Mexican Independence Day, September 15, 1810: Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), One of Mexico's Greatest Artists

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), One of Mexico's Greatest Artists

After an unexpected illness that befell me on November 2, I returned to school to hear from many students that their substitute had been a strange lady with an accent, flowers in her hair and a large monobrow. Strange.....

Their description reminded me a lot of Frida Kahlo, one of my heroes. Of course, she has long since passed, but the life that she lived was a remarkable one. Look her up. Her story of survival never ceases to amaze me.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...: ..hi
-max; November 16, 2009 at 4:42 PM
Anonymous said...: is this where we're supposed to comment?
-Hillary Brennan; November 16, 2009 at 6:37 PM
Anonymous said...: hola senora malisa
-PaytonMantooth; November 17, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Anonymous said...: Is there a point at all to this?

-Aaron; November 17, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Anonymous said...: Hola senora...
~Becca Calloway; November 17, 2009 at 12:03 PM
Anonymous said...: uhhhh....cool?

Micah C; November 17, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Anonymous said...: Hola :D
-Michaela Marr.; November 17, 2009 at 12:04 PM
christian burns said...: hola senora Malisa; November 17, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Anonymous said...: Matt Young; November 17, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Anonymous said...: hi this is Clarynn Danielle Moretto i'm gonna keep typing till i run out of room so how bout' them bears?! well im gonna go now cause im bored; November 17, 2009 at 2:16 PM
Anonymous said...: This is cool... I guess. :D
-Susanna Eich; November 17, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Anonymous said...: Hola Senora Malisa! d('')b 2 thumbs up to... umm.. something...
-Ashton Fandel; November 17, 2009 at 7:49 PM
Alizeti said...: Aaron, and everyone else, did you go to the folder for your class? (Scroll down on the left hand side.....)

Then, the point will be that by commenting here, I will know that you can always find out what your homework is.

Get onto that QUIA!

Signed,
Señora Malisa; November 17, 2009 at 8:36 PM
Anonymous said...: it wont let me click on the 3rd period thing
-hillary brennan; November 18, 2009 at 8:52 PM

TOP TEN TIPS FOR LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE

Don't expect to be perfect!

Can you remember when learned to ride a bicycle? Did you ride perfectly from the first time you sat on the seat? When learning a new language, expect that you will make mistakes, and don't be embarrassed by them!

Work on developing an "ear" for Spanish.

Remember that language is first and foremost oral communication. A written alphabet is merely a collection of symbols used to represent the sounds of the language, and cannot be expected to capture every nuance of sound and intonation. Try to develop a "good ear" for Spanish. An easy and fun way to do this is by listening to Spanish music, watching Spanish movies, or watching Spanish cable TV.

Practice SPEAKING!

The only way to learn to speak a language, is by actually SPEAKING. You can study for years, and master all of the grammar rules, but unless you actually practice speaking, you will never speak well. When you are practicing speaking, remember to do it out loud, at normal conversational volume.

Be consistent.

To really learn a language takes time and committment. Consistency is by far the most important factor. If you can devote a solid twenty minutes a day, nearly every day, you will be far more successful than if you "cram" for an hour or two, but only sporadically.

Talk to yourself.

When learning a foreign language, it is common for listening skills to develop more rapidly than speaking skills, leaving the learner in the unfortunate situation of being able to understand, but unable to respond. A good way to surmount this problem is to talk to yourself as much as possible. Because there is no one else around, you won't be weighed down by the inhibition that so frequently burdens the beginning language student.

Use flashcards.

One of the best tips we can give you is to make and use flashcards. Make cards that are small enough to easily carry with you, and write the English on one side and Spanish on the other. Be sure to ALWAYS have some cards with you. This way, you can capture "wasted" time (standing in line, riding the bus, waiting for class to start, etc.) and turn it into productive study time. Even if you only have a couple of minutes, you can use it to study a few flashcards.

Label your surroundings.

Make labels for things all over your house. For example: la pared (wall), la puerta (door), el escritorio (desk) etc. Remove the labels only after you have mastered the vocabulary.

Be patient.

Progress in language learning does not follow a straight-line graph. You cannot expect to make the same amount of progress, day after day, week after week. You may find yourself struggling at times, seeming to make no progress. Don't let this discourage you. It is normal to reach plateaus in your learning progress. If you find yourself "stuck" try spending time going back and reviewing things that you already know well. Often this will help prepare you to break through to the next level.

Find a partner.

Try to find a native speaker who can be your conversation partner. This can be your greatest asset and perhaps you can also provide assistance to your partner in your native language.

Read out loud.

Try reading out loud. You will get all of the benefits of reading, plus you'll get really good pronunciation practice. In fact, as a beginner, you should read aloud as much as possible.

Mexican Independence Day, September 15, 1810

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Amigos for learning SPANISH

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), One of Mexico's Greatest Artists

14 comments:

TOP TEN TIPS FOR LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE