Autoevaluacion - Self Evaluation
Mi motivacion - My motivation
The reason I chose Spanish over other, more academically involved languages is that I want to be a missionary. Though most kids flock to Spanish because it is the easiest to learn, I wanted to take this class because I know it would help me help others should I become a missionary to a Latin American country. Three goals I have for this year are:
1.)Learn enough Spanish to carry on a conversation with a Spanish person. I want to be able to do this so I can better connect with people on mission trips. Also, since one out of every ten Americans speak Spanish, it is a skill that will be very useful.
2.) Learn to write well in Spanish. I want to also focus on this side of learning the language because my family sponsors a boy in Peru (paying for school fees, etc.) and I want to write him in his own, native language.
3.) Retain what I learn. This goal extends beyond school, because I know that I must practice using it even after school is out, or I will lose it. I want to retain what I learn so that I am able to use it later in life. Plus, I don't want to spend time and effort learning something, only to forget it soon after.
Reflection on Interpersonal Space
I'd say that my life, pertaining to interpersonal distance, is a lot different to one of a Spanish speaker. Just last week, I was carpooling with some acquaintances to an event. I don't them all that well, but due to the car being small, I was sitting within six inches of one of them, a boy. That was pretty awkward for me and him. However, if I had been raised in a Spanish culture, where close proximity is a norm, that encounter would have been quite normal. Like we saw in the video yesterday, it is even normal in Spanish-speaking cultures to greet one another with one or more kisses.
Even though my life is a lot different, it does bare some similarities to a life of a Spanish-speaker. I feel quite comfortable giving hugs (which involves breaching the "intimate" distance mark, as Hall calls it) to close family members. Breaking the "intimate" distance mark, of course, is something Spanish speakers do on a regular basis, as when greeting with kisses. Though this is a very true similarity, I think that the differences outweigh the comparisons when comparing my life to that of a Spanish speaker.
Self-Evaluation- End of First Nine Weeks
What am I learning?
I am learning a lot about conversing in Spanish. I just finished learning how to descibe people with basic adjectives, like bajo and alto. I also have learned about using the different forms of ser and when to use ser versus the verb estar. Earlier in the nine weeks I learned five basic questions (and their answers) that allow me to carry on a basic conversation in Spanish. My favorite is "¿Cuantos años tienes?" because just in the past week my answer has changed from "Tengo quince años," to "Tengo dieciséis años."
How do I learn?
I am finding that I learn best by the numerous activities we do in class. I know I can sit down at home and learn everything, but I retain it and enjoy it a lot better when we play games like ¡Lo Tengo! and do informal writings.
Why am I learning?
I am learning Spanish because I can actually use it. I am very glad I chose this class over Latin! I am learning Spanish so I can hold a conversation in Spanish and greet people in Spanish. Not one Latin student I have asked can tell me what "good morning" is in Latin, but I can say that and numerous other useful things in Spanish.
Where am I in progresss towards my goals?
I feel like I am making progress towards my goals. I have learned a lot of conversational Spanish, which is helping me reach my first goal. As for my second goal, I am progressing pretty well. I used to not be able to read anything Leonel, my family's sponsored child in Peru, wrote us, but I could recognize several Spanish verbs and nouns in his past letter! As for my third goal, I am achieving it by retaining the knowledge I learned all the way back in Chapter 1 to now.
Self Evalutation- End of Second Nine Weeks
What am I learning?
Right now I am learning how to talk about food and describe what it tastes like. I am also learning how to tell what I like with a stronger verb than gustar, encantar. Earlier in the nine weeks I learned how to descibe the weather and temperature. This has come in handy, as I can now say "Hace frio" when I want to complain about how cold it is outside. I have also learned to talk about my family members, even more distant ones such as primos (cousins) and tias (aunts.)
How do I learn?
I have found that one of my most favorite parts of each chapter is when the vocabulary powerpoint is presented. I learn a whole lot from that because I immediately connect the word to a picture. I also learn a lot when we do informal writings and play review games.
Why am I learning?
I am learning Spanish because I want to be able to understand it when it is spoken. A few weeks ago I overheard a few Hispanic women speaking in Spanish. I was able to understand at least one sentence: "Tiene mucha tarea en las matematicas." Now that I know I can understand actual, useful phrases, I want to learn Spanish even more.
Where am I in progress towards my goals?
I have officially met one of my goals. I wrote at the beginnning of the semester that I wanted to write the Peruvian boy we sponsor, Leonel, in Spanish. Now I have. I wrote him a few simple sentences a couple of weeks ago. My mom was very impressed by it, and I can't wait to read what Leonel thinks of it.
