culture shock

Fotos

2010-05-07T13:30:00.001-04:00

viernes, 30 de abril

2010-04-30T13:09:00.003-04:00

If you take at the important dates to the left you will see a few things related to the essay response to Cohen. Everyone has the essay, as well as some articles on Immigration from the Southern Law Council and the Graphic Organizer that is due on Monday, May 10. Students will turn the G.O. into a rough draft for Tuesday, May 11. We will have peer editing and then students will turn in their final on Friday, May 14. If students have ANY questions over their DC break and need help: contact me!!

Have a safe trip! See you all May 10th!

jueves, 29 de abril

2010-04-29T13:15:00.002-04:00

Today students finished their Aztec myth presentations. We then dived into talking about May 1st - Día de los trabajadores - International Labor. With immigration hot in the news, we focused our discussion on jobs and why certain ones are more respected and better paid.We also talked about the recent immigration law was passed in Arizona and a little bit of the history of the Border Control to put it in context. The students ranked there 25 Jobs and then tried to think of the five most important jobs needed in society. For homework, students are to read an essay on immigration by Richard Cohen and start to think about whether or not they agree with his thesis (or parts of his arguments). Students will use this to write an reaction and share their own opinion. It will be exciting to see what they come up with!

martes, 27 de abril

2010-04-27T15:46:00.003-04:00

Finally, we had a full day of class! Students took the Aztec Quiz and had 20 minutes to prepare for their myth presentations. The first group presented today and the other two will present during reading and work time on Thursday.

Leading up to DC, we will talk about May 1 - International Labor as well as immigration and some of the current legislation that has passed in Arizona. Students will be completed a graphic organizer over the DC break to prepare for an essay in response to an article on immigration. Students will be able to form and opinion statement and defend their opinion. More information as well as rubrics and all to come.

Homework: Students were given a refresher on articles and verb conjugation. Complete for Thursday!

martes, 20 de abril

2010-04-20T12:14:00.000-04:00

Students are working in class on a piece of Teatro Azteca - an Aztec myth that they are turning into a play. They are working in groups of three. They will be presenting on Tuesday, April 27. Please look below at the previous for quiz answers for Tuesday as well!

lunes, 19 de abril

2010-04-19T12:59:00.008-04:00

We covered MUCHO today! We then end of Don Quijote, we are started our final unit in Spanish entitled Celebrations in the Spanish-speaking world. With CRCT and the DC trip, we will be getting into a Quinceañera unit in May along with stem-changing verbs. This week; however, we will do a short unit on Aztec Mythology and Folklore and next week we will do another lesson from ¡Viva la Causa! on immigration (both related to my background in Chicano Studies).

For those who need a review from today here is a breakdown of some of the gods and important figures:

Huitzilopochtli - warrior sun god, hummingbird good, required sacrifices to help him win in battle

Quetzalcoatl - creator of humans, represented by the feathered serpent

Tláloc - rain god (has goggles), child sacrifices were performed in his name as the tears would bring rain

La Virgen de Guadalupe - dark-skinned, Nahuatl-speaking apparition of the Virgin Mary who came to Juan Diego, and old Aztec man bringing together the Aztec religion with the Catholic religion of the conquering

Spanish

Tenochititlan - Aztec city what is now Mexico City

Aztlán - homeland of the Mexica, who immigrated to what is now Mexico City to form the Aztec Empire

Also, here is the Aztec Timeline as well as the story of Popo & Izta.

Please remember, we have quiz on this information on Tuesday, April 27 (spelling will not be important!)

I also shared pictures from my trip to Mexico City of the Basilica of the Virgin de Guadalupe, Tenochitilan, and Teotihuacan.

jueves, 15 de abril

2010-04-15T15:23:00.001-04:00

We watched Don Quijote today in class, comparing it to the book we read as well as making comparisons between the imaginary world in Don Qujiote's head to reality.

Remember that the final draft of Don Quijote, la historia sigue is due tomorrow. Don't forget your name and date on the front! As always, I'm available by phone if you have any questions!

Peace,

Laura

lunes, 12 de abril

2010-04-12T11:31:00.002-04:00

Welcome back! Today we jumped right back in to Don Quijote. We completed the book today in class which was very exciting! Our first book in Spanish! Congrats to Hati & Ariel for getting the phrase of the week right! They each earned a peso!

Here's what's coming up this week:

Tue - Don Quijote, La Historia Sigue 1st Draft Due - Peer Editing

Wed - Students may turn in a 2nd draft to me for editing

Thu - Students will watch an animated version of Don Quijote, comparing and contrasting the book to the movie

Fri - Final draft of the students' versions of Don Quijote

As always, I am available for questions after school. Tutorial is Tuesday at 4. Have a great week!

Paz,

Profe Laura

lunes, 29 de marzo

2010-03-29T10:52:00.002-04:00

Today we started the presentations for Don Quijote -- students did a great job. We will complete the last presentation tomorrow and start the next Rompecabeza (Jigsaw) round. Students will present on Friday. The rubrics are attached below. There is no homework this week due to the rompecabezas (unless you are working on parts of the project at home!).

Heads up: for spring break, students are to start their drafts for The Stories Continue -- the next chapter in Don Quijote. They are to be written in Spanish. We will work on peer editing when students get back, and they will have a chance to let me read through their work. The timeline is posted under important dates to the left. Students will receive a culture and writing grade for their story. Here is the rubric:

Don Quijote: La Historia Sigue

Have a great day!

