Check out the new blog!

 Starting with the 2020-2021 school year, you can find the new (HC)2 Spanish blog here:

https://blog.seesaw.me/hc2spanish

Stay-At-Home Summer Spanish Fun!

I've missed seeing everyone on Wednesdays at (HC)2!  If you're interested in continuing to practice Spanish over the summer, I've put together a list of ideas here, but if there's something specific you're looking for, let me know!

• Holland's Herrick Library (both branches) and Zeeland's Howard Miller Library feature growing collections of children's material in Spanish.  Discover a new book or find an old favorite in a new language.  Check out their DVD collections and audio books for great listening practice in Spanish.  With the libraries currently closed, be sure to check out the online offerings.  Hoopla has an extensive collection in Spanish.
• If you have Herrick Library account, be sure to check out Little Pim (for younger students) and Mango Languages (for older students and adults).  Both are available for free online with your library account. 

• Listed below are some online resources I've used or recommended in the past.  Most are music or game based to make learning Spanish as much fun as possible!  
• (Parents, please note that many of these sites use Google Ads.  I can not control nor predict the ads that are shown.  You may want to preview the sites with ads ahead of time or have an ad blocker set up on your browser.)

Games and Activities for Students:

Rockalingua:  This site offers great songs and games to practice different vocabulary themes in Spanish.  Some resources require you to purchase a subscription, but there is a lot of material that is available for free.  If you're interested, the site is also offering free video classes this summer.  You can check out April 22's class by clicking HERE.

Online Free Spanish:  The "beginner" level includes a lot of basic vocabulary.

1, 2, 3, Teach Me:  In addition to games and vocabulary activities, this site also includes listening activities with simple conversations.

StoryPlace:  Listen to a story online, then follow up with online activities, a "take home activity" (craft), and get suggestions of other books to borrow from the library.  Great for younger (K-2nd) learners.

Scholastic Books (en español):  Read Aloud videos of some of your favorite books--in Spanish!

Salsa Online Video Series:  Continue following the story of Ricitos and the Osos!  According to their website, "Salsa is Georgia Public Broadcasting's award-winning Spanish language series for young learners in kindergarten through the third grade. Puppets in familiar stories, digital graphics and animation teach the language."

PBS Spanish Games:  These games feature PBS Kids characters in a variety of Spanish games.

BBC Primary Languages:  This site is geared toward slightly older students (3rd grade and up), and features vocabulary practice, games, and videos.  (Note:  This site emphasizes the pronunciation and culture of Spain while most US-based sites emphasize Latin American pronunciation and culture.  See what differences you notice!)

SpanishTown:  This site provides 30 "lessons" of interactive vocabulary lists and short videos.  There are also printable activities and grammar lessons for older students.

Duolingo.com:  Parents will want to check this one out as it can be a bit "reading heavy" for young learners.  It may be an activity you can complete together.  Older students, however, will love the competitive game-based language learning!

1, 2, 3, Andrés on YouTube.  He teaches Spanish through songs and stories.  Each Monday, he is posting a Spanish read aloud story.  His "Salta" (Jump) song is a great way to burn off some energy on a rainy day.  ;)

Spanish Playground Vocabulary Videos: These videos were created by a Spanish teacher.  The actors are native speakers, but they speak slowly so that you can learn new words!

Toma Todo!  A 4th-6th grade favorite...now you can play at home!


For Parents:

Spanish Playground:  A fantastic resource with ideas and resources for teaching Spanish.

Mommy Maestra Blog:  This blog is run by a Latina homeschooling mom.  She posts a lot of bilingual books, resources, and other activity ideas.

Locura de Marzo: Semifinals!

Hola a todos!  Hello Everyone!

Let's keep voting for your favorite songs!

(Link to all songs)

**Please Note** Most of the songs are YouTube videos.  I can not predict nor control the ads that YouTube will show.  Please get your parents permission to watch videos!

FOR EVERYONE Kindergarten-6th grade:  This week we will be doing TWO rounds of Semifinals voting.  (My hope is that we can have the final vote together this summer!)


Semifinal #1

• Listen to Los Colores
• Listen to Tiburón Bebé

Semifinal #2

• Listen to El Señor es mi Fortaleza
• Listen to Chocolate

Click HERE to vote!!

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Grade: April 15, 2020~Learn at Home

¡Hola amigos!  Pedro and I are sad we can't be at school with you, but we can still learn Spanish together!  We hope you enjoyed watching SALSA last week.  Here's another episode for this week!

**Please note, I can not predict nor control the ads that YouTube will show before videos.  Please monitor videos with your children.**

1.  Opening Routine

• We start our classes by asking each other "¿Cómo estás?"  Watch this video to practice!

Vocabulary

¿Cómo estás?  -  How are you?

bien - good/well

muy bien - very good/very well

mal - bad/poorly

aburrido - bored

feliz - happy

cansado - tired

• We also talk about "las estaciones" /the seasons.  Watch this video.  (Press the "CC" button to see the English translations.)

