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Music Blog Post #3: Guitar Midterm!

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On February 26, 2020

In Music

Hello everyone and welcome back to my guitar blog! Today is the midterm—I get to discuss where my guitar journey has taken me so far. I will be updating you about my progress on my indicators of success (chord memorization, chord transitions, strumming patterns, and my ability to sing at the same time). In addition to this post, here is a video which will show my confidence in playing all of the chords needed in my songs. I will be showing my attempts at transitioning between them, my work on trying to apply some dynamics to each song, and showing where I am with playing the guitar and singing at the same time. I will be discussing how my progression relates to my timeline that I outlined in my Musicianship Goals document. Let’s get started!

Criteria (Indicators of Success)
  • Chord Memorization:

As I have mentioned in my previous blog post, I have now memorized all of the chords that I will need to know this semester! These include the Am, Em, G, G7, D, D7, and C chords. I have learned a new version of the Alphabet Song which requires me to know how to play the F chord, I will show this in my video. I have not memorized how to strum that one in a way that it sounds full and nice. I am still working on it!

  • Chord Transitions

The chord transitions between Am to C and G to D in “Slow Burn” are still tricky for me however, I am continuing to work on them. G and D and G and C chord transitions are difficult in “Happy Birthday.” Finally, in the Alphabet Song, I find the transition between C and F difficult but I know it will become easier with practice because all I need to do is move my middle finger and ring finger down one string each. 

  • Strumming Patterns

I have memorized the strumming pattern for “Slow Burn” decently well (“Down, Down. Down, Up, Down, Down”). For “Happy Birthday” I am learning to strum “Down, Down,” however, it is not memorized. Finally, in the Alphabet Song, I use a be using a simple “Down” strumming pattern that I have memorized.

  • Ability to Sing at the Same Time

In order to sing along to my songs, I play them in half-time. I will show snippets of this in my video. 

Music Blog Post #2: Great Guitar Growth!

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On February 20, 2020

In Music

Aloha! This blog post is being written from Honolulu, Hawaii! As outlined in my Musicianship Goals Action Plan, today (February 20th) I am going to be writing about my guitar progress so far. I will be discussing any improvements or challenges in the following areas (my Criteria/Indicators of Success): Chord Memorization, Chord Transitions, Strumming Patterns, and Ability to Sing at the Same Time.

Photo by Hannah Gullixson on Unsplash

Criteria (Indicators of Success)
  • Chord Memorization:

At this point, I have now memorized all of the chords that I will need to know this semester! These include the Am, A, Em, G, G7, D, D7, and C chords.

  • Chord Transitions

The chord transitions for the first song that I am learning, “Slow Burn,” are now memorized, however, the transitions between Am to C and G to D are still very tricky for me so I do those ones slowly. Similarly in “Happy Birthday,” I find it challenging to transition in a timely manner between G and D and G and C. I still have not learned the transitions for the Alphabet Song yet because I have been focusing more on the other two songs. My goal for before the midterm is to start practicing the Alphabet Song more.

  • Strumming Patterns

I have maintained my strumming pattern knowledge for “Slow Burn” as outlined in my first blog post, (“Down, Down. Down, Up, Down, Down”). I still have not figured out a strumming pattern for “Happy Birthday” that I like yet but I will probably end up using this video from my last post. I asked classmates about the strumming pattern for Happy Birthday in our last class practice session and they also gave me some good ideas. For the Alphabet Song, I will be using a “Down, Down, Down” strumming pattern that I have yet to memorize.

  • Ability to Sing at the Same Time

I still am not able to play my songs and sing at the same time very well yet. Whenever I try, I have to play an extremely slowed down version of the song. I am going to continue working on it when I get home.

What I Am Learning

So far, I have learned that learning how to play guitar really hurts your fingers if you want a good sound to come out of your instrument. I still think about what my classmate Maddy said about pushing on the strings as hard as I can in order to make fuller sounding chords every time I play. Even though I stuck to my practicing plan very consistently for the weeks leading up to reading break, I will not be able to practice during our week off because I do not have a guitar with me in Hawaii. I am listening to “Slow Burn” often and am hoping that will keep me in the musical guitar mindset.

Mahalo and see you at the midterm!

