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