Attached is the Summer Reading List 2014 along with instructions on the project options and the rubric. The student must pick a novel from the list. Projects are due Wednesday, August 27, 2014. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Crow at the school office at (210)732-2741.
Middle School Summer Reading 2014
Presentational Speaking: Students make oral presentations in Spanish to the class talking about themselves and their personality traits. Each student has to say 10 or more things about themselves using the verb soy or tengo and descriptive adjectives. For example, soy alto, moreno, cómico, inteligente. Tengo ojos marrones y pelo negro. They demonstrate they can use gender-noun-adjective agreement correctly.
Everyday the 7th grade Spanish class has an Opening Work assignment (el trabajo de apertura) called the Super 100 Verbs. Everyday they are assigned two new verbs from the list of the top 100 most common Spanish verbs. Each student must create an original sentence in Spanish with each verb. Then, students come to the board and write their sentence. The class looks it over and suggests changes to any sentences with errors. At the end of the week, the students create their own foldable to help them study. On Fridays they have a quiz over that week’s verbs.
Students practice descriptive adjectives like alto, bajo, moreno, comico, atletico, delgado, amable, religioso,… Each student has a turn standing at the whiteboard while other students write descriptions in Spanish around them.
Dear Parents,
Greetings from the Language Arts Department. In this New Year we’re going to be studying new novels per grade level. Now it would be best this time for the students to buy their own copy of the book. This way the students can mark their own copies, make notes, underline or highlight anything important for reference in future projects in class.
The books per grade are:
– 6th grade – Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brein
– 7th grade – Tangerine by Edward Bloor
– 8th grade – The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Each of these books can be found at the following stores around the city:
– Barnes & Nobles
– Half-Price Books
– Books-A-Million
If you shop on-line you can always buy & have it shipped from the following:
– Amazon.com
-half.ebay.com
All the stores can be found on-line & most of the sites have a store locator so you can find a location nearest you by zip code. If you’d like to find something that could be a recycle for a much lower price, many of the thrift stores could have a copy for a lot less, if you’ve got the time or there’s a Goodwill, Salvation Army or similar store to you.
The students need to read the first 80 pages for 6th & 7th grade, and 100 for 8th grade by January 14th, which will be the 2nd week in the 3rd quarter. Please buy the novel as soon as possible, begin reading and tell your student to carry the book at school in place of their personal novel for the next 9 weeks period. In class, I’ll distribute schedules as to what needs to be read and have certain questions for each of the chapters, projects and deadlines.
A hard copy is best; electronic copies cannot be the primary source as phones, electronic books or such devices are not allowed in class. If you’d like to purchase an extra copy for a Nook or iPhone, that’s your choice. It just won’t be used during class time.
If you have any specific questions please reply to my email as soon as possible.
In Christ,
J. Gonzales – Language Arts
Dear Parents and Students:
Below is semester exam schedule for Middle School. Please make sure that your child has sufficient time over the weekend to prepare for these cumulative exams. It is the recommendation of the Middle School team that students study 1 to 2 hours for each exam in order to prepare themselves. Please let us know if you have any questions.
SEMESTER EXAM SCHEDULE
MONDAY, Dec. 16th
Religion & Math
TUESDAY, Dec. 17th
Science & History
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18th
Spanish & Language Arts
St. Paul’s Spanish Club presents La Posada. 
WHEN: December 19th
TIME: 3:30PM La Posada starts at St. Paul’s Catholic School front doors
WHO: All St. Paul students, siblings, parents and parishioners
Donations needed: Tamales, beans, buñuelos, atole, frijoles, tables cloths, manger scene….and lots more!
To volunteer or donate, click on this link to be forwarded to Señorita Brehm’s SIGN-UP GENIUS account. Or simple visit http://www.signupgenius.com and search using lynette.brehm@gsnsa.org.
7th and 8th grade students presented their Hispanic Heritage projects today in class. Students researched the origin and ancestry of their family name. Students were surprised to find out that famous and historical people and places share their same last name. The room was very lively today as everyone proudly shared their own Hispanic Heritage. Here’s just a few photos from the day…
Dear Parents,
Greetings from Language Arts. This is Mr. Gonzales letting the parents know a few things:
If there are any questions, your student is absent or you need more information, please e-mail me as soon as possible: jaime.gonzales@gsnsa.org
Thank you & God Bless,
Jaime Gonzales – Language Arts
Hall of Scholars
Dear Parents:
This week your child will start reading their first Spanish novel. Here are the novels each grade will be reading.
6th Grade – Berto y Sus Buenas Ideas by Blaine Ray
7th Grade – Pobre Ana by Blaine Ray
8th Grade – Pio Pista Level I by Michael Miller
6th Grade Reader
7th grade reader
8th Grade Reader
I am in the process of securing a class-set of each novel. In the meantime students will begin by reading excerpts from the book.
Your child may check-out the required reading Spanish book from the St. Paul School library, however I recommend purchasing a book so your child may have their own book in order to make notes in the margins, highlight and underline important parts of the story.
Below, I have enclosed links to several websites where books can be purchased. They range in price from $6.00 – $9.00. Pio Pista is also available for download on Itunes.
The required reading will support the Reading portion of their Spanish grade which counts 20% of their overall grade.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Ms. Brehm
Berto y Sus Buenas Ideas by Blaine Ray ($5.79)
Available at: www.teachersdiscovery.com
Pobre Ana by Blaine Ray ($5.79 – $8.00)
Available at http://www.teachersdiscovery.com and http://www.amazon.com
Pio Pista by Michael Miller ($3.99 download / $7.00 book)
Available at http://www.teachersdiscovery.com and iTunes Downloads
St. Paul Middle School 