the last week and a half and a new restaurant opening!

Hola padres! This last week and a half or so, we are mainly focusing on Hispanic Christmas traditions. We started last week with The Story of The Three Wise Kings as retold and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. I started out by telling the scholars that on January 6th of each year in Spanish speaking countries, the three wise kings visit homes of children who have written them a note, much like Santa visits homes here in the United States on Christmas Eve. The three wise kings usually leave some gifts, just like they did for the baby Jesus. The scholars were excited to learn that often times children will also leave out carrots or oats for the camels the wise men travel on and that camels are very messy eaters, so there is often a mess to clean up in the morning. This was a story that I didn't get to share with them last year as Kindergarteners ( I couldn't decide weather to share it before break or after break since the holiday is on January 6th.) so it was nice to be able to share this tradition with them.

We will continue next week with the legend of the poinsettia and las posadas. I am excited to talk to them about this.

One last point of interest, the new El Pollo Loco is open on McDowell in Goodyear! I am very excited as I've never lived very close to one so I am excited to be able to try all the new menu items as well as just enjoy their grilled chicken. I took my girls last night and some highlights were the fresh salsa bar, the horchata and the free samples of chocolate churros! If you get a chance, give it a try. I'm sure you will enjoy it too!

Have a great rest of the week!
Sra. Hamilton

tamales, rain, concert practices and some introduction to Christmas traditions

Hola padres! Wow; what a week! I have been all over the place teaching all kinds of lessons! With concert practices, the rain and other schedule changes, we have had to modify quite a bit. I have not introduced any new material, but have spent most of the week reviewing or enhancing lessons already taught for both Spanish and PE. Thankfully, the scholars are so flexible and up for whatever I throw at them and always keep things fun and exciting for me. I so enjoy taking this journey with them.

Next week, we will begin our Christmas tradition lessons. I have some great stories that teach the scholars about different Hispanic Christmas traditions such as the legend of the Poinsettia and the story of las posadas. This is a fun time of year as I get to share with them some of the traditions that I have passed onto my children from my childhood. As we reach break, their excitement is starting to build and it is fun to see it in their faces.

One last tidbit for you, tamales are an important part of the Christmas holiday for many Spanish speakers. This year for the first time, I have been able to order some tamales from the Avondale Senior Center where tamales are made every year as a fundraiser. If you would like to share in this tradition with your family, orders are due by tomorrow and can be done online. Pick up is the week of December 15th. For the past couple of years, I have always missed the ordering deadline for some reason, so I am so excited to have finally been able to place my order. In case you are interested, here is the link: https://online.activecommunities.com/AvondalePlay/Start/start.asp
I will hopefully be telling the scholars about this Christmas tradition in the next couple of weeks and would love for them all to be able to try some, but know that that is a pretty big undertaking. So if you can try some homemade ones at home, it would be a great way to supplement what they are learning in class. Have a wonderful rest of your week!

Sra. Hamilton

new PE concepts and days of the week, months of the year

Hola padres! This week we returned to some of our old games in PE, but to give the scholars something to think about, I asked them what virtues they could think of that we could apply to the games. I could see their minds turning as they talked about responsibility, honesty, integrity, etc. I want them to realize that the virtues can be applied to all aspects of their life, not just to their life inside the classroom.

In first grade Spanish this week, I decided to cover our days of the week and months of the year. Class will now begin with the scholars saying "la fecha" or the date for me which will help them practice these concepts as well as help them work on their numbers. In order to have them practice this as well in PE, their squads will now be named by a day of the week in Spanish. This will greatly help as we create teams and do different activities in class as it is a quick way to divide them all up. It is fun practicing this with them. Next week we will do a fun dice rolling game that will help them draw a turkey and also help them work on their colors. We'll see how this goes with them.

Have a wonderful rest of your week and a restful Thanksgiving break!
Sra. Hamilton

weather and feeling drawing, counting jar and Bolivia

Hola padres! We have had a great week working on a new game in PE and practicing our feeling and weather vocabulary. First off, last Friday in first grade Spanish, I had the classes write a sentence and complete a drawing that stated how they were feeling (cold and hot) and what about the weather was making them feel this way. In other words, they could write (in Spanish) "I am hot because it is sunny". Another example is, "I am cold because it is cloudy". I put all the words up on the board for them, but they had to make sure it all made sense and that their drawing was an accurate depiction of their sentence. I checked their sentence before they proceeded with their drawing and was really blown away by their creativity. They had such vivid ways of showing why they were cold or hot! I was so proud of them! I encouraged them to show you what they did and hope they took the time to do that. I am so excited to have them writing their own sentences and plan to find other ways for them to practice this skill.

In terms of PE for kindergarten, class is first thing in the morning and it has gotten chilly. We will now be outside for the next few months, so I encourage you to have them bring a sweater or sweatshirt to class. I try to get each class running as soon as I can, but it always helps if they are warm to begin with. Thank you!

I have decided that I would like to work more with the first grade in learning to count. Mrs. Baird has an estimation jar and I am following her lead with a counting jar. It is a jar that I will fill with various items that we will then count in Spanish and then discuss. What shape are the items? What color are they? How many are there of a certain color, etc? I am hoping this will get them to be able to count with fluidity past 15! They are very capable of doing so, its just a matter of practice. Hopefully, this will get us there.

Our Spanish speaking country this month is Bolivia and it is such an interesting country! Please ask your scholar about it; I bet there is quite a bit they would like to share with you. Have a wonderful week!

Sra. Hamilton

papel picado, feelings, the weather and PE notes

Hola padres! This week in Spanish we have reviewed the feelings vocabulary and have started learning weather vocabulary. The scholars really enjoyed our flyswatter review game!

Last Friday, in Ms. Lavant's class we were able to make papel picado, which is a decorative tissue paper that is used during celebrations and parties in Mexico. It was the first time that I've tried this with a class and they turned out really well! Hopefully, throughout the year, I will get a chance to try it with all the classes.

In terms of PE, I have been getting different complaints from the scholars about how they are feeling, or that they're tired or hot. What I tell them is that unless I have a note from their parents or the nurse, that they have to give PE their best try. I cannot let everyone sit out because they have a slight ache or pain. So if your scholar has a valid reason to miss PE, please write a note and send it in with them. I want to make sure that those that can't participate don't, but that being tired or a bit uncomfortable is not an excuse to sit out. Thank you for your support in this!