2.  Language Lesson

• You've worked hard all year learning new vocabulary words!  Let's have fun listening to those words in a short video!  Over the next few weeks, we'll be watching episodes of SALSA!  Today, the friends play hide and seek!
• Before you watch the video, find a red crayon or marker, a blue crayon or marker, a green crayon or marker, and a yellow crayon or marker.  As you watch the video, every time you hear the word "rojo" (red) hold up the red crayon, when you hear "azul" (blue) hold up the blue one, when you hear "verde" (green) hold up the green one, and when you hear "amarillo. 
• VIDEO LINK. (NOT a YouTube link :) )
• Parents, if you're interested, HERE is the transcript of the video in both English and Spanish.

3.  Finishing up

• Sing the B-I-B-L-I-A. (The song is a little different than the version we sing in class, I'll see if I can find another version soon!)
• Our usual words:  La B-I-B-L-I-A
                               Es el libro para mí  (It's the book for me)
                               Es la palabra de Dios  (It's the word of God)
                               La B-I-B-L-I-A

4th, 5th, 6th Grade: April 15, 2020~Learn at Home

¡Hola amigos!  I hope that you're all doing well.  I really miss seeing you all on Wednesdays.

To continue learning Spanish, I have another "Choose your own adventure" for Spanish class!  This week, I'm adding a little reading for those of you who feel confident to read on your own in Spanish.

**Please note, I can not predict nor control the ads that YouTube will show before videos.  Please follow your family's rules for using YouTube.  Parents, please monitor videos with your children.**

1.  Listening:  We learn Spanish first by listening!  You can choose a listening activity AND a reading activity...OR you can jump right to the reading if you want.

• Beginner!  If you want a good review of the basics, continue watching "Mono" (monkey) video series!  There are 12 videos and each one is 3-5 minutes long.  Watch as many as you want in order:  more listening = more Spanish learning!  You can turn on subtitles (press the CC button) to see what everything means in English!  
• Mono Story Basic, Story 1 (from last week)
• Mono Story Basic, Story 2 (from last week)
• Mono Story Basic, Story 3 (from last week)
• Mono Story Basic, Story 4 (new this week)
• Beginner with pop ups!  This is the same video as the first option, but it includes "pop ups" to quickly explain (in English) grammar concepts or vocabulary.  
• Mono Story with Pop Ups Story 1 (from last week)
• Mono Story with Pop Ups Story 2 (from last week)
• Mono Story with Pop Ups Story 3 (from last week)
• Mono Story with Pop Ups Story 4 (new this week)
• Intermediate:  In these videos, the speakers speak clearly and use a lot of actions and pictures, but NOT every word is translated for you.  You need to use what you know and use context to figure out unknown words.  These videos do not have English subtitles, but you can turn on Spanish captions (sometimes seeing the words makes it easier!)  There are 24 videos and each one is between 2-8 minutes.  You don't need to watch these in order.  Scan the titles and choose ones that are interesting to you!  Habla Video Series.  
• Spanish Playground also has a series of basic conversations in Spanish.  There is a lot of new vocabulary in these videos.  You may not understand every word, but if you're up for a challenge, see if you can understand the main idea of each conversation.  Spanish Playground Basic Conversation Series
• Mix and Match option!  Can't choose?  Watch any of the videos above!  
• P.S.  If you don't mind puppets and fairy tales, you can also watch the SALSA video I linked for younger students!  It's another beginner option, but it's aimed at younger learners.  I still enjoy the videos though!

2.  Reading:  After listening, we learn Spanish by reading!  Revista Literal is an online magazine that publishes stories written by beginning Spanish students--like you!  I picked out two stories I thought you might like:

• Shorter:  El chico inteligente (The Smart Boy)
• Longer:  Ataque de Tiburón (Shark Attack!...with a happy ending!)
• From last week:
• El Perro:  A boy and his new dog.
• Yeti named Joe:  A character that a 7th grade class created!
• Remember the SUPER 7 verbs as you read
• hay - there is/there are
• tiene - he/she has
• va - he/she goes to
• le gusta - he/she likes
• quiere - he/she wants
• es - he/she is
• está en - he/she is located in

3.  Responding

• Respond to the video you watched by filling out this Google Assignment (worth 2 stickers!!)  RESPONSE SHEET

Ramona #2

A Ramona, le gustan los kiwis.

Ramón #2

Ramón está en un vaso.

Locura de Marzo #4

Hola a todos!  Hello Everyone!

Let's keep voting for your favorite songs!

(Link to all songs)

**Please Note** Most of the songs are YouTube videos.  I can not predict nor control the ads that YouTube will show.  Please get your parents permission to watch videos!

FOR EVERYONE Kindergarten-6th grade:  This week, we will be voting for El Señor es mi Fortaleza (The Lord is my Fortress) or  La B-I-B-L-I-A (The B-I-B-L-E).

