Blog #10 due Wednesday May 25

Blog #10 historical spanish figure

Nicolas Cabrera was alive during 1913 until 1989.  He, like his father Blas Caberea, was a famous physicist.  He is famous for his work on the theories of cystal growth and the oxidisation of metals.  During his many years of exile, bcause of Francisco Franco, he worked as the Profressor of the Department of physics at University of Virginia.  There he was known for his interests in engineering and material science.  He founded the physics department and was the Professor at Autonomous University of Madrid(UAM).  When he returned to Spain he was considered to have been the one to give Spain its impulse to the study of physics.  The Nicolas Carera Institute was founded in 1989 at UAM is named after him.

"Nicolás Cabrera comes as close as humanly possible to the ideal figure of a renowned scientist and a perfect gentleman, someone who has a keen insight in the ways of nature and at the same time is fully at ease with his fellow humans, always benevolent and encouraging, yet also reserved and detached in his judgment."-V. Celli (Department of Physics, University of VA)

Blog #11

Blog#11 what do you think they should do w/ the money

    Since the senior class made the video that resulted in the winning of the 10 grand, I think they should decide what to do with it. 
     The school is in very poor shape, decoration wise.  I think a portion of the money should be spent on renovating the bathrooms because they are very gross and they need to be redone. Most of the doors don't even lock and some of the bottom of the doors are like 3 feet from the ground which is very ridiculous.  Some other money should be spent on getting new tables outside of the cafeteria, I suggest plastic or something other than painted wood because kids always peel of the paint and it looks unappealing to eat on. 

     I also think the money should go to updating the software technology so that you don't have to worry about making sure you saved your document to the correct version of word.

     The money could also be split up among the clubs so that they can recieve some benefits as well.

Blog #8 due Sunday May 22

Telenovela

Title: Alma de Hierro
Airtime: Friday May 20 at 6pm

The characters were a couple named Jose and Elena Antonio with three children Sebastian, Sandra, and Luis.
     In the beginning Elena has coffee with her friend and they are talking about something that is sad and it involves family, I think the friend misses her family or maybe she is having family problems.  
     During this time the blind boyfriend of the friend enters and then the friend and her boyfriend go and visit an elder gentlemen Don. Don tells the blind man something that seems to upset him.  I think people are wary of their relationship.  There seems to be a problem involving a Maria Cruz.  The blind man goes to see this Maria Cruz and they have a conflict, I think maybe she used to be his girlfriend.  Maybe his new girlfriend and her had a chat and he didn't like it very much.
     Another young girl,Sandra, has just found out that she is pregnant.  Her grandmother comforts her while in her bedroom.  In the same house four men are fighting in the kitchen.  I think it is the father of the pregnant girl and the father of the boy.  The mother Elena walks into the kitchen and hears her family talking about her daughter being pregnant.  Judging from her facial expression I gather that she didn't know about it before hand. 
     Later on in the show the blind man, I think maybe he is a son of Elena and Jose goes to Sandra's room and talk about things.  I think the baby's father's name is Padro and the baby is due in May.  His phone rings and she tells him to answer it but he doesn't want to.  I assume it is his girlfriend.
     The grandmother shoos everyone out of the kitchen so that Elena and Jose can talk.  I gather they that were supposed to do something romantic before everything happened and have decided to have their romantic getaway anyways.  They are in a hotel and discuss how silly this is, Jose says that it isn't silly and they have a good time.    
     At the very end the blind man's ex-girlfriend and her family appear to be going on a camping trip.     
     
I thought the show was really good and I loved the dress that Elena was wearing.  I think if I had watched more then one episode I could grasp more of what was happening and who the people were.  It was kind of confusing to follow because they talked very fast and I didn't know most of the words so I couldn't understand that much but I could follow the facial expressions.

Blog #9 due Friday May 20

The video I found was about nouns, definite articles, and it included some class vocab.  The teacher was a guy wearing a resees shirt.  The video was called ...01025 Spanish Lesson - nouns, definite articles & class vocab... I found it by searching for spanish vocab and it was the second video.

 

I liked that he included written verbs as he talked, which made it easier to follow.  I could learn from this video and it was good quality because the words were easy to read and the teacher said things simply and was easy to follow.  I think I could watch videos like these to enhance my learning. 

