Spartan Spanish

Interrogatives

2012-02-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

7th Graders: You should be studying your new interrogatives that you learned either with me or with Señora Jones. You need to know the definitions so we can practice using them in questions in class next week. Happy studying!

Language Acquisition

2012-02-03T09:40:00.001-08:00

I read an interesting article this week about language acquisition in children. People talk about how learning a language can be challenging, but when we are born, our brains are capable of learning ANY language. We lose that capability as we get older. I'm obviously interested in language acquisition because I watch my students work on their acquisition of Spanish every day. The other reason I'm interested is because I want Baby Bergmann to start learning both English and Spanish from a young age. I know that the younger he is when we start teaching him both languages, the easier it will be for him to acquire fluency in both of these languages. I know not everybody finds this interesting, but I'm amazed at what our brains are capable of! Read the article here to learn more about how our brains acquire language.

7th Grade U2E2 vocab

2012-02-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

You can practice for the vocab quiz here to quiz yourself on the words. Don't forget to use definite articles with the nouns!

El estudiante ideal

2012-01-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

The 7th graders created the "ideal student" this week and presented them to the class. They told us what the ideal student does. Some of the things were, "Nunca llega tarde a la clase."; "Siempre escucha a la maestra."; "Rara vez saca malas notas." and "Prepara la tarea todos los días." Many of the students also did a great job presenting their ideal student and practiced their pronunciation. Great job!

8th Grade Vocabulary

2012-01-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

8th Graders: You have a vocabulary quiz next Thursday on your new vocabulary lists. They are the items from el mercado and your technology vocab. You should study the words this weekend! Make sure you're prepared for the words that have accents. If you want to practice on Word Dynamo, the list is there. Happy studying!

8th Grade Technology Vocab

2012-01-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

If you didn't get the technology vocabulary during class today here are the words that you need for your orange sheet.

la cámara digital=digital camera

conectar a Internet=to connect to the Internet

la dirección electrónica=e-mail address

estar en línea=to be online

hacer clic en=to click on

el icono=icon

mandar=to send

el mensajero instantáneo=instant messaging

navegar por Internet=to surf the Internet

la pantalla=screen

quemar un disco compacto=to burn a CD

el ratón=mouse

el sitio Web=Web site

el teclado= keyboard

tomar fotos=to take photos

¡Felicidades!

2012-01-13T12:16:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to all of the 8th grade Spanish students. Each one of them received the required score or higher for part of their Foreign Language credit requirement for DGS! Some of them now have an idea of how challenging exams will be next year and how they need to prepare for them. Way to go, guys!

Have a great weekend!

¡Feliz año nuevo!

2012-01-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year & Welcome Back!

The students dove back into Spanish class this week. The 7th graders took a quiz on their vocabulary that they reviewed (I hope!) over break. The 8th graders took their Spanish I midterm from DGS. We'll find out how they did when DGS sends their scores back!

El año nuevo is celebrated in different ways in Spanish speaking countries. In Perú, a large part of the population is of Chinese descent so one New Year's tradition in Perú is to touch a Chinese lion. The Spanish ring in the new year by eating 12 grapes at midnight to represent the 12 strokes of midnight that begin the New Year. In Columbia people make papier mâché figures to represent the "old year". At midnight they burn the figures to represent starting fresh in the New Year.

I always think it is interesting to learn how many different ways to celebrate the same holiday. Everyone has such unique customs that get passed down from year to year.

¡Feliz Navidad!

2011-12-16T09:50:00.000-08:00

The 8th graders will have their Midterm starting on Thursday, January 5 when we get back. They all should study and review over break. 7th graders will have a vocabulary quiz on Wednesday January 4.
It is important that all of the Spanish students practice some Spanish over break. It's hard to jump back into Spanish if you haven't practiced for two weeks!

I hope you all have a fun and safe Winter Break!

las clases

2011-12-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here are some review games for you to play with your classes. Make sure you review over break!

U2E1 Vocab Pics

2011-12-13T10:01:00.001-08:00

7th Graders: Here are the Word Dynamo games for your Vocab Pics on School/Classroom objects. It would be a good idea to practice these over break!

Prepositional Phrases

2011-12-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

8th graders: Here are the prepositional phrases notes if you didn't get all of the phrases in class.

8th Grade Vocab Quiz

2011-12-01T09:35:00.001-08:00

Uds. tienen una prueba de vocabulario de U4E1 viernes el 9 de diciembre. Visita Word Dynamo para unos juegos para repasar el vocabulario.

Práctica con la fecha

2011-12-01T09:22:00.000-08:00

Play these Word Dynamo review games to quiz yourself on our dates vocabulary. Make sure you study the words for next Wednesday's test.

7th Grade Test

2011-11-30T09:53:00.000-08:00

7th Graders: ¡Tienen un examen! La fecha del examen es miércoles el 7 de diciembre. Make sure you are prepared for the test! Use the study guide you got in class to organize the notes that you need to study.

DGS Midterm Exam Information

2011-11-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

8th Graders: This week you received a brochure from DGS explaining the process for you to earn 1 World Language credit for taking Spanish here at Lakeview. Here is a link to the brochure if you need another copy. The dates for your midterm are:

Jan. 5-6: Listening & Reading

Jan. 9-11: Vocabulary, Grammar & Culture

You will get review materials in the next couple of weeks. Make sure you spend time outside of class preparing and studying for the midterm!

