4-8 de febrero

¡Hola familias de inmersión!

Much as my family enjoyed last week's polar vortex and our unexpected "vacation", it was great to get back into the routine this week with the kids (and by kids, I mean both my own kids and my students!). We had a fun-filled, busy week, from "peluche" day on Monday, to el día de pelo loco (crazy hair day) on Wednesday, to el centésimo día de la escuela on Friday. I was happy to see your child back at school and continue on our learning journey together!

Here is a summary of what we've been up to in the classroom:

Bible: This week we picked up our story with Moisés and los israelitas, whom we'd been talking about before Christmas. We learned about los 10 mandamientos (the 10 commandments), los 12 espías en la tierra prometida (the 12 spies in the promised land), Josué y Jericó, and Deborá. We enjoyed sneaking around likes spies, acting out the march around Jericho, and some coloring and art projects as well.


Reading: We continued our study of the /k/ sound in Spanish, made by the letters Qq, Cc, and Kk. The kids did a great job saying, hearing, and writing words with the sounds. I continue to be pleased with their progress in reading. We used the Kids A-Z app quite a bit this week, but unfortunately the free trial ends this weekend. I appreciate the work that many of you did at home to help your child practice reading and hope you enjoyed the app! I have put in a request for students to have access next year, so you'll see it again soon. :) 

Writing: This week we started to talking about instructivos, or "how-to" writing. We started by making chocolate caliente together and then putting the instructions in order using the words primero (first), después (after), luego (then), and al final (finally). Then, we brainstormed different things we know about and things we want to know more about. We'll use these ideas for future writing in the coming week! 

Math: In matemáticas, we practiced forming more teen numbers using different manipulatives like pasta, paper clips, and buttons. Then, we made robots and reviewed different shapes and different ways we can put them together. Your child also finished book 1 of our math workbooks--look inside for his/her unit test (you may see some notes with things to practice at home). Finally, on Friday, we enjoyed counting, sorting, classifying, and making patterns with our special 100-piece merienda (snack). Thanks to everyone who contributed to this!

Social Studies: This week we talked about the difference between quiero (I want) and necesito (I need). I enjoy seeing students grow in their vocabulary and their ability to justify their answers in Spanish (for example: "Why do you need water to live? Why don't you need TV?"). We also made our own timelines (líneas de tiempo) to reinforce our study of the past, present, and future. (Side note: the kids really enjoyed guessing my age. Their guesses ranged from 12 to 100. Ha ha!)

Immersion Tip of the Week

One of my goals for the next few months of school is to give the students the opportunity to hear from Spanish-speaking members of the community. This year we are privileged to have many Spanish-speaking parents and grandparents in our classroom family. Would you (or someone in your family) like to come to our classroom to read a book, talk about your country of origin, or do a special activity with the kids? Sign up here! (Also, non-native speakers are welcomed and encouraged to sign up too! I'm happy to work with you if you would like to participate in ANY way!)

Reading Tip of the Week

When reading a book with your child this week, point to a word. Say, "What is the beginning sound? What is the ending sound?" Or, say a word that is on the page and have your child try to find it. If this is difficult, say something like "Hmmm, what is the first sound in mmmmouse? Can you find a word with mmm at the beginning?"

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

*Thursday, February 14th: El día del amor y la amistad (aka el día de San Valentín). We will do some special Valentine's Day activities. Your child is welcome to bring valentines to exchange with his/her classmates. You may help your child write our classmates' names if he/she is able to read them. If not, feel free to just write "De/From: (your child's name)". 

*Friday, February 15th: NO SCHOOL: Staff development

*Monday, February 18th: NO SCHOOL: Presidents' Day

*Week of February 25-March 1 (excluding Wednesday): Makers' Week: For this special week, we will mix with all the other K-2 students to join in some special STEM-based activities! Students will go to different classrooms on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings, and on Friday, they will come to my classroom for a Makers' Week activity in Spanish. This week we'll see the different choices of activities and the students will be able to choose their favorites. 

**REQUEST: If you have some shoe boxes or shoe box tops WITH rims, can you send them my way for my Makers' Week activity? Gracias!

That's all for now--¡que pasen un lindo fin de semana! Happy weekend! Enjoy some fotos below!