Hózhó Academy Newsletter
For the Week of January 15th-19th, 2024
Weekly Updates
Dear Hózhó Families,
Clothing Donations - We are accepting any new/used children's clothing for ages 2-12, to donate to local foster families. If you would like to donate, please bring them to the front office at Hózhó. Please check that they are clean with no stains or holes. Thank you for helping out our community.
Uniform Sweatshirt - See the flyer below to order a uniform-approved sweatshirt.
Important Dates
January 15th - No School (MLK Jr. Day)
January 19th - Mid-School Winter Formal Dance
January 20th - High School Winter Formal Dance
February 19th - No School (President's Day)
Important Links
Art Class Highlight
3rd Grade
3rd grade is now beginning their unit on Native American art. This week we looked at totem poles from British Columbia and northwestern USA. The word "totem" comes from the Algonquin word "odoodem" which means kinship group. The creatures and people in a totem pole can symbolize ancestors, clans, tribes, myth, tradition, and religion. After an introduction to the art of totem poles the students made a totem pole drawing led by Mr. Berg. Throughout this unit we will study many Native American art forms from different regions of North America.
Literacy Corner by Elise Farrel
English is considered a complex language. Often in schools, some phonics rules are taught, and then when one word does not follow the rule the teacher brushes it off saying, "oh, that word is just a rule breaker." A word should rarely be 'random' or just 'breaking a rule.' More often than not, it is simply following a different orthography, usually from another language.
Back in September, we discussed how the English language has its roots in many other languages; languages such as Latin, Greek, Aramaic, French, and Italian. It is the melting pot of languages! We talked specifically about how prefixes and suffixes, originating from other languages, can alter the meaning of a word. There are other ways the English language adapts its vocabulary from various languages.
The first that is not always obvious, is that we use foreign words in our day-to-day vocabulary. An example of this is the word bouquet from the 3rd grade spelling word list. Bouquet is in fact, French! When first approaching this word, students are confused about what seems to be a silent T, and why there is an /A/ sound at the end. Well, in the French language, et is a phonogram, usually found at the end of a word, that says /A/. 'French, /A/, oo la, la' quickly becomes a favorite phonogram.
Another example would be macaroni or tiramisu. Students are quick to note that English words do not end with I or U so therefore, these words are breaking a rule, when in fact, they are of Italian origin. The Italian language has its own, much older, orthography, therefore it does not adhere to the rules of the newer English language.
When using foreign words, we may also change the way we pronounce letters in English. Phonogram qu (pronounced /kw/ like queen or quiet) is usually pronounced /k/ in most foreign words. Therefore, when we use words such as clique or baroque, we do not use the traditional English pronunciation that a young student may first be inclined to do, but rather, we use the foreign alphabet.
One factor that may come as a surprise, is the evolution of the English language itself! Old English was very different from the way we speak it today, however, we still see remnants of it in our daily speech. The first example of a word that comes to mind is the word the. It was once pronounced more commonly as thE instead of the more common thUH. Doesn’t the spelling make more sense now? We also see this in the combination of gh together to make the sound /f/. gh (which is used in less than thirty words by the way) is a derivative of Old English that would have had its own pronunciation and overtime evolved into the /f/ sound. You will almost always find it following ou or au.
Lastly, another adaptation that is obvious but is often not considered, is the vast demographics of the United States. We the most diverse country on Earth, have originally been settled by various countries. As a result, states vary in their pronunciation of words based on their accents. Some of the more obvious examples are the classic Southern drawl or that east coast slang. These affect the way we pronounce the sounds of the English language, sometimes seemingly, making it challenging to spell correctly. How do you pronounce pecan? Caramel? My 3rd graders once had a rather engaging conversation over the word instigate. Some pronounced it instUHgate while others said instigate.
This is why teaching the foundations of at least one other language is critical to your child's understanding of English. In learning another language, you learn just how literacy works, develop a greater understanding of syntax and even strengthen your knowledge of the English language. Most schools in America wait until high school to initiate foreign language requirements. I would recommend finding little ways you can expose your children to other languages at home as early as possible. The younger the better! If you are a bilingual family, do not give that up! Being raised bilingual myself, I now look back and greatly appreciate all the effort my parents went through to make sure my siblings and I could speak fluently (including watching all movies and videos in French! I saw most Disney movies for the first time in English when I was in college). There are free apps such as Duolingo that are engaging and teach the fundamentals of various languages.
To conclude, the English language is not so complex. Rather, it is a beautiful collection, a bouquet even, of rich cultures and languages. The more we learn of its roots, the more it makes sense to us.
Book of the Week
The ABC's and All Their Tricks
By Margaret M. Bishop
This is a book for parents looking to deepen their understanding of the English language. Bishop proceeds to break down each sound, letter, and phonogram, identifying their roots and teaching the orthography. This is a great resource to have available on the shelf!
Hózhó Academy 2023-2024 School Calendar
Hózhó Academy Charter School
Email: office@hozhoacademy.org
Website: https://hozhoacademy.org/
Location: 515 Park Ave, Gallup, NM, USA
Phone: (505) 722-8922
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hozhoacademy
Twitter: @HozhoA
Transportation Department: (505) 458-4923 or email khillock@hozhoacademy.org
Afterschool (After 4 PM): (505) 488-8758