The reason I chose Spanish over other, more academically involved languages is that I want to be a missionary. Though most kids flock to Spanish because it is the easiest to learn, I wanted to take this class because I know it would help me help others should I become a missionary to a Latin American country. Three goals I have for this year are:
1.)Learn enough Spanish to carry on a conversation with a Spanish person. I want to be able to do this so I can better connect with people on mission trips. Also, since one out of every ten Americans speak Spanish, it is a skill that will be very useful.
2.) Learn to write well in Spanish. I want to also focus on this side of learning the language because my family sponsors a boy in Peru (paying for school fees, etc.) and I want to write him in his own, native language.
3.) Retain what I learn. This goal extends beyond school, because I know that I must practice using it even after school is out, or I will lose it. I want to retain what I learn so that I am able to use it later in life. Plus, I don't want to spend time and effort learning something, only to forget it soon after.
Reflection on Interpersonal Space
I'd say that my life, pertaining to interpersonal distance, is a lot different to one of a Spanish speaker. Just last week, I was carpooling with some acquaintances to an event. I don't them all that well, but due to the car being small, I was sitting within six inches of one of them, a boy. That was pretty awkward for me and him. However, if I had been raised in a Spanish culture, where close proximity is a norm, that encounter would have been quite normal. Like we saw in the video yesterday, it is even normal in Spanish-speaking cultures to greet one another with one or more kisses.
Even though my life is a lot different, it does bare some similarities to a life of a Spanish-speaker. I feel quite comfortable giving hugs (which involves breaching the "intimate" distance mark, as Hall calls it) to close family members. Breaking the "intimate" distance mark, of course, is something Spanish speakers do on a regular basis, as when greeting with kisses. Though this is a very true similarity, I think that the differences outweigh the comparisons when comparing my life to that of a Spanish speaker.
Self-Evaluation- End of First Nine Weeks
What am I learning?
I am learning a lot about conversing in Spanish. I just finished learning how to descibe people with basic adjectives, like bajo and alto. I also have learned about using the different forms of ser and when to use ser versus the verb estar. Earlier in the nine weeks I learned five basic questions (and their answers) that allow me to carry on a basic conversation in Spanish. My favorite is "¿Cuantos años tienes?" because just in the past week my answer has changed from "Tengo quince años," to "Tengo dieciséis años."
How do I learn?
I am finding that I learn best by the numerous activities we do in class. I know I can sit down at home and learn everything, but I retain it and enjoy it a lot better when we play games like ¡Lo Tengo! and do informal writings.
Why am I learning?
I am learning Spanish because I can actually use it. I am very glad I chose this class over Latin! I am learning Spanish so I can hold a conversation in Spanish and greet people in Spanish. Not one Latin student I have asked can tell me what "good morning" is in Latin, but I can say that and numerous other useful things in Spanish.
Where am I in progresss towards my goals?
I feel like I am making progress towards my goals. I have learned a lot of conversational Spanish, which is helping me reach my first goal. As for my second goal, I am progressing pretty well. I used to not be able to read anything Leonel, my family's sponsored child in Peru, wrote us, but I could recognize several Spanish verbs and nouns in his past letter! As for my third goal, I am achieving it by retaining the knowledge I learned all the way back in Chapter 1 to now.
Self Evalutation- End of Second Nine Weeks
What am I learning?
Right now I am learning how to talk about food and describe what it tastes like. I am also learning how to tell what I like with a stronger verb than gustar, encantar. Earlier in the nine weeks I learned how to descibe the weather and temperature. This has come in handy, as I can now say "Hace frio" when I want to complain about how cold it is outside. I have also learned to talk about my family members, even more distant ones such as primos (cousins) and tias (aunts.)
How do I learn?
I have found that one of my most favorite parts of each chapter is when the vocabulary powerpoint is presented. I learn a whole lot from that because I immediately connect the word to a picture. I also learn a lot when we do informal writings and play review games.
Why am I learning?
I am learning Spanish because I want to be able to understand it when it is spoken. A few weeks ago I overheard a few Hispanic women speaking in Spanish. I was able to understand at least one sentence: "Tiene mucha tarea en las matematicas." Now that I know I can understand actual, useful phrases, I want to learn Spanish even more.
Where am I in progress towards my goals?
I have officially met one of my goals. I wrote at the beginnning of the semester that I wanted to write the Peruvian boy we sponsor, Leonel, in Spanish. Now I have. I wrote him a few simple sentences a couple of weeks ago. My mom was very impressed by it, and I can't wait to read what Leonel thinks of it.