¡Bienvenidos a la ¡Bienvenidos a la clase de español!clase de español!Ms. Vallazza a.k.a “Ms V” or “Sra. V”Ms. Vallazza a.k.a “Ms V” or “Sra. V”

Your Spanish TeacherYour Spanish Teacherwith with FCMSFCMS

GettingGetting To To Know Ms Know Ms

VV

Not Your Ordinary Not Your Ordinary TeacherTeacher

I leave my handprint on the world of students. :>I leave my handprint on the world of students. :>

❖ I was once a cafeteria lady, among other things.

❖ I’ve had 24 jobs in my young life thus far, (I think?) Once I had four jobs at the same time. That was during my college years at Flagler.

❖ I’m originally from Kansas City, the Land of Amazing BBQ.

❖ I won a hot dog eating contest when I was 11.

❖ Check out the following slides!

Before My Life As A Teacher

...well, of course, I do. I’d have to in order to ...well, of course, I do. I’d have to in order to teach this course. I speak some Portuguese too. teach this course. I speak some Portuguese too.

I Speak SpanishI Speak Spanish

I’m Multi-CulturalI’m Multi-CulturalI’m an American Mutt, meaning I’m an American Mutt, meaning

I’m 1/2 Ecuadorean & 1/4 each Mexican, Scots-Irish and Italian. I’m also 1/8 Chilean and Irish.I’m 1/2 Ecuadorean & 1/4 each Mexican, Scots-Irish and Italian. I’m also 1/8 Chilean and Irish.Each one of my grandparents came from a different countryEach one of my grandparents came from a different country

My grandfather is the young ItalianMy grandfather is the young Italian

My parentsMy parents

A HUGE Latin FamilyA HUGE Latin FamilyI’m the youngest of six girls. I also have 15 I’m the youngest of six girls. I also have 15 “niblings” and 6 great-nieces and nephews.“niblings” and 6 great-nieces and nephews.

My SonMy SonI have a little boy named Giancarlo. He loves cars! I love to take him to I have a little boy named Giancarlo. He loves cars! I love to take him to

the park and bike riding. Above all, I love to spend time with him as the park and bike riding. Above all, I love to spend time with him as much as I can since I’m a single parent, and I’m your awesome teacher!much as I can since I’m a single parent, and I’m your awesome teacher!

❖ I do fun things in my spare time like knit scarves and blankets or do other artsy things like draw, paint, watch movies and hang out with my friends. (Yes, it’s nerdy, but yes, your teacher has a life! LOL)

❖ I won the National Geographic Geography Bee for my grade school three years in a row. I love maps and atlases!

❖ I have a double major in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Flagler College; and two Master of Fine Arts degrees in Media Design and Creative Writing.

❖ I love to tell stories and I will become famous one day for my story telling. :>

❖ I love to dance! I’m great at Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, Reggaetón, Bachata and some Tango. I also have a talent for singing!

❖ I used to be a DJ in college. I have a vast collection of music and genres. While I can appreciate other’s musical tastes, I am not fond of scary sounding music.

❖ I’m respectful of and fascinated by other cultures and religions.

❖ I plan student cultural exchanges between Bahía Blanca, Argentina and Jacksonville, FL. They are Sister Cities.

❖ I’ve been teaching since 2007. I love being a teacher! (and no one is paying me to say that!)

I Live For Adventure!

❖ I love to tell stories of the places I’ve been to!

❖ I have been to Costa Rica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Holland, and Argentina.

❖ I’ve also been all over the U.S..

❖ I love to travel!

❖ Check out some of my pictures of my trips....

Costa RicaCosta RicaMay-July 2006May-July 2006

Costa Rica 2006❖ I went there for a post Undergraduate study

abroad.

❖ I totally recommend going there. I met some awesome people. The food is also AMAZING! The countryside is beautiful!

❖ Costa Rica is very concerned about the environment.

❖ Did You Know...? - Costa Rica has no army. They got rid of it so they could focus on more education. NEAT!

República República DominicanaDominicana

Aug. 2008, April 2010, Aug. 2010Aug. 2008, April 2010, Aug. 2010

The D.R.❖ My ex-husband and his family are Dominican (which is why I went

so often).