Paz,

Profe Laura

viernes, 26 de marzo

2010-03-26T11:52:00.002-04:00

Students continued to work on their chapter presentations of Don Quijote. Presentations will begin on Monday so students must be ready with their poster, summaries, quotes, and opinions. Please feel free to review the rubrics here if you no longer have a copy:

Don Quijote Jigsaw (all parts but Visualize)

Poster Rubric (Reading & Culture)

Presentation Rubric (Speaking & Listening)

Have a great weekend! Hope to see some of you at Into the Woods (Break a leg!)

Paz,

Profe Laura

lunes, 22 de marzo

2010-03-22T13:35:00.002-04:00

Today we continued to read Don Quijote (chapters 7 and 8). Tomorrow we will read the last chapter together as a class for a while and break into groups of three to read different chapters and share with the entire class.

Homework - on the two-sided page, students are to work on the one with the drawing of Sancho Panza. Students are to label five articles of clothing with articles (el/la).

Have a great day!

Paz,

Profe Laura

viernes, 19 de marzo

2010-03-19T11:39:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday! We plugged along for two more days with Don Quijote. We are being introduced to more characters and learning how to get inside of the mind of Don Quijote and the author, Miguel de Cervantes.

Way to go Kai, Ramsey, and Hati with the phrase of the week! There is a new one posted. ¡Buena suerte!

There is no homework for the weekend. Coming up next week, students will starting reading chapters in groups and then teaching what they read to the class. I am excited to see them start to interact with the text on a more personal level.

Have a great weekend!

Paz,

Profe Laura

martes, 16 de marzo

2010-03-16T15:43:00.001-04:00

Today we read the third chapter in Don Quijote de la Mancha. Students are doing very well with their reading comprehension and participation. I passed out a sheet with information and some questions on famous writers. For homework, students are the read the remaining boxes and answer questions 3-6. Also, students should color in the country of each writer in their made and do a sketch of their flag. If you need help, feel free to come to me with questions!

Have a great Tuesday!

Paz,

Laura

viernes, 12 de marzo

2010-03-12T12:03:00.000-05:00

Crazy week! We got our new windows, are back in our class and have started reading Don Quijote! We will do most of this work in class since it is so challenging, though everyone is doing well. I am very excited as we will read the entire book in Spanish! (an abridge version, of course)

No homework this weekend, have a great one!

Paz,

Profe Laura

lunes, 8 de marzo

2010-03-08T12:31:00.001-05:00

We did not have class today due to the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Please remember to study for your quiz on La Ropa! (clothes)

martes, 2 de marzo

2010-03-02T16:14:00.002-05:00

Today we worked on prepositions with Goldy, the mascot from the University of Minnesota. Remember to study you Spanish notes every night for 5-10 minutes so we are ready for the games like we tried to play today.

Tarea: 10 sentences using the prepositions describing the picture.

Paz,

Profe Laura

lunes, 1 de marzo

2010-03-01T11:21:00.001-05:00

Today we focused on new vocabulary for the unit -- La Ropa (Clothing). The assignment for today is to write three sentences using the verb llevar (to wear). Here are some sentence starters to help:

En la primavera... (In the spring...)

En el verano... (In the summer...)

En el otoño... (In the fall...)

En el invierno... (In in the winter...)

Paz,

Profe Laura

jueves, 25 de febrero

2010-02-25T14:14:00.003-05:00

Today we started a new unit: Don Quijote de la Mancha. Students worked with atlas and maps to create their own map of Spain. Students also were passed back their essays, tests, and a packet of recipes of all of the ones from the recipe assignment. Maybe they should prepare dinner tonight? :)

Students have a reading comprehension assignment on Tortillas due tomorrow. Though we have a shortened class tomorrow, we will have a discussion on chivalry in modern times.

lunes, 22 de febrero

2010-02-22T13:18:00.002-05:00

We did not have class today due to the field trip to visit our zoned high schools. This is just a reminder that the Viva la Causa essays are due tomorrow and we will also be taking our end of unit exam tomorrow. Por favor, ¡estudia!

viernes, 19 de febrero

2010-02-19T11:26:00.005-05:00

Short week - we continued to work on ¡Viva la causa! talking about current boycots and fair treatment for workers. (Check out Food, Inc or visit killercoke.org to check out some of the issues we were discussing). Students also worked on writing a rough draft from their graphic organizer for their persuasive essay. Need the rubric? Click here. In class today, they did peer editing. The essay is due Tuesday, Feb 23 (along with the end of unit exam!). Students can complete a second draft and turn it in to me on Monday morning (or email me with it over the weekend) if they would like me to go over it and provide feedback. Students can also always call me over the weekend with questions.

Have a great weekend! Remember to study for the test! No class on Monday due to the high school field trips!

viernes, 12 de febrero

2010-02-12T12:58:00.005-05:00

Today we continued the Viva La Causa unit with a discussion on allies. We read an article written by Dolores Huerta in 1969, and then students pulled out words and phrases that really moved them. Here is the poem we created:

the time is ripe for our liberation

we have suffered even though our ancestors did

sowing the seeds of our truth

we will not stop struggling 'til we die

legislation

yet we are still pilgrims

to leave our peonage, poverty, and despair behind

affliction

legislation had left us naked

Over the weekend, students must complete their graphic organizers for their persuasive essays. Students has three options for essays:

1. Why is the fight that Cesar Chavez and the migrant workers important to the rest of our country? What did our nation gain in the process?

2. Do you think struggles such as the Civil Rights Movement and fight the farm workers faced should be fought non-violently or using violence? Why?

3. The title of the film and of the unit is Viva La Causa, which means “Long live the cause.” what message is the filmmaker trying to send to you?

Wednesday is your last day to turn in the permission form and money for the Feb 23 field trip to Manchu Picchu and El Mercado del Pueblo.

Way to go Shay, Troy and Kai for getting the Word of the Week!

