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Welcome to Ms. Ferguson’s Website!

Above you can find links to specific groups (forensics, study abroad).  If you’d like an appointment with Ms. Ferguson, please visit the forensics page and use the youcanbook.me link to sign up “for a practice”.

Below you can find the calendar of upcoming school events & what we’re studying.  All important documents are attached (with copyrighted material obscured from public access).  Any copyrighted materials that students need will be shared via Google Classroom.  Materials/events are all classified by class.  Units are posted on their beginning date, and if they last over the change of month, they’re posted again the 2nd month.

About Ms. Ferguson

Ms. Ferguson has taught at La Follette High School since 2003.  She began, like many LHS students, starting Spanish classes in 8th grade.  After graduating with honors from UW Oshkosh with a double major in Elementary Education and Spanish, she got her first job teaching at Pioneer Westfield High School (now called Westfield Area High School).  After five years of working there, and loving it, she moved to Madison where she spent 2 years split between O’Keeffe Middle School and LHS.

She has spent considerable time (and money) studying second language acquisition and learning techniques to help students leave our Spanish program with good language proficiency.  Because of this work, she is a popular presenter at state, regional, and national conferences…she even got to present in France in the summer of 2018! She also has been a big part of the Señor Wooly website materials, writing stories and activities for students.

When not teaching, “Profe” enjoys playing sports (soccer, volleyball, curling) and music (violin, percussion). She is also a huge fan of Forward Madison Football Club, and can often be found at their events, or cheering from the Flock End at games.  (Sometimes even leading from the capo stand!)

Spanish 1

Welcome to Spanish 1!!  Here you can find all the important information about our class!

What have we been up to lately?

We are just about to start unit 2. So far we’ve focused a bit on introductions. Almost every day we talk about students in the class and what they do well (and want to do better), as we explore all the diverse hobbies students have. We’ve also been talking about calendar/dates and wishing happy birthday to all the September & October babies in the class!

Below you can find the descriptions of the units. We will complete roughly 3 units and read one short novel per semester. If you would like to see more detail of what we do, each week the slides used in class are posted on Profe’s Google Calendar, at tinyurl.com/profefergclasses. The calendar is also embedded below.

Unit 1: Somos hispanohablantes

During our first unit, we’re going to be looking at identity and culture, how we connect with others in culturally appropriate ways, and what it means to communicate.

The main topics during Unit 1 are:

  1. Greeting others & making introductions
  2. Asking & telling names
  3. Asking & telling feelings
  4. Asking & telling ages
  5. Saying the date (especially your birthday)
  6. Use language in culturally appropriate ways

What are we doing today? 

Check the calendar on the homepage of the site or by visiting tinyurl.com/profefergclasses

Need to meet with Ms. Ferguson?

You can schedule an appointment by following the link below or using the QR code below or visiting kferguson4n6.youcanbook.me 

About Student Proficiency

Students in Spanish 1 are aiming for a NOVICE MID level of proficiency in all language skills. Here is what this looks like:

Interpretive Communication (listening & reading comprehension) – I can identify some basic facts from memorized or familiar words and phrases, when supported by gestures or visuals in informative texts, fictional texts, or conversations.

Interpersonal Communication (spoken & written conversations) – I can request & provide information by asking & answering a few simple questions on very familiar and everyday topics; I can express basic needs related to familiar & everyday activities; and I can express my own preferences or feelings & react to those of others, using a mixture of practiced or memorized words, phrases, simple sentences, and questions.

Presentational Communication (speaking & writing production) – I can present information about myself, my interest, and my activities; express my likes & dislikes on very familiar & everyday topics of interest; present on very familiar & everyday topics using a mixture of practiced or memorized words, phrases and simple sentences.

How to level-up proficiency?

The best way to bump up to the next level is to try to use more language when answering questions (instead of a single word, try for a phrase or sentence). When listening, the first time, try to catch as much as possible. Then, go back for a second listen and see if you can catch more details than you did the first time. Listening 2 or 3 times is a great way to get more used to hearing people speak!

Spanish 4 & 5 Combined

Welcome to Spanish 4/5! Here you can find all the important information.

What We’ve Been Up To…Unit 1: Bajo la mesa

In a unit based around Morat & Sebastián Yatra’s song “Bajo la mesa”, we began our year talking about art and the impact art can have on us, as observers and creators. During this unit we got reacquainted with Spanish, which has been absent from many students’ lives for months. We practiced adjectives and description of famous words of art.

We leaned into a focus on equity and social justice, by looking at art created as a form of activism. This included exploring individual works of art, such as Picasso’s mural Guernica; artists who themselves are known for activism with their work, such as internationally-known British graffiti artist Banksy; and also series of projects dedicated to causes, such as the many murals that have come from the Black Lives Matter protests for racial equity that gained international attention during 2020.

During the course of this unit, students were challenged to imitate famous works of art in an “Imit-Arte” (a play on “imitarte” meaning “to imitate yourself” and the word “arte” meaning art). You can see their amazing creations by clicking here.

Our final assessment for Unit 1: Bajo la mesa included selection of a work of art created around a cause or theme important to the students. They wrote about how this art connects to the cause, why it’s important to them personally, and how well the art spreads its message.

What’s Next?

Want to know what we’re doing today? Check out the calendar embedded below (also available on the home page or at tinyurl.com/profefergclasses)

Need to meet with Profe?

Visit kferguson4n6.youcanbook.me or scan the QR code below with the camera of your device.