Ms. Brooks, Spanish and Social Studies

Welcome!

                       

      Dear Parents and Students,

      Welcome to my weblog.  I am hoping this site will serve as a valuable source of communication for you. 

                                 Bienvenidos.  Espero que este website les pueda ayudar en saber lo que estamos haciendo en la clase de español.

     Why learn a foreign language?  To remain monolingual, meaning to speak only one language, is to stunt your educational development, to restrict your communication and thinking abilities, and to deny yourself the ability to fully appreciate and understand the world in which you live. Learning another language opens up new opportunities and gives you perspectives that you might never have encountered otherwise. Personal, professional, social, and economic considerations all point to the advantages of learning foreign languages.      

     Spanish 1 is a full year course that, when successfully completed, the student will earn one high school credit and be ready for Spanish 2.

     So, let's begin!

             

You were prepared today with the vocabulary from the "fotonovela" on pp. 170-171, and we went over the fotonovela.  You are also familiar now with the possessive pronouns and how to ask a friend about his/her family, which is found on p. 174.

To check your comprehension, your homework is on p. 172.  Follow the directions and write out exercises 1-4 for tomorrow.

Make up day for Friday's test on Chapter 5, Paso 3 is Thursday, March 26 after school in my room.

Although you have been reminded in class each day,  it is important that you share this with your parents.  We have a test on Friday on the third paso in Chapter 5.  The third paso, "tercer paso" is found on pp. 154 to 157.

As you know, it is your responsibility to study.  You must know how to ask and tell the date, know the seasons and months of the year, and be able to talk about the weather.

The homework for tonight is on p. 157, ex. 30. Please follow the directions and only write two short paragraphs.  Remember, the activities are found on pp. 114 and 149.

As you know, we have been studying the Spanish words for a variety of places to go, such as the ones on page 119 in the textbook and the ones that I have given you with the pictures and the words.

Now you can say where you or someone else is, and ask where they are, besides introducing yourself and talking about yourself and another person.

This week we are studying the subject pronouns, the days of the week, -ar, -er, and -ir verbs, and how to ask someone where he or she is going and tell someone where you are going.

The exciting part about all of this is that you can carry on a conversation in Spanish.  Practice in front of you parents.  Show them what you know! 

There is a test on Monday, Feb. 23, on the subject pronouns in Spanish.  As you know, you must be able to spell and know their meanings in English.

On Tuesday, we have a test (spelling counts) on the days of the week in Spanish.  You can do it!  Just study!

TIP FOR THE DAY:  MAKE FLASHCARDS USING 3 X 5 CARDS.   WRITE A SPANISH WORD ON ONE SIDE AND THE ENGLISH WORD ON THE OTHER.  HAVE A STACK OF THEM AND CARRY THEM AROUND WITH YOU.  STUDY THEM WHENEVER YOU HAVE A CHANCE.

 

February 9 -13, 2009

Just a reminder to go to the websites under "Categories" to the right.  Also, at the bottom of the page are the vowel sounds that should be practiced along with the sound system that you already know.  These, along with the alphabet, should be recited several times a week.

Parents, your children have received more vocabulary about locations, that is places to go.  For example, school, church, post office, etc.  You can practice with them by giving them the word in English and they can tell you (and spell) the word in Spanish.  This will give you the opportunity to learn, as well as your child. 

We began last week by reviewing the comparison and uses of the two verbs "to be" in Spanish, "ser" and "estar".  This week we will continue with "estar" and the verbs with -ar endings.  We will complete the written work that covers this concept along with practice in listening and speaking.  

The homework this weekend is to complete the activities that go with the new vocabulary. 

February 2 - 6, 2009

Study vocabulary on pp. 126 and 127 for a quiz.

Dear Parents of Spanish 1 students,

 

As you may know, I have been out this past week due to a knee injury and surgery.  I will return February 2.

 

Your children have been working on the formation of –ar, -er, -ir verbs in the present tense in Chapter 4 of their text, and the formation of negative sentences. 

 

Besides the work we do in class, I would like you to encourage your child to watch a Spanish channel on television such as Univisiόn for 10 – 15 minutes a day.  Although they may not understand all that they hear, the input of hearing the spoken language will help with their comprehension and speech. 

