8th Grade Midterm Exam Review Packet Due Dates

The dates for the Spanish I midterm are: January 12^th, 13^th & 14^th.  The students will have 90 minutes to complete the exam per the high school’s requirements.  If we can get the 90 minutes completed on January 12^th and 13^th then we will not test on January 14^th. Below are the due dates for completing the review packet. Over Winter Break, please spend a little time reviewing each day so that you do not have to scramble right before the exam.

Review packet due dates

Monday  12/8	Tuesday 12/9	Wednesday 12/10	Thursday 12/11	Friday 12/12
Parts A-I	Parts J-N	X	Parts O-Q	Parts R-U
Monday 12/15	Tuesday 12/16	Wednesday 12/17	Thursday 12/18	Friday 12/19
Parts V-AA	X	Parts BB-FF	X	X

Upcoming Assessments

7th Grade: Our next quiz will cover numbers 11-100 in Spanish. Students will be assessed on speaking and writing for this quiz. The quiz is on Monday, November 24.

8th Grade: Our next quiz is on Tuesday, November 18. It is a vocabulary quiz on Describe a House, Describe Household Items and Furniture.

8th Grade U5L1 Vocabulary

8th Graders: Remember that you have a quiz on Tuesday, November 18 on your U5L1 vocabulary from the sections: Describe a House, Describe Household Items, and Furniture. This is all new vocabulary that needs to be memorized! Use this Quizlet to help you study.

Upcoming Assessments

7th Grade: Our next quiz will be on Wednesday, October 29. It will cover the adjectives in the ¨Describe Yourself & Others¨ section of your U1L2 vocab list.  You will need to be able to give either the masculine or feminine form of the words.

8th Grade: Our last quiz to review the material that we covered last year will be on Thursday, October 30. It will cover: U4L1 vocab, U4L2 vocab, ir+a+infinitives, Direct Object Pronouns, o>ue stem-changing verbs, and e>i stem-changing verbs.

Upcoming Assessments

7th Grade: Our next test on Unit 1 Lesson 1 will be on Friday, October 17.

8th Grade: Our next quiz will be on Friday, October 17. It will cover giving the date, regular -er/-ir verbs, e>ie stem-changing verbs and the verb hacer.

8th Grade

Today the 8th graders began preparing review materials for themselves for next Friday's quiz.  The quiz will cover numbers 200-1,000,000; Interrogatives (question words); Family Vocabulary; and Food & Beverage Vocabulary.  Each 8th grader chose 2 of these topics and created a review for them.  They chose a Quizlet, a Kahoot or a Google Doc.  Their classmates will have access to all of the reviews that were made in each class so they have dozens of options to help them study for Friday's quiz.  I'm excited for all of the options that they'll have to help them prepare!

7th Grade Recap of the Week

The 7th grade Spanish students took their first test this week.  Overall I am pleased with their scores! I know some of the scores are lower than what the students are used to getting, but I told them they should cut themselves some slack-they just took a test in another language! That in itself is impressive!
Next Friday, October 3 will be the next vocabulary quiz.  It will be on two sections from the Unit 1 Lesson 1 Vocab Sheet.  The quiz will be on ¨Talk about Activities¨ and ¨Snack Foods & Beverages¨

Upcoming Assessments

7th Grade:  We took our first quiz on Tuesday on countries and capitals of Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.  Our first chapter test will be on Wednesday, September 24.  The students received a study guide on Wednesday and Friday in class they will do a practice test that is the same format as the test so students know what is expected of them.  Students should spend time outside of class studying for this test.

8th Grade: Our next review quiz is on Wednesday, September 24.  It will cover the verb tener, tener expressions, the verb estar, the verb ir, and vocabulary from Unit 2, Lessons 1 & 2.  Students should spend time outside of class studying for this quiz.

Upcoming Assessments in 7th & 8th Grade

7th Grade: Our first quiz is Tuesday, September 16 on countries and capitals of Spanish speaking countries in Central America, the Caribbean and South America.  Spelling counts for the countries, but NOT for the capitals.  Use your notes and the blank maps you got in class to help you study.