EdTech Inquiry Blog Post #2: Fundamentals Training

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On February 17, 2020

In EdTech Inquiry

Hey everyone! Today’s EdTechInquiry Blog Post will be outlining exactly what we need to do to become Google Educators!

Before taking the exam to become Google Certified Educator Level 1’s, we have to go through a number of readings, videos, and activities that will help us learn how to integrate Google into our future classrooms

There are 13 units to complete that cover engaging in professional growth and leadership, increasing efficiency and saving time, facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity

These units are set up to record your progress as you go, and so that you can start and stop lessons at any time. This is a really great feature since it allows you to progress through the units without having to dedicate large amounts of time to complete lessons. Any spare time can easily be used to work through this fundamental training.

Another convenient feature is that you can see how many lessons each unit consists of, as well as the approximate amount of time required to complete each unit.

Throughout this next week, we will begin working through unit 1, Get Ready to Use Technology in the Classroom.  It is supposed to take about 85 minutes and has 5 lessons within it.

Thanks for stopping by on our journey to becoming Google Educators!

Sarah, Lauren B, and Heather

EdTech Blog Post #6: Jesse Miller Presentation

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On February 17, 2020

In EdTech

Last week in EDCI 336, Jesse Miller came and spoke to our class. He is a very talented speaker who captivated our class and inspired us all to make sure we are using the internet safely. This safety is not only important for ourselves as professionals but also eventually for when we have our own classrooms, we need to be aware of the rules and laws that are in place surrounding children and the internet.

Here are some of the interesting points from the presentation:

  • Jesse designed the erase bullying campaign
  • He also designed digital scholarship/literacy component of the new BC Curriculum
  • “We live in a world of new media where there is evidence of everything you have ever done.”
  • He compared the generations: being a child, teen, or young adult today is way different than 10, 20, or 50 years ago.
  • We live in a world of “mediated realities” of social media and mobile technology. We have professional responsibilities online, our personal lives merge with our public lives and all of these things can affect our place in the hiring process as a teacher.
  • Our job as guiding the youth of the 21st century isn’t to prepare them for the realities of days past. Today, we need to “help children make sense of their on-demand media and online experiences while teaching and guiding them how to uphold enduring values.”

 

 

Here is my video that I edited today during our video editing session

 

  • Jesse went on to claim that all of the technology education that are our students will receive needs to “empower their communication expectations in the reality they live in, not the one we grew up in…”
  • He argues that “too much screen time is not a thing” when there is a “quality of purpose rather than a quantity of time on screens.”
  • It is 2020 – “time to focus on networked citizenship. digital identity, digital rights, digital literacy, use of communication networks – social, professional, personal, safety – networked connections, the security of self, and communications in networked spaces.”
  • He pulled up contrasting articles saying that tweens’ brains are simply too immature to use social media appropriately (they breed issues such as bullying or warp the school climate) and another one from Scientific American that said: “kids who use tech are all right.” This was to show us that the stances on children and technology are vary and are always changing and that in the end, “we shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us” (John Culkin).
  • Jesse asked us what social media is worth to us: would we pay $1 a day to use Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook? It was a resounding no from our cohort which shows us that we need to be careful of what we put on these apps that we do not pay to use: they can sell all of our information and pictures. We need to “let [our] morals dictate [our] choices.”
  • He closed his presentation by saying Social Media & Youth presents opportunities for success and conflict. We can make our classrooms a safe internet environment by “1. addressing the existing and emerging social media concerns in your environments with education and media literacy conversations. 2. opening up constructive solutions-based dialogue with co-workers, stakeholders, clients, employers, and the public about social media trends and communications concerns.”

What an informative presentation that we all thoroughly enjoyed and took a lot away from! Happy Reading Break everyone!

Free Inquiry Blog Post #5: Jag Ă„lskar Sverige

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On February 17, 2020

In Free Inquiry

Hello everyone! It has been a great week for my Swedish inquiry. On Thursday, I and the other teacher candidates that are headed to Sweden for our practicum learned that we will soon be receiving our grade level where we will be teaching and some contacts for our mentor teachers. It is getting exciting because, in less than two months, we will be in Stockholm, wow! Today’s post will be continuing on from last week’s, get ready to learn more about the Swedish Educational System.

More About Education in Sweden
  • Over the past two decades, Swedish students have apparently been poorly performing on international comparisons. Because of this, a complete revamp of the Swedish curriculum and an improvement to the status of the teaching profession has occurred.
  • These reforms have resulted in a “positive trend for Sweden’s educational quality, with Sweden’s 15-year-olds scoring above the OECD average in mathematics, reading, and science” through the 2019 PISA assessment.
  • While reforming their educational system, the Swedish Government was inspired by Finland, South Korea (where teachers are paid a high salary) and the Netherlands (class sizes are smaller than most other countries).
  • The new education act, the 2011 Swedish Education Act, promotes “greater oversight, freedom of choice, and student safety and security.”
  • New Curriculum: The curricula contain new general goals, guide­lines, and syllabi. The pre-school curriculum includes “clearer goals for children’s linguistic and communicative develop­ment and for science and technology.” There are nation-wide tests on each subject for students in years 3, 6, and 9. Also, there are “new qualification requirements for areas including upper secondary school studies.”
  • New Grading System: as my final piece for this week, I am going to bring up something that really caught my eye in the Swedish Educational system. Their grading system has moved away from a way that is similar to our current system in the new BC curriculum towards their new style which looks like our old grading style. Pretty interesting how curriculums and grading systems differ across the world! “The old Swedish system [had] four grades from Pass with Special Distinction (MVG) down to Did Not Pass (IG) was replaced by a new grading scale with six grades from A to F in 2011. A to E are passing grades, with F as a failing grade. Grades are assigned starting in year 6.”
My evergrowing list of Swedish words/phrases that I have learned on Duolingo:
  • A boy = En pojke
  • A girl = En flicka
  • A woman = En Kvinna
  • I am a woman = Jag är en kvinna
  • A man = En man/ Mannen
  • Drinking = Dricker
  • Water = Vatten
  • Eating = äter
  • And = Och
  • A = Ett
  • Bread = Bröd
  • One book, several books = En bok, flera böcker
  • A menu = En meny
  • You = Du
  • Have = Har
  • A/one/an = En and Ett
  • Newspaper(s) = Tidning(ar)
  • A letter = Ett brev
  • The child = Barnet
  • Milk = Mjolk
  • It = Det
  • Read = Läser
  • She = Hon
  • He = Han
  • Are/Is = är
  • We = Vi
  • You = Du
  • Sandwich = smörgĂĄs
  • They = De
  • Rice = Ris
  • Good morning = God morgon!
  • Yes = Ja
  • Please = Snälla
  • So = sĂĄ
  • Then = dĂĄ
  • You are welcome = VarsĂĄgod
  • Hello = Hej or HĂĄllo
  • Everyone = Alla
  • Welcome = Välkommen
  • I am sorry = Ursäkta
  • Food = mat
  • Pasta = Pasta
  • Breakfast = Frukost
  • Fruit = Frukt
  • Sugar = Socker
  • Cheese = Ost
  • Coffee = Kaffe
  • Lunch = lunch
  • Good bye = Hej dĂĄ
  • Dog(s) = hund(ar)
  • Moose = älg
  • Cat(s) = Katt(er)
  • Meat = Kott
  • Horse(s) = Häst(er)
  • It = det
  • several = flera
  • inte = does not (for example, hon läser inte brev = she does not read letters)
  • has = har
  • apple(s) = äpple(n)

EdTech Inquiry Blog Post #1: Google Innovators!

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On February 4, 2020

In EdTech Inquiry

 History of Google
  • Created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin
    • Sergey went to Stanford and Larry was considering attending in 1995
  • It was founded in 1998
  • Started creating in their dorm rooms → originally called “Backrub” 

Photo by Mitchell Luo on Unsplash

Our Inquiry
  • We intend on becoming certified Google Educators because we believe it is a useful skill that will make us even better technology educators.
  • We have seen the GSuite being used throughout the schools that we have visited so far and want to be able to work well wherever we end up subbing or teaching permanently.
Why We Chose This Inquiry
  • Emma, a practicing teacher and one of our seminar leaders from last semester, is a google innovator and encouraged all of us to also pursue this education for our careers. 
Google For Education: Teacher Center
  • This website provides us with the information that we need in order to train for becoming Google Educators Level 1.
  • The Fundamentals Training part of the website will prepare us with modules and lessons that will show us how to integrate google into our future classrooms. We will go more into depth into this section for our next blog post. 
  • We can study for the test using these sample questions.
Potential Downfalls of Becoming Google Educators Level 1
  • We could have tunnel-vision and only use google suite apps. By doing this, we may not find other helpful apps and technologies.

