World Languages
Week of September 14, 2026
Spanish Language and Culture (Mr. Fontalvo, Ms. Gonzalez)
Last week, students explored the Spanish-speaking world by learning about Spanish-speaking countries, interesting cultural facts, continents, and oceans. They also practiced the Spanish alphabet and strengthened their pronunciation skills by spelling words aloud.
Next week, we will continue building our foundational Spanish skills! Students will learn common greetings and farewells, practice asking and answering basic questions, and begin working with numbers in Spanish. We are excited to keep growing our confidence and communication skills!
Spanish I (Mr. Donaldson, Ms. Cuffee)
It’s been a great week with Spanish I scholars! Most student scholars successfully accessed SpanishDict.com and completed their first three homework tasks on that platform. Student scholars also completed their first listening assessment. Way to go!
Next week, we are extremely excited to celebrate and kickoff Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th to October 15th. Scholars will continue using the unit’s new vocabulary while learning about and delving into possessive adjectives, the verb “estar”, and prepositions to express where items are located in a house/home and where items are located in reference to other items. Students will complete new SpanishDict.com assignments due on Friday based on the topics learned this week. The late/retake deadline for the first half of Term 1 is Thursday, September 24. No work from that date or before will be accepted.
Spanish II (Ms. Wooten, Ms. Henderson, Mr. Almanza)
This week in Spanish 2 we finished up our review of Spanish 1 vocabulary. We reviewed classroom “survival phrases” that we commit to using ONLY in Spanish, in order to help us meet our goal of 90% Spanish use in the classroom. We practiced the core present tense verbs in a variety of contexts, describing short videos and stories. We learned about our class organization systems- setting up our personal dictionaries and binders.
Next week:
Next week, we will start our first unit, called “Fronteras: historias de migración,” in which we will read the book Esperanza (not Esperanza Rising- that’s a different book!). We will start by pre-teaching some of the vocabulary and practicing it through the analysis of the song “A las tres” by los Enanitos Verdes. Students will learn one of our speaking practice routines and have a series of conversations in Spanish in their groups about the song.
HOMEWORK- study for vocabulary quiz on Tuesday (link to vocab here and a game to practice here) and check Aspen/ Canvas for missing assignments
Spanish Humanities, grade 6 (Ms. Balestra)
Spanish Humanities, 6th grade:
Welcome to Deal MS and Spanish Humanities! I'm so glad you are here! It has been a joy to get to know your child this past week. We have been speaking Spanish, listening to Spanish, and writing Spanish. Students are getting used to figuring out how to express themselves even when they don't have all the right words. This week we have reviewed classroom routines, class supplies, and class norms. We have reviewed how to ask and answer simple questions. We are working on getting to know our classmates through interviews and a writing assignment.
Next week we will focus on high-frequency verbs and writing a coherent paragraph.
For our Spanish Humanities class, your student needs a 1-inch 3-ring binder, and a composition book. Both of these items will be kept in the classroom.
I look forward to meeting you on September 16th at Back to School Night!
¡Bienvenidos a Deal MS y a Humanidades en Español! ¡Me alegra mucho que estén aquí! Ha sido un placer conocer a su hijo/a esta última semana. Hemos estado hablando español, escuchando español y escribiendo en español. Los estudiantes se están acostumbrando a encontrar la manera de expresarse incluso cuando no tienen todas las palabras correctas. Esta semana hemos repasado las rutinas del aula, los materiales de clase y las normas de clase. También hemos repasado cómo preguntar y responder preguntas sencillas. Estamos trabajando en conocer a nuestros compañeros a través de entrevistas y una tarea de escritura.
La próxima semana nos enfocaremos en verbos de alta frecuencia y en escribir un párrafo coherente.
Para nuestra clase de Humanidades en Español, su hijo/a necesita un cuaderno de 3 anillas de 1 pulgada, y un cuaderno de composición. Ambos artículos se quedarán en el aula.
¡Espero con entusiasmo conocerlos el 16 de septiembre en la Noche de Regreso a Clases!
French Language & Culture (Ms. Bullock, Mr. Almanza)
Bonjour!
Last week we learned how to answer the question: Comment ça va? How are you? in French.
This week, students will be able to say where they're from as we continue in our getting to know you unit. Students will also have their first listening formative in which they will identify cognates in spoken French. If students would like to use their own headphones, they should bring them to class. The best way to prepare for this formative is to be well rested!
The easiest way to learn French is to practice a little every day. Encourage your student to review regularly! Madame Bullock's students can use Match or online flashcards to review (found on our Canvas page). We will discuss strategies for success at BTSN on September 16th.
French I (Ms. Balestra, Mr. Osei)
Last week we continued refreshing previously learned material, focusing on subject pronouns and interrogative words. We practiced asking and answering questions with our classmates and wrote a paragraph introducing ourselves and a few classmates. In Mme Balestra's class, the song of the week was "Anita," by Kimberose.
Next week we will review high-frequency verbs and begin to introduce vocabulary from Unit 1: la ville et la maison.
We look forward to seeing you on September 16th at BTSN!
French II (Dr. Mbayu & Mr. Osei)
French II – Unit 1: Qui suis-je ?
Students practiced introducing themselves in French. They learned vocabulary for names, ages, nationalities, and family members, reviewed être and avoir, and practiced nationality agreement. They listened to authentic French introductions, wrote short “Je me présente” paragraphs, and reflected on strategies for remembering new vocabulary. A cultural comparison explored how introductions differ in French vs. English.
Chinese (Ms. Liang)
Grade 6
Grade 6 Chinese class this week focused on learning high-frequency words through their etymology. We completed our oral and written assessments last Friday. Students were given Textbook Volume I in class. We will start learning lesson two - pinyin, numbers, and greetings - next week.
Grade 7
Grade 7 Chinese classes last week worked on mastering vocabulary related to daily schedules and key grammar concepts with focus on expressing their routines. Grade 7 Chinese classes will work on two summative assessments about expressing their routines next week. We will also start learning Lesson 2 - time and activities next week.
Grade 8
Grade 8 Chinese class last week explored vocabulary related to daily school life, focusing on language application in listening, speaking, reading, and writing—to ensure a well-rounded understanding in class. Grade 8 Chinese classes will work on two summative assessments related to daily school life next week. We will start learning Lesson 2 - transportation and traveling next week.