last post!

Hola padres! All conversations are complete and the scholars should all have them back graded by tomorrow. Once those were handed out today, we continued with a game of clothing bingo. I think the scholars enjoyed this and it was fun for us to engage in some friendly competition.

In terms of next week, we will continue with reviewing what we have learned over the year. I have truly appreciated the way the third grade welcomed me into their fold partway through the year. The third grade is an energetic and friendly group and were so accepting as I walked in as their new Spanish teacher. I am thankful for their open and willing hearts as they went through so many changes in a short amount of time. This difficult, but realistic lesson will serve them well as they continue on through life as we know that so many times our plans don't pan out. I have so enjoyed getting to know them. I am sorry to see them go, but hopefully will touch base with them next year in the hallways and during recess. May you all have a restful and safe summer!

Sinceramente,
Sra. Hamilton

conversations, teacher appreciation week and reviews

Hola padres! Just wanted to thank you all so much for thinking of me this week! I so appreciate the notes, flowers, goodies and tokens of appreciation. I realize this is such a great undertaking with all the teachers your scholars have and I really appreciate you thinking of me. Thank you!

So this week, we have been working our way through our conversations and I am so impressed with what the scholars have been writing! They have really shown an understanding of the vocabulary and everything we have learned. I have so enjoyed listening to them work together and converse. I am also so proud of them!

This week and next the emphasis is on the concert next week, so once all the conversations are complete, we will focus on review games and activities. Thank you again for everything!

Sra. Hamilton

wrapping up conversations

Hola padres, due to the field trip on Monday and concert practices the other days, there isn't a whole lot of Spanish planned for next week. I let the scholars know today that we will start presenting their conversations the next time I see them, whenever that may be. For some it will be next week, for others it won't be until the week after. If I get a chance, I would also like to do a lesson on cinco de mayo, but we will have to see how it fits into our schedule. I am so very proud of how third grade has taken on the challenge of writing their conversations and incorporating everything they have learned. Their eagerness and enthusiasm is what I love to see.

Gracias,
Sra. Hamilton

la casa conversations

Hola padres! We have started our new unit on la casa this week and the scholars are very eager to start their conversations. We might just do a short worksheet tomorrow to start class and then jump right in. I'd like to have their casa conversations wrapped up by the end of next week or so, so we'll try to do that. Starting in May, we will do a lesson on cinco de mayo and then jump into our final review for the year. Hopefully, this will be fun way for them to end the year. Thank you for your flexibility and support this year! I have really enjoyed third grade and hope they have enjoyed Spanish as well.

Sra. Hamilton

returned work, Paraguay and our new unit

Hola padres! I have only seen one class of third grade this week so far on and will see two more classes tomorrow. We were able to start our study on Paraguay which is a fascinating country due to the connection is has to Arizona. This is the article I read to the scholars:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/kids-in-paraguay-make-music-out-of-trash/2013/02/15/c57390b2-486b-11e2-b6f0-e851e741d196_story.html

I also showed them a video that allowed them to hear the music these children play and taught them what the orchestra means to the community.

If you get a chance, I highly recommend visiting the Musical Instrument Museum in Mesa which has a display on the landfill orchestra from Paraguay. The museum itself is unique to Arizona and the one of the only of its kind. We are so lucky to have it so close by.

I was able to get both the date quizzes and familia conversations graded this week! For the familia conversations, I attached a rubric to go along with it. I didn't have the rubric while the students presented, so I added notes to the rubric that I had taken during the presentations. For the next conversations, I will have the rubric ready for when the scholars present so that I can make notes directly on it and so you will have a better idea of how they are doing and what I am expecting. 

 If your scholar received a 2 or less on their quiz, they have a practice worksheet attached that needs to be returned. Those worksheets that don't get returned will be completed during a recess. We should have at least one more quiz before the year is out. 

Next week we will begin our unit on la casa. 

Gracias, 

Sra. Hamilton 

review and testing week

Hola padres! This week has been mostly review and finishing up of reading Frida Kahlo. I so enjoy how interested the scholars are in the fascinating artist. We have had such great discussions about her life and art. I hope they are sharing some of their newfound knowledge with you.

Next week our schedule has been modified quite a bit by testing. I don't plan to start anything new until the following week. We will do our normal Spanish speaking country study on Wednesday, but other than that, most of what we do will be review. I will do my best to get the scholars' conversations and date quizzes back to them. I did let them know that if they receive a 2 or less (out of 5) on their date quizzes that attached they would find a worksheet to help them review and learn the material. I don't mean to give them added homework, but the date in Spanish is a concept we have gone over since October and if a scholar isn't understanding most of what makes up a date in Spanish, they need more review than what they are seeing in class. Thanks for your understanding.
Sra. Hamilton

conversations and Frida Kahlo

Hola padres! We have had a good week finishing our conversations about la familia and reading more about the artist, Frida Kahlo. Next week I hope to move on to a new unit of la casa. I am so impressed with the work that the third grade does with their conversations. They are creative and use a wide range of units and vocabulary that we have studied. I look forward to finishing the year with them!
All for now,
Sra. Hamilton

conversations and la fecha

Hola padres! It has been fun being back this week with the third grade scholars! They look rested and enthusiastic to finish out the year. This week we have either finished up or reviewed our familia packet and discussed the different ways they could write their conversations. I have written an example conversation for them and have let them know that I would like them to include at least one other topic (ropa, comida or fruta) that we have talked about this year as well as writing about la familia.

