Mexican Independence Day, September 15, 1810: RESEARCH PROJECTS!

Thanks to those of you who have been contacting me by email with questions regarding your presentations! Some of you are already nearly finished!!

To clarify- THE "ESSAY"

However you are doing your project, I want a short "essay" that describes the topic you have researched. This should be 1-2 pages.

I put essay in quotation marks because I am not going to be super strict about your writing and format. I just one paper that brings together your ideas and allows you to voice an opinion on them.

EXAMPLE: Remember, an essay includes an intro, body and conclusion. If you are doing a country project on, say, Spain, then introduce the country with (hopefully) the reason why you chose it and why it is interesting. Introduce three topics that particularly interest you about Spain. Then further explain each of those topics, each with its own short paragraph and finally, write a conclusion. A conclusion could include something you learned that surprised you, how you felt about the research project, etc.

If you are doing a group project, each person needs to have a separate conclusion so I understand how you connect to the topic and the project. The essay should be longer (for 4 people- aim for 3-4 pages).

Powerpoints are similar to poster projects in that you have pictures and bullet points that represent the main ideas of your research. The "essay" gives more explanation and a personal perspective.

Most of the stuff that you have in the powerpoint and in the poster you can cut and paste into the essay. DON'T STRESS IT!!

Just write your thoughts and DO IT!!!

I know you can!

PRESENTATIONS: By popular request I have made the presentation portion of the project extra credit. If you can condense it all into about 5 minutes, I welcome you to show the class the hard work you have done. If you don't want to present, you can still get an A+. The former percentage value attached to presenting will go to the overall project in the grading guide.

Presentations will begin on December 7.

I look forward to AWESOME AND INTERESTING PROJECTS!!

Sra. Malisa

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

RESEARCH PROJECTS!

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TOP TEN TIPS FOR LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE