El mes de herenicia hispana (Hispanic Heritage Month); La primera prueba (First Quiz)

¡Hola, familia!


On Thursday, September, 15th, we began our coverage of Hispanic Heritage Month.  For the next 30 days, we will explore different aspects of Latin-American countries, culture, and people.

The students learned that September 15th is also Independence Day for five different countres in Central America.  In 1823, the following five countries won their independence from Spanish rule:

• Costa Rica
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Nicaragua

In addition, September 16th is Mexico's Independence Day (not Cinco de Mayo!).  The students learned that in 1821, Mexico won its independece from Spain, which paved the way for Central American independence.

We also talked about two successful people in the Latino community: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and musical conductor Gustavo Dudamel.  

Sonia Sotomayor, a Nuyorican (New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent), is the person of Latin-American descent to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.  She is an Ivy-League graduate, receiving her bachelor's degree from Princeton University (same college as First Lady Michelle Obama), and her law degree from Yale University (same college as Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton).  Below is a video the students watched of Justice Sotomayor presiding over a very classic case: Goldilocks vs. Baby Bear!

Gustavo Dudamel, a venezolano (Venezuelan) is an accomplished orchestra conductor, having led the Los Angeles Philharmonic and The Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar (Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra).  He also led the orchestra recording for the soundtrack of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."  Below is a video of Sr. Dudamel leading the LA Philharmonic in playing the Star Wars theme.

Students completed geography and timeline worksheets concerning Central America and Justice Sotomayor.  I gave them the weekend to complete them, and we will review in class.

For 7th and 8th graders only:

7th and 8th graders will have their first prueba (quiz) on Tuesday, Sept. 20th.  It will be 20-question, 20-point, assessment of the following subjects:

• How to say "Hello"
• How to say "Goodbye"
• How to say "Please," "Thank You," and "You're Welcome"
• Numbers 1-30
• Days of the Week
• Months of the Year

Students were given a study guide for the quiz, which can be found on page 17 of the online Spanish textbook.  Passwords for each section can be found in this previous blog article:

 Las Contraseñas (Passwords)

This week, we will continue our coverage of numbers, date, time, and weather.  We will also explore more Latin-American culture and history.

¡Hasta luego!

Los saludos, las despididas, y la cortesía (Salutations, Farewells, and Courtesy)

¡Hola familia!

5th and 6th graders now have their own Spanish names!  There were some very creative names this year.  Please check the Assignments section of Schoolmax for your student's name.  

Daily attendance will be called by Spanish names, and we will soon start having conversaciónes, such as introducing ourselves AND introducting other people.  Please help your student memorize their name...I mean, a person should know their own name, right?

In all classes, we discussed how the attacks on 9/11 affected the Latino community.  The students learned that people from several Latin countries such as the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico lost their lives that day.  Below is a short video with Univision reporter Maria Elena Salinas remembering that day, and discussing how 9/11 has affected the Latino community in America: 

Maria Elena Salinas on how 9/11 affected the Latino community


This coming week, we will learn numbers, date and time.



¡Hasta pronto!

Las Contraseñas (Passwords)

¡Hola, familia!

I recently gave 7th and 8th graders online access to the ConnectED website.  This website contains the online version of the textbook we use in Spanish class.  For the sake of posterity, I have provided usernames and passwords for each section.  Please refer to this post for future homework assignments.

701 (Mr. Anderson's room)

• Username:SPANISHA4
• Password: spani638

702 (Mr. Greene's room)

• Username:  SPANISHB1
• Password:spani328

801 (Mrs. Lawrence's room)

• Username:SPANISHC
• Password: spani770

802 (Mrs. Velasco's room)

• Username:SPANISHD
• Password: spani246

This past week, both 7th and 8th graders started in the beginning of the Spanish 1 text, learning different ways of saying hello and goodbye, and speaking politely ("Please," "Thank You," etc.).  In this coming week, we will focus on numbers, date and time.

¡Hasta pronto!

La semana del 29 de agosto al 2 de septiembre (The week of August 29th to September 2nd)

¡Hola, familia!

Last week, all Intermediate and Middle School students got the chance to pick out their own Spanish names!!  If you are interested in seeing your student's name (or in case they forget), it is available for view in Schoolmax.  Search the Assignments and look for "Spanish Names."

The Spanish names will be important for our upcoming lessons.  This week, we will learn los saludos y la cortesía (greetings and courtesy).  All students will practice greetings, goodbyes and social etiquette with each other in class.

In addition, Spanish 1 and 2 students will begin the Así se Dice curriculum.  All students will begin at the beginning, Chapter 1.  However, the 8th graders will move at a slightly faster pace, as this is review of last year's material for most of them.  Student online access to the text and workbook materials will be available soon.

Stay tuned for more news articles and updates.  Until then, enjoy your holiday!

¡Hasta luego!

Las letras y los sonidos (Letters and Sounds)

¡Hola, familia! (Hello, family!)

Today, the 5th and 6th graders learned about the letters and sounds of the Spanish alphabet.  The following video contains a song, which sounds similar to "The Farmer in the Dell." It helped the students understand letters, sounds, and some Spanish words:

We also watched a skit from Sesame Street, titled, "Murray Has A Little Lamb."  Murray and Ovejita ( literally, "Little Lamb") teach viewers Spanish terms for items found at different types of escuelas (schools).


¿Puedes identificar los artículos y cuál escuela ellos están visitando? (Can you identify the items and which school they are visiting?)

La Foco Cultural: ¡Laurie Hernandez, la emoji humana! (Cultural Spotlight: Laurie Hernandez, The Human Emoji!)

¡Hola, familia! (Hello, family!)

