Monday, February 29

Grades K-4  played a game using the names of animals and their descriptions.  The game was entirely in Spanish. I am so proud of the children!  I asked several students to be "Teacher" in order to allow them to give the verbal description to other children.  They  did an outstanding job and everyone wanted to have a chance to be the teacher!  We reviewed numbers to twenty and I am hoping to teach the numbers to fifty before the end of the school year.

K-5  K- 5 also played the animal description game in Spanish and selected students we the teacher giving the descriptions.  We are also reviewing numbers to fifty in Spanish.

Grade 1  Children learned a short story in Spanish about February and March.  We discussed Spring arriving in March and flowers popping up to welcome this beautiful season in Spanish.  

Grade 2  Children also learned the story about the beginning of Spring in Spanish.

Grade 3  Children discussed the arrival of Spring.  They also completed five sentences about themselves.  They have the sheet to read with you at home.  Please ask them to see it.  Children shared their homework using prepositions in Spanish.  New students were given a booklet with Spanish expressions and useful vocabulary.

Grade 4  Grade 4 shared their sentences using the verb "vivir." I gave our new students a booklet with some of the vocabulary other students have already learned  in Spanish.  They DO NOT have to learn everything on the pages.  It is more of a resource for them.

There is NO HOMEWORK during the spring break although many students asked if they could study what we are learning in class during their vacation.  Be all means they may do so.  I love St. John's students' desire to learn Spanish.

                                                       Have a wonderful spring break.


                                                                      Miss Linda

                   

Wednesday, February 24.

Grades 5 and 6 presented their reports on Toledo.  The students who did not complete the assignment were asked to bring it next Wednesday, March 2.  The rest of the class do not have homework.  Students who were absent  last week were given the new city, Valencia, Spain to use for their report.

After the reports were given, we read about Valencia, Spain, Home of Valencia Oranges!  Students completed the questions about the reading.  I also gave them a word search to complete.  It is not, however, homework.

Please call me if you have a question about homework.

      Have a great weekend.  Enjoy the sunshine this weekend!

         Miss Linda

Grades 5 and 6

Students have a report due On Wednesday, February 24.  on Toledo.  We have done about ten reports on Spanish cities since August so students are very aware  of what is required.  The city of Toledo, Spain was introduced last week. The assignment  was explained to the students by my substitute teacher last week, since I was not in school on Wednesday.  If you have any questions, please call me at 601-428-1704.  This assignment is very important, as are all homework assignments.  Due to Air Jam, I do not want to give a homework assignment next week.    Grade 6 does their reports in Spanish and Grade 5 may do the assignment in English  Spanish, or bilingually.

     See you at Air Jam next week!

Monday, February 22

 

Grade K-4  Classes continued expressing their preferences for the animal "puppets" I use in class to teach vocabualry.  We talked about the weather (in Spanish), seasons of the year, rewiewed parts of the body, basic commands, and heard a story about a woman who swallowed a frog--the Spanish version of the story.  

K-5  Children answered questions in Spanish about which puppet they like the best, talked about the seasons, reviewed weather, months, days, and heard a story in Spanish about the woman who swallowed a frog, a classic story which teaches sequencing, among other important  language  skills  

Grade 1  The children played a game to identify the four seasons.  We discussed the months of the year associated with each season.  They listened to the story about the woman who swallowed a frog. 

Grade 2  Students played a game in which individual children had to recite a complete sentence describing different animals using adjectives in Spanish.  They did a wonderful job!  They also learned right and left, next to, and several prepositions.  We will be working on using  more words to designate the location of classroom objects next week. 

Grade 3  Students completed a sheet to reinforce their knowledge of prepositions in Spanish.  They have a homework assignment due next week:  Draw and label objects and furniture in their room or any room in the house.  They have a worksheet with the terms they need.  If you need additional information about this assignment, please call me at: 601-428-1704.  

Grade 4  Students wrote sentences using the verb "vivir."  Vivir means to live.  They wrote a group of sentences in class and need to write twenty more using the names of different cities around the world or the state of Mississippi.  Model is in their notebook.  Yo vivo en Laurel.  Tu vives en Ellisville,  Ella vive en Madrid.  Nosotros vivimos en Barcelona.  Ellos viven en Chicago.  

                                       Have a wonderful week! 

                                                    Linda Axton 

Wednesday

5th and 6th graders created original Valentine's day cards or Friendship Day cards.  Valentine's Day is also know as Dia de la Amistad in Spanish.  They used previously learned vocabulary to write a greeting to their friend or other important people in their lives.  I really enjoyed watching the students tap into their knowledge of Spanish to create the cards.

There is no homework.  Both classes will be working on a project in the coming weeks which will be based on our study of important Spanish cities.

      Have a wonderful weekend!  Thank you for your support and interest in our foreign language program.


                                 Miss Linda

Week of February 8.

K-3 really enjoyed class yesterday!  I introduced several new stuffed animals to them.  It is amazing how well children acquire a second language at an early age.  The animals are used to introduced new vocabulary and grammatical structures to the children using The Natural Language Approach developed by Dr. Stephen Krashen.  I introduced parts of the body using a colorful ball. 

K-4  Children reviewed weather, greetings, months of the year, animals and numbers.  We also discussed Chinese New Year, The Year of the Monkey. 

