Capítulo 2 – Lección B

Chicas: Like I explained in class today (jueves 15 de noviembre), I'm counting on you to do the homework and computer assignments I asked you to do, and to challenge yourself to learn Spanish. I know learning a language is not easy, but with practice and determination you can do it! There are a lot of great resources out there; but you can start with the  іAventura! Internet Resource Center. Also check this Spanish blog frequently and check the links. Keep up with the assignments, it's hard to continue learning if you don't do the required work! If you have any questions or need any help, come to see me after school, I'm available from 3 to 4 PM everyday. Just let me know you're coming and bring specific questions and the material you don't understand or need help with.

The following is what you must learn in this chapter:  colors, subjects, many new vocabulary words (in the classroom and others, like clothing items). Check pages 81 and 87 from the textbook and study the PowerPoint presentation "Capítulo 2, Colors, Materias y Ropa". The vocabulary words and expressions on those pages (and from the PowerPoint presentation) must be entered on Index Cards (and your notebooks if you want) in order to learn their spelling and their meanings! Writing things down is an excellent way to remember things! Also check the sites (links) from previous entries and under "Favorite Links" to review the colors, the clothing articles and the present tense of "-ar verbs". This chapter also teaches you how to conjugate these "-ar verbs." Write in your notebooks the "Estructura" from page 67 (del libro) and review the "Reviewing Capítulo 2" PowerPoint presentation too - for the -ar verbs and Days of the Week).  Learn how to conjugate the verb "hablar" (to speak) and all the verbs that end in -ar like: cantar, bailar, brincar, estudiar, llevar, necesitar, terminar. Once you know the endings (o, as, a, amos, áis, an) it will be very easy to conjugate these -ar verbs, you must simply memorize these endings (write them on Index Cards with their respective subject pronouns, and create a song to practice them) - check the slide below. Also remember the "reflexive pronouns" (me, te, se, nos, os, se) - create a rap song or any other type of song to remember them, keep repeating them over and over. Remember "me" for yo, "te" for tú, "se" for él/ellas/ud. and for ellos/ellas/uds., "nos" for nosotros and "os" for vosotras. There's no other way around it, to learn any language you MUST MEMORIZE a lot! Yes, you exercise your brain a lot! (which is really a good thing!)

Example: Verbo Cantar will be conjugated as follows - you canto, tu cantas, él/ella/usted canta, nosotros cantamos,vosotros/as cantáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cantan. Notice the endings. Try now to conjugate other -ar verbs. For Bailar the stem or base is "bail" (you just take the ending -ar off). For Estudiar is "estudi." For Llevar is "llev." The stem or base of the verbs consists of all the letters before the ending "ar" (keep this in mind). So what are the stems of brincar, necesitar, terminar, abrazar, ayudar, caminar, contestar, comprar, dejar, firmar, ganar, nadar, olvidar, pintar, preguntar, trabajar, viajar, dañar? Be curious and write these "stems" down (then just add the endings to conjugate their present tense) and also find the meaning of these words (verbs). To practice the pronunciation  of -ar verbs go here: -ar verbs (put the cursor on the words).

Memorize this slide:

Ongoing homework: review the chapter exercises to see if you understand them, if not, ask Mrs. Feld. Check the copy of the three slides I gave you with the computer and textbook assignments (Lección B and Listening Activities). Also, write in your notebooks all the "Estructuras." Chapter 2 has "Estructuras" on pages 64 (this one reviews well what you learned in class today about "colors" as adjectives), 65, 67, 70 and 76 (Verbo Estar - which you should already know and have in your notebooks, copy the verb again and the examples at the bottom). You must know the verbs "Ser y Estar" really well, no excuses! If not, it will be harder for you to keep advancing, these are essential verbs! Little by little you will know when and how to use them. Read and study and write the information on the blog entry "Verbos Irregulares Ser y Estar" (click this link).

Many of you still owe me the assignment I entered on the Computer Assignments and Other of November 2, 2012: Página 50 - Dialogo II. Write this diálogo and translate it and pg. 50, No. 21 "Tu propio diálogo." (First assignment for this Second Quarter)

Skip the following pages from Lección B: Páginas 63, 75, 78, 79 (Nos. 37 and 38 - just do No. 36, you must understand this one), 80, 82 - 86 (these are all optional exercises, these material won't be included).

Workbook exercises you MUST HAVE COMPLETED: pages 25 - 30 (already included on Test of 11/14/12), pages 30 - 35 (just skip No. 4, from pg. 33). These pages 30 - 35 will be included on the Quiz of 11/28/12 and the Test of 12/3/12). Note: I decided to move the test to December 3rd to give you more time to understand all the material of Capítulo 2. In December we will concentrate on Capítulo 3.

Another good practice for the Test and to Review Capítulo 2 are the following pages from Grammar and Vocabulary in the Aventura Internet Resource Center. Or go to: "Grammar and Vocabulary Exercises." Work on the following pages: 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21 and 22. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask Señora Feld.

Add the following to you notes (in your notebook): 

COLORS - GENDER AND NUMBER (PLURAL)

• The colors are adjectives, which describe the noun or nouns; so they behave like adjectives. We have two cases: the ones that end in a vowel, you have to change its ending; ie. La camisa roja, el libro rojo, las camisas rojas, los libros rojos. Using the verbo ser: La camisa es roja, el libro es rojo, las camisas son rojas, los libros son rojos. Remember: the verbo ser changes to "son" when using plural nouns.
  
• The ones that end with a consonant or with an “e” only change in number, meaning, they only change when you are making a singular adjective, in this case the color, into a plural. If the color ends with an “e” you just add an “s.” i.e. El libro verde – los libros verdes; la camisa verde – las camisas verdes. Other examples: Los pantalones grises, las blusas marrones, los suéteres celestes, las camisetas son azules, los sombreros son cafés.
• The ones that end with a consonant, add “es.” i.e. El abrigo azul – los abrigos azules; la falda azul – las faldas azules; el vestido gris - los vestidos grises.
• The word "new" in Spanish - "nuevo" works similarly. It's also considered an adjective that describes a noun and it changes depending on the gender. Masculine: nuevo. Feminine: nueva. Plural: nuevos (if masculine) and nuevas (if feminine). i.e. La camisa es nueva, el libro es nuevo, las camisas son nuevas, los libros son nuevos, or simply: la camisa nueva, el libro nuevo, las camisas nuevas, los libros nuevos.

Advice: Now that we are in Capítulo 2 you should put all the hand-outs, tests, quizzes, class assignments, etc. in a new folder. Have a new folder for each chapter, ideally a heavy-duty pocket folder. Get organized. Check your notebook too, do you have titles for each Chapter? Do the same for all your subjects. If you get organized your life will become easier.

CHECK "EDMODO"! Practice the "Repaso 3" Aventura Internet Resource Center (Capítulo 2). To practice how to pronounce clothing in Spanish go to: La Ropa Masculina and La Ropa Femenina (they have the accent from Spain, but are great sites). To check the 100 most used verbs in Spanish go to: VERBS (click on each verb to check the conjugation). Also check: MORE VERBS (all you have to do is enter the verb you need to conjugate under "Please enter a verb").