 

Thanks for tuning in and check back next week for our progress in becoming Google Educators Level 1!

Sincerely,

Sarah, Heather, and Lauren B

Free Inquiry Blog Post #4: More about Sweden

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On February 4, 2020

In Free Inquiry

Hej alla och välkommen! Hope everyone has had a fantastic week! I know I have, especially after learning more about Sweden! My inquiry has led me to find out a lot about the Swedish Educational System and also continue my Swedish language journey. I hope you find this week’s post to be informative!

Education in Sweden
  • Schooling can start at age 1 in Sweden in the form of förskola, or preschool. Förskola can be attended until a child reaches age 5 and is subsidized through municipal funding that depends on the family’s employment and education.
  • Swedish Förskola’s are based around play-based learning and they emphasize equality. Children are taught that they can grow up and become anything they want to be, regardless of their gender.
  • Mandatory schooling begins for all children at age 6. There are four stages of this mandatory schooling: Förskoleklass (“preschool year” or Kindergarten), LĂĄgstadiet (years 1–3), Mellanstadiet (years 4–6) and Högstadiet (years 7–9). Before and after school care is also offered for all children.
  • There is also something called Sameskolor which is schooling for children of the indigenous Sami peoples. I hope to do a future blog post that focuses on the Sami peoples.
  • Upper secondary school is called Gymnasium (years 10-12). It is optional and students can decide between national programs (which prepare the students for higher education) and vocational programs. If students do not pass the entrance exams to get into national programs, they can take “introductory programs” that will help them eventually get into the university preparatory programs.
  • There are also gymnasiums that are specifically for special education, sports, and fine arts.
  • In 2017, approximately 90 percent of Gymnasium students received their diploma.

Next week I will research more about the educational system and the country’s new advances in their curriculum.

Photo by DrahomĂ­r Posteby-Mach on Unsplash

Today I have reached a 15-day streak on Duolingo. I am having a great time learning new words and phrases. I have even taught some words to my friends who are also going to Sweden. For the past week, I have been learning how to connect the words that I already know into phrases and sentences.

My evergrowing list of Swedish words/phrases that I have learned on Duolingo:
  • A boy = En pojke
  • A girl = En flicka
  • A woman = En Kvinna
  • I am a woman = Jag är en kvinna
  • A man = En man/ Mannen
  • Drinking = Dricker
  • Water = Vatten
  • Eating = äter
  • And = Och
  • A = Ett
  • Bread = Bröd
  • A book = En bok
  • A menu = En meny
  • You = Du
  • Have = Har
  • A/one/an = En and Ett
  • Newspaper = Tidning
  • A letter = Ett brev
  • The child = Barnet
  • Milk = Mjolk
  • It = Det
  • Read = Läser
  • She = Hon
  • He = Han
  • Are/Is = är
  • We = Vi
  • You = Du
  • Sandwich = smörgĂĄs
  • They = De
  • Rice = Ris
  • Good morning = God morgon!
  • Yes = Ja
  • Please = Snälla
  • So = sĂĄ
  • Then = dĂĄ
  • You are welcome = VarsĂĄgod
  • Hello = Hej or HĂĄllo
  • Everyone = Alla
  • Welcome = Välkommen
  • I am sorry = Ursäkta
  • Food = mat
  • Pasta = Pasta
  • Breakfast = Frukost
  • Fruit = Frukt
  • Sugar = Socker
  • Cheese = Ost
  • Coffee = Kaffe
  • Lunch = lunch
  • Good bye = Hej dĂĄ
  • Dog = hund
  • Moose = älg
  • Cat = Katt

