Spanish Reflections & Progress Videos
Reflection 1:
For the past week we have been learning the basics of a conversation in Spanish. Today we recorded our conversation, so here are my thoughts on how I did.
Since I have never taken Spanish in or outside of school, I am pretty proud of myself. I made a few mistakes, but nobody is perfect. For several years I have wanted to learn a new language and I finally am able to. This class is one of my favorites, because I get to know about a different culture than my own. So far I have done my best in this class to further my knowledge on the Spanish language and culture. Today when we recorded our conversation, I was comfortable with what I was saying and I knew what it meant. I mistook a few words but I will learn from that and correct my mistakes the next time we record or speak in class.
In the rest of this semester I hope to learn how to have a conversation with Zoo guests, because I am a part of Zoo Corps and sometimes there are families of other ethnicities that speak other languages. I have not been able to speak to them because I have not taken another language, but I think knowing a basic conversation in Spanish will help me get their attention and give them information wildlife conservation.
Video 1:
For the past week we have been learning the basics of a conversation in Spanish. Today we recorded our conversation, so here are my thoughts on how I did.
Since I have never taken Spanish in or outside of school, I am pretty proud of myself. I made a few mistakes, but nobody is perfect. For several years I have wanted to learn a new language and I finally am able to. This class is one of my favorites, because I get to know about a different culture than my own. So far I have done my best in this class to further my knowledge on the Spanish language and culture. Today when we recorded our conversation, I was comfortable with what I was saying and I knew what it meant. I mistook a few words but I will learn from that and correct my mistakes the next time we record or speak in class.
In the rest of this semester I hope to learn how to have a conversation with Zoo guests, because I am a part of Zoo Corps and sometimes there are families of other ethnicities that speak other languages. I have not been able to speak to them because I have not taken another language, but I think knowing a basic conversation in Spanish will help me get their attention and give them information wildlife conservation.
Video 1:
Reflection 2:
My initial expectation for taking Spanish for the first time was that I would struggle at times, but always work it out and get through it and at the end of the semester have a better understanding of a new language. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest) rating my enthusiasm for learning Spanish I would say I am at a 10 because I have always wanted to know another language. Also because Spanish is a commonly used language so I will learn to communicate with more people of a different culture than I have always known. Something I'm looking forward to learning in this class is just the language in general! I am so happy to finally be learning another language, especially Spanish, because I always try to challenge myself and this is a completely different way of doing so. My improvements for the second video recording from the first were that I wasn't as nervous, more so excited, I didn't talk too fast or too quiet, and I didn't laugh! I was very mad at myself for laughing in my first one although it was just too cover up a cough (I know, excuses excuses) but I'm proud of my partner and I, even though he messed up a little in the beginning. Thankfully, we saved ourselves and ended up doing excellent for only having taken Spanish for 3 weeks. My areas for growth are definitely to be open to saying more when recording our conversations, because my partner and I hadn't practiced many new sentences so we weren't comfortable in saying them. Other than expanding my knowledge on the language, I don't have many more areas to improve other than practicing because practice makes progress! I believe that I will be able to communicate in Spanish easily by the end of the semester (hopefully). I know that it will come in handy for me, so I will always keep on practicing.
Video 2:
My initial expectation for taking Spanish for the first time was that I would struggle at times, but always work it out and get through it and at the end of the semester have a better understanding of a new language. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest) rating my enthusiasm for learning Spanish I would say I am at a 10 because I have always wanted to know another language. Also because Spanish is a commonly used language so I will learn to communicate with more people of a different culture than I have always known. Something I'm looking forward to learning in this class is just the language in general! I am so happy to finally be learning another language, especially Spanish, because I always try to challenge myself and this is a completely different way of doing so. My improvements for the second video recording from the first were that I wasn't as nervous, more so excited, I didn't talk too fast or too quiet, and I didn't laugh! I was very mad at myself for laughing in my first one although it was just too cover up a cough (I know, excuses excuses) but I'm proud of my partner and I, even though he messed up a little in the beginning. Thankfully, we saved ourselves and ended up doing excellent for only having taken Spanish for 3 weeks. My areas for growth are definitely to be open to saying more when recording our conversations, because my partner and I hadn't practiced many new sentences so we weren't comfortable in saying them. Other than expanding my knowledge on the language, I don't have many more areas to improve other than practicing because practice makes progress! I believe that I will be able to communicate in Spanish easily by the end of the semester (hopefully). I know that it will come in handy for me, so I will always keep on practicing.