K-5  Children sang all of their songs and reviewed weather, months, family members, and animals.  We discussed Chinese New Year. 

Grade 1  Children finished their small bilingual book about the color red.  We discussed Chinese New Year. 

Grade 2 The students colored a picture of a monkey for Chinese New Year.  I identified the twelve animals (in Spanish)  for the children.  We discussed some traditions and compared them to other cultural new year celebrations.  

Grade 3  Students presented their record of foods eaten for the week.  The children who were not prepared with their homework worked with me on the lesson they did not complete as homework.  Note: New students to our class are NOT responsible for the homework assignments. I gave a previous assignment from last year to the new members of our class.  

The students who were prepared with their homework worked on  a holiday project  in Spanish.  

No homework for third grade. 

Grade 4  Grade 4 has a holiday project which is due on February 23.  Please have you child bring their hearts to school even though it will be too late for Valentine's Day.  Valentine's Day is often called Friendship Day in Spanish.  with this in mind, they can present their work even though the holiday will have passed.  The project involves adjectives to describe people written on the heart they were given in class.  It is a surprise! 

    Have a great weekend! 

Wednesday, February 3.

Grade 5 presented their homework assignment.  They did an excellent job with their presentations.  Students were given a small heart to use as a Valentine's Day card.  They were asked to write a message in Spanish to the friend who would receive the card.  I suggested they write three adjectives in the center of the heart which describe their friend.  They could also prepare a card for a teacher or parent.  I will return the hearts to the students next week so they may send them to their recipients.    THE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE HOMEWORK.

Grade 6  Students presented their homework.  They prepared Valentine's cards in Spanish for friends, teachers, or parents.  I will return the card to the students next week.

NO HOMEWORK WAS ASSIGNED.

                                                Have a great weekend!


         

K-3  I really enjoy working with the K-3 children and their teachers.  The children love participating in classroom activities. I use songs, poems, finger games, and dance to familiarize young children with Spanish.  Today, we played a game to identify colors.  children had to say, 'Si" or "No"  when asked questions in Spanish about the color of objects.  We also discussed weather expressions and the names of some animals.  They are so receptive!  Of course, we sang all of our songs!  I asked children to share some of the vocabulary they learned.  Please let me know if they do so.  I appreciate it!

Monday, February 1

K-4 Children  learned to say the date in Spanish.  They learned how to express things they like.  We started out with favorite animals. We will work on expressing dislikes with foods and activities next week.  I love working with our K-4 children!  They love singing songs and participating in oral language activities.  We talked about Valentine's Day, which  is also called, El Dia de la Amistad, Friendship Day, in Spanish. We concluded our class with a story in Spanish,  Buenas noches, Luna.

K-5  K- 5 has a group of very talented singers!  There are about six or seven children who have beautiful soprano voices which I hear when the children sing songs.  All of the children sing very well, but I can't help noticing the six or seven children who truly have angelic voices!  I think we will form a Spanish choir in the near future!  K-5 also talked about Valentine's Day and named things that are red.  We have a new stuffed animal in class who is red.  The children actually offered lyrics in Spanish since I do not  yet have a song about our new red baby gorilla stuffed animal. ( I compose the lyrics to the songs children sing based on the target vocabulary.  I was so pleased with their song about our new animal. * Here is the children's song about her:  Gorila, roja, gorila roja, muy muy suave, muy muy suave.  Dos orejas chicas, una nariz roja, no le tengo miedo, No le tengo miedo.  The melody is Are You Sleeping?     Red Gorila, Red Gorila, you are very very soft, very very soft.  Two small ears a red nose, I am not afraid of you. I am not afraid of you.  Children also heard a story about a hungry  little mouse.

Grade 1  Students learned how to talk about things that are red.  They made a book which they will take home next week.  They also learned how to express the date in Spanish.  Our first graders are very eager to learn Spanish and know so much!

Grade 2  Grade 2 completed a bilingual book in Spanish about things that are red.  They took the books home and I hope they will share them with you.  Our second graders are very interested in learning Spanish and pronounce words quite well in Spanish.  I am proud of them.

Grade 3.  Grade 3 presented their sentences about themselves using adjectives in Spanish.  Their homework assignment is to record the meals they eat everyday for one week in Spanish.  EX: El lunes me comi pan, huevos, pollo, ensalada, un bistec y papas.  On Monday, I ate bread, eggs, chicken, salad, steak and potatoes.  The foods they mention should be actual food they have eaten. It is such a pleasure working with our third graders.  They are a very creative group of youngsters!

Grade 4  Students presented their homework from last week.  Their  new assignment is to  describe  ten friends using adjectives from the list I provided or other adjectives in Spanish.  Most students wrote five descriptions in class, so they will only have to write five more.  Fourth graders have shown so much progress in Spanish.  It is a pleasure working with these students.  The sentences should say, ___________(Name of friend) es amable, respetuoso, y paciente.  (Students may use four or five adjectives per description if they wish).

I love using stuffed animals in our songs.  I worked at The Chicago Zoological Society for a number of years before I  became a teacher.  I often share that information with the children.  They always look very surprised when I tell them I worked with real lions and tigers and bears, and elephants!