If you watched this year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, you may have noticed a bubbly, energetic young lady on the U.S. women's gymnastics team.  Remember her?:

This is Lauren "Laurie" Hernandez, from Old Bridge Township, New Jersey.  Here are some fun facts about her:

• Laurie is a second-generation Puerto Rican.
• At age 16, she is the youngest member of the U.S. gymnastics team.
• She won a gold medal in the Women's Team All Around and a silver medal in the Women's Balance Beam event.
• She is the first Latina in 30 years to represent the United States in gymnastics (Annia Hatch, another Latina-American, competed for Cuba in 2004.)
• By winning the gold medal in the Team All Around, she became the first person born in the 21st century to win an Olympic gold medal.

Check out Laurie in action here:

Her upbeat personality and funny faces have earned her the nickname, "The Human Emoji".  Watch below to see why:

El Artículo de la Cultura: ¡Carmelo Anthony es boricua! (Culture Article: Carmelo Anthony is Puerto Rican!)

¡Hola, familia! (Hello, family!)

Many people are familiar with NBA basketball star Carmelo Anthony.  They know he plays for the New York Knicks.  They know he grew up in the Baltimore, MD area.  They know he led the US Olympic Men's Basketball to three straight gold medals...but did you also know he is Latino?

Check out this article from the One Nación blog from ESPN.com:


The world should know that Carmelo Anthony is also Afro-Latino and Puerto Rican


Carmelo has spent a lot of time investing in Latino interests, especially in the Caribbean.  Watch the following video of Carmelo talking about his efforts in Puerto Rico:

On a lighter note, here's a parody of Carmelo in action, demonstrated by the NBA impersonator, Brandon "B-Dot" Armstrong:

La semana del 23 al 26 de agosto (The week of August 23rd - 26th)

¡Hola, familia! (Hello, family!)


On the first week of the school year, your students were introduced to some key introductory lessons.  Listed below is a brief synopsis for each grade level, laid out for all students to see and try out at home:

Intro to Spanish (5th & 6th Grade)

Students learned about cognates.  Cognates are words in different languages that look and sound similar, and have the same meaning.  For example, the Spanish word fabuloso (pronounced "fah-boo-loh-soh") and the English word fabulous are cognates.  Learning cognates is a quick and easy way to increase one's knowledge of Spanish words and to translate signs and labels such as this:

Students also worked on their first two Cognates Crossword puzzles, which were passed out this week (with the exception of class sections 5-2 and 601, due to the Redskins field trip.  Those sections will receive the puzzles this coming week).


They also received a video lesson on how to introduce themselves in Spanish:

Spanish 1 (7th Grade) & Spanish 2 (8th Grade)

The students received a syllabus for each subject, listing contact information, goals, and grading policies.  If anyone needs another copy, please contact me via email.



Spanish 1 & 2 students also learned about cognates, but in a different format.  They were introduced to the first of several rules of thumb. Namely, Spanish words ending in "-ción" = English words ending in "-tion".  For example:  

• información = information
• participación = participation

This rule of thumb was presented through the following video: 

We also worked on our listening skills by overhearing a conversation at a restaurant in Mexico.

All classes will continue to explore cognates and the speaking/listening lessons we learned this week.  You can always refer to this blog for missed assignments due to an excused absence.  


To all students.....buen trabajo en su primera semana. ¡Hasta luego! (Good job on your first week.  See you later!)

...¡Y Aquí Vamos! (...And Here We Go!)

¡Bienvenido al español!  Welcome to Spanish!  

My name is Mr. Davey, a.k.a. Señor Davey. I will be helping the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders learn how to read, write and speak Spanish like a pro!!  I am looking forward to having a fun and exciting year with all of you.  

Although Spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn, the biggest obstacle to learning Spanish is confidence.  Many new (and not-so-new) students are nervous or apprehensive when it comes to learning a whole other language.  It requires change in the way one speaks, thinks, and sees the world around them.  The key to success in Spanish is simple:  Keep it in front of you!!  The more you hear, read, and speak Spanish, the better you'll become.  Also, you must be patient.  You won't become an expert overnight, but you can definitely be better than you were yesterday!

Listed below are the three main online resources we will be using to acheive la maestría de la lengua española (mastery of the Spanish language) :

• ImagineEspañol  - This blog will contain all class announcements, updates, and assignments.  Students and parents are encouraged to use this tool as an archive for missed assignments due to absences, sick days, etc.
• SpanishDict.com - This is the website we will be using for online translations in class as well as for homework.  It contains a blog with articles surrounding Spanish language and culture.  It also gives one the ability to create an account providing Spanish Words of the Day, which we will be exploring throughout the year.  (***NOTE: Spanish Levels 1 & 2 will have assignments and assessment questions based on Spanish Words of the Day throughout the year.  Hence it is highly recommended that each 7th and 8th student - or a responsible adult in their family -  create an account on SpanishDict.com.  You can use the following link to sign up: www.spanishdict.com
• ConnectED - This website contains the e-Book version of the textbooks and workbooks for Spanish Levels 1 & 2.  7th & 8th graders will be given a username and password per class section.  That way, students and families can have 24/7 access to all class materials, assignments, and resources provided through ConnectED.  Usernames and Passwords will be assigned soon.

Students will receive a syllabus for each grade level detailing general information, including grading and resources.  

In addition to teaching Spanish, I am also a part of the Parent Partnering committee, designed to establish and maintain communication between the school and the families of our students.  I personally plan to reach out to all my Spanish students' families for contact information in the next few days and weeks. In the meantime, my contact information is listed below:

Rohan Davey
Intermediate/MS Spanish
E-mail: rohan.davey@pgcps.org
Cell Phone #: 301-356-1052

¡Hasta pronto! (See you soon!)