Thursday, December 22, 2011

¡FELIZ NAVIDAD Y FELIZ AñO NUEVO!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Esta Semana en la Clase de Español...

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!
WE ARE GOING TO PUERTO RICO !
The itinerary is amazing. Here is a snip of what we will be doing...including a lot of español...

San Juan tour, Luquillo Beach relaxation, Rainforest hike and swim under waterfalls, Ponce tour (second oldest city), visit a historic Indian Ceremonial Park, rural school visit, Bioluminescent Bay private boat tour in day time, then swim at night to discover the magic of the dinoflagellates, Zipline Adventure, cave visit (watch out for murciélagos), mountain organic farm visit, and a visit to the world’s largest Radar Radiotelescope,

Just to name a few. We have room for a few more people, but you MUST ACT FAST. Remember that OLDER siblings are welcome to attend. The deposit of $175 pp can be made directly to www.vamonostours.com.

The fourth graders are finishing up their homework presentations in front of the class, and I must say that, even though it was a challenging way of looking at the location of their country, they persevered. If I got lost while looking for their country, they went back, fixed the problem, and came back with corrections. This shows them taking pride in their work.

Next week we will be celebrating our traditional Fiestas Navideñas, and reviewing some of the traditions of our culture.

Some classes will have the opportunity to play Bingo Navideño, with lots of Spanish vocabulary.


So far we have made "cubitos de nieve", "árbol de Navidad", y la "Flor de Noche Buena"....

Señora Bpckman-Pedersen



Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Esta Semana en la Clase de Español...

1st-4th graders. Many students took the opportunity to read their "Doy gracias por..." cards at the Thanksgiving dinner, however, for those who did not, they have this week to read them to their parents. I will continue to have activities where your child will be able to express himself/herself at home, so please read this blog to keep up with your child's homework.

4th grade: Tarea: find your country location and be ready to tell the class where it is located. For example: Brazil está al norte de Paraguay, al este de Bolivia, al sur de Venezuela, y al oeste del Oceáno Atlántico.

1st-3rd grade: more numbers games, and math.

Frío is the word of the week for the 1st graders, ask your child what it means.

We will be decorating our classroom for the next holiday, La Navidad y el Año Nuevo, and discussing some of the traditions from the Spanish-speaking countries. There will be a small fiesta in the classroom the last day of your child's Spanish class before going on the December break. Want to come to the fiesta?

Monday, November 14, 2011

Esta Semana en la Clase de Español...

"Día de Acción de Gracias"
Thanksgiving Day



Dar =
To give
Doy = I give
so
"Doy gracias por..."
I give thanks for...

The students are writing about what they are thankful for in their table-setting- cards. This is always a great exercise to learn new vocabulary, and to practice old vocabulary as well. I hope that you will help remind your child to bring his/her card to dinner wherever that may be this Thanksgiving, so that he/she can read it in Spanish! They will share them with the class later in the week.
¡Gracias!

4th grade Parents:
In order to make the Puerto Rico trip a reality for some, deposits need to be made by the deadline. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

¡ATENCIóN 4th graders!

NEW, STARTING NEXT WEEK!
Look in my blog to see if your lucky number comes up for a chance to win a private lunch time
(with treats) in the Spanish classroom with Señora Bockman-Pedersen.
Will need to attend the lunch on a Thursday.
Must bring his/her own lunch.
Offer valid through end of May.


Next Week Thursday's Private Lunch Time Winners Are:
Mr. Hughes class - #12

Mrs. Cameron's class - #7

Mrs. Lemon's class - #3

Ms. Telemachos's class - #19



Esta Semana en la Clase de Español...

I am truly enjoying listening to your child sing or recite the verse from his/her homework assignment. I hear familiar words as well as some very interesting and not so familiar words but somehow they make it work.

Hojas
are leaves, not to be confused with ojos which means eyes. The 1st graders will be collecting them in order to decorate my classroom for Thanksgiving.

