November Bryker Woods Spanish Newsletter, 2009
Queridos padres,
One more month has passed and we continue at a steady pace in our classes.
This month your children have focused on commands. We started learning commands using the Total Physical Response method (TPR). I explained that I would give them a command in Spanish (whole class or individually) and that I would perform it for them so they could repeat after me.
In this way they could connect words with actions. This is a good way of internalizing vocabulary. After this the students were able to give me commands and then practice, in pairs or groups of three, the targeted vocabulary regarding school (levántate/siéntate, abre/cierra el libro, coge/suelta el lápiz, escribe tu nombre, toca la mesa, pon el borrador encima de la silla, etc). We briefly talked about the personal possessive pronouns “mi” and “tu”and different prepositions (a la derecha/izquierda de, debajo/encima de,... ) that help in giving commands. The students had a great time making up funny commands.
Our lesson on “El Día de los Muertos” was very educative for me and I was very impresed on how well informed the kids already were about this festivity. We went over the way people in Mexico celebrate these two or three days at home (building altars), at the cemetery (cleaning the tombstones, family gathering, and music) and in the streets (parades and comparsas in costumes and performances). I also explained the similarities and differences about how we celebrate these days in the south of Spain. I brought a few books to show images of those moments, a few decorative sugar skulls, and a loaf of sweet bread in the shape of a skull, typical bread that people eat at this time of the year. The part they enjoyed the most though was testing a sample of the typical Mexican “pan de muerto” as I was reading a book El espíritu de mi tío Fernando about how a Mexican kid and his mom celebrated these days in their town in México. We did a connect-the-dot activity on numbers and played a game “¿Quién tiene el hueso?” I brought a toy skeleton so the students could give a series of new commands to it (baila, camina, acuéstate, muévete hacia la derecha, toca la silla,...) which the children loved.
I gave out a handout with useful phrases that I would like the children to use in class when they need to go to the restroom, get some water, etc.
Our lesson on “The Body” came next and I explained, as we were going over the vocabulary, that the words in Spanish have gender. They are either masculine (word end in -o) or femenine (word end in -a), and the definite article that goes with them is either masculine or femenine also (el/los, la/las). They will learn a few exceptions regarding gender as the year progresses. The students practiced new commands with me, the skeleton, or in pairs (tócate la cabeza, toca el suelo, toca la mano de Pablo, pon la mano en el tobillo,...). They also learned to express the “possessive expression” in Spanish that was very useful when giving commands (touch Susana's hair – toca el pelo de Susana).
When we come back from our Thanksgiving break I'll bring some written activities to reinforce the lesson on articles, gender, number, and possessive.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Señora Pepi (3rd - 6th grade teacher)
pepirosado.bwspanish@yahoo.com
Queridos padres,
One more month has passed and we continue at a steady pace in our classes.
This month your children have focused on commands. We started learning commands using the Total Physical Response method (TPR). I explained that I would give them a command in Spanish (whole class or individually) and that I would perform it for them so they could repeat after me.
In this way they could connect words with actions. This is a good way of internalizing vocabulary. After this the students were able to give me commands and then practice, in pairs or groups of three, the targeted vocabulary regarding school (levántate/siéntate, abre/cierra el libro, coge/suelta el lápiz, escribe tu nombre, toca la mesa, pon el borrador encima de la silla, etc). We briefly talked about the personal possessive pronouns “mi” and “tu”and different prepositions (a la derecha/izquierda de, debajo/encima de,... ) that help in giving commands. The students had a great time making up funny commands.
Our lesson on “El Día de los Muertos” was very educative for me and I was very impresed on how well informed the kids already were about this festivity. We went over the way people in Mexico celebrate these two or three days at home (building altars), at the cemetery (cleaning the tombstones, family gathering, and music) and in the streets (parades and comparsas in costumes and performances). I also explained the similarities and differences about how we celebrate these days in the south of Spain. I brought a few books to show images of those moments, a few decorative sugar skulls, and a loaf of sweet bread in the shape of a skull, typical bread that people eat at this time of the year. The part they enjoyed the most though was testing a sample of the typical Mexican “pan de muerto” as I was reading a book El espíritu de mi tío Fernando about how a Mexican kid and his mom celebrated these days in their town in México. We did a connect-the-dot activity on numbers and played a game “¿Quién tiene el hueso?” I brought a toy skeleton so the students could give a series of new commands to it (baila, camina, acuéstate, muévete hacia la derecha, toca la silla,...) which the children loved.
I gave out a handout with useful phrases that I would like the children to use in class when they need to go to the restroom, get some water, etc.
Our lesson on “The Body” came next and I explained, as we were going over the vocabulary, that the words in Spanish have gender. They are either masculine (word end in -o) or femenine (word end in -a), and the definite article that goes with them is either masculine or femenine also (el/los, la/las). They will learn a few exceptions regarding gender as the year progresses. The students practiced new commands with me, the skeleton, or in pairs (tócate la cabeza, toca el suelo, toca la mano de Pablo, pon la mano en el tobillo,...). They also learned to express the “possessive expression” in Spanish that was very useful when giving commands (touch Susana's hair – toca el pelo de Susana).
When we come back from our Thanksgiving break I'll bring some written activities to reinforce the lesson on articles, gender, number, and possessive.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Señora Pepi (3rd - 6th grade teacher)
pepirosado.bwspanish@yahoo.com
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