I hope these conversations don't seem repetitive. My intent was to only have one conversation where the scholars used conversational phrases to practice using vocabulary they already knew. However, the third grade scholars seemed to really enjoy this aspect of class and I really like the way it forces them to think about how the language should be spoken. It helps them apply what we have learned as well as give them some repetition that helps it all stick with them. I know they look forward to it, so as long as their interest is still there, we will continue doing them.

As for la fecha or the date, I intend to have a quiz in the next week or so. I have let the scholars know exactly what I'm looking for and we have gone over each aspect of the date: year, date, month and day of the week so that they are well aware what they need to write down. I have also alluded to the fact that if they receive a low grade, I may send home some copy work for them to do just as I feel that if they aren't understanding in class what we're doing in class, they need to spend some extra time outside of class to understand the concept. Some scholars said they don't have time so I have let them know that I am more than happy to stay in with them at recess to do it. We'll see how this goes when I grade our next quizzes. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Sra. Hamilton

la familia continued......

Hola padres! It has been a fun filled week as the scholars and I have worked through a packet that will be a good base for them to have material with which to write their family conversations after break. They have done an amazing job of learning that possessive adjectives need to match their nouns in terms of weather they are singular or plural, of keeping in mind that nouns in Spanish are either masculine and feminine and that the adjectives also need to reflect that and of learning some new vocabulary that will help them describe their family members to their partner. It is exciting to see them catching on and being able to put their knowledge to use.

One aspect of Spanish I want to keep going through the end of the year, is the writing of the date on the board. We have had two quizzes where I have asked the scholars to either write a date I have written on the board or the actualy date. This is an exercise that we do most every day in class and something the scholars should have a general grasp on by now. Mostly what I am looking for is that they get the month, day and year correct. If your scholar has not done well on their quizzes, I would suggest that they pay more attention, even maybe writing it down when we do it during the first few minutes of class.

All for now, have a great break!
Sra. Hamilton

a movie recommendation, finished conversations and moving into next week

Hola padres! The scholars and I have enjoyed writing and listening to the conversations presented in class this week to wrap up our unit on clothing. I feel they have a good grasp of how the clothing vocabulary is worked into a conversation and feel very confident about the command they have on the clothing vocabulary itself.  Next week, we will begin our unit on "la familia" and will again present conversations, but in a different format. Instead of having them write their own, I have a worksheet that they will work on with a partner that is more of an interview style. I am hoping this will give them a different perspective on speaking in Spanish.

This past weekend, my husband took our kids to see the movie, "McFarland USA" starring Kevin Costner. It is an underdog story about a cross country team made up mostly of children of migrant farm workers near Bakersfield, California. I love sport stories and although I haven't seen the movie myself, feel that it might give the scholars good insight into the Hispanic culture and what it might be like growing up without the priviledges and comfort that we often take for granted. If you go see it, let me know what you think! Have a great weekend!

Sra. Hamilton

clothing, family and conversations

Hola padres! We have begun writing our conversations this week which will now include the following elements: a greeting, discussion on what foods we like, discussion on what we're wearing and then parting words. The conversations need to be at least 8 sentences long, but can of course be longer. I am excited to see what the scholars come up with.  Again, there is no need for any work done outside of class, but I do expect the scholars to use their time wisely in order to get the conversation done. I walk around while they are writing in case they need any help.

After these conversations are presented, we will begin a unit on the family. This is always a fun unit and I hope the scholars also enjoy it. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

behavior reminders and conversation practice

Hola padres! Wanted to start with a few reminders about behavior in class. I expect each scholar to follow directions, talk when called upon and generally pay attention in class. I have let the scholars know that when these rules aren't followed and when I have to redirect frequently during class, a detention will be handed out. Thank you for your understanding.

Moving along, we have had a fun week solidifying our clothing vocabulary and practicing writing sentences that talk about what clothes are being worn. I am hoping this will make for easy writing of conversations next week.

I have handed back, graded, both the surprise quiz on the date and their conversations. Everyone did well on the conversations and not as many did as well on the quiz. We go over the quiz every day first thing in class together. I encourage one student to write it on the board and then I ask the class to see what if any mistakes there are. We have done this for many weeks and for the most part, the scholars get the general idea. If your scholar did not do well, they may want to pay a little more attention in class as this is material that has been gone over many times and is very repetitive. We should have another quiz next week. Thank you and have a great restful long weekend!

Sra. Hamilton

Argentina, la ropa and our growing conversations

Happy jueves, padres! We began learning about Argentina this week and as I was looking up information on the country, I was reminded of Eva Peron and consequently, the musical "Evita". It had been a long time since I had thought about the musical and the song "Don't Cry for me Argentina" was stuck in my head for the rest of the day. What a fun fact to share wth the scholars about a leader who was dearly loved by her country. We learned other fascinating facts about the Argentina that I am hoping they share with you.

