Friday, February 28, 2014

Kindergarten learns their weather terms


Photo used by permission
Kindergarteners started learning their weather terms last week and look how prepared they are.  We learned that está soleado means sunny.  We made sure to put on our sun glasses and sun screen so we were ready.  We got out our flashlight for está nublado, cloudy.  An umbrella came in handy for está lloviendo (raining), and we needed our outside recess gear for está nevando (snowing).  Here are some of the students showing off their weather signs and gear!   
Here is what kindergarten students need to know:
 ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy?  (What is the weather like today?)
Está Soleado- It's sunny
Está Nublado-It's cloudy
Está lloviendo-It's raining
Está nevando- It's snowing
Hace calor- It's hot
Hace frio- It's cold
 
 



Friday, February 21, 2014

Virtual Field Trips!

Technology is adding an AMAZING element to the Spanish classroom today.  First graders through 3rd graders took mini vacations today, complete with security lines, boletos (tickets) and a takeoff! We left from Kenwood Elementary and made a quick jump to the Cedar Rapids Airport.  After passing through the security check point, and presenting their boarding passes, each class was off to their destination with Señorita Schwartz as their personal tour guide!
 
First Grade:
First grade had first class tickets to Mexico.  We learned about 4 regions: El desierto, el bosque tropical, la playa, and las montañas.  Thanks to Google Earth we were  able to walk through the sand on the beach, take an airplane tour of the highest mountains, see the dry desert, and get a peek into the rainforest!  We even made a quick stop in Mexico City to do a comparison of how it compares to Cedar Rapids!  There are lots of cool places still left to explore! 

2nd and 3rd Grade:
Puerto Rico was the destination of choice for these students.  While it is still warmer than Cedar Rapids, there is no dry desert to be found!  It was all tropical, mountains, and beaches that we found.  Our first stop was the Capital City, San Juan.  Then we took a 360 tour of El Morro!  If you haven't heard about it yet, you should check it out!  Then we couldn't skip the huge telescope or the Yunque National Forest. We ended our trip with a tour of some of the huge mountains in the center of the island!  We watched as the plane spun us around and we could see the ocean from every point of the mountain!  Super awesome!  Hopefully we will be back to visit again soon!