BMS Spanish

71 and 72

2008-05-13T15:22:00.001-07:00

1. Corrections on ser/estar quiz
2. Create a city using 2 places from each category. Label each place.

Due Thursday.

81 and 82 - Pésame Cards

2008-05-12T22:33:00.002-07:00

Pésame Cards are due Friday, 5/16.

Include:

A Greeting
One expression of pésame
3 sentiments about Tomas using the preterite
3 sentiments about Tomas using the imperfect
A Closing

81 and 82 - Mexico Sharing Projects

2008-05-12T22:33:00.001-07:00

A. Mexico Sharing Proposal

Name: _______________________________________

Topic: _______________________________________

While the content of your proposal is prescribed, the delivery of it is not. The only requirements are that it:

不 Include words to describe and explain.
不 Include some kind of visual.
不 Describe not only your experience, but the experience of the larger group.

Answer the following questions in your proposal:

How will you deliver the information? Explain both the words and the visual part.
What significant content do you want to be sure to include?
What did other people experience that you might not have?
What help will you need from others to complete your project?

Due Dates:

The night of sharing is Friday 5/16 from 5:00 – 6:00pm. You are required to attend. If you have an important prior commitment that will keep you from attending please see me. The due date for the project is Friday 5/16 . We will be meeting Monday and Wednesday of next week. Please set two benchmarks for yourself on those days. What will you have completed by Monday? by Wednesday?

B. Observations/Interpretations

Everyone made some significant observations on their trip to Mexico. Please choose one of those observations to explore more in depth and write a short essay aboutDescribe what you observed. What did you observe? Who was there? Where was it? How often did you observe this? You will also need to attempt to interpret your observation. Ask yourself, why might this be the way it is? Is this different from my own culture or the same? Did this make me uncomfortable in any way? Why? Was this familiar to me? Why? What might some other possible interpretations be? If you are inclined to research it further do so and include your findings. Include either a photograph or some other illustration that you create yourself. We will have a binder of these essays at the sharing.

81 and 82

2008-02-14T16:44:00.001-08:00

Reminder that travel guide submissions are due. Email them to: marybethventura@yahoo.com or submit them on a zip drive.

71 and 72

2008-02-14T16:32:00.000-08:00

Finish "El Cuento de Los Monos" adjective error activity.

81 and 82

2008-02-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

Club de Cien for the third person preterite starts tomorrow. Study your notes and practice by making a list of subjects and then conjugating each verb for the subject. Here is an example:

los perros salieron fueron dijeron bajaron
Ud. salio fue dijo bajo
mi madre salio fue dijo bajo

You will have word meanings tomorrow. After that, no meanings and you work towards mastery.

81 and 82 Travel Guide

2008-02-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

Everyone was assigned their travel guide topics today. You will write a 150-250 word article about your topic for the travel guide. Include 1 or 2 pictures or graphics that will look good copied in black and white and are no bigger than 3x4" Type your article and paste the pictures all into the same word document. Submit the article to me on a flash drive or by emailing it as an attachment to: marybethventura@yahoo.com The article is due Friday 2/15.

Mexico FAQs

2008-02-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

Travel

What are the flight details?
Mon. 4/28: Mexicana Airlines leaving San Jose at 9:55 a.m. and arriving Guadalajara, MI, Mexico at 3:55 p.m.
Flight time: 3 hours 35 minutes
Sun. 5/4: Mexicana Airlines leaving Guadalajara at 4:35p.m. and arriving San Francisco, CA at 6:45 p.m.
Flight time: 4 hours 10 minutes

Will the airline serve food and are there TVs?
Yes, we will be served a meal on the plane but no, there are not TVs.

What is the time difference?
Michoacán is 2 hours ahead of California. It is in the Central time zone.

Are there assigned seats on the plane?
Yes, the airline will assign our group a block of seats on the plane and then within that block they will assign you, specifically, a seat on the plane. I have no control over it. Usually it is done alphabetically.

Will we be able to switch seats once we are on the plane?
You must sit in your assigned seat for take off, until the seatbelt sign is turned off. After that, we will consider the possibility of switching seats.

Who’s Going/ Supervision

Which adults are going?
MB and Zaq are definite. There will be at least one other adult. We’ll let you know when we know.

Are the teachers with us all the time?
We will be with you all the time getting to and from. You will be split into groups and assigned to a teacher to check in, go through customs, or any other times we think its necessary. We will go on all of the excursions with you. If you are broken into groups during excursions, counselors from camp will be your chaperones. We will not attend all of the workshops with you. A counselor will bring you to the workshop, stay with you and take you home. There will also be the teacher or leader of the workshop. Teachers will visit you at the workshops. Teachers are around at camp and will sometimes eat and play with you, but mostly you will be under the supervision of the camp directors and counselors.