Enjoy the long weekend!

Paz,

Profe Laura

martes, 9 de febrero

2010-02-09T17:36:00.002-05:00

We started the series - Viva La Causa - please respond to this question on the back of your notes:

What is non-violence and how did this play a role in the struggle?

Bonus - Look up the lyrics to the song De Colores -- what it is about?

Paz,

Profe Laura

viernes, 5 de febrero

2010-02-05T14:40:00.003-05:00

The students worked hard on their recipe projects for our book today. There are couple of changes to the dish list:

Brandon is writing about Oxacan Tacos

Ramsey - Pollo con mole and churros

Troy - Carne Guisada and tres leches

Kai - Empanadas and Flan

Students are allowed to do two recipes and then second one will take the place of the final exam grade (save the listening portion). It is not required, but an option.

Also, great job to Kai and Hati for getting the word of the week!

Have a great weekend!

Paz,

Profe Laura

jueves, 4 de febrero

2010-02-04T14:26:00.002-05:00

We are starting a recipe project which is due on Monday, February 8th. For tomorrow, students must look up a recipe for their chosen dish. Here is the list:

Brandon - Tacos

Destin - Arepas

Ramsey - Spanish Tortillas

Dakota - Salsa

Shay - Arroz con Pollo

Hati - Paella

Troy - Tortillas

Ariel - Batida

Kai - Empanadas

We will be creating a recipe book. Students have all day tomorrow to work on this in class and to ask questions. All recipes must be on normal 8x11 pieces of paper so they will fit together as a book.

Also, students will have the opportunity to join the 6th graders on a field to Mercado del Pueblo on Bufford Highway and to eat at an Peruvian restaurant. It is complete optional and students who wish to go must be caught up on their Social Studies and Language Arts work since they will be missing those classes. The field trip is on Tuesday, Feb 23. More details to come.

Have a great day!

Paz,

Profe Laura

lunes, 1 de febrero

2010-02-01T11:32:00.002-05:00

Great job on your skits and menus, everyone! I had fun looking through them more thoroughly over the weekend. Back to the grindstone today -- we did possessives and irregular verbs (ver y leer). There is a homework sheet attached to that. Tomorrow we will be doing more with irregular verbs and get ready for a new project for Friday and the weekend.

Paz,

Profe Laura

viernes, 29 de enero

2010-01-29T11:26:00.004-05:00

Wonderful job on the skits! It was a lot of fun to see you all act out the problems in your restaurant. I am excited to look over your colorful menus over the weekend.

Way to go Hati on getting the word of the week!

HW: La Comida Hispánica - answer the questions in Spanish, of course. Remember to call if you have a question!

Have a great weekend!

Paz,

Profe Laura

jueves, 28 de enero

2010-01-28T15:03:00.002-05:00

Today we took a quick quiz on the food with a reading, writing, and listen component. Every did a WONDERFUL job!! yea! Everyone received a 100% on the listen part, which was very exciting. Tomorrow students will have 10 minutes to get their skits together and then they will be presenting and turning in their menus. Great work! I am excited to see what everyone came up with--I have a feeling they will be very entertaining!

Also, Ariel, Troy, and Shay received wolf bones for coming in on their own during reading and work time to quiz themselves in preparation for the quiz today. Way to take responsibility for your learning, ladies!

Paz,

Profe Laura

martes, 26 de enero

2010-01-26T18:09:00.002-05:00

Quick post! Still working on the menus and skits (plan is to have them due on Friday, though you will get 10-15 minutes of work time with your group that day to practice). Quiz on Thursdays and then there will be work time. The homework is the food vocab worksheet. Have a great night!

Paz,

Profe Laura

lunes, 25 de enero

2010-01-25T13:02:00.000-05:00

Working on our restaurant menus and skits project in class this week. Will set a finalize due date tomorrow. Remember to study for the quiz on Thursday! I have tutorial tomorrow for anyone who would like extra help (or you can always come in early in the morning).

HW: Table setting worksheet

Have a great night!

Paz,

Profe Laura

viernes, 22 de enero

2010-01-22T10:36:00.004-05:00

We started working in our groups on the Menus project which will carry over into the skit project. The homework for the weekend - read the conversation and answer three of the seven questions (of your choice) in Spanish.

Yea to Kai who got the phrase of the week! She earned her peso.

If you would like to work on your menus, don't let me stop you!

Remember to keep reviewing your notes -- the quiz is on the 28th.

Have a great weekend!

Paz,

Profe Laura

jueves, 21 de enero

2010-01-21T14:03:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder - if you didn't finish the three sentences about the foods you like, please have it ready for the start of class tomorrow!!

We will start the menu and restaurant group project tomorrow as well.

Paz,

Profe. Laura

martes, 19 de enero

2010-01-19T12:14:00.001-05:00

We continued to work on new food vocabulary and then played BINGO for pesos. It was fun and competitive. There was no homework.

Upcoming - we will form groups and work on more restaurant vocabulary and start to create menus.

Please continue to study your vocabulary and notes so that you are ready for your quiz on January 28th.

Paz,

Profe Laura

Silly internet

2010-01-16T10:38:00.003-05:00

Of course when I try to be on top of the blog and post right after class, the internet was fishy :(

So, here is the recap:

-Two students need to re-do their Central Plaza homework and two need to turn it in on Tuesday (remember, lunch detention until it is finished)

-All students need to read about Hispanic Foods and write a 5 sentence summary (in English) for Tuesday

-We will continue with vocabulary on Tuesday. Two students who missed class due to stepping need to come in on Tuesday morning to get the notes that they missed and turn in their ¡ya!

