La Noche Buena

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the casa, house

Not a creature was stirring - ¡Caramba! ¿Qué pasa? dang, what's up

Los niños were tucked away in their camas, children, beds

Some in long underwear, some in pijamas, pajamas

While hanging the stockings with mucho cuidado, a lot of care

In hopes that old Santa would feel obligado, obligated

To bring all children, both buenos and malos,

A nice batch of dulces and other regalos. sweets, gifts

Outside in the yard there arose un gran grito, a great shout

and I jumped to my feet like a frightened cabrito. little goat

I ran to the window and looked out afuera, outside

And who in the world do you think that it era? was

Saint Nick in a sleigh and a big red sombrero, hat

Came dashing along like a loco bombero. crazy fireman

And pulling his sleigh instead of venados, deer

Were eight little burros approaching volando. donkeys, flying

I watched as they came and this quaint little hombre, man

Was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre:

"Ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Cuco, ay Beto,

ay Chato, ay Chopo, Maruco, y Nieto!"

Then standing erect with his hands on his pecho, chest

He flew to the top of our very own techo, roof

With his round little belly like a bowl of jalea, jelly

He struggled to squeeze down our old chiminea. chimney

Then huffing and puffing at last in our sala, living room

With soot smeared all over his red suit de gala, fancy

He filled all the stockings with lively regalos, gifts

None for the niños that had been very malos. children, bad

Then chuckling aloud, seeming very contento, happy

He turned like a flash and was gone como el viento, like the wind

And I heard him exclaim, y ¡esto es verdad! and this is true

Merry Christmas to all, ¡y Feliz Navidad!

Ritchie Valens - La Bamba

La Bamba is a folk song that originated in the Mexican state of Veracruz over 300 years ago. It was often played at weddings in Veracruz, where the bride and groom performed an accompanying dance.

"Yo no soy marinero" - refers to Veracruz's marine locale and the husband's vow to be faithful.

"arriba, arriba" - refers to the dancing going faster and faster as the music tempo accelerates

La Bamba became popular in the United States in 1958 when 17 year old Ritchie Valens adapted the song to a rock beat which people all over the U.S. loved (even ones that couldn't understand the words). It quickly became a top 40 hit (peaked at #22).

Ritchie Valens (Ricardo Valenzuela) - May 13, 1941-February 3, 1959. Ritchie Valens was born in Los Angeles of Mexican descent, he grew up with a great love for music, especially playing the guitar and singing. His recording career lasted only 8 months as his career was cut short in a tragic plane crash. However, in his short career Valens was a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking Rock N Roll movement, the first Latino to cross into rock mainstream, and Valens would become an inspiration to many musicians of latin heritage. His song La Bamba reached #22 on the U.S. charts, and in 1987 was sung by the group Los Lobos for the movie "La Bamba". The Los Lobos version reached #1 on the charts in the U.S. and other parts of the world.

The Day the Music Died - is often how February 3rd, 1959 is referred to as Ritchie Valens along with other well known musicians Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper tragically died in a plane crash. They had been touring under horrible conditions in a tour bus in the cold midwest weather, they had suffered through colds and frostbite. Then when their tour bus broke down, Buddy Holly decided to charter a plane for himself and his band members. Big Bopper convinced one band member to give up his seat, and Ritchie Valens "won" a coin toss with another band member to get his seat.

¡Crédito Extra!

Remember if you want 5 points of "crédito extra" you just need to do the activity on Subject Pronouns that I showed in class, and then print it off so I can see that you did it. To get to the extra credit activity follow the following instructions:

1. Click on the "Games" link on the right side of the blog under "Spanish Practice"

2. Click on "G - Grammar & Miscellaneous"

3. Click on "G-25: Pronouns, Matching Columns, Subject Pronouns"

4. Complete the activity, and once you have matched all 8 subject pronouns from the columns, go to "file" and "Print"

5. Write your name at the top of paper and turn into class by Thursday, November 13th.

El Día De Los Muertos

El Dia de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage (and others) living in the United States and Canada. On November 1st and 2nd people remember those who are deceased. November 1st is considered the Dia de los Angelitos—the day to remember children that have died, November 2nd is the traditional Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead). Pictures of the deceased are placed on Dia de los Muertos altars with their favorite food and drink. Candles to light their way home, and soap and water to freshen-up after their long trip back are also often placed on altars. Trinkets they were fond of, symbols they would understand, and gifts are left to communicate to them that they are always in the hearts of those they left behind, and that they are still part of the family even though they aren’t physically with us any longer. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.
Families often spend time at the cemetery with loved ones, bringing food and drink along with all the other necessities for a picnic. However, at this picnic the deceased is the guest of honor. Dia de los Muertos is a time of joy because we know that we are surrounded by those that we love—both living and dead. People often compare Dia de los Muertos to Halloween, and while at first glance there may appear to be a similarity, in truth the two celebrations are quite different. Halloween is a European holiday that is based on their concept of death, which is vastly different from the original Aztec meaning. The Aztecs beliefs were very similar to the Aboriginal beliefs of Australia. This life is considered to be a dream and when you die, you awake to your real life. Halloween, on the other hand, is celebrated with witches, demons and monsters and none of these are shown in a positive light.

PG Movie Permission Slips - Due Friday, October 3rd

Just a reminder that permission slips signed by parents/guardians are needed in order for students to watch Shrek (PG) in Spanish starting this Friday. All students without a permission slip will have an alternate assignment to work on in another classroom during the 15 minutes of video time on Friday, October 3rd, as well as each additional video time in the future.

Extra permission slips can be obtained in the black plastic container in the classroom (or see Sr. Bevans). Gracias.

Flags Chosen

The following are the flags that were chosen to be put up on the wall this year for Spanish 1. Each student whose flag was chosen has received 5 points extra credit to their assignment.

Country - Student initials (period)

1. Panamá - A.S. (period 1)
2. Perú - C.P. (Period 1)
3. Cuba - R.B. (period 1)
4. Honduras - K.W. (period 1)
5. El Salvador - K.W. (period 1)
6. Colombia - K.M (period 1)
7. Chile - B.W. (period 1)
8. República Dominicana - A.B. (period 2)
9. Costa Rica - C.S. (period 2)
10. Venezuela - V.B. (period 4)
11. España - A.B. (period 4)
12. Ecuador - M.B. (period 5)
13. Argentina - A.C. (period 5)
14. Puerto Rico - M.L. (period 5)
15. Guatemala - K.J. (period 5)
16. Uruguay - K.D. (period 5)
17. Bolivia - A.V. (period 5)
18. Nicaragua - C.E. (period 5)
19. Paraguay - L.C. (period 6)
20. México - M.M. (period 6)

Notebook With 5 Tabs Needed For Class

Each student is required to have a notebook for Spanish class. The notebook should be a 3-ring binder, used only for Spanish class. You will need a small spiral notebook inside the 3-ring binder as well as 5 tab dividers, clearly labeled for the following sections:

*Información *Repasos *Vocabulario *Verbos *Apuntes (notes)

Notebooks should be brought to class each day and will be checked periodically in the form of preparation checks (see disclosure statement)

An organized notebook will be one of your most important study tools as you learn to speak and communicate in a second language. If you continue on to the next level of Spanish, information from previous years will be very beneficial!

The Spanish notebook is a homework assignment due Monday & Tuesday, August 31st and September 1st (10 points) - You must have the notebook in class on Monday (red) and Tuesday (white) to receive full credit.

If you have any problems acquiring these items, please see me!