First week of a new school!

Week one at my new school is done! It was a whirlwind and just flew by. Teaching 4th-8th grade is very different than just 3rd-5th grade even though two of the grades are the same. My 4th graders are learning Spanish for the first time and it is so fun to watch them experiment with the language. On the other hand, my 8th graders are in their 5th year and I am their third teacher in three years. They're still trying to see who I am and what class is going to look like for them this year. So far so good, I think :) I was very nervous to start with the middle schoolers but they really are quite a lot of fun! Quick refresher... I see my 4th-6th graders twice a week of 40 minutes. I see my 7th and 8th graders every day for 40 minutes but only 9 weeks out of the year.

I started each class basically the same way... shake everyone's hand while they say their name (me llamo ___. - yes even the 4th graders did this!) We shared good news from the summer (required bit from Capturing Kinds Hearts... great program if you've never heard of it) then I showed a picture slideshow of myself and my family. I spoke about every picture in Spanish and then had the students translate (or guess for the 4th graders) what I said. Even the 4th graders picked up on almost everything I said. Then we did a ball toss and for the middle schoolers, we also played a quick review game. Day 1, done! Day 2 was all about picking out Spanish names (am I crazy for making myself learn twice as many names as I already have to?) and practicing asking/answering questions about names. Middle schoolers played another review game. Up next comes a quick communication unit with classroom commands and useful phrases for all grades but the vocabulary is different in each of the grade. I am reviewing the basic 4th grade vocab in every grade though to make sure everyone knows what I want them to know.

Many of the teachers in my school have children in the school and I am lucky enough to teach most of them (no pressure... right?) So far though, many of those parents have come up to me saying that their kids are really enjoying Spanish (yay!). That makes me feel good. Plus, my assistant principal and principal have both stopped in my class at least once and left with smiles on their faces. My principal even speaks Spanish! How awesome (and rare) is that?!?

I have so many ideas flowing through my mind about what I want to do and how that it is difficult to organize my thoughts right now. I will still be updating my blog regularly (though maybe not as regularly at first as I adjust to my new school) so be on the lookout for lesson ideas and my thoughts on the (Spanish) teaching profession!

The end of the beginning

It’s over. My first year of teaching is officially over. My first job is officially over. And it doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel like when I go to work tomorrow, I can go in an hour later because I don’t have to plan. I have curriculum meetings 8-3 this week and then that’s it. It’s surreal. I can’t believe it’s June! This year went by so fast. Every year since I can remember just keeps speeding up and now it feels like I’m just flying through life. Last year at this time I was substitute teaching, planning for a wedding and a honeymoon, and getting ready to move to a new city. This year, I am preparing to go to China in a week (yay family!), putting offers on houses, and getting ready for my new job (in an old city - the one where I grew up) where I’ll have my second, first-year of teaching. If the University of Michigan taught me anything, it’s that changes are good and exciting;they are just new opportunities to explore this world and myself in a different light. I am sad that this chapter of my life has ended but am looking forward to the future. Check back on this blog over the summer and next year as I continue to explore the wonderful world of education as a Spanish teacher. Have a great summer everyone!

More fire alarms

Update... (no I did not set up the fire alarm again). The fire alarm has gone off 3 or 4 more times since I set it off all by different people. It always goes off for the same reason; either something in the oven or burnt popcorn in a not-so-great microwave. I'm just proud of myself that I set it off when there were fewer kids in school (because it was after school) and it was a nice day. We've had to stand outside pretty long some days in the cold and wind while waiting for the firemen to give the okay the other times it has gone off.

Hey girl

The end of the year is pretty difficult. Students are check-out and ready for summer and I'm getting there as well. So while I was on facebook, one of my friends mom's posted this on her page and I clicked the link. It's kind of weird but made me smile. Sorry guys, this blog is just for female teachers but is still entertaining whenever you need a pick-me-up. Check it out!

"Standardized" testing in Spanish

My 5th graders this week get to do something that no other 5th grade class has done before in Lake Bluff. We are taking online computer assessments, in Spanish! (They were not pleased with me when I told them that was the surprise for class this week haha.) The test is called the STAMP4SE (for grades 3-6; grades 6-12+ take the STAMP4S) and you can find more information on this website. Basically, it is just a way to measure language proficiency in our school. Since this is the first year, there are still working out a few technicalities in the assessment so not everyone finished everything but it will be taken every spring from this year forward. This is not an assessment that needs any studying ahead of time and it doesn't count for a grade. It is just a way for the world language team to see how much Spanish our students are soaking in.  There are 4 parts to this test; reading, writing, listening, and speaking, however, I am only giving the last two sections this year. In the future, 5th graders may take all 4 sections, who knows. The data we get this year from the assessments will be used to help in the redesign of the curriculum over the summer. Here are a few things that I've noticed about the test:


