This Wednesday's class was a GREAT one! All classes had no new homework or vocabulary words becasue next week is Spring Break in our area. So all the homeschoolers as well as public-schoolers are enjoying a short respite from Spanish.
En vez de our regular lesson, we played board games, cards, twister, operation, spill the beans, and had snacks. But Only Spanish was spoken during 15 minute intervals. The students started out trying to just remina silent, but 15 minutes is too long for that! They were so pleased to learn that they CAN communicate in Spanish!
Here are a few of the phrases they used most:
It's your turn - te toca a ti
I won! - Gane'
You lost - Perdiste
Whose turn is it? - A quien le toca?
All in all, a relaxing, fun Spanish class day for all, students and teacher!
From Sra. Gose, a weekly private lesson Spanish teacher, and author of Flip Flop Spanish Workbook you can go along for the ride as I post my class journals - what happens in classes, Spanish teaching tips, and just fun anecdotes about homeschooling and teaching Spanish to children. My classes don't have restrictive state guidelines, so the children simply get to learn what they need to know to communicate!
Friday, March 10, 2006
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Spanish for Restaurant and Parties
My two older classes enjoyed some conversation time this week! We had the students play waiters and customers, and even restaurant managers for a good ten or 15 min block of time - only speaking Spanish. They showed their frustrations, but it really brought home to them how difficult it is for non-native English speakers to communicate when the have a limited vocabulary.
The party theme for my more advanced class brought about some wonderful plans for games next week. All games we play will be only in Spanish, using "Te toca a ti" - it's your turn, as well as vocabulary for the types of foods we serve at parties.
The yuoungest class 3-6 year olds focused on putting bigger sentences together, answering "Que haces?" (What are you doing?) They acted out in charades, as we asked and answered question 20-questions style - si or no. A great time for all~
Gotta get to work packaging up more Flip Flop Workbooks to send out. The orders are coming in consistently, and I'm pleased with the emails and even phone calls I get from happy parents and teachers who are using the curriculum!
Hasta pronto,
Sra. Gose
The party theme for my more advanced class brought about some wonderful plans for games next week. All games we play will be only in Spanish, using "Te toca a ti" - it's your turn, as well as vocabulary for the types of foods we serve at parties.
The yuoungest class 3-6 year olds focused on putting bigger sentences together, answering "Que haces?" (What are you doing?) They acted out in charades, as we asked and answered question 20-questions style - si or no. A great time for all~
Gotta get to work packaging up more Flip Flop Workbooks to send out. The orders are coming in consistently, and I'm pleased with the emails and even phone calls I get from happy parents and teachers who are using the curriculum!
Hasta pronto,
Sra. Gose
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Three days late...
Wednesday was a pretty good class day overall - We had quite a few students out sick, so that slowed things down a bit.
I gave them all a preterite - past tense - verb quiz and they all were a bit frustrated. However, taht little push is what they needed to realize how much more often we want to convey what we did rather than what we are doing. So, for ages 4 and up, that they can already say I played or he played is a major feat!
We enjoyed Spanish charades - always a good vocabulary booster, and also asking each other what you did yeaterday - I always enjoy listening to them actually communicate in Spanish rather than just go through the exercises. The younger ones are reviewing days of the week and numbers right now - not the most exciting thing, but necessary when they want to tell someone at least how old they are.
Would love to hear from anyone on points that stump them or help to teach adverbs, as my older students are asking lots of questions, and I've taught this lesson over a hundred times, and it works fine,... but I wonder how others are good at learning and teaching this concept to teens?
Gracias!
I gave them all a preterite - past tense - verb quiz and they all were a bit frustrated. However, taht little push is what they needed to realize how much more often we want to convey what we did rather than what we are doing. So, for ages 4 and up, that they can already say I played or he played is a major feat!
We enjoyed Spanish charades - always a good vocabulary booster, and also asking each other what you did yeaterday - I always enjoy listening to them actually communicate in Spanish rather than just go through the exercises. The younger ones are reviewing days of the week and numbers right now - not the most exciting thing, but necessary when they want to tell someone at least how old they are.
Would love to hear from anyone on points that stump them or help to teach adverbs, as my older students are asking lots of questions, and I've taught this lesson over a hundred times, and it works fine,... but I wonder how others are good at learning and teaching this concept to teens?
Gracias!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Spanish Conversation Class today ages 7-12
Today was a good day in Spanish class - So good, in fact, that it's 4 in the morning, and I am still rambling around in my head with all that occurred. The students absorb so quickly, I often find myself walking a line that's just on the edge of "too much" and "Not enough."
We talked past tense verb conjugation - they are all aware of the pronouns, and have healthy vocabulary of verbs, thanks to the I like, I don't like lessons (Me gusta, no me gusta) as well as Quiero - I want.
So now they're reporters, asking friends and family this week, What did you do yesterday?
Que hiciste ayer? And TEACHING their contacts how to answer in Spanish. My students get a real kick out of teaching their parents Spanish. Most of them are homeschoolers (Like my family) and so having the tables turned on little madre really gives them a confidence boost, and the mothers enjoy learning what their children are thinking about in Spanish class. This also seems to help them continue to see how their children learn -
For instance, I'm very visual, so I RARELY teach anything without drawing, acting, or writing it on the board. I know many of my students are auditory learners, so I have a student re-read the board or hand out or whatever it is.
Already, I can see I'm chasing a rabbit, so I'll re-group and write some more another day.
Since I'm up, I'll put on a pot of coffee for the day and see if I can finish up Flip Flop Spanish Level 2 - for ages 3-5. There's so much curriculum in my files, it's hard to wait and do one book at a time! I'd love to hear how the first book is going for any parents out there - with any comments you make, I can be sure to add more information on lesson pages, or offer other supplements. We're about a week or two away from uploading the new Spanish workbook to the publisher. Then it's off to the studio to record the second CD, which will have MANY more tracks, several songs and additional translation exercises on it.
