NEWSLETTERS (2018-19): December/January Newsletter, November Newsletter, October/Trimester 1 Newsletter, September Newsletter, August Newsletter
Yes to Pizza.
Once upon a time, there was a Spanish teacher who awakened very early one Friday morning and knew–without a doubt–that it was going to be an amazing day: no ifs, ands, or buts. As if cyberspace wanted to confirm this fact, by 5:30am the algorithms had led her to perhaps the #BestSongEverWritten. She left the … Continue reading Yes to Pizza.
Newsletter 20-21, Oct. (2)
WEEKS 3-4: Just so you are aware, any lesson involving Pato tends to grow and evolve and become an all-out saga that goes on and on because–as the PSA (Professional Stuffed Animal) of a linguist (yours truly)–he has inherited a love of words and language. In other words, these Spanish updates will not be strictly … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21, Oct. (2)
Newsletter 20-21, Oct. (PK)
UPDATE: Students in PK-4 have been experiencing a 100% immersive classroom environment in Spanish class. We begin each day with a song, followed by knocking on the “door” (read: ground) to see if Pato is ready to visit them. I ask them where he is (¿Dónde está?) and they point to my small backpack (mochila). … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21, Oct. (PK)
Newsletter 20-21, Sept. (1)
September of 2020 My Dearest Pato: You are very sweet to write. Your penmanship, however, seems to have regressed. Then again, I am not as fluent in Duck as in years past; it is likely this was a factor in my overall comprehension. But yes, I am doing well and greatly enjoying my new adventures. … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21, Sept. (1)
Newsletter 20-21, Oct. (K)
WEEK 5: On Monday, students used paper telescopes to look for tesoro/treasure, practicing the phrase, “¡MIRA!” (“MEER-rah”/Look!). Later, they watched Pocoyo: Piratas to understand these words in context. This was also the first time this year they’ve heard someone else speaking Spanish, other than their maestra. To extend our class story, kindergarteners traveled outside this … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21, Oct. (K)
Newsletter 20-21, Sept. (4)
Week #2: This week, students in fourth grade had another dance party–see video below–making sure to sing, “Es viernes (‘bee-AIR-nace’)/It’s Fri-day” as they settled into their seats. The former is our “class song” and was the official anthem for the 2016 European Championship (soccer/fútbol). By Friday, fourth graders began to take a look at the … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21, Sept. (4)
Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (3)
Week #2: This week, students in third grade entered the wonderful world of storytelling. Here, the teacher provides a bare-bones outline of a scripted story, and asks questions to personalize and cater the story to each particular class. My goal is to ingrain certain vocabulary structures in their minds each day through memorable experiences, comprehensible … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (3)
Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (K)
Week #2: This week, students in kindergarten experienced 95% immersion in the target language. They usually begin class with some sort of movement warm-up, either dancing as a group to the Wreck-It Ralph/Rompe Ralph song, or copying action words as the teacher does them (e.g., run, jump on one foot, raise your hand, etc.). Next, … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (K)
Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (4)
Week #1: This week, fourth graders embarked on a whirlwind adventure of language and culture. The first class was spent almost entirely in the target language: here, students traveled to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago (a 500-mile hike that will directly correspond with the Weekly Spanish Challenges). Fourth graders began ‘hiking’ around the … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (4)
Newsletter 20-21: Pato Who? (1)
This week, following introductions, students in first grade named as many words that they could think of in the target language (e.g., red/rojo, blue/azul, green/verde, uno-dos-tres, dog/perro, etc.), and then listened to their get-up-and-dance CLASS SONG. Not long after, they transitioned into an immersive Spanish classroom environment, and realized that they could understand and intuit … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21: Pato Who? (1)
Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (PK)
Week #1: This week, students in PK-4 were officially introduced to Pato, a stuffed animal duck who has a big heart but always seems to be getting into mischief. The first day of school, he overslept. When students tried to wake him up around 12:30pm– AHEM, THE AFTERNOON?! (toca a la puerta/ knock on the … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (PK)
Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (3)
Week #1: Today in third grade, students first told me about their favorite places, and then I shared about one of my favorite trips, during which I hiked a famous 500-mile (877 kilometer) trek across northern Spain. The hike is called the Camino de Santiago, and takes about a month to complete (hiking about 10 … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (3)
Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (2)
Weeks 1-2: This week, students in second grade–along with several other classes–met a stuffed animal duck named Pato (which conveniently means duck in Spanish). Pato has a big personality, and immediately made his presence known by wearing sock pajamas to school the first day of class. He also likes to sing the classic song “Feliz Navidad” … Continue reading Newsletter 20-21, Aug. (2)
Remote 19-20, T3 (1-3)
Continued Learning Assignments below. Spanish Activity, 5/21/20- 1,2,3 Zoom Party! Check Seesaw for login info. Do one of the optional activities on the Summer Packet 2020. HAVE AN AMAZING SUMMER!!! ❤ Spanish Activity, 5/14/20- 1,2,3 Watch this video on Seesaw. Watch THE PATO SHOW, #9. Choose your favorite exercise or activity that makes you feel STRONG/fuerte. … Continue reading Remote 19-20, T3 (1-3)
Remote 19-20, T3 (5)
Continued Learning Assignments below. SPANISH ACTIVITY, 5/19/20 Watch the VIDEO!!! Do one of the optional activities on the Summer Packet. Come to the Specialist Zoom party on Thursday, from 10-10:30am. Look for the invitation in your email and on Seesaw. HAVE AN AMAZING SUMMER!!!!!!! ❤ SPANISH ACTIVITY, 5/12/20 Watch the video on Seesaw. Watch THE … Continue reading Remote 19-20, T3 (5)
Remote 19-20, T3 (K)
Continued Learning Assignments below. SPANISH ACTIVITY, 5/19/20- JK, K Zoom Party! Check Seesaw for login info. Check out the Spanish Summer Packet 2020 for 50 ideas of what to do over the summer, especially when your kids start saying, “I’m booooored!” HAVE AN AMAZING SUMMER! ❤ SPANISH ACTIVITY, 5/12/20- JK, K Watch the video on … Continue reading Remote 19-20, T3 (K)
Remote 19-20, T3 (4)
Continued Learning Assignments below. SPANISH ACTIVITY, 5/19/20 Watch the VIDEO!!! Do one of the optional activities on the Summer Packet. Come to the Specialist Zoom party on Thursday, from 10-10:30am. Look for the invitation in your email and on Seesaw. HAVE AN AMAZING SUMMER!!!!!!! ❤ SPANISH ACTIVITY, 5/12/20 Watch the video on Seesaw. Watch THE … Continue reading Remote 19-20, T3 (4)
Newsletter 19-20, T2 (2)
Second graders have done an excellent job this trimester of combining language and culture. For starters, the majority can write and say the following: “Hola, ¡buenos días! Yo me llamo ______. Yo quiero _____ y _____ [jugar y colorear] con mis amigos. Yo necesito ________ [marcadores, cobijas, peluches, comida, ropa, libros, etc.]. Yo voy a … Continue reading Newsletter 19-20, T2 (2)
Newsletter 19-20, T2 (3)
Third Grade- This trimester, third graders in 3B chugged along steadily with their Duolingo work, while 3A decided to take a break from the app back in December (but picked it up again in February). 3.A CHAMPIONS: Aylani, 694 XP; Celia, 507 XP; Marijka, 500 XP; 3.B CHAMPIONS: Kaden, 1197 XP; Zafirah, 1127 XP; Sebastian, … Continue reading Newsletter 19-20, T2 (3)
Newsletter 19-20, T2 (4)
This trimester, Summit students began with a “News Show” in Spanish–“En vivo, desde México” (Live, from Mexico)–where they took turns being reporters, working tech, and dramatically presenting the weather (¡El tiempo!/the weather). Each week, they added a new commercial, which was usually a translated slogan of a well-known brand (WalMart: save more, live better/ahorra más, … Continue reading Newsletter 19-20, T2 (4)
Newsletter 19-20, T1-T2 (5)
This trimester, Summit students began with a “News Show” in Spanish–“En vivo, desde México” (Live, from Mexico)–where they took turns being reporters, working tech, and dramatically presenting the weather (¡El tiempo!/the weather). Each week, they added a new commercial, which was usually a translated slogan of a well-known brand (WalMart: save more, live better/ahorra más, … Continue reading Newsletter 19-20, T1-T2 (5)
Newsletter 19-20, T1-T2 (1)
As many of you know from SLC’s, first graders have become Map Masters. Their country-name recognition skills and ability to locate these places on a map are excellent. Currently, students are comfortable naming the majority of the following countries: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, … Continue reading Newsletter 19-20, T1-T2 (1)
Newsletter 19-20, T2 (PK)
Junior Knights- Many of these cultural projects you have already read about on Seesaw: folding abanicos/fans out of regular and then very large paper (Spain); making miniature güiros with toothpicks (instruments from the Caribbean); watching a video on how a wooden molinillo is made (the thing you use to stir the chocolate in Mexico); and, … Continue reading Newsletter 19-20, T2 (PK)
The 15-Minute Class: A Synopsis (PK)
