World Languages

Week of January 27

This week in our classes!

Spanish Language and Culture (Mr. Fontalvo, Ms. Gonzalez)

Last week, students completed their end-of-term summative assessments, and grades have been posted on Aspen. We encourage students to attend advisory or after-school sessions if they need to retake the assessments or submit any missing assignments from the second half of the term.

Next week, we’ll begin a new term and an exciting new unit, "Mi familia y mis amigos". Students will explore vocabulary related to adjectives for describing personalities and will practice subject pronouns in Spanish. We’re looking forward to building on their progress as we move into this new phase of learning!

Spanish I (Mr. Donaldson, Ms. Cuffee)

In this first week of Term 3, students will begin Unit 3 by exploring los infinitivos (infinitive verbs) and reviewing present-tense conjugations from Beginning Spanish. On the first day, they will set up their Unit 3 title page and discuss infinitive forms in Spanish. They will also receive three SpanishDict.com homework assignments on present regular verbs (3HW1.Pres), subject pronouns (3HW2.ProS), and the top 50 verbs (3HW3.Top50). As the week progresses, read and analyze a texts, practice irregular present-tense verbs, and conclude with more present tense conjugation practice.

Spanish II (Ms. Wooten, Ms. Henderson)

This week in Spanish 2, we did a listening summative, testing students' ability to use the new vocabulary from the first 2 chapters of the book "Los Baker Van a Perú" as well as their knowledge of the main characters, setting, and plot of these first 2 chapters. Students had to show that they could understand the vocabulary in context as well as use it to describe a new context, as well as identify which character would have said certain phrases and support their answers with an explanation in Spanish. We also reflected on the 2nd advisory and celebrated our accomplishments. In the third advisory, we will be focusing on our speaking and listening skills, so expect more homework assignments that require students to record speaking, as well as more opportunities for speaking Spanish (for longer sustained periods) in class. Students will be reading the book "Los Baker Van a Perú" and also learning about the culture of Perú. Next week, students will be working on new vocabulary and reading the third chapter of the book, which deals with a game show. Students will have opportunities to participate in various games and describe in Spanish what they have to do, what the judge does, how to win, whether they are games of skill and luck, etc. Students will also get to invent their own game show and describe it to peers in Spanish, and decide which of their peers' games they would be best at, find easiest, most fun, etc. The goal of all class activities it to maintain Spanish while using the new vocabulary, but also having fun and finding engaging subject matter to discuss together in the target language. Please continue to check canvas and see your teachers in tutoring when absent!

Spanish Humanities, grade 6 (Ms. Balestra)

Last week we reviewed stem changing verbs in the present tense. We also continued reading Cajas de Carton.

Students showed understanding of chapters 1-4 on their Summative assessment.

Next week we will finish the book before beginning Unit 3.

Spanish Humanities, grade 7 (Ms. Henderson)

I am excited to share that our 7th Grade Spanish Humanities class has begun a new unit centered around the book Los siete hábitos de los adolescentes altamente efectivos. Throughout this unit, students will engage in weekly journal entries to reflect on their behaviors, habits, and interactions with others.

This past week, we explored the paradigms we hold about ourselves and others, discussing how these perspectives influence our judgments and actions. We are also sharpening our grammar skills by focusing on the present tense, with special attention to reflexive verbs.

Looking ahead, next week we will delve into the second habit from the book, Comenzar con un fin en mente ("Begin with the End in Mind"). As part of this lesson, students will create vision boards to articulate their aspirations and dreams for the future.

Me emociona compartir que nuestra clase de Humanidades en Español de 7º grado ha comenzado una nueva unidad basada en el libro Los siete hábitos de los adolescentes altamente efectivos. Durante esta unidad, los estudiantes escribirán entradas semanales en un diario para reflexionar sobre sus comportamientos, hábitos e interacciones con los demás.

Esta semana, hemos explorado los paradigmas que tenemos sobre nosotros mismos y los demás, analizando cómo estas perspectivas influyen en nuestros juicios y acciones. También estamos perfeccionando nuestras habilidades gramaticales, centrándonos en el tiempo presente, con especial atención a los verbos reflexivos.

