Spanish: In the World Language classes, our sixth graders are learning how to greet each other in Spanish. They created their mini avatars using Pocoyo, and recorded mini dialogues introducing themselves. Our seventh graders are finding Spanish vocabulary that represents each letter in their name, and are giving presentations describing themselves to the class in the target language. Some of our eighth graders have been learning both the present tense and the present progressive tenses. They are utilizing two different tenses to describe various activities, such as sports or vacations. Others are learning the past tense “el pretérito” and ways to do community service in Latin America.
Latin: Our seventh grade Latin students are building vocabulary, learning conjugation patterns and noun inflections, and practicing translation strategies. We are also discussing life in ancient Pompeii, English derivatives, and the major Roman deities. Coming up soon, we will be watching the animated documentary, “Roman City.” In eighth grade, our Latin Advanced students have been learning about the Roman baths which were essentially public parks where the Romans not only bathed but socialized and participated in various other activities. In order to better understand the atmosphere of the baths, we translated and acted out a small sketch in which a poor thief stole a merchant’s toga while the merchant was in the baths. We then had a brief discussion on what this told us about the baths, and students noticed many things, including: people of all classes went to the baths, the baths needed guards, there could be a lot of commotion in the baths, and more.
French: In French, seventh graders are halfway through the review unit and are becoming reacquainted with the French calendar, time, and numbers. They are revisiting polite conversation, verb patterns, and adjective agreement. We are also presently watching and discussing the classic French movie, The Red Balloon.