch, to play an instrument), abrir (to open), cerrar (to close), escribir (to write), dibujar (to draw), pintar (to paint), leer (to read), nadar (to swim), reir (to laugh), llorar (to cry), beber (to drink), comer (to eat), dormir (to sleep), levantarse (to get up, to stand up), sentarse (to sit down), cantar (to sing), bailar (t0 dance).
Conferencias/Conferences:
I enjoyed meeting and talking with so many of you at conferences. Fue un placer conocer a tantas personas en la ocasión de las conferencias. Keep those language channels humming! ¡Mantengan los "canales españoles" corriendo! Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time. Favor de comunicarse conmigo por cualquier cosa.
¡Hasta pronto y gracias por todo! Sra. D.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Bienvenidos al año escolar 2009-2010
Hola todos,
¡Bienvenidos al año escolar 2009 -2010! Welcome to the 2009- 2010 school year. I am so excited to be back with the students again, seeing how much they remembered, getting their Spanish channels humming, and meeting so many new faces -- many who come with Spanish at home or from preschool and day care experiences. I look forward to seeing what they know and helping everyone grow even more.
Please check back soon for more details about our learning and to get ideas for activities and resources. There's much to do in the metropolitan Chicago area! Coming up are the ¡Viva Chicago! music fest downtown Chicago, Fiesta para todos at Brookfield Zoo, and great exhibits (including El día de los muertos) at the National Museum of Mexican Art.
Watch for más Noticias.
Gracias por todo y hasta pronto,
Sra. Deaton
¡Bienvenidos al año escolar 2009 -2010! Welcome to the 2009- 2010 school year. I am so excited to be back with the students again, seeing how much they remembered, getting their Spanish channels humming, and meeting so many new faces -- many who come with Spanish at home or from preschool and day care experiences. I look forward to seeing what they know and helping everyone grow even more.
Please check back soon for more details about our learning and to get ideas for activities and resources. There's much to do in the metropolitan Chicago area! Coming up are the ¡Viva Chicago! music fest downtown Chicago, Fiesta para todos at Brookfield Zoo, and great exhibits (including El día de los muertos) at the National Museum of Mexican Art.
Watch for más Noticias.
Gracias por todo y hasta pronto,
Sra. Deaton
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