Finally, remember our new policy - line up outside the door, place all coats, bookbags, etc in the back and only take your Spanish folder, agenda book, and a pencil to your new assigned seat. Students may only use the bathroom during independent work time, and students who do not complete their homework must spend lunch detention with me until it is completed.

These policies have been put in place due to the lack of responsibility that students have been taking for their learning and actions (referring to Guiding Principle #3). These procedures will remain in place until all students start taking responsibility for their learning.

Have a safe and wonderful three day weekend. As always, call if you have any questions.

Paz,

Profe Laura

¡Vamos al restaurante!

2010-01-14T14:19:00.001-05:00

First of all, a big ¡GRACIAS! to Dakota's dad and Shay's mother for driving us all to Mi Barrio, a family-owned Mexican restaurant on Memorial and Boulevard. Second of all, I am very proud of all of the students. They did a great job, tried to use their Spanish, took some risks, and were extremely mature and polite. We had a blast, eat some wonderful food, and then talked about things we would like to learn during our next unit: ¡Vamos al restaurante!

*Tarea: finish La Plaza Central reading -- due at the beginning of class on Friday.

Paz,

Profe Laura

Getting back into the swing of things...

2010-01-12T09:02:00.003-05:00

I apologize for not posting - it's been a bit crazy getting back into the swing of things specially with even more unexpected days off! Here is what's going on as we wrap up unit 3:

1/12 - To Hire or Not to Hire due to complete the hiring process we began before break.

Students will have a chance to revise unit 3 exams.

1/14 - La Plaza cultural reading and questions due

1/14 - Mi Barrio Field Trip! We will meet in the cafeteria at 11:45.

Remember - tutorial is Tuesday 4-5 pm

Paz,

Profe. Laura

¡Feliz Navidad!

2009-12-18T12:29:00.002-05:00

As a Christmas present to you, we will NOT have an article due over break. I would rather you all spend lots of time preparing for your interviews. Interview your parents! Remember to dress to impress on Thursday and Friday!!

Have a wonderful break. I will send out field trip details when we return. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

lunes, 14 de diciembre

2009-12-14T11:30:00.001-05:00

Students are continuing to work on their employment process project. All students have applied for each other's jobs and now they are writing interview questions for the students who are applying the their jobs. Whew! This sounds a little confusing! Interview questions are due to me on Friday at the beginning of class so that I may make copies and return to students to prepare over the break.

***Reminder: Unit 3 exam is on Thursday! You received your study guides last week and no one has been in for a tutorial session! I have tutorial today from 4-5 pm for anyone who would like to go over the study guide and ask questions.

Paz,

Profe Laura

lunes, 7 de diciembre

2009-12-07T13:28:00.002-05:00

Today we started our end of unit project. Students must complete task 1 and 2 by Friday (create and advertisement and a job application). Students will have all of Tuesday and Thursday to work on this in class, but it must be completed by the start of class on Friday so that students have a chance to applying to each others' jobs over the weekend.

I am available Tuesday at 4 for tutorial, in the mornings, or at lunch for assistance or revisions if you need extra help.

Have a great week!

Paz,

Profe Laura

viernes, 4 de diciembre

2009-12-04T12:58:00.001-05:00

Today we took the Tener Expression quiz and talked more about the project we will be working on for the next month. Feel free to start on Tarea 1 (Task 1) over the weekend or collect any materials you will need to complete it in class. Both Task 1 & 2 are due on Friday, December 11.

Have a great weekend!

Paz,

Profe Laura

jueves, 3 de diciembre

2009-12-03T17:45:00.002-05:00

Remember - Tener Expression Quiz tomorrow and "se impersonal"/passive voice homework is due. See you tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Weekend Blog Assignment

2009-11-24T09:38:00.004-05:00

Students must read an article in Spanish and write a small summary of 30-50 words. Students must attach the article to their summary. Summaries must include one statement of opinion about how the student feels about the subject of the articles. All articles must be in Spanish. 15 points. Do your best - this is suppose to be a challenge! :)

Here are some links to news, local, national, and international:

http://www.mundohispanico.com/dinero/content/comunidad/articulos/2009/11/19/111909_articulo2.html

http://www.mundohispanico.com/dinero/content/comunidad/articulos/2009/11/19/111909_articulo5.html

http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?chid=3&schid=160&secid=0&cid=2179481

http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?chid=3&schid=160&secid=0&cid=2178515

http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?chid=3&schid=12199&secid=0&cid=2179490

http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?chid=3&schid=303&secid=0&cid=2179052

http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?chid=3&schid=303&secid=0&cid=2178942

There are also links to the left to news sites in Spanish. ¡Buena suerte! Feel free to give me a call--though I am more likely to answer on Sunday!

Have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Paz,

Profe Laura

lunes, 23 de noviembre

2009-11-23T11:13:00.002-05:00

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. The quiz went very well on Friday and today, again, there is not homework. However -- there will be homework over the break since I need you all to be thinking about Spanish!

This week, we are working on the irregular verbs poner (to put), poder (to be able to), dar (to give), and saber (to know).

We are also continuing our work on forming questions (ask your student about it -- it's crazy in Spanish!)

Paz,

Profe Laura

jueves, 19 de noviembre

2009-11-19T13:29:00.002-05:00

This is a reminder that there is a quiz tomorrow. Students can come up to my room at 8 for a quick review. Look over your occupations, verbs, and location vocabulary.

Also, remember to complete the student-written comprehension questions for the mini "lecturas" readings we did in class. They are due at the beginning of class.

Remember to give me a call if you have a question or come up and see me in the morning. Have a great night!