1. It takes almost 15-20 minutes for elementary kids to get logged in to the test after testing the headphone/microphone, downloading the directions documents from my dropbox, and entering the test codes, passwords, and usernames. And it really helps to have the tech person or just an extra pair of hands to help during this set-up.
2. The listening section is like 20 minutes. (The number of questions varies on how much Spanish you know.... the more Spanish you know, the more questions you take.) But the sound cuts in and out so the kids can't always hear the whole question. After day 2, we figured out that you can just refresh the page but sometimes that doesn't even work.
3. You can't go straight from listening to speaking. Instead, you have to log out of the test, quit safari, turn the airport off.... then turn it back on and log in again. Otherwise, the test stops working during the first speaking question. This si weird and annoying but something I can deal with now that I know it happens.
4. Kids get nervous during the speaking sections. They speak super quiet into the microphone because they're afraid of speaking in front of their peers even though we do multiple speaking activities every lesson.
5. Some kids asked me if it was okay that they spoke a little bit of English during the speaking section because they didn't know a word.... I just shook my head and sighed. 
6. New pages (questions) take forever to load. Sometimes it just stops loading and you have the quit and turn the airport off to pick up where you left off.




I'd love to give this test at my new job but I have no idea how the curriculum and/or budget works at NHA. That'll be something that I have to figure out this summer or next fall. I like the idea of giving this national test because it is aligned with the ACTFL oral proficiency targets. (I'll do a post about those a little later.) 


I am excited (and nervous) to see the results!

Free online resources for students

This website has a list (and explanation) of a bunch of websites that are kid-friendly. I haven't really looked through the list yet but thought I would share it. From a glance, they seem pretty good.

Free online resources for educators

You ever have that moment when you realized that you somehow forgot to plan your next lesson (life happens)? Or when you're just at a loss for an activity because the kids need more practice with the vocabulary because you're sick of doing the same thing? Or you need an easy sub plan that's NOT a worksheet? Then check out this website! It works for any language because you type in the words but it has all the templates, pictures, and directions for game boards, dominoes, bingo, crosswords, word searches, etc (yes I realize some of those are worksheets, but not most of them!). This list is endless! I just stumbled upon this website this morning and immediately book marked it for the future. I hope you find it as useful as I do!

Job Hunt is Officially Over :)

Last night I accepted an offer from  Excel Charter Academy! I will be teaching Spanish grades 4-8 and couldn't be more excited. I am happy to still be teaching elementary school but will also be able to use my skills with middle schoolers. Excel is just one of many schools associated with National Heritage Academies. I have a friend who works for this charter network on this east side of the state and she loves her job so I can't wait to get started!

Buen Provecho

Lunch club is still going strong. After a few kids initially dropped out, I combined traditional and multiage so that everyone gets the chance to eat at lunch club every week if they want too. This is much more beneficial for my students rather than every other week. Kids can come and go as they please from week to week, as long as I know ahead of time. I still take attendance every week and there are probably about 30 kids who come consistently. My principal was a guest at one of the lunch clubs last week and even though she doesn't speak Spanish, she had a lot of fun. She sat with a group of 5th grade girls who were trying to teach her some words so that she could participate as well. It was a lot of fun. And I'm not the only school doing this! Check out this article about a private school in a nearby community from where I teach in Lake Bluff, Illinois.

Making Tamales

In my cooking class this past week, we made Mexican tamales. Now, I need to be perfectly honest with everyone. I've never actually eaten a tamale that I've enjoyed, mostly because of the corn dough in the middle of the corn husks. Also because I've never had an authentic tamale and really haven't tried too many in my life. However, when one of my co-workers mentioned that she used to make tamales all the time with her family and my students had been talking about tamales in previous classes, I decided to give it another try. Plus a rule in my class is that you have to take and least 2 bites of every food we cook but you don't have to finish it. My coworker gave me an authentic recipe that she used with her family and guess what? They were delicious :) I have extra corn husks so I'm excited to make some at home for my husband in the near future. Here's how you make it!

Mexican Tamales

1.     If using corn husks, soak them in enough warm water to completely cover for several hours or overnight to soften. Pat corn husks with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Otherwise you can just use aluminum foil. The corn husks are more fun though. 

2.   Combine 1 1/2 cups masa harina and 1 cup warm water. Mix well. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.

3.   Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook 1 chopped onion in 2 tbsp butter till onion is just tender.