Next week they will be busy making their traditional Thanksgiving table place cards where they will be writing what they are thankful for...in Spanish of course

In preparation for our math lessons coming up in 2nd, 3rd and 4th, the students are practicing to count by 10's in Spanish:
.Diez, Veinte, Treinta, Cuarenta, Cincuenta, Sesenta, Setenta, Ochenta, Noventa, Cien, and to make it interesting...mil, and dosmil.
Once they master the 10's they should be able to count any number in between. Then we will go into the 100's, and 1,000's!

Discovery Languages book is being read by the students in class. This book has interesting information about the history of the Spanish Language onto the Americas, customs, and many fun activities & exercises.

The trip to Puerto Rico Preview is filling up with interested families. We still have room for a few families to be included, so if you wish to send in your deposit by check to me, feel free to do so, by early next week, and I will forward it to Vámonos Tours. Remember to read the page here in my blog about the trip for updates.
There are several 3rd grade parents interested already in this trip, but rest assured that your child will have the opportunity the following summer (2013), where he/she will be better prepared to enjoy all the Spanish vocabulary and activities to take place during the trip.

Hasta Luego, and thanks for reading!

Friday, November 4, 2011

4th grade and 3rd grade Homework (Tarea)

The 4th and 3rd grade tarea is to write a verse using 4 words in Spanish and their translation in English to match the song verses I sing in class. The 2nd and 4th lines need to rhyme. Below is an example:
Pollito chicken
Gallina hen
Lápiz pencil
y Pluma pen

Go to link below for dictionary words ideas.

The tarea is due next week as follows:
FOURTH GRADE: Mr. Hughes-November 9th, Mrs. Lemon-November 11th, Ms. Telemachos-November 10th, Mrs. Cameron-November 10th.

THIRD GRADE: Mrs. LaDuke-November 10th, Mrs. Mitchell-November 10th, Mr. Wolfrath-November 10th, and Mrs. Hensler-November 9th.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Esta Semana en la Clase de Español...

4th grade parents:
Dear 4th grade parents,
This Thursday and Friday at 2:45 are the LAST two meetings for information about the trip to Puerto Rico. Please come to the Spanish room (K-1) in the Kindergarten wing. If you cannot attend, email me at bbp@shorecrest.org and/or visit my blog and click on the 'Vamos a Puerto Rico' page. ¡Gracias to those who have signed up!
You can use your frequent flier miles on this trip!!

Celebrating El Día de los Muertos November 1st-2nd
1st-4th graders: tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday will be celebrating El Día de los muertos when we discuss a loved one or a pet who has passed away.

The Fourth graders are making 'Papel picado' a form of paper decoration very popular in Hispanic festivities.

3rd and 2nd made their own depictions of Halloween symbols (el gato negro, el fantásma, la bruja, el murciélago, la calabaza con cara, la araña) which were then taped together and laminated, so that they could take it home and hang it for future admiration of their work at this moment in time.

1st graders will be going outside next week as we reinforce their "word of the week - HOJAS. We will be collecting hojas!
Gracias.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Esta Semana en la Clase de Español...

The excitement of our 4th grade trip to Puerto Rico was impressive last week. The first information session was offered today at 2:45 with more specific details about the trip.

NOTE: You may use Frequent Flyer Miles for this trip. If you wish to do so, simply add the Name of the person who owns the FFM not of the passenger using them...you can call me or email me so that I can explain further.

June is already filling up quickly for the tour company, therefore, we would like to get the first 30 people to sign up by November 18th in order to reserve the first week in June.

The next information session will be this Friday at 8:00 a.m. (just before Fall Festival) in my Spanish classroom for parents who could not be present at today's meeting. Mr. Murphy and Dr. Bianco are thrilled that we can offer this amazing opportunity to your child at this early stage in their Spanish education.

