26 August 2018

POST #1 • domingo, 26 agosto 2018

¡Hola Amigos!

  A nice, short first week of school allowed us to get to know each other a little bit and to start off the year slowly, but next week we'll have a full five days and it'll be time to get up and running.

     ~ In Spanish 1, we got going with a little alphabet intro and practice before moving into working with the numbers. This next week, we'll practice numbers and some basic vowel and consonant sounds, before getting into a few greetings.

     ~ In Spanish 2, we began talking about ourselves, and then asking and answering some personal questions. Next week, there'll be more of the same.

Hasta luego,
Profe Zerbey


** In this first true edition of Profe's Cultural Corner, we'll take a look at our mascotas, both of whom has Hispanic names. We got our gato in 2009, the year before my wife and I got married. She was a spotlight kitty from the Berea Animal Rescue up for adoption at the Pet Supplies Plus in Fairview and her name was listed as Moon. Obviously, I changed that out for Luna by the time I got her home. Our perro joined us in 2015, from a rescue group down in New Philadelphia. Of course, this Lab-collie mix needed a cool name, and I went with Guadalupe Xochitl, which gets shortened to just Lupe. Her first name comes from the patron saint of Mexico and the second means "flower" in Nahuatl, the language that the Aztecs spoke.

Luna

Lupe

Lupe & Luna on our bed

21 August 2018

¡Bienvenidos a mi Blog!

Hola Amigos,

   I am super excited to be your Spanish teacher this school year. No matter whether you're in my one Spanish 1 class or in one of my four Spanish 2 classes, we have a lot of work to do and a lot of cool thematic units to get through. Over the course of the year, I'll use both Google Classroom and this blog to help you increase your Spanish knowledge.

   In Spanish 1 we'll run through the following units: Who am I?; Descriptions; My Typical Day; Communications/Media; Food & Dining; Family & Community; Weather & Clothing; Art & Music.

   In Spanish 2 we'll hit these units: My friends and myself; Let's travel; The environment; Recreation and sports; Healthy lifestyle; Social media; Current & past heroes; Legends.

   If I had you in class back in 7th grade, you'll remember that I use my blog to recap what we did the previous week and to preview what we'll do in the upcoming week. I also use the lower portion of each post to present cultural information to you that relates to some aspect of the 20 Spanish-speaking countries. Check down below for your first installment of Profe's Cultural Corner, and then check back here at least weekly.

Hasta pronto,
Profe Z


** If you're wondering, I have traveled various times to both Mexico and Spain, and it's definitely a life-goal to visit every Spanish-speaking country.
• In 2001, I studied for a month in Cuernavaca, Mexico and got to know Mexico City and Puebla.
• In 2003, I studied in Madrid, Spain for a month, and visited other cities in the middle of the country - Toledo, Segovia, Valladolid and Alcalá de Henares. In 2004, I returned to Mexico to attend a friend's wedding in Taxco, and also visited Veracrúz, Puebla and Mexico City.
• In 2005, I studied in Granada, Spain and fell in love with it, making side trips to Córdoba, Sevilla, Cabo de Gata.
• In 2007, I was a chaperone on a RRHS trip to Spain and we visited Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, and ended up at the beach in Benalmádena.

• In 2009, my fiancée and I attended a friend's wedding on the Riviera Maya, Mexico.
• In 2010, I led a RRHS trip to Spain, and we hit Barcelona, Madrid, Granada and Málaga, but then when the kids came back to RR, my wife came over and we had our honeymoon in Madrid, Pamplona, and San Sebastián.

(Don't worry... there won't be a quiz on all of that.)


Me, with Sr. Escobedo and his Dad (on the left) from the 2003 trip to Madrid.
Me, with Sr. Escobedo and his Dad (on the left) from the 2003 trip to Madrid.