Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Get to Know Mexico: Veracruz
Veracruz
I learned that Veracruz is divided into seven different and unique regions. People are drawn to Veracruz because they have a chance to relax or do various activities. These activities include diving, snorkeling, fishing, and river rafting. People who try to relax usually go to La Antigua and Tierra Blanca, and people who enjoy liveliness often head to Tecolutla and Papantla. Veracruz is also famous for its delicious traditional foods using locally found ingredients.
Get to Know Mexico: Durango
Durango
I learned that Durango is the fourth largest state in Mexico when it comes to land. Because of this, there are many different kinds of plants and animals inside Durango. In fact, there are multiple ecosystems in Durango, and it is therefore separated into four regions: the Mountains, Valleys, Semi-Desert, and the Ravines. People can do various things in Durango, including camping, mountain biking, and repelling. I also learned that many old Western films were recorded in Durango because of its amazing landscape.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
T5 Describe the House Activity
En la cocina, hay un horno, una estufa, un microondas, un refrigerador blanco, una lavaplatos, y dos fregaderos. Las paredes son rojos.
Las paredes del comedor son negras. Hay dos lámparas, una mesa, y seis sillas.
En los dormitorios, las paredes son azules y verdes. Hay unas camas grandes, unos tocadores, y unos gabinetes.
Afuera de la casa, hay una piscina, unos árboles y un jardín con muchas flores.
Midterm Reflection Essay
Midterm Reflection
The first quarter of Spanish this year was quite difficult. I think this was because I had gone through the entire first semester without uttering a single word of Spanish, so I probably forgot some material. I am back on track, though, so things are getting a bit easier. I am also understanding much more about Spanish when it comes to grammar.The one thing I really liked about first quarter was the review. We did not spend weeks reviewing, but we reviewed as we continued through the Spanish II curriculum, which I enjoy.
I am ashamed to say that there are some things that I could have done better on this quarter. I have trouble doing my homework in this class, so if I actually did my homework, my grade would be at least 5 points higher, which can make a large difference.
Before the end of the Spanish II course, I would like to improve on boot verbs. I have a tendency to conjugate all forms of a verb with the “boot” part, or none at all. I would also like to understand DOPs and IOPs more. I get confused between the two often, and I have a feeling that they will be used more the further into Spanish I go.
This quarter, I was exposed to a great learning strategy: learning grammar and vocabulary together. In Spanish I, vocabulary and grammar were taught separately; in Spanish II, however, we are shown how vocabulary is useless without proper grammar, and vice versa.
In communicating with the language, I can see myself improving, but I am not quite ready to speak it independently yet. I still process Spanish very slowly, so I need it to be repeated or spoken more slowly. I hope to improve on this as I continue to the higher-level Spanish classes.
I see myself as having many strengths in Spanish. It does not take long for me to catch onto grammar and memorize vocabulary. However, my aforementioned problem with homework is a very strong weakness. In the next 9 weeks, I plan to combat this laziness in order to raise my grade to an A, which is possible with enough work.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Spanish II Goals
My Goals For Spanish II
1. What are your goals for Spanish II?
My major goal for Spanish II this semester is to make a B as my final grade, at least. I also want to be more responsible when it comes to schoolwork.
2. How will you reach those goals?
I will reach these goals by studying hard every day or two so I can do well on tests. I will also write down all the homework I have for the night and remember to do it; I know how much of an impact homework has on my grade.
3. How have you done in the first few weeks at reaching your goals? What do you need to improve on?
When looking at my grade, I am doing a fair job at attaining my goal to make at least a B. However, I am struggling with remembering my homework. I need to improve on checking what homework I need to do instead of getting distracted.
1. What are your goals for Spanish II?
My major goal for Spanish II this semester is to make a B as my final grade, at least. I also want to be more responsible when it comes to schoolwork.
2. How will you reach those goals?
I will reach these goals by studying hard every day or two so I can do well on tests. I will also write down all the homework I have for the night and remember to do it; I know how much of an impact homework has on my grade.
3. How have you done in the first few weeks at reaching your goals? What do you need to improve on?
When looking at my grade, I am doing a fair job at attaining my goal to make at least a B. However, I am struggling with remembering my homework. I need to improve on checking what homework I need to do instead of getting distracted.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
T2 Cultural Investigation
Costa Rica Education vs. US Education
Paragraph About the Differences Between the Two Nations' Educations
Countries are unique for various things; education can be one of those things. I compared Costa Rica education with US education, and I found three major differences between the two countries’ education: language classes, the schedule, and universities. In Costa Rica, there are two language classes taken by students throughout their school lives: Spanish and English. In the US, Spanish, or any other foreign language for that matter, is only required to be taken 2 years. The two countries’ education’s schedules are very different as well. In the US, classes are held Monday to Friday unless there is a holiday or work day for the teachers. The normal school day is 6.5 hours. However, in Costa Rica, the schedule is extremely relaxed. The normal school day can be as short as 3.5 hours, and classes often release earlier than normal for varied reasons unknown to many students. Universities are also different in Costa Rica; there are hardly any there, so students have few choices when going to college. In the US, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of universities to choose from, so every student can be satisfied with where he or she is going.
Spanish Sentences About Costa Rica Schools
1. En Costa Rica, los profesores son flojos.
2. Los estudiantes hay que aprender para siete años.
3. Los estudiantes no tienen mucha tarea.
Costa Rica Embassy in Washington, D.C.
I went on the Costa Rica Embassy in Washington D.C. website and contacted the Minister Counselor for Political Affairs, Education, and Protocol at guisella.sanchez@gmail.com.
Summary
I think this activity was fairly difficult. I think this because I have difficulty researching a country I know hardly anything about. This activity helped me, though; I now know what to do if I have to research something, someone, or someplace on the Internet: I have to brainstorm. Brainstorming helped me get my facts in order, which really benefited me in the long run.
Paragraph About the Differences Between the Two Nations' Educations
Countries are unique for various things; education can be one of those things. I compared Costa Rica education with US education, and I found three major differences between the two countries’ education: language classes, the schedule, and universities. In Costa Rica, there are two language classes taken by students throughout their school lives: Spanish and English. In the US, Spanish, or any other foreign language for that matter, is only required to be taken 2 years. The two countries’ education’s schedules are very different as well. In the US, classes are held Monday to Friday unless there is a holiday or work day for the teachers. The normal school day is 6.5 hours. However, in Costa Rica, the schedule is extremely relaxed. The normal school day can be as short as 3.5 hours, and classes often release earlier than normal for varied reasons unknown to many students. Universities are also different in Costa Rica; there are hardly any there, so students have few choices when going to college. In the US, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of universities to choose from, so every student can be satisfied with where he or she is going.
Spanish Sentences About Costa Rica Schools
1. En Costa Rica, los profesores son flojos.
2. Los estudiantes hay que aprender para siete años.
3. Los estudiantes no tienen mucha tarea.
Costa Rica Embassy in Washington, D.C.
I went on the Costa Rica Embassy in Washington D.C. website and contacted the Minister Counselor for Political Affairs, Education, and Protocol at guisella.sanchez@gmail.com.
Summary
I think this activity was fairly difficult. I think this because I have difficulty researching a country I know hardly anything about. This activity helped me, though; I now know what to do if I have to research something, someone, or someplace on the Internet: I have to brainstorm. Brainstorming helped me get my facts in order, which really benefited me in the long run.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)