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You are in Mexico on vacation but you need to know what the weather is going to be like in order to plan your clothing ahead of time for the week you'll be there.... Here is a simple way to learn these spanish weather words and phrases.

Here are my partner's (Thomas) lessons
 

Alphabet

Asking and telling time

Tired of always saying the months in english, only to get corrected by Señorita Manuel or your Spanish speaking friends?  Well I was too until i created a chart to better understand the names of the months. So create a chart, sing a little song, or make some flash cards on quizlet.  Whatever floats your boat will help you get better.

REMEMBER THEIR ARE NO CAPITALS IN SAYING THE SPANISH MONTH NAME. THAT IS ONLY FOR ENGLISH SILLY GOOSE!

watch our little video for our special song to memorize because we were studying!

If you want some more spanish info, go to my Pareja's pages! http://www.scienceleadership.org/blog/Los_Dias_de_la_Semana--days_of_the_week

http://www.scienceleadership.org/blog/alfabeto

I write because I am told to
I write because I like to pass my classes
I write because I am graded on it
I don't write to express my feelings or to feel better
I write to ensure my high school success
I write to ensure my diploma
I write to be sure that never or ever will I have to say I received an F
Or a D
Or even a B
I write because I am told to
Not for freedom or expression
I write because I am told to

In order to make plans, you must know the days of the week! 

You might have noticed that Monday is listed first in the list. This is because in Español, lunes, or Monday, is the first day of the week. Another surprising fact you might have noticed is that the letters are not capitalized. In Español, you do not capitalize the days of the week. 

In order to know how to get someone’s phone number - or give yours - you need to know the numbers first!

Now that you know the numbers, it’s time to lean the question. 

There are a few ways to ask for someone’s phone number.

One is: ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono? 

This should be used amongst friends and peers. 

To ask someone with higher authority than yourself their phone number, you should change the “tu”, to “su”. So it is now “¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?”

If someone asks you your number, you should respond with “Mi teléfono es...” or “Es el...”

​We write to soothe our souls
To express the deep feelings we withhold from the world, letting our feelings come alive
Writing is like a canvas, a work of art
Our piece jumps through the paper, it flows like a tidal wave
There is no judgement here
Self expression non- the less is one of the few ways to persevere
To know you can find a way to escape from the world
Letting all the hate, remorse, and happiness portray your feelings as if it were coming to the surface of a shore

We write to feel what we are scared to feel

Whether it is flunking a test, loosing a loved one or having a broken heart

We write to show what we have deep feelings about

It can simply be falling in love, to winning that race, or accomplishing something that your proud of

We write to get away... Get away from the world we know and have a moment of peace

To have that moment where the world can be hectic, but define things as you personally see them

Learn those letters!! : How to spell your name when a friend doesn’t know how.

 

 

   In order to spell your name you need to know:

       1)    The alphabet

       2)    How to pronounce each letter

       3)    Say hi

       4)    How to ask for their name

       5)    How to ask how to spell it

       6)    Easy way to remember each one

 

The 1^st link will show you flashcards of each letter and a list of each letter with their pronunciation.

 

 

This link is a song/rap that will help you remember the alphabet.

 

 

This link is just a little cute video of the Spanish alphabet.

 

 

 

Intro:

Below you will see a video of a student spelling their name for a transfer student from Puerto Rico in spanish.

To speak with someone about weather, you must know four basic things:
1. Weather terms

2. How to ask about the weather

3. How to respond to the question "¿Qué tiempo hace hoy?" (What is the weather  like today?)

4. The seasons (las estaciones)

Congratulations! You now know how to speak to someone about the weather!

In this video, Leah wants to know whether or not to bring her umbrella to school so she asks what the weather is like, and finds that it is rainy, so she brings her umbrella.

To see how to say and have a conversation about the months and dates, visit Emmanuel's post here

To see his post on the days of the week, click here.

While on your spanish-speaking adventure, you would not like to be rude or offend another person, so you must know how to properly greet someone, ask how they are doing, and then say goodbye. Our first step will show proper greetings:

            After you have greeted the person, you should politely ask them how are they doing. How do I ask them that? you may ask. Well, you're about to learn!

What if they ask you how YOU are doing? What are appropriate responses? Here is a way to learn them!

*NOTE: Once someone has asked you how you are doing and you respond with an emotion word, you should tag a "gracias" (thank you) onto your response, as this is the polite thing to do. Example:
                        Person 1: ¿Cómo estás?
                        Person 2: Muy bien, gracias!

There are a few other vocab words/phrases that you should learn to be polite. For example, if someone asks you how you're doing and you respond saying that you are doing well, would you just leave it at that? Or shouldn't you ask how THEY are doing? Yes, you should! And so, take a look at our chart to find out how you would say that. Also, you should regard all the other phrases in the chart, to make sure you're prepared to be a smart, polite, spanish-speaking person!

​Lastly, let's learn how to say goodbye!

​In this video,  Leah and Emmanuel meet in the hallway and say hello and have a short, polite conversation.

Saying Hi & Goodbye: How to introduce yourself to a new student.

 

 

In order to introduce yourself you need to know:

          1)    How to say hi

          2)    How to ask their name and say yours

          3)    How to ask someone how they are feeling and respond when they ask you

          4)    How to say nice to meet you

          5)    How to say goodbye

          6)    How to pronounce each word

 

The link will show you what you need to know. Flip through the flashcards and then scroll down and click on the sound icons to here pronunciation.

 

 

 

 Intro:

Now we have a short video of a boy introducing himself to a transfer student from Brazil in Spanish.

How sports affect me

 

            “Strike Three, yourrrrrrrr out!” “GOOOALLLLL!” “AI-YAH!” If you’re a sports aficionado you should now what these are. The sting of a third strike in an important game, the glory of the game-winning goal, the smash of a perfectly executed round house kick. To do any of these means hard work, dedication, discipline and heart. When I started sports I’ve tried to carve these principals into my day-to-day life.   

When I was about six I started baseball, for Mt. Airy in Philadelphia. Obviously it didn’t matter if you were skilled or not it was solely to have fun and make new friends. It was easy too. No one cared if you could throw the ball from second to first. Or stop a slow grounder. If you had peanut butter and jelly for lunch you had friends.

I remember my first game; it was my birthday and didn’t really feel like being there. Armed with a stiff plastic glove, and narrow a blue Warrior metal bat I started to feel a little more at home. 9^th to bat, after the all the kids who could make a pop fly catch, I grasped the thin electric taped handle of my bat, and walked into the batters box. We had gone over what side you go to at practice a few times, I didn’t remember the first time. I tapped the bat to the plate, aimed at the ball sitting atop the tee and swung. I was never sure if I actually made contact with the ball or the hard plastic tee. But I saw the ball on the ground and I ran. I was going to make it to first base. I tripped and my arms fell forward. I wrapped my arms around the bag. “SAFE,” yelled the umpire. I was hooked. I knew, from then on baseball was a part of me, an idea that has the ability to make anyone feel safe and befriended. I was now part of the gigantic body of baseball fans that are now my semi-distant family.

 

 

 

“Ai-yah.” Most people would think is just a random yelp or something you’d hear down in the subway howled by the local crazy person. But I will explain how it is more then that.

The word “Ai-yah,” or Kia comes from all types of karate, martial arts, and self-defense. It is used in attempt to scare the opponent when yelled in part with an attack. Some teachers enforce this tradition ritualistically, occasionally punishing the student for failing to yell louder. These simple words can easily affect the outcome of ones life.

I still remember getting my black belt and always try to cherish that moment. I was 13 and had been studying karate for 5 years. My teacher Sensei Mike had been gruelingly training me for a while and it was finally the black belt extravaganza. This event is where, after the initial test where you perform techniques and katas is preformed, you receive your black belt.

We were all lined up, my brother and I. At the front line of the karate mat, we were waiting for our belts. The instructor announces our name and we freeze. This moment would change our lives forever. A heavy man, Sensei Mike dented the mat with every step towards me. Carrying our black belts sewed with golden lettering, inside a thin plastic bag. He told us to take off our old belts, and lay them on the floor. I was reluctant to do so, after being told the years before to never let my belt touch the ground. He gently smacked the belt into my hand. I undressed the belt from the plastic covering and began to tie it. It took me a little long to finish the knot but I defiantly didn’t care. I had gotten my black belt. For me it meant authority, the power to tell people right from wrong, and lead them in the right direction towards success and responsibility. It meant more then just a differently colored belt. It shows who I am and what I had to work for to achieve this title.

Soccer has been around for a long time and through the ages, the people who play it are almost always attached for life. Maybe it’s the fun or the friendship but for me it will always be the glory.

I love that feeling of a great kick. Perfectly connecting with the bounciest part of the soccer ball. The crowd, or the few parents, hushes as the ball sails across the field into the net. The goalie gets up dusts themselves off and, in defeat, walks back to the sidelines. I strive for this feeling, an injection of pure glory.

I started playing soccer when I was about seven, my mom asked me if I wanted to be on my best friends team, the Revolution. Of course I said yes, this was going to be so fun. My friend’s dad was the coach, and he started me at defense. Trying hard to not let the other team get past usually went in vain. At practice we would constantly go over how to pass the ball, kick it far, or juke it by someone. Although, we never went over how to defend against someone else skillfully dribbling the ball around us. I really needed to learn how to play better. I bet a few years would help.

Now I was ten and joined my school team. Again I started for defense but this time I knew what I was doing. Almost every time an offender came down the field I stole the ball and passed it back up the sideline. I love to make new friends, achieve the glory of a goal and express my self through sports.

When you absorb these principles into your life you accept a new way of thinking. It’s hard to stray away from these binding rules. Also now I know that almost everyone who learns a sport to learn and have a new outlook on how they live their life, are changed forever for the better.

Now I am 15 I bat fourth in my baseball lineup, start forward for soccer, and am going for my 1^st degree black belt in October. I have gone a long way since I began doing sports. After all the years I have been changed physically and my outlook on the world. Now I feel everything is achievable with only a solid good effort, an effort that shows what I am capable of and what really makes me, me.

 

Shanayia Roland

Copper stream

I went in to my hot pink room that looked as if there was a bottle of pepto bizmol thrown the wall. I said to my older sister “What’s the plans for the day?” the room fell silent you could almost hear a pen drop even though we had carpet. Her eyes began to water a little her face began to look puppy dog, and she chuckled and said “we’re moving” with a half smiling half crying face as if she had just saw the funniest thing in the world.  I began to historically laugh, and I said “ha ha Happy New year to you to, Now we both know we're not moving anywhere why would you joke like that.” After living in South Philadelphia for three years we were pretty content and I was pretty sure that moving was out of the question for at least another year or two. Her face fell serious, as serious as if someone and the family had died, she hesitantly said “ I’m not joking now get dressed and help us move dad’s stuff out.” My heart dropped and felt as if it had fallen on the floor and broken. My eyes began to tear or more like waterfall my parent had been together for 19 years and married for two a little break up could possibly turn into a big deal. Also I knew that if they were to separate I would have to choose a parent to stay with so, I because an emotional wreck.

Later on that day after I had gotten dressed I went down stairs into my living room squeezed pass the big black trash bags that my mother packed his stuff in, and I looked at there picture hanging on the wall beside the staircase, taking up the width of three panels, the light brown frame surrounding the black inside of the frame. Their picture perfect smiles shining brightly like joy was in the air. Sunlight beaming through the tree’s that filled the plain behind them. His brown skin looked smooth with his black hair. Her white dress brought out the lighter color in her skin, and the darker color in his. Her skin glowed and made her pearl white dress create the Cinderella and Prince Charming beginning to their marriage.

 

This picture stuck in my mind from the day we moved him out until the third week, and fifth day after when moved him back in. I guess that picture remained there through it all to show that no matter what they’ll both still be there for each other. Whenever they’re having trouble I think about the picture, or even back to the day that it was taken.

“Wake up girl its your big day” My aunt says to my mom on this bright but rainy day in July. My mother woke up and climbed out of bed with a bonnet on her head, with sleepy eyes, hot morning breath but still a huge smile. Her hair was freshly done, nicely rapped into a bun she had just gone to the hairdressers the night before. She went down the stairs to see all of her flower girls, bridesmaids, maid of honors, and matron of honors waiting to welcome her to the breakfast table with big beautiful smiles. We sat from oldest to youngest at the table starting with the oldest on her side. Her seat at the table was decorated with congratulations ribbons and white rose petals to make her day turn out beautiful.  My aunt opened the window shutters to the big front window to let the little bit of light in form the rainy day. We ate a little bit just enough to hold us over because we were tight with time. Eleven girls needed to be dressed and ready to go within the next couple of hours.

She began to get dressed but with 10 other women running around the house like wild chickens with there heads off, there was no chance of us being on time. She looked out the huge bedroom window that had white shutters covering them to see where the tiny gray Toyota was parked so that she could go get her nails and toes done. Just then she realized that it was nowhere in sight after talking to my dad in a tone of panic she found out that he had taken the car. She slipped on the cream wedding dress that was laced with beads. My aunt went to zip up the back of the dress and there was a ripping noise, and weird feeling in the room that made us know that something happened. My aunts face feel blank and with the zipper in her hand began to apologize like there was a death in the room. From that point on the day was filled with horror around every Conner. This became a nightmare wedding; it had no effect on their marriage or the way that our family looked at them as husband and wife.

It takes rainy days and obstacles in order for people to be come stronger and more prepared. It took my parents a horrible wedding day and many fights and arguments to just except the fact that there will be tests in life to show you how strong you are, and how strong you become. So when there’s a rainy day be happy be because that means some strengths and things to learn from coming with them.  Some times you just have to enjoy life and its ups and downs just to enjoy life. When there’s a rainy day opened the window shutters to let the little bit of light in that you can make out of it. If you don’t have the strength to find the little bit of little then look to the people around you because there is always a group of people who wont judge you no matter what. Enjoy life by enjoying the most enjoyable and not so enjoyable days.

 

i write because thats how i exspress my self. also i like to see how creative i can be when i write. Mainly i write beacuse its fun.

I write to express my feelings about the modern times and events. I also write to store ideas I have, and communicate with those that cannot hear or see me.

Writing is a tool for recording, yet I do agree it is another force that has been used for corruption and evil. It can be a platform for propaganda and complete fabrications. It's system can cause oppression,elitism in those who know more words and those who can write at all and it's unfair if not everyone learns to read, which is a global inequality.On the other hand, people write to say things that they are capable of saying face to face, but maybe don't have the stomach. 

Writing is okay but the spoken word and storytelling will always hail in comparison.It's much better to physically interact with an actual human being, and have the social experience of actually connecting with another human being in front of you whether they are reciting a poem, telling a story, or expressing their opinions. I'd rather listen to someones views face to face, accent and syllable,  spit glob to hand motions, body posture, and tone, features, facial expressions, volume and all then simply read it on a piece a paper, not really seeing how they breathe and withdraw sentences out of their thoughts and maybe even getting to build a mutual relationship with them. 


You can write on the bus, and train, isolate yourself in your room or desk. But nothing beats taking someone on the train with you or speaking to an entire audience. Even if you are reading something you've written down, You can always add in other flows of thought, and new ideas your writing generates. It's all about the present moment.

But in modern times, I can't expect people to remember everything in their heads, through the constant chores, stresses, and tasks of modern institutions. So It is a pretty useful, but I like to get out and experience things.

You always travel to a bad writers house and punch them in the face, but how more convenient to punch them in the face when they are right in front of you.

Why do i write?
i write to express my feelings and let out myself. When i write words flow from my head to my hand. My pen to my paper. when i hold a pencil and a paper I feel like creating my own imaginary world, with its own stories and its own problems. Magic or not. Violence and peace. they all come to my head when i write.
The feeling when i write is like the great relief. Everything I'm thinking flows on paper. jumbled or in order. doesn't matter, they all make it on the paper.
My pieces of writing all make me proud. The thing that makes me frustrated it that i know i can do better.
I lose myself when i write. my mind grabs a topic and comes up with a million things for it. It jumbles and jungles  the ideas and hopefully pics the closest ones for it. I sometimes stray of topic because i need to get something off my chest or i need to say everything on my mind. I cant always rely on myself to edit and delete my works because it's hard for me to chose or single anything out.
I love to write and read and it is what i do the most.
-niyala

Writing can have many different meanings for each person. For some people writing is just grabbing a piece of paper, or in a computer, etc. and start writing/typing every word that crosses your mind in that instant. For other people, is just a boring thing that makes you tired and leads to nothing. However, for some people it is something so important, that it becomes part of their lives. But for me, it is both… writing/typing every word that crosses your mind in that instant and something that I could not live without.  It all depends on each person. I write because I think that writing can be your best friend in some situations, but it can be your worst nightmare too. For me, writing helps me get relieved, it helps to clarify my thoughts and it makes me feel better after expressing everything I have inside. At the same time, it brought me problems when I wrote something about someone and that person read it. But after all that, I still think that writing is super important and is one the best ways you can express yourself, with no one judging you.

​I write because it is a way i can describe myself, and I can say what I feel and mean with out being judged. Like I am a shy person when it comes to me telling people what the problem is, writing it is a lot easier, I can tell you everything with out the fear of you judging me. Writing is a easy stress reliever. Writing what you think and feel is a lot easier than having a face to face conversation, any type of writing (texting, im'n, messaging.) Expands the way you think, your vocabulary and speaking become more advanced.By writing you can discover a new world, you can click delete and restart, life is not that easy, but thinking about what could be makes every day a little better. Expands the way you think.

I could lie and say I write to express my feelings, but I don't. I write to put down a physical copy of my imagination, of the things that I've thought of, the stories I tell to myself. I write because when I do, I create a world from my imagination.