6 Potential Brain Benefits of Bilingual Education

Do you ever wonder what benefits your child will have by learning a second language? Read this interesting NPR article, click on the picture:

Srta. Zaragoza

¡Felices fiestas!

Happy Holidays!
During December, there are different holidays around the world. In some Latin American countries, they celebrate the Posadas. Click here to read more about it.
One of the students favorite songs: Dale, dale, dale. In Mexico, children sing the songs as they try to break the piñata during las posadas.



Watch last year's Winter Concert Performance by Irving Students- Las Posadas in Spanish!!!

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¡Gracias!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Students will be sharing in Spanish what they are thankful for. Here is a song that students enjoy to listen to:

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El día de los muertos

El día de los muertos is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and Guatemala on November 1st and 2nd. It is a celebration to remember loved ones that passed away. People make offerings with items, foods, music, etc. that the person used to like when he/she was alive. The offerings also have calaveritas de azúcar (sugar skulls), pan de muerto (bread), and papel picado (cut tissue paper) to decorate.

Each year, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen has an exhibition about El día de los muertos. This year it is called "The Journey of the Soul", the exhibition will run until December 11th, from 10-5pm Tuesdays to Sundays and the admission is free. Do you need more information? Visit their website: http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org

Also, You can be part of the National Museum of Mexican Art’s second annual Day of the Dead Chicago celebration taking place on Sunday, October 30th from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Museum.  This year, there will be a celebration again with a festival of light and projection that will transform the Museum's exterior, bringing it to life. In Harrison Park, families and individuals will create their own ofrendas (altars) transforming the soccer fields into a festive cemetery like you might see in Mexico. Visit their 30th annual Day of the Dead exhibition inside the Museum. Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread), live musical performances, face painting, and art activities will round out the evening.

Learn more about the celebration:

Watch this lovely story about El día de los muertos:

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¡Mariposas monarcas!

Every fall, millions of Monarch butterflies migrate to their overwintering sites in the mountains of Michoacán, Mexico. This year, 2nd and 3rd graders made symbolic paper monarchs. They will find their way to students living in the monarch sanctuary area.

The symbolic butterflies will build bridges of communication and friendship between students in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. They symbolize international cooperation for monarch conservation.

Mr Williams' class

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Irving's 2nd annual Hispanic/Latino Heritage week celebration

Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th. This year, Irving will have its second school-wide celebration Hispanic/Latino Heritage week, during the week of October 11^th- 14th.

All staff and students are encouraged​ to participate each day of the week's celebration activities.  

Here is the list of activities for each day.

We appreciate your support to celebrate cultural diversity,

-Mrs Nieto and Ms Zaragoza

Canciones

Listen to songs from different countries:

Colombia, México, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Central America:



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¡Celebremos el mes de la Herencia Hispana!

Let's celebrate the Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th- October 15th).  It is the period when people recognize the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States and to celebrate Hispanic Cultural heritage and Hispanic culture. Here are a few suggestions on how you can celebrate with your family!

• Listen to a radio station in Spanish.
• Watch a movie in Spanish, it could be your favorite one just change the language.
• Try a new Hispanic food.
• Find a news article about a country where people speak Spanish and locate it on a map. 
• Read an advertisement, label, or packaging in Spanish and figure out what it is about.
• Share with your family the name of a Spanish-speaking country you would like to visit.  Locate it on a map and learn a fun-fact about the country.
• Learn 5 new Spanish words and share them with me!

Also, here is a video of Mexico's Independence War celebration. Love the fireworks!

From Visually.

Mexican folkloric dance:



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¡Bienvenidos!

¡Bienvenidos!

Welcome back to school! I'm looking forward to the upcoming school year. I am excited to start my 10th year at Irving! 

What does a typical Spanish class entail? Fun and learning!  We sing songs, dance, play games, read, role-play and learn all in the target language. Our classes are hands on, interactive and lively!  Instruction is almost 100% in Spanish. Instruction is not based on vocabulary lists and drills but more of a natural organic approach using hands on learning.