Paz,

Profe Laura

martes, el 17 de noviembre

2009-11-17T15:56:00.002-05:00

We had a great today working with Tener Expressions (I am hungry, I am sleepy, I have to...). The students have a small homework assignment -- complete the 8 sentences using tener que. If students have any questions, they can call or come up to my room when they arrive tomorrow before school starts. I know Kai already finished it while waiting for her ride.

Have a great day, and I look forward to conferences!

Paz,

Profe. Laura

viernes, 13 de noviembre

2009-11-13T12:00:00.002-05:00

This week we continued to work on new vocabulary for the unit and started to work on interrogatives (question words). There is no homework for the weekend. Next week we will work more with question interviews and conduct interviews in class about our dream jobs and the occupations of our family members.

Have a great weekend!

Paz,

Profe Laura

lunes, 9 de noviembre

2009-11-09T11:26:00.002-05:00

Last week we wrapped up Unit 2 with the reading of our stories. Everyone did a wonderful job! It was exciting to guess the answers to the riddles and to see everyone's creativity!

We are now moving in to Unit 3 -- The Employment Agency. We started off with vocabulary of occupations and worked on places in the community where people worked. We will continue to practice to vocabulary all this week with games like Around the World, Memory, etc.

Moving into the upcoming weeks, we start to work on grammar, more irregular verbs, interrogatives (question words), and expressions with the verb tener. Towards the end of the unit, we will design job classifieds, create and complete job applications, write interview questions, interview each other, and hopefully all of us will find a job in our classroom community!

Homework for tonight: Write 5 sentences describing one worker and where they worker.

Example: El dentista trabaja en la oficina.

You must supply the words in bold, keep everything else the same. This is just a quick check to make sure we are all on the same page!

Have a great night!

Paz,

Profe. Laura

lunes, 2 de noviembre

2009-11-02T11:42:00.002-05:00

Today was a big day! We had both the Unit 2 Exam and then we had our children's story due. I am very excited to have all of the students read their stories on Thursday and Monday.

I just completed grading the tests. As always, Spanish is a process and if you would like to revise your test (I would hope that everyone would!), you will have the weekend to correct them with your notes, on your own. You must come in to a tutorial time to go over the test with me:

Monday, 11/9 at 8 AM or Tuesday, 11/10 at 4 PM. Let me know which one you are signing up for!

Remember - no school tomorrow!

Paz,

Profe Laura

viernes, 30 de octubre

2009-10-30T12:53:00.002-04:00

This has been a fun week - everyone has been working hard on their children story books. Two students have already turned them in and they look great!!!

Remember - give me a call if you have a question as you are working on them this weekend. They are due Monday at the start of class.

Monday is also the Unit 2 Exam -- we will have another study session on Monday morning at 8 am in my room if you would like to go over actually test questions before you see them in class.

Have a great weekend and Happy Halloween!!

Paz,

Profe Laura

Week of Oct 26-30

2009-10-28T12:55:00.001-04:00

Just a reminder that students are working on their Los Cuentos book project. They are due on Monday! Please, remember to let me know if there is anything I need to bring in (besides the usual) to help you complete your projects!

Also -- remember the test is on Monday!

I am so excited to see your projects. We will be reading them to the class next Thursday and Friday! :)

Paz,

Profe Laura

viernes, 23 de octubre

2009-10-23T10:35:00.003-04:00

Yea to Troy and Ramsey who got the word of the week right! We have the new one posted -- good luck!

Thursday, I passed out the study guide for the Unit 2 exam on November 2 and today I passed out the rubric for the Los Cuentos Who Am I? Riddle storybook projects also due on November 2.

We are also half way done with our second round of charlas. I will continue to pull students aside during project work time so that students are still using the time to work and practice Spanish. I am going to make the topics revolve around the themes from the unit so that we can practice for the exam.

All next week we will be using class time to work on projects. Be thinking about it over the weekend!!

*Remember - if you need any special materials to work on the project next week, please let a comment to let me know how I can help you!

Have a great weekend!

Paz,

Profe. Laura

martes, 20 de octubre

2009-10-20T09:00:00.006-04:00

Over the last two days we have been working with reading and summary writing. On Monday, we finished La Zorra y El Cuervo -- the students did a great job of reading as a group. Then we created a summary together of the book in Spanish. This was prep for today's activity. Each student is taking home a copy of ¿Tu mamá es una llama?, reading it, and writing a summary of their story to share with the class.

HW - Complete the summaries - revise, check for errors, and turn in tomorrow!

Tutorial is today from 4-5 pm. Please come!

viernes, 16 de octubre

2009-10-16T10:17:00.003-04:00

Today (though we had a shortened period because of morning meeting), we continued with Charlas. We also started reading the play, La Zorra y El Cuervo (the Fox and the Crow). There is no homework except for those who didn't turn in their assignments from before.

Next week we will finish our story and start to work on summary writing in Spanish.

Have a great weekend!

Paz,

Profe. Laura

jueves, 15 de octubre

2009-10-15T19:46:00.002-04:00

Hope you all enjoyed the long break! We are jumping right back into vocabulary and sentence structure. Remember your HW for tomorrow - classification sheet and the animal comparison venn diagram!

We will be reading a story in class tomorrow -- I am excited!

Paz,
Profe Laura

viernes, 9 de octubre

2009-10-09T11:07:00.002-04:00

What a great week! Thank you everyone who left posts on the blog assignment - it was fun to read them!

All this week we were busy with our project for Hispanic Heritage Month. All groups did a great job researching the environmental threats facing their Spanish speaking country. One of our groups even presented to the entire school at morning meeting -- thank you Kai, Ramsey, & Shay! They each receive a Latino treat and a peso for representing our class so well.

