Monday, November 15, 2010
Club de Espanol Shirts
El Día de los Muertos
Did you know el Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday that is celebrated November 1 and 2? If you are Catholic you may know that November 1 and 2 are All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. El Día de los Muertos is a mixture of these Catholic holidays with ancient Aztec traditions. Many people mistake el Día de los Muertos for Halloween but in fact it is more like our Memorial Day. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. In honor of el Día de los Muertos Mrs. Taylor's Spanish IV class created this awesome ofrenda or altar in memory of John Lennon and we celebrated the day with a fiesta in our classes! This month has not been good on the diet! My students brought in all kinds of amazing, authentic dishes from around the world and of course I had to sample it all! One student brought in nopalitos and it was fun to watch the expressions and comments as each student tried a bit of cactus! It has been a great learning experience and has opened them up to new cultures and experiences!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
El Dia de los Muertos Webquest
Goal: This webquest explores the Mexican holiday, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and the aspects that surround this celebration. The purpose of this lesson is to learn about the activities, history, food and crafts behind this holiday.
Task: Your job is to explore various web sites to help in your understanding of Día de los Muertos.
First, read the history of the Day of the Dead to complete your Day of the Dead Quest Sheet.
Then visit this Day of the Dead site. Read the history and glossary sections to help you complete the Wordplay Quest Sheet. Click on food and use the information to complete the Food Quest.
Task: Your job is to explore various web sites to help in your understanding of Día de los Muertos.
First, read the history of the Day of the Dead to complete your Day of the Dead Quest Sheet.
Then visit this Day of the Dead site. Read the history and glossary sections to help you complete the Wordplay Quest Sheet. Click on food and use the information to complete the Food Quest.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
A Once in a Lifetime Experience
Thank you to all that expressed interest in our trip to Paris, Provence, and Barcelona! I can not express what a life-changing experience this will be! I have led tour groups in the past and the students always come back changed in some way. Many have a new appreciation for the things they have in the United States and are more open and accepting to new foods and cultures. If you were unable to attend the meeting you can still travel with us! You can visit eftours.com/student and type tour number 617193 in the Get Started section to find out more about the trip or feel free to email me or call me at the high school (581-4296). I recently spoke with our EF Tour Director and he reminded me that our price quote would no longer be valid after October 1 and the price of the trip would increase several hundred dollars. In order to lock in the current price you must sign up with the company and pay your $95 registration fee by October 1. So as soon as you know you will be traveling with us this summer please sign up either online, by phone, or by mail.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Paris, Provence, and Barcelona!
I’m pleased to announce an exciting trip coming up during summer vacation for any interested students (or parents). From June 6 to June 17, 2011, we will explore Paris, Provence and Barcelona on an EF Educational Tour.
During our tour, we will visit many of Europe’s most famous landmarks, such as the Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and La Sagrada Familia.
I have chosen to travel with EF because they have been in business for more than 40 years and have offices around the world, which makes me feel secure. I have led trips to Mexico and Costa Rica with EF in the past and have had nothing but positive experiences. Another factor in my choice is that EF guarantees the lowest prices for the highest quality. The cost of a ten-day trip is $3,100 and includes round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, a full-time EF Tour Director, daily breakfast and dinner, entrance fees to select attractions and guided sightseeing.
Discuss this fantastic opportunity with your son or daughter. Let them know that these trips are fast-paced and involve a lot of travel time and energy. We will be holding an informational Parent Meeting on September 15, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. in the library of the high school. Please enter through the circle drive doors. We’ll go over the benefits of taking an educational tour and my tour’s details. You can also visit eftours.com/student and type tour number 617193 in the Get Started section to find out more about the trip.
During our tour, we will visit many of Europe’s most famous landmarks, such as the Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and La Sagrada Familia.
I have chosen to travel with EF because they have been in business for more than 40 years and have offices around the world, which makes me feel secure. I have led trips to Mexico and Costa Rica with EF in the past and have had nothing but positive experiences. Another factor in my choice is that EF guarantees the lowest prices for the highest quality. The cost of a ten-day trip is $3,100 and includes round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, a full-time EF Tour Director, daily breakfast and dinner, entrance fees to select attractions and guided sightseeing.
