Spanish 345 Quarter 1 Beginning of school year

 It's been wonderful to see all your students back from summer break and to jump right into practicing Spanish again.  It's also been great to welcome our new Archway scholars.  I hope they are all feeling a bit more adjusted to being back in school now that we're a few weeks in.  I wanted to give you a brief up-date on what we've been working on in Spanish class and also to reassure you if you have wondered why you haven't seen any Spanish come home yet.  

Each grade has learned a couple new "trabalenguas" the first day of classes.  It's really fun to hear them do these and to hear how quickly they learn them and enjoy doing them with great pronunciation.  

Tonguetwisters (trabalenguas)                                      

3rd

RR: Erre con erre, guitarra; erre con erre, barril:
rápido ruedan los carros, rápido el ferrocarril.

Ñ: Pepe Piña pica papa. Pica papa Pepe Piña.

4^th

Amarillo es el patito, Amarillo es el limón,

Amarillo es el patito, que sale del cascarón.

Si Sansón no sazona su salsa con sal,

Sosa le sale la salsa sin sazonar a Sansón. 

 5th

Pancha plancha con cuatro planchas.

¿Con cuántas planchas Pancha plancha?

 

Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal en tres tristes trastos.  En tres tristes trastos tragaban trigo tres tristes tigres.

 

Pablito clavó un clavito en la calva de un calvito. En la calva de un calvito un clavito clavó Pablito.

We've also learned all the Latin American countries and capitals these first couple weeks using a Central American and South American map that they filled in.   I taught them a chant to help them practice them in order, and with Spanish pronunciation.  This also allowed us to jump right into how to pronounce the letters in the Spanish alphabet.  Many already have a number of them memorized.  I hope to work on this with them at the beginning of each school year so that they can know them by heart by the time in they are in 5th grade.

This week I'm starting to introduce weather vocabulary and a review of numbers and how to tell the date in Spanish -- think ¡CINCO DE MAYO!  It's an easy way for them to remember to put the number first and then the month.

Most units we answer a "question for the unit"  for example, when we learned the capitals and countries  the question was "¿Dónde está Perú? (Where is Peru?)  ¿en centroamerica o en suramerica?  OR  ¿Cuál es el capital de Perú? (What is the capital of Peru?)  Lima es el capital de Perú.  As we move into weather, the question will be ¿Qué tiempo hace?  (What's the weather?)

I typically don't ask students to take their Spanish folder home because I need to be sure they have their materials for class.  So, instead, I will be sending periodic up-dates with the vocabulary that we are practicing, in case you want them to practice at home.  My hope is that each student is  willing to participate in class and do the activities that we are working on together, even if they are new to Spanish or feel uncertain about their current level of understanding.  I try to mix up the class so that there is a little speaking practice, writing practice and listening/ responding in Spanish practice.  Some units we will work on a mini-project in class.  

Students may also access QUIZLET to practice at home. This is a great way to keep the students familiar with the vocabulary a way that they typically consider fun, as it's on a device.  Here's the link: 

https://quizlet.com/ACCSpanish345/classes    They can practice study sets 1-5 (numbers, days, months, weather, alphabet) for this month.  In September they can start practicing anything from unit one -- 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4

¡Hasta la próxima!  (Until next time!)

Q4 Spanish up-date 2023

 April 4, 2023                      Spanish 3-5 Update

Quarter 4 Spanish is always a favorite for the students as we practice vocabulary related to animals and food!  (¡animales y comida!) To start, the students have reviewed the vocabulary related to pets (mascotas) and being able to describe them in Spanish.  We’ll be quickly moving to learning a bit about some of the animals found in the country that they learned about 3^rd (Colombia)  4^th (Costa Rica) and 5^th (Puerto Rico).   Each grade level will be doing a slightly different in-class project related to animals in the next couple week.  All work will be completed at school.

After we finish with the animals, we’ll be learning about foods in different countries: 3^rd (Republica Dominicana)  4^th (Cuba)  5^th (Guatemala) and then learning how to say those foods in Spanish and they will have the opportunity to create menus and practice ordering food in Spanish. 

