Questions and Answers (Q & A), Ashwini to 2G:

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone at 2G! Have a great holiday! 

I liked watching the owl pellets videos! Where did you find the owl pellets? What animal bones did you find in them? Would you please keep some owl pellets that I can examine when I get back

The owl pellets were ordered from a company.  They are sterilized.  I have saved one for you.  I will let the students tell you the types of bones they found in the pellets. Mrs. G.

Charlie found two rodents' skulls, a shrew's hip, and a mole's vertebra.

Kabiltan found a rodent's skull and other bones we can't name.  by Charlie and Kabiltan

What books are the 2G kids reading?

Hi, Ashwini.These are the books 2g is reading: Donavan's Word Jar, The Littles, The Magic Fish  , Big AL and Around the Pond.      by  LH

We are also taking another vote in 2G.  We are going to choose a class mascot.  We have narrowed the choices down to two candidates, the cheetah and the dolphin.  We are learning about them, and we'll compare them next week.  We will vote on Thursday.  You can vote, too.  You can let me know (in an email) of your choice.  If you would like to campaign on either animal's behalf, just send your ideas to to us. Have a great weekend.          Mrs. G.

Will you tell me the Coopertown election results on October 24th?

Hello Ashwini, it is Mrs. C, from Computer Lab.  I just wanted to let you know that we will not have the election results until October 31st.  I will be sure to send you the results.  If you are interested in seeing a sample ballot, check out Coopertown's website.  I have one posted as a PDF file.  Here is the link to our page  http://www.haverford.k12.pa.us/coopertown/.  I will also be posting photos of the computer lab and all the students voting.  I hope you are enjoying yourself!

Q & A, 2G to Ashwini:

CW: Do you have a harvest season?

Yes, the harvest season is celebrated during La Castanyada.

CW: Do you walk home or do you ride the bus?

I walk home and I also walk to school because it is only 10-15 minutes walking.

BG: Do you like the museums? 

Yes, the last museum I saw was the Science Museum. Part of the museum has been made into a little rain forest. There was a big pendulum and lots of exhibits about waves, light etc.

MM: Are you doing any projects in school? We are working on our a to z book projects.

We are copying Catalan stories from a book.

LB: Have you learned any other languages? 

I am learning Catalan and some Spanish.

MA: How are you doing in school in Barcelona?

I like it. It is fun.

MA: How many field trips have you gone on if you did go on any?

I went on one field trip - to Parc Collserola.

MM: What is your teacher's name? What is she/he like?

My teacher's name is Vanessa Arcos Benitez. In Spain, the name that appears in the middle is the last name. She is nice and she helps me a lot because she can speak English and Catalan.

MA: Do you like the food?

I like some things. They eat a lot of meat in Spain, but I don't like red meat. I like the fish, soups, cheese sandwiches, and crema catalana (a dessert that has a layer of burnt sugar on top).

PD: What is your favorite place in Barcelona ?

La Sagrada Familia (this means "The Sacred Family"), which is a church designed by Gaudi (Spain's most famous modern architect). It is still being built. I like to draw it because it's pretty. My web album has some pictures of Sagrada Familia, and also some of Avi and my dad playing soccer in a park next to it!

LH (Marc): Do you have any new friends in Barcelona? 

Yes (see my answer below to KK).

JH: Do you like your school in Barcelona?

Yes. It's fun and I have lots of friends. Catalan is easier now than it used to be. I'm learning Spanish too. 

LH: Do you live in an apartment?

Yes, I live in an apartment. It has a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room, a bedroom for me and Avi, a bedroom for my mom and dad, and a guest bedroom. It's on the second floor.

KK: Do you take a bus to school?

No, I walk to school. It takes 10-15 minutes to get to school.

MM: Are you reading any books in school? If so, which ones?

 I'm reading some books in Catalan at school. The one I'm reading now is called La Tardor. This means Fall (the season). Before that, I read El Conillet Blanc (The White Rabbit). 

I read English books at home. I just finished reading The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien.

KK: How many friends have you made?

I have made many friends, but my best friends are Sarah, Maria, Mireia, Cristina, Madelin, and Susana. Sarah just moved with her family to Barcelona from London and can speak English and Spanish. Maria went to the US for one year and learned some English when she was there.

MM: Do you do something like the pledge of allegiance?

No, we do not recite anything like the pledge of allegiance in school. 

Message from Ashwini, 10/21/08: Hello! I just came back from school. My dad put some new photos on the web album and marked new places on the google maps. Yesterday the first and second graders went on a field trip to Parc (this is how 'Park' is spelled in Catalan) Collserola and we watched a video about animals. Then we walked through the forest and we found boar tracks, raccoon tracks, and holes that a woodpecker made. Then we found leaves in different shapes and learned the names of the trees that they fall from. Then we ate lunch. It was so fun!

Q & A, 9/21/08:

1. Do they only speak Spanish at your new school?
No. They speak Spanish and Catalan. Catalan is a mixture of
Spanish and French. Catalan is the main language.

2. What foods from spain do you like?
I like fish and pasta. I also like pan con tomate. That is
Spanish bread with tomato rubbed on it and olive oil and salt
sprinkled on it.

3. What is your favorite part of Spain so far?
Barcelona. There is a mountain in Barcelona called
Montjuic. Today we went up to the top of Montjuic on a bus and
saw acrobats and a magician. There is a castle on top of
Montjuic.  We came down in a cable car and then
a funicular. That is my favorite part of Barcelona so far.

4. Can you describe what Spain looks like?
There are humongous sidewalks in Barcelona. Some are bigger than
roads! It's fun walking here.

5. Did you go to any museums?
Not yet. But I am going to the Miro museum soon, which is also on
Montjuic. Joan Miro is a modern artist from Barcelona.

6. What is a tram? Can you describe it?
A tram is a train-like thing that runs on tracks and uses power
from electric cables on top. They run above ground.

7. How did you get to Spain? How was that trip? If you went on a plane, did you sleep on it?

I went to Spain on an airplane. It was fun. Avi got a window seat and I sat next to him. We saw the Mediterranean Sea!! I slept a little on the plane.

 8. Did you go on any boat rides?

No. But when we went to the port we saw a ship called the Balearia.

 9. Is it crowded in Barcelona?

Yes. The subway stations are sometimes very crowded.

10. What is the park called that you went to ?

Parks here are called Jardins. The park that we go to is called Jardins d' Les Corts. It has a jungle gym made of wood and rope. There are wooden ladders and rope climbers.

11. Have you learned much Spanish yet?

Yes. I have also learned some Catalan.

Here are 2 sentences in Catalan that you can try to learn.

Carles i Montse son dos amics.

(Carles and Montse are two friends.)

Isabel bol una bicicleta nova.

(Isabel wants a new bicycle.)