 

He talked about how a definite article denotes that a noun is coming next.  He said that we need definite articles when we use nouns.  Definite articles are: the, an, a, and some.  He talked about how in spanish you say el, la, los, and las for THE and he explained how words must be matched by gender and number.  He went on to show classroom vocab words with pictures.  Then he related the vocab words with the spanish lesson by showing the pictures and changing the vocab word to plural with the definite article or keeping it singular with the definite article. 

Blog Entry #6 due Sunday

The poem I read was by Gabriel Mistral and is called To See Him Again.  I found it on this website.  I think that it is about someone that she once loved very deeply.  He is now gone and she wishes to see him again and it does not matter where she sees him.  I also think he must have been killed because it mentions "united in one anguished knot around his bloody neck!" which leads me to believe that he committed suicide.  

Primavera con

mariposas bonitas

y arco iris...

Blog Entry #7 due Friday

If I could go to any Spanish speaking country, I would travel to Spain. Their exchange rate is .69 euro for every dollar.  This means that the dollar has less value then euros so I would have to conserve my money. I suppose I would bring 3,000 dollars because hotels and meals would be expensive plus I would need spending money for shopping. I would travel with my mom, Madison, and my Aunt Sheila because they would be the most fun to be with. I would not want to travel with Patrick because he would just want to sit at the hotel and play videogames. I would travel to Barcelona, Valencia,and Madrid. The most memorable activity would be going to Barcelona because I have always wanted to go there since I watched the Cheetah Girls when they went to Barcelona in their second movie. 

In Barcelona, I would like to see the Montjuic Magic Fountains.  They are free to visit and offers a "fantastic' view of the city.  It was the place of the summer olympics. The fountains are designed to change the shape of the water. I think this would be interesting because I like to go visit specially designed water fountains like the Fountains of Bellagio in Vegas. I would also like to visit the Port Vell Antique Fair.  It is a "modern beachfront boulevard" that has a lot of antique setups. I help my dad when he sets up at antique shows and I would like to see how antique shows are done in other countries. Plus I think that vintage artifacts are cool and different. I like to visit Museums and Barcelona has  Picasso Museum that is free to visit.  It only shows Picasso's work. If I went to this museum I would probably have to do some research on his art works so that I can get the most out of the visit and so I can know that background of the famous works of art.  I would also visit the Las Ramblas which is a street that houses "fabulously designed buildings, outdoor vendors, and street performers."

Montjuic Magic Fountains

    
If I went to Spain, I would definitely have to visit their beaches because I love any and all beaches.  I would visit Valencia because it is along Spain's Levante coastline.  It is famous for its beaches and for its nightlife.  They don't have many beach bars and their seafood restaurants are lined along the boulevard, giving you plenty of room to enjoy the beaches without feeling claustrophobic.

Valencia's Beach

I would also want to travel to Madrid since it is the capital of Spain.  Madrid offers the Royal Palace of Madrid.  Unlike other palaces, this one grants access to a "large number of rooms to the public" like the throne room, dining room, and the ballroom. It has ceiling paintings form Goya and Velazquez and a design of the Royal Theater Opera.  I think going to a palace would be really interesting and it would offer an idea of how Royalty lives in other countries. It also has courtyards that have good views of the city and the countryside.  I would also want to visit the Teatro Real (opera house) where Diaghilev's Russian Ballet performs.  I have seen the nutcracker at the DPAC and found it quite good.  I like watching ballets and would like to watch one with a Spanish influence.  

Madrid's Royal Palace

RESTAURANTS

Barcelona- Con Gracia-It is rated number one on trip advisor and it offers food with Mediterranean flavors.  I think I would order the surprise menu in which the chef surprises you with seven different courses.

Madrid-Lo Scolapasta-It is rated number five and offers Italian Cuisine.  I would try the Gnocchi with Gorgonzola cream, truffle honey and pistachio and for dessert the ice cream with berries and cream.

Valencia-The Ginger Loft Cafe-It is rated number three and offers Asian food. I would order the fresh fruit caipiroskas.

Blog # 5 due Wed.

     When I was young I played mostly with my brother and sister in the backyard.  I liked to jump on the trampoline we received from our neighbors.  I used to jump on it everyday.  I remember one day when I jumped on it and Patrick came outside and wanted to have a lightsaber war I did not want to and proceded to push him off the trampoline.  He got mad and broke my two ended red Darth Maul lightsaber. I was very upset.  We all three used to play soccer together and we would kick the ball on the bricks or on the fence.  Sometimes my dad would take us fishing at the park by our house.