We learned that in México, there are many problems with pollution and deforestation. We learned that in Costa Rica eco-tourism and poaching is taking a toll on the country's animal diversity. Finally, we learned that in Ecuador, oil spills have done much damage to their wildlife. Students also researched agencies who are out there trying to make a difference -- like tagging turtles and replanting trees. Thank you, students! I learned a lot this week!

Also -- Bravo to Dakota for getting the work of the week! The new one is already posted. Starting next week, we will continue our work with Animals on the Verge of Extinction and also talking more about irregular verbs.

Have a great weekend!

Paz,

Profe Laura

lunes, 5 de octubre

2009-10-05T11:18:00.003-04:00

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Today we wrapped up our first round of charlas which we will put on hold for a week. We started our project for Hispanic Heritage Month. Students are working in groups of three to learn about the environmental problems and practices in the Spanish-speaking countries of Mexico, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. The group with the best presentation will give theirs in front of the school at Friday's morning meeting along with student representatives from the other grades in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. I am very excited to see how these projects develop!

Great job to Troy, Ramsey, and Dakota for getting last week's word of the week! Our new one is posted - keep guessing and expanding your vocabulary!

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BLOG ASSIGNMENT: The assignment is to answer the follow questions either as a comment or on a piece of paper and turn it into me. Please use COMPLETE sentences. This response can be in English.

1. Tell me something that you have learned about the country you are studying.

2. Why is it important we have National Hispanic Heritage Month?

This assignment is worth 10 points, so please (especially on the second question) expand and explain your thinking.

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I look forward to hearing your responses!

Paz,

Profe. Laura

viernes, 2 de octubre

2009-10-02T11:17:00.003-04:00

We had a great week this week! Lots of practices with our animals -- the quizzes were great! Everyone got 100% on the animal matching quiz yesterday!

On Friday, we only had three students in class because of the Hula Hoop Contest. Remember, students who miss class much make up their participation points within a week by reading an article in Spanish (information is in the syllabus).

Next week, we will start our projects for Hispanic Heritage Month as well as tie in with the work we are doing with animals on the verge of extinction.

There is no homework for the weekend! Have a great one!

Paz,

Profe. Laura

lunes, 28 de septiembre

2009-09-28T11:38:00.004-04:00

¡Hola! Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Today in class, we worked on the past tense (review) and continued to fill in our irregular verb charts.

Also, yea to Ramsey and Troy for getting the word of the week!

Homework assignment:

Write 8 sentences in the past tense using one of each of the subject categories. Then, write three sentences about what you did over the weekend.

Any questions? Remember, you can always contact me!

Have a great day!

Paz,

Profe Laura

jueves, 24 de septiembre

2009-09-24T16:37:00.002-04:00

Monday -

Started Unit 2 with learning the names of the animals on the verge of extinction. We also learned the names of their habitats in Spanish. We completed a world habitat map and students received flashcards.

Tuesday -

Rain Day (sorry! I usually post on this day!)

Thursday -

Today was our first day of Charlas. Thank you Shay & Destin for going first! All students will receive 5/5 points for the first round as we learn what this process is all about. It is a chance for students to use their conversation / survival Spanish. Though I will occasionally correct, I will only be speaking in Spanish. Students must be creative in order to hold a conversation for five minutes. Both Shay and Destin did a great job. Destin even started off the conversation asking me a ton of questions! ¡Buen trabajo!

We also started to fill in our irregular verb charts for the present tense. We will work on the past tense chart next Monday and continue to fill in both charts as we learn new irregular verbs. We also took a quick look at stem changing verbs to see a preview of what is to come with those verbs that continue to break the rules!

Tomorrow -

We will review parts of the body, learn to sing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes in Spanish, and play a little Símon Dice (Simon Says)! to prepare for our parts of the animal vocabulary that will come out some time next week.

HW -

IR/TENER work sheet. Please look at the calendar on the left for upcoming quizzes (there are 2!) and when the final unit exam will be.

Paz,

Profe. Laura

jueves, 17 de septiembre

2009-09-17T14:20:00.002-04:00

Recap -

We have completed Unit 1 and we watched ¡Saludos Amigos! to celebrate on Tuesday!

Today we completed a writing assignment using the verbs ser and estar.

Tomorrow we will be looking over Unit 2 Objectives and get a preview of what is to come on Monday as well as do some pronunciation and stress exercises to make speaking and reading in Spanish a lot easier.

Hispanic Heritage Month Started on September 15th. Our class will be presenting a skit on October 9th which we will be working on at the beginning of October. The theme will be our unit's theme, animals on the verge of extinction, but it will also be closely tied to the study of preservation practices in a Latin American country. More to come!

Paz,

Profe Laura

lunes, 14 de septiembre

2009-09-14T11:38:00.002-04:00

Reminder - Tomorrow is the last day of Unit 1. Please turn in any of the follow work with corrections for points:

- Definite/Indefinite Article Packet

-Burrito Builder Scores (half credit)

-Take home test

-Countries Quiz Retake

Tomorrow we will watch ¡Saludos Amigos! - I can't wait!

This week's phrase of the day: "Voy y vengo"

Paz,

Profe. Laura

viernes, 11 de septiembre

2009-09-11T23:16:00.001-04:00

Today we worked on ser y estar verbs and reviewed for the test.

Reminder - look at the important dates to see what is due next week!

If you need any help with the take home exam -- please contact me! I will be in my room at 8 am on Monday if you have any questions as well.

Have a great weekend!

Paz,

Profe Laura

jueves, 10 de septiembre

2009-09-10T13:24:00.003-04:00

We did a lot of stuff today in class! Everyone worked really hard! Recap:

- Study Guide - We have a STUDY SESSION at 7:45 AM tomorrow! Come when you can!