November: Because children are experiencing immersion in the target language, it is difficult to know when to send an update. They respond to me in class but may not bring home words to you; while frustrating, this is also completely natural: why would they speak to you in Spanish if you don’t speak it? They probably … Continue reading The 15-Minute Class: A Synopsis (PK)
Newsletter 19-20, T1 (3)
December: Hoy en clase hablamos de otras culturas, perspectivas y tradiciones. Como una analogía, nos ponemos de pie en nuestras sillas para experimentar otra perspectiva: resulta el mismo cuarto, pero notamos cosas diferentes, igual que en inglés o español; el enfoque se ha cambiado. Para probar nuestro coraje/valentía, probamos unos insectos fritos hoy; en Mexico, … Continue reading Newsletter 19-20, T1 (3)
Newsletter 19-20, T1-T2 (K)
Trimester 1 ended with a conversation about Day of the Dead in Mexico. Students were so interested in this that we continued our ‘culture trip’ around the Spanish-speaking world. When, for instance, students signed up for the ‘volar/fly’ center, I made them paper airplanes, on the condition that they brought me the color paper and size they … Continue reading Newsletter 19-20, T1-T2 (K)
Newsletter 19-20, T1 (PK)
October: La canción empieza al minuto 0:40. La hemos cantado varias veces en clase, pero hoy cambié la letra para que diga “[Un pez] estaba jugando cuando XXX [estudiante] lo atrapó, te voy a comer y se lo comió” mientras pescaban con la caña de pescar y unos peces magnéticos. ¡Qué divertido! October: Students made … Continue reading Newsletter 19-20, T1 (PK)
Newsletter 19-20, T1 (4)
January: We went on a bit of a tangent today in Spanish class. Fourth graders have begun studying other languages in addition to Spanish in Duolingo. Students learned that a person who speaks an extreme number of languages is called a hyperpolyglot. Students learned about the hyper-polyglot Timothy Doner this morning. For homework, please watch the … Continue reading Newsletter 19-20, T1 (4)
Newsletter 19-20, T1 (2)
January: Segundo grado está trabajando a varios negocios en la clase de español, incluso la creación de una tienda en Cuba donde se puede comprar y tomar un “café cubano”. En otro rincón, se venden rocas pintadas de muchos países hispanohablantes (p.ej., esmeraldas muy caras, zafiros, diamantes…). Son hermosas pero muy, muy caras. Finalmente, un … Continue reading Newsletter 19-20, T1 (2)
Newsletter 18-19, T2 (4)
December/January: This month, students in fourth grade moved on from naming all of the twenty-one Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map, to identifying major landforms in South America: montañas/mountains (Andes Mountains); desierto/desert (Atacama Desert); and río/river (Amazon River). They made storyboard comic strips in the target language to wrap up their storytelling unit; chose Spanish first and last … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T2 (4)
Newsletter 18-19, T2 (2)
February/March: This month*, students in second grade had fun adjusting to a new daily routine: at the door of the Spanish Cave, after one student says, “Dime la contraseña” (tell me the password), the other responds with the fruit or vegetable of the week (that is, naranja/orange, plátano/banana, zanahoria/carrot, espárrago/asparagus, melocotón, durazno/peach, arándano/blueberry, cebolla/onion). To start the month, they took … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T2 (2)
Newsletter 18-19, T2 (K)
February/March: This month*, students in kindergarten were encouraged to add more depth to their center work. The sight word, i/to go (pronunciation: ‘ear’), for instance, became an entire week’s activity. Steps 1-5 as follows: build an airplane out of chairs (construir un avión); draw a plane ticket with name, destination, and a picture of the flag of … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T2 (K)
Newsletter 18-19, T2 (3)
February/March: This month*, students in third grade had more than a few discussions about phonetics and language in a more general sense, as opposed to “only” Spanish. There are, after all, about 7,000 languages in the world! These conversations touched on word loans—tacos, tortillas, quesadillas, and deja-vu, for example, have all been borrowed from other languages; … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T2 (3)
Newsletter 18-19, T2 (1)
February/March: This month*, students in first grade began class by putting their shoes in the center of the circle and tapping their feet to the names of each of the Spanish-speaking countries they knew (instead of jumping on the map, for a change). They also had fun singing the “Buenos días” song (good morning) and explaining … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T2 (1)
Newsletter 18-19, T2 (PK)
