Thanksgiving Day and a Recipe

Indian hats in 3A

4C English with A Thankful Tree

5C English with A Thankful Tree

4B English with a Thankful Tree

Today is Thanksgiving and over the past few weeks we have done several activities to explain this Canadian and American holiday. In 1612 Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower and found Native Americans. The Pilgrims didn't have any food, and so the Native Americans brought them different foods such as vegetables, corn and potatoes and turkey. Now families have dinner and give thanks for what they have. We also watch the Macy's Day Parade in New York, American Football games and go shopping for Black Friday the following day.

Here is a link of the presentation and videos I showed in several classes:
Happy Thanksgiving!
Macy's Day Parade Video
Black Friday Shopper's Go Crazy


Students made hats of Pilgrims and Indians to help celebrate. We also did a craft with leaves called "I am thankful for" where students had to name different things such as family, friends, their education, school, teacher and peace. We combined the craft with several classes to make "The Thankful Tree."

Leaf Template

In addition, in 6A they are learning how to write recipes in the new English unit. For my thanksgiving dinner I made a traditional food: pumpkin pie.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz) of Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin (available at Taste of America or Costco)
1 can (12 fl. oz) of Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Directions:
Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
Pour into pie shell.
Bake in preheated 425 degrees F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F: bake for 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours.

Serving Suggestions:
Serve immediately or refrigerate. You may serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

4C Thanksgiving Party

4C Thanksgiving Party

4C Thanksgiving Party

3A Fun! 

4B Thanksgiving Party!

4B Thanksgiving Party

Be Happy, Be Healthy with 4A!

This past week in natural science with 4A we have been learning about healthy habits. Healthy habits include eating healthy, keeping clean, sleeping well, doing exercise and getting regular check ups at the doctor. Students were divided into groups where they had to complete and present a project on their assigned healthy habit. They then had to sort food from supermarket catalogs into a pyramid categorizing into carbohydrates: fruits and vegetables, dairy products, cereals, protein: meat, eggs, fish and sugars and fats: sweets, ice cream, chocolate etc.

Have regular medical check-ups!

Do exercise: running, skating, football etc.

We must sleep about 10 hours

Keep clean by taking a shower, brushing your teeth, and washing your hands

Eat healthy by eating lots of fruits and vegetables

Keep clean: take 2! 

Natural Science and Nutrition

6th grade has been learning about nutrition in natural science over the past few weeks. The nutrition unit includes the digestive system, the circulatory system, the respiratory system and the excretory system.

Here are a few videos that we watched while learning about this unit.

Digestive System for Kids

Circulatory System for Kids

Last Thursday I helped 6C with their projects as a way to review the unit and put the information in their own words before the upcoming exam. Projects include a summary of each different system along with exercises and activities that we have done in class. For example, some may include classification charts, drawings where they have to label the different parts of the system, matching or true false questions.

Here are some pictures of their work so far!

Outdoor Fun

This past week 5th grade has been learning about different sports in English. Vocabulary for the unit includes: surfing, snowboarding, kayaking, cricket, bowling, badminton etc.
In an effort to do something a little out of the ordinary I took 5A outside to teach them traditional "American" games. The first being "Red Rover." In case you want to play, here are the instructions for the game. 

Red Rover, also known as forcing the city gates apparently is usually played on the playground. It originated in Britain and then spread to Australia, Canada, and the United States. The game is played between two lines of players usually around thirty feet apart. The game starts when the first team, calls out a player saying "Red rover, red rover, send [name of player on opposite team] right over", sometimes sung.

Explaining Red Rover to 5A

The immediate goal for the person called is to run to the other line and break the other team's chain (formed by the linking of hands). If the person called fails to break the chain, this player joins that team. However, if the player successfully breaks the chain, this player may select either of the two "links" broken by the successful run, and take them to join the their team. Their team then calls out "Red rover" for a player on the other team, and play continues.

When only one player is left on a team, they also must try and break through a link. If they do not succeed, the opposing team wins. Otherwise, they are able to get a player back for their team.
The game needs at least five people to play, although this would be a very short game. In the southern United States, the person is called by chanting, "Red Rover, Red Rover send (person's name) right over." Red Rover is played by a mix of boys and girls. 

In addition, we played Pictionary and the Human Knot. Here is a link of several outdoor games played in the United States. Outdoor Games

Pumpkins, Witches, and Ghosts, oh my!

Hello everyone,

Now that the Halloween puente has passed I wanted to update you on some of the things we did at school. Over the past few weeks in October I got the chance to share some of the history on the festival of Halloween. It turns out it actually isn't originally from the United States, but from Ireland, England and Northern France. Here are some pictures of the presentation I shared with some of the classes.

Showing Jack-O-Lanterns to Reyes's, 2nd A class

Sharing the origins of Halloween with Beatriz's 5th C class 

As most of you know from the blog from last year, Halloween is celebrated on October 31st and many people dress up, go to parties, go trick or treating, carve pumpkins, and go to haunted houses. This was all vocabulary included in the english classes. Here is a craft I did in some english classes of a paper pumpkin lantern. 

Paper Pumpkin Lanterns with Paz and 4B

More Halloween Fun with 4B

If you would like to do this craft at home or with your students here is the link: Halloween Paper Lantern Craft

Also, if you would like a closer look here is the powerpoint I shared with several English classes.

Halloween History

Meet Destinee, the new language assistant!

Hello everyone,

My name is Destinee Pray and I am the new Language Assistant for the year 2015 - 2016. I am from San Diego, California, but I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. I am 23 years old. I graduated from Elon University in North Carolina where I studied Human Services, Psychology and Spanish. In the Spring of 2013 I studied abroad here in Seville. Last year I was an auxiliar in Don Benito, Extremadura. In my free time I love to read, study French, spend time with friends and most of all travel. Here are some pictures of my travel.

Last year in Amsterdam, Netherlands for the New Year!

Last year in Berlin, Germany for Christmas!

Me in front of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

Last year in Paris, France 

This summer in Rabat, Morocco

At Sea World Amusement Park in San Diego, CA

At the cheese festival in Trujillo last spring

With 6th A we have talked about different geographical wonders such as waterfalls, canyons, rivers, lakes, mountain ranges and caves. Below is a powerpoint I prepared with my trips to the Grand Canyon, Arizona, Honoluli, Hawaii, Monfragüe National Park, and other places in the U.S. Feel free to have a look.

Geographical Wonders