I’ve attached our vocabulary sheets in case you’d like to print out to have them practice their words at home.  The students are also encouraged to use Quizlet to practice their vocabulary. 

https://quizlet.com/ACCSpanish345/classes

Animales:

·       3^rd https://quizlet.com/209063893/grade-3-vocabulary-41-las-mascotas-flash-cards/?funnelUUID=ac76b32c-1bf7-4361-91ce-0142fb8b0783

·       4^th   https://quizlet.com/209061679/grade-4-vocabulary-41-las-mascotas-flash-cards/?funnelUUID=dfa78910-d5b6-4857-bb40-071e35d82873
5^th https://quizlet.com/204149751/grade-5-vocabulary-42-animales-de-puerto-rico-flash-cards/?funnelUUID=003a2e2f-d2d4-429c-8f27-2bf9ce9acaf2

Comida (food)

·       3^rd https://quizlet.com/276752744/grade-3-vocabulary-51-la-comida-flash-cards/?funnelUUID=aee5ee0a-4f29-4b63-9690-baef9af06ac9

·       4^th https://quizlet.com/276754229/grade-4-vocabulary-51-la-comida-flash-cards/?funnelUUID=24cb7ad1-eef0-4b4e-a6f1-aab9f8addf87

·       5^th https://quizlet.com/204149751/grade-5-vocabulary-42-animales-de-puerto-rico-flash-cards/?funnelUUID=003a2e2f-d2d4-429c-8f27-2bf9ce9acaf2

Feb. 15, 2023                    Spanish 3-5 Update

During Q3, all grades practiced with vocabulary about school, hobbies and vacations. 

5^th and 3^rd have also practiced telling time in Spanish.  Son las tres de la tarde.  (3:00pm).  They really enjoyed using their individual whiteboards as a fast way to show me the times I told them in Spanish. 

I’ve given the students interactive vocab sheets (see attachments in this email if you want to print out for practice at home) to help learn the new Spanish words. We’ve practiced the vocabulary with partners, mini-dialogues, reading, wordsearches, crosswords, games and whiteboards. 

3^rd grade learned that Spanish has 2 different verbs for playing – one that’s used for playing an instrument (tocar), and one that’s used with playing with sports/ friends (jugar).  They will be learning about the Central American country of Honduras in the next couple weeks. 

4^th grade learned to talk about their hobbies and weekly activities using verbs in the 1^st person (I).  They also learned some important aspects of Mexican culture, like the how Mexico City was built on a lake, where the monarch butterflies migrate from the U.S. and Canada to a mountain town outside of Mexico City (El Rosario), Diego Rivera, a famous artist, and mariachi music. 

5^th grade practiced their school vocabulary by learning about the Central American country of El Salvador and some of the similarities/differences they have regarding what classes they take and when they go to school.  They also learned about horchata and pupusas and saw the beautiful wall murals that El Salvador has in many of their small villages – some featuring lots of gatos! We’ll be finishing out the quarter with an in-class project where they will give a small group presentation in Spanish for the class about some of their favorite parts of school. 

3-5th Spanish up-dates Fall of 2022

 

¡Muchas gracias! 

Dec. 16, 2022

I just wanted to thank you all for your wonderful notes, Christmas cards, treats and gift cards.  You truly showered us with kindness and generosity!  Thank you!  I hope you all have a wonderful break!  

I decided to leave the Kahoot's open throughout the break in case the students want to try them out.  They are welcome to use any materials they have to help them do it.  Also they can use Quizlet at any time to practice their vocab words.   They just need to click on their grade level and scroll down  until they find the correct list.  I organize them by Units, so we just finished up Unit 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4.  

https://quizlet.com/ACCSpanish345/classes

4th grade Kahoot -- open until Jan. 4th!

https://kahoot.it/challenge/02879440?challenge-id=3e3bab6f-db72-4fff-ae9c-2e032c7b6af0_1670515654625

5th grade Kahoot -- open until Jan. 4th! 

https://kahoot.it/challenge/3e3bab6f-db72-4fff-ae9c-2e032c7b6af0_1670515159441?&uid=VldhdG5l

¡Feliz Navidad y Año Nuevo!

Sra. Watne

End of Quarter 2 up-date

Dec. 8, 2022

It's been a fast quarter, but we've covered a lot!

3rd grade: Will finish up the quarter with a dialogue which the students help create and then perform in front of their classmates.  Topic -- ¡Vamos de compras!  ¿Qué te gusta comprar?   Me gusta comprar ropa (zapatos, electrónicos, equipo deportivo) (Let's go shopping!  What do you like to buy?  I like to buy clothing (shoes, electronics, sports equipment)  

¿Qué tienda te gusta?  Me gusta Target.  (What store do you like? I like Target.)

We'll also be learning a bit about how Paraguay celebrates Navidad.  ¡Feliz Navidad!  

4th grade:  Will also finish up the quarter with a more complex dialogue with small groups, pretending they are in a store or market buying clothes, and figuring out if they will buy them or not, based on them being too expensive or not.  

