World Languages
Week of March 2, 2026
Spanish Language and Culture (Mr. Fontalvo, Ms. Gonzalez)
Last week in Spanish class, students practiced family vocabulary and learned how to describe members of the family. Through engaging videos and interactive activities, students expanded their ability to talk about relationships and physical and personality descriptions. They also worked with family trees to practice identifying and describing different family connections in Spanish.
Next week, students will complete a formative reading and speaking assessment. In order to feel confident and successful, students should make sure they have mastered the family vocabulary and descriptive language learned in class. Reviewing notes, vocabulary lists, and practicing at home will be very helpful.
Thank you for your continued support!
Spanish I (Mr. Donaldson, Ms. Cuffee)
Spanish II (Ms. Wooten, Ms. Henderson, Mr. Almanza)
Spanish Humanities, grade 6 (Ms. Balestra)
Last week students continued thinking about monsters and heroes and how they are portrayed in literature. We also discussed perspective and how a story can change based on the perspective of a certain character. Students rewrote the story of Little Red Riding Hood from the perspective of the wolf. Students showed their understanding of characteristics and themes on the Friday Formative.
Next week students will read "El Laberinto del Minotauro." We will also begin writing our own myth, giving an explanation for a natural phenomenon. The Friday Formative will focus on monsters and heroes in "El Laberinto del Minotauro."
French Language & Culture (Ms. Bullock, Mr. Almanza)
This week students will continue to learn how to talk about their family by creating a family tree (real or imagined). Studens will also be demonstrating their learning on a reading formative. To prepare, students should be sure they know their family vocabulary.
What can we do at home?
Vocabulary is KEY to language learning. Students should be reviewing their vocabulary for at least 5 minutes every night. They are welcome to use this resource to support their learning. It is updated every time we learn something new! Students have been commenting about how much they've learned so far. It's great to see their confidence grow.
French I (Ms. Balestra, Mr. Osei)
This past week students continued to expand their vocabulary around the theme of sports and leisure activities. Students also worked with the past tense (le passe compose). Students took a Reading Comprehension Summative to show their mastery of new vocabulary.
Next week students will be working with reflexive verbs. Friday's Formative will be a Speaking Formative focusing on daily self-care activities.
A reminder that students in Mme Balestra's classes can find slide decks, homework assignments, vocabulary, and practice activities on our Home page of Canvas.
French II (Dr. Mbayu & Mr. Osei)
🎯 Focus: organization and detail.
💡 Ask at home: What happened first, next, and finally?
Chinese (Ms. Liang)
G6
Last week, our G6 Chinese students have been actively engaged in learning how to express nationalities, languages, and their ability to speak different languages in Chinese. They have also practiced requesting to practice a language with someone and telling a story using a specific language. Last week on Monday, students participated in an oral practice session to reinforce their speaking skills, applying their knowledge in meaningful conversations. Next week, we will wrap up this unit and have a review session before Tuesday's summative written test.
G7
Last week, our Grade 7 students continued working on the Shopping Unit (购物单元), diving deeper into essential vocabulary and grammar that help them confidently navigate shopping scenarios.
Key Vocabulary of last week:
满意 (mǎn yì) – Satisfied with something
Example: 我对这双鞋很满意。
(Wǒ duì zhè shuāng xié hěn mǎn yì.) – I am very satisfied with these shoes.
电脑 (diàn nǎo) – Computer
电梯 (diàn tī) – Elevator
价格 (jià gé) – Price
便宜 (pián yi) – Cheap, affordable
贵 (guì) – Expensive
Grammar Focus:
Expressing satisfaction using 对 (duì) + [object] + 满意 (mǎn yì).
Example:
我对这件衣服很满意。(Wǒ duì zhè jiàn yīfu hěn mǎn yì.) – I am very satisfied with this piece of clothing.
Asking for prices:
这个多少钱？(Zhège duōshǎo qián?) – How much is this?
太贵了！(Tài guì le!) – It’s too expensive!
Last Friday, students had a formative assessment to review their understanding of vocabulary and grammar learned so far in the shopping unit. Next week, students will take a summative assessment to demonstrate their mastery of shopping-related vocabulary, sentence structures, and cultural understanding.
G8
Our Grade 8 Chinese students have been making great progress in their International Travel unit! Over the past few weeks, they have been learning essential vocabulary and expressions related to packing for a trip, discussing what to bring, and planning for international travel. Last Friday, students completed an assessment to demonstrate their understanding of these concepts. They showcased their ability to communicate about packing essentials in Chinese, reinforcing both their vocabulary and sentence structure skills. Next week, we will continue exploring this unit with a greater focus on typing and writing in Chinese. Students will practice composing travel-related sentences and short passages to improve their fluency and accuracy in written communication.