¡Hola Familias de Inmersión!
We had a very eventful first whole week of school! From trying interesting foods to performing a traditional dance, it was a week full of fun learning experiences. Read below for lots of information on what we've been learning in class. Please make sure you read the whole blog post to get some important updates for next week too!
Our Week
Bible
In Bible this week, we learned about Adam (Adán) and Eve (Eva) and how they sinned by eating the fruit given to them by the snake (serpiente). We then talked about how Jesus loved us so much that he took our sins and died for us on the cross. The students made wooden crosses out of popsicle sticks that decorate our world map in the classroom as a reminder that Jesus died for us all. We have also started talking about Noah (Noé). We've made puppets of Noé and the ark (el arca) and are starting to learn a simple story that the kids can help narrate.
Reading
The letter "O" was our focus this week. The students really enjoyed this fun video about "las vocales" and how they "laugh". We learned some vocabulary words that begin with O and compared it with the letter A. Your child made a book with some O words; see how many he/she can "read" to you! We also learned about the Spanish articles "el" and "la", which mean "the" depending on whether the word is masculine or feminine. The kids had fun looking through their books for the words "el" and "la".
Writing
In writing, we continued talking about labeling this week using a familiar topic: la familia (family). Kids drew pictures of their families and labeled their mamá, papá, hermanos (brothers), and hermanas (sisters). They are practicing finishing simple sentences about topics they know and adding a period (punto) at the end. **Could you please send in a family photo next week so we can use it during writing class?**
Math
In matemáticas, we have practiced counting, identifying numbers, creating and continuing patterns (patrones), and have introduced the concept of adding (sumar) and subtracting (restar) with manipulatives. We also learned about el círculo (the circle) and sorted buttons by color, size, and shape.
Science
In our continued study of the five senses (los cinco sentidos), we talked about la lengua (the tongue) which is used to taste (saborear). The kids enjoyed taste-testing foods and classifying them as sweet (dulce), sour (agrio), salty (salado), or bitter (amargo). Some fun ones were lemon wedges, kale, pretzels, and Smarties! You can try to guess what they are tasting in the pictures (one to the right and the rest below).
Mexican Independence Day
On Friday, we gave a small performance to some parents and other classes to celebrate el día de Independencia in Mexico. The children wore typical costumes and learned a dance from the state of Nuevo León. It was a lot of fun, and we were even featured on TV in Mexico on Televisa Monterrey!
Immersion Tip of the Week
Singing is a powerful way to learn a language! I'm sure you have probably heard your child singing songs in Spanish at home (we do a lot of that!). Ask your child if he/she remembers the song for "can you open this please?", the song for getting in line ("silencio"), or the song for washing their hands ("el agua y el jabón").
*I will also add some more links on our Spanish Language Resources page with info about songs that I use a lot in class, in case you're interested in downloading them and playing them at home...on repeat...over...and...over. :)
Reading Tip of the Week
Play a game with your child by segmenting words. Try something like this: "Base - ball. What does that say?" (baseball) Continue with compound words, such as snowman, football, bookcase, etc. Then, break down words into syllables, for example: "ta - ble". Finally, you can do sounds in the words, like "c - a - t". You can do this while running errands together, while driving somewhere in the car, while getting ready for bed, or really anytime!
Important Dates to Remember
*PICTURE DAY is on Wednesday, September 19th in the morning. Please plan accordingly!
*In the afternoon on the same day, September 19th, we will take a short field trip with the other kindergarten classes to Holland State Park. There, we will live out our Discipleship Practice of Creation Keeping (Cuidar la Creación) by cleaning up the beach. Please have your child wear (or bring) comfortable shoes for this trip.
*Our annual Walk-a-Thon is coming up the following Wednesday, on September 26th. We will walk from 1-2:45. If you have not turned in your child's pledge forms, you may still do that on Monday. Gracias!
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! Here are some more photos from our busy week:
¡Feliz Fin de Semana! (Happy Weekend!)
Even though this week was only four days, it was sure jam-packed with lots of learning, adventures, and fun! The students continue to impress me with how quickly they are catching on to language and our daily routines. I've heard from many parents that their kids are singing a lot in Spanish at home!
This week, we had the opportunity to meet our 3rd grade buddies! The children really enjoyed going to the library and reading with these special friends. We will meet together every week or so, and both the 3rd graders and our kindergarteners will enjoy developing this relationship.