During the summer we would each spend a week at my Grandparent's house by ourselves.I remember one day when my grandpa and I played baseball together.We were running the bases and my grandpa ran a homerun.It was amazing since I've never seen him run before.After that we went in and had some ice cold sweet tea. :D 

Blog #4

This week we are going to look at famous singers and/or musicians from Spanish speaking countries. Your task is to find a video ( must be appropriate for school!) from a Spanish speaking singer and blog about it. Be sure to include the following:

Who is the artist?Where is s/he or they  from?What type of music do they sing?

Have you ever heard of this artist before?Do you like their music?

In your post, include a link to the video (via YouTube or the artist's website), and write no less than eight sentences describing the artist, video, and type of music.

A Year Without Rain

The artist is Selena Gomez and she sings pop songs.  She is originally from Texas but her dad is Mexican American while her mom is half Italian. I have heard of this artist before, mostly through the Disney Channel and I like her music because she has different varieties and they are easy to sing along to.  My favorite movie she is in is A Cinderella Story.  My favorite song is A Year Without Rain, the english version.  I like the Spanish version also but I understand the english version better.  I love the music video because I like how it shows the picture of them together.  In the end when they find each other and it starts to rain reminds me of a Hilary Duff quote,"because waiting for you is like waiting for rain in this drought. Useless and disappointing."  They also brighten my mood when I am having a bad day.

Blog #3 due Feb 27

Your assignment is to watch this 7-8 minute video West Side Story  and blog about your reaction to the video clip and the comments leading up to the video clip.  Try to relate your comments to 2011 and what you see happening today.  Do you find yourself influenced by what you see in the movies, utube and on music videos?  Do you have a different standard for a population in general and another for the friends you have and the people you know?  If you are a native speaker  (or from a home where Spanish is spoken frequently) I would like you to blog about this from your point of view.  Your blog entry should be a minimum of one paragraph (5 - 7 sentences) in English.


I don't really find myself influenced by what I see on youtube or in music videos because I don't really watch them.  Normally I just listen to music through the radio or Pandora radio online.  I'm not really influenced by movies either because I know who I am and I try not to let people tell me any different.  I know what I think about things and what I like and if my opinion is different from others then that is okay by me.  I don't really have a different standard for different people.  I try to treat everyone the same.  I'm not as open to people I don't know but that's different because I don't know anything about them yet.  

2nd Blog Entry due Feb 20

Blog Post #2 - A current event

Check out any major news website and find a current event related to any Spanish speaking country. In your blog, include a link to the article as well as a brief summary of the article. Next, tell me what were your thoughts about the article. Were you aware of this event? Do you think the event will effect you, either directly or indirectly?

link to story

     Spain has decided to call back the ambassador to Iran if the government of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad does not give an explanation as to why a Spanish diplomat was arrested in Tehran.  The Foreign Minister asked Iranian authorities to give an apology and to explain why the Chief Consular official Ignacio Perez-Cambra was arrested for four hours on Monday.  He was arrested by six plain clothed men when as he left the Spanish embassy.  The foreign ministry also sent for Iran's ambassador in Madrid to explain as well.  If the Iranian authorities do not give a response, then Spanish diplomats and ambassadors will be sent home.  Iran violated the Vienna Convention, a regulator of diplomatic relations, when they arrested a Spanish diplomat without telling the minister why.  
     This event could indirectly effect myself because Iran could eventually decide to arrest all of the foreign diplomats that have been sent there.  So they could arrest American diplomats which would effect myself since it effects America.  It could cause a controversial atmosphere over how to handle this situation if Iran ever tried to arrest American diplomats.

First Blog Entry due Feb. 13th

Sra D Ritt Spanish 2 block 2: First Blog Entry due Feb. 13th:
For your first blog entry, please write about your goals for Spanish II. Also, discuss your personal learning style and what works best for you. In addition, talk about what you learned in Spanish I and what activities worked best for your learning style.

My main goal for Spanish 2 is to pass this class so I can then go on to college. I would also like to learn more about the Spanish language especially the speaking portion since that is what I have the most trouble with. What works best for me is memorizing the words through the flashcards online, the worksheets also help when learning how to use the words correctly. I also learn best when taking the notes in class. In Spanish 1 I learned mostly about estar, jugar, tener, the weather, telling time, and conjugating -ar, -er, -ir verbs.

Sra D Ritt Spanish 2 block 2: Lecturas

Sra D Ritt Spanish 2 block 2: Lecturas: " This is where you will keep your Lectura entries. You will have 2 Lecturas each 9 weeks. Be sure to provide a working lin..."