EDMODO

Spanish I students: besides this blog, I will use EDMODO - this is a great form of communication and will allow me to post/share PowerPoint Presentations and post assignments. I find this media (Blogger.com) and Edmodo to be great resources to expand the possibilities of learning the Spanish language. Edmodo provides teachers and students a secure place to connect, collaborate and share content. So, let's try it! İBUENA SUERTE! (Good luck!)

I will provide you with the Group Password (6-digit code) in school, in the meantime you can go to http://help.edmodo.com/edmodo-in-action/ and check the video "How to Create a Student Account." Then go to http://edmodo.com/ and join the group with the 6-digit code Mrs. Feld gave you (this code was changed on November 2nd, so make sure you ask Mrs. Feld about it). Make sure you select the “I’m a student” button, if you don't have an account already. From here you can enter the group code provided and complete the registration form and select “Sign up” - you don't need to enter an e-mail address.

NOTE: If you already have an Edmodo account, please just log-in with your Edmodo password and you will be able to "join multiple groups" - just click "Join" next to "Groups"  and enter the 6-digit code. Our group's name is ESPAÑOL I. Students, as well as teachers, only need one account to join many different groups on the one account.Try this and if it doesn't work, please let Mrs. Feld know. Thanks!

November 2nd is "Día de los Muertos" in México. Check the following site to read more about this celebration: Day of the Dead (click the link).

Capítulo 2 - En Mi Colegio

So by now, you should be pretty good at greeting and saying good-bye (and other farewells) to people in Spanish! Review Saludos (click the link) - to practice pronunciation. You must know really WELL the verbs "ser y estar." Practice saying these verbs in reverse order starting with "ellos, ellas, ustedes" and also practice them using the different personal pronouns in a random order - i.e. Carlos (él) ___ de Buenos Aires, Argentina (you should automatically know that you use "es" here); María y yo ________ de Filadelfia; Carlos y usted ________ de Colombia, etc. Practice this several times with both verbs. You can review previous blog entries.

Capítulo 1 was titled ¿Cómo te llamas? (What's your name?), Capítulo 2 is titled "En mi colegio" - which means "In my school." You will learn a lot of new vocabulary here, so I'm expecting you to know really well all the "vocabulario" of Capítulo 1. Review one more time the following pages: 17, 31 and 37. If you're not really good with the lessons from Chapter 1, it will be harder for you to understand Chapter 2 and the following chapters (keep this in mind). Practice the "Alfabeto" again and again! To learn to pronounce all Spanish words properly. Ask Mrs. Feld if you have any questions.

Check the following site to review some of the Vocabulario from this chapter: Vocabulario (click the link). Check all the links under "Vocabulary" (yes! they misspelled the word), and check the Comprehension and Grammar sections - to review. For instance, the "Gender of Nouns and Articles" Webpage is very useful to review the Definite and Indefinite Articles and to learn to distinguish Feminine and Masculine words in Spanish.You can also check this Spanish site to listen to the pronunciation of many words (click the link).

Numbers: you must know the numbers up to 100. You will have a Quiz on numbers next Wednesday, October 24th. Remember to use Index Cards to study; especially for this new chapter. This Quiz will also include pg. 41, Nos. 1 and 2; pg. 42 - Diálogo I and No. 3; pg. 45, Nos. 8, 9 and 10; and pg. 46, No. 11. Review the Textbook Audio Program, pg. 25 - Números 21-100 and pg. 26, Activity 14.

First assignment: Write on a lose leaf the Vocabulario I, page 40 and translate it. Hand-in to Mrs. Feld. Also listen to Vocabulario I (Lección A) in the іAventura! Internet Resource Center. Practice writing it without looking at your "libro." Review the chapter pages 40 to 46 (skip page 43). These pages will be included in the Quiz of October 24th - just like the textbook exercises. (This assignment is due before October 26).

Second assignment: Write on a lose leaf the Vocabulario II, pages 48 and 49. Translate these expressions and words. Hand-in to Mrs. Feld. Check page 59 "Palabras y Expresiones" - you must learn this vocabulary - memorize it! (We will try to finish Lesson A from this chapter by November 9 and Lesson B by November 30th). Review pages 48 to 59 (skip pg. 58). Create index cards for all these words (use the definite and indefinite articles when learning these new words. Also learn the singular and the plural form. Example: el chico, los chicos - un chico, unos chicos). Review the following señor Jordan videos: "Nouns and Definite Articles" and "Nouns and Indefinite Articles" (click these links or the links on the right side under Favorite Links). Write some notes on these articles in your notebooks, and make sure you understand these Spanish articles! Try to organize your notebook notes, so that they have proper titles and dates. (This assignment is due before November 2nd).

Keep the following dates in mind... Test: Chapter 2 (up to page 59) - Wednesday, November 14, 2012. Test: Chapter 2 (whole chapter) - Wednesday, November 28th, 2012.

In this chapter you will learn expressions like ¿Quién es él? ¿De dónde es él? ¿De dónde son ellos? ¿Cómo se llama ella? ¿Cómo se dice...?  ¿Qué quiere decir...? etc. Review the paper I gave you on "Interrogative Pronouns" (Question Words).

Mrs. Feld will explain in class how to use the other personal pronouns with these expressions (questions). Example: When asking a group of people 'who are they' ("Who are you?") - you will ask in Spanish "¿Quiénes son ellos?" (because the conjugation of the verb "Ser" for "ellos" is "son"). If asking someone "Who is she?" - "¿Quién es ella?" (because the conjugation of the verb "Ser" for "ella" is "es"). This is why it's essential to know these verbs. Review the "Verbo Ser" on page 44 and write in your notebooks the "Estructura."

Thursday, October 18, 2012: "Diálogo Group Project" is due. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Mrs. Feld. On Monday (Oct. 22), we will go to the Windows Lab to listen to the vocabulario (I & II), the activities and diálogo (I & II) - from Lección A - Capítulo 2 (Textbook Audio Program); as well as the Listening Activities for this lesson (A). You can also listen to these mp3's at home - the more you practice and listen to Spanish conversations the better and faster you will learn "Español.

Listen to the following popular Spanish song "¿Y cómo es él?" from José Luis Perales (from Spain) - old song that I still love, very popular when I was your age: Song (click link). Hear the following questions: ¿Y cómo es él? ¿De dónde es? and learn how to pronounce these words. Other words: mirándote, ojos, qué, nuevo, mujer, miedo, mañana, tarde, perdóname, ¿en qué...?, ¿a qué...?, lugar, el tiempo, libre, pregúntale, ¿por qué...? mi vida, vestido, pregunta, un ladrón, sonríete, pregunta, todo. 

More on Capítulo 2:

I asked you to write the "Estructura" on page 44 in your notebooks. Review the "Verbos Ser y Estar" - and understand how to make "negative" sentences in Spanish. Example: Ana es de Filadelfia - Ana no es de Filadelfia. Subject pronouns may be used with or without a verb, etc. (pg. 44). Study the "Estructura" on page 52 really well - "Using definite articles with nouns." As well as the "Estructura" on page 55 - "Using indefinite articles with nouns." Write all this down in your notebooks.

Remember that to make a sentence negative in Spanish, all you have to do is place "no" before the verb. Review the "Estructura" on page 44 and Exercise No. 10 on page 45. Examples: Ana es de Colombia - Ana no es de Colombia. Soy de Venezuela - No soy de Venezuela. Te llamas Alma - No te llamas Alma. Se llama Alberto - No se llama Alberto. Estoy contenta - No estoy contenta.