7th Grade Numbers Quiz

2011-11-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

7th graders: We reviewed all week for your numbers quiz. Make sure you practice pronouncing the words out loud this weekend to be ready for Monday. Remember-you can visit Word Dynamo to practice your numbers. Or you can quiz yourself on a blank numbers notes sheet. If you do the Word Dynamo practice, here are the keys to make accents for the four numbers that have accents:

á=alt+160

é=alt+130

í=alt+161

ó=alt+162

ú=alt+163

¡=alt+173

¿=alt+168

Numbers 11-100 review

2011-11-15T10:48:00.000-08:00

7th graders: Our quiz on numbers 11-100 will be next Monday, November 21. Click here for a numbers review on Word Dynamo (hint:don't capitalize the numbers if you're typing them, but do include accents where necessary!).

Baby Bergmann

2011-11-10T07:48:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Dr. Bergmann and I get to find out if we are having a Baby Girl Bergmann or a Baby Boy Bergmann! We are excited to find out and share the news with our family, friends, co-workers and the students! On Monday, I'll be wearing pink if we're having a girl and blue if we're having a boy.

Have a wonderful, safe weekend here in Illinois or on the Washington D.C. trip!

Family Vocab practice

2011-11-08T06:06:00.001-08:00

7th graders: You should be practicing your family vocabulary every night this week for our quiz next Tuesday. Visit word dynamo to play some review games with your vocabulary to help you study!

Weather Review

2011-11-07T17:22:00.001-08:00

Need to review your weather vocabulary before Thursday's quiz? Go to word Dynamo to quiz yourself with some word games from your vocab list!

el Día de los Muertos

2011-11-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

On Monday and Tuesday, many people in Mexico celebrated el Día de los Muertos. This holiday is an opportunity for people to remember and honor their loved ones who have passed away. Families set up altars for their loved ones with flowers and the deceased person's favorite foods and drinks. Families also visit the grave sites of their loved ones and will spend time reminiscing about the person who has passed away. In class we talked about how people who celebrate el Día de los Muertos say that they "make fun of" death" as a way to make it seem less scary. They believe that death is just a step into another life for them. It was really interesting to hear the students' perspectives on this concept.
The 8th graders are making Día de los Muertos skeletons and we'll vote on the best one next week. The 7th graders made awesome Día de los Muertos masks today.

Weather

2011-11-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

The 8th graders just learned weather vocabulary and phrases. Just in time for the changing weather outside! We will have a quiz next Thursday so make sure you have the notes.

el paraguas

el sol

la tormenta

Está lloviendo.

Está nublado.

Fierce Competition

2011-10-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

Competition is heating up between all of the Spanish classes. Both the 7th & 8th grade classes had vocabulary quizzes this week and lots of students wanted to know how their classes stacked up to the other classes. Here's how many people got 100% in each class:

3rd: 6
4th: 7
5th: 7
6th: 11
7th: 12
8th: 13

Overall, everybody did a great job on their vocabulary quizzes this week. Keep up the good work and have a great weekend!

7th Grade Clothing Quiz

2011-10-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

7th graders: Don't forget to study your clothing vocabulary for our quiz on Thursday! If you want to quiz yourself at home, here is the review sheet that we did in class. It would be a good way to practice spelling the words!

8th Grade Notes

2011-10-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

After today's quiz, you should have checked your binder for the notes that we need for our next review. If you need them and did not pick up a copy you can print them from here.

Sports Vocab (Use the white sheet you did for homework after taking the quiz)

Jugar

e>ie stem-changing verbs

Saber

Making comparisons

7th Grade Vocabulary Quiz

2011-10-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

We will have a vocabulary quiz on our physical description words on martes. Make sure you know how to spell the words correctly!

Here are some of your words. Do you know these yet?

alto(a) largo(a) pequeño(a) fuerte bonito(a)

rubio(a) moreno(a) bajo(a) guapo(a)

El día de la raza

2011-10-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Monday is known as Columbus Day to most of us and that's why we don't have school. Many hispanics know Monday as el Día de la raza or el Día de la Hispanidad. Those who celebrate el Día de la Hispanidad celebrate their connections with all the other Spanish-speaking people in the world. El Día de la raza is a time for indigenous people to celebrate their heritage and pre-Colombian history.
My father is from Canada so on Monday I will be celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving with my family.

Have a great weekend celebrating whatever Monday means to you!

8th Grade Etapa 3 Repaso

2011-10-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Our next set of notes to review are below. Check in your binder to see if you have them from last year. If you don't, get a copy from my room or print a copy from below.

Acabar de + infinitive

Venir

Gustar

Phone Vocab

Invitations Vocab

Emotions Vocab

8th Grade Quiz

2011-09-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

8th graders: Our next quiz will be on jueves, el 6 de octubre. These are the concepts you need to review for the quiz. You can print the notes or see me if you need them.

Ir+a+Infinitive

-er/-ir verbs notes

Verbs with irregular yo forms

After school activities vocabulary

Walk to End Alzheimer's

2011-09-26T09:56:00.001-07:00

We had a great time walking in Naperville yesterday (Sunday) for the Walk to End Alzheimer's! Together, the 7th grade team raised over $1,400!! It was great to walk with my co-workers, some students and their families. THANK YOU to all the students, teachers, friends and family who donated to our team.

