World Languages

Week of April 28th

Interest Meeting for World Language Trips, 2026 (current 7th grade families)

World Language Trip Interest Meeting for 7th Grade Families

Deal will host an interest meeting for 7th grade families in-person at Deal at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, May 14th. The world language trips will take place during the 8th grade year, but planning for these trips starts now!

As part of Deal's commitment to inspiring excellence, curiosity, and compassion in our students, Deal Middle School will once again plan optional international trips as a supplement to our world language program. 8th grade students enrolled in Spanish, French, Chinese, or Spanish Humanities will have the opportunity to join their designated trip. These trips are entirely optional, funded by families, chaperoned by Deal staff, and open only to Deal 8th grade students in good academic, attendance, and behavioral standing. We find these trips to be a powerful experience for all involved.

All families interested in taking part should plan to attend the meeting. Additional details will be shared in future 7th grade team newsletters. See you there!

This week in our classes!

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

Last week in Spanish class, our students continued developing their language skills by learning how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense. They also took a listening formative assessment to practice their comprehension skills. Next week, we will build on this foundation by learning how to ask and answer questions about extracurricular activities. Students will use verb conjugations in meaningful contexts to practice their speaking and writing in Spanish. We're excited to see their continued growth!

Spanish I (Mr. Donaldson, Ms. Cuffee)

The week begins with a listening PA on supermarket vocabulary before students begin testing on Tuesday, April 29. Students will focus on body parts and giving advice this week. They will learn the names of various body parts in Spanish, and apply this new vocabulary in practical situations, including how to give advice about health and nutrition. The practice activities will involve practicing giving advice on various health-related scenarios and identifying body parts in context.

Homework assignments (Assigned April 28, Due May 2): 4HW5 - Parts of the body (Vocabulary Multiple Choice), 4HW6 - Dar los consejos (Vocabulary Multiple Choice).

The following graded assignment is also included this week: 4PA2.ES - En el supermercado Listening CW

Spanish II (Ms. Wooten, Ms. Henderson)

This week in Spanish 2, students have been working with new vocabulary as they read and respond to the first two chapters of our final novel of the year. Through this text, they are exploring themes of art and identity and how different communities express their cultural identity. Our main focus is on the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago, but we’re also encouraging students to reflect on how cultural identity is expressed here in Washington, DC.

As we approach the STAMP assessment, we’re challenging students to use their Spanish both in and out of the classroom. We encourage you to join in- ask your student what they’ve been reading and how they feel about it. You might ask them to describe Carlos and his situation or explain why he’s returning to Chicago. ¡En español, por supuesto!

Spanish Humanities, grade 6 (Ms. Balestra)

Students did a fabulous job creating their own mythological story and depicting a scene from their story in clay!

Here is a link to the stories: MItologia_cuentos de nuestras clases.docx

Here is a link to pictures of the clay creations: https://share.icloud.com/photos/0a2cQdb_pMWiOm8E13Wd7npqg

Los alumnos hicieron un trabajo fantástico creando su propia historia mitológica y representando una escena de ella en platilina.

Aquí tienen el enlace a las historias: MItologia_cuentos de nuestras clases.docx

Aquí tienen el enlace a las fotos de las creaciones en arcilla: https://share.icloud.com/photos/0a2cQdb_pMWiOm8E13Wd7npqg

Spanish Humanities, grade 7 (Ms. Henderson)

En nuestra clase de Humanidades hemos comenzado a leer nuestra última novela del año: El épico fracaso de Arturo Zamora. Esta historia sigue a un adolescente cubanoamericano que intenta ayudar a su familia y, en el proceso, descubre el poder de la comunidad, la poesía y la amistad. Contamos con algunas copias del libro en el aula, pero si desean que su estudiante tenga su propio libro, pueden conseguirlo en este enlace.
Además de explorar la cultura cubana a través de la historia, los estudiantes también aprenderán sobre la vida e ideas de José Martí, una figura clave en la historia de Cuba. ¡Los animo a conversar con sus hijos sobre el libro y lo que están aprendiendo en clase!

In our Humanities class, we’ve begun reading our final novel of the year: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora. This story follows a Cuban American teenager who tries to help his family and ends up discovering the power of community, poetry, and friendship. We have some copies available in the classroom, but if you would like your student to have their own copy, you can find it at this link.

In addition to exploring Cuban culture through the novel, students will also learn about the life and ideas of José Martí, a key figure in Cuban history. Talk with your child about the book and what they’re learning in class!

Spanish Humanities, grade 8 (Ms. Wooten)

This week in humanidades 8 we finished our conversation on environmental justice and our study of environmental activists in Latin America. Next week we will begin the book La Ultima Cuentista. Thanks to all for getting the book, and for your generosity in donating some extra books too! We will also go over the test structure and complete practice questions for the STAMP exam, a standardized world language test that will give each student a proficiency score in the 4 fluencies of the language: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students will take the STAMP exam after PARCC has ended (the week of May 12-16).

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

Bonjour families! Term 4 is off to a strong start in introduction to French. Last week we learned how to talk about pastime activities. We can now say what we like to do and what we don't like to do. This week, we will continue learning about activities and how to invite people to do things with us. Regularly studying vocabulary is the KEY to successful language learning, so students should continue to study their vocabulary nightly!

French I (Ms. Balestra, Mr. Osei)

The theme for Unit 4 is clothing and fashion. While we continue to work on reading and speaking, our focus this term is listening comprehension and writing. Students have been learning new vocabulary and new verbs related to this theme. Last week they took a vocabulary Formative. This week students will be working on projects, using new material and integrating it with what we have been learning all year. Please remind your student that projects will be graded!

French II (Dr. Mbayu)

This week we started Unit 3: Le weekend, les loisirs, et les spectacles. We will complete a reading performance activity (criterion B): le metro et vive le jazz.

Next week we will delve into weekend activities in the city and the countryside from a comparative perspective.

Chinese (Ms. Liang)

G6

Last week, our Grade 6 students continued their unit on sports and physical activities. They are learning how to talk about different sports, express who they play with, and share their preferences using key sentence structures and vocabulary in Chinese.

Through fun conversations, partner work, and written practice, students are gaining confidence in expressing their interests in sports and understanding how to ask others about theirs.

Students had a formative quiz last Friday to assess their understanding of vocabulary and sentence patterns from this unit. Next week, students will have assessments on sports.

G7

Last week, our Grade 7 students explored a variety of iconic Chinese dishes, including Peking duck, hot pot, dim sum, hot and sour soup, and stir-fried rice with eggs. Students practiced describing the ingredients, flavors, and cooking methods in Chinese, while learning to express their own food preferences.

To check for understanding, students completed a formative assessment on Friday, which focused on vocabulary, sentence patterns, and cultural knowledge related to Chinese cuisine.

We’re proud of their progress and excited to continue deepening their understanding of Chinese food and culture in the coming weeks!

G8

This week, our Grade 8 students focused on reviewing high-frequency vocabulary and key grammar structures to strengthen their overall language proficiency. In class, students actively practiced all four language skills — listening, speaking, reading, and writing — through a variety of interactive activities.

To build oral fluency, students used Vocaroo.com to record their speaking practice and reflect on their pronunciation and fluency. In addition, we completed focused listening and writing exercises to help students apply their knowledge in real-time contexts. Next week, we will keep reviewing units for STAMP.