República Dominicana y Merengue

This week we learned a little bit about the Dominican Republic (República Dominicana in Spanish). We learned about the origin of the dance style Merengue and then got to try out some dance moves. The kids enjoyed following along and trying out new steps- they have some great rhythm! Click below to see the slideshow we watched. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/13MoVprKl6iqM4jjW5Yl3VlIBK4F2lFSrw8xcBJvmcyI/edit?usp=sharing

̉Te Gusta?

Día de los Muertos

"Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a day of celebration for the people of Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Central America, and more recently for Mexican Americans. Rather than grieve over the loss of a beloved family or friend, they choose to commemorate the lives of the dearly departed and welcome the return of their spirits. The history of Day of the Dead is embedded with Pre-Hispanic and Spanish customs. These customs shaped the common elements of traditional Mexican Dia de los Muertos."

from http://latino.si.edu/LVM/DayOfTheDead

Clip from Coco illustrating the Ofrenda

Día de los Muertos is celebrated on November 1st and often includes an Ofrenda. Some of the elements of the ofrenda include:

• Water is served in a clay pitcher of glass to quench the spirits' thirst from their long journey and represents one of life's elements.
• Candles represent fire, another one of life's elements.
• Papel picado (tissue paper cut-outs) represent wind, the third of life's elements.
• Marigolds are symbolic of death for the Aztec culture in pre-Colombian Mexico.
• Food, usually pan de muerto (bread of the dead), represents the last of earth's elements: earth
• Calveras de azucar represent life's sweetness. 
• Copal incense
• Photos
• Toys
• Other foods, such as mole, fruit, chocolate, atole, or favorite dishes of the deceased.

We are going to make a school-wide ofrenda that will be on display outside the front office.  If your child would like to bring something to contribute it could be a picture or drawing of a deceased loved one (including pets), an item that their loved one enjoyed (for example playing cards, a picture of a guitar, etc.) or something they wrote about the person they are remembering and why. Please make sure to have their name on the item so that we can return it to you when we are finished. You can also email a picture of the photo or item to Lesley at lesley.page@bvsd.org and they will get printed out to be put on display. 

¡Gracias!

How to make Calaveras

How to make Pan de Muerto

Traditional Chumba la Cachumba Children's Song

Our school-wide ofrenda from 2021

5th graders worked with a partner to come up with facts they remember about Día de los Muertos.

Conjugando Verbos Regulares

	-AR	-ER	-IR
yo	o	o	o
tú	as	es	es
él/ella	a	e	e
nosotros	amos	emos	imos
ellos	an	en	en

Here are some songs we listened (and danced) to in order to help us remember the conjugations of the different types of regular verbs. 

Verbos Regulares

AR ER IR

Hablar beber escribir

Charadas:

¿Es el verbo_______?

Si, es el verbo_____.

No es el verbo______. 

El verbo "llamarse"

LLAMARSE

Partes del Cuerpo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1YvHTaLN9g

Cabeza, hombros, rodillas, pies, rodillas, pies

Cabeza, hombros, rodillas, pies, rodillas, pies

Ojos, orejas, boca y nariz

Cabeza, hombros, rodillas, pies, rodillas, pies

Reflexiones de Calwood

 We did some reflection about the 5th grade trip to Calwood. Students practiced sharing orally about their favorite parts and what they did not like. They then created a small book with these written statements and illustrations. What special memories for them to reflect upon in Spanish!

Tengo Una Familia

Tengo una familia.

En mi familia, tengo un papá, una mamá, una hermana, un hermano, y un perrito.

Un día, mi familia y yo fuimos al parque. En el parque, vimos flores de muchos colores.

Familia

él            ella     

¿Quién es él/ella?

Él/ella es _______.

   

 

Los Pollitos

Los pollitos dicen 

Pio, pio, pio 

Cuando tienen hambre

Cuando tienen frio

  

Hispanic Heritage Month

In Spanish class we discussed Hispanic Heritage Month and learned about when and why it is celebrated, who celebrates it and how it is celebrated. We watched some informational videos and heard from some child actors who celebrate this month. We then brainstormed with a partner and made a bubble map about our own cultural heritage. It was so fun to learn more about all the pieces that make us who we are! Here is the slideshow. The links for the videos are on slide #2. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RkMJ84fYxKVRVsgLw9NE8CFGC7hD4xa_HTnJNdDrAMI/edit#slide=id.g283e7926261_0_19

Los Opuestos- Opposites

 We discussed opposites, came up with some examples and learned some vocabulary of opposites in Spanish. We also discussed different characteristics (características- a great cognate!) and related it back to their current inquiry unit of Sharing the Planet.

We then read a book about a dog and a cat, finding many opposites in the book. 

Opuestos slideshow