Canciones de Navidad

This week the Spanish students are caroling with some canciones de Navidad for other students in the school. We've been practicing the lyrics (and some motions!) to some popular holiday songs. Some of the songs we've learned are: Feliz Navidad, Rodolfo, el reno de la nariz roja, Cascabeles (jingle bells) y Mi hombre de nieve (frosty the snowman). ¡Ask a Spanish student for un concierto!

Here are the lyrics to Mi hombre de nieve:

Mi hombre de nieve

es feliz y está muy gordo

con la boca, la nariz, dos ojos

en la cabeza un sombrero

Mi hombre de nieve
es feliz y está muy gordo
con la boca, la nariz, dos ojos
en la cabeza un sombrero

Ta ta ta ta ta

Ta ta ta ta ta

mi hombre de nieve

Ta ta ta ta ta
Ta ta ta ta ta
mi hombre de nieve

Have a wonderful and safe break!!

el día de nuestra señora de Guadalupe

Today, el doce de diciembre, is a holiday for an important Catholic symbol in Mexico. Guadalupe is represented as a manifestation of the Virgin Mary in the Americas. Guadalupe is also a symbol of Mexico. Read below about Guadalupe's first appearance in Mexico in 1531,


"According to traditional Catholic accounts of the Guadalupan apparitions, during a walk from his village to the city on the early morning of December 9, 1531, Juan Diego saw a vision of the Virgin - a young girl of fourteen to sixteen, surrounded by light- at the Hill of Tepeyac. Speaking in Nahuatl, the Lady asked for a church to be built at that site in her honor. When Juan Diego spoke to the Spanish bishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, the bishop asked him for a miraculous sign to prove his claim. The Virgin asked Juan Diego to gather some flowers at the top of the hill, even though it was winter when no flowers bloomed. He found there Castilian roses, gathered them, and the Virgin herself re-arranged them in his tilma. When Juan Diego presented the roses to Zumárraga, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe miraculously appeared imprinted on the cloth of Diego's tilma."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe

Día de acción de gracias

The first trimester flew by and now it's already Thanksgiving. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving break and that you get rested up to begin the second trimester. Hasta el lunes.

¡Feliz día de acción de gracias!

Monte Albán

Los estudiantes del 8 have just started a unit on Oaxaca, México. Oaxaca is one of Mexico's states, but it is also the name of the capital city in the state. Oaxaca is a unique Mexican state because it has a high concentration of indigenous people in its population. Many oaxaqueños speak an indigenous language in addition to Spanish.

Monte Albán was a city run by the Zapotecs before the arrival of the Spaniards. The ruins at Monte Albán date back to nearly 750 a.d. ¡Hace mucho tiempo! Take a look at this website for more information about Monte Albán: http://www.oaxacaoaxaca.com/monte-alban.htm. Los estudiantes would tell you that the most memorable thing they have learned so far is about the cuisine in Oaxaca. The most interesting dish we've read about is chapulines or fried grasshoppers. ¿Te gustaría probarlos?

Las calificaciones

The trimester has flown by! Report cards will be going home soon. Do you know what your grade is? Do you have any missing assignments that you can turn in before grades are due? Please check your grade on Parent Connect so that you're not surprised when report cards go home. Log in at: http://sds.ccsd66.org/parentconnect/

¡Que pasen un buen fin de semana!

Trivia Answers

Did you know the answers to last week's trivia questions? The answers are:

• Uruguay
• Speedy Gonzalez
• Costa Rica

How did you do? What other Spanish trivia do you know?

Trivia

Every Friday the students begin the class by trying to answer a Spanish Trivia question. Do you know the answers to any of these questions?

• If you lived in South America's smallest Hispanic country, where would you live?
• In 2002, the Cartoon Network began showing old cartoons of what very fast Mexican mouse?
• One Hispanic Country's name means "Rich Coast". Which is it?

Check back next week for the answers.

Have a great weekend!

el día de los muertos

This weekend many Mexicans will celebrate el día de los muertos or Day of the Dead. This holiday dates back to the time of the Aztecs. The Aztecs celebrated the memories of their deceased loved ones by making their favorite foods and drinks. They honored their loved ones by making alters dedicated to those that had died.

People who celebrate el día de los muertos today have similar traditions. Sometimes families spend months preparing and saving for this holiday. Altars are made in homes and special foods, like pan de muerto (bread of the dead) and mole de pavo (turkey mole) are prepared.

