World Languages

Welcome! Bienvenido/a! Bienvenue! 欢迎

Spanish Language and Culture

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

¡Hola, familias! 👋

Last week, our students continued building a strong foundation in Spanish by learning how to identify cognates—words that look and sound similar in English and Spanish—and practicing the Spanish alphabet and pronunciation. Students did a wonderful job making connections between the two languages and using these strategies to strengthen their Spanish skills.

Next week, we will begin exploring the Spanish-speaking world! 🌎 Students will learn about the continents and oceans and identify the Spanish-speaking countries around the world. Through engaging activities, they will build their geographic knowledge while discovering the diversity of the global Spanish-speaking community.

We are excited to continue learning and exploring together. ¡Hasta pronto!

Spanish I

Spanish I (Mr. Donaldson, Ms. Cuffee)

We will officially start our first unit, Viajando por la ciudad (Traveling in the City), which includes the exploration of vocabulary related to rooms and household furniture. The first SpanishDict.com homework assignments for Unit 1 will be given on Monday and are due by 3:15 PM on Friday.

Spanish II

Spanish II (Ms. Wooten, Ms. Henderson, Mr. Almanza)

We are well into our first introductory unit of the year! Students are reviewing skills developed in Spanish 1, becoming more comfortable expressing themselves in Spanish (our goal is 90% Spanish in the classroom!), and, most importantly, interacting with one another in the language.

This week, students were asked to complete their first project of the year, which we are looking forward to showing off at Back-to-School Night!

Next week, we will continue building skills that students will use throughout the year, including circumlocution, using context clues, and strategies for negotiating meaning when they don’t know a word or expression. These skills will help prepare us to begin reading our first novel of the year.

Once again, thank you so much to all the families who have contributed supplies and materials to our classroom. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we are stocked, prepared, and ready for a successful year ahead!

Spanish Humanities

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!

Spanish Humanities, grade 7 (Ms. Henderson)

This week, we embarked on our first unit of the year, An Exploration of Identity. We are beginning our exploration through the lens of Joseph Campbell’s famous literary pattern, The Hero’s Journey. Students are becoming familiar with the concept through examples from modern stories and are interpreting each stage of the journey through their own illustrations.

Next week, we will take the Hero’s Journey beyond fiction as we examine the lives of several important figures from the Spanish-speaking world. Students will consider how the challenges, choices, setbacks, and transformations in these individuals’ lives reflect stages of the Hero’s Journey—and explore the idea of how art can imitate life.

Once again, I want to thank all the families who have contributed supplies, books, and other materials to our classroom. Thanks to your generosity, our classroom is well stocked and prepared, and we are ready for a wonderful year of learning together!

Humanidades en Español – 7.º grado

Esta semana nos embarcamos en nuestra primera unidad del año, Una exploración de la identidad. Estamos comenzando nuestra exploración a través del famoso patrón literario de Joseph Campbell: El viaje del héroe. Los estudiantes se están familiarizando con este concepto mediante ejemplos de historias modernas e interpretando cada etapa del viaje a través de sus propias ilustraciones.

La semana que viene llevaremos el Viaje del Héroe más allá de la ficción al examinar las vidas de varias figuras importantes del mundo hispanohablante. Los estudiantes analizarán cómo los desafíos, las decisiones, los contratiempos y las transformaciones en las vidas de estas personas reflejan las etapas del Viaje del Héroe y explorarán la idea de cómo el arte puede imitar la vida.

Una vez más, quiero expresar mi más sincero agradecimiento a todas las familias que han contribuido con útiles, libros y otros materiales para nuestra clase. Gracias a su generosidad, tenemos todo lo que necesitamos y estamos preparados para un excelente año de aprendizaje juntos. ¡Muchísimas gracias por su apoyo!

Spanish Humanities, grade 8 (Ms. Wooten)

We kicked off this week in Spanish humanities with a “book tasting,” looking through over 60 possible independent reading books in Spanish, reading a few pages and writing observations about 10, and then finally narrowing it down to 2 books of choice. Students need to have an independent reading book by next Tuesday after the long weekend. They can buy a book (some options here), get one from DC public library, borrow from me, or borrow from Mr. Reichlen in the library. We will visit the class in the library on Tuesday.

We also began our new unit, discussing how heritage speakers, native speakers, and students from bilingual schools have all had different levels of types of input in Spanish. We anonymously answered questions about identity and language, and then made observations about who we are as a class and what implications that will have on our learning.

Next week we will start reading our first identity poems in Spanish and begin planning our first poem for our poetry portfolio.

French Language & Culture

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

Bonjour!

Last week, we started learning French! Students learned the French alphabet (have you heard the song yet?), greetings, farewells and how to say their names.

This week, we will be reviewing (practice makes progress after all), and learning how to say how we are feeling.

The easiest way to learn French is to practice a little every day. Encourage your student to review regularly! We will discuss strategies for success at BTSN on September 16th.

We have created Amazon Wish Lists with items that will help make our classrooms more engaging, organized, and welcoming for our students. Any contribution is completely optional but greatly appreciated!

Madame's Classroom Wish List (thank you so much to those who have donated. The family support feels AMAZING!)

French I

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

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

Chinese (Ms. Liang)

Grade 6

Grade 6 Chinese class last week focused on learning high-frequency words through their etymology. We will have two summative assessments – one presentation and one writing test 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. We will have two summative assessments coming the week after next.

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. We will have two summative assessments coming the week after next.