FOR PARENTS: What can I do to help my child succeed in this class???
1. Encourage good attendance.
2. Provide the following supplies for your child:
1. Notebook paper
2. Black or Blue Pens NO PENCILS!!! You will lose points if you write in pencil in my class.
3. Other colored pen (not black or blue) for correcting papers
4. Spiral Notebook with at least 100 pages for SPANISH ONLY or divider section with paper for
SPANISH
5. Folder with pockets or divider section where you put all Spanish handouts.
6. Small box of 8-10 crayons, markers, or map colors (Map colors need to be sharpened.)
7. An envelope, plastic bag, or zipper section of binder (to keep flashcards in)
8. 3-4 paperclips (to keep flashcards together)
3. Check grades online. Be aware that students must maintain an 80 average or higher in
order to proceed to the second semester of Spanish.
4. Provide for your child access to a computer (at home, at the Friendswood Public
Library, at a friend’s house, at the school library, in my classroom during tutoirals, etc.) so
that he/she can go to my website to practice Spanish and also use the E-Coach Spanish
program that goes with the Buen Viaje Spanish textbook.
5. Check my website for postings:
www.TeacherWeb.com/TX/FriendswoodJrHigh/Uceda
6. If you speak Spanish, speak Spanish to your child at least 30 minutes a day. Don’t
worry about whether they are answering you correctly at first. Just encourage them to try.
If they do not understand you at first, try one of the following techniques:
-Say it in Spanish; say it in English; say it in Spanish again.
-Use expression in your voice and gestures to convey meaning.
7. If you do not speak Spanish, allow your child to teach you Spanish. One of the best
ways to learn something is to teach someone else. Let him/her teach you, then you can
practice together!
8. Get your child to sing the songs for you that we learn in class.
9. Bring your child to tutorials if he/she is struggling with the material or if he/she is failing
quizzes.
10. Encourage your child to use the Spanish he/she learns outside of class! Watch one of
the Spanish channels (morning shows!). Turn on the Spanish audio and captions on a
Disney DVD. Practice speaking with a friend who is also taking Spanish. Take
advantage of opportunities to speak Spanish when they become available. (This
should happen at least once or twice here in Texas...)
11. E-mail me if you have any questions, if your child is missing assignments, or if his/her
grade is slipping.
SPANISH PRONUNCIATION TIPS
A--Sounds like “ah” (Agua)
E--Sounds like “eh” (Elefante)
I -- Sounds like “ee” (Iguana)
O -- Sounds like “o” (Ocho)
U -- Sounds like “ew” (like “ew, yuck...”) (Uno)
Ca, Co, Cu -- Makes a “k” sound (Casa)
Ce, Ci -- Makes an “s” sound (Gracias)
Ga, Go, Gu -- Sounds like the “g” in “goat” (Gato)
Ge, Gi -- Sounds like the “h” in “house” (Gimnasio)
D -- Sounds like “th” in the word “the” (Adios)
H -- Don’t say it!!! It’s silent (Hola)
J -- Sounds like the “h” in the word “house” (Fajitas)
LL -- Sounds like the “y” in the word “you” (Quesadillas)
N -- Sounds like the “ny” in the word “canyon” (Mañana)
R -- Sounds like the “dd” in the word “ladder” (Señora)
RR -- Trilled r...if you can’t do it, just make a “dd” sound...like in ladder (Perro)
Z -- Makes an “s” sound. Don’t make a “buzzing” sound like in English. (Zorro)