February/March: This month*, students in PK worked on a variety of culture-based projects to point out that Spanish is spoken in many different places (and not “just” Spain and Mexico). For example, one day, they made and played güiros—an instrument from the Caribbean—out of paper and toothpicks, and tried to identify this unique sound in the … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T2 (PK)
Newsletter 18-19, T2 (5)
December/January: This month, students in fifth grade became a bit fanatical about jumping on and naming all of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries on the tape floor map in a certain number of seconds. The Lower School record at this point is 8.32 seconds—wow! Students took an official test to demonstrate their mastery of the material. Fifth … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T2 (5)
App Challenge
Happy New Year! It is a new year, and a new you. Fifth grade is a fabulous class, but because we only meet twice a week, there is a lot of time during the week without Spanish (boo hoo!); so we are going to level up and try to change this for 2019. That means … Continue reading App Challenge
Newsletter 18-19, T1 (2)
October/Trimester 1: This trimester, students in second grade practiced acting out their password cards and naming the Spanish-speaking countries* on the tape floor map. While the map focused on South America, culture projects and discussions were not limited to these countries. For example, after learning about El Camino de Santiago in northern Spain, second graders created their own faux … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T1 (2)
Newsletter 18-19, T1 (1)
October/Trimester 1: This trimester, students in first grade practiced acting out their password cards, reading the Letter from Pato, naming the Spanish-speaking countries* on the tape floor map, and singing and dancing along to daily class songs (esp. Rompe Ralph, Moana in Spanish, and “¿Puedo ir al baño?” [Can I go to the bathroom?]). Their primary focus, however, was on … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T1 (1)
Newsletter 18-19, T1 (K)
October/Trimester 1: This trimester, students in kindergarten experienced immersion in the target language through a variety of multi-sensory and scientific activities. From hoisting their stuffed animal friend Pato up-up-up to the sky on a yarn pulley so that he could learn how to fly; to crinkling their noses at the smell of vinegar and gasping as baking … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T1 (K)
Newsletter 18-19, T1 (PK)
October/Trimester 1: This trimester, students in PK responded to action commands (baila/dance, toca la cabeza/touch your head, salta/jump, da la vuelta/turn around); sang along with Saco una manita; followed the gestures to Estrellita (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star); danced to Rompe Ralph/Wreck-It Ralph; and watched relevant Pocoyo episodes. Basic skills such as color and number practice were incorporated into … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T1 (PK)
Newsletter 18-19, T1 (5)
October/Trimester 1: This trimester, students in fifth grade began by creating several wildly creative class stories, with plots about evil donkeys, broken down school buses, a serious Chick-fil-A vs. PDQ rivalry, stolen jewels from an art museum, and even a real courtroom trial (5.B). Here, fifth graders worked on answering questions about the stories and composing … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T1 (5)
Newsletter 18-19, T1 (4)
October/Trimester 1: This trimester, students in fourth grade began by celebrating La Tomatina, a famous tomato-throwing festival in Spain. To celebrate and reenact the day sans actual tomatoes, fourth graders made catapults out of Popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and hot glue, and launched decorative, lightweight balls at G.I. Joe firemen and LEGO men figurines. Other cultural projects included ‘building’ … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T1 (4)
Newsletter 18-19, T1 (3)
October/Trimester 1: This trimester, students in third grade practiced acting out their password cards and naming the Spanish-speaking countries* on the tape floor map. They also acted out wildly creative story plots: from an evil pig, duck sandwich, powerful notebook, town named HairGel, and a ghost who wants revenge (3.B), to a magic school bus, stolen … Continue reading Newsletter 18-19, T1 (3)
Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (4)
September: This month, students in fourth grade learned that they will be participating in a yearlong town simulation. Their first stop was Argentina, where fourth graders explored the history of Yerba Mate, or ‘the friendship drink’ of South America via photos and physical cultural artifacts, and later were able to taste the strong, somewhat bitter (but delicious!) … Continue reading Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (4)
Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (3)