Next week in Spanish, we will continue with our weather vocabulary and begin learning words having to do with the calendar: days of the week and months of the year.

Have a wonderful week!
Sra. Hamilton

The end of October....

Hola padres! This year is going by so quickly! I can't believe that we are at the end of October already! In Spanish this week we have been working hard on some Day of the Dead projects. For first grade, we had masks that we colored, cut out and put on sticks. This is one of my favorite projects of the year as no matter how the mask is colored, they all look so beautiful! I hope your scholars enjoyed them as much as I did. We also had a Day of the Dead word search that we worked on. The scholars are very persistent and really enjoyed finding all the words related to this special holiday. At the bottom of the word search, there were a few paragraphs giving the details of the Day of the Dead.

Next week for Spanish, we will review our feelings vocabulary and move on to talk about the weather. We have also wrapped up our study of Peru and will move on to Bolivia in November.

For PE, we continue on with cooperative games. I find that this is the best way to do PE for the little ones. My time with them is short and because they sit for so much of the day, I find it best that I get them moving as quickly as I can with a fun, fast game. They seem to enjoy this and it is a great way to give them the essential play skills they will need for when they move on to the higher grades: following directions, listening, being a good winner as well as a good loser, etc. It is always fun to see them squealing as they run around.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Sra. Hamilton

Spanish ideas, zookeeper game, and el dia de los muertos

Hola padres! I have had fun with the scholars this week with a new game called zookeepers. They pretended they were different animals that had escaped from their cages. I had five zookeepers whose job it was to tag the escaped animals and get them back in their cages. This was a great activity for them now that they have mastered their warm up and they love running around. It is fun to see them enjoying themselves so much.

In terms of Spanish for first grade, we began our study of the Day of the Dead or el dia de los muertos. I read to them a short article and a book on the holiday and then we completed a Venn diagram that compared el dia de los muertos and Halloween and it was interesting to see how they compared the two celebrations. More than anything, I wanted them to see how the holidays differed and that even though they happen around the same time, they aren't celebrating the same things or in the same way. We will continue learning about this holiday into next week.

I have not been very good so far in giving you ways to incorporate Spanish into your own lives. So, today I have two very accessible ways to encourage your scholars in their learning of Spanish. One way is through an app called duolingo. Like so many things in life, there is no magic pill that will have you speaking Spanish in a week. However, this app is intuitive, fun, and such an easy way for anyone, child or adult to take a few minutes each day to study not only Spanish, but any other language. You can even compete with friends! My husband has been using it and I am so amazed at how much he has learned and been able to apply in just a short couple of weeks. Give it a try (its free!) and let me know what you think.

I also wanted to let you know about the movie, The Book of Life. This movie is based on the celebration of el dia de los muertos or Day of the Dead. There's a little bit of Spanish in it, but mostly is is colorful, fun and full of great music. It is a great story that incorporates so many great elements of the holiday and is not scary at all. If you would like to give your scholars something out of school that will supplement what we have been doing, this is a great way to do it. I'm sure they will enjoy it and be eager to share with me the connections this movie will help them make with what we have learned in class. Have a great weekend!

Sra. Hamilton

Our first week back!

  Hola padres! We have had a great week back after break! In Spanish this week for first grade, we have started learning our feeling phrases. I let the scholars know that they should be using these phrases as much as possible in PE and true to form, they reminded ME this morning in PE: "tengo sed!" They were thirsty and needed a water break. I'm so glad to see them so eager to apply what they have learned!

We tried something new in class as well for the first graders this week which went really well and helped me see where each scholar was in terms of knowing their vocabulary. The game was a team play game where we took the new phrase we learned, "tengo dolor" (I hurt or I am in pain) and adding a body part to it to complete a sentence. The scholars were able to pick from 4 body parts that were written in English on the board. So I would point to "tengo dolor" and they would repeat, then I would point to a body part in English and they have to translate it into Spanish to complete the sentence. They had to do this will all 4 body parts and I timed them. Whichever scholar from each team that did it the fastest would earn a point for their team. It was very exciting to see them learn how to put the different words and phrases together that we had learned. Today we will continue our study of adjectives and feelings with games of charades and team plays. The scholars have done well with learning how to be good winners and losers and knowing that we play games to learn and have fun and that winning is just an added bonus. I am so proud of them!

In PE, we will continue for both Kinder and first with different cooperation games. We started this week with doing our warm ups in relays now that we have more room outside and it has been glorious! With these cooperation games I am trying my best to teach them teamwork, taking turns, and following directions. They get better with this every class. The weather is still a bit on the warm side, but we manage and tough it out. Please be sure your scholar brings water to school so that they are well prepared. When we are out on the back field, I cannot let them into the building for water or a potty break as it is too far for them to go without my supervision. So far, they have done well with this adjustment. Thank you for all of your support.

Sra. Hamilton

the end of first quarter!

Hola padres! It is so hard to believe that this quarter is almost at an end. How I have enjoyed working with your children and getting to know them or getting reacquainted with them. I hope they have had as much fun as I have.

In PE this week, we continued our unit on throwing and I can tell that we are really itching to get outside. I am thankful for a useable indoor space that shelters us from the Arizona heat, but am so glad that the weather has cooled down and will allow us to be outdoors at the start of 2nd quarter. We will be out on the back field in the driving range and will be able to play more games and be more active than our indoor classroom space has allowed. I know this is what the scholars need and enjoy most for PE, so I look forward to expanding their game and skill knowledge after fall break!

This week in Spanish for first grade, we have continued our study of adjectives. We completed a worksheet that we had done in class a couple of weeks ago during our body part unit. This worksheet was a little more detailed however as in drawing our alien, we not only had to pay attention to color, number and body part, but also adjective! The scholars had fun deciphering what needed to be drawn and we had quite a bit of discussion as to how to translate "dos brazos largos y rosados". The scholars would typically say "two arms long and pink" and I asked them if that was said in a way that they would normally talk in English. After a bit of debate I let them know that in English, adjectives are put in front of a noun, whereas in Spanish, they come after. So, we concluded that a better translation would be "two long, pink arms." Not sure how well they understood this, but I like to make them aware of these nuances within a language so that when they really have to learn it, they have a base knowledge. We'll keep at it!

When we get back from fall break, we will start with feelings: hunger, thirst, hot, cold, etc. This will be fun as now in PE and being outside, we can talk about how the weather change makes us feel and these phrases really come alive for the scholars when they realize they can't just tell me they are thirsty to get a drink. They have to really think and say "tengo sed". I look forward to the application of this unit with them.

Thank you again for all of your support and encouragement this quarter. I hope you all have a wonderful break!

Sra. Hamilton

adjectives, throwing and catching and centipede relays

Hola padres! This is one of those weeks where the schedule varies so much day by day that we end up doing all sorts of lessons as I try to keep every class even with each other and end up doing mostly review or playing games we are familiar with. Here we go:

In PE for both Kinder and first grade, we started our unit on catching and throwing which with this age group mostly ends up being trying to keep the ball from flying everywhere! I had them find partners and start by sitting down and rolling the ball back and forth, then I had them stand on their knees and bounce the ball back and forth and then stand and bounce the ball back and forth. This is more of an exercise in hand eye coordination as the balls we use are baseball size and spongy so aren't as easy to keep track of as a bigger ball might be. In any case, the scholars had fun trying to keep track of their ball and bouncing back and forth as many times as they could without the ball falling. After fall break, I plan to move outside with them which will enable us to do more catching and throwing as we'll have more room. Today I started a centipede relay game with both classes and this proved to test both their cooperation and communication skills. It is a game we will revisit in the future as they get to know each other better and since we now know how to play will hopefully be a little easier. Again, I think it will work better once we have more space and are outside.

In terms of Spanish with first grade, we did start our unit on adjectives and have had a fun time learning the vocabulary through different actions. We also read a book called "estoy demasiado grande" or "I am too big" that emphasized the adjective vocabulary. We ended class with a fun game of around the world that is a wonderful way to review all we have learned so far.

As we look to next week, our Spanish speaking country for the month of October will be Peru. I look forward to learning with the scholars about this country. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sra. Hamilton

More cooperative games and body part vocabulary

Hola padres! This week in Spanish we have continued our mastery of body part vocabulary. I started out with first grade playing a flyswatter game where when I called out a body part, they had to use the flyswatter and swat the body part picture first. They really had fun with this and I was able to see where we still needed to do some work. We will continue today with the same type of game but this time I will ask them to swat pictures that not only match the body part I am asking for but also the color. This should also be fun!

Kinder parents, as some of you may know, due to some unforeseen circumstances, I no longer have my half hour Spanish classes with Kinder as my time is now needed in the 3rd grade for Spanish. I am so sad to leave the adorable and lovable kindergarteners, but we are very fortunate to have covered the essential units that I need for them to know for PE: colors, body parts and numbers. I will continue to incorporate these words into class when I see them for PE and do as much as I can with them in Spanish so that they continue to learn. Please stay updated with the blog as that way you can know what we are doing and what you can do to help support them at home.

In terms of PE this week, we have been using a lot of our color vocabulary as we have used red and blue jerseys to play games with, listened for specific colors in our parachute games and used colored bean bags in a hungry crabs game today. I so enjoy to see the scholars ponder what color it is that I am calling and try to figure out what to do. They do a great job of listening.

Next week for first grade, we will move into adjectives and see how we can use them to describe different nouns. This is always a fun unit as we use different gestures and movements to help us learn the words.

In PE we will begin our unit on catching and throwing and the different body movements that make up those two concepts. We will use very soft spongy balls so no one should get hurt. I look forward to seeing out they do! Have a wonderful rest of the week and I look forward to connecting with you again next week!

Sra. Hamilton

"cabeza, hombros....", body part tag and some drawing

Hola padres! What a fun week it has been as we have been learning our body parts in Spanish. This is one unit where PE and Spanish really go together which is so exciting! In Spanish, we have been learning our body part vocabulary using flashcards and the song "cabeza, hombros, rodillas pies". Here are the words to that song in case you want to learn it along with you scholar: (sung to the tune of "head, shoulders, knees and toes")
Cabeza, hombros, rodillas, pies
rodillas, pies

Cabeza, hombros, rodillas, pies
rodillas, pies

Ojos, orejas, boca y nariz

Cabeza, hombros, rodillas, pies
rodillas, pies

We so enjoy singing this in class and practicing singing quieter the faster we go. In order to reinforce this vocabulary, I played a game with the first grade. I wrote a couple of the lines of this song on the board and asked them to close their eyes. With their eyes closed, I erased a word from the song and when they opened their eyes (I had divided them into two teams), I asked them which word I had erased. Each team would get a chance to answer and I would offer a turn to the second team if the first team guessed incorrectly. Whoever answered correctly would get a chance at a super duper extra bonus point if they could tell me what the word meant in English. This is the first of many games I will play with them throughout the year and we discussed why we play games and what is expected of them in terms of sportsmanship. My first rule for games in Spanish class are that games are for learning. I told them that we could very well just repeat vocabulary using flashcards but that I find that profoundly boring for an entire classtime, although necessary for the first few minutes of the lesson. Secondly, games are for fun! If scholars end up getting upset about how their team does or if their team does not win, that then we are not having fun and we will have to stop playing games. My mantra is that there is no crying in Spanish!

In PE, I have been reinforcing our body part vocabulary with body part tag, which the scholars always enjoy. I start the music and when it stops, I call out two body parts such as "rodillas y orejas" (knees and ears). It is then their job to find a partner and connect their knee to their partner's ear. They so love this and I enjoy seeing the creativity and teamwork that goes into them accomplishing this task. This is a fun game that I will bring back periodically to practice this vocabulary and keep it fresh in their memory.

Drawing is a great way to have them practice this unit in Spanish, so with kinder this week I gave them a blank face outline and we practiced drawing in our facial parts and then drew arrows from the words to the actual part. Most of the scholars thought my drawing was creepy (I keep reminding them that I am not Mr. Hume!) but at least it kept their interest. =) Today and tomorrow, Kinder will learn the "head, shoulders, knees and toes" song and first grade will work on their listening skills as well as their number and color vocabulary while we learn to follow directions as we draw an alien. I hope they should you these lessons that we work on in Spanish class.