- AR/ER/IR verbs - power point review.

- Memory with infinite verbs

Yea to Ramsey, Dakota, and Ariel for winning in their groups!

Remember - Word of the week due Friday!!!

Unit 1 Test is on Monday! Please call me over the weekend if you have questions!

***BLOG ASSIGNMENT!!!***

As promised, here is your blog assignment -

Burrito Builder: http://www.spanishprograms.com/spanish_teacher/learning_module/games.php

Directions:

1. Play one round of AR verbs and one round of ER verbs (has both ER and IR verbs).

2. Play in EASY mode.

3. Print your score, post it to the comments, or write it down for me. You should have TWO separate scores!

4. You will receive points for each.

5. The ingredients will rise up on the screen, and you will see (for example: All of you take) All of you = ustedes and to take = tomar. You would type toman and the ingredient will be put in your burrito! If you don't get it at first, try reading the directions or play around with it. It took me 3 tries to figure it out! Now it is addicting!

6. Bonus - You will receive a PESO for a score of 1350 or higher (my score!)

¡Buena suerte!

Paz,

Profe. Laura

martes, 8 de septiembre

2009-09-08T23:12:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone had a great long weekend!

In class, we took the quiz on identifying the countries and capitals of the Spanish speaking world. We also presented our weather reports that we completed last friday. It was a nice warm up to get students in front of the class (speaking Spanish, of course!). For practice, this quiz will pop up again on the Unit test -- it is very important that we new the Spanish speaking countries and where they are located for context throughout our course!

Palabra (o frase) de la semana: ¡cheveré!

Word (or phrase) of the Week

Students have a chance to figure out the meaning of the word or phrase and then write the answer (and their name) on a piece of paper and turn it in to me for peso at the end of the week. We will have a new one posted at the beginning of each week.

I am excited to see everyone's parents at back to school night. We will have a chance to go over the syllabus, and I will have a chance to answer any questions about the course for the year.

Reminder - the Definite and Indefinite article packet is due THURSDAY! If you have any questions, give me a call this evening (any time after 8:30 when I am done with BTSN or come in and see me at 8 am this morning when I arrive at school. I am come in earlier, too if you get a hold of me and just ask :-)

Paz,

Profe Laura

jueves, el 3 de septiembre

2009-09-03T16:37:00.002-04:00

The last two days in class we have worked on reviewing definite and indefinite articles (the, a - in English).

Definite Article (the)

Masc. Fem.

Singular el la

Plural los las

Indefinite (a, some)

Masc. Fem.

Singular un una

Plural unos unas

The homework packet is du on the 10th of September at the beginning of class. I am always available before and after school to help with any questions (or you can call -- you have my number!).

Also, remember that our first quiz is on the 8th of September.

Students also requested this information about typing in Spanish at home:

PC Users

To get accents on a PC, you need to hold down the atl key while using the number pad -

á = atl + e, then a
é = atl + e, then e
í = atl + e, then i
ó = atl + e, then o
ú = atl + e, then u

ñ = atl +164

¡ = atl + 173
¿ = atl + 168

Mac Users

To get accents on the Mac, hold down the Option key, and while holding it down, type the letter e; then release those keys and type the letter that you want the accent to appear on:

á = Opt + e, then a
é = Opt + e, then e
í = Opt + e, then i
ó = Opt + e, then o
ú = Opt + e, then u

For the ñ, hold down the Option key while you type the n; release and type n again.

ñ = Opt + n, then n

To place the diaeresis over the u, hold down the Option key while pressing the u key; release and type u again.

ü = Opt + u, then u

The inverted punctuation marks are achieved as follows:

¡ = Opt + 1
¿ Opt + shift + ?

Or, you can do what I do, and change your keyboard settings (just remember to change them back to English before someone else uses it!). Information is listed here: http://www.studyspanish.com/accents/typing.htm#mac

¡Hasta luego!

Profe. Laura

lunes 31 de agosto

2009-08-31T16:42:00.002-04:00

I have finally gone through all of the work that you all have been doing while I was gone and we just started passing it back today. As I return the work, we are going over some of the more important lessons, making sure that they stick for the up coming units.

Remember: the syllabus (signed by your parent or guardian) is due Thursday, September 3rd (PICTURE DAY!!) . It is worth five points.

We also have our first quiz coming up on the countries and capitals of the Spanish speaking world. Please go over your maps each evening -- the quiz will be a breeze! Tip: start by seeing which ones you know, then study the rest in small groups (like Central America and South America). If you have another study tip, please post it as a comment, and I will share it with the class. The quiz is on Tuesday, September 8.

As a heads up for later, our first Unit Test for Unit 1 - comenzando y repasando will be on Monday, September 14. A study guide will be given out later.

Blog Assignment #1 (3 points) - given what we have reviewed so far, what do you think should be on the exam? Please leave a comment by Friday, September 4 by the start of class. If you are unable to leave a comment, leave a note on my desk with you name on it and your answer.

Happy Monday!

Paz,

Profe. Laura

Syllabus

2009-08-28T13:03:00.002-04:00

Eighth Grade Spanish at Atlanta Charter Middle Syllabus

Instructor: Laura M. Byard (Profe Laura)

Room: 202

Phone: 612-986-8764

Email: LByard@atlantachartermiddle.com

Blog: http://cultureshock-acms.blogspot.com/

Office Hours: Block 2.1 & 2.2 (Available before/after school and during

lunch – just call me or email me to make sure I am there!)

As the first 8^th Grade Spanish class at ACMS, this will be a very exciting year! Below I have explained our course schedule, my grading expectations and policies, and any other classroom expectations. Please feel free to contact me any time with any questions!

