Friday, September 16, 2011
Week Four
We started this week by putting the finishing touches on our sock puppets. The kids were really excited about this project--they glued buttons and yarn to socks and gave them Spanish names. The idea behind this is that their puppet only speaks Spanish. So whenever we are practicing words and phrases in the target language (Spanish), the kids are less likely to resort to English to communicate. Also, the puppet becomes a vehicle to discover the Latino world: they'll choose a country the puppet is from and do research on the food and clothing and weather of that country. They'll also be able to do simple, every day things like spell the puppet's name in Spanish, say how old it is, etc.
We had a quiz on greetings and goodbyes this week as well, and I can't think of one student who didn't pass. The students are doing great acting out the words, saying them, and knowing what they mean without resorting to English. ¡Fantástico!
On Fridays we do something called Campfire (La fugata) where I read the kids stories that come from Latin American countries. Today we started a book called "The Jumping Tree" by Rene Saldana, Jr. It's about a boy named Rey who is starting the sixth grade. He lives with his family in a small town names Nuevas Peñitas on the Texas side of the boarder with Mexico. It's about a boy coming of age with family in both countries, his experience with peers, family and society. For more information, check out this link.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
First Two Weeks
¡Hola!
These first two weeks of school we have been learning classroom procedures. That may seem like a long time, but we do this for a couple of reasons: First, the students are getting used to changing classes, and it's important to learn how each one works. Second, Spanish class will be VERY interactive, where the students will be working in partners and groups to complete activities and projects. It can get a little chaotic! When the students know what the expectations are and how things get done in class, there is a lot more freedom to do the fun things we want to.
This week we got our notebooks organized and made sure we had all our supplies: a college-ruled spiral notebook, 3 glue sticks, scissors, pencils, a pencil sharpener with a lid, markers or colored pencils, and a pencil case. The notebooks will stay in the classroom, so the only thing the students have to remember is their pencil bag with the rest of their supplies.
We also created "All About Me" envelopes that will go on the wall and we can write positive messages to each other. Thursday we worked on our Class Constitutions--a document where we all agree how we will behave and what we will do to be successful in Spanish class.
Next week we will start learning Spanish full time. This means the Profe will be speaking in Spanish the whole class! The kids need to remember not to stress out--the more anxious you are, the less you will understand. Just relax, and remember the secret--listen for words that sound like words you know in English. Yay cognates!
Hasta pronto,
Sra. Unsworth
These first two weeks of school we have been learning classroom procedures. That may seem like a long time, but we do this for a couple of reasons: First, the students are getting used to changing classes, and it's important to learn how each one works. Second, Spanish class will be VERY interactive, where the students will be working in partners and groups to complete activities and projects. It can get a little chaotic! When the students know what the expectations are and how things get done in class, there is a lot more freedom to do the fun things we want to.
This week we got our notebooks organized and made sure we had all our supplies: a college-ruled spiral notebook, 3 glue sticks, scissors, pencils, a pencil sharpener with a lid, markers or colored pencils, and a pencil case. The notebooks will stay in the classroom, so the only thing the students have to remember is their pencil bag with the rest of their supplies.
We also created "All About Me" envelopes that will go on the wall and we can write positive messages to each other. Thursday we worked on our Class Constitutions--a document where we all agree how we will behave and what we will do to be successful in Spanish class.
Next week we will start learning Spanish full time. This means the Profe will be speaking in Spanish the whole class! The kids need to remember not to stress out--the more anxious you are, the less you will understand. Just relax, and remember the secret--listen for words that sound like words you know in English. Yay cognates!
Hasta pronto,
Sra. Unsworth
Saturday, August 27, 2011
¡Bienvenidos a la clase de español!
¡Hola a todos!
My name is Lindsay Unsworth, and I am one of the 6th grade Spanish teachers at BISD. I have 1st and 2nd period at LBMS, travel 3rd period, and teach 4th period at BMS. I am very excited to get to know the students and to teach them Spanish this year.
We will have a lot going on these two semesters (Spanish is only a half-year course for 6th grade), including songs, stories, crafts, celebrations, service projects, and as much immersion in the language as the students can handle. We will learn numbers, colors, weather, food, clothing...just to mention a few of the topics we will be exploring. It will be so much fun!
Please check back here often for updates, pictures and videos of what your kids are doing in class.
Hasta pronto,
La profe
My name is Lindsay Unsworth, and I am one of the 6th grade Spanish teachers at BISD. I have 1st and 2nd period at LBMS, travel 3rd period, and teach 4th period at BMS. I am very excited to get to know the students and to teach them Spanish this year.
We will have a lot going on these two semesters (Spanish is only a half-year course for 6th grade), including songs, stories, crafts, celebrations, service projects, and as much immersion in the language as the students can handle. We will learn numbers, colors, weather, food, clothing...just to mention a few of the topics we will be exploring. It will be so much fun!
Please check back here often for updates, pictures and videos of what your kids are doing in class.
Hasta pronto,
La profe
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