Discuss this fantastic opportunity with your son or daughter. Let them know that these trips are fast-paced and involve a lot of travel time and energy. We will be holding an informational Parent Meeting on September 15, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. in the library of the high school. Please enter through the circle drive doors. We’ll go over the benefits of taking an educational tour and my tour’s details. You can also visit eftours.com/student and type tour number 617193 in the Get Started section to find out more about the trip.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
La Música
Music can be a powerful tool! If I handed you a sheet of lyrics and asked you to memorize them I'm sure you'd consider it a daunting task! However, if I handed you a CD with the song and asked you to memorize the words you would be more successful! How many of us know every word to our favorite songs? I'm always surprised when my 7 year old will hear the first few notes of a song on the radio and immediately start singing the lyrics! So I believe music can be a valuable educational tool! Although, I'll admit I can't carry a tune I love using music and songs in my classroom! As the year goes on I always find those catchy rhymes or songs we sing are the things my students remember the most!
You Tube is quickly becoming another valuable tool I use in class. I have found videos created by teachers of songs we sing in class as well as student created videos that teach difficult grammar concepts through a rap or song they've written! I also want to let you in on another cool website that I discovered in a workshop given by Mr. Bralier. If you enjoy the videos I show in class and would like to download those videos to your computer, ipod or mp3 you can do that at Kick You Tube. At Kick You Tube you will see a bar above your video of the various formats available for download. You can download in .flv format if you plan on watching it in a flash player on your computer or download in mp3 or mp4 to play on your ipods! You can then rock out to some Spanish videos from just about anywhere! I have added a tab labeled resources to my blog at the top where you access links to videos I show in class.
You Tube is quickly becoming another valuable tool I use in class. I have found videos created by teachers of songs we sing in class as well as student created videos that teach difficult grammar concepts through a rap or song they've written! I also want to let you in on another cool website that I discovered in a workshop given by Mr. Bralier. If you enjoy the videos I show in class and would like to download those videos to your computer, ipod or mp3 you can do that at Kick You Tube. At Kick You Tube you will see a bar above your video of the various formats available for download. You can download in .flv format if you plan on watching it in a flash player on your computer or download in mp3 or mp4 to play on your ipods! You can then rock out to some Spanish videos from just about anywhere! I have added a tab labeled resources to my blog at the top where you access links to videos I show in class.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
My Goals
This year I am teaching Spanish I, II, and III. My goals for these classes are:
• To help each student gain some proficiency in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
• To use a high level of student participation in the learning process and to teach in a way that makes language learning a meaningful activity.
• To introduce new cultures and their value to society in art, music, literature, and history.
• To help create in the students a sense of understanding of people from different backgrounds in their own area, and also in the world.
In addition to these goals I have 3 goals I'd like to accomplish this year. They include:
• A field trip with Spanish Club to either a dance performance or art museum.
• A skype conference with another country. I can't imagine anything cooler than that!
• A green classroom: I am always shocked by the amount of waste schools produce. My goal this year is to produce less. I plan on achieving this goal by making some materials accessible online. I am also currently working on writing a grant for a document camera that will allow me to share magazine articles, literature, etc. on my Smart Board which will eliminate the need to make unnecessary copies.
• To help each student gain some proficiency in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
• To use a high level of student participation in the learning process and to teach in a way that makes language learning a meaningful activity.
• To introduce new cultures and their value to society in art, music, literature, and history.
• To help create in the students a sense of understanding of people from different backgrounds in their own area, and also in the world.
In addition to these goals I have 3 goals I'd like to accomplish this year. They include:
• A field trip with Spanish Club to either a dance performance or art museum.
• A skype conference with another country. I can't imagine anything cooler than that!
• A green classroom: I am always shocked by the amount of waste schools produce. My goal this year is to produce less. I plan on achieving this goal by making some materials accessible online. I am also currently working on writing a grant for a document camera that will allow me to share magazine articles, literature, etc. on my Smart Board which will eliminate the need to make unnecessary copies.
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