Expertos de Moda

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of teaching Demonstrative Adjectives. We use the Realidades series in my district and in Spanish 2, Demonstratives are paired with clothing and accessories. As a result, I decided to allow my kids to play the role of "Expertos de Moda". I had two (brave) students volunteer to be modelos and as a class we picked out their outfits.

In preparation, I brought in two big bags of clothing and accessories. I had three dresses, skirts, shirts, sweaters, vests, scarves, hats and pairs of sunglasses. I passed these items around the room and stood at the back of the class. I presented the concept of demonstratives by saying. "Amigos, vamos a ser expertos de moda" "¿Cuál falda debe llevar estudiante? ¿Esta falda?(pointing) ¿Esa Falda?(pointing) O ¿Aquella falda?(pointing) We then followed that up with the next article of clothing and then the next. When it was all said and done I asked our Modelos (again) if they would be willing to try on their outfits (just in case they became too wild and uncomfortable for them to wear since their initial agreement). And, of course, outgoing Spanish students are always willing to take part in a catwalk!

As a class, we picked out a song and these two walked in displaying their newest styles. After all the fun and games, we took the time to discuss the difference between esta, esa and aquella and the difference between este and esta and so forth. Having had a little bit of fun certainly made for a more interesting lesson and students that were more willing to explore the grammar side of the language. Furthermore, this lesson is one where the grammar was presented in context as opposed to my old worksheet/guided notes method. Overall, with a little more tweaking, this will be a solid lesson that I plan to use for years to come.

La Nochevieja

As much as I love Spanish I also love to talk about cultura. Last year (2012-2013) I had the pleasure to celebrate New Year's eve (Nochevieja) en Puerta del Sol in Madrid, España.

Those that know me, realize that hanging in a crowd this large is NOT my scene, but, I will admit that it was an incredible experience well worth being outside of my comfort zone. Afterall, what teacher doesn´t like cultural bragging rights with her students :) In any case, in Spain it is traditional to eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight on New Year´s eve. You will see hundreds upon on hundreds of people with their plastic baggies of grapes ready to go. On T.V. during the Campanadas, they even have a countdown to eating them. Each grape devoured is believed to be a month of good luck.

With this in mind, I decided to recreate this experience with my students.

Learning Objective: To be able to describe New Year's Traditions  (I go over the daily objectives with my students everyday--they need to know what they are responsible for learning)

I start my lesson by having my students read an article about New Year´s eve traditions in Spanish. It includes Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ecuador and other Spanish speaking countries. I follow this up by going through a powerpoint I created explaining many of these in detail. The last of the slides is of Spain, where I explain the grapes and the campanadas.

Instead of just talking about it, I have my students watch the Youtube clip of ¨Las Campanadas¨ and interact.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV1VFcCKijY

As they watch the video, I have them eat 12 gummy bears... or deliciosos ;)

It seems like a silly task, but with all sincerity, this really does make for a memorable experience for the kids. In fact, my Spanish 2 students asked me if we would be celebrating again this year. They are ready.

New Year, New Me...Not really

Some things will never change, I love teaching and I love my students. I do have a few goals this year though:

1) Continue to learn and try new things. As an avid pinterest user and Spanish teacher share follower I have hundreds of ideas everyday at my finger tips. But, it takes more than just pinning to make A difference in the classroom. As I become more and more familiar with my curriculum objectives, I plan to try things that are new and out of the box every unit and to reflect on them. TPRS, you are on my list!!!

2) I will continue to focus on the positives. I've always been a glass is half full kind of person. It is pretty easy with amazing friends, family and some of the best students a teacher can ask for, but as a teacher, I truly believe that optimism and a positive attitude is of the utmost importance.

3) I will continue to push myself outside of my comfort zone. One of the most influential people in my life always says that to promote growth it's a good idea to keep yourself comfortably uncomfortable. If life gets too cozy you are less likely to change. Let's face it, education is constantly evolving and so should we.

4) I will continue to lead and to be led when needed. Anything is possible when everyone is on the same page working towards the same vision.

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Remembering to Recognize the Little Things

You know how it goes every time you meet someone new. 

"What do you teach?", they ask. My thought---Students. My answer: "Spanish"

Yes, I teach STUDENTS Spanish. And I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. Anyone who teaches and has developed a passion for it, knows that students are more than just a "bunch of kids" that you coexist with 47 minutes a day. They become bits and pieces of you and if there is one thing I have learned in my short time as a teacher is that one should NEVER take them for granted.  In fact, I am very careful to make sure that ALL of my students are known and valued in my classroom. Here are some of the little things that I do:

1) In my classroom, I have a bulletin board for Students of the Week titled "¿Quién es el estudiante de la Semana?¨. Each week, I pick one or two students from each one of my classes and I give them a blank outline of this owl. I ask them to decorate the owl in whatever fashion they would like and to write a paragraph about him/herself in Spanish. When they finish, it goes on the board and it takes me about two minutes a week to organize. I have done the math, and there are enough weeks in the school year to have each student spotlighted for at least a week a year. It is a small thing, but, they take it seriously and are truly honored to be picked (and write a paragraph...WIN!)

2) At least once a month, I pick a few students to make positive phone calls home to or to write notes home to. They are as simple as: ¡Hola! I just wanted to let you know that it has been an absolute pleasure having .... in my class this year. She participates frequently, has a great sense of humor and has been doing a great job with...¨ Let´s face it, ALL students have positives that can be highlighted. Accentuate them! It might make that student want to work harder or at the very least will give them a reason to continue that particular behavior!