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