Packing/ What to Bring/Electronics

What do we have to pack? When will we get a packing list?
The specifics of what you need to pack will be on the packing list, which you will in March. You should pack a bag that you are able to carry yourself without the use of a cart. You will have either one suitcase (that has your bedding in it) and a carry on or one suitcase, a bag with your bedding, and a carry on.

What electronics are we allowed to bring?
You may bring an iPod or other personal music device. You may not bring a cell phone, gameboy (or other), computer, or dvd player. There is no place to charge cameras in the dorm rooms so disposable cameras are a better choice.

When can we use an iPod?
You may use it on the plane when important information is not being shared. You may use it in your sleeping bag at night. You may not use it at any other time. It is a camp rule and it is for your safety in the airports. You bring them at your own risk. The camp doesn’t assume responsibility for them.

How much money should we bring?
$50-$100. Most students from last year reported that they didn’t come close to spending their money.

Geography/Weather

Where are we going?
We are going to a camp named El Molino in the town of Erongaricuaro, in the state of Michoacan, in the country of Mexico. It is half an hour from Lake Patzcuaro and Morelia. Please refer to the map in the class.

What are the surroundings like?
Eronga is a tiny town tucked in the mountains. It is one of several small towns and cities that surround Lake Patzcuaro. The town retains it old, historic atmosphere. There is a lot of open space surrounding it.

What is the elevation?
7,130 feet (Lake Tahoe is 6225 feet. Berkeley is 0-1300 feet)

What will the weather be like?
Typically, April is the end of the dry season. It will likely be very dry and warm during the day, highs around 80. At night it can get as cold as 30 is also cold in the morning. One year however, there was one morning of heavy rain. You need to be prepared for everything!

Are there oceans or pools there for swimming?
There are no oceans, there is a lake and there may be pools, but we will not be swimming. It is not an activity that the camp offers.

Language

How much Spanish will we be expected to speak?
As much as you are able. The opportunity will be available almost all of the time to speak Spanish with the other students, counselors, directors, workshop leaders and people in town. Most of the counselors and workshop leaders speak very little English. You will be required to interview many people while you are there, so you are guaranteed to use your Spanish.

Will MB speak in Spanish the entire time?
I will not translate everything during meetings for you but I might repeat it in Spanish for you. I will speak English with you also. I will repeat critical information for you in English.

Food/Eating/Drinking

Can we drink the water?
You cannot drink the tap water. The camp has potable (drinkable) water available to drink at all times. There are coolers in the dining area to fill your personal bottles from, and pitchers in the bathrooms to brush your teeth wit.

Is there a cafeteria?
Awesome cooks prepare the meals, but it’s not really a cafeteria. There is a tried and true system for mealtimes. Food is served to you buffet style by teachers and eaten family style. You are responsible for cleaning up after yourselves.

Will we be with other schools while we eat?
Yes, this is one of the primary ways that you connect with students from the other schools.

What kind of food will we eat?
There is some Mexican food and some food that will be very familiar to you. There is a lot of fresh fruit! There is a nice variety of food at each meal. There are always options for vegetarians and for people with allergies, etc. Let me know if you have eating restrictions so we can communicate those to the camp. “I don’t like applesauce” is not an eating restriction.

Can we bring food?
You will bring food to eat in the airport and on the plane. We recommend that you bring several powerbars or something that can satisfy your hunger when you are out and about during the week. You cannot keep any food in your rooms, but there is a spot in “la sala” where personal food is kept. Do not bring candy.

Sleeping/Bathrooms

What time do we wake up and go to sleep?
We wake up early (it’s different every day) and go to bed around 10:00pm. You should practice the question: ¿A qué hora nos despertamos mañana?

Where will we sleep?
You sleep in dorm rooms that are divided by gender. The rooms sleep between 15 – 25 people. Counselors will stay with you in the dorms. Teachers stay in separate rooms. There are bathrooms attached to each dorm room.

What are the sleeping arrangements?
You will have some BMS kids and some kids from other schools in your rooms. It is a pretty informal process that you have some control over.

What kind of bedding should we bring?
The camp provides a mat. You should bring a sleeping bag and a small travel pillow. A therma-rest is optional.

Can we shower?
Yes, each room figures out a daily schedule for showering.

Daily Schedule/What do we do there

What will we do there?
You will attend workshops in the town, go on excursions to surrounding areas (an island in Lake Patzcuaro, an ancient pyramid, a national park, a volcano, a market day in Patzcuaro are all possibilities), play games, sports, and activities that are planned, have free time (where you can also play games and sports), do night time activities (like hike, campfire, salsa, etc.)

