October 28/29, 2010

Students did vocabulary practice on http://www.freerice.com/, then we played a game to review the 17 vocab words students are responsible for to prepare for the vocab quiz on Friday/Monday.  We then talked about adjective agreement and did a worksheet for practice.  Most students finished in class.

Day 17

Students took a test over chapter 1-1.  Grades will be posted on the portal soon if they aren't already.  After the test we talked about making nouns plural and then students received a new vocab list that they should keep and refer to throughout this chapter, as well as flashcards that we will go over in our next class.

Day 16

Today was FreeRice Friday, so students were given 15 minutes at the beginning of the block to play vocabulary games on http://www.freerice.com/.  Then students worked on a test review which we went over in class.  If students would like more practice, the review is on Moodle.  No homework was assigned so that students can concentrate on studying for their test on Monday/Tuesday.

Day 15

Today we reviewed the verb ser and how to talk about what people like to do.  Then we played a game using whiteboard where students had to translate sentences involving those two topics.  Students then got on http://www.freerice.com/ and practiced Spanish vocabulary.  I announced that we will have a test on Monday/Tuesday, Oct. 18/19. 

Day 14

Today we reviewed telling where people are from, then talked about the verb gustar and peoples likes and dislikes.  We did a worksheet for practice in class which we reviewed in class.  We then started talking about several Spanish speaking countries and some interesting facts about them, as well as people students are familiar with who are from those countries.  The goal of this is for students to make connections to their prior knowledge with what we're doing in class.  No homework.

Day 13

We did a few activities to review subject pronouns on studyspanish.com, which is a useful website for students who would like extra practice or explanations.  We also went over the geography of Spanish-speaking countries, which we will be discussing over the course of the next chapter.  We then reviewed the verb ser, and students were assigned homework over it.  I then tortured my U of M loving students by playing the MSU fight song in anticipation over the game this weekend.  Go Green!

Day 12

After reviewing phrases using "gusta" we practiced with vocab flashcards in preparation for the vocab quiz next class.  We then discussed personal pronouns and the difference between "tu" and "usted" and students were given a short homework assignment.  Students only have to complete one side of the worksheet, p.13. 

Day 11

Today we practiced with the vocab flashcards students received yesterday.  They got new flashcards that we practiced with.  We worked on learning the meanings of several verbs, talked about what students like to do, and then students did a speaking activity in which they asked each other what they like to do.  No homework.  We will have our first vocab quiz on Tuesday (or Wednesday depending on the block) October 5th/6th.

Day 10

Students took their first quiz over all the material we've covered in class so far.  They received a vocab list for the next chapter and flashcards for the first vocab section.  We reviewed the flashcards and students should be studying them regularly.

September 27, 2010

Today we reviewed direct objects and practiced using them on the website http://www.studyspanish.com/.  This is a great website to help students review and get extra practice whenever they need it.  We also practiced and reviewed tener phrases through flashcards and reviewed the present progressive tense that students learned in Spanish I.  Homework was assigned on the present progressive.

Day 7

I was out of the building again today, so students worked with Mr. Lillibridge.  They were assigned a worksheet, and then four activities out of a classroom set of textbooks.  All activities reviewed material that we have gone over in the past few weeks.  Students should have turned in all the work they completed in class.

Day 6

I am out of the building today (Monday) and tomorrow, so students saw Mr. Lillibridge instead.  They watched a 60 minute movie about the Maya and various theories about why they suddenly disappeared.  Students then briefly wrote about their own theories as to why the Maya disappeared.

Day 5

Students practiced spelling using the Spanish alphabet and then finished the letter races we started last class.  We then moved on to learning numbers 0-10 and colors.  After we learned numbers students practiced telling their phone numbers and participated in a speaking activity to practice.  A worksheet (p.8) was assigned as homework.

Day 4

Students learned the Spanish alphabet song and may have it playing in their heads for the rest of the week.  We then played "flyswatter" using the alphabet, and then had letter races where students had to read across various letters (similar to an eye test) and see how many they could get in one minute.  The goal was to improve each time.  No homework.

Day 3

We reviewed greetings and goodbyes, and students had several 30 second conversations using what they learned previously.  Students learned the Spanish alphabet, and we discussed the sounds of each letter and pronunciation rules.  Later we did an activity where students had to sound out various phrases using what they learned about pronunciation earlier in class.  No homework.

Day 2

Signed syllabi were due.  Students recieved their new seat assignments, then we played the name game so that I can learn all students' names faster, and so students get to know each other a bit better.  Students took notes on various greetings and goodbyes.  Homework was to have a short conversation with someone in Spanish and/or to teach someone at home what they learned today.

Day 1

Students today were introduced to the classroom and its procedures and policies.  We went over the syllabus, which students are to return signed by a parent/guardian and will be due the next class period.