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.

Week of February 8th

Middle School students.This week sthe students will be introduced to describing relative position. They will learn to say We will do a variety of exercises to reinforce this new vocacabulary, such as making humorous posters ,using maps. Parents can help at home by placing ordingary household items in positions to which the student can describe the positions. You can refer to the diagram that appears on p. 163 of the text.

Level II student: A review of the second third of chapter 4 will be taken home on Monday. We will soon complete this chapter with an expansion of direct object pronouns. For example , in the sentence Nos invitaron., the direct object pronoun is nos.

Level III: We will complete chapter 7 this week, and will have a chapter test early next wee, after reviewing with the interactive tutor on CD-ROM.

Level IV: As we continue to review for the IB exams,we are working on accents and the past (imperfect )subjunctive..Several interactive drills for this can be found at our usual Gramática website-go to Más Ejercicios Gramaticales-Profesora Barbara Nelson-Colby College.

Week of February 1st

To the parents and students of the Middle School SSL class:

The work of practicing the conjugation of regular ar verbs continues, and is expanded upon by learning to talk about what one and others do during their free time. On Wednesday of this week, students will take home a practice exercise that will help them prepare for a quiz on Monday. Remember that the conjugation is on page 150 of the textbook.

New level II student:

This week we will conclude Unit III. After reviewing with the Interactive CD-ROM, we will have the unit test. This week there is a writing assignment, which can be found on p.91 of the text. It will be due on Thursday the fourth.

Returning level II student: We will have a quiz on the first third of Unit IV on Wednesday the 3rd. Following that we will be working on very useful skills, such as different uses of ser and estar, the verb conocer, and making comparisons.

Level III students : This week we will half a quiz on the first half of Unit VII, preceded, as always, by a review on the interactive tutor on CD-ROM. The next use of the subjunctive that we will see is to express the unknown or the non-existent. This use is often used when a person or company advertises for a position (let's say at a day cam). Buscamos a un(a) joven que sea bilingue y que disfrute estar con niños.)

Level IV: the emphasis this week will be on preparing for the three IB exams you must take in Language B.

As homework, choose one of the situations described in your Paper II list you have at home. Bring in one half of it completed by Friday.

Assignment for Level IV

On Thursday the 28th, we will discuss the topic you have chosen for your IB oral exam. Bring a brief outline of the areas you wish to explore.

The middle school students will finish watching a receintly received DVD on the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. Then they will truly embark on conjugating regular Spanish ar verbs in the present tense. Parents: The conjugation can be found on p. 150 of the text. Several examples of these verbs appear on the next page of the text, and you can help your child by practicing the conjugations of several or all of them.Students will be taking home pages from their worksheets on Tuesday,as a weekly assignment. The homework will be due on Thursday.

For the new Level II student, we are working our way very quickly through the first two chapters of the text.She will be taking home some worksheets on Tuesday, which will be turned in on Thursday.

Our returning Level II student is beginning a new chapter called ¡Adelante con los Estudios! As we don't meet on Tuesday, she will take her homework assignment (pages from the workbooks) on Monday. They must be turned in on Thursday.

Level III students is starting a new unit that will expand on the uses of the Subjunctive. On Tuesday, they will be assigned workbook pages that involve the use of the subjunctive to express feelings. These must be handed in on Thursday.

Our level IV student will practice for her IB Paper II exam. She has at home a 6 possible topics to develop with a minimum of 400 words apiece.This week she must choose one and turn in a minimun of two hundred words to be collected Thursday and completed in class.

Assignments for week of Jan. 18, Spanish 3 and4

As we begin the new semester, each student will have a textbook at home, and have a minimum of one homework assignment per week. Please check my blog on Monday of each week to see the assigment(s), For the week of Jan. 18th, level 3 will take home grammar worksheets on Wednesday,due Friday. We are continuing to expand on the many uses of the subjunctive in Spanish.

Spanish level 4 : By Friday the 22nd, you must present a multiple series of sites where one can find material appropriate for the topic you wish to use in your oral IB exam (taped here but graded abroad). The emphasis here is that the topic is relevant to the Spanish-speaking world, but also that it is a topic accessible to your teacher, as 33% of your IB assessment in one third of your overall grade is based on my being able to make you expand on your initial presentation

As we start the second semester of this school year, all Spanish as a Second Language (SSL) will be taking home a second copy of thier textbooks. Students will have a minimum of one homework assignment for week. An assignment can be an interactive exercise on the internet, worksheets taken home, or exercises in the text. Having a textbook at home will definitely help students meet any of the above expectations.

In the future, all students should check my blog on Mondays to see weekly homework assignments.

For the week of Jan 18th:

Middle school students will be given a review assignment on Monday, which will be due on Wednesday, the 20th.

Spanish I students will use the grammar explanation on page 200 of the text to write 5 pairs of sentences. Each sentence should refer to a type of food. One senence should refer to a type of food in general, and the second to a food being tasted at a specific moment in time, This is due on Friday, the 22ns.

Spanish II should write a dialogue between a husband and wife complaining about the distribution of chores in the household. Use appropriate expressions for the chores, for complaining, and come up with a final compromise (again, in the form of a dialogue.

Activities for the first half of January

All high school students are preparing for their semester exams during the week of Jan.11th. Middle school students will begin the second half of their texts, specifically with unit IV. During the first half of this month, they will communicate things they and others do during their free times. In able to do so, they will learn how to conjugate all regular ar verbs, and use con, conmigo, and contigo.

Feliz Año Nuevo!