We are closing out a fantastic and full week! This week we had the privilege to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the other SI classes. We worked in mixed-age groups to learn a little about a Spanish-speaking country and present it to other students at Rose Park. We even got to look at real artifacts from the country, play authentic games, hear music, and try some delicious food! It was a wonderful celebration, and I am SO grateful to each of you who helped out in some way. Thank you for partnering in our learning as we seek to learn more about God's great world!
We also had the opportunity to take part in a mini-lesson given by Mrs. Erin Johnson (see photo below), our inclusion teacher, who talked about a special friend at Rose Park who has Down syndrome. We talked about how God created ALL of us in His image, and how we are all special and unique.
Reading / Lectura: This week we studied the letters M, N, and Ñ. We are more than halfway done with the alphabet! Soon I will be assessing all students in their letters and sounds in Spanish, which I will share with you. We have also been practicing reading fiction and non-fiction books with a partner and acting out what we are learning. Finally, we have been studying the definite articles in Spanish el/la (which are the equivalents of the word "the" for masculine and feminine nouns).
Writing / Escritura: We have been continuing our focus on la familia, expanding our vocabulary to include los abuelos (grandparents), los tíos (uncles/aunts), and los primos (cousins). We've also been working on adding more to our work and stretching words to hear each individual sound.
Math / Matemáticas: Now that we have finished our preliminary study of the numbers (your child brought home a "libro de números" on Monday), we have started some new math routines. We are also starting to use some counting chips to represent numbers and their different parts.
Bible / Biblia: This week we learned about Adán y Eva (Adam and Eve) and the first sin. While this is a sad story, we are reminded of Christ's redemptive love that saved us from ALL of our sins. What an amazing gift!
Science / Ciencias: Continuing our study of los cinco sentidos, we explored the sense of touch this week and practiced some new vocabulary words: caliente/frío (hot/cold) and duro/suave (hard/soft). The kids love putting their hands inside the "mystery box" to find a surprise!
Immersion Tip of the Week
It may seem like your child spends SO much time every day learning in Spanish, but there is still much more English in his/her day! This week, try to give your child a chance to hear Spanish outside of the classroom. This could mean changing the language on a TV show or movie, going to a place where Spanish is spoken (check out an opportunity below), or listening to some new music. Take advantage of every learning opportunity!
Reading Tip of the Week
Encourage your child to use "picture clues" to figure out words. For example (pointing to the word "elephant"): "This is a long word! It starts with the sound "ehh". Hmm, here's a picture of an elephant. I bet this word says "elephant"!" This is an important skill for students to use when reading and decoding new words.
Letters and Sounds Reinforcement
Grand Haven Hispanic Heritage Festival
Looking for a fun, cultural event to do with your family this weekend? Check out Grand Haven's Hispanic Heritage Festival on Saturday! There will be food trucks, a craft show, live music, dance performances, and more! My daughter's folkloric dance group is performing there as well, and it should be a great time! More details available here.
Field Trip Next Week
Next week on Wednesday afternoon we will head to Post Family Farms with the other kindergarten classes to celebrate el otoño (fall) and explore with our five senses! We'll leave around 12:30 and return by 3:00. Please plan to have your child dressed to be outside all afternoon that day!
That's it for now! Have a wonderful weekend and see you on Monday! Enjoy some more photos from the week below.