7th Grade Quiz

2011-09-26T09:53:00.001-07:00

7th graders:

Your next quiz will be this viernes, September 30. It will be on the following concepts. Click on them for blank copies of the notes if you need them or want to quiz yourself.

Subject Pronouns & Ser

Vocabulary (Boy, girl, man, woman, teacher, doctor, etc)

Walk to End Alzheimer's

2011-09-23T12:15:00.001-07:00

Some of the 7th grade teachers and students will be participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer's in Naperville on Sunday. The 7th grade students did an amazing job raising funds for the walk! Miss Enzbigilis's and Miss Nyhlen's Homebases both raised well over $100 dollars for our team! Thank you so much to the students and parents who contributed. We are looking forward to seeing some students and parents at the walk on Sunday as well! Please visit our team page for more information regarding the walk.

Have a great weekend!

8th Grade Quiz

2011-09-23T09:41:00.001-07:00

Our next review quiz will be on Wednesday, September 28. The following concepts will be on your quiz:

Obligation

Time

Estar (see me if you need estar notes)

Interrogatives

El mundo hispanohablante

2011-09-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

This week the 7th graders identified the Spanish-speaking countries of Central America, South America and the Caribbean along with their capitals. They have notes with their maps and are preparing for a quiz next Thursday.

7th graders: Here are blank maps of centroamérica y el caribe

and of Sudamérica

so you can quiz yourselves.

¡Buena suerte!

Today's in class review

2011-09-15T13:07:00.001-07:00

Here are the answers from the repaso that we didn't finish in class today. 6. Answer the questions in a complete sentence.
¿Quién enseña la clase de computación?
La señora Foellmer enseña la clase de computación.
¿Qué estudia Paco?
Paco estudia ciencias.
¿Qué miras?
(Yo) Miro la televisión.

7. Answer the questions with an expression of frequency.
¿ Con qué frecuencia preparas la tarea? (every day)
(Yo) Preparo la tarea todos los días. OR
Todos los días (yo) preparo la tarea.
¿Con qué frecuencia llegan Uds. tarde a la clase? (rarely)
(Nosotros) Rara vez llegamos tarde a la clase.
¿Con qué frecuencia usas la computadora?
(Yo) Uso mucho la computadora.

Happy Studying!

8th Grade Quiz

2011-09-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

¡Tenemos una prueba el viernes!

Make sure you have all of the notes that we have reviewed. There are extras in class, or you can get them here:

Tener

Numbers 11-100

Expressing Possession with "de" (See me if you need these)

Possessive Adjectives

Dates

Regular -ar verbs

Classes vocabulary (See me if you need these)

Expressions of Frequency (See me if you need these)

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our country. For many people this is an emotional anniversary and I will never forget where I was that morning or the feeling of sadness and fear that I felt while watching the news. I know that many of our Lakeview students are too young to remember this day. For me this weekend is a time to remember the lives that were lost and those that changed forever. It is also a reminder that our lives will never be the same in this country and that we all have to take a lot of precautions now to ensure our safety and security.

Take a few moments this weekend to remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

7th Grade Test

2011-09-09T11:46:00.001-07:00

7th graders: We have our first examen on Monday! Make sure you're prepared for it. Go over the pink study guide and the white review sheet that we did in class this weekend. Make sure you can spell your vocabulary words.

El alfabeto

2011-09-02T09:02:00.001-07:00

Today the 7th grade students learned the Spanish alphabet. It is similar to the English alphabet with a couple of extra letters.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N Ñ O P Q R RR S T U V W X Y Z

Visit this website for pronunciation help:

http://www.spanishspanish.com/alfabeto_ipower.html

Have a great weekend!

¡Bienvenidos al año escolar!

2011-08-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to school!

I hope that everybody had a fun and relaxing summer. We had a great first few days back at school. I was happy to see the 8th grade students again and excited to meet the new 7th grade Spanish students.

We kicked off the school year with our PBIS Cool Tools to remind us about how we're expected to behave in different areas of the school.

We started 7th grade Spanish by reading a book called Say ¡Hola! to Spanish. In that book we saw some Spanish words that we already knew and learned some new ones. Here is the Spanish information letter for the 7th grade Spanish students.

The 8th graders reviewed some of the common classroom phrases that we learned last year. They got their binders back and made sure they were organized and ready to dive into our review on Monday. Here is the 8th grade Spanish information letter that they received in class today.

Have a great weekend!

WOW Day

2011-06-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

Our 1st WOW Day was a success! What a great day! Thanks to all the teachers and students who were flexible and brought their good attitudes today. The students came up with some amazing products. Here are a just a couple of them...

Amazon Law

2011-05-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

This week in Brazil, politicians and farmers are trying to pass a bill that will allow farmers to cut down trees on their property. They aren't allowed to right now because laws that protect the Amazon Rain Forest saw that farmers have to conserve a certain percentage of their property as rain forest. However, that makes it difficult for some farmers to make enough money to live off of. The new bill will allow them to use more of their property for agriculture. Part of the bill will also give amnesty (forgiveness) to people who illegally cut down trees in the Amazon before 2008. Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff says she will veto a bill that includes amnesty for illegal deforestation.
The Amazon Rain Forest is a vast area of land (about 1.7 billion acres). It is home to more than 2 million insect species, 2,000 birds and mammals, 40,000 plant species and 3,000 fish. Do you think the government should continue to protect the Amazon or let farmers use their own property to grow crops and make a living?
Read more about the bill here.