We finished our conversations this week about "la comida" (food) and I explained to the scholars how with each passing unit, I was planning that they add to their convesations, building on the previous one. I realize they will need more and more time to do this and I plan on giving them a vocabulary list they can go on in order to build their conversations with. They are a little nervous about the length of the conversations, but I assured them that I was looking for their effort and hard work as it is being put into each conversation and that I would help them and support them so that they would be successful. What I most enjoy about this is how excited they get. I feel it is a good way for them to put into practice what they are learning so that if ever the opportunity should arise, they can speak in Spanish and have the background experience to do so.

This week we began our new unit of "la ropa" or clothing. We enjoyed a fun game of memory which helped the scholars practice their vocabulary in both clothing and numbers. They seemed to really enjoy this simple game. We will next practice writing something about clothing (such as what they may have bought on a shopping trip) that they can incorporate with their partner into their conversation. Meanwhile, I will work on grading their (surprise) quizzes on the date and also their food conversations.  Please let me know if you have any more questions and have a wonderful rest of the week!

Sra. Hamilton

conversations

Hola padres! It has been a great week with the scholars as they have been writing their conversations. Again, their excitement is so good to see. I was thinking that I would like to end each unit this way with the scholars putting into practice their new vocabulary and building on the previous unit's conversation. One class has started presenting their conversations, but it looks like we will continue into next week. Once they are done presenting, we will move into our clothing unit. Please keep in mind that nothing needs to be done outside of class for these presentations. If the scholars are using their time wisely, they should be fully prepared. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!

One thing I wanted to let you know was that next week I plan to give the scholars a short quiz on "la fecha" or the date. We have gone over the date many times at the beginning class, so the scholars should be familiar with the word for January and the order in which the date is written. I will not be grading on spelling, but more on seeing if they get the general idea and if they've been paying attention in class. Again, there doesn't need to be any studying outside of class.

Have a good weekend!

Sra. Hamilton

la fruta, comida and a new conversation!

Hola padres! We have had a good week this week reading more about Frida Kahlo and reviewing our fruta vocabulary. We have also been learning about how to say what we like and what we don't like regarding fruits. Today I am introducing more food vocabulary and next week we will spend time in class working on new conversations. In this round of conversations, I plan on having the scholars build on their last introductory conversations. Again, there will be a greeting, etc but then they will move into talking about what foods they like and dislike. The scholars seem excited and I am excited to see how they grow their conversations from the last time. All work will be done in class, so there doesn't need to be anything done outside of class. Scholars will keep their same partners so that we don't use any more class time setting that up. I can't wait to hear what they come up with!

I also wanted to remind you of the app I recommended to some of your during conferences. The app is called duolingo and is a great way to keep scholars learning outside of class. It is intuitive and you can even compete against friends I believe. Download it and let me know what you think!

Sra. Hamilton

Chile, las frutas and what happened at our house for tres reyes.....

Hola padres! What fun to be back with the scholars. We have had a fun week getting back into the swing of things.

We started the week off with talking about what happened at our house for dia de los reyes, or the day of the three wise men.  I explained that I was here late with conferences on the 5th and by the time I got home and put my kids to bed, that it was late and we didn't put any food out for the camels or write our letters. Thankfully, the kings were gracious and visited our house nonetheless. However, in the morning, I found that the camels had oh so carefully taken our bin of outmeal out of the pantry, forced it open and helped themselves! Thankfully, the mess was limited to just the counter, so there wasn't too much of a mess to clean up. I took a picture of our kitchen counter covered in dried oatmeal and showed it in class. I think the scholars really enjoyed this.

This week we also started our study of the country of Chile. This is such an interesting country due to its geography and placement in South America! It is also called the country of poets and I bet your scholar would love to tell you why!

This week also marks our week of a new unit on fruit. We have talked about the market and how people in Spanish speaking countries shop and eat differently than we do. We will finish up with fruit this week and move on to other foods next week.

I hope your scholar is enjoying Spanish as I so enjoy teaching them! Have a great week!

Sra. Hamilton

back to school!

Hola padres! Welcome back! It was so nice to see some of you this past week at conferences! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and connect with me. I received some good feedback about the blog, so I was glad to learn that it has been working out well for you.

Wanted to let you know what we will be working on in the weeks to come. I did some review of prepositions with Ms. Uphoff's class this morning as well as started reading to them about a Mexican artist named Frida Kahlo. Frida Kahlo can be a bit controversial as her paintings are often grotesque due to the great physical pain that Ms. Kahlo suffered through most of her life, but her influence on modern art is pretty great and so I feel she is an important figure for the scholars to be aware of. Thankfully, I found the book "Who Was Frida Kahlo?" which is very child appropriate and so easy for the scholars to understand. I'm so excited to discuss this book with them.

In terms of vocabulary, Sra. Hernandez and I are going to be working together closely so that all grades will be working on the same topics and vocabulary just in varying degrees of difficulty. Next week we will begin our unit on fruit.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to the rest of the year!
Sra. Hamilton