Visit MY WEBSITE for Spanish II with more activities:
http://srarose2.wordpress.com/
There, you can find work that we do in class, MANY RESOURCES and PRACTICE as well as many LINKS in the right margin. Look for MY SHARED FILES in the box that says "powered by BOX" in the right margin.
LOOKING FOR POEMS? Look at AUDIOLIBROS:
http://albalearning.com
http://amediavoz.com/
http://www.pentagramapoetico.cl/home.html
http://www.logoslibrary.eu/pls/wordtc/new_wordtheque.w6_start.doc?code=65132&lang=ES
LOOKING FOR SPANISH ART? Look at this site:
http://www.casadejoanna.com/mirror/cs_art.htm
TRABALENGUA: Aprende esta trabalengua -
Paco Peco, chico rico,
insultaba, como un loco,
a su tío Federico,
y éste dijo, --Poco a poco,
Paco Peco, poco pico.
PARENTS: Have you wondered, "How can I help my child? I don't speak Spanish!" ?
Here's a list of ways you can help!
1. Encourage your child to pay close attention in class and be an active participant.
2. Help your child learn vocabulary. My mother used to say the English word and I said and spelled the Spanish word. She just had to check to see if I was saying the right letters. (She still doesn't speak Spanish :-( , but I learned!!)
3. Have your child practice vocabulary 15 minutes daily: review old vocabulary and study new vocabulary.
4. Ask your child if he/she is completing assignments and projects on time.
5. Have your child practice some of the exercises on this page to study. At some of the sites students can create their own vocabulary lists to study as flashcards online. At other sites they can listen to a variety of Spanish words to practice pronunciation.
6. Flashcards are a good idea to learn new vocabulary. Spanish on one side, English or a picture on the other.
7. Also, the "fan method" of study is helpful. Write 5 of the words that you are studying in English. Then, to the write of that list, write the Spanish words. Check to see if you were rght. Fold the English words back and write the English words to the right of the Spanish words. Check to see if you were right. Fold the first two columns back and write the Spanish words for the English words that you just wrote... Continue until you know them well. Take a break and then go on to practice 5 more words.
8. Ask your child to teach you some new phrases or vocabulary! You can benefit from this and they will benefit tremendously from having to “teach” someone else.
9. Encourage your child to ask for help as needed. Waiting until the night before a performance or test is never a good idea.
Vocabulary Learning Strategies
It’s more than just flashcards…
No matter which method you use, you must make a connection with the meaning and the word in order to retrieve that connection whenever you need to remember the vocabulary.
It involves looking for patterns in language.
Cognates
Cognates are words that are similar in two languages. Because of their histories, Spanish and English share thousands of words that are very similar in spelling and somewhat similar in sound. This means that with a little practice, you will easily understand thousands of words in Spanish.
What do these words mean?
Cero familia doctor comunidad terrible apartamento regular mucho
Mnemonic Techniques
"Mnemonic" means "aiding memory" in ancient Greek. Often referred to as "memory trick," mnemonics work by developing a plan for remembering the word while you learn it. Mnemonics help learners because they integrate new words into existing mental structures and because they provide retrieval clues. Learners need to experiment with different kinds of mnemonic techniques to see which ones work best for them.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnemonic for good examples of Mnemonic devices for different subjects like math and biology
The Peg Method
This method allows items, such as words in a word list, to be recalled by linking them with a set of memorized "pegs" or "hooks." Learners associate words to be memorized with these "pegs". This is most useful for words that always go in the same order, for example, number, months, or the days of the week. You could also use this to remember how to spell difficult words.
Example: the planets
The list: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
The “pegs”: My very educated mother just served us nine pizzas.
Create a phrase of “pegs” to help remember the first letter of the days of the week in Spanish:
Lunes __________________
Martes __________________
Miércoles __________________
Jueves __________________
Viernes __________________
Create a list of “pegs” to remember how to spell “jueves” (Thursday)
J __________________
U __________________
E __________________
V __________________
E __________________
S __________________
How did this strategy help you? What problems did you still have remembering the words?
The Keyword Method
It calls for the creating a sound and visual link between the second language word to be learned and a word in your first language that sounds similar. For instance, the Spanish word huevo (egg – pronounced wave-o) can be learned by first establishing an acoustic link with the English word “wave” and then conjuring up an image of someone waving while eggs are being thrown at him. Similarly, the Spanish word pan (bread) can be learned by imagining a loaf of bread in a pan. This is probably the most useful method for learning a foreign language.
Practice: What are some keywords or phrases to help you remember these words?
Apellido – last name ______________________________________________________
Sábado – Saturday ________________________________________________________
Escribir – to write _________________________________________________________
Hoy – today _____________________________________________________________
Pregunta – question _______________________________________________________
The Loci Method
To use this ancient technique, one imagines a familiar location, such as a room. Then one mentally places the first item to be remembered in the first location, the second item in the second location, and so forth. To recall the items, one takes an imaginary walk along the landmarks in the room and retrieves the items that were "put" there. This strategy is good for remembering lists of items when the order isn’t important.