7th Grade Career Fair

2011-05-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

Today the 7th Grade Team hosted a Career Fair for the 7th grade students. We had several parents come in as well as some family members of the team. I'm so glad that my sister-in-law was able to come to talk to the students about her job as a web trainer. A big Thank You to Miss Enzbigilis for organizing the Career Fair!

8th Grade Spanish Final

2011-05-16T10:04:00.001-07:00

Our 8th grade Spanish final is coming up. We're reviewing all week! You got a purple Study Guide in class this week, but click here if you need another copy. Make sure you review your vocabulary and infinitive definitions so you're prepared!

Dates: May 23, 24 & 25 (if needed): listening, vocabulary & grammar
May 26: writing (in class)

cinco de mayo

2011-05-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was cinco de mayo. We talked about some misconceptions about cinco de mayo and learned a few things. Many people think that cinco de mayo is Mexican Independence Day, but that's in September! Cinco de mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla, a town near Mexico City. French soldiers arrived in Mexico in 1862 to collect money that Mexico owed them. Their underlying mission was to establish themselves in the Americas. The people of Puebla fought off the French even though they were outnumbered. It took about five years after the Battle of Puebla on cinco de mayo to get the French out of Mexico. But cinco de mayo is remembered as a special holiday because it was the first time that Mexican born Spaniards, Mexicans and the indigenous people of Mexico came together for a common cause.

¡Viva México!

Happy Jalapeños

2011-05-06T06:09:00.001-07:00

As part of our recognition of cinco de mayo, some of us purchased "Happy Jalapeño" shirts from one of the 8th grade Spanish students. He thought of the "Happy Jalapeño" to use for an advertisement project. Lots of students wanted to order shirts too! Here are some of the teachers and students who ordered the shirts. Thanks, Mike!

Los deportes

2011-04-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

The 7th graders just started a chapter on sports and sporting equipment. We're working on what equipment they need for various sports like el baloncesto, el fútbol y el hockey!

8th Grade Quiz

2011-04-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

The 8th graders have a quiz on Wednesday. You need to know your vocabulary (click for list) and you need to be able to use the Present Progressive (click for notes). You also need to be able to use pronouns with the present progressive. Spelling will count!

7th Grade Test

2011-04-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

7th Graders-you have your test on Wednesday! Use the study guide (click on "study guide") you got last week to locate the notes you need to study. Use the sheet we did in class today to help you prepare for the format of the test. Spelling will count!!

Bossy, bossy!

2011-04-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

8th Graders-Here's the command "Cheat Sheet" I had up for you today:

regular affirmative tú commands

-Use the él/ella form of the present tense.

Caminar>camina

Correr>corre

-Pronouns get attached to the end of the command.

Comer la ensalada>Cómela

Cepillarse los dientes>Cepíllate los dientes ********************************************************************************

regular negative tú commands

-Conjugate the verb to the yo form. Drop the -o ending and add the appropriate ending.

-ar verbs: -es

-er/-ir verbs: -as

-Pronouns go in front of the command.

Comer la ensalad>No la comas

Cepillarse los dientes>No te cepilles los dientes

Tom's Shoes

2011-04-08T13:22:00.001-07:00

Normally I wouldn't blog about what I wear to school, but today I wore some shoes from Tom's Shoes that many students (and teachers) asked about...probably because they are pink and sparkly.

Tom's is a retailer that sells shoes and for every pair of shoes purchased, a pair of shoes is given to a child in need in a developing country. The company was founded when a traveler met some children in Argentina and realized that they didn't own any shoes. Many children in developing countries don't own shoes and they are susceptible to diseases from walking barefoot all of the time. Many schools require shoes so children who don't have shoes miss out on the opportunity to go to school, simply because they can't afford shoes.

As of September 2010, Tom's has given over one million pairs of shoes to children who don't have any. Feel free to read more about the mission of Tom's and maybe do a little shopping! Tom's Shoes can also be found at certain retailers.

http://www.toms.com/

2011-03-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

When we get back from break we are going to jump back into our Spanish studies!

7th Grade-Quiz on Wednesday, April 6. The quiz will be on your emotions vocabulary words. Remember your adjectives need to match the ____________ & ______________ of the nouns they describe. You also need to use the correct verb to describe people's feelings. Think about our rhyme: How you feel and where you are is when you use the verb ___________.

8th Grade-Quiz on Wednesday, April 6. The quiz will be on reflexive verbs. Make sure you know the definitions of the infinitives (to brush one's teeth=_____________; acostarse=____________), how to conjugate the verbs (yo/dormirse=_____________) and how to use them in sentences (I wake up at 6am.=__________________________)

I hope that everyone has a relaxing and safe break.

¡Hasta el abril!