The students had a lot of fun doing their first Spanish "Kahoot" in class.  It's a way for them to see what they've learned this quarter.  I thought they might like to try it out at home so I'm giving you the link for them to use.  The link will be available to use until Tues. at 4pm.  It's preferable if they use their first name and first initial of last name instead of a nickname so I know who they are.   It's not required, but I think they will enjoy doing it.  I recommend you remind them of their "estar" verb so that they can get that part correct --- yo estoy, tú estás, él/ella está, nosotros estamos,  ellos están

https://kahoot.it/challenge/02879440?challenge-id=3e3bab6f-db72-4fff-ae9c-2e032c7b6af0_1670515654625

5th grade:  Will also finish up the quarter with a more complex dialogue with small groups, pretending they are in downtown Madrid, visiting different stores/restaurants.  

I also have a Kahoot for them to try at home.  Link will work until 4pm Tues.  They should use their first name and first initial of last name.   They will benefit from -ar verb endings    o, as, a, amos, áis, an     -er endings    o, es, e, emos, éis, en  and "estar" verb --- yo estoy, tú estás, él/ella está, nosotros estamos,  ellos están

https://kahoot.it/challenge/3e3bab6f-db72-4fff-ae9c-2e032c7b6af0_1670515159441?&uid=VldhdG5l

The Kahoot links are only for our students, and so it should be a safe platform to use since they won't have access to anyone outside our school community.  

Hope they enjoy it!

¡Feliz Navidad y Año Nuevo!

Sra. Watne

Q2 up-date

November 15, 2022

Vocabulary note:  This quarter in Spanish each grade level are reviewing vocabulary having to do with clothing and colors (ropa y colores),  neighborhoods (barrios/vecindarios) and their homes (casas y apartamentos).    Students can practice on Quizlet for their grade level 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4.   https://quizlet.com/ACCSpanish345/classes   I think this can be valuable practice for the students to do at least once per week to keep the vocabulary fresh throughout the quarter.

Grammar note:  We’re continuing to go in more detail about nouns/adjectives, word order with nouns/adj. and also how to make the verbs match the subject of the sentence, which we call “verb conjugation”.  3^rd grade is introduced to the idea with 1 or 2 verbs.  4^th grade practices 2-3 new verbs and by 5^th grade they are learning about 5 verbs and how to conjugate the verbs and use them in sentences about their family and homes. 

Culture note:  This quarter all the grades were able to visit the “Dia de los Muertos” table that we put out each year.  They were all fascinated by the Mexican candy and how it is made of fruit and chili powder.  I offered the students an opportunity to try dried mango with chili powder if they wanted to.  I think many were surprised to find that they liked it! 

Projects:  I like to incorporate some in-class projects where the students draw or create a house/ neighborhood or draw some outfits and label in Spanish and then write a guided paragraph in Spanish about what they drew.  3^rd grade just completed their house project, 4^th grade created a neighborhood and 5^th drew the different outfits they wear for school, sports and playing in the snow. 

As always, I love teaching the students how to appreciate other cultures.  3^rd grade learned that Argentina has “gauchos (cowboys) ” and a very diverse geography, ranging from rainforests to arctic temps in the southern tip.  4^th grade learned that Paraguay is a beautiful lush country with an amazing hydroelectric plant (Itaipu Dam) which powers much of the country and also a beautiful waterfall that borders both Brazil and Argentina called Iguazu Falls.  5^th grade learned that Castilian Spanish originated in Spain and that they have a specific kind of pronunciation “th” for their s/z which was interesting for the students to practice.  They also were interested to learn about the incredible architecture that the Moors brought to Spanish when they ruled there about 700 years, such as the famous Alhambra mosque. 

This week, parents of 3^rd graders, you can ask your child what places in the neighborhood they can say in Spanish – bakery (panadería), school (escuela) , park (parque), supermarket (supermercado) , pharmacy, ice cream store, stores…   You can also ask if they can remember any of the names of rooms in their home- bedroom (dormitorio) and bathroom (baño) that we just finished up last week, and what color those rooms are. 

Parents of 4^th graders, ask them if they can tell you the Spanish words for some of the clothing they are wearing.  Ask them how they could say “the red shirt” in Spanish and where the word “red” goes and if you have to change it because it is describing a “feminine” word, like la camisa.  Answer?  “la camisa roja”

Parents of 5^th graders, ask them what verbs you use to say clean, eat, rest, prepare, read in Spanish and which ones are -ar verbs and which are -er verbs and if they can tell you how to say,  “ I rest in the living room.”  Answer:  “Yo descanso en la sala.”    You can also ask them how to say wha they are wearing in Spanish with the color in Spanish. 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. 

Con mucho gusto,

Sra. Watne

Q1 Up-date

September 27, 2022

This month we’ve spent a lot of time talking about our families and writing about them.  Each grade level has focused on something slightly different.

In 3^rd grade, we’ve focused on how to write simple sentences and to make sure our adjectives change forms depending on who or what they are describing.    