People who celebrate this holiday believe that the spirits of their loved ones come back to visit them. It's a special time for them to let their family members know that even though they are dead they are missed and thought of often.

Que interesante, ¿no?

Click on the links below to learn more about the history or modern traditions of el día de los muertos.

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/

http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/daydeadindex.html

El tiempo

Los estudiantes del 8 are learning weather vocabulary. As el tiempo changes around us this fall, we'll be able to describe the weather cuándo hace frío.

Hace sol.

la tormenta

la lluvia

Está nublado.

La escritura

The 7th graders are working on their first examen de escritura (writing test). They are writing about la ropa that they wear in different places or at different events. No se olviden (don't forget)-this is a test grade so make sure that you do your best and spell everything correctly. Feel free to look up other clothing vocabulary that we didn't learn in class. Two online dictionaries that I use are: http://www.spanishdict.com/ and http://www.wordreference.com/. Here are a few words and phrases that might be helpful:

• sweatshirt-la sudadera
• flip-flops-las chanclas
• high heels/pumps-los tacones
• stripes-con rayas
• plaid-de cuadros

¡Buena suerte!

¡Qué diversión!

We had a great time on our trip to Washington DC last weekend. The weather was beautiful and we saw a lot of great sites. I hadn't been to Washington DC since I was in high school, so I paid attention and learned a lot on this trip. Thanks to the other teachers and the students for being so much fun to travel with!!

Have a great weekend!

¡A viajar!

Este fin de semana some of los estudiantes del 8o van a Washington DC. Y, ¡yo voy también! I'm excited for the opportunity to travel with the 8th grade students, I think we're going to have a great time. Maybe we'll practice some of our español while we're there!

Have a great fin de semana!

Los hispanos de los White Sox y de los Cubs

What an exciting fall-the White Sox and the Cubs made it to the post season! Both teams have several hispanic players who came to this country to play baseball. ¿Conoces a estos jugadores?

• Octavio Dotel es de la República Dominicana.
• Javier Vázquez es de Puerto Rico.
• Orlando Cabrera es de Colombia.
• Alexei Ramirez es de Cuba.
• Juan Uribe es de la República Dominicana.

• Carlos Marmól es de la República Dominicana.
• Carlos Zambrano es de Venezuela.
• Geovany Soto es de Puerto Rico.
• Henry Blanco es de Venezuela.
• Ronny Cedeno es de Venezuela.
• Aramis Ramírez es de la República Dominicana.
• Alfonso Soriano es de la República Dominicana.

¡Buena suerte a los dos equipos!

¡Hay que estudiar!

Los estudiantes del 80 tienen un examen esta semana. We're almost done with our review of last year's materials so this is our last test before we begin our unidad on Oaxaca, México. Make sure you use your study guide para estudiar. No se olviden-¡el examen es el miércoles!

¡Viva México!

El martes Mexico celebrated el día de la independencia. On Independence Day, Mexico celebrates its freedom from Spanish rule. The Spanish arrived in 1521 and conquered the powerful Aztecs who ruled a large part of what is now Mexico, but was called Nueva España. The Spanish ruled Nueva España for a few centuries until 1808 when Napoleon invaded Spain and made his brother the king. The people living in Mexico took this opportunity to begin working for their independence from Spain. The plan was discovered so the people had to work quickly. On the morning of September 16, 1810 a priest named Father Hidalgo rang the bell of his church to call the people to fight for their independence. This action began the ten year war for independence.

Click on the links below to learn more about Mexican Independence Day.

http://www.inside-mexico.com/featureindep.htm

http://www.mexonline.com/mexican-independence.htm

Las calificaciones

¿Solamente tres semanas? It's hard to believe that we've only been in school for three weeks-everybody seems to have the school routine down already. Progress reports will be going home soon, but you don't have to wait for progress reports to check grades. Log into Parent Connect to check your grades and make sure you don't have any missing assignments!

http://sds.ccsd66.org/parentconnect/

Gold Rush

Much like the price of gasoline, the price of gold is going up. The demand for gold is affecting Guatemala in several ways. The corporation Goldcorp runs the mining industry in Guatemala and is making huge profits there. A number of groups and individuals in Guatemala complain that the presence of this company is hurting the country. Goldcorp argues that it is creating jobs for people in Guatemala and is using part of its profit to improve health facilities and education. Those against the mines say that Goldcorp has caused tensions between towns and even family members. Many Guatemalans say that Goldcorp doesn't understand the history of Guatemala. The people have been exploited for years through wars and many indigenous people, the Mayans, have been murdered for land.
Read this article about the gold mine. ¿Qué piensas? Do you think that Goldcorp is helping Guatemalans by mining in Guatemala and providing jobs or do you think that the Guatemalans should have their land back from this large corporation that doesn't understand their history?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/7569810.stm

El verano en Santa Barbara

¿Qué hiciste este verano? What did you do this summer? I had a busy summer in Santa Barbara, California. I’m working on my master’s degree in Hispanic Language and Culture at UCSB and I’ll graduate next summer.