Here is an update on what we've been up to in Spanish Immersion Kindergarten this week.
Our Week
Bible
We finished the creation story this week, and your child took home a book with illustrations for each day. Spend a little time this weekend looking at the book and asking about what each page "says". You can also see and ask about the memory verse we've been learning (on the inside cover). Key words: plantas (plants), aves (birds), peces (fish), animales (animals), personas (people), descansó (he rested).
Reading
We touched on all of the vowels last week, and this week we focused on the letter A. We did some practice writing, dotting, and decorating letter A's with aviones (airplanes). Along with this, we talked about the difference between lugares (places) and personas (people). In our text for the week, we read about a tiburón (shark) named Sammy who went to school! Your child created a book about "Sammy el Tiburón" being in different places in the school and looked for the letter "A" in the story.
Writing
We talked about "functional writing" this week (escritura funcional) and examined how we see writing everywhere. We did a lot of noticing writing--in the classroom, the hallways, and all over the school--and talked about how writing is used. The children did a labeling activity after reading the book "Growing Vegetable Soup". Finally, we talked briefly about how we use writing when sending letters. The kids wrote letters to a "secret friend" in the class with a picture of them in a place in the school. Then, we went outside and put them in the mailbox, where they were then delivered to their friends! This was a fun and exciting activity.
Math
In math this week, we worked more on counting 1-10 and one-to-one correspondence. We worked on routines of counting to 10, singing songs, and working with manipulative tiles to create combinations of a number in different colors. We also started making Libros de Números (Number Books) in which students put a certain number of items (stamps, stickers, dots, etc.) on each page with a number.
Science
We have been continuing to see the five senses, or Mis Cinco Sentidos, in science class. We finished talking about the sense of touch by classifying items as duro (hard), suave (soft), caliente (hot), and frío (cold). Next, we talked about how we use our oídos (ears) to listen--escuchar. We played games to identify mystery sounds and went on an outdoor walk where we used our ears and wrote about what we heard.
Immersion Tip of the Week
One reason we don't use translation in a Spanish Immersion class is because we want the students to make immediate connections between the action, object, or concept to the Spanish word. If we translate into English, they pay less attention to the Spanish word and just wait for the translation. In the coming weeks, we'll be practicing an important skill called circumlocution in which the students learn how to describe unknown words using vocabulary they already know.
Reading Tip of the Week
When reading a book this week, try to think of words that rhyme with words in the book. For example, "This word says 'house'. What words rhyme with house? Can you think of any?" This kind of activity will increase your child's phonemic awareness, a critical skill for reading in any language!
Important Dates to Remember
I'm looking forward to seeing you this coming Friday, September 14th, at our Preschool & Kindergarten Homecoming Night! The activities are from 5-7pm and the football game begins at 7:00. Come and enjoy games, fellowship, and free dinner!
Also, our annual Walk-A-Thon is coming up on Wednesday, September 26th! Your child should have received a brown envelope with information about pledges and fundraising. Please return those to me by this Friday, September 14th.
Thank you!
Thank you for your commitment to our Spanish Immersion program! I have received a few items already from our Amazon Wish List, and I am truly grateful for your investment in our current and future classrooms.
¡Que pasen un lindo fin de semana! (Have a beautiful weekend!)
Enjoy some more photos below:
In writing, we continued talking about labeling this week using a familiar topic: la familia (family). Kids drew pictures of their families and labeled their mamá, papá, hermanos (brothers), and hermanas (sisters). They are practicing finishing simple sentences about topics they know and adding a period (punto) at the end. **Could you please send in a family photo next week so we can use it during writing class?**
In our continued study of the five senses (los cinco sentidos), we talked about la lengua (the tongue) which is used to taste (saborear). The kids enjoyed taste-testing foods and classifying them as sweet (dulce), sour (agrio), salty (salado), or bitter (amargo). Some fun ones were lemon wedges, kale, pretzels, and Smarties! You can try to guess what they are tasting in the pictures (one to the right and the rest below). 
Singing is a powerful way to learn a language! I'm sure you have probably heard your child singing songs in Spanish at home (we do a lot of that!). Ask your child if he/she remembers the song for "can you open this please?", the song for getting in line ("silencio"), or the song for washing their hands ("el agua y el jabón"). 