 

For further practice, they may access the internet website, http://go.hrw.com/gopages/index.html

This website goes with our book which your children have at home.  Each chapter has its own keyword.  The keyword for chapter 4 is WV3 Mexico-4.  Enter the keyword and click “go”.

 

I hope your children enjoy learning with these extra activities.

 

Sinceramente,

Señora Brooks

Alphabet Sound Practice

Use this website to practice the alphabet with sound. 
http://www.spanish.bz/alphabet.htm

The website that goes with our book is http://go.hrw.com/gopages/index.html Each chapter has its own keyword. The keyword for chapter 4 is WV3 Mexico-4. Enter the keyword and click “go”.

2008-2009

                                                     SPANISH 1 SYLLABUS    

                                                            August 11, 2008

                                                                 Ms. Brooks

The Georgia Performance Standards Philosophy is that language and communication are the essence of all that is human.  The world of the 21^st century is one in which all people must learn to communicate both culturally and linguistically with others around the world.  The goals of the modern language standards are:

·        To equip students with realistic lifelong skills that will enable them to function competently in a language other than their own and communicate and compete effectively in the global community and marketplace.

·        To instill a greater awareness of their own culture and the culture(s) of others.

·        To enrich students’ lives by increasing their appreciation for language and culture.

All topics and themes taught in this course will be based on the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS).  The GPS can be viewed by going to http://www.doe.k12.ga.us.  Go to  the bottom left of the page under helpful links and click on GA Standards.org.  Then click on the flags above modern languages.  Go to grades 9 – 12, Modern Languages 1 – 8.

Spanish 1 is a year long class which will focus on interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication.  We will focus on sharpening our speaking, reading, writing and listening skills.  Upon successful completion of the course, the student will receive 1 high school credit and be prepared to enroll in Spanish 2. 

In order for the student to carry on spontaneous, interactive conversation, it is necessary to practice every day at home and do all of the class work and homework assignments.  Much of the homework will be oral.  The student will write the homework assignment in his/her agenda everyday and the parent is requested to sign the agenda upon completion of the homework, whether oral or written.

Students must have a duo-tang folder with prongs and pockets.  This will serve as their portfolio throughout the year.  It will be divided into the following sections: 

Ø      Classwork

Ø      Vocabulary

Ø      Culture

Ø      Dialogs

Ø      Standards and E. Q.’s (Essential Questions)

The basic textbook for the course is Ven Conmigo, Level One.  The text is accompanied by the workbook, Cuaderno de gramatica, and a beginning reader.  There is a class set of

books for the students to use in class.  In addition, a textbook will be issued to each student to take home and keep for home use.

The objective is to cover the themes and topics from pp. 1 – 135 in the first semester and pp. 136 – 259 in the second semester.  This may vary somewhat as we go along, as many additional resources will be used for instruction. 

All students are expected to participate in class, complete all class and homework assignments, and demonstrate both oral and reading comprehension in the target language.

Grades will be determined by the following:

Tests and projects – 40%          Grading Scale:  A – 100 – 90

Classwork – 20%                                              B – 89 - 80

Class participation – 20%                                 C – 79 - 75

Portfolio – 10%                                               D – 74 - 70

Homework – 10%                                             F – 69 - below

Students’ progress can be monitored by use of I-parent and progress reports given to the student every 4 ½ weeks into the quarter.

Initial Vocabulary

Spanish Phonics

For the next couple of weeks, your child will be learning and saying the Spanish sounds.  It is important to know and recognize these sounds to facilitate reading, understanding and communication.  We will first compare the Spanish sounds to the English sounds so the students get a feel for the difference.

As we learn the sound system in class, the students will write it in their portfolio.  The most important thing is for your child to practice these sounds at home.  Your encouragement will be most helpful as these are the building blocks to successful foreign language learning.

Below you will see a series of links for the sounds for your child to practice at home.

We will begin with the vowels.

a   Download spanish_a.wav      

e  Download spanish_e.wav 

i   Download spanish_i.wav 

o  Download spanish_o.wav 

u  Download spanish_u.wav