Thursday, November 5, 2015

Humor Para Noviembre

I'm often amazed by the sorts of things that are popular on Pinterest and other social media.  I try hard to make good lessons that will interest students and teachers, that use authentic language, and that are culturally relevant.  But what gets pinned  and re-pinned are the jokes.  I guess that makes sense, really.  Jokes appeal to everyone and lessons only really are of interest to teachers, so I'm not complaining.

But try to find seasonal jokes in the fall that aren't all turkeys morbidly trying to avoid their demise!  Yikes!  I don't think I find that sort of thing very humorous, but I must be in the minority on that particular opinion.  I only included a couple of those jokes here, but there are plenty of them online if you are interested.

Without further ado, here is the November humor roundup:
























And, if you are looking for an activity to do on Thanksgiving with your Spanish classes, I have one available on TpT for a song.  You get vocabulary, reading comprehension, Power Point with foods and traditions, and a cultural comparison.  It's awesome, I'm just sayin'.  (Spanish 2-3)

Acción de Gracias - Reading, Power Point, & Cultural Comparison by AnneK



And, at the request of my 6-year-old son, I have delved into designing elementary school content as well.  This Thanksgiving Fun Pack is approved by him as fun and got a thumbs up - though the crossword puzzle was a bit hard for him.  It is intended for grades 1-3 but some of it might be appropriate for older or younger learners.

Thanksgiving Fun Pack in Spanish - for Elementary Kids: Puzzles, Hidden Messages, Vocabulary, Coloring, Fun!!


Hasta pronto, amigos.  --AnneK

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Más Vale Tarde Que Nunca

The students in our chapter of Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica decided that, even it it was a day late, they wanted to put up an ofrenda at the school to generate interest and to educate the student body on the meaning of the holiday. 




I want to take a moment to offer a special thanks to our SHH chapter president.  She is a minor and I don't have parental permission to put up a photo or mention her name here, but she is a super star!  She organized the effort, stayed late after school, lead the group that put up the ofrenda, and created an informational poster to help people understand the meaning of Day of the Dead and how it differs from Halloween.  She did all of this without any prodding from me and with no incentive whatsoever (no grade, no extra credit, no name up in lights).  She is, quite honestly, one of the best people I have ever had the privilege of calling my student.  (And if you knew just exactly how amazing my students are, you would realize what a compliment that is!).  She is headed for great things in the future and I can't wait to see what she does with her life.


Do I have amazing students or what?!  I hope your Día de Muertos was a good one, amigos.

Hasta pronto,

--AnneK

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Día de los Muertos y Halloween

Halloween and Día de Muertos snuck up on me this year somehow.  It seems like school is just a whirlwind of meetings to attend and paperwork to do, and I haven't had a moment  of peace.  Normally my Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica puts up an ofrenda, but we didn't get that organized this year.  Nor did we do anything to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which is sad.

But I don't want Día de Muertos to go by without at least a little recognition so I'm going to do a comparison/contrast activity with my students. 

I figured we would start by watching these two videos and talk about the images, emotions, and atmosphere created by each one.

Halloween:


Día de los Muertos:


And, because you know me, I put together an activity for them to do as well.  I have a lot of Spanish 1 students this year so the article I have referenced  on the worksheet is in English.  I probably should put something together in Spanish too but, as I already told you, this sort of snuck up on me this year.

Holidays of Halloween and Día de los Muertos Compared - Activity by AnneK at Confesiones y Realidades

Since tomorrow is Día de los Muertos, I know my timing is bad and you probably won't be able to use this during the current school year.  I'm sorry.  But, put it up on your Pinterest board, save it to your hard drive, Tweet it, or whatever you like.  It will be there for you next year.

Hasta pronto,

--AnneK