Heroes in Japanese 5-6

英雄たち

Mr. Blackwelder's Japanese 5-6 class, after learning about the process of modifying sentences (From "Andy studies Japanese every day." to "The person who studies Japanese every day is Andy."), then sketched and described a hero of theirs to the rest of the class. Heroes ranged from parents, to celebrities, to athletes. 

The Biggest Loser!

Earlier in this blog, Señor Lawhead had challenged Profe Bañuelos to a weight-loss competition with the "loser" required to wear either a San Diego Chargers or Oakland Raiders jersey.  After 30 days, the results are in with Señor Lawhead beating Profe Bañuelos by 3 lbs!  Students and staff very much enjoyed stopping by Rm 258 and complimenting Profe on how nice he looked in his Chargers jersey. 

Here is a link to a short video of the weigh-in and completion of the wager (2:43).
 

Essays, group presentations and poetry in Spanish

Dr. Jacobson's AP Spanish classes worked collaboratively this week to prepare group presentations related to the theme of technology.  Each group, employed the Promethean board to share their conclusions with class members.  Spanish 5-6 classes wrote short essays comparing themselves to a friend, practicing the forms of ser and estar.  Essays will be posted on the class bulletin boards. 

Dr. Jacobson read aloud a poem she wrote and informed students about the up-coming poetry contest.  The winning poem will be printed in the SRHS Falcon newspaper.  All poems will be displayed on the World Languages Bulletin Board during the month of December for all students to enjoy. 

TPR/S - First Oral Test for Spanish 5-6 Students!

Señor Lawhead's Spanish 5-6 students are facing their first oral test this upcoming week!  Through the Total Physical Response w/Storytelling (TPR/S) method, students have overcome much of their fear of speaking Spanish naturally and without rehearsal.  This week they have the opportunity to show how much they've learned!  For more information about TPR/S, follow this link.

Generous Local Business!

This week Ms. Pryor visited a local company and was able to secure free samples of pens, tablets and flash lights for students in her ASL classes.  These free samples  had been sent all over the world, but the packets were not deliverable and returned to the company.  Ms. Pryor successfully made contact with one of the companies representatives and they invited her to visit their corporate office. Once there, she was given several post office size containers. Which she gave to each one of her classes.

Students opened free samples addressed to people from as far as Norway.  When opened, whatever they found in the packets they were allowed to keep.  Students were overheard saying "it's like opening Christmas presents".  The students had so many packets that they shared them with Mr. Blackwelder's and Ms. Redelings'  students.

Bienvenidos, Bienvenus, Welcome!

How do the World Language Teachers welcome students to the new year and how do they help them make friends in class?  Here are several activities that began the year:

Señora Trott asks her students to fill in information about themselves on t-shirt graphics.  Students personalize them and then present them to class in Spanish.

 

In Señor Lawhead's Spanish 3-4 class, he asks students to interview each other in Spanish and write a short biography of their partner.  Students also do their best to draw their partners to illustrate the biography.

 

Madame Leidhoff's French students present "C'est Moi"(It's me).  They have a legend of interests.  Students express what they like and don't like using the visual icons and symbols.

 

 Dra. Jacobson has her AP classes interview and write a comparative essay about a another student they have met in class.

Señora Ranzolin also has her students interview a partner and write two paragraphs about what they learned.  Then, students present their partners to the class.

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"Mental Tatoos"

Students in Spanish 5-6 with Profe Bañuelos have worked during the last two weeks on creating "mental tattoos" on the present, preterit, and imperfect tenses that they covered in previous Spanish classes that cover over 100 different verbs.  It is imperative that students have these tenses permanently "tattooed" in their minds before moving on to more complex concepts and conjugations that will be taught in the course.

¡Ras Tas Tas!

Fresh back from South America where he spent 38 days in Brazil for the FIFA World Cup and the rest in Colombia, Profe Bañuelos taught his Spanish 3-4 and 5-6 classes one of the Colombia National Soccer Team's goal celebration dance, the "Ras Tas Tas."  The lesson was tied to how one properly pronounces Spanish vowels and a read-aloud article about the World Cup's top goal-scorer, #10 James Rodríguez (pictured).

Vous Avez Francais?

Madame Leidhoff's students of French 1 are ready to go in French class.  They are playing Jacques a Dit to learn classroom language using the TPR method.  Students are learning salutations and culture of the French-speaking world.  Students know their numbers to 30.  In structure of language, they understand subject pronouns and learning the verb: TO HAVE  (avoir).

Back to School Night, Thursday, September 18

The World Languages Department is excited to meet parents this Thursday, September 18!  Presentations begin at 5:40 PM with classroom visitations starting at 6:00 PM. 

Many of us remember those very hot evenings without air-conditioning and the surprise of many parents to experience what their children were experiencing during the school day.  We're so very excited to talk to you about the World Languages programs in the pleasant cool of 74.5 degrees!  All classrooms in the upper 200 building have air-conditioning!

For more information on the Back-to-School Night scheduling, please go to the SRHS website.

Un Desafío. The Biggest Loser!

Profe Bañuelos was surprised during his 4th period class when Sr. Lawhead entered and tossed a glove upon the floor and declared:  --Allí está el guante.  Agárralo si aceptas el desafío.  ("There is the glove.  Take it if you accept the challenge.")  The challenge? Who would lose the most weight in 30 days!  Students, with some translation, followed the conversation and enthusiastically encouraged Profe to pick up the gauntlet.  The consequences for losing?  Sr. Lawhead must wear an Oakland Raiders jersey for an entire day.  Profe Bañuelos must wear a San Diego Chargers jersey. On Monday, Nurse Harkey officiated at the official weigh-in.  Results to be published on October 14.  May the "biggest loser" win!