• Listen to El Señor es mi Fortaleza
• Listen to La B-I-B-L-I-A
• Click HERE to vote!

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Spanish: April 1, 2020~Learn at Home

¡Hola amigos!  Pedro and I are sad we can't be at school with you, but we can still learn Spanish together!  We hope you enjoyed watching SALSA last week.  Here's another episode for this week!

**Please note, I can not predict nor control the ads that YouTube will show before videos.  Please monitor videos with your children.**

1.  Opening Routine

• We start our classes by asking each other "¿Cómo estás?"  Watch this video to practice!

Vocabulary

¿Cómo estás?  -  How are you?

bien - good/well

muy bien - very good/very well

mal - bad/poorly

aburrido - bored

feliz - happy

cansado - tired

• We also talk about "las estaciones" /the seasons.  Watch this video.  (Press the "CC" button to see the English translations.)

2.  Language Lesson

• You've worked hard all year learning new vocabulary words!  Let's have fun listening to those words in a short video!  Over the next few weeks, we'll be watching episodes of SALSA!  Today, there's a new chair!
• Before you watch the video, find a red crayon or marker, a blue crayon or marker, and a green crayon or marker.  As you watch the video, every time you hear the word "rojo" (red) hold up the red crayon, when you hear "azul" (blue) hold up the blue one, and when you hear "verde" (green) hold up the green one. 
• VIDEO LINK. (NOT a YouTube link :) )
• Parents, if you're interested, HERE is the transcript of the video in both English and Spanish.

3.  Finishing up

• Sing the B-I-B-L-I-A. (The song is a little different than the version we sing in class, I'll see if I can find another version soon!)
• Our usual words:  La B-I-B-L-I-A
                               Es el libro para mí  (It's the book for me)
                               Es la palabra de Dios  (It's the word of God)
                               La B-I-B-L-I-A

4th, 5th, and 6th Grade: April 1, 2020~Learn at Home

¡Hola amigos!  I hope that you're all doing well.  I really miss seeing you all on Wednesdays. 

To continue learning Spanish, I have another "Choose your own adventure" for Spanish class!  This week, I'm adding a little reading for those of you who feel confident to read on your own in Spanish.

**Please note, I can not predict nor control the ads that YouTube will show before videos.  Please follow your family's rules for using YouTube.  Parents, please monitor videos with your children.**

1.  Listening:  We learn Spanish first by listening!  You can choose a listening activity AND a reading activity...OR you can jump right to the reading if you want.

• Beginner!  If you want a good review of the basics, continue watching "Mono" (monkey) video series!  There are 12 videos and each one is 3-5 minutes long.  Watch as many as you want in order:  more listening = more Spanish learning!  You can turn on subtitles (press the CC button) to see what everything means in English!  
• Mono Story Basic, Story 1 (from last week)
• Mono Story Basic, Story 2 (from last week)
• Mono Story Basic, Story 3 (new this week)
• Beginner with pop ups!  This is the same video as the first option, but it includes "pop ups" to quickly explain (in English) grammar concepts or vocabulary.  
• Mono Story with Pop Ups Story 1 (from last week)
• Mono Story with Pop Ups Story 2 (from last week)
• Mono Story with Pop Ups Story 3 (new this week)
• Intermediate:  In these videos, the speakers speak clearly and use a lot of actions and pictures, but NOT every word is translated for you.  You need to use what you know and use context to figure out unknown words.  These videos do not have English subtitles, but you can turn on Spanish captions (sometimes seeing the words makes it easier!)  There are 24 videos and each one is between 2-8 minutes.  You don't need to watch these in order.  Scan the titles and choose ones that are interesting to you!  Habla Video Series
• Mix and Match option!  Can't choose?  Watch any of the videos above!  
• P.S.  If you don't mind puppets and fairy tales, you can also watch the SALSA video I linked for younger students!  It's another beginner option, but it's aimed at younger learners.  I still enjoy the videos though!

2.  Reading:  After listening, we learn Spanish by reading!  Revista Literal is an online magazine that publishes stories written by beginning Spanish students--like you!  I picked out two stories I thought you might like:

• Shorter:  This story is called El Perro.  It's about a boy and his new dog.
• Longer:  Remember the characters we created in class?  Other classes have shared their stories with Revista Literal!  This story was created by a 7th Grade class and it's about a Yeti named Joe.  (I may need to submit the stories we created together!)
• Remember the SUPER 7 verbs as you read
• hay - there is/there are
• tiene - he/she has
• va - he/she goes to
• le gusta - he/she likes
• quiere - he/she wants
• es - he/she is
• está en - he/she is located in

3.  Responding

• Respond to the video you watched by filling out this Google Assignment (worth 2 stickers!!)  RESPONSE SHEET

Ramona #1

Ramona está en una bota.

Ramón #1

A Ramón, le gustan las bananas.