Crisis in Japan

2011-03-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

The earthquake that hit Japan was a week ago, but the people of Japan are still feeling the effects of the quake and are facing very serious problems, especially regarding a potential leak of radiation. Workers are working in unsafe conditions to try to prevent a catastrophic leak. The costs of repairing the many aspects of life and things that have been destroyed are still mounting and it might seem like there is nothing that we can do to help.
You can help! You can donate money to help Japan through the Red Cross's website. A donation will support disaster relief efforts in Japan. You can go to the Red Cross's home page http://www.redcross.org to read about some bits of good news coming out of Japan as people get in contact with loved ones. Then you can click the Donate button to make a contribution. I did this morning and it didn't take much of my time to contribute to the relief effort. I encourage you to consider doing something to help too!

Spanish Tests

2011-03-11T07:08:00.001-08:00

Next week the 7th & 8th graders have Spanish tests.

8th Grade Test: Tuesday, March 15

Vocabulary
Extreme adjectives (-ísimo[a])
e>i stem-changing verbs
affirmative and negative words
gustar

7th Grade Test: Thursday, March 17

Vocabulary
Ir+a+infinitive
Regular -er/-ir verbs
Sequencing words
Verbs with irregular yo forms

¡Impresionante!

2011-03-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

The 8th graders took a vocabulary quiz this week and most of them did really well on all the words that they were responsible for. We have been focusing on food vocabulary, adjectives to describe food and table setting words.
A special felicidades to my 3rd & 6th period classes-EVERY student in those class got an A on the quiz. Way to go, chicos y chicas!!!

¡Los chicharrones!

2011-03-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

One of the 7th graders vocabulary words is los chicharrones. Not many of the 7th graders were familiar with what chicharrones are. Chicharrones are fried pork rinds. They have the consistency of cheetos and can be plain or come in different flavors.

One of our classmates brought some chicharrones for us to try this week. Everybody in the class who wanted one tried one, many asked for seconds! ¡Gracias María!

Nahuatl

2011-02-25T12:30:00.000-08:00

Recently the 8th graders did a little research on the Aztec calendar system. It's an intricate system to track the passage of time. The students figured out what the equivalent of their birthdays would be on the Aztec calendar and they illustrated the images. They did a great job! You can find the equivalent to your own birthday at this site: http://www.azteccalendar.com/
We also learned a couple of English words that were derived from Nahuatl (the language of the Aztecs). Words like chocolate came from xocolatl; tomato from tomatl; and avocado from avocatl. I studied the origins of the Spanish language as part of my master's degree and I think it's interesting to see how words adapt and change from one language to another. Hopefully the students find it interesting too!

Pack the Place 2011

2011-02-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

The boys' Pack the Place game was rescheduled due to our snow days and I participated in the Pie-a-teacher activity again. See the video below! Unfortunately the boys lost, but it was great to see so many students at the game. Thanks to Mrs. Mesker and the Leadership Team for organizing all of the pre-game activities!!

Interrogativas

2011-02-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

This week the 7th graders learned interrogative words in Spanish. We also learned a song to help us remember what the words mean! Here are the lyrics to the song. It is sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells".

La canción de interrogativas

A dónde is to where

de dónde is from where

cuánto is how much

a qué hora asks what time

(repite)

Por qué-why

cuándo-when

qué-what

dónde-where

cómo-how

quién means who

cuál is which or what
(repite)

Snow, snow, snow!

2011-02-04T06:09:00.000-08:00

What a short week! I hope that everybody stayed safe and warm during the two snow days that we had. Now we need to catch up!

On Monday February 7, the 7th graders will have a quiz on Spanish time.

On Tuesday February 8 the 8th graders will have a quiz on Indirect Object Pronouns.

¡A regatear!

2011-01-28T12:09:00.000-08:00

This week the 8th graders talked about some of the unspoken rules for bargaining in markets in Spanish speaking countries. We also looked at a couple of items that I have acquired with my expert bargaining skills! The five rules that we talked about are:
1. Speak in Spanish as much as you can.
2. Don't act like a rich tourist-a poor student is more likely to get a better deal.
3. When the vendor tells you how much something costs, tell him/her, "That's too much!"
4. Look around at other stores to compare prices.
5. Smile! It doesn't cost you anything and being nice might get you a discount.

Los Osos de Chicago

2011-01-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

This weekend will be an exciting one for Bears fans! Lots of students and teachers today showed their support of the Bears by wearing Bears gear. What does this have to do with Spanish? Visit univision to read predictions in Spanish about Sunday's game. http://nfl.univision.com

Have a great weekend!

Go Bears!!

New vocabulary

2011-01-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

All Spanish classes got new vocabulary this week after our chapter tests.
The 8th graders learned words like: el anillo, los aretes, el cinturón, la jarra and el plato because they are learning about items that you can buy in open air markets, specifically in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The 7th graders learned words like: el semestre, la cita, el almuerzo and el descanso because we are doing a chapter on the school day.
We'll dive into and start using this vocabulary next week!

Have a safe and restful holiday weekend!

¡Hicimos mucho!

2011-01-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

We had a busy first week back. The 7th graders ROCKED their -ar verb quizzes. It was the best quiz of the year! The 8th graders directed me through a 'town' with great directions on a speaking quiz.

Next week will be busy too. The 8th graders have a chapter test on Wednesday. They need to study: Vocabulary, Prepositional Phrases, Affirmative tú commands, Salir para and Decir que.

