Homework for today

Yare (in Secondaria) comes over for her Internet homework a few times a week and she can do everything herself including searching, cut-n-paste into Word, setup the printer ... and close it all down. A few months ago she brought over a neighbor who is in our local Primary school .... and three more classmates. 

Problem is the Primary school girl needs my help with all of it. It's OK with me because she always comes over with interesting projects and is not quite ready for computer lessons. We spent over a half hour yesterday trying to find the best search phrase ...... and finally found what we wanted with "palabras de cancion  de lengua indigenous mexico". The site had side-by-side words with a Spanish translation. Neither of the girls can read it but the Spanish next to each phrase is perfect.

Le' sti nñia'

Hralidxi nñia' napa ti le'
hra hruzee ne hruchuugu' guie'
guirá siado'

Hruuya' hriguni lu xpido'
hrunduuba' shixhe' ndani' yoo'
ñuladxi' piou

Ne ma biza'ya' ti bizé
pa gusibaa pa gusiguie
de shuga dxaa

Hriuuladxe' guuya' guiraa' guie'stiá
guiraa' biduaa bizuguá' nñia'
nuu ca naga'.

Pa ñedaguuyalu'
hra le' huiini sti nñia'
ora cusee
ñuladxi' lu'

De zitu hriuushiilu' yú
ñuladxu' purti sicarú
ñuuyu' gundani la'sa yú
ne sapandú

Hralidxi nñia' huadxí siado'
binni huará nuu ladxidó'
ma canasí'
shisha gucuí pa biaba gui
hralidxi ñiá' guiráni' nuu
de pitu yú zadxe'lu para stuíi

Sicarú nga gápu ti le'
ndanini gápu ti bizé
dxaa guirá dxi

De mani' huiini zee lu bi
zuuya'ni ziete
ne za'bí
ziula'dxini

Ne lii napu nisa guzeu'
nisa gueu' ne ni quíbineu
ni hrisaa' neu'

Pur ti pa zitu nuu bizé
shianga naná ni ora que
paraa ndi cheu'

Ca guie' guchí ca guie' shiña'
Guie' quichi' ne guiraa' ga'
hra le' sti nñia'

Na' hracanía' lá ma cuzee'
pur lánga bine' dxa bizé
ti nadxiie lá

Naa ma chiluuxhe'
ma chibiee'
nashudxe' ma stale güee'
yanna ma chaa'

Pacaa zadxiichi' na chabé
pa guiua' hra yoo'
nashudxe' dxe'
zaguiñe' na'

Cani' canié' hri laa dxandi'
que chi gusiaandatu' ni
qui hrinié siá

Dxandi' nga bine' dxa bizé
ne dxandi'nga nñia' chabé
de neza guiá'

Hralidxi nñia' huadxísiado'
binnihuará nuu ladxidó
ma canazíi
shisha gucui pa biaba gui
hrali dxi nñia' guiráni' nuu
de pitu yú zadxe'lu para stuíi

Letra de César López

Letras de canciones populares en diidxazá y castellano (Spanish)

Sisters on the computer

When the girls and mom are over using my "automatic" washing machines, Yari the 12 year old likes to kill time using my Internet. Facebook is popular and less expensive on a computer than her Cel Fone. This is the first time Nahima, aged 5, has been really interested. Yari does her homework (a lot of it) on that computer. She knows how to plug in the USB printer, load paper, use Google search and cut and paste text and graphics into MS Word to print.

They're making appointments for computer time

Three students now using my computer for tarea

We passed a neighbors house coming back from school and she ran out saying she had some homework and could she use my computer today. Jania is still in Primary and I helped her a few months ago. We said she could come over at 5 this afternoon.

Yari is in her first year of Secondary and can do almost everything by herself.  Searching, cut and paste both text and fotos and can print. Great to see her doing so well and her grades are all 9's and 10's. Yari likes to work after school (7:30) so she doesn't have to do it in the morning.

Euriel in his 3rd year of Secondary doesn't like homework but begrudging does some about once a week while Yari is almost daily.

I bought an HP All-in-One printer because my Lexmark's were a bit troublesome and had no drivers for Windows 7. The HP works fine with only the B&W cartridge. I take the color one out because most of their homework does not require color and cartridges are expensive.

Homework translating Spanish to English

Yari has been getting quite a bit of English homework and rather than me doing it all I have them using Google Translate. They either get a paragraph from the teacher or create something themselves like 2 Christmas cards we did yesterday. I have them type the Spanish and a close translation appears in the English box next door. Google is not good enough to always make sense, Yari or Lorena may misspell or not leave spaces between words, or they may use an informal Spanish that Google has no idea about. They still like to use BOY instead of VOY and this may help convince them what is internationally correct.

Generally they both are getting pretty good at searching the Internet, finding articles and cutting and pasting text and graphics into a word document. I still fine tune the translations and help with page formatting in Word but now they just call me rather than me doing it myself.  Very Good !

Crucigrama de Matemáticas

Crucigrama not Rompecabeza

Homework of the day

I thought it would just be Crossword Puzzle but it's Crucigrama. Rompecabeza means puzzle but literally mean 'break your head'. Anyway that was the heart of the assignment but the teacher didn't want them to solve the puzzle .... she wanted to know the meaning of the 16 words in the box below.  Yari said look them up on the Internet and write their meaning on the back side of the page. That was kinda strange because the definitions are given above and you just match them for the puzzle. Possibility Yari misunderstood the assignment?

So we did it the hard way but also went to  ParaImprimirGratis.com that was printed on the bottom of the page, found the puzzle and the answers were attached.  Lots of other interesting educational stuff on that site .... take a look.

Yesterdays homework was the Definición de Ofimática

What ever happened to the Multiplication Table

Has the US become as calculator dependent as Mexico?   I know I memorized  the Multiplication Table before computers and calculators but it seems such a basic part of math why would it be forgotten.   This came up helping Euriel with his math homework and both he and his mom wanted to use the calculator for some simple addition and multiplication.   Both amazed I could do it in my head.

The stuff he's working on now is addition and multiplication of positive and negative numbers and mixed numbers (fractions).   He's just not getting the Minus part of it or the rule for even and odd number of minuses when multiplying. Then I have to run to the computer to find that even and odd are pare y impare in Spanish.

I'm disappointed that mom and I did more of his homework than he did and this is not going to help at all when he has an in-class test.   I've pretty much decided not to be doing his homework but only telling him the rules and giving him exercises.   This morning I found a printable Multiplication Table and a site where you can make up math exercises .... with and without an answer page in various languages.

Dynamically Created Math Worksheets

It's homework time again

School started yesterday and the teachers aren't wasting any time passing out homework.  I usually help the kids do their homework if they need Internet information.   Well actually I do their homework because they really don't know how to search for things, copy and paste and print.   Gonna have to have some lessons before long.

I was a little more than unhappy when Euriel's sister came over at 10 this morning with geography homework that is due today.   Problem was neither she or I could read what he had written and she was unsure except that it included Mesopotamia, China and somewhere else. Maybe about rivers, the food they ate or migration.   Could have been anything so I sent her home for better instructions.

Of course all the homework has to be in Spanish so that slows me down and I really need to know exactly what we are looking for or it's hopeless.   Sometimes mom helps check the info while I'm searching but she's in a parent-teacher meeting.   I've told them before I need time and 3 hours before school starts is not time enough for me.   Sis has not been back so I guess it's not gonna get done.   Oh well!

With 20 minutes to go mom came with an explanation and we found this .....
¿Qué comían los neandertales?