In 4^th grade, the students practiced expressing someone’s age in Spanish.  In Spanish, we say that “I have 10 years” Yo tengo diez años.  instead of saying “I am 10 year’s old.”  They learned how to say where someone is originally from.  Yo soy de Arizona.  They also worked on making their adjectives plural if they were describing more than 1 person.  Mis hermanos son cómicos.

In 5^th grade, the students learned extra vocabulary so that they could say that their brother or sister is older/younger (mayor/menor) and that their parents have children (hijos) and their grandparents have grandchildren (nietos) and their aunts/uncles have nieces/nephews (sobrinos).  The students also practiced how to express the birthdays of different family members, and we joked that if they don’t know someone’s birthday, than it’s el cinco de mayo (May 5^th).  Because all the students know how to say cinco de mayo,  it’s an easy way to remember the proper way to form a date!

A lot of time has been spent in class practicing both how to write about their family members in Spanish and also speaking in Spanish about their family members.  I have had the students use the different forms of just 2 verbs to do this -  (ser/to be) and (tener/to have) -- Yo tengo una familia grande (I have a big family. ) Mi prima tiene 15 (quince) años. (My cousin is 15.)   Yo soy alto. (I am tall.)  Mi mama es, mi hermano es… mis primos son… . I really want the students to be able to go back and forth between these 2 verbs (ser/to be) and (tener/to have) in their speaking and writing before we add new verbs.   

There is a fair amount of repetition with these ideas because in Spanish quite a few things are new to the students.  In Spanish we put our adjectives AFTER our nouns in sentences, and we have to make sure that our adjectives MODIFY our nouns.  Mis perros negros son simpáticos.  My black dogs are nice. 

Also, if you would like your children to work on Spanish at home, quizlet is a great way to have them practice.  The quizlet links are: 

EXTRA PRACTICE?   https://quizlet.com/ACCSpanish345/classes   -- just look for the grade level, and then the vocabulary list we are working on.  This quarter it is any of the 1.1 (intro), 1.2 (familia), 1.3  and 1.4 (adjectives and verb ser)

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. 

Con mucho gusto,

Sra. Watne

Q1 up-date

August 17,  2022                      

I’m really enjoying getting to know your students; some for the first time and many who are returning!  I love to start the year practicing tonguetwisters in Spanish. Each grade learned 3 new ones.  Ask your children which tonguetwister is their favorite to say!  We also take a day to review the alphabet sounds and to introduce ourselves in Spanish. 

Yo soy Sra. Watne.  Yo soy de Pennsylvania.  ¡Me gusta música, chocolate, y café!   

Questions you can ask your children about Spanish class:

· Ask your child what letter is NOT pronounced in Spanish?

· What is one country you will learn about in Spanish class this year? (we will be learning about 5 in each grade)

· What sound does the LL make? How would you pronounce llama?

· How do you pronounce the A   E  I  O  U in Spanish?  

I also shared a bit about myself, and a couple of my hobbies, and I also shared how I learned Spanish and whether I grew up knowing it or not and which Spanish speaking countries I spent time in... 

3^rd grade (Mon/Thurs): U1 3rd 2022 Grade ALL Vocabulary and Activities.docx 

1.     Pepe Piña pica papa.  Pica papa Pepe Piña.   

2.     Erre con erre, guitarra; erre con erre, barril. 

Rápido corren los carros, rápido el ferrocarril.

3.     Llueve todo el día, Llueve sin cesar,
lluvia deja de mojar, Para poder jugar.

4^th grade (Tues/Fri.): U1 4th 2022 Vocab and activities.docx 

1.     Hoy es ayer y ayer ya es hoy,  ya llegó el día y hoy es hoy.

2.     Como poco coco como, poco coco compro.

3.     Si Sansón no sazona su salsa con sal, sosa le sale la salsa sin sazonar a Sansón.

5^th grade (Tues/Fri.)  U1 5th 2022 KEY Vocab and activities.docx 

1.     Pancha plancha con cuatro planchas.

¿Con cuántas planchas Pancha plancha?

2.     Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal.

En tres tristes trastos tragaban trigo tres tristes tigres.

3.      Pablito clavó un clavito en la calva de un calvito,

En la calva de un calvito, clavó un clavito Pablito.

¡Hasta luego!  

Sra. Watne

https://accspanish345.blogspot.com/           https://quizlet.com/ACCSpanish345/classes

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Spanish 3-5 Welcome back!

Aug. 5, 2022

Welcome back to school!

In this email you will find 2 attachments which will give you an overview of my Spanish curriculum for the year, an introductory letter so you know a little about myself, and some information about what materials are needed for Spanish class and what will make for a successful Spanish year and finally an overview of the Distance Learning I will be providing this year for our distance learners.  

Sincerely,

Sra. Watne

3-5 Spanish class intro letter & guidelines.docx 

3-5 Spanish Year at a glance.docx