Spanish III

Today we found a site that will allow students to practice Spanish vocabulary and help donate money to buy rice for the UN World Food Program.  The link to the site is the last image on the right side of my blog.  I am asking students to add the link to their own blogs.  We will spend the first few minutes of class every time we are in the lab playing the vocabulary game.  What a great way to practice vocabulary and spend time giving to others.

I actually found the site by accident when I was looking at blogs for the Edublogs challenge.  I was looking a Doris Molero’s blog trying to connect with some of her students so that our students can have the opportunity to practice their Spanish skills.  Thank you Ms. Molero for such a great blog.

This week, Spanish III students are working on making instructional videos on grammar topics that we have covered.  I really feel that this activity will be fun and educational for our students.  The following list is my justification for the activity:

• If a student can teach the material, he/she has a firm grasp of that material
• Students can use their Spanish in a fun way to think “outside the box”
• Students can use their knowledge to help others catch on to the material

I really look forward to students using their creativity.  I think we have a great group of kids in Spanish III & I can’t wait to see what they come up with.  After the videos are finished, they will be posted to their blogs and I will use them in my Spanish II classes to help others learn.

This post is to all educators who are using blogs to drive student-centered learning.  I am open to new ideas and I am looking  for suggestions on how educators are using blogs  in the classroom.  There is so much material out there on setting up a blog, commenting, making interesting posts, etc.  I would really like to start a dialogue of ideas on how teachers actually use blogs with content.  Please offer any suggestion you think would be helpful to me and to other teachers out there.

This week we are really working with the elements & aesthetics of blogging. Our students are learning about many add-ons or widgets that will be helpful to them as we try to connect with Spanish speakers around the world. We are taking all class time this week to get the blogs running correctly and have the exact theme, widgets and extras that the students want.

I am very excited that today each student made his/her first post in Spanish. It was a very simple posting expressing what they like to do in their free time, their favorite class and their feelings about Homecoming.

After each student finished posting, I read the post and left a comment about corrections they need to make. I am hoping this is a fun way for students to learn.

My Spanish III class has decided to enter the EduBlogs challenge in order to experience education from a new perspective. Students want to be able to blog with students from around the world and be able to put all that Spanish grammar knowledge to good use. I also feel that blogging will take the products the students produce to a whole new level. I really feel that my students will be excited to share their work with world, and I really believe they will be increasingy motivated to produce quality projects and presentations knowing that anyone in the world can view them.

My hope is that by the end of the challenge, students will have gained skills that will help them in their future educational endeavors, and that they will have a new educational experience that will motivate them to become lifelong language learners.

My students have entered a blogging challenge for students from around the world. Spanish III students will complete a series of challenges that will help them become better bloggers. All posts are class related. Students are gaining valuable skills that will help them in college and beyond. We will be posting some pictures and videos on their blogs in the future. We are off to a great start, and I am expecting great things from our students.

Students will have test 1-2 on Friday. This test will cover Ir + A + Infinitive, Telling Time and Tener que. These concepts are all review from last year, and we are working with them this week in class. Friday is the end of the six weeks and this test is the last chance to bring low averages up.

This week we are working with Vocab list 1-2. This list is a continuation of stem-changing/reflexive verbs. We have added to our notes on reflexive verbs and covered present progressive tense. Students will receive a grade for sentences this week and will have Vocab Quiz 1-2 on Friday.

Remember Vocab Quiz 1-1 tomorrow. You will need to study stem changes and be able to write sentences with 6 of the words from your list. Also, remember to finish sentences for homework if you did not turn them in today.

Welcome to the new school year.  We will be using this blog to communicate with parents, post lesson plans and list assignment due dates.