Lastly, in Spanish this week for Kinder, I introduced my "buen trabajo" (great job!) stamp. At the end of each class, those that have shown hard work, good listening skills and active participation will receive a "buen trabajo" stamp on their paper. I know if they all work to the best of their ability, they will do a great job! Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Sra. Hamilton

Ecuador, hula hoops and la letra "C"

Hola padres! We have had a good week this week as we have started our hula hoop unit in PE. We began with the basics of hula hooping such as ready position, spinning the hoop, moving the waist and keeping our knees bent and arms up. Most of them do really well and those that have a harder time persist and succeed as they practice. I tell them that in PE they won't always get everything right away, that sometimes it will take practice. I also ask the scholars to help each other out if they see someone struggling and I love to see them doing that.

In Spanish, we reviewed more numbers earlier this week and will jump into body parts this afternoon. We will learn the song "head, shoulders, knees and toes" in Spanish and it is a song that we will use for both Spanish and PE. I am excited for the Kinders to learn it! Speaking of Kinders, they will conquer the letter "C" this week. Next week, we will look at the sound of the phonogram "CH", which I will explain more about in my next blog post.

Yesterday, in Mrs. Mason's Kinder class, we began our study of Ecuador. Ask your scholar whose flag is similar to that of Ecuador's and why. They were fascinated by a video I showed them of the Galápagos Islands. There is so much to learn about this amazing country. Each class will receive this lesson when I see them on Wednesday for Spanish this month.

Thank you for all of your support. Your scholars are a true joy!

Sinceramente,
Sra. Hamilton

an interesting week, wrapping up with Venezuela, color and number review and la letra "B"

Well, this week has certainly lacked in consistency with picture day on Monday, early release Wednesday and half day Friday! I have taught all sorts of lessons at random times and was even able to spend some time with the second graders working on some Spanish from last year. I have not introduced any new concepts in Spanish this week and have instead focused on reviewing basic color and number concepts. These are always good to review and I want to make sure the scholars know this vocabulary well. I am wrapping up our study on Venezuela today and will introduce the county of Ecuador next week.

Kinder Spanish began their study of the letter "B" this week and as we reviewed colors earlier this week, I was so pleased when a couple of the scholars noticed that some of the colors began with the letter "A" that we had studied the week before! These connections are so exciting for them to discover and make me so happy. While talking about these letters and also learning how to write the colors out in Spanish, we spend a lot of time talking about how letters in Spanish are different or the same from letters in English. We talk about how in Spanish, the letter "h" is always silent, how the "ll" makes a "y" sound and how the letter "j" makes and "h" sound. I think these are important concepts for them to be aware of and they will become more concrete for them as the year goes on. It is so exciting for them to see the "ll" in "amarillo" and know that it makes a "y" sound.

We have played all sorts of fun cooperation games in PE this week: link tag, chinese tag, and a game called  "gato y raton" with the parachute. Next week we will begin our unit with the hula hoops and also do body part tag as we start our body part unit in Spanish. I am so blessed to be able to meld these two subjects together in the hopes of giving the scholars a better understanding of the Spanish language.

On a precautionary note, I have been talking to scholars about how their participation in both Spanish and PE affects their grade. I have a handful of scholars that for various reasons at different times decide they do not want to participate in PE or follow along in Spanish. In PE, it is my goal to make class as accessible to all the scholars as I can. I realize they are all at different levels physically and I make sure that my lessons will enable everyone to participate. I have let them know that what I am looking for is their best effort and for them to be following directions. As long as I know they are trying, they will succeed. The same in Spanish class. As long as they are working hard and doing their best, I make note of that. Please let your scholar know that the best way to succeed in my class is to give their best effort. When they do, they really enjoy class and the enables all of us to enjoy it as well. Thank you so much for your support!

Have a wonderfully long restful weekend and I look forward to seeing your scholars next week.

Sincerely,
Sra. Hamiltlon

classroom vocabulary, the Spanish alphabet, and new PE games

Hola padres! What a fun week! With the rain, our schedule was very fluid this week and we have adjusted where needed. In PE earlier this week, we played freeze dance and learned to juggle with scarves, again while listening to the Gipsy Kings. It was a fun way to get moving! The latter part of this week, we have been playing Chinese tag, a new tag game that will take some practice to play really well, so we might continue it into next week.

In Spanish, for first grade we have been practicing our classroom vocabulary by using a couple of  games to help us remember the names for things in Spanish. Later this week, we are practicing by using a worksheet that will also help us practice our numbers in Spanish.

For Kindergarten Spanish, I began the alphabet today. Mostly, I'd like them to learn the names of the letters and words that begin with that letter. I hope to get through most of the alphabet this year and we will see how that goes.

Next week, I hope to get into colors and broadly cover those so that we can get into some new vocabulary the week after. We'll see what creative ways I can come up with to get the scholars to recognize the color names in Spanish.  On Wednesdays, we are continuing our work with the parachute and our study of Venezuela.

Gracias,
Sra. Hamilton

greetings review, music in PE, colors and numbers

Hola padres! This has been an exciting week of so many things! We are having PE in a small classroom in building B. Due to the small space, I thought it would be fun to use music in class to encourage movement and add a cultural element to the lesson. So this week, we have been playing games that include music. Earlier in the week, we played freeze tag and the latter part of the week we've been playing hula hoop madness, both while listening to the Gipsy Kings, a favorite group of mine that is actually from the south of France. This group performs in Spanish with an Andalusian accent and they are great to encourage movement in the scholars.

In terms of Spanish, we have been working on learning all sorts of vocabulary from greetings, colors and numbers to classroom objects. I was able to introduce colors on Wednesday during PE as we played with the parachute. (As Wednesdays are a short day, I use it to bring in an extra fun element such as the parachute, scooters, earth balls, etc.) To finish up this week, we are reviewing greetings and numbers. Next week, I hope to really introduce classroom objects and solidify that vocabulary so that I can use those words during class and have them know what it is I want them to use as we go through the lesson (pencils, crayons, scissors, etc.)

The scholars have all done so well and I am so excited getting to know them. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sra. Hamilton

Our first week!

Hola padres! I am so sorry for the late post! Yesterday totally got away from me and I realized late last night that I had forgotten to let you know how this week has gone! Please forgive me as it has been a week of schedule adjustments and getting to know each other and how the school day will run. Let me tell you what we have been up to.