The 7th graders have a test on Friday. They need to know: Vocabulary, -ar verbs, Expressions of Frequency and Expressions of Obligation.

Have a great weekend!

Canciones de Navidad

2010-12-16T18:45:00.000-08:00

The 8th grade Spanish students worked on singing some traditional holiday carols in Spanish this week. We even went caroling to some of the classes at Lakeview. We had a great time. Here's one of our performances. Enjoy!

Have a fun, safe break!

Canciones de Navidad

2010-12-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

Some of the Spanish classes have been learning some holiday carols to share with their peers next week. Hopefully the students will be inspired by the wintery weather we're supposed to have to practice this weekend.

Mi Hombre de Nieve

Mi hombre de nieve,

es feliz y está muy gordo.

Con la boca, la nariz, dos ojos,

en la cabeza un sombrero.

(Repite)

Da da da da da,

Da da da da da

Mi hombre de nieve.

Da da da da da,

¡Mi hombre de nieve!

Cascabeles (Jingle Bells)

O qué felicidad caminar en un trineo

por los caminos qué blancos ya están.

Nos paseamos con gritos de alegría

Con cantos y risas de dicha caminamos.

Cascabeles, cascabeles, tra la la la la

Qué alegría todo el día, tra la la la la

(Repite el coro)

O qué felicidad caminar en un trineo

Por los bosques qué lindos ya se ven

Nos paseamos con gritos de alegría

Y cascabeles agitados,

Caminamos.

(coro)

¡Esquéletos festivos!

2010-11-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

The 8th graders finished their día de los muertos skeletons and they look fantastic! We voted on the best skeletons from each class and the most festive and creative skeletons. Which are your favorites?

3rd period

5th period

6th period Great job, 8th graders!!

el día de los muertos

2010-11-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

This week, many people in Mexico, Honduras & Guatemala celebrated el día de los muertos, the Day of the Dead. This holiday is hundreds of years old and began with the indigenous people of Mexico (the people who lived there before Columbus arrived). The people celebrated a day to honor the memory of their loved ones who had died and people who celebrate spend weeks preparing for this holiday.

The 7th graders learned more about this holiday and saw a día de los muertos celebration in Oaxaca, Mexico. They learned about ofrendas (altars), cempazuchitl (marigold flowers-"The flower of the dead"), velas (candles), calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls) and chapulines (fried grasshoppers!).

The 8th graders were already familiar with this holiday and they are making skeletons to decorate our classroom. The skeletons are colorful and festive, not like the scary skeletons that Americans use for Halloween. Visit our blog next week for pictures of their finished products!

Tener phrases

2010-10-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

This week the 8th graders reviewed the verb tener and combined it with new vocabulary to use special expressions with tener. Here are some of the phrases we learned:

Tener frío=to be cold

Tener calor=to be hot

Tener suerte=to be lucky

Tener sueño=to be tired

Have a fun, safe weekend!

la ropa y los colores

2010-10-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

In 7th grade we have been practicing adjective agreement in preparation for our test next Thursday. We are working on making sure that our adjectives match the gender and number of the nouns they modify. How would you describe these articles of clothing?

El milagro en la mina

2010-10-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

This week thirty-two Chilean and one Bolivian miner were rescued from a mine in Chile after being trapped since the first week in August. The mine collapsed on the miners and many days passed before rescue workers were able to contact them to realize that they were surviving.
Chile's government immediately began to formulate a rescue plan, but initially thought that the miners wouldn't be able to be rescued until December. Chile spent over $20 million on the rescue effort, but it was worth it because this week they began the daring rescue. The miners were pulled up one by one in a small capsule just big enough for one person.
If you watched any of the footage, it was very emotional to watch each miner be pulled up and hear the siren that went off each time a miner emerged.
This event sparked international interest. Chile is now looking into tighter safety regulations for its workers and these thirty-three men have to try to re-adjust to their lives. If you didn't follow the story, click on some of these links below. You can also look for articles on Google-there are many to choose from!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/chile/8063049/Chile-mine-rescue-timeline.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11475156

2010 Washington D.C. trip

2010-10-15T09:15:00.001-07:00

Last weekend 66 of the 8th grade students went to Washington D.C. for the weekend. We saw many of the sites that D.C. has to offer and learned a lot. This was my third year to go on the trip and I learned and saw a number of new things this year! We had a great time, but it was good to get back into a normal routine at school this week.

. Here we are back at home with our souvenir t-shirts!

Día de la raza

2010-10-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

We don't have school on Monday for Columbus Day, but in many Spanish speaking countries the holiday is called día de la raza. The day marks Columbus's arrival in the New World and the first meeting of Europeans and the indigenous peoples of the New World. Many view Columbus's arrival positively, but there are others for whom it meant the destruction of their lives as they knew them. Sometime this weekend, think about what Columbus Day meant for Europeans in 1492 and what it meant for the indigenous people too.

Día de mellizos

2010-10-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today was Twin Day! Many teachers dressed in Bears gear, but Mrs. Mastny and I were "identical" twins in our Robbie Gould jerseys. It was great to see so many students and staff participate in this spirit day!

Have a great weekend!

