I'm back!

Hola familias - Hello families!

I am back after a wonderful extended maternity leave with my baby, Fiona.  I really enjoyed having time at home with her, and now I'm excited to be back in my classroom with all of the rest of my kids :).

There are some important items of business that we need to attend to now that I'm back.  First, please make sure to follow to this blog as it will serve as an important means of communication for the rest of the school year.  Simply enter your email address in the box on the right hand column of this page.  I promise not to flood your inbox with unnecessary emails, but I wouldn't want to you miss anything important or fun - especially the pictures that I take of our Spanish students!  Also, feel free to check out my class website that has lots of wonderful resources for students: www.senoratiernanfisher.weebly.com

Next, please check in with your student and make sure they've set up accounts with CloudK12 (in my name and not the substitute's name) and www.conjuguemos.com.  These will be critical tools that we will use for the remainder of the year and I want to make sure everyone is ready to go and doesn't get behind on assignments.

A quick note on www.conjuguemos.com - this is a wonderful practice website that I frequently use to assign homework.  Since learning a language requires A LOT of practice and repetition, I have found this website invaluable in providing quick, easy practice sessions with instant feedback.  Students must submit a given assignment on the date it is due, but they are ALWAYS welcome to repeat the assignment for more practice and I will take the highest score that they send me!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  I look forward to a successful 2014 in Spanish class!

Baby Fiona!

Hola :)

As promised, here are a few photos of our sweet baby, Fiona Helen!  We are all doing well, and I hope things are going well at CMS!

Sra. Tiernan Fisher
       

Hola familias,

This is a reminder that the Unified Arts Curriculum Night is tomorrow, Tuesday, March 26th, from 6:00-7:30.  The Spanish portion of the evening will include watching a video of students' recent professional dance lesson and giving it a try for yourselves with the help of some student representatives as instructors.  Hope to see you there.  It should be lots of fun!

Gracias,
Señora Tiernan Fisher

Latin Dance and Music

In 8th grade Spanish we are working on new unit on Latin Dance and Music!  In this unit students will think about and explore the following question: what roles do dance and music play in culture?  We will be listening to a variety of musical genres from all over the Spanish speaking world and learning some of the dances that go along with them.  I'm very excited to share that with the help of a PIE grant a professional dance instructor, Victoria from Salsalina in Burlington, gave us a salsa lesson during this unit!

If you'd like to see a video of our dance lesson and give it a try for yourself with the help of some student leaders, please join us next Tuesday, March 19th for the Unified Arts Curriculum Night from 6:00-7:30.  It's bound to be a fun experience...or at the very least a very entertaining one!

Here are some photos from our lesson.

Colchester School District Video - Please vote!

If you haven't had a chance yet to view this video about our Colchester School District community, check it out!

Half way through the school year

I can't believe that we're half way through the school year already! As we approach the end of the second quarter this Friday I thought it would be fun to look back at one of the projects we completed this quarter.  Many of you already have a good idea what the Latin Food research project was all about because so many families supported their students with their endeavors in the kitchen.  The result was a very fun and culturally rich presentation day!  We tried recipes from Puerto Rico all the way to Argentina.  Some were new to me and others were deliciously authentic recipes that I've enjoyed in my travels.  I was thoroughly impressed with our students' culinary abilities!  Here are a few glimpses of what that class day looked like.

Thank you to all of the families who supported their students in preparing these lovely projects!  Students, what were the highlights of this project for you?

Authentic Mexican Folk Art

In Mexico calaveras de azúcar, or sugar skulls, are a bright, colorful sign of fall.  They are closely tied to the holiday El Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, which occurs in early November when Mexicans celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed away.  This holiday is lively and celebratory in nature and that is reflected in the vibrant colors and intricate designs of the sugar skulls.  Today, Mexican sugar skulls are much more than a holiday decoration; they have become an iconic symbol of Mexican culture and a beautiful form of folk art.

This month in Spanish class we tried our hand at creating and designing this authentic Mexican folk art.  A small group of volunteers stayed after school with me to create the blank sugar skull sculptures for students to decorate.  We made over 90 skulls in an hour and a half!  

The next day students and I mixed up several batches of royal icing to decorate the skulls.  The vibrant colors required a special food coloring that made beautiful icing, but stained our hands for the day.

Students worked diligently on their creations following the designs they had created the day before.

Students' work paid off and their designs look very authentic!