There have been a few specific ways I have integrated Spanish into our PE class. First off, I have green and red polyspots that indicate where each class should line up at the beginning (green) and end (red) of class. Mr. Hume so kindly wrote "hola" (green) and "adiós" (red) on each respective polyspot. It is so nice to have a specific place where the scholars know to line up while adding a bit of Spanish in!

The most important change for us has been my attention getter. I struggled last year with a way to indicate to the scholars that I needed their attention when they got a little loud. There is a very fun rhyme in Spanish that they have caught on to very quickly and that is a great indicator to them that I need their attention. It goes like this: I say " ¿qué pasa calabaza?" and they respond with "nada, nada limonada". Directly translated this means, "what's up pumpkin?" and their response is, "not much, lemonade!" Of course this makes no sense in English, but rhymes beautifully in Spanish. The scholars really enjoy it and know that when I say it, I need for them to look at me and be ready for new directions.

Also in PE, I have discovered that a great way to have the scholars follow directions is to say "when I say go...." but last year I struggled with a good way to say this in Spanish, as there is no good translation for "go". I finally decided that "vamanos" is probably the best translation. So now when giving them instructions, I say "when I say 'vamanos....' " and they know what to do when. I'm so glad to have found these new ways to instruct them.

In Spanish we have been working on greetings and why Spanish is important to learn. We have read "I love Saturdays and domingos" by Alma Flor Ada which talks about a bilingual family and also "Margaret and Margarita" by Lynn Reiser which talks about two little girls one who speaks Spanish and the other who speaks English who meet at a park and become friends. Both are sweet stories that show the power of languages and the worlds that can open up if you know more than one.

This week we also started our study of Spanish speaking countries. Last year we started with Cuba and Mexico and continued south through Central America ending at the very north of South America with Colombia. I decided to continue on through South America this year in the hopes that if the scholar is here at Trivium for both Kinder and first grade, that they will have covered most of the Spanish speaking countries through North, Central and South America by the end of first grade. We'll see where we end up this year, but for now, we began with Venezuela. We talked about where it is on the map, what their flag looks like and some special characteristics it has. These lessons are given on Wednesdays. Please ask your scholars what they learned about this beautiful country. This week, Mrs. Baird's class and Mrs. Mason's class received this lesson. I am excited to hear what they tell you about it!

All for now, thank you so much for your patience this week as we are all trying our best to get a handle on things and give your scholars the very best instruction we can while making necessary adjustments as everything is still so new. I hope you all have a restful week and I look forward to continuing to get to know your scholars!

Sra. Hamilton

¡bienvenidos!

Hola padres and welcome to a new school year! I am so excited to begin my second year of teaching Kinder and first grade Spanish and PE. I have added some new and exciting ways to integrate Spanish into our PE classes and will be implementing these through all of Kinder and first grade so that even the half day kinders will be learning Spanish from day one and all through the year.

For the first week, especially in PE we will be working on procedures. We will practice how to enter and leave the classroom, how to line up in our squads, how to pass out and return equipment and just learning the general rules for the PE classroom. These are all very important to learn and practice for us to have a safe, fun and productive year in PE. Most importantly, we will be learning most of these procedures in Spanish! I hope the scholars will quickly recognize my cues and will be able to understand each part of the class and what they are to do.

For Spanish the first week we will be mainly reading books that give us some ideas as to why it is important to learn Spanish and how we can apply it to our daily lives. Some of my favorite Spanish children's books deal with this subject and really open the scholars lives to why Spanish is important, especially here in Arizona.

For those of you who read my blog regularly, if you could please pass it on to those new parents or just to those parents who are looking for regular updates, I would really appreciate it. I will be updating again on Thursdays, giving an overview of the week as well as a peek into the next week. The blog should also be posted to the school website, so it will be easy for parents to check. If you ever have a question, please feel free to email me at ahamilton@archwaytrivium.org

I look forward to seeing all of you later today at meet the teacher!
Sra. Hamilton

last post!

Hola padres! Wanted to let you know that this would be my last post for the year! I can't believe that next week is the last week of school! I have so enjoyed your children. I really love the fact that I get to know them in two different capacities, both inside the classroom and out. I hope they have enjoyed this year as much as I have. I am excited to continue next year with the kindergarteners in first grade, but will of course miss the first graders as they move up to second grade. Hopefully, they won't forget me. =)

So this week has been a mix of things old and new. In Spanish, we covered a bit of the alphabet and reviewed our colors and numbers one through ten. Next week, I plan on reviewing what we have learned about the different Spanish speaking countries with a fun trivia game.

In PE, I have changed things up as well as the weather has heated up. We played various tag games and when the heat really kicked in, I had the scholars sit in the shade and play around the world with our Spanish vocab in order to just give them a bit of a break. Its always nice to review and they always have a good time.

Thank you again for sharing your children with me. I enjoy them so much. Thank you also to all of you who contributed last week to the various activities for teacher appreciation. We so enjoyed the flowers, cards, gifts and food. Thank you, thank you! Have a wonderful summer break!

Sra. Hamilton

field trip, Cinco de mayo and review

Hola padres! Sorry for the late post, but I was out and about yesterday with the first grade on their field trip to the Challenger Space Center! We had a great time and it was so fun to be with them outside of the classroom. We had such fun with the different activities that the center had planned for us. The fizzy bottle rocket was actually my favorite.

At the beginning of this week, I was able to talk to the scholars about an important celebration in Mexico's history: Cinco de mayo! So many people believe it to be the celebration of Mexico's independence from Spain, but it actually doesn't have anything to do with that. If you get a chance, ask your scholar what cinco de mayo is all about and why it is celebrated. It is a great story as it actually has so much to do with the virtues that Great Hearts stands for. I am so glad to be able to integrate all of these elements into one lesson.

We also are doing some review in Spanish this week using the workbooks. The scholars really had to delve into their memory for some of the words and they did a great job as usual. Next week, I will move to the last lesson in the workbook which reviews the Spanish alphabet. I'm not sure why this lesson is last as I feel it should be one of the first lessons, but nonetheless, we will get into this lesson to reinforce the rules of the Spanish alphabet that I have already taught them. Next year, I plan on this being one of the first lessons we get into.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sra. Hamilton

puentes y rios, Colombia y la comida

Hola padres! What a fun week! It is hard to believe that the school year is quickly coming to an end! With so much going on (field trips, concerts, fine arts week, etc) I probably won't introduce a whole lot of new vocabulary. I'd like to make sure they remember all that we've learned and that they understand how to use that vocabulary. I have found some fun videos and games we can use to do this. Hopefully, we will end the year with some fun memories.

Today in PE I introduced a new game that went over so well, that the scholars ended up playing it during recess. It is called Everybody's it! Such a simple game, but they totally fell in love with it and it makes me smile to see them playing it during recess. Ask them about it! We also tried a new warm up game which is called Bridges and Rivers or I called it puentes y rios. I divided the class into two teams with different colored pinnies. The scholars in blue pinnies were the rios and the scholars in red pinnies were puentes. I had them start running around and when I called puentes, those in red had to make a bridges while all the rios went under them. Then they ran around some more and I called rios where all those in blue had to lay down and all those in red had to jump over as many of them as they could. I love having them in constant movement and both these games certainly fit the bill!

Our Spanish speaking country this month is Colombia, our first country in South America! The scholars are excited to have begun learning about a new continent. We will continue through the rest of South America next year. Ask them what they found interesting about Colombia! There are some interesting things about it!

Gracias,
Sra. Hamilton

crazy week.....

Hola padres! These weeks where we have three different schedules, I mostly adjust my lesson plans as I go due to which class I end up having when. So, this week instead of moving on to the foods, we continued a bit with la fruta as there were some activities that we didn't get to last week that I thought would be helpful.  We will also be working some more with numbers today and tomorrow.

In PE, we did some basketball earlier this week and have brought back and oldie but a goodie today: dodgeball! The scholars are so excited and I really enjoy joining them. I hope to have a little more consistency in terms of lessons next week. Have a great rest of the week!

Sra. Hamilton

field day!!!!!!!!!

Hola padres! What a fun field day we had!!! I am so thankful to all of you that helped out by either providing tents, ice or water jugs or by leading a group, game or by running scholars to the bathroom. Thank you so much! It went so well because I had your help! I am so glad we had such a beautiful day as well. It couldn't have been more perfect. Next year, I'd like to have someone taking pictures as the scholars' faces were priceless as they went from game to game. Their joy was fully evident and it would have been fun to have captured that on film. Notes for next year. =) 

In Spanish, we continued our study of fruit by completing our fruit baskets. Most classes had time to label all of their fruit, but not all did. The kids were so excited this week when I had una naranja in my water bottle and it was nice to discuss this with them in Spanish! They are so observant and are so quick to bring their Spanish into practice whenever they can. Its so exciting to see!

Next week, we plan to move on to other common foods in Spanish and continue our quest of basketball. We'll see how this goes as the weather heats up. Have a wonderful Easter weekend and thank you again for all of your help and support yesterday!

Sincerely, 
Sra. Hamilton 

PE out in the field, la fruta and field day!

Hola padres! The scholars and I have enjoyed our week out in the field with some exciting tag games! It has been a good run through for us for upcoming field day. I am working hard on getting the details finalized for that day and want to thank all of you who have signed up to help. I am looking forward to a fun, albeit hot day! Please make sure you send your scholar with sunscreen, a hat and water bottle. They are allowed to be out of uniform, but please refrain from any pop culture messages. Thank you!

We began our unit on la fruta this week. We practiced describing the fruit by its color in Spanish which has really been good practice for them. Today we will begin our own fruit baskets. Hopefully, you will see those come home in the next couple of days. All for now, and I hope that you will have a great weekend!

Sra. Hamilton

basketball, field day, la casa y Panama

Hola padres! We have had a great week of continuing learning about la casa and I have mixed in some review about la ropa with a fun Spanish video that gave the scholars a chance to listen to Spanish being spoken in more fluency. They did an amazing job of picking out what they knew and answering the answers to the quiz that were given at the end.  We will start our unit about la fruta or fruit next week.

For the month of April, our Spanish speaking country is Panama. What a fascinating country as we look at the Panama Canal and what a major endeavor that was and what impact it continues to have today. We could study this feat of engineering for weeks, but I am trying to give the scholars a short overview. They seem really excited to be learning about it. Next month, we will continue south on the map and delve into South America.

We continued working on our basketball skills in PE this week, working mainly on dribbling and passing. The scholars are eager to get into games, but I am insisting that they perfect these basic skills as they are essential to a success on the court. Next week we will take a short hiatus from basketball as we have to move to the back field during AIMS testing. We'll play some fun tag games that will hopefully give the scholars a break during the day.

Field day is just a short week and a half away. Snacks have been taken care of and a sign up genius will be going out soon for tents, coolers, etc. Hopefully you have gotten a request from your teacher for volunteers. Thank you to all those who have responded. I really hope it will be a fun day for all!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Sra. Hamilton

basketball, la casa and scooters!!!!!

Hola padres! Welcome back from break. I hope it was restful and fun for all of you! My family and I had a wonderful few days in Moab, Utah where I ran my first half marathon. What a thrilling experience. I can't think of a more beautiful place to have run 13.1 miles. If you get a chance, please pass through there some day. It is a beautiful part of our country!

Well, we are back to the grind as we launch into fourth quarter. I have already started to speak to the scholars about what behavior for first and second graders looks like as they look to finish the year. It is always good to remind them that as the school year comes to a close that they are expected to have a sense of what the grade above them might look like in terms of behavior. They are doing well so far and I am excited about the growth I have seen in them over the course of the year.

In terms of PE, our basketballs finally came in yesterday and so we were able to start that unit today. Most of the scholars seem to have a good idea what the game is about and are ready and willing to help those who are new to the game. We will work on dribbling, passing and shooting. I am so glad to see that they are excited about it.

In Spanish, we have started our unit on la casa, or the house. I introduced the vocabulary earlier this week and had the scholars do a fun cooperative drawing in order to practice these new words. They really enjoyed it and I hope they told you about it. We will play and explosion and BINGO game today and tomorrow to help them review the vocabulary some more. We will continue this unit into next week.

Our Wednesday lesson in PE has changed from parachutes to scooters! I am excited to start this new unit with the scholars and hope they have as much fun with it as I do.

Looking forward, our field day is scheduled for Wednesday, April 16th. If anyone is willing to help organize events, snacks, refreshments and/or supplies, any help is greatly appreciated. Please email me and let me know.  Thank you so much and have a great week!

Sra. Hamilton

a week of review

Hola padres! As we have finished with our clothing unit, I decided to use this week as a week of review in both Spanish and PE as to not start a new unit right before the break. In Spanish we have been reviewing our numbers by counting by 10's, writing the words out for numbers in Spanish and by just practicing counting. I think the scholars have enjoyed this break from a typical week.

When we get back from break, in Spanish I plan to begin our unit on the home. We will be learning about the rooms of a home and other common household items. In PE, we will begin our unit on basketball.

I'm sorry for these short concise postings, but as the quarter draws to a close there is so much to do! I hope over the break that you and your scholar get the chance to experience some Spanish! Please let me know what you encounter and what your scholar scholars thoughts are. Please have a wonderful and restful break!

Sra. Hamilton

scarf juggling, clothing continuation and body part review

Hola padres! We have a had a fun week continuing with la ropa, working with games and worksheets. I hope this has helped them to use their vocabulary in their day to day activities!

For our fun Wednesday activity, I introduced scarves and we had a ton of fun seeing if we could juggle them. Some of the scholars were able to show me how much of their colors they remember in Spanish which was really fun.

In PE today, we went back to a game we played earlier in the year, which was body part tag. This time we were able to play it outside, so it was fun and we all really enjoyed it. 

Only one more week until the end of the quarter! Please make sure your scholars are participating as much as they can in both Spanish and PE and to send a note to school if they shouldn't be doing PE.

One last thing, we flip flopped our schedule this week and it will take some adjustment, but I think in the end, it will work really well so that we aren't having PE at the end of the day when it is so hot. I am very thankful to the teachers for being willing to this. 

All for now; have a wonderful rest of the week! 
Sra. Hamilton 

la ropa, grab a flag and flip flopping our schedule

Hola padres! We have had a fun week of playing grab a flag in PE. What has worked out so nicely about this game is that it requires the scholars to wear a belt with flags on it, which works so well with our la ropa or clothing unit in Spanish! Now the scholars should know very well what el cinturon is in Spanish. 

This week in Spanish for first grade, we have worked on drawing clothes on a boy and girl as we follow directions as to what they are wearing. This is an activity that comes out of their workbook. For Kinder, I put together a clothing packet for them that we are working through. I hope that both activities help them learn the vocabulary well. We will continue with our clothing unit next week with an art project for kinder and more games and practice for first grade. 

Also, I wanted to let you know that very soon, I plan on flip flopping our schedule. My goal is to have all PE classes in the morning to avoid the impending heat. This will allow us to have Spanish inside in the afternoons. I'm sorry about the dustiness of the playing field we use. If for any reason, your scholar should not be running or participating in PE, please send a note with them. I have many scholars telling me they have a cough or that their leg hurts. Without a note, I cannot verify that they shouldn't be participating. I tell them to do the best they can and for the most part they are fine. Thank you for your understanding! 

That is all I have for now! Have a wonderful weekend!
Sra. Hamilton

quiz, clothing and local raspados

Hola padres! I hope all the scholars had as much fun at the jump rope contest as I did! It was so exciting! We raised a good deal of money for the American Heart Association and exercised our own hearts as well, so I am very happy about that. Those scholars that raised enough money to get more than three ducks from the American Heart Association should receive their prizes before spring break. I will do my best to get them out as soon as they arrive. Congrats to Gavin Ly and Mrs. Baird who took the contest for jumping the longest! 1A rocked it!

As for our Spanish speaking country this month, we are looking at Costa Rica. Please ask your scholar what makes this country special and what their flag looks like. We are learning some interesting facts about it!

For first grade Spanish, I returned quizzes this week and I am taking feedback from each class regarding how they feel they did. For the most part, everyone performed well and I am glad to know that this is an activity I can start to use more frequently. Please ask your scholar how they did and let me know if you have any questions.

For both Kinder and first, we are now starting our unit on clothing or la ropa. We will be using various activities to learn this vocabulary. Also, I am giving them more and more sentences in Spanish for them to translate in English and they are doing a wonderful job recalling all of their vocabulary. I am so proud of them!

I have not been very good about giving you ideas for integrating Spanish lately, so here are two! Not far down the road on Indian School in Avondale is Raspados Neza, right near the corner of Indian School and 104th. This place is AMAZING!! Raspados are Mexico's answer to the snow cone, but so much better! There are so many fruit flavors to choose from! I had the mango and it was delicious. Please try this out as it is perfect for these warm afternoons that we have been having.

Lastly, for you church goers, I am so excited that there is now a Spanish speaking church in Goodyear! http://www.vastagoepicentrophoenix.com/reuniones.html As far as I can tell, they are meeting at the old East location of Desert Spring Community Church on the corner of Indian School and Old Litchfield in Litchfield Park. At the very least, I would love to get my kids involved in some of their kids activities maybe over the summer. If I find out any more details, I will let you know, I am just so excited to have the opportunity to give my family more exposure to Spanish!

Have a great rest of the week!
Sra. Hamilton

Jump Rope Contest and la familia quiz

Hola padres! What a week it has been! The scholars are so excited about the jump rope contest! We have had most of the class competitions and will finish up with those today! i know there have been some disappointed scholars this week, but I am so proud of all of them as they have worked so hard to improve this sometimes difficult skill! I am hoping they will be happy to cheer on their classmates tomorrow at the K-1 contest. All K-1 classes will assemble at 9:30 on the basketball court and we will begin jumping soon after that. Please join us if you can! 

We reviewed this week for our familia quiz by reading a bilingual early reader in class about what families do together and also by practicing translating some sentences from Spanish into English. It is great to see how well the scholars are understanding how words go together and how they translate. You can really tell they are thinking when they ask me why in Spanish it takes 2 words to say something, but 5 to say it in English. Having them see the words written out in the bilingual readers really helps them see how the language is structured and I enjoy their curious questions. 

The quiz itself has gone well. Most of the scholars seem to be comfortable with it and I hope to have it turned back to them in the next week or so. 

Next week for Spanish we will be starting a new unit on clothing. 

In PE, we will be taking a break from jump roping and playing instead some fun cooperation games. I will be sure to fit more jump roping into PE as I know it is an activity that everyone loves and it is a great way to exercise. 

Adios,
Sra. Hamilton 

brincando riata and a familia quiz

Hola padres! We have continued our jump rope unit this week and the scholars are coming along! I know it can be frustrating for some, but I let them know that what I want most from them is their effort and that the rest will fall into place when it is time. Next week we will have the individual class competitions to find out who will jump in the K-1 contest on Friday the 14th at 9:30. Please come watch if you get the chance. The kids are really excited. Again, if it is at all possible for them to practice at home, that would be really great! 

In conjunction with that, I realized that I never explained to the scholars how to say jump rope in Spanish. Today, I began introducing them to the terminology. Now when I tell them we are going to brincar riata, they should know exactly what I mean and what to do. I am so excited to share this with them and have them learn it. 

We are wrapping up our unit on la familia and everyone is catching on so fast! I let them know that we will be doing a quick first ever quiz in Spanish next week. They should all have a copy of el arbol de familia de oso or the bear family tree as their study guide. I will be giving them a blank family tree and word bank to use for the quiz. It will be up to them to fill the tree out. They are all doing so well that I don't anticipate there being any issues at all. I think they will all do well! 

Kinder is finishing up their own family tree in class. They have colored in their family members and we will be pasting and labeling them today and tomorrow. This is a good way to help them remember the family vocabulary. 

Adios, 
Sra. Hamilton 

la fecha, la familia and jumping rope!

Hola padres! For both Kinder and first we have continued this week with learning and practicing our family vocabulary. We will continue this unit next week with some beginning bilingual readers and question and answer games.

Your scholars are also doing an amazing job learning la fecha or the date! I begin every class with the exercise of having them tell me the day of the week, the actual numerical date of the month, the month and the year and so many of them are now able to do it on their own! I am so excited that it is sinking in as I feel that they will really know their months, days of the week and numbers this way.

In PE, we have begun our jump rope unit. The scholars have enthusiastically taken this task on and are wholeheartedly helping each other out. I mention to them that this is a skill that could take a few classes to learn. Please remind them of this and if it is at all possible, have them practice at home. I am doing my best to emphasize safety with the scholars, but we have had couple of casualties and I am so sorry. I am doing my best to make sure they are spaced out enough so that they don't hit each other, but accidents happen. Thankfully, they seem to really enjoy the unit so far.

Just a quick suggestion in terms of some Spanish you can do at home. Pocoyo is an adorable little cartoon that you can find easily on YouTube completely in Spanish. The animation is of such high quality that despite the fact that your child may not understand it all, they will know what is going on by the cartoon itself. It is a great way for your child to practice hearing the language spoken. Please give it a try!

Adios,
Sra. Hamilton

invierno, Nicaragua and Robbing the Cookie Jar

Hola padres! We are now well into the swing of things for second semester. In the beginning part of the week, I concentrated on winter or invierno and the different aspects of the season. We talked about snow or nieve and also read Froggy se viste which is a story the kids love and so do I.

I introduced the Jump Rope for Heart program to the scholars as well this week. Please remember that participation in the fundraising is not required by the scholars. If they would like to collect donations, it is only on a volunteer basis. Everyone will participate in the jump rope contest on Valentine's Day. Thank you to all who have already collected some donations.I hope to do a good job of keeping up with the various prizes that go along with the donations. Wish me luck! Our jump rope unit will begin next week.

In PE, we have moved on to a new game called Rob the Cookie Jar. I think it will take a few classes to get the hang of it, but so far the scholars are enjoying the team work it requires to attain the right amount of cookies for their team to win.

This month's Spanish speaking country is Nicaragua. There are many interesting facts that we are learning about this country. Be sure to ask your scholars what is unique and different about it. I'm sure there will be lots to share. Ask them why so many of the Central American flags look so similar. I bet you will learn something new!

Today in Spanish, we have begun our unit on family. We are starting slow and recalling our adjective vocabulary to describe our family members. We will continue this unit the next couple of weeks.

Thank you again for all of your encouraging words and support. They mean so much to me. Have a wonderful week!

Adios,
Sra. Hamilton

Kinightball, review games and a Spanish app!

Feliz ano nuevo, padres! As hard as it was to get up at a normal time this week, I am glad to be back in the routine and rhythm of things. I want to thank so many of you for meeting with me last week during conferences; it was so nice to chat with you and be able to discuss how this whole Spanish /P.E. thing works. Hopefully, you have a better understanding for what your children do with me here on a daily basis and are able to better encourage and support them as we continue the year. 

This week in Spanish, I mainly focused on review. We played Loteria (Bingo), en todo el mundo (around the world) and a team play game where I started to put together phrases in Spanish for them to translate into English. You should have seen their faces when they realized the phrases they had to translate were "the book is scared" or "the teacher is strong". I love to see their minds work and their faces light up as they figure these things out. 

In both first grade and Kindergarten, we have been talking about winter and making snowmen. Ask your scholar if a snowman is actually "snowman" in Spanish or if they use a slightly different word. I bet it will be interesting to hear. 

We have also been working on saying the date in Spanish. They have learned a few new words and the order in which it is said in Spanish as it is slightly different than in English. This is a skill we will practice for the remainder of the year. It will give them quite a bit of practice in saying their numbers, months of the year, and days of the week. Hopefully, we will have this mastered in the next few weeks. 

As we move on in Spanish, we will begin to talk about family and the names of different family members. This is always a fun unit as these scholars always have such fun stories to tell about their families.

In P.E., we have moved on to Knightball from Dodgeball. The kids seem just as enthusiastic about it as they were about Dodgeball and it is nice to have a new variation of the game to play. Please keep your eye out early next week for some information on the Jump Rope for Heart event that will be happening in February. This is always an exciting event for the scholars.

Lastly, I'd like to mention a fun app that I've learned about put out by Rosetta Stone. It is called the Rosetta Stone Kids Lingo Word Builder and helps them not only learn some Spanish, but also works on reading in English. Check it out and see what your kids think. 

Adios, 
Sra. Hamilton