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.