September: This month, students in third grade learned that they have been selected to join the world-renowned Spanish Acting Company. A quick tour of the Walk of Fame—Hollywood squares with students’ names printed in the stars—confirmed this fact. As participants, third graders will perform in multiple shows throughout the year, as main characters and audience members. … Continue reading Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (3)
Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (1)
September: This month, students in first grade chose individual professions passwords, and then practiced acting out each one. Later, they read the daily letter from Pato, wrote what they wanted to do on the miniature whiteboards (Quiero colorear, Quiero jugar//I want to color, I want to play), and then traveled to said isla, or island. First graders will … Continue reading Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (1)
Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (5)
September: This month, students in fifth grade learned that their end-of-the-year Spanish Program will actually take place in February this year. As a result, fifth graders launched into full-fledged rehearsal mode. Their first play begins with two news reporters. To make this more culturally authentic, students learned about and watched a short video clip of … Continue reading Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (5)
Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (2)
September: This month, students in second grade chose new identities, that is, Spanish names. Because a majority of students wanted the same names, they had to choose a second name to help differentiate one from another. This means that not only is there a “Sofía Isabel” in class, but also an “Isabel Sofía”—just to keep us … Continue reading Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (2)
Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (K)
September: This month, students in kindergarten reacquanited themselves with several of the most beloved stuffed animals in the Spanish room, including Pato/Duck, Oso/Bear, Conejito/Bunny, Patito/Ducky, and Ardilla/Squirrel. After a summer of scrounging on crumbs in the Spanish room, Pato was, not surprisingly, beyond famished, and discovered in a gigantic bag full of plastic eggs. Because the … Continue reading Newsletter 16-17, Sept. (K)
Newsletter 15-16, Year (3)
Quarter 1: This term, students in third grade discussed how ‘language is a sport for your mouth’, as phonetics is a major part of the third grade curriculum. Students also worked on memorizing several tongue twisters in the target language; chose Spanish names and Inside-Out passwords; made replicas of Easter Island Moai statues out of clay; told … Continue reading Newsletter 15-16, Year (3)
Newsletter 15-16, Year (4)
Quarter 1: This term, students in fourth grade excitedly delved into the task of creating their own pueblo/town. A typical day consists of students striving to use the language in a variety of meaningful contexts and situations. As a result, the learning environment tends to be more boisterous than not, but in a lively, jovial … Continue reading Newsletter 15-16, Year (4)
Newsletter 15-16, Year (5)
Quarter 1: This term, students in fifth grade spent the bulk of their time immersed in the target language and ‘The Art of Storytelling’. Accordingly, students mixed culture and creative imaginations to create numerous class story-plays with student actors. From a cockroach/la-cu-ca-ra-cha who stole instruments from a Mariachi band and a peccary who lives in Costa Rica, to … Continue reading Newsletter 15-16, Year (5)
Newsletter 15-16, Year (1)
Quarter 1: This term, students in first grade read and translated the daily letter from Pato, learning which ‘islas/islands’—[read: activity centers]—were open that day. First graders then submitted written requests expressing what they wanted to do. As a constantly changing mix of toys spark students’ imaginations, the archipelago comes alive with creativity and authentic linguistic exchanges … Continue reading Newsletter 15-16, Year (1)
Newsletter 15-16, Year (K)
Quarter 1: This term, students in kindergarten met several of the most popular stuffed animals in the Spanish room, including Pato/Duck, Oso/Bear, and Changuito/Monkey. Over time, kindergarteners began to understand that the stuffed animals are silly—quite silly, indeed: Changuito is constantly hiding, Pato wears a sock for pajamas and a nightcap, and Oso tries to sneak in a nap whenever possible. As a result, … Continue reading Newsletter 15-16, Year (K)
Newsletter 15-16, Year (2)
Quarter 1: This term, students in second grade read and translated the daily letter from Pato; responded to the stuffed-animal duck in their class notebooks; rehearsed and presented silly mini-conversations in the target language with puppets; chose individualized fruit or vegetable passwords; were introduced to the Merengue, Salsa, and Tango ballroom dances; played a hot/cold type … Continue reading Newsletter 15-16, Year (2)
Newsletter 14-15, Year (1)