 

Spanish students exploring countries and conversing in the target language

Dr. Jacobson's Spanish 5-6 classes have begun the year with a survey of some of the Spanish speaking countries through the creation of 'infographs'.  Choosing three countries, students wrote interesting facts about each, adding a pictorial representation of the country.  AP Spanish classes are reading and responding to articles related to families and communities, including issues related to literacy, the environment and the impact of technology. All students will be answering a 'conversation' question in pairs, each speaking for approximately one minute.

Japanese students explore geography!

Mr Blackwelder's Japanese 3-4 class, after a few days of review, is embarking on a year-long examination of the world around them and how to function day-to-day in Japanese. First stop: Japanese geography! Students are creating presentations in pairs, with a mix of Japanese and English, on a major Japanese city. From Naha and Fukuoka in the south to Tokyo and Sapporo in the north, students will research and share reports about their chosen city's history, topography, famous sports teams, and more!

Ms. Pryor joins the ASL program

Ms. Sandra Pryor joined the World Languages Department this year and is teaching 3 classes of American Sign Language.  She first studied ASL in order
to communicate with a friend many years ago.  Her educational history includes teaching at the elementary and high school level including many years as a vice-principal.  She "is thrilled" to be back in the classroom and we are delighted to have her.

Señor Saylor joins our staff

Señor Steven Saylor joins the World Languages Department this year after a year's leave of absence from the district.  Prior to SRHS, Sr. Saylor taught Spanish for 17 years at Hoover High School.  He's a big fan of Spanish rock and roll and was a DJ in Mexico for 15 years!  ¡Bienvenido, Sr. Saylor!

Students begin TPR/S oral practice

Students in Señor Lawhead's classes are getting used to TPR/S.  This technique (Total Physical Response w/Storytelling) was developed in the 90's by Blaine Ray and based on research by William Asher and Steven Krashen to provide students with a more natural method of language acquisition. Sr. Lawhead's approach is a bit of a hybrid adaptation and is exclusively used to assist with oral proficiency.  Watch the video as Sara's partner, Rachael, tells a story based on a cartoon that she's never seen before. For more information concerning TPR/S visit:  http://trpsstorytelling.com or www.blaineraytprs.com

Welcome to 2014-2015!

The World Languages Department is delighted to welcome its new and returning students to the 2014-2015 academic year!  There have been a few delightful changes that include two new staff members, Promethean Boards and...YES!...air conditioning!  Remember that the goal of this department is that students learn to COMMUNICATE through reading, writing, speaking, listening and understanding the cultures of the new languages being discovered.  Be sure to communicate your needs and desires to your teachers and let them know how best to serve you in your search for fluency and understanding. 

Students working hard on mid-term final exams!

Not much activity this week other than preparing students for mid-term final exams that were taken Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. 

Spring Semester 2014 begins Monday, January 27.  All students should report to their CORE classes at 7:25 AM to receive their schedules and then continue on to a Periods 1-6 day.

Sharing of picture stories and oral practice in Spanish 5-6

Señor Lawhead's Spanish 5-6 students hold up each other's picture stories as visual prompts to tell the story that they depict.  A few days later, students took their third oral exam by telling an unrehearsed story in the past tense from a picture story drawn by the instructor.  The oral tests were recorded using Google Voice and evaluated by the teacher on the computer!

Profe and his soccer players gearing up for FIFA 2014 World Cup!

In support of his students who play on the JV and Varsity Women's Soccer Teams, Profe Bañuelos showed his support attending their games this week against Mira Mesa HS.  Both teams won their matches, 6-0 (JV) and 3-0 (Varsity).  Profe will be traveling to Brazil this summer to support his team, México (as seen in the photo), along with attending other matches including the final.

Falcon Night for incoming freshmen this week!

Falcon Night, a chance for incoming Freshmen and their parents to learn about Scripps Ranch High School, will be held this coming Thursday evening (Jan. 16) from 6:00 to 8:00 PM in the gymnasium.  Many of the World Languages teachers will be on-hand to answer questions.  Don't forget to stop by the World Languages table and say hello!

Final Exam preparations being made

Señor Lawhead's classes received their final exam study-guide this week.  The review includes an oral test and a written test as preparation for the comprehensive final to given in all classes January 22-24.

ASL Dream Trip Presentations

Mrs. Redelings's ASL 3 students are preparing for their final presentation of the semester, Dream Trip. Contents include local food, lodging and transportation, activities, currency, and local spoken and signed languages. Grammar points include use of facial grammar and verb inflection.

Palabras de Frecuencia en Español 1-2

Señorita Chen’s Spanish 1-2 classes presented writing prompts in front of the class that helped students practice using different expressions of frequency to say how often they do certain activities in the day. They practiced conjugating “-ar” verbs and used sentences with “tener que + infinitive” to express different activities that they do: always (siempre), never (nunca), once in a while (de vez en cuando) and every day (todos los días).

Student make Lauscaux cave drawings

Students of Madame Leidhoff's second year French class studied the caves of Lascaux.  We learned terms of geography relating to the Ice Age, animals, was the way of life during these early times. Students learned the story of the discovery of these caves by four teens from the village of Montignac in the 1940s.  Students made  “cave drawings” in class in the style of the caves of Lauscaux and wrote clever stories in French to match their illustrations.

Students of AP French are beginning a unit on Justice and Politics.  Current events are the topic of discussion this week.

Body Parts Hurting

Students in Spanish 3-4 with Profe Bañuelos learned how to spell many body parts in Spanish and how to properly express when an item hurts.  Unlike in English when it is said "My knee hurts," in Spanish it is "Me duele la rodilla," which is more translated like "The knee hurts me."