Spanish (Mrs. James)

Spanish (Sra. James)

Feliz primavera! I am happy to welcome the spring season and to continue to guide your children in their learning and acquisition of Spanish.

Although our class time is limited, students are making excellent progress. The emphasis during class time will continue to be on communication, both spoken and written. By the end of their tenure at MDS, it is my expectation that students will have an understanding of where Spanish is spoken in the world as well as proficiency in basic conversational Spanish. 

The enthusiastic Kindergarteners are practicing simple conversations, colors and numbers. I feel lucky to be the first person to introduce them to Spanish. Grade 3 has advanced to higher numbers and the spelling of them. Grades 1, 2 and 4 are learning classroom objects. The grade 4 students will also begin to memorize the spelling of those objects.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of participation and active engagement in all classroom activities. My goal is to communicate in the classroom in Spanish 90% of our time together. This is a lofty goal but one our students are ready to embrace. 

Although I do not assign written homework, middle school students are encouraged to study for quizzes. I almost always send an email reminder to parents, post quiz dates on FACTS and give students a study guide. I hope you and they find this helpful.

I will continue to provide supplies for K-3 students. Grades 4-8 should bring a sharpened pencil to class every day. General classroom supplies needed include:

Sharpened pencils

Crayola colored pencils

Kleenex tissues

Copy paper

And...many thanks to those who searched for and donated textbooks to our classroom. I will have enough copies for next year's grade 8. At present, I use the text as an excellent curriculum guide and as a resource for packets used in class.

I look forward to seeing you at open house in April. Student work will be posted in the hallway and in the classroom. Please stop by!

Thank you for your continued support! Gracias!

Sra. Andrea James