Art project relating to Halloween:
We are practicing how to say "I need"...Necesito. So they have had to ask for what they need. For example..."necesito papel blanco para cortar el fantásma" (I need white paper to cut the ghost)...this is also the word we use when we need help at calendar..."necesito ayuda" (I need help)...or when trying to tie a shoe lace (for the younger ones :-) )

They don't know it but they are conjugating a verb. I would first ask ¿qué necesitas? (what do you need?) another way of conjugating the same verb. This is important because in Spanish there are rules for certain ending verbs. This one is an 'ar' verb because the root word is "necesitar" (to need), therefore, all other verbs that end in 'ar' will follow the same rules.
---------------
4th and 3rd grade is continuing their recordings and making a Halloween art project in-house. They had to ask for specific things during the project, which gave everyone the opportunity to speak Spanish. It is impressive to see how quickly the 4th graders can get through this exercise. Several of them did not even need to look at the board to know what to say!

2nd graders art project resembled that of the 3rd graders...they had to come to me individually and tell me what they needed, but at a slower pace. 1st graders were not left behind with an art project. They made the "Libro de el día de los muertos" (book), and I hope that you will take the time to listen to your child read it to you!
REMEMBER:
FRIDAY MORNING PUERTO RICO TRIP INFO SESSION #2, AT 8:00 MY ROOM

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Esta Semana en la Clase de Español...

The 4th graders have begun to record their voices while reading "Todo de Mí" (All about me). It is amazing, and fun to hear their voices in Spanish.

3rd graders are finishing up writing the "question & answer" cards. They worked with a team mate, then shared with the class. Public speaking is being taught in Spanish class!

2nd and 1st graders are beginning to decorate my classroom with items for "El Día de las Brujas" (Halloween) such as "la calabaza con cara, el fantásma, el gato negro, y la bruja". For 2nd graders it was a process which included having the student tell me in Spanish "Yo quiero cortar el gato negro", (I want to cut the black cat), at which time I would hand them a piece of construction paper, then they had to say "gracias", manners, manners, manners!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Esta Semana en la Clase de Español...

Hola!
4th and 3rd graders will continue to work on the "Todo de Mí" in order to be able to record themselves describing themselves. They will be using the Spanish/English dictionaries, a sometimes tricky task. I look forward to seeing some creative descriptions :-)

1st and 2nd graders will be playing a new Bingo game through the Symtalk program. This is a visual vocabulary educational system which they have seen before, and will now have more opportunities to apply it in an oral setting.

Please see the new "Club Leo" page I added to my blog. If you are interested in creating a Spanish library at home, feel free to order through Scholastic Club Leo. All the information is in my blog.

¡Gracias!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Esta Semana en la Clase de Español...

Muchas Gracias to all of you who came to support me on Friday. The Sumo outfit proved a bit heavy and stiff for me, but now that I know what it feels like, I'm ready for a re-match! Coach D "look out"!!

4th graders and 3rd graders are working on describing things about themselves with words such as Me llamo (I call myself), Tengo (I have), Me gusta (I like), and Quiero (I want). They will continue to increase this type of vocabulary for a final verbal "skit" later in the year. Acting will be expected, so we'll be on Broadway-mode.

2nd graders and 1st graders are learning the song about the Spanish class coming to an end, with the tic, toc, tic, toc, el reloj...as well as learning to introduce themselves properly.

I've uploaded a new song about the "Days of the week" at the very bottom of the page. Please scroll down to hear the voice recorded vocabulary, and song.
Gracias!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Señora Sumo

The fight of the year!!!
Please come by on Friday evening and help cheer for Señora Sumo representing the LD!

The football game begins at 7:30, and at the Half Time Show I will be wrestling Coach D. I would love to have LD students there cheering me on! Hope you can all come. :-)

Hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken terriyaki, snow cones, fortune cookies, and much more!
Hasta luego, Señora Sumo (a.k.a. Señora Bockman-Pedersen).

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

4th grade and 3rd grade Homework Link (Tarea)

Here's the link to the Artic question: In the Artic today, is there more day-time or night-time? look for the answer in the following link...
http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/ocean-acidification/arcticcruise2011/


Dear Parents,
For your students in 4th and 3rd grade the homework assignment is simple. Go onto the USGS link above and click on the girl with pig tails: Got questions?. The question to What's the weather like? How many hours of daylight do you get? has the answer below it.
The student needs to answer in Spanish...
En el Ártico hay más tiempo de...
día/noche.

a note about her...
Our ex-Shorecrest parent and local Scientist Dr. Lisa Robbins (and very good friend) is onboard the USCGC Healy directing an Artic Ocean Acidification Research. She will be there for a few months. I found it a great way for the kids to see from beginning to end how a trip like that might benefit us all as well as ask questions.