Video 2:
Reflection 3:
I chose to work with my partner because she is someone I rarely work with, and we both have a love for food (which was our topic for the video). Some strategies I used to practice was remember line by line before remembering the order of each question, response, or phrase. This way it helped me not get mixed up with the first word for each phrase. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, I would rate myself an 8.5 on my level of comfort with basic conversations because I feel confident in having a generic conversation with someone in Spanish. I have grown in great depth since the first day of class from knowing nothing about Spanish to knowing a basic conversation. This shows that my studying techniques have helped me improve. I feel most comfortable in the grammar points pronunciation, comprehension, and verb conjugations. I may not have the accent, but I do know how to pronounce most of the words. I also understand what I am saying and learning, and I feel confident in conjugating verbs. My goals for the midterm exam are to meet the required 3 minutes, and of course, to do the best I can. Something I have to offer my partner would not be much since I have never taken Spanish before, but I am able to learn quick so I will do my part in remembering and helping make a conversation that is engaging and flows well.
I chose to work with my partner because she is someone I rarely work with, and we both have a love for food (which was our topic for the video). Some strategies I used to practice was remember line by line before remembering the order of each question, response, or phrase. This way it helped me not get mixed up with the first word for each phrase. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, I would rate myself an 8.5 on my level of comfort with basic conversations because I feel confident in having a generic conversation with someone in Spanish. I have grown in great depth since the first day of class from knowing nothing about Spanish to knowing a basic conversation. This shows that my studying techniques have helped me improve. I feel most comfortable in the grammar points pronunciation, comprehension, and verb conjugations. I may not have the accent, but I do know how to pronounce most of the words. I also understand what I am saying and learning, and I feel confident in conjugating verbs. My goals for the midterm exam are to meet the required 3 minutes, and of course, to do the best I can. Something I have to offer my partner would not be much since I have never taken Spanish before, but I am able to learn quick so I will do my part in remembering and helping make a conversation that is engaging and flows well.
Much after the above video, we had our midterm. Mine went very well and I was very proud of it. A few weeks after that, we started preparing for our final. We had the option to work with a partner or our teacher, Ms. Aleida. I chose to work with my friend and peer Isabella. For the final, we had to pick a topic that revolves around immigration or the election. We chose to talk about immigration and compare to our future careers. Here is a video of us practicing for our final:
Reflection Questions for Final video(s):
What has been the greatest tool you’ve used to enhance your vocabulary?
The greatest tool I've used to enhance my vocabulary has been creating word banks in English, to then use a Spanish Dictionary to find those words and later put them into sentences. I have also used Quizlet to help me remember those words and sentences as well as practice for my midterm and final.
How are you encouraging and motivating yourself and/or partner?
I am encouraging myself and my partner by being supportive but also lenient. I am supportive for my partner and also reliable because they can trust me to do my part and come to class prepared.
What are your goals in having these conversations?
A goal I have in a conversation is to always be able to comprehend what I am being asked or what my partner is responding with. I know that if I am able to comprehend most of the conversation, I can continue it and keep it going smoothly.
How comfortable do you feel speaking in Spanish compared to the first day of class?
Compared to the first day of Spanish, I have grown immensely. I know for sure that I would not have been able to have any kind of conversation the first few days of Spanish whereas now I can talk about a variety of topics in Spanish.
How do you imagine yourself having a conversation with someone you’ve never met?
I imagine that if they were very fluent in Spanish then I would struggle at first because I am not used to fast-paced Spanish or talking but I think I would be able to figure out what they are asking or saying and respond to the best of my ability.
What are other topics you’d like to discuss?
Another way I'd like to learn more Spanish is to maybe learn something in physics or in humanities but in Spanish. I think that would be a challenge that I am up for and that would help better my comprehension and I would also learn new vocabulary words I can use every day!