EdTech Blog Post #5: Tools for Students with Anxiety

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On February 4, 2020

In EdTech

Tools for Students with Anxiety

Meditation Apps:
  • Stop, Breathe & Think → Free: A mindfulness app designed for students with anxiety disorders that uses meditation and other breathing techniques to regulate their emotions.
  • Pacifica → Ranked as one of Apple’s “Best Mental Health Apps”. This app allows you to track how you are feeling. It also has a unique audio playlist that you can use when feeling anxious. 
    • Cons: Free but also has a paid option of $3.00 a month
  • Headspace → A meditation app for teachers to use in the classroom. Has a series of 10-minute voice-guided meditation exercises that students can follow.
  • Dreamy Kid → an app that offers meditation “guided visualizations and affirmations” to help kids and teens to work towards a happier and more mindful life. 
  • Happify → games that are designed to conquer stress and make you happier. These games are tailored to your specific needs based on an entrance quiz. 
    • Cons: Free but Happify + costs $11.65 a month
Analysis →

These apps allow students and teachers to have a guided form for students to combat their anxiety. This is an excellent tool for teachers as often they cannot always support a student who may suffer from anxiety, and using apps allows students to self-regulate their emotions. However, we did notice that many of the apps require payment for additional materials and students are unable to do so. Also, additional investigation is necessary as we would have to ensure the security of the student and their privacy. 

Other Apps:
  • Recolour → a digital colouring app that allows you to select from a variety of photos and colour in using the colour palette you enjoy
  • Super Stretch Yoga → a fun educational tool to teach yoga and the importance of physical activity and mindful breathing.
  • Positive Penguins → an interactive and simple tool that helps students understand why they are

    Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

    feeling certain feelings and how they can move forward and feel better. It helps to change the way children process certain experiences and emotions so that they can cope with them in a positive way. 

Analysis →

These apps are a way to help students cope with anxiety and negative thoughts. They can be a way to re-centre a student, a way to distract them, or a way to teach physical activities that will help them cope with these negative feelings. These are good things to offer in a centre time or free play to allow students to explore coping mechanisms or just have fun while having the benefits of the app.

Videos:
  • CosmicKidsYoga

  • This youtube channel describes this video and others in the same series as a way to “find your centre to help ease worries and anxiety.” 
  • This could be displayed on a smartboard and the class performs the yoga in front of the screen. If an individual student needs time to calm down, they could bring a computer or iPad into a quiet room and perform some of the yoga.
  • GoNoodle Flow

  • Positive thinking and relaxation exercises
  • GoNoodle is free for teachers, parents, and kids!
  • This could be displayed in the same way as CosmicKidsYoga
Analysis →

These videos are a great way for students who experience anxiety to still feel included in the classroom because they teach skills that are important for all students to learn such as mindfulness, self-regulation, and managing self-draining emotions. They are presented to the entire class at the same time and promote connectedness and belonging within the classroom community.

Non-Technological Tools We Have Seen In Practice In Schools:

Photo by Kiran C Kon Unsplash

  • Squeeze balls, squishies, fidget spinners, fidget balls, water-based toys, noise-canceling headphones, desk shields, tattle phones
  • Going for a walk, riding a stationary bike, etc.

 

 

We hope you found this post helpful!

 

Sincerely,

Sarah, Heather, and Alexa

Music Blog Post #1: Getting Started With Guitar!

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On January 31, 2020

In Music

Here on February 1st, 2020, I am presenting my first blog post for learning the guitar in EDCI 306A! In this post and all subsequent ones to follow, I will be outlining my progress in the criteria for learning the three songs that I specified in my Musicianship Goals Action Plan.

Photo by Louis Hansel on Unsplash

Criteria (Indicators of Success)
  • Chord Memorization:

So far, I have memorized the Am, A, Em, G, D, D7, and C chords. I still have yet to memorize G7 for the Alphabet song.

  • Chord Transitions

For “Slow Burn,” I can transition between Am and Em and G nicely. The hardest two transitions for this song are the Am to C and G to D. In “Happy Birthday,” it is difficult to transition between G and D and G and C. I have not learned the transitions for the Alphabet Song yet.

  • Strumming Patterns

In “Slow Burn,” I have memorized the strumming pattern. It is “Down, Down. Down, Up, Down, Down.” I have not figured out the strumming pattern for “Happy Birthday” yet but I will be using this video to do so. For the Alphabet Song, I will be using this youtube tutorial video to learn the strumming pattern.