8th Grade:  Our next quiz will be on Wednesday September 17 on telling time in Spanish and numbers 11-100.  On Thursday we talked about the careless mistakes that we make when we don't take the time to study correctly.  When studying for Spanish, make sure that the quality of your studying is high so that you can demonstrate your knowledge on tests and quizzes.

Upcoming Assessment

8th grade students will have a quiz on Wednesday, September 10 as we review the vocabulary and grammar concepts we learned last year.  The students will need to demonstrate an understanding of:

• Subject Pronouns
• Ser
• Adjectives (vocab)
• Adjective/Noun Agreement
• Gustar + Infinitives (vocab)
• Gustar + Nouns (vocab)
• -ar Verbs

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to another school year!  It was great to get back to school this week. I enjoyed meeting my new 7th grade Spanish students and seeing the 8th grade Spanish students again.  We did a few administrative tasks this week and next week I look forward to diving into our curriculum.

Have a safe and fun long weekend! 

Still Going Strong!

There are some cool things going on in Spanish class even though it is June and feels like summer!

7th Grade: The 7th graders created clothing catalogs using a program called Lucidpress. It is sort of a combination of a digital presentation and a website. Some of the catalogs are amazing! The students did a great job of putting their own personal touch into these catalogs. Given the chance I might even order from some of them!

8th Grade:  Before the 8th graders took their final exam we had already gone farther in our textbook than the Spanish I classes at DGS.  After the exam the students traded in their textbooks for novels! We are reading the novel La Línea about a boy named Miguel who leaves his life in Mexico behind to cross the border to join his parents who have come to work in the United States.

Have a great weekend! 

Week in review

7th Grade: This week the 7th graders started what I think is a really exciting project. They are using the website Lucidpress to create clothing catalogs using their vocabulary and including other articles of clothes that interest them.  They are also practicing correct citations of digital images. It was a little tedious at first, but now that they have the hang of it I think it will go quickly for them. I am really excited to see their finished catalogs!

8th Grade: The 8th graders took their final exam from DGS this week! Phew!  I'm sure many of them are glad that it is over.  I know that many of the students were prepared for the exam and I will be eagerly awaiting their scores from DGS over the summer. DGS has reported that they will send the scores home sometime during the summer so students should look for their scores in the mail.

Have a great weekend! 

8th Grade Final Exam

The Final Exam will take place next Wednesday and Thursday. We have reviewed in class and many extra review opportunities have been made available to you. Use them to study! This weekend the 8th graders should go over their review packets and notes.  If they took any of the extra practice sheets offered to them in class on Friday they can work on those. I will be available before school and during Study Hall on Tuesday and Wednesday for individual questions. Happy studying!

Upcoming Assessments

7th Grade: On Wednesday, May 21 the 7th graders will have their Unit 4 Lesson 1 test.  They will need to demonstrate an understanding of e>ie stem-changing verbs and the use of Direct Object Pronouns.

8th Grade: On Friday, May 23 the 8th graders will have a vocabulary quiz that will cover the vocabulary they need to know for their final exam. The final exam dates are approaching. 8th graders need to be studying for the exam that they will take on May 28 & 29.

Interesting Discovery!

This week I read an article about the well-preserved skull of a young girl that was found underwater in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.  The remains are believed to be between 12,000 and 13,000 years old. This girl's remains hold clues about migrations of ancient people's and if they are related to the indigenous peoples of North America.  I like to compare findings like these to America's history. America has such a rich, full history, but it is incredibly young compared to the rest of the world since it's only a few hundred years old.  Read the full article here about the discovery.

Week in Review

7th Grade: The 7th graders took a quiz on tener phrases this week. These are phrases that in English would use the verb "to be" as in, "to be hungry", but in Spanish they use the verb tener (to have) as in, "to have hunger".  They have also been working very diligently with e>ie stem-changing verbs.  We'll continue to use those next week and we will also learn how to use direct object pronouns in Spanish

8th Grade: The 8th graders are working through the review of concepts and vocabulary to prepare for their final exam on May 28 & 29.  Make sure you keep up with the due dates in the review packet.

