Whats been going on?

Kinder- Has been learning about family.  This week they made a family portrait and labeled family members in Spanish.

First- Created "Un océano amigable" by listening to "El Pez Arco Iris," discussing and then using their Spanish vocabulary to decorate a fish that depicted being a good friend.  

Second- Practiced their adjectives through an interactive whole class activity and then applying their knowledge of adjectives to draw a picture and label.

Third/Fourth/Fifth- Continued to discuss how to listen and follow instructions in Spanish.  We also discussed the need to begin to use their Spanish as much as possible in the classroom.  Greetings and farewells were introduced and will be continued next class time.  

Until next time!! Please feel free to contact me via email at anytime at abrandon@houstonisd.org.  

Spanish Apps for Apple Products

Apps, apps, apps!!  Games are a great way to get a child interested in learning.  Through play we learn so here are a few free apps that can be downloaded onto Apple products that will aide in their Spanish learning:

Duolingo

Platform: iOS/Android Price: Free We’ve already listed the main Duolingo website and mentioned why it’s such a great resource when it comes to learning Spanish, but having a mobile application is actually the best way to keep up with your progress. You’ll get awards for successfully completing a lesson, which motivates you to continue learning, and of course, it allows you to share your progress with your friends and family.

Spanish Touch Trainer

Platform: iOS/Android Price: Free Just like the previous app, the Spanish Touch Trainer is a must-have. Learn how to construct proper sentences in Spanish and expand your vocabulary with this interactive app. Even though it feels like you’re playing a game on your smartphone, this app actually helps you learn Spanish really well.

The Bravolol Parrot

Platform: iOS/Android Price: Free The Bravolol Parrot will teach you over 800 Spanish phrases and vocabularies. You’ll listen the parrot saying a phrase, and then you’ll record it yourself so that you can compare your skills and learn faster. Everything is categorized in specific scenarios that you might find yourself into. There’s no need for internet connection when using the app, and you can save your favorite phrases and words for faster access later on.

Cat Spanish

Price: Free

Description

As an iOS app to learn Spanish, Cat Spanish is also one of the most unique apps out there.

A spin-off project by the same creators of Memrise, Cat Spanish is a Spanish app with a humorous slant: all the pictures, features and design are themed around cats!  Inside the app, you’ll move along a track to complete challenges, which are oriented around commonly used Spanish phrases. Generally, there are lessons that show a (cat-themed) picture, along with a Spanish phrase and its English translation. After familiarizing yourself with phrases, you’re give multiple choice quizzes to see how much you remember.  What’s really unique about the Cat Spanish app is that the cat photos aren’t just random cat pictures taken from the web, they’re actually relevant to the Spanish phrase you’re learning.  In addition, there are brief grammar lessons in between to let you understand the grammar component of the Spanish phrase you just learned. For example, after learning “tengo miedo” (I’m afraid), it’ll explain that instead of saying I am afraid, in Spanish we say, “I have fear”.

Acentos cuando usas la computadora

Ever wonder how to get those accent marks and special Spanish letter when typing? Here is a “cheat sheet” for that:

Acentos y símbolos usados en Español

Esta es la lista mas común de acentos usados en Español tanto en Windows PC, MS Word, Mac y en HTML (websites).

Letra	Mac	MS Word en PC	Windows Alt-XXXX	Windows Alt-XXX	HTML
á	Option + e, a	Ctrl + ‘ (apostrofe), a	Alt-0225	Alt-160	á
Á	Option + e , A	Ctrl + ‘ (apostrofe) , A	Alt-0193		Á
é	Option + e , e	Ctrl + ‘ (apostrofe) , e	Alt-0233	Alt-130	é
É	Option + e , E	Ctrl + ‘ (apostrofe) , E	Alt-0201	Alt-144	É
í	Option + e , i	Ctrl + ‘ (apostrofe) , i	Alt-0237	Alt-161	í
Í	Option + e , I	Ctrl + ‘ (apostrofe) , I	Alt-0205		Í
ó	Option + e , o	Ctrl + ‘ (apostrofe) , o	Alt-0243	Alt-162	ó
Ó	Option + e , O	Ctrl + ‘ (apostrofe) , O	Alt-0211		Ó
ú	Option + e , u	Ctrl + ‘ (apostrofe) , u	Alt-0250	Alt-163	ú
Ú	Option + e , U	Ctrl + ‘ (apostrofe) , U	Alt-0218		Ú
ü	Option + u , u	Ctrl + : (colon) , u	Alt-0252	Alt-129	ü
ñ	Option + n , n	Ctrl + Shift + ~ (tilde) , n	Alt-0241	Alt-164	ñ
Ñ	Option + n , N	Ctrl + Shift + ~ (tilde) , N	Alt-0209	Alt-165	Ñ
¡	Option + 1	Alt + Ctrl + Shift + ! (presione las 4 teclas juntas)	Alt-0161	Alt-173	¡
¿	Option + Shift + ? (presione las 3 teclas juntas)	Alt + Ctrl + Shift + ? (presione las 4 teclas juntas)	Alt-0191	Alt-168	¿

Happy typing everyone!

What to do at home...

Although we practice our Español in class and around the school it is a wonderful idea to have them practice at home too.  My Symbaloo page will allow you to easily navigate a compilation of my favorite Spanish sites all in one visual interface. You will find games, songs, and stories in Spanish.  Get started today!

¡Que te diviertas!  

Spanish Names

In 4th and 5th grade we learned about names.  Here is an explanation for how we got to create our new Spanish name.  More to come.

Update

These past couple of weeks we have been creating our spanish essential agreements, talking about using kind words in spanish class and being IB learners.  This week we will be reviewing morning calendar vocabulary such as colors, shapes, days, months, weather, season and many others.  Kindergarten will be learning about family.  First grade will be learning greetings and friendship words.  Second grade will be learning adjectives.  In third, fourth and fifth we will review a bit longer and get into geography and Latin American and Spanish culture.

Nuestra Canción

The students have learned a greeting song and I would like to share it with all of you!! Click here to see the video and sing along.

¿Listos? ¡Si!

We finished up our second week of school and it has been a pleasure to meet all of the students.  These past two weeks we have been learning about class procedures and introductions.  I love hearing all of my amigos greeting me in the hallways in Español.  I would like to thank all of those parents who have come up to me and expressed their support.  I love hearing from you guys!  So here we go... ¿Están listos?