At times, Spanish can be overwhelming for Kindergarten and new students but over time they will learn all the routines in Spanish and feel at ease with hearing the language.

It takes approximately 240 minutes to improve in Spanish and our students only have class 60 or 90 minutes a week. On average, students need to hear a word approximately 100 times before they can effectively and efficiently produce the word. Therefore, most of our students are novice learners that need context, visuals, and familiar contexts to help them communicate, and they do so best with those accustomed to interacting with language learners.

This year, I will teach Ms Heaphy and Ms Gullo's Kindergarten classes, 1st, 2nd, 3rd (Homann and Williams), 4th, and 5th (Sakellaris & Balicki). Ms Nieto will teach Ms Parkinson, Ms Grogan, Ms Kaunelis, Mr Baker and Ms Browning classes.

If you are on twitter follow me @IrvingEspanol for updates and pictures in Spanish class.

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Actividades para el Verano

Activities to do during the summer to practice your Spanish skills!

-Go to the tab "Los videos favoritos" and watch your favorite Spanish videos.
-Click on the link on the left menu. You can practice using the tiny tap activities I have created over the past few years. If you scroll down, you can click on the links to go to different websites and play different games to practice Spanish vocabulary.

You can click here to go to Rockalingua.com and watch the free videos and play their interactive games.

https://rockalingua.com/games/repaso-vocabulario

You can also watch the Salsa- students love it! Episodes are 15 to 30 minutes long.

Incoming 4th, 5th, and 6th graders can keep using their Rosetta Stone accounts during the summer! Click here for login instructions on a computer or device (iPad, phone, tablets, etc.)

Other activities you can try at home is to listen to the radio in Spanish, watch your favorite movie in Spanish (go to settings and change the audio to Spanish!), read books, and/or listen to books in Spanish using your library card and go to tumblebooks (click here for link).

Above all, have fun while you are doing all or some of the suggested activities. If you take pictures of your child practicing Spanish, send them to me at szaragoza@op97.org, I would love to post them on twitter! 

Enjoy your summer and see you back in August!

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Spanish Summer Reading Program

¡Hola!

Here is a fantastic opportunity to join an online FREE Spanish Summer Reading Program by spanishplayground.com

"The Spanish Summer Reading Program is based on the model used by public libraries. Summer is a time to explore new books, re-read old favorites and most important, enjoy reading! We will suggest books and online resources, and we will help motivate children to read. Kids, with help from their families or teachers, choose books that interest them. Children benefit from all reading in Spanish!"

If you have any questions, let me know.

http://www.spanishplayground.net/summer-reading-program-registration/

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Ethnic Festival and World Languages Day

May 7th is the 36th annual Ethnic Festival and World Languages Day at Julian Middle School. Mark your calendars so you and your family can enjoy cultural performances, great food and beautiful artifacts. It will start with a parade at 10:00. The activities will run until 3:30.

Hope to see you there!
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Irving Art Fest 2016

The Art Fest 2016 will be on Thursday May 12th from 6:00-8:30. We will be celebrating all aspects of the arts throughout the building.
Visit the Kindergarten Hallway to participate in various Spanish activities, including PISTA (clue) games at 6:05, 6:15, 6:25 & 6:35.
Hope to see you there!

El día del niño

El Día del Niño or Children’s Day is a day that is dedicated to children around the world.  Not only is this day celebrated with many festivities and games for the children to play, but also to create an awareness of the importance of children’s rights.  The idea to celebrate this day came about in 1959 when the United Nations General Assembly decided to reaffirm the rights of children throughout the world. Children's day is a celebration in many Latin American countries. In Mexico it is celebrated on April 30th.

This year, the Chicago's National Museum of Mexican Art will have a free family festival on Saturday April 9th. Click here for more information!

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Parent-Teacher Conference Week

During conference week, February 8th-12th, you are welcome to stop by the Spanish room (101-E) before or after school to talk about what your child is learning, to practice your Spanish, to talk about Rosetta Stone, to borrow a book, or just to say "Hola."  I look forward to talking with you.
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