Hope you are having a restful and enjoyable weekend so far. We had yet another great week during which we were working, playing, and learning. See below for some important updates about next week, as well as a summary of what we've been up to!
Our Week
Bible: We've been working our way through the Old Testament prophets, with a focus this week on the life of Samuel (same spelling in Spanish with a slightly different pronunciation--like "Sahm-well"). We learned about how Samuel's mama, Ana, longed for a child until God faithfully answered her prayer. We played a whispering game when we learned about Dios llamando a Samuel--God calling Samuel--when he was a boy. Finally, we read about Saúl, the first rey, and David, who had el corazón de Dios. With every Bible story, we return to the fact that God is faithful, he listens to our prayers, and he speaks to us--even though it may seem like a small whisper in our hearts. I love seeing students putting these ideas together as we sing and pray as a class.
Reading: This week we studied the sounds ya, ye, yi, yo, yu, as well as the Spanish letter ll, which makes the same sound. We practiced saying and writing words with these different, sometimes tricky, letter combinations. We also practiced putting verbs into the correct forms for nosotros (we) and ellos/ellas/Ustedes (they/you all). This can be a challenging task, but through their immersion experience, the students are becoming more apt to recognize what sounds "correct".
Writing: We continued our study of instructivos, or how-to writing, by making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches one day and limonada the other day. It was fun for the kids to practice saying, and then following, the instructions--and did I mention delicious?! :)Math: This week we've worked on forming numbers 11-20 using sticks and cubes, as well as comparing numbers using the words mayor (greater than) and menor (less than). We've also gone "shopping" (de compras) for frutas y verduras in a make-believe supermercado!
Social Studies: In preparation for our next unit in which we learn about our earth (nuestra tierra), we have reviewed prepositional words like arriba (up), abajo (down), adentro (inside), afuera (outside), and others. We've done this through listening to instructions, drawing pictures, and playing games.
Immersion Tip of the Week
You may have noticed your child starting to decode words using Spanish pronunciation, even if the words are in English! This can be fun to listen to, but don't worry about "fixing" your child's pronunciation. You can simply say, "Wow! That's exactly how you'd say it in Spanish! In English we say the sounds like this: ____". Your child will start to unconsciously separate English from Spanish as you continue to read at home and as he/she continues to grow in reading skills.
Reading Tip of the Week
Yesterday I sent home a handout with some great reading tips--take a look and choose an activity to do this week! If you do not have a regular "reading routine" (e.g. before bedtime, right after school, etc.), make it a point to establish one--and stick to it! Life can get hectic, but I have to say, as a parent I really enjoy slowing down every evening to read with my kids.
Upcoming Dates to Remember
*THIS UPCOMING WEEK is Maker's Week (Semana de Ciencias), a time when K-2 students will be mixed up and meet in different classrooms every morning (except Wednesday) to participate in STEM-based activities. The students are so excited to participate in these exciting projects! Expect your child to bring home some creations (depending on the class), and be sure to ask about it. Please make sure your child is on time to school--we will dismiss to different classrooms starting at 8:30am. Our afternoons will be normal, in our own classrooms.
*Market Day: Fourth grade Market Day is coming on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 27! In conjunction with their economics unit, fourth graders have each produced a product that they will have available to sell to the student body (items like pencil holders, bracelets, cookies, keychains, etc.). All Rose Park students will get to shop at the Market that afternoon. We are asking that each student bring no more than $3 to spend at Market Day ON WEDNESDAY in order to assure that there are enough products to go around. A small shopping bag may also be useful to help carry the purchases. Thanks for your help with this!
*Parent/Teacher Conferences: These will be held on Monday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 27. Please make sure you have signed up for your spot! I look forward to meeting with you to talk about your child's progress.
*Invitado Especial: I'm still looking for more Spanish-speaking parents, family, or community members to sign up to come visit our classroom! Please sign up here!
There you have it! Enjoy some photos below (I hope to add more limonada pictures later). Have a great rest of your weekend!
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