Why did you choose your partner, or choose to work with me for the final exam?
I chose to work with Isabella because we both wanted to talk about the same thing for our final and we wanted to see our growth with each other since the beginning of the semester. I also wanted to change it up a bit since the midterm was recently and I worked with Ms. Aleida for that.
Have you watched television/movies in Spanish? Please explain.
No I have not but I hope to over the summer and throughout 10th grade and beyond.
Have you listened to music/radio in Spanish? Please explain.
No I have not but I hope to over the summer and throughout 10th grade and beyond.
Explain your process for practicing Spanish outside of the classroom?
Outside of the classroom I use Quizlet a lot, along with reading articles about topics I like in Spanish and I have also read a few stories in Spanish. I didn't understand them very well but I picked out key words that I knew and tried to convert the sentences from those few words. I also practiced with friends in and outside of school, with just day to day questions to better my pronunciation.
Explain how you have made connections from reading articles in class?
I have made connections to the articles in class by wanting to earn about American culture, and also my ancestors and how they immigrated here. I also started focusing more on the election because before we read articles about them I wasn't paying much attention to it. This helped me participate more and become more interested in what we were talking about in preparation for the final.
What has been the greatest tool you’ve used to enhance your vocabulary?
The greatest tool I've used to enhance my vocabulary has been creating word banks in English, to then use a Spanish Dictionary to find those words and later put them into sentences. I have also used Quizlet to help me remember those words and sentences as well as practice for my midterm and final.
How are you encouraging and motivating yourself and/or partner?
I am encouraging myself and my partner by being supportive but also lenient. I am supportive for my partner and also reliable because they can trust me to do my part and come to class prepared.
What are your goals in having these conversations?
A goal I have in a conversation is to always be able to comprehend what I am being asked or what my partner is responding with. I know that if I am able to comprehend most of the conversation, I can continue it and keep it going smoothly.
How comfortable do you feel speaking in Spanish compared to the first day of class?
Compared to the first day of Spanish, I have grown immensely. I know for sure that I would not have been able to have any kind of conversation the first few days of Spanish whereas now I can talk about a variety of topics in Spanish.
How do you imagine yourself having a conversation with someone you’ve never met?
I imagine that if they were very fluent in Spanish then I would struggle at first because I am not used to fast-paced Spanish or talking but I think I would be able to figure out what they are asking or saying and respond to the best of my ability.
What are other topics you’d like to discuss?
Another way I'd like to learn more Spanish is to maybe learn something in physics or in humanities but in Spanish. I think that would be a challenge that I am up for and that would help better my comprehension and I would also learn new vocabulary words I can use every day!
Why did you choose your partner, or choose to work with me for the final exam?
I chose to work with Isabella because we both wanted to talk about the same thing for our final and we wanted to see our growth with each other since the beginning of the semester. I also wanted to change it up a bit since the midterm was recently and I worked with Ms. Aleida for that.
Have you watched television/movies in Spanish? Please explain.
No I have not but I hope to over the summer and throughout 10th grade and beyond.
Have you listened to music/radio in Spanish? Please explain.
No I have not but I hope to over the summer and throughout 10th grade and beyond.
Explain your process for practicing Spanish outside of the classroom?
Outside of the classroom I use Quizlet a lot, along with reading articles about topics I like in Spanish and I have also read a few stories in Spanish. I didn't understand them very well but I picked out key words that I knew and tried to convert the sentences from those few words. I also practiced with friends in and outside of school, with just day to day questions to better my pronunciation.
Explain how you have made connections from reading articles in class?
I have made connections to the articles in class by wanting to earn about American culture, and also my ancestors and how they immigrated here. I also started focusing more on the election because before we read articles about them I wasn't paying much attention to it. This helped me participate more and become more interested in what we were talking about in preparation for the final.
Looking back at my first video with Isabella, I believe we have grown very much. We became better at pronunciation from practicing with each other throughout the semester. We also agreed and loved our topic for our final. We chose to talk about how our family immigrated here and where they lived before, while also integrating our careers into the conversation.
We had our final recorded to include here to show our progress since the first video recorded, so here it is!
We had our final recorded to include here to show our progress since the first video recorded, so here it is!