personal page

2Introduction

Let's talk about getting extra points in Spanish. I developed a "webjog" during the summer.  In my webjog you are going to find several sites related to Hispanic culture in the USA.  The Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 - Oct. 15, is celebrated during the first quarter.  You can get as many as 20 extra points during the first quarter.  You can add extra points to Spanish tests, projects, and presentations. Go quickly over the sites.  Choose some that interest you. I will have a set of questions and activities for each site. We will also discuss them in class.  Buena suerte!

personal page

3English Words Created by Spanish Culture

English Words Created by Spanish Culture

The English language is a thief. What we call English isn’t really English at all. Instead, it’s a collection of borrowings from other languages. Latin is the main one, but there’s also a good bit of French and a healthy serving of Spanish. There are thousands of Spanish loan words in English – some claim as many as 10,000 – and they all entered the language from three main sources.

 Trade in the Caribbean region brought a number of local Spanish words into the language:

 •barbecue        •cannibal          •llama        •hammock          •hurricane

 •potato            •tobacco           •yucca

Many words were brought into English by cowboys working in the Southwest USA, such as:

 •bronco                 •buckaroo (from vaquero, Spanish for cowboy)

 •desperado          •rodeo            •vigilante

Then there are several words for food and drink that you just can’t describe in English:

 •avocado             •banana         •burrito          •chili                 •dorado

 •guacamole        •maize            •margarita    •paella             •papaya    

•pimento             •tequila          •tortilla           •vanilla            •yam

And then there are others, where we know the Spanish words, but we’re just not sure exactly how they got here.

 •adobe             •albino             •alcove                •alfalfa             •algebra

 •alligator (from the Spanish for lizard – el lagarto)

 •armadillo      •barracuda      •cafeteria          •canyon            •chihuahua

 •cigar/cigarette               •cockroach               •embargo         •guerilla

 •guitar            •iguana            •incommunicado        •jaguar    •macho

 •mosquito      •renegade       •savvy                •siesta             •tornado

This is just a selection of the Spanish loan words we use in English. Have you got any favorite ones to add to the list? Please bring me 10 more words to get your extra points.

personal page

4Spanish Place Names

Spanish Place Names In The USA

In addition to all those English words that originated from the Spanish culture, we also have places with Spanish names.  The following is a very interesting article written by John Cletheroe in:  “USA & Canada Holiday Hints.”

 (Taken from John Cletheroe’s “USA & Canada Holiday Hints”)

Many towns, rivers, mountain ranges, historic roads and trails and other geographical features in the United States, especially in the Southwest, have Spanish names. This page offers the translations into English of a few of these. Where a Spanish word has multiple meanings in English I have only included that which seems most likely to apply to a place name.

This list is only a small selection and is naturally very far from being complete. A complete list would of course be enormous.

Many other place names in the USA and Canada come from Native American cultures or from other nationalities of immigrants such as British, French, Dutch, German and Russian.

What are you going to do to earn extra points?   Locate, tag on a U.S. map, and translate the following states and cities:
States --  California, Florida, and Montana.
Cities -- El Paso, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Pueblo, Colorado; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; San Jose, California; and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
I challenge  you to find additional U.S. place names of Spanish origin. Bring me 10 more names.

personal page

5Mexican Mariachi Bands

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariachi

Mexican Mariachi Bands

Please read the general information about the Mariachi musical bands. We will listen to a Mariachi Band in class.  You will do a presentation in class with two other students.  Topics to choose from are:

Origin of the name “Mariachi”

Modern Mariachi Development (6 students)

Mariachi Bands

Mariachi Vargas

Mariachi in the USA (6 students)

Dance

Musical forms

personal page

6Hispanic Americans and Latinos in History

DIRECTIONS: Use classroom, library and Internet resources to learn about 20 famous Hispanic Americans and Latinos listed below. On the line next to each name, write the letter of the statement that describes that person. Print this page and bring it to me with your answers. More extra points.

FAMOUS HISPANIC AMERICANS OF THE PAST

FAMOUS HISPANIC AMERICANS OF TODAY

personal page

7Scavenger Hunt on the Incas

Scavenger Hunt on the Incas:

1. 1.      Different cultures have myths about their origins.  Who was Manco Capac?

1. 2.      The capital city was Cuzco.  Click on that name, read the page and then answer the following questions about Cuzco.
   1. a.     Above sea level, how far was the city?  __________________________

1. b.     The Temple of the Sun was exceptional, why?  _____________________

       ____________________________________________

1. 3.     If you read “Crime and Punishment” you will learn that there was almost no crime in the Inca Empire. Why?

See:  http://incas.mrdonn.org/crime.html

What punishment was given for cursing the gods? _____________________________________________________________

If you lived through your punishment, what did you have to do the rest of your life? ____________________________________________________________

1. 4.     Click on Machu Picchu  http://incas.mrdonn.org/machupicchu.html Read about the city.

Click on the Inca Brain Teaser

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Games/PuzzleQuizzes/Brainteaserinca

Machu Picchu

http://incas.mrdonn.org/machupicchu.html

And follow the Inca Trail

personal page

8Bulletin Board Activity

Bulletin board activity

 We are going to create a big black kettle (representing the "melting pot" that is America) out of construction paper and staple it to the bulletin board.

You need to know the cultures your family comes from.  We are going to use white chalk or crayons to write the information.  Then write a short paragraph about something that reminds you of that particular culture(s).  It could be words in a foreign language, it could be a special food, it could be music, or anything else you want to share with us.  We will hang those articles on the bulletin board.  You do not have to put your name.

personal page

9Trivia Questions

Trivia Questions Use the Internet or library resources to locate answers to the trivia questions below.

What event do Mexicans and Mexican-Americans celebrate on Sept. 16?

What are sikus, quenas, wankaras and charangos?

What three U.S. states are home to most Hispanic-owned businesses?

Who is the city of Galveston, Texas named after?

What historic event is remembered in Puerto Rico on Sept. 23?

What historic event is celebrated on May 5th (or Cinco de mayo)?

What is one of the accepted roots of the word Mariachi?

When is Guadalupe Day? What Hispanic group celebrates it the most?  

What event do the Central American countries celebrate on Sept. 15?

Do you know the the capital names of Bolivia, Peru and Argentina?

Do you know the capital names of Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama?

What country is Mrs.C Rod from? 

personal page

10Celebrate Hispanic Heritage

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage

We will be doing the activities in this site prepared by Scholastic.   You can do some of the activities ahead of time.  It is an interesting site because it gives you a time line.of events.  It is easier to relate to it.