Hasta pronto!
Sra. Gose
We talked past tense verb conjugation - they are all aware of the pronouns, and have healthy vocabulary of verbs, thanks to the I like, I don't like lessons (Me gusta, no me gusta) as well as Quiero - I want.
So now they're reporters, asking friends and family this week, What did you do yesterday?
Que hiciste ayer? And TEACHING their contacts how to answer in Spanish. My students get a real kick out of teaching their parents Spanish. Most of them are homeschoolers (Like my family) and so having the tables turned on little madre really gives them a confidence boost, and the mothers enjoy learning what their children are thinking about in Spanish class. This also seems to help them continue to see how their children learn -
For instance, I'm very visual, so I RARELY teach anything without drawing, acting, or writing it on the board. I know many of my students are auditory learners, so I have a student re-read the board or hand out or whatever it is.
Already, I can see I'm chasing a rabbit, so I'll re-group and write some more another day.
Since I'm up, I'll put on a pot of coffee for the day and see if I can finish up Flip Flop Spanish Level 2 - for ages 3-5. There's so much curriculum in my files, it's hard to wait and do one book at a time! I'd love to hear how the first book is going for any parents out there - with any comments you make, I can be sure to add more information on lesson pages, or offer other supplements. We're about a week or two away from uploading the new Spanish workbook to the publisher. Then it's off to the studio to record the second CD, which will have MANY more tracks, several songs and additional translation exercises on it.
Hasta pronto!
Sra. Gose
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Getting Ready for Spanish Classes tomorrow
Today, during our kids' nap time, I'm getting ready for my five lessons and tutoring session tomorrow afternoon. Some weeks, the lessons come so easily, and fun activities just pop into my head. Others, I sit and think throughout the day, trying to remember how I learned a certain phrase, or what clicked with me on a grammar or themed topic, and my husband ends ups saying, "What about.... this idea?" and he's right on the money - not bad for someone who doesn't speak a lick of Spanish!
This week, in my second semester Conversation class, the theme is mountains and camping. I'll let you all know how the students respond. The beginning class will be finishing up their second week of Spanish conversation, and learning how to conduct class in Spanish. The 6 to 8 year olds really enjoy this usually, and the older ones tend to be shy, but this group of twelve seems to be clicking all on the same level.
My 4 to 6 year olds need a little boost this week. We've been focusing on action words and saying "I can do it!" (Puedo hacerlo) and then acting out what we can do. I'll be shifting back to nouns tomorrow and show them how to add their new words to their sentences so that they can actually THINK in Spanish. This is after jsut 12 weeks of lessons, and these students always amaze me.
Stay tuned tomorrow for any funny events or particularly interesting conversations that might occur in class, or tutoring the college student - she comes up with some great questions as well! (She's a third semester student at Sam Houston Univeristy.)
Hasta man~ana!
Sra Gose
This week, in my second semester Conversation class, the theme is mountains and camping. I'll let you all know how the students respond. The beginning class will be finishing up their second week of Spanish conversation, and learning how to conduct class in Spanish. The 6 to 8 year olds really enjoy this usually, and the older ones tend to be shy, but this group of twelve seems to be clicking all on the same level.
My 4 to 6 year olds need a little boost this week. We've been focusing on action words and saying "I can do it!" (Puedo hacerlo) and then acting out what we can do. I'll be shifting back to nouns tomorrow and show them how to add their new words to their sentences so that they can actually THINK in Spanish. This is after jsut 12 weeks of lessons, and these students always amaze me.
Stay tuned tomorrow for any funny events or particularly interesting conversations that might occur in class, or tutoring the college student - she comes up with some great questions as well! (She's a third semester student at Sam Houston Univeristy.)
Hasta man~ana!
Sra Gose
Friday, February 10, 2006
Flip Floppers- Welcome!
Bienvenidos al BLOG de Sra. Gose!
Flip Floppers - Welcome! Stay tuned as I learn how to create an inviting web-space!
This BLOG's intent is to keep all Flip Flop Spanish Readers aware of how I conduct my weekly classes, and also to perk them up with the normal goings-on in my little Spanish-learning and teaching world.
Here's a cute anecdote from my Spanish class this past Wednesday:
In class this week (I started a new Beginning Conversation Class for ages 6-12, which is my biggest age range yet!) a little boy, one of the youngest in the class of twelve students, was determined to speak as much Spanish as possible, and so asked me, "Now, I know we say si for yes, and hola for hello, but can you tell me how to say No?"I answered: "No."He was a little upset and said, "But you're the teacher! Who else do I ask?"The class had a good laugh, and when he realized my meaning - No is simply No in both languages, he remarked, "Well THAT was nice of them!"
Flip Floppers - Welcome! Stay tuned as I learn how to create an inviting web-space!
This BLOG's intent is to keep all Flip Flop Spanish Readers aware of how I conduct my weekly classes, and also to perk them up with the normal goings-on in my little Spanish-learning and teaching world.
Here's a cute anecdote from my Spanish class this past Wednesday:
In class this week (I started a new Beginning Conversation Class for ages 6-12, which is my biggest age range yet!) a little boy, one of the youngest in the class of twelve students, was determined to speak as much Spanish as possible, and so asked me, "Now, I know we say si for yes, and hola for hello, but can you tell me how to say No?"I answered: "No."He was a little upset and said, "But you're the teacher! Who else do I ask?"The class had a good laugh, and when he realized my meaning - No is simply No in both languages, he remarked, "Well THAT was nice of them!"
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