Tuesday, March 18, 2008

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!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

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

Friday, March 7, 2008

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:

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??