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

Goodbye to Language Assistant Rachel!

Rachel finished her job as Maestra Isabel Álvarez's English Language Assistant at the end of May. She was very sad to say goodbye to all of the wonderful teachers, staff and students of the school. She will miss Maestra Isabel Álvarez very muchc! Rachel traveled throughout Europe in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Switzerland and Germany during the summer. Rachel has returned to the United States to live with her family and to look for work improving her Spanish and helping Spanish-speaking immigrants.

Here are some fun photos from Rachel's last days at the school! Rachel played several games with the students. The most important game the students played was the trivia race about the United States and English things that Rachel had taught them throughout the course. Enjoy the pictures!

 Reyes singing with the students in the chorus:

 Students showing off their America tattoos:

 Dario won a great prize because he was the only student in his class that could spell Pennsylvania correctly! It's a Pittsburgh Pirates t-shirt. The Pittsburgh Pirates is the name of the baseball team of Pittsburgh:

 Playing the trivia race game about English and the United States: