We learned about the holiday of Cinco de Mayo and acted out our own Battle of Puebla. You can read an article about its history here, or check out this slideshow to learn a little bit about the history of this holiday, as demonstrated by the 2nd graders!
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In class we started watching a great series by the BBC, called Mi Vida Loca. It's a series of interactive videos that lets you explore life in Madrid and learn helpful vocabulary.
Lots of students have asked me how to find the link, so here it is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/mividaloca/ There are lots of other great resources on the BBC's Spanish page... and more on my resource page here. *Also known as "Why you have no excuse for not turning this in on time and getting a fabulous grade."
Especialistas are "Specialists." This is your chance to be an especialista about one aspect of culture related to the Spanish language. During the final few weeks of our quarter, middle school students are working on Especialista research projects. Students get to choose a topic they are interested in, related to the Spanish language or Spanish-speaking cultures. I guide students through the research process: Choosing a topic, writing and narrowing down research questions, taking notes during research, recording sources, and presenting their information in a creative way (either to their peers in class, or to younger classes.) Thanks to our brand new mobile lab, students are able to use netbooks to access the internet for their research. Listed below are the steps of this project, the dates when we worked on these in class (in case you were absent), and files associated with each step, in case you are missing them. Step 1: Choose a Cultural Topic. Tuesday, January 4th. Download the file here. Remember that your topic must be related to the Spanish language or Spanish-speaking culture in some way. Step 2: Write Research Questions. Wednesday, January 5th. Download the file here. Step 3 and 4: Begin Research - Take Notes and Record Sources. Thursday-Friday, January 6th-7th. (Will continue next week.) Download a template for notes and sources. If you would like practice with note taking, this might help. Step 5: Present Your Information Presentations will be scheduled during our final week of the quarter, on one of the following days: Tuesday 1/18, Wednesday 1/19, or Thursday 1/20. Please sign up for a presentation time in class. See exactly how this will be graded: Rubric Get some extra credit: Especialista Extra Credit ALL MATERIALS, PRESENTATIONS, AND EXTRA CREDIT ARE DUE BY THURSDAY, JANUARY 20th. (I will have a sub on the 21st, our last day of class, since I am taking the 6th graders on a field trip.) Happy Day of the Dead! In Spanish classes this week we are learning about this Mexican holiday, how it is celebrated, and comparing it to holidays we celebrate here in the United States. We will also be making Calaveras de Azucar (Sugar Skulls) in the upper grades, and Mascaras de Calaveras (Skull masks) in the younger grades, after learning about how these items are used in the celebration. If you would like more information about the holiday, or if you want to continue the exploration we began in class, try some of these links below!
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AuthorI'm Ms. Kennedy. I love learning languages as much as I love teaching them. Archives
June 2011
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