World Languages

Week of November 4th

This week in our classes!

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

Last week, students had a wonderful time putting their learning from Unit 1 into practice through interdisciplinary projects. They also celebrated Día de los Muertos, a traditional Hispanic holiday, which helped them connect with Spanish-speaking cultures in a meaningful way.

Next week, we’ll have only three days of classes, and students will begin Unit 2 as we enter the second term. In this unit, they’ll explore topics related to weather and food, with a focus on reading and speaking skills. They’ll also learn about days of the week, months, and dates in Spanish.

Thank you for supporting your children as they continue their Spanish journey!

Spanish I (Mr. Donaldson, Ms. Cuffee)

We are proud of our students' grit and determination in Term 1, and we are excited to start Term 2!

In Week 1 (November 6-8), students in Spanish I will begin Unit 2 by reviewing numbers and colors and introducing clothing vocabulary. For classwork, students will complete activities on clothing and numbers as part of 2PA1.La and 2PA2.Num. Homework assignments on SpanishDict.com will also be introduced, with three assignments on numbers and one on clothing vocabulary, all open from November 5 and due by November 15.

For Week 2 (November 12-15), we will continue reinforcing numbers, colors, and clothing vocabulary. Students will engage with 2FormB1, a reading formative assessment focused on clothing and numbers. Although all modalities will be practiced in this unit, the formative and summative assessments will be reading and speaking assessments.

Please note that the first grading deadline, after which assignments completed before that date will not be accepted late or for retakes, is Tuesday, December 10. The reading comprehension summative assessment, worth 20% of the term grade, will be on December 6

Spanish II (Ms. Wooten, Ms. Henderson)

Spanish 2:

This week in Spanish 2, students worked in groups to watch select clips from the documentary Which Way Home. One of the goals of this unit has been to expose students to as many personal stories of immigration as possible, and this documentary shows a unique perspective of youth who decided to travel alone to the US. Next week as we start the new advisory, we will begin our preparation for inviting both adults and students from Cardozo International to our school for continued conversations about immigration. We will wrap up our immigration unit before Thanksgiving break.

Spanish Humanities, grade 6 (Ms. Balestra)

We have completed Unit 1 in this class, our study of our childhood and growing up around the world. We finished the unit with a project; stay tuned for pictures!

Next week we begin Unit 2: Mi place in the world: Immigration and Identity.

Spanish Humanities, grade 7 (Ms. Henderson)

In 7th Grade Humanities, we’ve just finished reading the first two chapters of El Lazarillo de Tormes. We’ve been exploring how the events of Lazaro’s early years have influenced his perspective on life. Next week, we’ll continue to follow Lazaro’s journey under the care of his first master. Students will also have the opportunity to put their writing skills to the test by crafting responses to the text. We’re excited to see how they engage with this classic work!

Spanish Humanities, grade 8 (Ms. Wooten)

Many thanks for the delicious food you all brought for our celebration on Tuesday. We had an amazing time and I am very proud of everyone’s hard work on their poems. Please please have your own poetry reading at home! Enjoy these photos (you should be able to download from GoogleDrive the ones of you).

Don’t forget- no school Monday or Tuesday. Next Wednesday we will start our new unit, reading La Casa en Mango Street as well as a mix of other text from the collection Más Allá de la Frontera and other sources. Enjoy the long weekend!

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

Next week in Introduction to French, we will be preparing for our first speaking assessment! Students will be preparing for mini-interviews with each other using our "speed-friending" questions as a capstone for unit 1. We will then begin unité 2: au café which is usually a fan favorite! As always, we encourage families to ask your student what they are learning in French! Teaching someone else is the best way to reinforce what one has learned.

French I (Ms. Balestra, Mr. Osei)

We successfully finished Unit 1: La Ville et La Maison. Stay tuned for pictures of projects!

Next week we begin Unit 2: La Nourriture.

We are excited to use our background knowledge and build from there!

French II (Dr. Mbayu)

Last week our students continued the use of realia by annotating authentic newspaper ads and responding to comprehension questions. Next week, we will take two summative assessments.

Merci.

Chinese (Ms. Liang)

Grade 6

Last week our students completed the learning of lesson 3 School supplies. We had a summative written test on Wednesday and a summative oral test on Thursday and Friday. Next week we will start learning lesson 4 My family. We are excited to see their progress as they build their foundational reading and writing skills in Chinese.

Grade 7

Last week our students continued learning about furniture and rooms. We had a formative assessment last Friday. Next week we will have summative assessments – one oral and one written test - on Lesson 3 and start to learn Lesson 4. We are excited to see their progress as they build their reading and writing skills in Chinese.

Grade 8

Last week our students completed two summative assessments of lesson 2 and started learning Lesson 3 Extracurricular Activities. We had a formative assessment last Friday on activities. Next week we will continue to learn lesson 4. We are excited to see their progress as they build their presentational speaking and writing skills in Chinese.