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