Story time and juegos to review....

Hola padres! The end of the year is looming before us and I have had a fun time reviewing with the Kinders this week. We started off with rereading some of our favorite Spanish books that we had read at the beginning of the year. It was fun to see how much they remembered. 

After that, I played a few games that helped them review some vocabulary. First we played a game where I had one brave volunteer come up to the front of the class, hold out their hands and close their eyes. I then gently placed a classroom object in their hands and they had to guess the word in Spanish. They had such fun with this and did a great job remembering el borrador, el lapiz, el libro y las tijeras. This is definitely a game that I will use again! 

In order to review our formas, or shapes, I had each Kinder take out eight crayons. After reviewing the shape vocabulary, I called out a shape and each student was to form that shape on their desk with their crayons. No drawing on the desks of course and they did a great job demonstrating that they had command of the shape vocabulary. 

Lastly, we played a tapping game where they had to listen carefully to see how many times I tapped on a desk and then tell me that number out loud in Spanish. They really enjoyed this and you could tell they were really counting in their heads. 

Next week I hope to continue with these review games, but also incorporate our clothing, parts of the body and house vocabulary. We'll see what creativity is around the corner! Have a wonderful weekend!

Adios, 
Sra. Hamilton

Cinco de Mayo

Hola padres! Another week has flown by and I have had so much fun with your scholars learning about Cinco de Mayo! After our circle time when we sang our days of the week song and recited our seasons poem, I read a short story about the history of this holiday and why it is so celebrated throughout the Hispanic community. Please ask them about the details of this holiday. They did such an amazing job of remembering what the holiday was all about. 
In order to help them understand a bit about Cinco de Mayo, we colored in a picture of the Mexican flag and also colored in a map of Mexico. 
Of course, there are many celebrations taking place this weekend. Here are a few links in case you are interested in checking some of them out:
http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/events/articles/20130502cinco-de-mayo-festival-phoenix.html

http://phoenix.about.com/od/events/a/cincodemayo.htm

I hope to be able to attend at least one this weekend and will let you know how it goes. I hope you are all able to celebrate a bit on your own!

Sincerely,
Sra. Hamilton

circle time, number review and more review

Hola padres! Happy viernes! Another week has gone by and I have started a bit of a circle time at the beginning of class where we sing songs and talk about the days of the week. This week, we sang about classroom objects to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell" and we also sang about the days of the week with a train themed song. After the days of the week song, we have been practicing saying "today is...." "yesterday was...." and tomorrow is....." I also reintroduced the seasons and reviewed a short poem with each class that briefly describes each season. It is my hope that these songs and poems will come back to them when they are searching for the right vocabulary. 

I have also brought back some number review. The worksheets the students are bringing home may seem a bit elementary, but they are practicing coming up with the numbers without counting on their fingers and they are also practicing writing. I hope to find some fun games to round out our number review in the next couple of weeks.

Our Cinco de Mayo study will begin first thing next week and I hope to give the kids a solid understanding of what the day means for Mexico and its citizens.  We will continue with our circle time and review during this time. Thank you all so much and have a wonderful weekend!

Adios, 
Sra. Hamilton

Review, review, review!

Hola padres! I'm so sorry that I did not write an update last week! I think between AIMS, field day and a half day on Friday, I was thrown off my schedule! Anyway, here is what we did last week:

I went back a little on the curriculum and picked up the unit on classroom objects. I know I have used this vocabulary with the Kinders throughout the year, but I'm not quite sure if I ever formally taught them the vocabulary. A worksheet with six vocabulary words was sent home and I encouraged the scholars to review them with you at home. They can help you with how to pronounce them if you are not sure. Have them teach you! This is a great way for them to learn themselves. We also worked some on our numbers. I hope to continue number review until the end of the year. 

This week, while continuing our study of classroom object vocabulary, I plan on returning to the calendar and reviewing our days of the week, months and seasons. Hopefully, this will become more familiar for them as I know the concept of time is hard for them to grasp. Towards the end of the week and beginning of next, we will also begin our study into Cinco de Mayo and why it is so significant. Be sure to ask your scholar why! Their answers might surprise you! 

Have a wonderful week!
Sra. Hamilton

Mi libro de la comida

Hola padres! I want to let you know how very proud I am of the Kinders this week! I handed them a tough assignment and they didn't think twice about it and completed it! I photocopied "Mi libro de la comida" or "My Book About Food" and had them fill it out. Each page related to a meal or group of food that we've studied and each page was completely blank with only a few lines at the bottom. We discussed each meal and decided which three foods we would write and draw onto the page. First I had them write all the words, then we drew them. The Kinders listened fabulously and for the most part were able to complete each page before moving onto the next. I told them that when they started Kindergarten, they would have never been able to do that, but that now they could do it so effortlessly. What a fun week to see their growth. I hope you enjoy their books as much as I have enjoyed making them with them. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sra. Hamilton

El desayuno, el almuerzo, la merienda, la cena and a matching game!

Feliz viernes, padres! We made it through another week! This week we concentrated more on the meals of the day: breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner and worked on placing our food vocabulary into each meal. The students worked on their colors as they colored their worksheets and we also played a number game to refresh our number vocabulary. 

The most fun part of our week was spent on a matching game that had the scholars working hard on remembering their verduras y frutas, but also worked on their sportsmanship and teamwork skills as we rooted for both teams. 

Next week, I hope to begin filling out our book about food, meal by meal and continue to introduce more food vocabulary. Wish me luck as their are so many words to learn! I know the kids will do well as their enthusiasm never wanes. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sra. Hamilton

La comida y Paletas Betty

Hola padres! What an exciting second week of the quarter! The Kinders worked really hard this week on solidifying their comida vocabulary by playing more musical frutas y verduras (fruits and vegetables) and by taking their first ever Spanish quiz! It was so fun to walk them through that first endeavor. They did a great job listening to the words and watching me as I pronounced and pointed to each word and picture on the quiz. 

This latter part of the week we began talking about the four different meals that are typically eaten throughout the day: el desayuno, el almuerzo, la merienda y la cena and about which fruits are typically eaten at each meal. We will continue reinforcing this vocabulary in future lessons. One activity I'd like to do with them is making a plate of food using the food ads from grocery stores and restaurants that are found in the newspaper. I was wondering if you parents would be willing to send some of those ads in for us to use. I have a few, but am not sure I can collect enough on my own for each students in both classes to create their own plates. If you could just have your scholar bring them into school and give them either to their teachers or to myself I would greatly appreciate it. Gracias! 

Since we are in the fourth quarter, I would also like to start reviewing topics that I feel the Kinders could use some repetition in. So, I hope to spend a few minutes each week playing games or reviewing lessons that we have already done, but that the kids found particularly fun or that I feel really got them thinking as to how to use the Spanish they have learned. I'm excited to see what they remember!

One last note. I was able to visit a great establishment this weekend that I feel would be a great way for the scholars to experience a bit of Mexican culture. If you haven't been, I would highly recommend Paletas Betty. Paletas are Mexican popsicles made with real chunks of fruit. Unfortunately, the closest one to us is in Tempe right down the street from Sun Devil Stadium. I believe there is another one in Chandler. However, if you are ever in that area, I would highly recommend going. The flavor combinations were truly reminiscent of Mexico. I had pina y chile (pineapple and chili pepper) and my daughter had chocolate with some great cinnamon and other spices. There was also the classic strawberry,  a refreshing coconut and delectable blueberry lavendar combinations. It was the perfect refreshment after our hike up "A" mountain.  Let me know what you think! Have a wonderful week! 

Sra. Hamilton