La próxima semana, nos enfocaremos en el segundo hábito del libro, Comenzar con un fin en mente. Como parte de esta lección, los estudiantes crearán tableros de visión para expresar sus aspiraciones y sueños para el futuro.

Spanish Humanities, grade 8 (Ms. Wooten)

In 8th grade humanities, students ended the 2nd advisory reading the vignette "No Speak English." We analyzed various statistics about 1st generation, 2nd generation, and third generation Latino immigrants: their language proficiency in speaking/ writing Spanish, their preferences for listening to music in Spanish v English, and their language use at home. Students illustrated the perspective of a character from this vignette and were able to make personal connections to the text as well as express their opinions about how they may want to use different languages in their future families and their opinions about how important it is that future generations of Latinos maintain the use of Spanish. We also ended the week with shout outs and reflections from the advisory. As we begin the 3rd advisory next week, students will read the next few vignettes of Casa en Mango Street, beginning analyzing the various women that Esperanza has for role models in her community and reflecting on influential women that they know in their own lives, in the Spanish-speaking world, and in society in general. As we finish the book in the 3rd advisory, students will have the opportunity to choose the own creative project to reflect on the book before we move onto our next unit.

French Language and Culture (Ms. Bullock, Mr. Almanza)

Welcome to unit 3! Unit 3 of Introduction to French is called Ma famille et mes amis (my family and my friends). In this unit, we will be learning vocabulary to identify and describe friends and family--both their personality and appearance. In this first week of the unit, we will start by learning how to describe ourselves. A strong start at the beginning of the unit is the key to success! After all, learning foundational vocabulary is essential. Encourage your student to review what they have been learning in class as a way to start strong! Need a resource? Students can always use our Quizlet flashcards to review!

French I (Ms. Balestra, Mr. Osei)

We are excited to begin Unit 3! Our vocabulary focus this unit will be daily activities and hobbies. Our grammar focus will be reflexive verbs and the passe compose (a way to express past actions).

Please remind your student to review vocabulary daily.

French II (Dr. Mbayu)

We begin Unit 2: Le sport, la nourriture, et la santé. We will complete a diagnostic assessment and explore culture capsules.

Chinese (Ms. Liang)

Grade 6

Last week, students learned about the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, their order, and their significance in Chinese culture. They practiced saying their own zodiac animal and the animals of family members in Chinese. We explored different measure words, focusing on how they are used to describe objects, animals, and more. Students practiced using measure words with new vocabulary, such as: 只 (zhī) for animals like dogs and cats; 条 (tiáo) for long, thin animals like fish, snake, and dragon. Students learned names of common pets (宠物), such as: 狗 (gǒu) – Dog; 猫 (māo) – Cat; 金鱼 (jin yú) – Goldfish; 鸟 (niǎo) – Bird. Students practiced describing their pets, including what they like about them and why. Example sentences include:

我有一只狗，它很可爱。(Wǒ yǒu yī zhī gǒu, tā hěn kě’ài） – I have a dog, and it’s very cute.
我喜欢鱼，因为它们很有好看。(Wǒ xǐhuān yú, yīnwèi tāmen hěn hǎo kàn） – I like fish because they are very good looking.

We practiced Planting the sun and prepared for the performance at Deal International Night. Students will have a summative written and oral assessment next week on Wednesday and Friday.

Grade 7

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.

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.

Grade 8

This week, our Grade 8 students began exploring the International Trip Unit (国际旅行单元), focusing on vocabulary and expressions related to planning trips and discussing holidays. 假期 (jià qī) – Holiday; 寒假 (hán jià) – Winter holiday; 暑假 (shǔ jià) – Summer holiday; 度假 (dù jià) – Spend a holiday/vacation; 放假 (fàng jià – Holiday starts). Last Friday, students practiced tying short paragraphs by using pinyin and turn the final work in on canvas. Next week, we will keep learning the new unit and have a formative assessment on Friday.