Week of May 10th

Middle School Students: Students are involved in several activities in preparation for the end of the school year. We are looking forward to the presentation of their family trees (real or imaginary) during the course of next week. On Tuesday the 11th, students will take homework home labeled Quiz 6-1-A and B. This assignment is designed to help them prepare for their chapter exam, presently scheduled for the last week of school.

The returning Level II student will be working on the preterite, the simple past tense, after having been introduced to the imperfect tense. Part of this unit will be reported speech-reporting what someone has said.

The new Level II student's new unit focuses on the environment. Within that framework, she will learn how to state a problem, its consequences and possible solutions. She will also learn to agree and disagree with others' positions.

Level III students are in their final days of reviewing for their final exam, which will take place during the last week of May.

Week of April 19

Middle school students: We are wrapping up Chapter 5 this week and will have an important test on the chapter on Monday the 26th. Students have already been quizzed on the second third of the chapter.On Wednesday of this week, each student will take home several review exercises for the the last third . These are labeled Quiz5-3A and Quiz 5-3B.These correspond to pp. 212 through 219 of the text. These are due on Friday of this week, and will be returned to your student that very day to help prepare for the test.

Level 2: The test for chapater 9 is this Thursday.

Level 3: We will practice hard this week present contrary-to-fact sentences and have a quiz early next week covering the second half of Unit XI, so that the students may feel more comfortable when they take the unit exam.

Level 4: We will practice at least one more Paper I and at least Paper IIs before exams begin.

Week of April 12th

Middle School Students: These young men will have an important quiz on Wednesday the 14th. It will stress the correct spelling of the seasons and the months of the year, in addition to conjugating regular er and ir verbs in the present tense. Helpful pages in the text are 207 and 214.

The new Level II student will begin working on chapter 9, which is structured around shopping. Among the new grammatical skills to be introduced are formal commands.

The regular Level ll student will enjoy learning a new way of talking about the past(the imperfect)-how people and things used to be. We are looking forward to an interview with a parent about his/her childhood.

Level III students will start work on their next-to-last chapter. Among other grammar skills, they will learn to construct present contrary-to-fact sentences, such as .

Level IV is very busing getting ready for two remaining IB exams for this class. We are working on spelling, accents, reading comprehension and practices taken from former exams.Best wishes for our senior who has worked hard all school year to meet these goals.

Week of March 22nd

Middle School students will have a quiz on Wednesday this week that centers on saying what I, You, He, She, We, Plural You, and They like to do (or dislike to do) together. Students have practiced with interactive exercises on our computers, and need to study pp. 203-205 in the textbook. Pages 39 and 40 of the Grammar and Vocabulary workbook are due tomorrow Tuesday as homework.

Level 2 is wrapping up a unit. We will review with the Interactive Tutor on CD-Rom during the block on Wednesday, and have the unit exam on Thursday.

The new level 3 class is beginning a new unit that uses celebrations in Spanish-speaking countries as its organizational structure.

Both Level 3 classes are working with difficult grammar in Unit 10 (the subjunctive after certain prepositions). The second half of the unit will be easier, focusing on how to express intent and purpose, and cause and effect.

In IB Level 4, the senior completed a very successful IB oral exam. We will be reading several literary selections, while practicing very hard for the two written exams she must complete in May.

Week of March 8th

Middle School students are working on the first paso, or first third of their unit.They will be taking homework home on Tuessday and will be tested early next week on pages 190-199 of their texts.

Level 2 A will take a unit test this week, and begin working a unit designed to make the student comfortable moving around a city and eating out.

Level 2B continues working on Unit 6.and will probably have the Unit test on Monday the 15th.

Level 3 will start learning about conditional sentences. We will have a very nice interactive activity with several challenging parts.

Level 4 will return to our activity of reading one chapter of Like Water for Chocolate a week, along with continuing to prepare for IB exams.

Week of March 1st

Middle school students will have a very important test this Wednesday. To help them prepare they had a homework assignment, which is designed to test knowledge from the second third of chapter 4. Tomorrow, Tuesday, we will work in class on the quiz designed to assess learning from the last third of the chapter. This test will be a decisive factor in your child's quarter grade.

The new level II student will complete chapter 5 and be tested on it in the next few days.Her new language skills will be framed in the context of getting around a city and dining out.

Level III students are just beginning a new unit. As their grammar becomes increasingly sophisticated, their chapter,they will be reading and writing about some common stereotypes.

Our IB senior recently did exceptionally well on a practice IBPaper I test. In grammar, we begin working with the conditional. In writing, she will complete yet another IB Paper II.

Week of February 22nd

Middle School Spanish as a Second Language students will be involved in several activities designed for them to wrap us their Fouth Unit. On Tuesday they will take home four pages titled Quiz 4-2. I t will be graded as homework, but will definitely help them prepare for the unit test. Parents, please see if you student needs help with the material.

Level II is mastering the preterite (past tense) of regular ir and er verbs. Parents, please practice this conjugation with at least one verb per evening. Students will be practicing on-line and have both a written and on-line evaluation next week.

Level III will be taking home a practice quiz for homework this Tuesday. I will be dur on Thursday. Friday we will have our Unit 8 exam.

Level 4 is continuing to practice for the IB exams in May. Paper Is and IIs are the focus this week.