What kind of workshops will we do?
There are lots of choices. Some examples are, weaving, hiking, traditional cooking, perfume making, jewelry making, and animal care. There are many workshops focused on arts and ecology. We will learn how to say the workshops in Spanish before we go.

How are we going to divide into groups for workshops?
It is a process that is impossible to explain. It happens with everyone in the same room and involves sitting in lines and people coming around with clipboards. Almost every BMS student from last year said that they wished there was more of a mix of Chihuahuans and Californians in workshops.

How much free time will we have?
I can’t say how much, but there is a nice balance of free and structured time.

What is physical activity?
Physical activity in the morning is usually a structured game or competition. Throughout the day there is lots of soccer played, volleyball, four square, rope swinging. There is a basketball court in town that you can also visit.

What are the facilities like?
They are beautiful with lots of fields and lots

Will we be able to explore the camp?
Yes, there is lots of space but just like school a teacher or counselor will need to know where you are at all times.

How much time will we have to shop?
We will have several opportunities to shop , but the amount of time varies depending on what excursions we go on. There are counselors there all the time who are often willing to take you out in the town to explore a little.

Is everything co-ed?
Yes, except for anything having to do with dorms (namely, sleeping.)

What “work” do we have to do there?
We will be doing some ethnographic research this year. Ethnographic research is a way of understanding a culture by experiencing it first hand and talking with people. You will learn more about the specifics of your work in class.
.

Other schools

How many other people will be at our camp?
There will be another group of about 4o students at camp at the same time from Chihuahua, Mexico. There might be a third school there from Mexico. The camp schedules the groups and aims to have groups from different places there at the same time.

How old are they?
They are sixth graders, and I believe they will be 11 and 12 years old.

81 and 82

2008-02-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

Read "Mexico 2008, FAQs" and bring clarifying questions to class Tuesday, 2/5.

81 and 82 for Wednesday 11/28

2007-11-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

Quiz corrections due.

Part of Wednesday's class will be a work period for the cultural projects. Bring any materials you need to use your time wisely.

81 and 82

2007-11-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

Quiz on object pronouns. The quiz will be in the same format as the activity we did in connection with the reading "El Cuadro" on Monday. I strongly encourage students to study their notes and to review and practice with "El Cuadro."

Present dialogues. Dialogues do not need to be memorized, but you should be very familiar with your lines so that you are presenting and acting rather than reading.

81, 82, 71, 72 Cultural Project Research and Process

2007-11-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

THE PROCESS

1. Take notes on research.
2. Have the experience and take notes on that as well.
3. Organize notes into a presentation outline.
4. Make notecards for presentation.
5. Prepare other components (maps, posters, dance, slide show, dish, etc.)
6. Practice presenting.
7. Present (all presentations must be completed by 12/21)

THE RESEARCH

Each student has chosen a date for their research to be completed. It is recorded in their planner and my planner. In all four classes the following question came up: "What am I supposed to be researching?" We worked together to create a brainstorming web that details exactly what kind of information students should be looking for during the course of their research. Part of the research process also includes the experience that they have and the people that they talk to during the experience. I am including it below in outline form.

I. The Culture Itself (Students do not need to research every one of these sub topics. They should choose several that really tie to their topic or that are particularly interesting abut the culture they chose.)
A. History and Politics
B. People/Population
C. Language
D. Religion
1. Ceremonies
2. Holidays
3. Traditions
E. Geography
1. Location in the world
2. Climate
3. Physical Geography
4. bordering cultures

II. The Aspect of Culture (such as bullfighting, the Tango, Mariachi music, etc.)
A. History (how it has changed over time)
B. Influences
C. Similarities or differences with other art forms, foods, holidays, etc.
D. Famous or noteworthy people
E. Famous or noteworthy events

81, 82, 71, 72 Hispanic Cultural Project

2007-10-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

The goal of the project is to have a cultural experience and to then help the class have the experience through you. Please refer to the assignment handout for possible themes. See MB for extra copies

Project Proposal, Due October 31
The project proposal should be handwritten or typed and should answer the following questions in complete sentences. You may respond either in bullet points or in paragraph form.

What is my topic?
Why did I choose my topic?
What sources will I use for my research?
What experience will I have?
What do I hope to gain from the experience?
How will I share my experience with the class?
What do I want my classmates to gain from the experience?
When will my presentation be?
What will me schedule be for completing this work? You must have at least two benchmarks or self imposed due dates between now and your presentation.

Presentation can begin as early as Nov. 5 and must be completed by Dec. 21.

Bienvenidos al Blog de Espanol!

2007-09-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the delay, but after some trials and tribulations the Spanish blog is up and running. You can expect all assignments to be posted here from this day forward. Hasta muy pronto!

MB