Spanish I Final Exam

The 8th graders are now starting to prepare for their Spanish I final exam.  The final exam will take place on May 28 and 29.  The 8th graders received their review packets in class and their schedules for the due dates in the review packet. Students should keep up with the schedule and should review their notes and vocab. The review packet is a sample of what may be on the final so students need to study beyond completing the review packet.

    Extra review schedules and notes can be found in the 8th grade e-file cabinet.

Upcoming Assessments

7th grade: Request to Retest forms for the Unit 3 Lesson 2 test are due on Monday, April 28.  Remember-you need a parent signature on the form.  There will be a vocabulary quiz on clothing and colors on Thursday, May 1.

8th grade: The Unit 7  Lesson 1 test is on Wednesday, April 30.  Make sure you know your vocabulary, preterite endings and affirmative & negative words. There are review materials in the electronic file cabinet.

Have a great weekend! 

Upcoming due dates

7th grade: 7th graders who scored a C+ or lower on the Unit 3 Lesson 2 test are eligible (and encouraged!) to turn in a Request to Retest form. There are copies of the form in the Spanish room and it is available in the 7th grade E-File Cabinet. Request to Retest forms are due Monday, April 28.

8th Grade: The 8th graders have a test on Wednesday, April 30.  The end of the year is approaching, but the 8th graders still need to meet two of the four requirements to earn a language proficiency credit at DGS: Earn a C or higher for the fourth quarter; earn a 70% or higher on the final exam.

Week in Review

7th:  The 7th graders are preparing for their Unit 3 Lesson 2 test which will be on Wednesday, April 16.  This will be their first major grade for the 4th quarter. Be prepared for the test so we can start the quarter with great grades!

8th: The 8th graders took a test on Wednesday, which is their first grade for the quarter. Many students did very well on the test for a great start to the 4th quarter.  Request to Retest forms will be due on Tuesday for students who scored a C+ or lower and want to retake the test. 

Spring Break

The 3rd quarter ends when we get back from Spring Break. Check your grades to make sure you have all eligible work turned in!

7th grade: There is no quiz or test the week we return from break.  The 7th graders will present their family trees that they finished today.  The students could either depict their actual family or a fictitious family. Some of the students created some interesting families!

8th grade: The chapter test for U6L2 will be on Wednesday, April 9 when we return from break. The Athlete Trading Card assignment is due on Thursday, April 10.

I hope you all have a wonderful Spring Break!

8th Grade Midterm Exams

This week the 8th graders received their scores on their midterm exams. Many of them did very well on the exams. One of our students got 100% on the DGS exam! There were also a number of students who scored in the high 90s. Nicely done to many of our students!  Reminder: The requirements to get credit for Spanish I are: a C or better for the 1st and 4th quarter grades, a 70% or higher on the midterm exam and a 70% or higher on the final exam in May.

I hope you all enjoy your long weekend! 

Upcoming Assessments

7th Grade:  Next Friday, March 7, the 7th grade classes will have a quiz on conjugating regular -er and -ir verbs.  We will spend time in class next week reviewing, but the students should spend time outside of class making sure they can identify the infinitives and conjugate the verbs.

8th Grade: Next Friday, March 7, the 8th grade classes will have a quiz on saber vs. conocer & vocabulary. Students should review the conjugations of the verbs (remember that they both have irregular yo forms) and should know the uses for each verb.

Week in Review

7th: This week the 7th graders created menus for breakfast cafés. Looking at them makes me hungry, but they came up with some great dishes!

8th: The 8th graders finished and presented their web quests on travel to Ecuador.  Next Tuesday they have a quiz on Sports, Sports equipment and the verb jugar.

Week in Review

We accomplished a lot this week since Mother Nature didn't interfere with our school days!  Both the 7th graders and 8th graders did unique assessments this week.

7th: This week the 7th graders took a vocabulary quiz on our new vocabulary.  They also finished the rough drafts of their writing quizzes in which they wrote a newspaper article about their school day.  They then spent some time in the lab working on their revised drafts and making them into actual newspaper articles.

8th:  The 8th graders spent the first part of the week preparing for their speaking assessment on household chores.  Having a conversation in Spanish is harder than just asking and answering questions.  The 8th graders did a nice job with their quizzes.  Next week we'll take a look at the notes from our conversations so they'll know in what areas they can improve before the next speaking assessment. They are also working on a web quest researching the difference between staying in a hotel or an apartment when on a long vacation. I'm interested to see what they find!

