the next few weeks....

Hola padres! I am so sorry for my late post. Let me catch you up on what we've been doing. Last week in second and third grade, we combined our vocabulary of fruits and prepositional phrases into one activity and worked on describing where one fruit goes in relation to another. The scholars are so persistent in their quest for mastering the tasks I put before them and I am so grateful for their perseverance.

In kinder and first, we are continuing learning the vocabulary of the body and practicing learning it with various games in class. We really have a lot of fun with this and I love seeing the scholars' faces light up when I see that they are understanding what each Spanish word means. We will continue with these concepts in the next few lessons.

In the weeks to come, our schedule will become pretty different than it has been due to concert rehearsals and field trips. Due to this change, I am going to keep Spanish class fun and simple as well as doing any catch up that needs to be done to make sure each class ends up in the same place as the others.  I find this works best with the young scholars as the changes in their routines along with all the hype of the holidays and activities that go along with that wears them out, so keeping Spanish light gives them a bit of a break in their day and lets us all enjoy the rest of our day a little more. There will be review, reading of books and we will also study three Christmas traditions that prevail in Spanish speaking countries: las posadas, el dia de los reyes and the story of the poinsettia. I present these traditions using a beautiful book by Taomi de Paola and enjoy sharing these traditions with the scholars and hope that it gives them a better understanding of the Hispanic culture and what makes these holidays special for them.

In this short week, we are working on getting every class caught up to the right spot in second and third grade and also reading a Thanksgiving story if time allows. In Kinder and first, we are practicing our numbers with a dice game that helps us draw a turkey and we are also reading a Hispanic version of the story of the Little Red Hen. The scholars have really enjoy these activities and it is a fun way to end our short week. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

Sra. Hamilton

palo bonito, wrapping up prespositional phrases, body parts and more letters of the alphabet!

Hola padres! I was so proud of the second and third graders this week as they tackled a harder task using the prepositional phrases we learned to describe a drawing they had to their partner. We also learned the importance of writing our vocabulary down in our notebook and referring to it when working on an in class exercise. I told them that I would never give them something I didn't think they could do and although many started out confused and unsure, they persevered, worked through it and were very successful in understanding how to describe where an object is (behind, in front of, under, to the right, etc.) I was so proud of them! Next week, we will learn some fruit vocabulary and see how it relates to our study of the tropical rainforest.

In all classes this week, I taught the scholars a fun rhyming song called "palo bonito". I explained that it is just a rhyming song and it doesn't really mean anything. In class, I will mostly be using it as a brief brain break to transition from one activity to another.  Have them sing it for you with the hand motions! They all really seemed to enjoy it!

In first and kinder this week, we continued with our study of the alphabet and body parts of the face. We practiced this vocabulary and our color vocabulary with a fun fly swatter game! Next week, in order to help us work through the alphabet a bit faster, I plan on introducing 2 letters, instead of just one. Hopefully since they already have a hang of what to do with the worksheets we are doing, this won't be too much for them. At the end of the week, we will continue with learning more words for the different parts of the body. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Gracias!

Sra. Hamilton
ahamilton@archwaytrivium.org

The Heard Museum, body parts and prepositions

Hola padres! It has been a good week of getting back to work! First, I would like to let you all know that the Heard Museum just opened a photographic exhibit of Frida Kahlo's life. First and third grade have both been studying this famous Mexican artist and I am so excited that there is a tangibe activity for them to visit! I do have a bit of a disclaimer though. I have not been to the exhibit yet myself, so I don't know any specific details. There are a few aspects of Frida Kahlo's life that are iffy and not appropriate for children. The book I read to them about her life is child appropriate and only shares those aspects of her life that are appropriate for younger children. That being said, I called the Heard Museum and asked them if the exhibit would be ok for children ages 8 and younger. I was told that there is a nude photograph and also some blood in one of the photos. The scholars are aware that Frida's life was mostly lived in pain due to a terrible bus accident she was in when she was 18. Due to the pain she endured for most of her life, many of her paintings are bloody and not very pretty. This was the way she expressed the physical pain she was in for most of her life. I hope to get to the Heard Museum soon and can let you know more when I visit. I would still encourage you to go see it as I love being able to give the scholars a true life experience of someone we have studied in class. The exhibit runs through February, so we have plenty of time to check it out!

In Kinder and first this week, I introduced the phonogram "CH" as part of the Spanish alphabet and let them know that not everyone considers this phonogram a true letter of the alphabet. I still want them to be aware of it and know that it is a difference from our own alphabet. I also introduced them to the body part words of the face and the "head, shoulders, knees and toes" song. What a fun way to learn the vocabulary!

In second and third grade this week, we learned some prepositional phrases and learned how to use them in a sentence. This is harder for them, but I know they can do it, especially since they are working in partners. Next week, we will continue with this concept.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Sra. Hamilton
ahamilton@archwaytrivium.org