Practice this technique with this list of cognates:
Doctor
Taco
Estudiante
Policía
Foto
Bicicleta
Guitarra
The Finger Method
Associate each item to be learned with a finger. If you write them on your finger, make sure they’re gone before the test. Limited to ten words.
Pictures
Pair pictures with words you need to learn. Studies have shown that this is an effective and efficient way to memorize vocabulary. Use an image search on google, cut out pictures from magazines, or make your own drawings.
Visualization
Instead of using real pictures, visualize a word you need to remember. This is much more
effective than merely repeating the word.
Physical Mnemonics
Physically enacting the information in a word or a sentence results in better recall than simple repetition.
Grouping
It is well known in psychology that if the material to be memorized is organized in some fashion, learners can use this organization to their benefit. Group the words you need to remember by color, size, function, likes/dislikes, good/bad, or any other feature that makes sense to you. For example, if you need to remember the foreign language word for “cat”, think of the word for “dog”.
The Narrative Chain
Link words in a list together into a sentence or a story. By using the words and associating them with each other you create a firmer connection between the new words and those already stored in your memory.
Semantic Mapping
Arrange the words into a diagram with a key word at the top and related words as branches linked to the key word and to each other. You can practice this technique in a group.
Self-Assessment
Practicing retrieval can improve long-term recall. In addition, you can find out what percentage of the material you retained with your study method and timing. If you are not satisfied with the results, try new techniques and/or spend more time studying. Another good strategy is to eliminate the words you already know and focus on the words you still need to learn.
Personalization
No two people in the world have the same vocabulary because everybody has different interests and experiences. In addition to the vocabulary contained in your learning materials, you should make an effort to learn words in the foreign language that reflect your own interests and expertise.
Since you need to learn many thousands of words to become a competent speaker of the language you are studying, it is a good idea to develop a plan for learning new words every day besides those included in your lessons. If you are a beginner, set up a schedule. You can also supplement the vocabulary from your Spanish class. For instance, if you learn the word for cold, learn the word for hot as well.
Review
Give yourself a test just like the one you may take in class. Even though your self-test revealed perfect recall, chances are that by the next day you will have forgotten part of the material. Unlike computers, human beings tend to forget over time. Therefore, one of the keys to successful language study is regular reviewing of previously learned material.
Spaced Practice
Spaced practice leads to better long-term recall. Long periods of study are less helpful for long-term retention to foreign language learners than shorter but more frequent study periods. To help you practice frequently, leave a list of words you need to study by the TV for commercials, in the bathroom, and in the car.
Real-Life Practice
When material learned in one context is retrieved in another, memory performance tends to suffer. Military training, therefore, always includes practice under conditions that simulate those in the battle field. Language skills learned in the highly familiar and safe cocoon of the classroom tend to disintegrate in the more stressful real-life communication conditions. Participation in real-life communicative situations during language training is a must. Seek out as many opportunities for real-life practice as you can possibly find. Try to use the material you have learned in real-life situations.
Visualize words This was written by Amy at the BBC site:
I've always felt that it helped to visualize the terms and phrases that you're learning rather than memorizing the English/your native language translations because literal translations and idiomatic phrases can differ so greatly. The "picturing process" prevents the torturous struggle of having to translate phrases in your mind as well as giving you a better understanding of the structure of your own language. Visually associating these terms while using the least amount of English/your native language comes in handy when listening to native speakers because you can be free of having to translate what they're saying into English/your native language in your mind. Although this concept is somewhat hard to grasp at first it does wonders in the long run when trying to communicate with fluent speakers.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FESTIVAL
Be thinking about what project you plan to do for the Foreign Language Festival.
Only the best projects can go to the Festival. Start now.
The first half of the project must be completed before Christmas Break.
Recitation of a poem - Memorize and recite a poem.
Reading Proficiency - Read a passage with menus and itineraries, etc. and answer questions.
Oral Proficiency - Chat with a judge for a few minutes.
Listening Proficiency - Listen to passages read and answer questions about it.
Writing Proficiency - Choose one prompt from two listed and write for 30 minutes
Dialogue - Two students prepare a conversation to give in front of a judge, based upon the topics for their particular year of study.
Project - This may include the following: models of buildings, landscapes, and/or monuments; advertisements, cookbooks, and/or other print media; presentations on history, literature and/or other forms of cultural expression.
Video - No longer than ten minutes - The video should depict the culture, should be in Spanish, and should reflect this year's theme chosen by KWLA.
Art - You may make a copy of an original piece by a Spanish artist, or you may create an original piece of your own that depicts Spanish culture.
Chorus - This involves weekly practice and a commitment to the group.
Dance - Last year we did the ChaCha and the Tango. This year we'll try the Paso Doble. This involves weekly practice and a commitment to the group.
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