I spend six weeks there during the summer. I live in an apartment not too far from the campus. I fly out to California so I don’t have my car with me while I’m there. This summer I got around on my bike with its little basket in front that that I used to carry my books and groceries.

I was pretty busy with my classes this summer, but we had some extra excitement. There are usually several wildfires in California during the summer and this summer there was one called the Gap Fire. When it was biggest, the fire burned about 9,000 acres and it was about ten to fifteen miles from where I lived. It took almost a month for firefighters to contain it. Governor Schwarzenegger even came to check out the fire because it was so bad, but I was too busy doing homework to try to meet him. Helicopters were out all night dropping chemicals on the fire to keep it from spreading into the city. Our power went out almost every night for two weeks. I had to do my homework with a flashlight! Take a look at this slideshow that shows pictures of the fire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpUgLThV-4k

The fire made things pretty hot outside, but there was also a lot of smoke in the air. It also rained, but not water-it rained ashes during the night and in the morning so my classmates and I had to buy masks to wear when we were outside because we kept choking on ashes. I didn’t look ridiculous at all wearing mine.

As you can see, I had a pretty busy and kind of bizarre summer. I was ready to come back home to get ready for the school. I’m excited to be back here at Lakeview and can’t wait to get the school year started.
¡Nos Vemos!

¡Las vacaciones!

¡Lo hicimos! We made it through the school year. ¡Gracias a todos for making my first year at Lakeview so great. ¡Felicidades a los estudiantes del 8 quienes se graduaron anoche, buena suerte en la escuela secundaria! I look forward to seeing los estudiantes del 7 in the fall after a well-deserved descanso.

¿Qué van a hacer este verano? Señorita Payne is going to be working pretty hard this summer. I'll be in Santa Barbara for seis semanas working on my masters degree at the University of California at Santa Barbara. When I get there, I have to sign a paper that says I'll only speak Spanish the whole time I'm there! ¡Ay ay ay! When we get back in the fall, we'll compare to see who read more books this summer-see if you can read enough to beat me! Here are some pictures of UCSB and some of mis amigos y profesores that I'll be spending time with this summer.

This is a picture of the campus at UCSB

Here's Señorita Payne with her compañeros de clase y some of her profesores

Here's Señorita Payne in a Spanish performance. What word am I holding up?

(Think about how we pronounce 'x' in Spanish...)

Here's Señorita Payne with Dra. Arias-Alvarez (una de mis profesores favoritas)

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe summer. It will be time to head back to school before we know it. ¡Hasta pronto!

St. Augustine

This fin de semana I went to St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest European-founded city in the United States. I was able to visit the Castillo de San Marcos and I drank from the Fountain of Youth. Did you notice how youthful I looked on Tuesday?

The Castillo de San Marcos was built by the Spanish to protect against attacks from the British. They began construction in 1668 and finished the fort in 1672. The fort was originally controlled by the Spanish, then by the British, the Spanish (again) and finally was handed over to the United States in 1819 when Spain yielded Florida to the United States.

The name most often associated with the Fountain of Youth is that of Ponce de León. There is a statue of him located in the Fountain of Youth National Archaelogical Park in St. Augustine. However, Ponce de León was not the first Spaniard to write of this legend, and he wasn't associated with the legend until after his death. The Fountain of Youth was written about by explorers like Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo (1535), Francisco López de Gómara (1551) and Hernando D'Escalante Fontaneda (1575). Ponce de León never found the fountain of youth, but he did make an important contribution to the exploration of the New World when he claimed "la Florida" for the king of Spain. Although the site in St. Augustine isn't the real Fountain of Youth, many people (including Señorita Payne) drink from the spring.

