English at Maestra Isabel Álvarez

Volcanic Explosions with 4A

This past Tuesday I got to assist with a science experiment about Volcanos. After learning about the different parts of a Volcano with the crater, molten lava, volcanic rock and ash the students had to make their own volcano at home using a soda can such as coca-cola or aquarius and clay on top sitting it in a tray.

Want to do your own experiment?

What you'll need:
- baking soda (make sure it is not baking powder)
- vinegar ( a lot of it)
- a spoon
- food coloring (orange or red for the coloring of the lava)
- a tray or container to hold everything to avoid a big mess
- paper towels or cloth to clean up afterwards

Instructions:

- place some of the baking soda inside the volcano (2 to 3 spoons) depending on the size
- then add the coloring
- finally pour in vinegar and watch the reaction take place

Carnival in the U.S.

We have just entered into the season of Lent, or forty days before Holy Week, but not doing so without a big party first. Carnival (which is still going on in Cadiz), lasted from February 5th to the 9th ending on "Fat Tuesday" or Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Along with the information about Mardi Gras in the U.S. several classes made masks in celebration. I went to Venice for Carnival so you can see me in my Venetian Mask with the class.

Landforms in the United States

During my social science classes with 3A and 3B they just finished a unit on landforms, the different continents and different oceans in the world and now have started learning about world and city maps. Vocabulary included sea, bay, headland or cape, hills, rivers, oceans, lighthouse, plateau, mountain or mountain range and island. Below is the presentation I shared with them including the Hollywood Hills, San Diego Bay, Santa Monica Beach, Grand Canyon, and Cabo da Roca in Lisbon, Portugal. Enjoy!

Happy Peace Day

While the International day of peace is celebrated in September, Peace Day for schools is celebrated on January 30th in Spain and in schools around the world in remembrance of the anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandi. January also happens to be the month with Martin Luther King Day so both icons for peace were discussed in class.

In preparation the entire school learned the song "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan.

You can listen to the lyrics with some powerful images about a vision for world peace and social justice here:

Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man ?

How many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand ?

Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly

Before they're forever banned ?

The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Yes, how many years can a mountain exist

Before it's washed to the sea ?

Yes, how many years can some people exist

Before they're allowed to be free ?

Yes, how many times can a man turn his head

Pretending he just doesn't see ?

The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Yes, how many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky ?

Yes, how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry ?

Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died ?

The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Younger courses also learned the "famous song" What a wonderful world by Louis Armstrong.

What a Wonderful World - Playing for Change

I see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do

But they're really saying I love you.

I hear baby's cry, and I watched them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll ever know

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world.

In addition to learning songs several works of art were completed during the month of January to decorate the school for Friday's peace day celebrations.

This craft done with 4B and 4C included a pair of hands for a different flag of each country. With over fifty countries represented can you find Spain? The U.S.? England? What others can you see? Want to complete the craft for next year or at home?

You can find the project here: Peace around the World

A trip to the garden with 5B

On Wednesday, January 27th after finishing up a unit in natural science about parts of the plant, photosynthesis, angiosperms and gymnosperms the class got to visit the school garden that has been growing over the past three years thanks to José Antonio, who has been in charge of the vision the school has for a community garden from the beginning.