7th Grade

2010-09-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

On martes, you have a prueba on Subject Pronouns and Ser.

Study the chart we made in class!

Singular

yo soy

tú eres

él es

ella es

usted es

Plural

nosotros(as) somos

vosotros (as) sois

ellos son

ellas son

ustedes son

8th grade

2010-09-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

*On lunes, you will have a prueba on interrogative words. On lunes you just need to identify and spell the diez interrogatives from your notes.

*On jueves, you have a prueba on la hora (time), estar (How you feel and where you are is when you use the verb estar) and interrogatives (using interrogatives in questions and answering questions).

La independencia de México

2010-09-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

¡Viva México!

On Thursday Mexico celebrated 200 years of freedom from Spain. Just before dawn on September 16, 1810, a priest named Father Hidalgo called Mexicans to fight for their freedom. This cry for independence sparked Mexico's fight for independence. Read more about the history of Mexican Independence day by following this link.

http://www.mexonline.com/mexican-independence.htm

La geografía

2010-09-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

The 7th graders have learned the location of countries in Central America & The Caribbean and their capitals. Now it's on to South America! We made notes yesterday with maps of South America and practiced pronouncing the countries and capitals today. Make sure you're ready for the quiz next Wednesday!

8th Grade Quiz

2010-09-10T11:08:00.001-07:00

We are continuing our review of concepts that we learned last year. Next Thursday we will have a quiz on the following concepts:

Regular -ar verbs
Classes
Adverbs (expressions) of Frequency
Obligation

7th Grade Test

2010-09-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

We have our first test next week! Many people were prepared for our geography quiz this week so I am optimistic that our first test will go well! Here's a copy of the Study Guide we went over in class.

Study Guide
Examen (test )

Fecha (date):_Thursday, September 8__
Hay que estudiar:
(You need to study: )

El alfabeto
-__p. 10-11_____

Los números de 0 a 10
-____notes, p. 12______

Los días de la semana
-__notes, p. 13, song___

Origin (where people are from)
-__notes, ser de +place_

Greetings & Farewells
-___notes, p. 2-3______

Spelling counts!

Questions?? See Señora Bergmann before next Thursday!

8th Grade Quiz

2010-09-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

Next Wednesday (September 8) we will have another quiz to review concepts and vocabulary that we learned last year.
The following will be on your quiz:

Tener
Numbers 11-100
Possession with "de"
Possessive Adjectives
Dates

*You need to know the following vocabulary for the sections of your quiz: family, months of the year, clothing.

¿Preguntas? See me!

Welcome Back!

2010-08-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

¡Hola! Welcome back to school! I know that some of you are returning to Spanish for another year and some of you will be learning a new language for the first time. ¡Bienvenidos a todos! I think it will be a great year for all of us!

I hope you all had a great summer. I got married this summer, so I have been busy planning and celebrating over the last few months. I was able to read a few books, but not as many as I like to read during my time away from school.

I'm looking forward to starting the school year-it's going to be a great one!

Here are a couple of pictures from my wedding this summer-

Field Day!

2010-05-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

This week each grade level participated in the Field Day that they earned through their Ride Janie Ride fundraising efforts. The 7th graders had a great afternoon outside playing Tug o' War, Water Balloon Toss, Kick Ball and Spin Race. We were lucky to have great weather as well. Thanks so much to the parents who volunteered their time to run these games!!

Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!!

Lakeview's First Career Fair

2010-05-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Today the 7th graders attended a Career Fair. Instead of traveling to the College of DuPage like they have in the past, they attended the fair right here at Lakeview! Close to twenty parents and community members, including our own Dr. Tiede, gave up their mornings to come to present to the students about their careers. The students were able to attend eight different sessions to learn about various careers and the different aspects of these vocations. The Career Fair was a great success, thanks to Miss Enzbigilis, who put the whole thing together.

Cinco de mayo

2010-04-30T11:17:00.001-07:00

Many people think that Cinco de mayo is Mexican Independence Day, but that isn't what will be celebrated this coming Wednesday. Cinco de mayo celebrates Mexico's victory over France in The Battle of Puebla, a small town not far from Mexico City. The battle took place in 1862 after France sent Maximilian of Austria to rule in Mexico because Mexico owed money to several European countries.

Click on these links to learn more about this holiday that celebrates less than 5,000 Mexican soldiers winning a battle against more than 6,000 French soldiers.

http://www.mexonline.com/cinco-de-mayo.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_Mayo

Way to go!!!

2010-04-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

You've probably heard about the Ride Janie Ride fundraiser in which the schools in our district are participating. Our students have done an AMAZING job raising money for this worthy cause. For the last two weeks the students have been going around their neighborhoods, getting permission to stand outside of businesses, talking to people in their churches and making and selling duct tape pens to raise money.

I am really proud of the initiative and the drive that the students have displayed in their efforts to raise money. I don't think that anyone imagined that we would raise as much money as we have. Great job you guys!!

Visit the Ride Janie Ride website for more information. http://www.ridejanieride.org/

Travel delays

2010-04-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland erupted on March 20 after last erupting from 1821-1823. It began erupting again on Wednesday and the ash that is coming from the volcano is complicating air travel in much of Europe. Many countries closed their airspace Countries like Romania, Switzerland, Hungary England, Ireland and Poland have closed much or all of their airspace and cancelled flights until Saturday. Northern European countries are expected to reopen airspace as the ash moves south, but this will cause problems for countries to the south. Click on this link to read a complete article about the effect on air (and train) travel that the volcanic ash is having.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8623534.stm

¿Sabes las respuestas?

2010-04-16T08:15:00.001-07:00

Did you know the answers to last week's trivia questions? Here they are:

San José is the capital of what country? Costa Rica
Santo Domingo is the capital of what country? La República Dominicana
What is the capital of Nicaragua? Managua
What is the capital of Perú? Lima

Countries & Capitals

2010-04-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Today our trivia questions were about countries and capitals. How well do you know your capitals of Spanish speaking countries?

San José is the capital of what country?
Santo Domingo is the capital of what country?
What is the capital of Nicaragua?
What is the capital of Perú?

Spring Break is here!

2010-03-26T05:49:00.001-07:00

Everybody is ready for some much-needed time for relaxation. It sounds like some students have fun vacations planned and others, like me, will be relaxing at home.
Spanish students: don't forget you have a test or quiz coming up after break.

7th grade: We have a test on Wednesday, April 7 on Unidad 2, etapa 3. Look over your notes and the study guide that you received this week so that you don't forget everything over break!
8th grade: We have a vocabulary quiz on Wednesday, April 7 on the words for rooms in the house and furniture.

Have a great week off!!

Protect yourself online

2010-03-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago during Homebase, the 7th graders talked about ways to stay safe online, specifically on social networking sites, like Facebook. Please be aware of hackers that may try to get into your account.

Click on the following link to read an article about a virus on Facebook.
New password-stealing virus targets Facebook http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20100318/NEWS-US-FACEBOOK-VIRUS/

Make sure you are safe online. Don't share personal information with people you don't know and don't make information about yourself available for anyone to see!

ISAT testing

2010-03-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

This week the students took their ISAT tests. They have been preparing for these tests in LA/Reading, Math and Science so I know that they were ready! It was a long week of testing, but the students were troopers and I'm sure they'll be pleased when they get their scores.

Great job!!

¡Buena suerte!

2010-02-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight (Friday) our girls play for the championship of our conference. They have come a long way since they started playing as sixth graders and have really earned this honor to play tonight. I've had the privilege of seeing a few of their games this season. In addition to being great players they are a hard-working group of girls. Best of luck to Mr. Little and the girls tonight as they play!

Go Spartans!!

Casimir Pulaski Day

2010-02-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

We don't have school on Monday! Some students didn't know that we didn't have school and a number of students didn't know why we don't have school. On Monday, we and a number of other public schools in the Chicago area observe Casimir Pulaski Day. Pulaski was a cavalry officer during the Revolutionary war. He contributed to the war by training soldiers and cavalry. He was born on March 4, 1745 which is why we observe Pulaski day the first Monday of every March.

Vocabulario nuevo

2010-02-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

This week the 8th graders started a new chapter on daily routines. Here is some of our new vocabulary:el espejo

el cepillo de dientes

el champú

el secador de pelo

This week I've been taking a Mimio class offered by Mrs. Kucera. I've created lots of fun and interactive lessons, including one with this vocabulary, and can't wait to use them in my classroom! ¡Gracias to Mrs. Kucera for all of her help!

¡Un concurso de ortografía!

2010-02-10T08:22:00.000-08:00

A B C

The 8th grade students are preparing for a Spanish spelling bee. They will compete with their classmates to correctly spell their vocabulary words for this chapter in Spanish. Here's a link to a website that has the pronunciations of the Spanish alphabet for those students who are a little rusty on the letters we learned last year! http://www.spanishspanish.com/alfabeto_ipower.html

¡Buena suerte!

A great scholar

2010-02-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

Luis Leal (1907-2010) was a pioneer in the field of Chicano studies. He was born shortly before the Mexican Revolution. After becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States, he was drafted to fight in World War II. He fought to take the Philippines back from Japan.

Luis Leal made many literary contributions to the world of Chicano and Hispanic literature. Among other places, he taught at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois. He also taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara, which is my connection to Dr. Leal.

During the three summers I spent at UCSB, I had the honor of meeting "don" Luis Leal. In August of 2007 we celebrated Dr. Leal's 100th birthday (which he celebrated in September of that year). This past summer, "don" Luis Leal was preparing to celebrate his 102nd birthday. He came to lunch with my classmates, professors and I. He entertained us with stories from his childhood and his career.

On January 25th of this year, Luis Leal passed away at the age of 102. He was a scholar who made many contributions to Chicano studies and literature. He will be remembered fondly and missed by those who knew him and have read his works.

Answers to trivia

2010-02-05T09:46:00.001-08:00

Did you know any of the answers to last week's trivia questions?

What vegetable is carved and judged at a festival in Oaxaca, México? Radishes
What sea borders Spain? The Mediterranean
What famous South American soccer player is known as "The King"? Pelé

Trivia

2010-01-29T09:34:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the trivia questions that the Spanish classes tried to answer today. Do you know any of the answers?

What vegetable is carved and judged at a festival in Oaxaca, México?
What sea borders Spain
What famous South American soccer player is known as "The King"?

Check back next week for the answers. Have a great weekend!