  • Ability to Sing at the Same Time

I am not able to play and sing just yet although I attempt to sing a very slowed down version of “Slow Burn” while playing the chords. For the other two songs, I am not fully able to sing and play at the same time yet either.

What I Have Learned So Far

Thanks to our classtime instrument session, I learned a lot from my classmates who have previous guitar knowledge and skill. I learned that when a chord sounds wonky, muffled, or weak, even when my fingers are in the correct place, it could be from not pressing down on the strings hard enough. D chord used to never sound right to me but after my classmate Maddy told me to press harder, it has been working beautifully ever since. I really valued our classroom collaboration time and cannot wait to see what else I will learn during the next one. I have been staying on track with my 10 minutes minimum per day, 6 days a week guitar regimen and I can feel my fingers getting stronger and more used to pressing the strings. I also feel my hands becoming accustomed to stretching out and using all of my fingers in different places (something I never really did before). All in all, my guitar practicing has brought me some significant progress since the middle of January leading up to this first blog post and I am excited to see where the rest of the semester takes me!

Free Inquiry Blog Post #3: Spectacular Sweden

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On January 31, 2020

In Free Inquiry

Hej alla! Today’s blog post will feature some research on Swedish celebrities, Swedish music, and the country’s environmental stance.

Swedish Celebrities and Music

Alfred Nobel, Creator of the Nobel Peace Prize

Ann-Margret, Actress 

PewDiePie, YouTuber

Greta Thunberg, Environmental Activist

Environment

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

  • Sweden is renowned as a progressive country with its stance on environmental issues.
  • Only 1% of the country’s solid waste ends up in landfills while the other 99% is recycled or turned into biogas (a biofuel that is created by the decomposition of organic waste).
  • Sweden has decreased its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20% since 1990. The country has also set the goal of producing zero net GHG emissions by the year 2050. They want to have a fossil fuel-free “vehicle fleet” by the year 2030.
  • Sweden’s energy production is created by 48% renewable energy sources. These include bio-energy, wind power, and solar power.
  • Sweden does have its own environmental issues however, they have over-logged areas of the country and still experience many unsustainable logging practices. The country also faces pollution of the Baltic Sea due to agriculture runoff and waste treatment issues. Finally, due to the country’s rapid and prolonged industrialization and urbanization, acidic lakes have affected the survival of native plants and animals. Despite these issues, Sweden is a leader in tackling climate change and in a future blog post, I will outline this by studying Greta Thunberg.

 

I am proud of myself with my Swedish learning – I have an 11 day streak on Duolingo!

My evergrowing list of Swedish words/phrases that I have learned on Duolingo:
  • A boy = En pojke
  • A girl = En flicka
  • A woman = En Kvinna
  • I am a woman = Jag är en kvinna
  • A man = En man/ Mannen
  • Drinking = Dricker
  • Water = Vatten
  • Eating = äter
  • And = Och
  • A = Ett
  • Bread = Bröd
  • A book = En bok
  • A menu = En meny
  • You = Du
  • Have = Har
  • A/one/an = En and Ett
  • Newspaper = Tidning
  • A letter = Ett brev
  • The child = Barnet
  • Milk = Mjolk
  • It = Det
  • Read = Läser
  • She = Hon
  • He = Han
  • Are/Is = är
  • We = Vi
  • You = Du
  • Sandwich = smörgĂĄs
  • They = De
  • Rice = Ris
  • Good morning = God morgon!
  • Yes = Ja
  • Please = Snälla
  • So = sĂĄ
  • Then = dĂĄ
  • You are welcome = VarsĂĄgod
  • Hello = Hej or HĂĄllo
  • Everyone = Alla
  • Welcome = Välkommen
  • I am sorry = Ursäkta
  • Food = mat
  • Pasta = Pasta
  • Breakfast = Frukost
  • Fruit = Frukt
  • Sugar = Socker
  • Cheese = Ost
  • Coffee = Kaffe
  • Lunch = lunch

 

Next week, I look forward to finding out more about Swedish cuisine and the country’s educational system.

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