Visit these sites to learn more about St. Augustine and its attractions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine%2C_Florida

http://www.fountainofyouthflorida.com/index.html

http://www.oldcity.com/

http://www.nps.gov/casa/

El fin del año escolar

¡Ay ay ay! The end of the year has come so quickly! This has been such a great year for me at Lakeview. Gracias a todos for making this year so wonderful. We still have a couple of weeks left in the school year and we have a few things to do to get us to the end of the year.

• Don't forget to get your permission slip for the movie signed by Tuesday May 27. If it's not turned in by Tuesday, you won't be watching the movie with us:(
• Please bring back the Spanish textbook that you were given (Sí, I wrote the numbers down) at the beginning of the year to take home. It needs to be back by May 27th at the LATEST. If you bring it in before that, then you won't have to worry about it:)
• Your workbook needs to be turned in. Please make sure that your name is in your workbook before you turn it in.

Have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend!

El Morro, Puerto Rico

Officially named Castillo San Felipe del Morro, this fortress overlooks the San Juan Bay in Puerto Rico. It was built in 1540 by the Spanish, but wasn't finished until 1787. The fortress has been attacked many times. It was attacked by Sir Francis Drake, the Dutch and even American ships! If you visit Puerto Rico you can go inside el Morro and explore the many hidden passages and sit on the lawn where the Spanish soldiers used to march.

Visit these sites to learn more about el Morro:

http://www.gotopuertorico.com/puerto-rico-fort-san-felipe.php

http://www.nps.gov/saju/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_San_Felipe_del_Morro

La mitad del mundo

¡Vamos a Ecuador! The 8th grade students just began a unit on Ecuador. Ecuador got its name because it lies on el ecuador-the equator. Just outside of the capital city of Quito sits a monument with a 5 ton globe at the top. The latitude at the location of the monument is zero degrees. During the spring and fall equinoxes, nothing at this location projects ANY shadow. ¡Que interesante!

¿Cómo estás?

The 7th graders have been studying emotions. How are you feeling today?

alegre

triste

enfermo(a)

nervioso(a)

enojado(a)

Hope you're feeling alegre today!

Las noticias

Sometimes we get wrapped up in our communities or our lives and we don't have a clue what's going on in the rest of the world. Take a minute to read about a fishing boat from northern Spain that is in the news this week.

On April 19, a Basque fishing boat was attacked off of the coast of Somalia, on Africa's east coast. The boat was attacked by Somalian pirates (yes, pirates are still around!). The crew of the Playa de Bakio is still being held captive and the Spanish government has appealed to the United Nations for help. Follow this link to read the rest of the article and learn more. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7363645.stm

There are all kinds of interesting news stories from all over the world. It's important to know what's going on in other countries, pay attention!

El Zócalo

The 7th grade Spanish students just finished a unit on Mexico City. We read a little about el Zócalo, the main plaza in Mexico City. The plaza represents the history of Mexico by mixing elements of Spanish, Mexican and Aztec culture. Take a look at these websites to learn more and see pictures of el Zócalo.
http://www.mexicocity.com.mx/zocal2.html
http://www.delange.org/Zocalo/Zocalo.htm

We’re on to Puerto Rico next!
Have a great weekend!

La Feria de abril

Beginning on Tuesday morning at 12:00 a.m. the city of Seville in southern Spain will be transformed into a fairground. The festival is called the Feria de abril and dates back to 1846. The Feria used to be a fair in which farmers met to trade cattle. Now it is a festival that draws visitors from all over the world. It also marks the beginning of the bullfighting season. There are tents set up in the city that are owned by families or businesses. These tents are called casetas and they are set up like dining rooms with tables and chairs. There’s also room for dancing! A popular dance performed at the Feria is Flamenco dancing. This is well-known throughout Spain. But there are also dances that are specific to Seville. They are called Sevillanas. People young and old perform these dances in the casetas or in the streets. There are also special costumes that people wear during Feria. Women and girls wear dresses that are called trajes de flamenca. They are dresses that are usually specially made. Look at this website to see some of the different styles (and prices) of these dresses: http://www.flamencoexport.com/lo-mas-vendido/trajes-de-flamenca-senora.htmlrt.com/lo-mas-vendido/trajes-de-flamenca-senora.html.

Here's Señorita Payne and one of her amigas at the Feria gate in 2004. The design of the gate changes a little every year.

Here's what the casetas look like inside.