❖ It was the first Spanish speaking country to be established in the Western Hemisphere.

❖ In fact, the D.R. is a country of firsts. The first street of the Americas (North and South) is in the capitol, Santo Domingo, and is called “Calle de las Damas” (Street of the Ladies).

❖ Christopher Columbus had a house that is still standing there!

❖ The first cathedral and university of the Americas is also in the D.R.

❖ I recommend going to a place in Barahona called “La Casa de Tarzán” (The House of Tarzan)

❖ Larimar is a blue stone that is found ONLY in the D.R.

ArgentinaArgentinaJune 2011, July 2012, Dec. 2012, July 2013June 2011, July 2012, Dec. 2012, July 2013

Argentina 2011 - 2013❖ I take former high school students for brief Cultural Student

Exchanges.

❖ Amazing asado, pizza and desserts.

❖ Beautiful country and I love it there!

❖ I will move there someday!

❖ Silver is cheap there.

❖ I bought 2 pairs of leather boots there.

❖ Argentine students all want to learn English.They want to be your best friend if you do speak English.

❖ I have family there.

About your About your Spanish courseSpanish course

What You Need To Know

❖ Please click through the following slides for this information about your Spanish course and my schedule to assist you in reaching your learning goals for this class.

What You Will Learn – Intro to Spanish

❖ El alfabeto

❖ Los números

❖ El calendario

❖ Las estaciones

❖ Food and Holidays

❖ Family and clothing

❖ Geography and Culture of Hispanic Countries

Classroom Materials❖ In order to be successful in my class, please bring

the following with you to class every period. A prepared student will always be successful in my class.

❖ paper - this can be in a spiral notebook, loose-leaf paper or in a binder

❖ writing utensil - pen or pencil

❖ folder with pockets or binder - as long as there is a way to store handouts and old classwork, you’re golden!

Donations Appreciated❖ Since I do a lot of project based assignments in my

course, I would LOVE and will appreciate the donations of the following items.

❖ colored pencils, markers, crayons, permanent markers, dry erase markers - ALL COLORS

❖ small scissors, construction paper, colored tissue paper, printer paper, poster board, stickers, glue, glitter glue, yarn, popsicle sticks, and scraps of cloth.

❖ folders, manila folders, storage containers

What NOT To Do❖ Do NOT use translators!!!

❖ You are encouraged to use the vocabulary made available to you through your lessons and the dictionary within your course.

❖ Ms V has a very STRICT academic integrity policy, meaning that whatever work you submit MUST BE YOUR OWN!!! You can paraphrase what see online or in books, but again, the work must be your own!.

❖ Not only that, I can tell when a translator has been used. It’s not rocket science, guys, and teachers are not dumb. If you need help with a lesson, I will be more than happy to help you out! I can show you how to make something very simple such as a paragraph or sentence make sense.

❖ Never doubt yourself! You probably know a lot more than you think!

Now it’s YOUR turn!Now it’s YOUR turn!Stay tuned for more informationStay tuned for more information

Tell me more about YOU!❖ On a sheet of paper, please answer the following

questions:

❖ What is your name and age?

❖ What did you do for the summer?

❖ List two favorite foods you like to eat.

❖ List two favorite activities you like doing.

❖ List two favorite places you’ve been to in your life

¿Qué aprendiste?¿Qué aprendiste?What did you learn about your teacher?What did you learn about your teacher?

Let’s see how well you paid attention!

❖ Where is Ms. Vallazza’s family from?

❖ Where does Ms. V travel to every summer?

❖ Does Ms. V have a boy or a girl?

❖ What Spanish speaking countries has Ms V gone to in her lifetime?

❖ What contest did Ms V win when she was 11?

❖ How many students liked the same foods?

❖ What about students that like the same activities?

❖ How many students have the same birthday month?

❖ What other languages does Ms V speak?

❖ Which student went out of the country?

❖ Which student went out of state?

¡Gracias por ¡Gracias por su tiempo!su tiempo!

¡Qué lo disfruten

!

Just SOME of Hispanic Speaking Country Flags.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?