  Have a great long weekend!

Week in review

It feels like we got so much done this week, but that's probably just because we were able to have school all week!

7th:  The 7th graders took their test to end unit 2 on Monday.  Many of them got their best test grade yet! Request to Retest for students who got a C+ or lower will be due next Wednesday, February 12.  We will also have a vocabulary quiz on Wednesday the 12th on the vocabulary that the students got on Monday.

8th:  The 8th graders are eagerly awaiting their scores from their midterm exams from DGS. I can't wait to see how they did either.  Today they took a test to finish Unit 5 in the book.  Next Thursday and Friday, February 13 & 14 they will have a speaking quiz in which they will chat with me about different chores that they and various family members do around the house.

Another short week!

We had another short week due to the extremely cold temperatures we're experiencing this winter. Our plans for the week shifted, but I was glad to spend a few days at home with my little guy!

7th Grade: We postponed our test that was scheduled for Friday, January 31 until Monday, February 3 to give the students a little more time to prepare.  We are finishing Unit 2 in our book and will begin Unit 3 on Puerto Rico next week! 

8th Grade: We went back to our lessons after taking a break to prepare for and take the midterm exam.  We are working on giving affirmative commands to tell people what to do.  The 8th graders will have a test next Friday, February 7.  This weekend they should review vocabulary for household chores and party planning.

Rescheduled Test

Please note that due to our recent days off of school the 7th grade Spanish test that was scheduled for Friday, January 31 will now be on Monday, February 3.

Week in Review

This week we started the 3rd quarter. This is a great opportunity for students to self-assess what they've been doing to prepare for Spanish assessments. If they're pleased with the results of their efforts then they should keep doing what they're doing. If students don't feel that the time they are putting into studying for tests and quizzes is reflected in their grades, they should come see me so we can discuss study strategies.

7th grade:  The chapter test will be on Friday, January 31.  On Monday, January 27 we'll do a practice test that is the same format as the test. Students should use that practice test to study and quiz themselves next week in preparation for Friday's test.

8th grade: The 8th graders completed their Spanish I Semester 1 exam this week! They worked hard to prepare for it and I will be eager to get their scores back from the high school to see how they did.  We will expect the scores back anytime after February 3, but don't have an exact date of when we'll get them .

Have a great weekend!

End of the Quarter

It's hard to believe that the school year will be half over next week as we enter our 2nd semester.  We've accomplished a lot so far and we have more to learn and do!

7th Grade: The 7th graders took a quiz on Thursday as their last big grade for the quarter. Most of the 7th graders are finishing the quarter on a positive note. Keep up the good work! We start fresh on Wednesday with our grades so that will be a good opportunity to either maintain the good study habits that students have developed or to try some new strategies for the quarter.

8th Grade: Our Spanish 1 midterm exam will take place this coming Wednesday and Thursday, January 22 and 23.  The students should be studying this weekend. They have had access to a number of review materials to use.  In the Electronic File Cabinet  the students can find copies of and some answers to some of the more recent materials they've gotten.  Good luck studying this weekend!

Welcome Back!

 I have to admit that I was grateful for a few extra days home with my little guy to end our Winter Break since we came back on Wednesday.   However, it was nice to get back into a routine and to see all of the Spanish students again!

7th Grade:  We started Unidad 2 Lección 2 this week.  Next Thursday, January 16 there will be a vocabulary quiz on the sections "Describe Classroom Objects" and "Places in School" from the vocabulary list. That will be the last big grade for the 2nd quarter so use it as an opportunity to either maintain your grade or to boost it up.  If you are turning in a Request to Retest form for the Unidad 2 Lección 1 test, it is due on Monday.

8th Grade: We began Unidad 5 Lección 2 this week. The students have been working with party planning vocabulary and wrote short stories about planning a party using their vocabulary and the irregular verbs that we learned this week.  Next week we will focus on getting ready for the listening and reading portions of our Spanish Midterm Exam which will be on January 22 and 23.  The students should be using their review materials to study for the exam.