Learn more about Feria by visiting these websites:

http://feriadesevilla.andalunet.com/

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feria_de_Abril

Puerto Vallarta

I went to Puerto Vallarta last week during our vacation. One well-known attraction in Puerto Vallarta is its seaside promenade. There are many shops and restaurants along the promenade as well as a number of statues and sand sculptures. One of the most-recognized statues is The Seahorse.

"The Seahorse, a nine-foot-high bronze statue featuring a boy riding it, is arguably Vallarta’s most-recognized symbol and has the most complex history. Almost a decade before Rafael Zamarripa’s work became the first sculpture on the Malecon back in 1976, its identical twin stood at the south end of Los Muertos Beach. But due to the relentless force of people climbing on it and high waves and strong winds, it eventually toppled and was lost to the sea. Then, years after its doppelganger was installed on the downtown Malecon, the original mysteriously reappeared, only to be lost again in Kenna, re-found and then reinstalled yet again."

We had a great first week back, enjoy your weekend!

http://www.visitpuertovallarta.com/puertovallarta/entertainment/Culture/monumental-oceanfront-art.html

Las vacaciones

Going somewhere for Spring Break? If you're traveling to a Spanish-speaking country, here are some helpful vocabulary words for getting around:

• la maleta-suitcase


• el boleto-ticket


• el aeropuerto-airport


• el avión-airplane


• el pasaporte-passport


• el hotel-hotel


• la habitación-room


• la llave-key


• el aire acondicionado-air conditioning


• la piscina-pool


• la playa-beach


• la arena-sand


• el mar-sea


• la toalla-towel

Have a wonderful and safe Spring Break!

La Alhambra

This week the 8th grade students learned a little about la arquitectura árabe and its presence in southern Spain. The Alhambra was the last stronghold of the Moors when they were finally expelled from Spain in the fifteenth century after having controlled much of Spain for nearly seven centuries.

Click on the links below to learn more about the Alhambra.

http://www.alhambra.org/esp/index.asp?secc=/inicio&popup=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra

La Sagrada Familia

The 8th grade students are studying Barcelona in class. They are adjusting to the Spanish accents that are a little different from what they are used to. One of the cultural highlights in the book was la Sagrada Familia. La Sagrada Familia is a cathedral in Barcelona on which construction began in 1882-and it still isn't finished! Antonio Gaudí was the master architect and worked on this project for more than forty years. Unfortunately, Gaudí died before construction was complete. It is expected that the cathedral will finally be finished in 2026, but it will probably take longer than that!

Check out these links to learn more about this unique cathedral:

http://www.sagradafamilia.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/gaudi/sagrada-familia.html

Trivia Answers

Did you know the respuestas to last week's trivia questions? Let's see-¡a ver!

• The Running of the Bulls is held in which Spanish city located in the northern province of Navarra? Answer: Pamplona
• What Mediterranean seaport in southern Spain was the birthplace of Pablo Picasso? Answer: Málaga
• What is the name of the road that connected the Spanish missions in Mexico? Answer: El Camino Real

¿Qué tal? How'd you do??

¡Trivia!

¿¿Do you know the answers to some of today's trivia questions??

• The Running of the Bulls is held in which Spanish city located in the northern province of Navarra?
  Toledo, Pamplona, Zaragoza or Seville
• What Mediterranean seaport in southern Spain was the birthplace of Pablo Picasso?
  Málaga, Barcelona, Zaragoza or La Coruña
• What is the name of the road that connected the Spanish missions in Mexico?

Check back next week for the answers! Have a great weekend!

La hora

The 7th grade students have been working on telling time in Spanish. It's a little different than telling time in English, but they caught on quickly!

12:00=son las doce

1:00=es la una

8:30=son las ocho y media

3:31 (29 minutes until 4 o'clock)=son las cuatro menos veintinueve

Don't forget-¡hay una prueba de la hora el martes!

Monte Albán

The ruins at Monte Albán in Oaxaca, Mexico were constructed around 500 BC by the Zapotecans although the region was originally occupied in 2000 BC by a village-dwelling people thought to be of Olmec origin. These ruins were constructed over 2500 years ago, but they still stand today to give clues and insights about the way of life of these ancient indigenous people. Feel free to visit the sites below to learn more about Monte Albán!

http://www.advantagemexico.com/oaxaca/monte_alban.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Alb%C3%A1n

¡Ponemos la mesa!

The 8th graders have been showing off their ettiquette. They made place mats that show what a proper table setting looks like. I'm sure they all help poner la mesa en casa! ¡Muy bien hecho!