Don't worry, I am integrating some Spanish vocabulary :-)

Monday, August 22, 2011

Esta Semana en la Clase de Español...

...Bienvenidos a todos!!!

We began the week going over some very important items such as the Emergency Procedures, Expectations, Rules of the classroom, and Class list items.

Many returning students will be able to take home their
newly purchased folders, since I still had their old ones. My wish is to keep adding material to them in order to make them part of the 4th grade portfolios.



I made a little mistake... for 1st graders, I failed to add to the list the need of a "cuaderno" (spiral notebook). Many students expressed that they already have an extra "cuaderno"; your child's teacher will let you know if he/she needs one.



Soon after all the rules and emergency procedures are taken care of I will begin speaking primarily in Español!! Will be fun!!!!!



Hasta Luego,
Señora Bockman-Pedersen

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Esta semana en la clase de Español...

As promised, here are some website options for your child to stay connected with Spanish.
Please help your child navigate to the relevant age/appropriate section on these sites as they are designed for different grade levels.

http://www.digitaldialects.com/Spanish.htm

http://123teachme.com
http://www.languagehelpers.com/words/spanish/basics.html


Hope you are having a great summer!
Señora Bockman-Pedersen

Monday, May 2, 2011

Esta semana en la clase de Español...

It's 'CINCO DE MAYO"!!
We'll be reviewing the story in the higher grades and introducing it in the lower grades.

Feliz Dia de Cinco de Mayo!

We are also continuing to review numbers.

Grades K,1st and 2nd are learning to say "veo" (I see) while using the "Binoculares" outside. They have had to answer my question ¿Que ves? (what do you see), then they answer "Yo veo...". this is a great opportunity to take the Spanish class outside and discover our environment in Spanish.

chao,

Monday, March 28, 2011

Esta semana en la clase de Español...

1st through 4th grade: We are learning and practicing "Clothing". Using flash cards which are part of the matching game, the students have the opportunity to visually see the picture and the word that matches the clothing item.

4th graders: Are learning about Venezuela, and the wonderful natural wonders of this large and beautiful country.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Esta semana en la clase de Español...

We are practicing reading in Spanish in preparation for "Reading Week" next week.
The 1st and 2nd graders are reading a book titled "Elena y Dani" which incorporates repetitive sentencing structure, with simple vocabulary.

Kindergarten students will be making their shape book which they will have a chance to read to each other.

4th and 3rd graders will continue developing vocabulary with Muzzy!

¡Hasta Luego!
Señora Bockman-Pedersen

Monday, February 7, 2011

Esta semana en la clase de Español...

We are busy making "corazones" (hearts) for "El dia de los Enamorados". Students will have a chance to write about who they love in Spanish.
The students are also reinforcing the alphabet while playing the "hot potato" game.
In the higher grades we are continuing with Muzzy.

IMPORTANT ONLINE RE-ENROLLMENT INFORMATION:
We are excited to announce that we are moving to an online re-enrollment process!  This will allow you to complete your enrollment contract online, as well as make payments online. We believe that this will save you time and effort. 

You will no longer need to complete lengthy paperwork, as student information will be pre-populated on each student's individual enrollment form. Once the enrollment contract is submitted online, you will be able to print a copy of the contract for your records. 

In addition, we are pleased to offer you an easy, secure online payment system to make electronic payments of tuition deposits, tuition refund plan payments, tuition, and donation payments. This convenient alternative for families will allow you to make electronic payments by e-check or credit card (Master Card, American Express or Discover only).

A convenience fee of 2.75% will be charged if you use a credit card; however, there is no fee for using e-check, which is a direct debit to your bank account. You will be receiving further information the week of February 16.