El Dia de los Reyes

Hola Clase! I found an interesting children's story by Esmeralda Santiago. Santiago is one of the most influential Puerto Rican writiers of English and Spanish literary works. Please read this story. It is basically about the way the Puerto Rican people celebrate the holiday season on their island. For example, their types of decorations, traditional foods, and how they ask Santa for the gifts that they want for Christmas. This book is found in the local libraries. Ojo: If you are unable to find the book in your library, type in El Dia De Los Reyes, Santiago, Esmeralda in Google Books, and you will be sure to find the book. In addition, we will be discussing what you have read in Spanish for class when you return on Thursday.
Suerte y Sauldos

Reflejos

          Hola clase! There is extra credit for those who wish to boost their grade in our wonderful class! If one decides to do this project, thus do it correctly or without many grammar mistakes, one must make a mini  portfolio. The following are the requirements:

• a two ring binder
• dividers
• elastic covers (to protect the printed papers inside of the binder)
• written reflections about the Hispanis movies we had discussed throughout the semester in Spanish.
• write a three page, detalled summary about the movies.
• write one page reflection of what you thoghut about the movie, and why it is realted to our course, El Mundo Hispanoo.
• you must describe six movies to reflect on such as Maria Full of Grace, Men with Guns, Todo Sobre Mi Madre, Selena, Documentary of Eva Durate Peron, Pedro Pans, The Lost City, Pans Labyrth, Rosa de Guadalupe, and the Documentary of Jose Marti.

          Ojo: These reflections count as sixty points towards any test grade, homework, and classwork, depending on how well one would do on this assignment. Any questions, I will be available via email or before or after class. I will allow fifteen minutes during the class session for those who would like to complete this assignment. Suerte.

Empire

Hola Clase! As this beginners course quickly comes to end, we will be watching the movie "Empire" in class. This film describes the life of a Puerto Rican American gangster from New York, his crew, his rivals, his lover, the death of his  brother, and how his business turns sour due to dealing in the corporate sector. The purpose of watching this film is for all of you learn about the lives of Puerto Ricans in New York. In addition, all of you are going to answer the questions that I will provide for you during the movie. For the next class session, we will have assigned partners speaking in Spanish ONLY. One student will give a summary of the film, and that student's partner will make creative sentences pertaining to the movie while using the preterite, imperfect, and subjunctive verb tenses.

Suerte

Acción de Gracias feliz !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hola Clase! Thanksgiving is next week, and we still have a lot of work to do. However, a lot of fun activities! While all of you are away from school, I want all of you to listen to Univision on channel sixteen, Telemundo, and/or any type of radio station that airs the Spanish language for one hour each day starting tonight up until we return from Thanksgiving. Then, I want all of you to write a one paragraph summary, in Spanish, describing the theme that was being said such as music, cuisine, art, current events, etc. The purpose of this assignment is to enrich your writing skills in Spanish, and your listening. When we return from the Thanksgiving holiday, I will collect all of your assignments (No late work accepted!). We will all work in groups of two, and we will discuss, in Spanish, what we did over the holiday using the imperfect and preterit verb tenses.

Saludos

Men with Guns

Hola clase! For the next few days we are going to watch Men with Guns. After the movie is finished, we are going to compare notes, and a have a short quiz about what you learned from the movie.

Men with Guns is a movie about an old prominent doctor of Colombia, who has had an eventful life being a doctor as well as a teacher. After caring for ill people for many years, he learns that he is in poor health. Before he retires; however, he visits a handful of his students that he had taught in the past, in which they are now doctors themselves. Unfortunately, the indigenous tribes and military soldiers (guerillas) of Colombia are killing doctors and other people who pass by because they are considered as a threat to the community. 

The purpose of watching this movie is so that you can develop knowledge of the murderous time periods of Colombia. Think of these questions while you watch the movie: Why did these people kill, especially the doctors? Why did doctors, innocent tourists, and the indigenous pose as a threat? Why did the old prominent doctor want to visit his students? Why did these doctors continue to travel to dangerous areas, knowing that their lives were in danger? In addition, I want all of you to write down all of the names and locations from watching the movie.  The names of the doctors, indigenous, and the locations are important in reference to understanding the movie. (Ojo: This movie is very interesting, and terrorizing so pay close attention. In addition, the end of this movie is shocking!)

Saludos

El Dia De Los Muertos

         EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

               El Día de los Muertos es una festividad celebrada por muchos en México y por algunos mexicano-americanos que viven en Estados theUnited y Canadá. La celebracion consiste en reuniones de familiares y amigos a orar y recordar a amigos y familiares que han muerto.La celebración tiene lugar el 2 de noviembre en el marco de las fiestas católicas de Día (01 de noviembre) y Todos los Santos Todos los Santos (2 de noviembre). Las tradiciones relacionadas con las vacaciones incluyen la construcción de altares en honor a la fallecida privado con calaveras de azúcar, caléndulas, y los alimentos y bebidas favoritas de los difuntos y visitar las tumbas de estos como regalo. El Día de los Muertos es un momento de celebración cuando se come y la fiesta son comunes. Debido a que ocurre poco después de Halloween, el Día de los Muertos a veces se piensa que es una fiesta similar, aunque los dos se celebran de manera diferente.

           Los estudiosos rastrear los orígenes de la fiesta moderna para las celebraciones indígenas que datan de miles de años y un azteca festivaldedicated a una diosa llamada Mictecacihuatl. En Brasil, el Día de Finados es un día festivo que muchos brasileños celebran al visitar los cementerios y las iglesias. En España, hay festivales y desfiles, y, al final del día, la gente se reúne en los cementerios y orar por sus seres queridos muertos. observancias similares ocurren en otras partes de Europa, y las celebraciones de temas similares aparecen en muchas culturas asiáticas y africanas.

           As a  result, I want all students to make a piece of artwork in reference to El Dia de los Muertos. Example works of art could be a drawing, painting, recipe, decorative mask, and/or poem. All students have to explain their piece of artwork for three to five minutes in Spanish. This project is worth ten points on your upcoming exams next week.

Suerte

      

     

       

works cited : students from my Spanish classes who celebrate this holiday, which they are Mexicans. In addition,  Profesor Cordero (Stockton), and my Cuban teachers from high school, Sra Duca y Sra. Whyano.

La Comida Cubana

I have made many Spanish dishes, but I love Cuban recipes. My class project, in the fall semester of Stockton, I talked about the history of Cuban food, how the embargo affected the Cuban people, and I conducted a cooking segment, in Spanish, on a Cuban dish known as Avocado and Pineapple Salad. These are the ingredients and how to make the salad.

Avocado and Pineapple Salad

                                   Ingredients

·         8  cups  iceberg or other crisp lettuce

·         2  cups  fresh pineapple chunks

·         1  medium red onion, thinly sliced

·         1/3  cup  extra-virgin olive oil

·         1/3  cup  white vinegar

·         1/3  cup  fresh orange juice

·         1/4  cup  sugar

·         3/4  teaspoon  salt

·         1/2  teaspoon  pepper

·         2  medium avocados, sliced

·         Fresh lime wedges

Preparation

Toss together first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together oil and next 5 ingredients. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad mixture, and toss well. Spoon salad onto individual plates. Arrange avocado slices over salads; serve with lime wedges. Serve immediately.

This salad is tasty. I loved it, and my classmates loved it! Now, I have given all of you another example on how to make your cooking segments for your projects due next week. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment on this blog, or send me an email in private (so that no one will steal your ideas)!

Suerte

Works Cited: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001175998