4.   Blend in the 2 tbsp flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Then add 1 cup chicken broth. Cook and stir till mixture is thickened and bubbly.

5.   Stir in 1 1/2 cups diced chicken, 1/3 cup raisins, 1/3 cup toasted almonds, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tbsp parsley, and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Set aside to cool slightly.

6.   In another small bowl, beat 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 tsp salt until fluffy. Beat in masa harina mixture until well combined.

7.   Measure 3 tablespoons dough onto each tamale wrapper. With wet fingers, spread dough to form a rectangle.

 8.   Place about 2 tablespoons chicken-raisin filling, lengthwise, on each tamale rectangle.

9.   Tightly roll tamales jelly-roll style starting with the edge nearest filling.

10.Tie ends securely with strings of corn husk or string. Or you can fold ends under.

11.  Place the tamales on rack in a large steamer or electric skillet. Add water to just below the rack level. Cover and steam 40-45 minutes or until a tamale pulls away from its wrapper when gently unrolled. Serve immediately and enjoy! (Don’t eat the corn husk!)

Guatemalan Worry Dolls

This week with my crafts club we made Guatemalan Worry Dolls. Worry dolls are given to children to help them deal with difficult times. They are stored in a special box or bag until nighttime. Then, just before going to sleep, children take out the worry dolls and tell one worry to each dolls. The dolls then spend the night under the children's pillows until going back in the box the next morning. Worry dolls are a lot like dream catchers. You can certainly buy them or you can make them yourself using pipe cleaners and yarn!

How to make your own worry dolls:

Materials: 2 or 3 wire twist-ties (or pipe-cleaners), 4 inches long; colored yarn or string; scraps of colored paper; scissors; glue; makers

 Step 1) For a bigger doll, use 3 pieces of pipe-cleaner. Twist two together, about an inch from the top. Keep the short ends together (for the head later) but separate the long ends (for the legs). 

Step 2) Wrap the third piece around the body for the arms. Make sure they are even lengths. Bend the hands and feet.

*NOTE* For a smaller doll, use only 2 pieces. Fold one in half and separate the ends. Wrap the second piece around the body to make the arms.

 Step 3) Knot a piece of yarn to the pipe-cleaners where they cross. With the loose end of the yarn, wrap it around the body and down one leg. Then wind the yarn back up the same leg. Do the other leg the same way. Then, wrap the arms in the same fashion. To finish, crisscross the yarn over the shoulders and under the armpits (my students couldn't stop laughing any time I said armpits... not sure why it's so funny but they were fun to watch). Cut the yarn and glue the end to the doll's back.

Step 4) Cut a colored paper rectangle larger than the head. Fold it in half to make a square and round out the edges with scissors. Glue the paper around the doll's head and draw a face. You can add hair if you want as well. This is a picture of dolls that my students made. Aren't they great?

Want to do more? During this activity we also practiced saying colors and body parts. You could also practice adjectives by having children present their dolls to the class as they describe their dolls. You could take this activity to the next level by have the children make the dolls interact with each other and have short conversations. Students could perform their "puppet show" in front of the class or other groups of friends.

I have a challenge for you...

Donors Choose is a great organization that allows you to connect to classrooms in need by donating money through their online charity. Teachers post requests for money to buy school supplies or to start enrichment programs, or even go on study abroad trips with their students. Gracious people donate their money and the students benefit enormously! I haven't posted any requests but some of my friends at charter schools have and it has really helped them to be able to provide a quality education for their students. I have donated before, and this is how.

I was on a search for technology useful to the classroom when I came across education.skype.com (see this previous blog post for more information). The really neat thing was that after I signed up, skype gave me a $25 credit to use on donors choose! How awesome is that? So I searched through all the different projects and chose to sponsor a study-abroad trip for a group of students to go to Costa Rica. I'd rather go on the trip than just donate (who wouldn't) but I'm so happy I'm able to help them enrich their Spanish experience. There are so many different types of projects from which to choose. It was a very difficult, yet fun, decision. And good news! The project just became fully funded as of 5 hours ago! Yay!

Here's my challenge to anyone who reads this blog. I challenge you to make a positive difference in someone's education.There are three different ways to accomplish this challenge. Option 1) If you have a skype account, sign up for education.skype.com. You don't have to plan on using it; you don't even have to be a teacher. Just sign up so that you can get the credit and then DONATE to Donors choose! Option 2) If you don't have a skype account, sign up for that first, then continue for directions under option 1. Option 3) Donate your own money! All the projects on this website are for a really great cause and all of these kids deserve our support. So now the question isn't whether or not you'll accept my challenge... the question is, to which project will you donate?

We made it to the next step!

