BOWIE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL: SPANISH I and II

Odessa, Texas

Teacher and Web Master: Donald Potter - NOW RETIRED!

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For two years I taught Spanish I and Spanish II for high school credit at the Bowie Junior High School in Odessa, TX. Much of the materials on this page were developed for those classes. I retired from public education at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. I am presently teaching fourth-grade at the Odessa Christian School in Odessa, Texas.

A little about myself: I began my study of Spanish in 1981 after moving from Indiana to Texas with my family. I taught myself Spanish from an excellent book entitled Spanish Made Simple by Doubleday. I highly recommend that anyone interested in learning Spanish purchase that inexpensive book (2004 Revision). In 1990, I became an elementary bilingual teacher for the Ector County Independent School District, teaching elementary bilingual students for the next fourteen years. These were among the most wonderful years of my life. Last year I transferred to secondary to teach Spanish at Bowie Jr. High. I know from personal experience how to learn a foreign language, and the countless benefits that come from learning Spanish. My desire is to help enrich my students lives with a practical knowledge of Spanish. Last year was a great year. I anticipate that this year will be even more successful.

Here are my Adobe (pdf) files for Aids for Learning the Spanish Alphabet, Syllable Division and Stress Rules. Here is the audio for "Mr. Potter's 5 x 6 Spanish Alphabet Matrix. Click here to hear me read the Spanish Syllables and 14 Diphthongs. I have added some poems you can practice dividing into syllables and practice stressing and reading.

Eric Greenfield's 1943 Spanish Grammar was one of the best books I used when I started my Spanish Studies. This book uses neat little stories to teach the high-frequency words and useful grammar. Spanish Grammar covers one year of college Spanish. Here are pdf files of the lessons prepared to date (4/30/06) Contents, Preface, Introduction, Lesson 1, Lesson 2, Lesson 3, Lesson 4, Lesson 5, Lesson 6, Lesson 7, Lesson 8, Lesson 9, Lesson 10, Lesson 11, Lesson 12, Lesson 13, Lesson 14, Lesson 15, Lesson 16, Lesson 17, Lesson 18, Lesson 19, Lesson 20, Lesson 21, Lesson 22, Lesson 23, Lesson 24, Lesson 25, Lesson 26, Lesson 27, Lesson 28, Lesson 29, Lesson 30, Lesson 31, Lesson 32, Lesson 33, Lesson 34, Lesson 35, Lesson 36, Verbs. (Note: The Spanish Grammar Verbs are almost done.)

Since the first and most important step in learning any foreign language is to learn to hear the language with understanding, I am publishing mp3 audio files for each of the lessons in Spanish Grammar. Print off the Lessons above and listen the mp3 file. Click here to LISTEN: Introduction, Lesson 1, Lesson 2, Lesson, 3, Lesson 4, Lesson 5, Lesson 6, Lesson 7, Lesson 8, Lesson 9, Lesson 10, Lesson 11, Lesson 12, Lesson 13, Lesson 14, Lesson 15, Lesson 16, Lesson 17, Lesson 18, Lesson 19, Lesson 20, Lesson 21, Lesson 22, Lesson 23, Lesson 24, Lesson 25, Lesson 26, Lesson 27, Lesson 28, Lesson 29, Lesson 30, Lesson 31, Lesson 32, Lesson 33, Lesson 34, Lesson 35, Lesson 36. Note: Much of the audio for these lessons was taken from a cassette produced for me by a friend from Mexico over twenty years ago. The authentic, educated Mexican pronunciation should be of great service to students interested in developing the ability to understand conversational Spanish. Students who listen to these audio files often will tune their hearing to the sounds of the langauge. I can guarantee their success. My students will receive audio CDs of all the lessons so they can master the lessons through the most important organ of language learning: THE EARS. I recommend that students spend at least half their study time listening to Spanish during their beginning studies.

I am making Parallel Spanish - English Translation of all the Spanish Gammar Stories (Spanish to English translation exercises.) The Spanish is in numbered paragraphs on the left side of page, and the English translation is in corresponding paragraphs on the right side of the page. Comparing the two versions of the story will enable the student to learn to read and translate quickly. These stories are the heart of our program. The audio above can be used for listening practice. Listening practice is the most important part of langauge learning. Lesson 1 Story, Lesson 2 Story, Lesson 3 Story, Lesson 4 Story, Lesson 5 Story, Lesson 6 Story, Lesson 7 Story, Lesson 8 Story, Lesson 9 Story, Lesson 10 Story, Lesson 11 Story, Lesson 12 Story, Lesson 13 Story, Lesson 14 Story, Lesson 15 Story, Lesson 16 Story, Lesson 17 Story,

Here is a single document that contains the entire vocabulary for Spanish Grammar with English translaions: Spanish.Vocabulary-Numbered. The students can treat the vocabulary just like programmed instruction by covering up the English and trying to recall the Spanish or coving up the Spanish and recalling the English. In a very short time, a diligent student can easily master the vocabulary for any Lesson. Here is my Spanish Grammar: Spanish Only - Grammatical Classification. Words must be read orally many times before they become part of our active vocabulary. Here are my mp3 files for all the Spanish Grammar vocabularies: Lesson 1, Lesson 2, Lesson 3, Lesson 4, Lesson 5, Lesson 6, Lesson 7, Lesson 8, Lesson 9, Lesson 10, Lesson 11, Lesson 12, Lesson 13, Lesson 14, Lesson 15, Lesson 16, Lesson 17, Lesson 18, Lesson 19, Lesson 20, Lesson 21, Lesson 22, Lesson 24, Lesson 25, Lesson 26, Lesson 27, Lesson 28, Lesson 29, Lesson 30, Lesson 31, Lesson 32, Lesson 33, Lesson 34, Lesson 35, Lesson 36. I read the English translation followed by the pronunciation of the Spanish word two times. There will also be a audio CD available. We are interested in Total Linguistic Function: Hearing, Speaking, Reading, Writing.