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.

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