I have had two curriculum meetings in the past two weeks with the foreign language team in my school district. We met last week just as a team of 4 to continue creating can-do statements and thematic webs for  each of 6 units in every grade. We've been stuck on this step for awhile - since the fall - and it's been a little frustrating. We come up with something we think is awesome and then we look at it the next meeting and hate it. So we change it. And then change it again. We spent a lot of time of elementary units, which made me feel a little bad for the middle school teachers. You can't know what to teach in middle school though if you don't know what you're teaching in elementary school so it was necessary to start from the youngest grade and work our way up. However last week, we finally got to middle school! And I must say, the middle school units look pretty awesome. There's one on communication, both face-to-face and with technology (ie learning how to text in Spanish :) ), and there's another one of love and relationships, and another one on how to communicate with medical professionals.... just to name a few. They all sound like so much fun to teach and will actually be useful to students if (hopefully when) they ever go abroad.

Yesterday was our second meeting and we finally finished all (well, most of) the overview of the units! We also had the smiling approval of our wonderful curriculum consultant, Helena Curtain. We finally made it to the next step in the curriculum process. At the end of yesterday, we wrote essential questions (EQ) for almost every grade; we just have grades 3-5 left. Our next meeting isn't until late May but at that meeting, we'll finish the EQs and then get a refresher course on how to write a UPI (unit plan inventory). After that, we need to go through the current Spanish 1 and 2 curriculum and make sure we hit all the grammar points in the new curriculum. Then, we can start writing assessments, creating lessons, and gathering materials! There's definitely still a lot to do, but we can see a light at the end of the tunnel now. It's been a long, slow process but is totally worth it. Even the small changes we are currently making in our classrooms are showing such a difference in how our students can communicate orally. They have so much more confidence now than at the beginning of the year and it makes me so proud to me my students succeeding in the ways that they are.

Weaving with straws

When I went to Peru a few years ago, I went as part of a volunteer group to promote awareness about the weaving culture. My volunteer group consisted of 15 undergraduate students and 1 professor. While we all spoke Spanish in the group, only our professor had any previous knowledge about weaving. We worked with the Cusco Center of Textiles and met a lot of incredible people. I had such an amazing time learning how to weave and communicating and connecting with my weaving mentor. We learned all about the weaving process; from shearing the animals to washing the wool (this process sent me to the emergency eye doctor after some detergent scratched my cornea - I had to wear an eye patch for 3 days!). We also learned how to dye the wool using natural products like leaves, berries, and sticks. Finally, we learned how to spin the wool to make it nice and fine for weaving. Then came actually learning how to weave, which was very difficult, but a lot of fun. In the end, my peers and I made bracelets, belts, hats, and purses. We felt very accomplished. I can't imagine that being my lifestyle though and spending every day of my life weaving to survive. The weavers were very proud of their work and you could see it in their lit-up eyes as they spoke about it. My peers and I were very impressed with their creations of ponchos, blankets, place mats, and table-runners, just to name a few.

I've been trying to figure out a way to share this experience with my classes. There wasn't room in the curriculum this year to add in a full unit and I wasn't sure what I'd even do. So, instead I just shared this experience with my Spanish crafts after-school club. I showed them my weavings and balls of yarn and then we did our own weaving project that I found in a Spanish crafts book. The weaving project went... okay. I didn't test it out ahead of time (fatal mistake, I should have known better - my mom would be disappointed especially since I helped her test out so many experiments and activities ahead of time for her class) so I was trying to figure it out as we went along. That meant that I didn't have the answers for my students so they became frustrated which made me more frustrated which was just a vicious circle. After thinking about it more last night and this morning, I have come up with ways to improve this project for next time. It still needs improvement because this new process isn't perfect either. However, every day is a learning experience, right? Here's the process, with updated directions.

Materials: Yarn, ruler (or measuring tape), straws, scissors

Step 1: Cut 2 equal strings about 30 inches each. (2 for a bracelet, 4 for a belt)

Step 2: Cut 1/2 inch off the top of each straw and feed one string through each tiny piece of straw.

 Step 3: Thread both parts of the string through the long part of the straw. LOOSELY knot the ends of the string together. (You will be untying this later.)

 Step 4: Start weaving! Grab the end of the skein of yarn and tie a know around the bottom of one of the straws. Wrap the yarn around one straw, then drop it through the middle, then wrap around the other straw. Go back and forth, making sure everything stays tight together. When you fill up the straws, gently push the woven part off the bottom of the straw and continue weaving.

Step 5: When your project looks long enough, cut the yarn from the skein and carefully knot the yarn to the straw. Then, cut the little pieces of straw off the yarn. Next, slowly slide the straws out from the yarn.

 Step 6: Untie the loose knotted end of your bracelet and then tie the two ends together. Admire the beauty of the project you just created!

Online pop-up books

I was having difficulties trying to come up with a fun and different way to introduce vocabulary to my students. I've read books, although most times those don't quite align with what I want to teach. In those cases, I've created my own "books" using power point and prezi (check out this post about prezi). I've shown little video clips and made my own (using xtranormal... read this post for more information). I've shown big, printed-off clip-art pictures and matched the pictures to labels. I've used props, like classroom objects or stuffed animals, and had the kids pass the objects around the class. I've done all these ways many times before during this year and I wanted something new for my 3rd graders unit on school subjects. I wanted something different but didn't know what to do...


Luckily, the technology person at my school just showed me this awesome new website a few weeks ago. It's this awesome website called Zoo Burst that allows you to make online pop-up books! It's different, it's fun, and it's easy to make! You can sign up for a free account (which I did) which has plenty of options for characters, backgrounds, and extra props. If you pay for an account (which the technology person did) then it also comes with a voice feature. I think if I worked with students that had and brought their laptops with them to every class, paying for this service would be totally worth it. I can just imagine students creating their own children's story and recording themselves telling the story. What a great oral assessment! However, my students don't have their own laptops, so I just signed up for the free version. It's very simple to create the scenes; you can upload your own pictures or use their clipart for characters, props, and background. Each character can say whatever you want it to, and there is also a narration caption for the page itself. There is a limit of 10 pages (may be more for the paid version, I'm not sure) and I found that to be plenty. Here is my example.


You're probably wondering what my students thought. Well, they loved it! They smiled and giggled every time a new character popped up and even started reading some of the words themselves. It made for a fun and interactive lesson. We read it through once while I asked them questions in Spanish about the content of the book (Do you use a calculator in math? Do you run in music class?). The second time reading, I asked them who taught each subject and gave ridiculous examples to help them understand what I was asking. All in all, it was a very successful and engaging day.

Hot chocolate like you've never tasted

This is another recipe that I used with my after-school cooking club. Again, it was the first day so I don't have pictures but this is a delicious recipe. This hot chocolate is not like the swiss miss envelope packets at all. It is so much better than that and totally worth the effort. I got this recipe from my host family when I stayed in Peru during college.

Hot Chocolate (Peru)

Ingredients:

4 oz chocolate de taza, or semisweet chocolate, chopped

3 cups water

4 cloves

2 sticks cinnamon

1 can unsweetened evaporated milk

Sugar to taste

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon nutmeg, grated

whipped cream (optional)

Oats (optional)

Preparation:

1.   Bring the water to boil with the cinnamon and cloves, for 10 minutes.

2.   Add the chopped chocolate, stirring until melted.

3.   Add evaporated milk, sugar to taste, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.

4.   Serve immediately with a dollop of whipped cream if desired, and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or grated chocolate. You can also put oats in the hot chocolate to give it a little bit of texture. My host family from Peru taught me that :)

Colombian Coconut Cake

Here's another recipe from something I made with my Horizons class. We made this the first day so I forgot to take pictures. It was a lot of fun and very easy to make. I got this recipe from a friend whose boyfriend is Colombian.

Pastel de Macarena

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter (softened)

¾ can coconut cream

¼ cup vanilla yogurt

½ box vanilla wafers

1 cup hot chocolate

12 oz mini chocolate chips

½ bag shredded coconut

Preparation:

1.   Make hot chocolate and set aside to let cool.

2.   Beat 2 sticks of butter in a medium bowl.

3.   Add about 3/4 a can of coconut cream and 1/4 cup of yogurt. Beat this all together. Set the coconut mixture aside.

4.   Dip the vanilla wafers in the hot chocolate, then line the bottom of the pan with the soaked wafers.

5.   Spread a layer of the coconut mixture over the wafers.

6.   Cover the mixture with shredded coconut.

7.   Sprinkle chocolate chips over the coconut.

8.   Repeat steps 4-7 for as many layers as you would like.

9.   Put the finished cake in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to let everything set up. Enjoy!

Fire alarms and fun

I had my first super embarrassing moment at school yesterday. My after school cooking club and I were making Mexican corn cookies in the teachers' kitchen. Something was (already - I swear it was already there) on the bottom of the oven and when I opened the door to check on the cookies... smoke started billowing out! One of the kids said, “It would be funny if the fire alarm went off right now.” Guess what happened 10 seconds later.... Yup, the fire alarm started screeching and the lights started flashing. Everyone in the school evacuated, I told the principal what happened, and then had to show the cops/firemen (who were fully dressed in their gear by the way, complete with axes) where the problem was and explain it. Highly embarrassing. Even though I wanted to cry (I didn’t, go me!) I tried to make light of the situation with the other staff members. That wasn’t too hard since they were busy cracking jokes and mocking me (in a friendly way). I think my reputation at this school after I leave will be “Remember when that first year Spanish teacher had the school evacuated because of something she was baking?” At least it’s a great story. Oh and on the upside? The cookies turned out perfect!

Mexican Corn Masa Cookies

 Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine 4 cups instant corn masa mix, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.

Step 2: In another bowl, beat 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening and 1/2 butter together. (At room temperature)

 

Step 3: Beat dry ingredients into butter mixture with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a firm but pliable dough. (I ended up not using all the dry mixture and mixing with my hands.) Work in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

 Step 4: Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough, shape into balls, and press onto ungreased baking sheet. Press 5-6 pumpkin seeds (I used sunflower seeds since I couldn't find pumpkin seeds in the store) in a petal form on each cookie. You can use a cinnamon candy as the center.

Step 5: Bake 10-13 minutes and enjoy! This is a picture of a cookie pre-baking time. I didn't get a picture afterwards because of all of the excitement from the fire alarm. It looked the same though, just a little more golden-brown. 

I've never had these before but I would make them again! Next time, I'll be sure to clean the oven before I turn it on.

"Making the Most With What You've Got"

While reading this season's issue of One Day (TFA's alum magazine), I came across a really fantastic article called "Ed Tech 101: Making the Most With What You've Got" by Lewis Leiboh. One of the reasons I like this article so much is that it doesn't just name different ways to use technology in the classroom; it not only explains how to use these tools and gives examples, but also says what you need to be successful.

The first part of the article "Skype's the Limit" talks about different ways to use video chat. Leiboh suggests video chatting with "the author of a book... an expert scientist... a classroom from another community or country... a friend or professor... join a college class." I bolded my favorite because I've had this idea before. I just don't know where to get started. He suggests going to http://education.skype.com/ for project ideas. I did a little searching and found tons of people reaching out! This is a great way to get started with connections. I don't think I'll do anything this year but I look forward to incorporating Skype in my future classrooms. My eventual goal is to establish a relationship with one or two teachers and maintain that relationship throughout the years. That way, our students are always receiving this great experience and the other teacher(s) and I are perfecting the project each year. In addition to a laptops with webcam (or perhaps ipads) and speakers, a projector, and a videochat service that Leiboh recommends using, I would also suggest an activity of some sort so that the kids have an idea of what they should be doing while talking. This will help deter any awkward silences that may arise if you just want the kids to talk about whatever. As relationships and language skills develop, I think it'd be a great idea to just have conversations every now and then, and have the students write about what they said after the conversations.

The second part of the article is "Get Your Head in the Cloud." This one talks a lot about using class websites and eliminating the use of paper. This not only helps absent students and families stay in touch but also allows students to go back and review something if they need a little extra support. Leiboh suggests using "tools like Google Sites... [and] edmodo.com [which is] a private classroom social network."I don't really have experience with this and don't have the time with my 27-minute elementary classes, but think it is a great idea for a high school or middle school, especially if there is a 1-1 laptop ratio.

The last part of the article "Go Island Hopping" I love, mostly because I love stations. And I love how Leiboh calls them islands instead of stations... it's just so much more whimsical. I struggle with stations in my short time period, but have still made it work. Leiboh has a whole week of lesson plans for stations that goes as follows:

Monday: Whole group lesson, no islands
Tuesday-Thursday: 3 stations=1 station/day - the stations are 1) "instruction island" with is a small group with the teacher; 2) "independence island" which is 2 smaller groups for independent practice exercises and 3) "study island" where students use online tools at their own pace to master the content. You could change the study island sessions to include any online tool that you want, not just Leiboh's suggestion.
Friday: Wrap-up and quiz

He doesn't use the islands every week but it does break it up. Other ideas for islands include "watch instructional videos, practice fluency by having students record themselves reading out loud [and] complete group activities using a SmartBoard." I think these are all great ideas and there are so many more great ideas out there as well. This can be adapted for any age or grade level. Maybe one of the islands could even be FaceTime with another class and combine the first and third part of this article!

Teaching in the Target Language

While reading this season's print of the Foreign Language Annals, I came across something truly awesome. This particular project studied "The Effect of Target Language (TL) and Code-Switching on the Grammatical Performance and Perceptions of Elementary-Level College French Students."I believe that this project can be adapted to any language as well as any age. There would have to be some adjustments in teaching to create age appropriate lessons, but the overall effect would be the same. I think reading the abstract sums up pretty well why it is important to stay in the TL.

"Grammar instruction is at the center of the TL and code-switching debate. Discussion revolves around whether grammar should be taught in the TL or using the TL and the native language (L1). This study investigated the effects of French-only grammar instruction and French/English grammar instruction on elementary-level students' grammar performance. The study also examined students' instructional preference and perceptions of the use of either approach to teach grammar and French in general. Grammar test score increases were significantly greater for the French-only condition, and posttest grammar scores were significantly higher for the French-only conditions. Qualitative findings suggested that although a majority of students expressed a preference for learning French grammar with the support of English, they recognized the benefits of a TL approach."


Yes, it is harder to teach while only staying in the TL. Yes, it may be slower and more frustrating. But this is proof that it is worth it and students will have a better grasp on the language after such a program. This is why I teach the way I do (both staying as much as possible in the TL and sometimes breaking down to student wishes and supporting my lessons with English). This is why I am going to strive to break into English less often. My goal has been and will continue to be 90% or more in the TL during my lessons. I want my students to be surprised that I can speak English just as well as them (I have gotten that comment before and I smile every time). This should be every language teacher's goal.

At-home professional development

I don't think it's a secret that I love my job. I love teaching. I love watching kids learn. I love watching kids succeed after struggling with a concept. I love watching kids understand something right away and just get it. I love my job. However, I am not an expert. I am not perfect. My lessons aren't perfect. I am a good teacher, but not a great one. Not yet anyway. This is my first year of teaching and I am still learning a LOT.

Because I'm not perfect, I try to get my hands on any type of professional development reading that I can. This includes books like Helena Curtain's Making the Match, Harry Wong's The First Days of School,  Doug Lemov's Teach Like A Champion, and Neila Connors' If You Don't Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students! It also includes education magazines, like the TFA alum magazine One Day (I'm not TFA alum but my husband is) or the National Education Association's magazine NEA Today. I also read the Foreign Language Annals which is a scholarly journal produced by The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The annals are a collection of articles on different research projects about teaching and learning a second language.

There are a lot more resources out there... different blogs, internet collaboration sites, more books, more magazines, more scholarly journals, etc. I love that I have time during my train commute to stay up-to-date on the foreign language world. Next year, I probably won't have this luxury (yes, this is my positive spin on my over-an-hour commute each way) so I'll be sure to make time to read. I think staying current with teaching styles and methods is a very important part of what I do and it definitely helps make me a better teacher.

That's their job...

You know those moments when a kid says something, or asks a question, and it's not really related at all to what you're doing but it's a great time to share a little bit of wisdom with the students. It's that time when you can teach your students something that's not necessarily in the curriculum but essential for the kids to know in life. Well, I had one of those teachable moments yesterday during my after-school club. We were making papel picado (see my previous post for pictures and how-to make this awesome project) and the room was getting a little messy. We were cutting tissue paper and lots of little pieces were falling to the floor. I told my students that we would end 5 minutes early to make sure that we cleaned up the room before we left. One of my students said, "Why do we have to do that? That's the janitor's job." My heart sank a little bit when I heard that but then I realized I could take this moment and teach a valuable lesson. I replied something along the lines of, "It is the custodian's job to clean, yes, however we do not have to make it harder for them. They come and mop the floors and wipe off the tables but it is not their job to pick up after us. Whenever and wherever we make a mess, it is always our job to pick it up and keep the area looking neat and clean. We don't need to make other people's jobs harder for them." The student thought for a moment and was silent before finally saying "oh, well that makes sense." When it came time to pick up, she was the first one on the ground cleaning up all the little pieces of paper with her hands. I was so proud :) If she doesn't remember a word Spanish I taught her, at least she'll remember to make other people's jobs as easy as possible for them.

Papel Picado

Papel picado is a very popular decoration in Spanish-speaking countries. This cut-paper (literally, pierced-paper) is used for birthdays, weddings, Day of the Dead, and Cinco de Mayo, among countless other holidays and celebrations. There are a couple of different ways to make this decoration but I just used scissors with my students. It's much easier than using a chisel, for example. My after-school club had a lot of fun and so did I! I've also done this project with middle schoolers and as a high school student myself. With the younger kids, I chose easier patterns or let the students make up their own pattern. The older students are more able to successfully complete the more intricate patterns, although I could still see frustration in some of my students' eyes. This is a fun activity but can be quite difficult, depending on the pattern you choose. 

 Step 1: Start with different colored tissue paper, a variety of patterns (downloadable from the internet - here's one example), glue or a staple or tape, scissors or an exacto knife.

 Step 2: For my students, they chose one piece of tissue paper, folded it in half, and taped the pattern to one side. You can also choose multiple pieces of tissue paper and staple them together to do more at once. We used scissors in my class but you can do more intricate patterns with an exacto knife or something similar. 

Step 3: Finish cutting out the pattern. The picture to the left is one I made using a sun pattern. You have to be careful when removing the pattern otherwise you'll have to tape part of your decoration back together like I did. The picture above is an example of some that my students made without using a pattern. This method is more like making a paper snowflake and is a lot quicker and sometimes less frustrating. All in all, we had lots of fun and I'll be doing this activity a lot with my future students! Even with a whole class, it's a pretty easy activity to do. This can be used as a project for culture activities like Day of the Dead; a way to practice listening to and following directions in Spanish; vocabulary practice like colors and shapes; the possibilities are endless! You can hang up the finished products or string them together and create beautiful, long pieces of artwork to hang across the ceiling or hallway!

The same yet different

Part of being a (first-year) teacher is adjusting lessons and being flexible and making sure things work. A lot of times, this means that the last time of teaching a particular lesson will be much better than the first. I have 7 different 5th grade and 4/5 multiage grade classes and so sometimes (really, often times) my first lesson and my last lesson are vastly different. Today was no exception. I am teaching my students rudimentary conjugation skills so that they'll be ready for middle school next year. We are currently practicing how to say how we are feeling, in terms of being sick. For example, I have a cough, I have a fever, I am sneezing, etc. Here's the agenda for for my first lesson:


1. Students pull out pre-made flashcards, organize them into piles based on the categories on the board.
2. Have students tell me which cards belong in each category.
3. Introduce I vs You vs He/She using hand gestures and pointing. Practice for each vocabulary.
4. Introduce but don't explain verb conjugations.
5. Introduce and play the game of El Mago (The Magician) by saying one person is el mago and the other person has to do what they say. Play each role 5 times then have a seat. Must speak Spanish.


After the first class dragged on (you could definitely tell my students were bored with it and even I was kind of bored), I decided to make some changes. For the next class, I shortened the use of flashcards but that seemed to make it more confusing. Then I tried to adjust how I was teaching verb conjugations but students were struggling with that too. After a few more adjustments, my agenda for my last class looked more like this:


1. This picture was already on the board.

2. Practice speaking/gesturing vocabulary while switching up I, You, He/She then ask for translations at the end. (They caught on to this really quickly!)
3. Briefly explain verb conjugations (in English, ugh, but at least they weren't confused).
4. Review old vocabulary by having students recall phrases that fit in with what we're learning. (Ex: I am cold, I am sleepy, etc.)
5. Introduce and play the game of El Mago (The Magician) by saying one person is el mago who casts "sickness spells" on the other person. They must say the directions using the "You" format and the other person must do what el mago says (since the person is under a spell). Not only do they have to act out the sickness, they must also say it by changing the verb from "You" to "I". Play each role 5 times then have a seat. Must cast spells in Spanish.


I know that my last few classes got way more out of the lesson than my first few classes. I know this is a part of teaching and the fact that I can change my lessons between classes shows flexibility and adaptation on my part. However, I feel bad for my first few classes and wish I could go back and reteach them! My lessons were the same for each class, yet also different which led to very different learning experiences for everyone. This is all a learning experience for me too though, so I'm still happy! It's not like my first class didn't get anything out of the lesson; they still learned. It just wasn't taught as best as it could have been. My lesson can still be improved, lessons can always be improved, but I am happy with the end result.

Arroz con leche

I also made arroz con leche with my cooking class. It is a very popular Hispanic dessert that is enjoyed in most of the Spanish-speaking countries. This is the first time I've made this dish and I'm quite proud with how it turned out. The kids thought it was delicious too. There is also a popular children's song in Spanish about this delicious dish. Check that out here. (Yes the video is a little weird but the pictures help explain the lyrics if you don't understand the Spanish.)

 Step 1: Let 1 cup rice soak in 4 cups of water with ground cinnamon and ground cloves. It should soak for at least 1 hour.

 Step 2: Bring rice mixture to a boil. Let it boil for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 3: While mixture is boiling, beat one egg in a bowl. Add one can sweetened condensed milk and one can evaporated milk. After 10-12 minutes, add the milk mixture and turn the heat down to medium. Continue at a soft boil, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Step 4: Spoon into a bowl (or put in the fridge if you want to eat it cold). Top with dried fruit and cinnamon.

Step 5: Enjoy! This is a pretty rich dessert so you don't need a lot but it is delicious.