Course Schedule

First Trimester (--)

Unidad 1 comenzando y repasando

Unidad 2 los animales en peligro de extinción

Second Trimester (--)

Unidad 3 la agencia de empleo

Unidad 4 vamos al restaurante

Third Trimester (--)

Unidad 5 Don Quijote de la Mancha

Unidad 6 celebración y fiestas de países diferentes

Grading

> 100 = A+

90-100 = A

80-89 = B

70-79 = C

< 70 =" Needs">

Blog – 5%

The blog for our classroom is http://cultureshock-acms.blogspot.com/ -- you are required to check it regularly! I will occasionally put assignments in the blog or pose questions that you will have to comment on to earn points. The blog assignments will be simple and used more to see if you are utilizing all of the tools at your disposal.

Participation – 10 %

Participation will be graded everyday since it is imperative that you are an active participant in a foreign language course. Though I do understand that everyone has a different comfort level in speaking aloud, the participation grade is more to grade your attention and effort and is not to count how many times you speak in a day.

The daily grading scale is:

3 Points	Completed all class assignments and actively participated in class.
2 Points	Completed all class assignments, but did not participate actively in class (with games, speaking activities, etc), or was missing materials.
1 Point	Did not complete in class assignments and/or was disruptive
0 Points	Did not attend class or attended less than 50% of class

*Note: If you are tardy to class, the most points you can earn in a day is 2

Make-Up Work

You are allowed to make up participation points only for points missed with an excused absence. If you missed class (or more than 50% of a class), you have one week from the day of the absence to turn in your make up assignment (example, if you are sick on a Monday, you have until the beginning of class the following Monday to turn in your work for credit).

Students may read an article (or simply a few paragraphs of a large article) in Spanish and write a small summary of 50-100 words. Students must attach the article to their summary. Summaries must include one statement of opinion about how the student feels about the subject of the articles. All articles must be in Spanish. Summaries written in English are worth 2 participation points; summaries in Spanish are worth 3 participation points. Links to news sites can be found on the blog.

Charlas – 15%

Everyone who has learned a foreign language that they only really started to grasp the language when they really started to speak. For this reason, once every two weeks, I will engage each student in a five minute long charla (chat) to give the students an opportunity to have an interrupted one-on-one dialogue. Students will be graded on a five-point scale for each charla. Students are not graded on how many mistakes they make. In fact, they are encouraged to try new words and verb endings and are rewarded for their effort. Each student is graded individually, allowing students to build on their own knowledge. All students will receive a 5 for their first charla as long as a strong effort is made in order to see where each student is at in their speaking ability. Students will receive a small write up at the end of each charla with their score as well as some notes and corrections.

5 pts	Student not only is engaged in conversation for five minutes, but also tries new words and goes outside of comfort zone. When making mistakes, student attempts to self-correct.
4 pts	Student not only responds to questions asked by teacher, but replies with his or her own questions. Student occasionally explores new verb forms and vocabulary.
3 pts	Student can engage in conversation for the full five minutes; however, the conversation does not build and is very similar each time.
2 pts	Student only responds to questions and does not actively participate in dialogue.
1 pt	No one should receive only one point for the charla – you get one just for sitting down with me!

Assignments – 20%

Throughout the school year, students will receive homework, in-class assignments and projects. All will be recorded here.

Quizzes – 20%

Small vocabulary and grammar quizzes will be given throughout a unit to check students’ understanding and can be used as study guides for the Unit Tests.

Unit Tests – 30%

At the end of every unit we will have a comprehensive unit exam. Each exam will be 15% of the testing grade. Though each exam will largely focus on the vocabulary and grammar skills learned in the unit that is being tested, exams will draw from knowledge from past units and students will be responsible for all material at any time after it has been presented.

Pesos

The only way to earn extra credit in class is to earn pesos. A student earns a peso for speaking in Spanish in class; however, it must be something above and beyond what is expected. For example, a student would not receive one for answering a question or speaking Spanish for an in-class activity, but if they were to offer an answer that involved more dialogue or they were speaking Spanish with a classmate when they entered the room, they would receive a peso.

Students are responsible for their own pesos. Students may turn in five at any time to add one point to any quiz or assignment. Students may turn them in at any time in the year and could even save all of them until the final trimester.

Parents & Students –

If there are any questions about the syllabus, please feel free to contact me via phone or email (my personal number is listed above). I am always available for tutoring and would even hold regularly scheduled morning or after school tutoring for students who would like to go above and beyond what we learn in school.

I look forward to a great year!!

Profe. Laura

el 27 de agosto

2009-08-27T12:32:00.002-04:00

Welcome everyone! I know it's almost the end of the third week of school, but it is my first day to Spanish class so I would like to welcome everyone! I had a wonderful time in Minnesota getting married under oak trees and dancing until my feet almost feel off, but I am excited to get back to work!

Celida Solis has been very kind to sub that last twelve days of class, mostly reviewing with the students. She had many kind words to say about how focused, polite, and bright you all are! Thank you for treating her so kindly. I have and will finish reviewing all of the work that everyone has completed over the last twelve days as well as correct the pretests from today (that you will all finish tomorrow)

Students -- if you are reading this blog, please post something to me and you can earn one extra participation point from the first two weeks of school! (you have until September 1st!) I will be using this to recap for parents what we are up to in class and also to list homework assignments. Check out the links on the left -- they have many helpful homework and study tools!

As far as grading, I will continue to grade using our participation scale that was sent home in the welcome letter. I will start grading assignments as soon as the review period is over. Next week, I will be sending home a Spanish class calendar with unit start and end dates as well as highlights to come.

I look forward to getting to know you all (and your parents) better!

Paz,

Profe. Laura