Quarter 1: This term, students in first grade alternated between Story Days and Activity Days, although the two oftentimes overlapped and blended into one. For example, once Pato mentioned that he would like to visit the piñata hanging from the eighteen-foot ceiling in the Spanish Cave. But what could he use as a mode of … Continue reading Newsletter 14-15, Year (1)
Newsletter 14-15, Year (2)
Quarter 1: This term, students in second grade had fun learning about The Adventures of Pato—one of the most mischievous stuffed animals in the Spanish Cave. When necessary, they also helped discipline the sometimes quite rebellious and stubborn duck: ¡No puedes hacer eso!” (You can’t do that!). Second graders also played the “¿Qué haces?” (What … Continue reading Newsletter 14-15, Year (2)
Newsletter 14-15, Year (5)
Quarter 1: This term, students in fifth grade spent the bulk of their time on creative storytelling in preparation for the student-written Spanish plays performed at the Latin American Showcase (May 15, 2015 @1:30pm). Inspired by Argentine animals, abstract paintings, fuzzy photographs, troll-goblin statues and more, the stories evolve through question and answer type discussions … Continue reading Newsletter 14-15, Year (5)
Newsletter 14-15, Year (3)
Quarter 1: This term, students in third grade discussed how ‘language is a sport for your mouth’, as phonetics is a major part of the third grade curriculum. Students then worked on memorizing several tongue twisters in Spanish so as to over-exaggerate the mouth-moving process: Pito, pito colorito; Pepe Pecas; A-E-I-O-U, el burro sabe más … Continue reading Newsletter 14-15, Year (3)
Newsletter 14-15, Year (K)
Quarter 1: This term, students in kindergarten let their imaginations run wild. Straightforward, one-dimensional stories evolved into highly complex sagas, growing longer and more complicated from one week to the next. A new week merely indicated a new chapter. From magia/magic on the SMART board (the rubber-duck witches/brujas took full responsibility), to disappearing and reappearing … Continue reading Newsletter 14-15, Year (K)
Newsletter 14-15, Year (4)
Quarter 1: This term, students in fourth grade excitedly delved into the task of creating their own pueblo/town. After hailing a taxi to the airport, showing their boarding passes and boarding the plane, fourth graders sat back and relaxed, enjoyed beverages, and chatted until landing. As they officially stepped into their town for the first … Continue reading Newsletter 14-15, Year (4)
Newsletter 13-14, Year (1)
Quarter 1: This term, students in first grade alternated between Story Days and Activity Days. On the former, students tended to ask Pato was he was doing, and oftentimes he would invent a wild adventure (that coincidentally included Activity Day vocabulary). Once, though, he couldn’t get his beak out of a book, and students pestered … Continue reading Newsletter 13-14, Year (1)
Newsletter 13-14, Year (K)
Quarter 1: This term, students in kindergarten let their imaginations run wild. Straightforward, one-dimensional stories evolved into highly complex sagas, growing longer and more complicated from one week to the next. A new week merely indicated a new chapter. From a loud alarm clock brriiiiing that catapulted Pato across the Spanish Cave, to disappearing ink … Continue reading Newsletter 13-14, Year (K)
Newsletter 13-14, Year (3)
Quarter 1: This term, students in third grade practiced a new routine to begin class (Luces, cámara, acción, redoble por favor/Lights, camera, action, drum roll please); learned three Spanish tongue twisters (Pito, pito colorito; Pepe Pecas; and Q-U-E-S-O/cheese); and worked on pronouncing a very long word in the target language: Otorrinolaringólogo/ENT doctor. Third graders also … Continue reading Newsletter 13-14, Year (3)
Newsletter 13-14, Year (4)
Quarter 1: This term, students in fourth grade excitedly delved into the task of creating their own pueblo/town. After establishing bank accounts and buying their own mansions, the actual simulation commenced. A typical day in either Epicville (Papageorge) or Marlow Mayhem (Marlow) begins with workers being dismissed to their jobs. Businesses open at this point … Continue reading Newsletter 13-14, Year (4)
Newsletter 13-14, Year (5)
Quarter 1: This term, students in fifth grade chose a class mascot to be the main character in their class stories. From this point, creativity took the reins… Hunt: A crazy scientist, aka Pocoyo, takes the pato-bailarín as his prisoner, but the dancing duck grabs the flag of Spain, knocks him down and escapes in … Continue reading Newsletter 13-14, Year (5)
Newsletter 13-14, Year (2)
Quarter 1: This term, students in second grade had fun learning about The Adventures of Pato—one of the most mischievous stuffed animals in the Spanish Cave. When necessary, they also helped discipline the sometimes quite rebellious and stubborn duck. One day, second graders watched as Pato created an enormous mess of toys, and then decided … Continue reading Newsletter 13-14, Year (2)
