Pass The Torch Linky in a Spanglish Setting... Say what?!

Get Ready for Bloggy Olympics!!!

Join The 3AM Teacher, the Reading Olympians, and over 80 SUPREME education bloggers as we take you through a tour of the Reading Olympians Root Study Program!!


My First post of 2013 and what a post it is! I’ve been meaning to catch up with the few of you who follow me on here (thank you, btw) on all the wild rides and funny stories that I have to share since November (has it seriously been that long?!). Before then, however, I want to talk to you about this AMAZING Pass the Torch Linky that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of.
Michelle from the3amTeacher.blogspot.com and Krista and Julie from the ReadingOlympian.blogspot.com have created an awesome “at your own pace” vocabulary program that scaffolds the learning of Latin and Greek Roots called Jr. Reading Olympians.
I was one of the approximately 90 teachers (yes you read that correctly!) who were able to implement a lesson (or more) in their classrooms.
Given that I teach a 1st/2nd grade split bilingual classroom this year, I only tried it with my second graders to help build their academic vocabulary and help prepare them for ISAT (next year, of course)… after all, knowledge=power, right?
Since their vocabulary in English is pretty limited, we started with cent given that it has a common meaning in both English and Spanish. We talked about Centavo and Centimetro and discussed what those two words have in common. Right away, hands flew in the air, “Los dos tienen las letras c-e-n-t”. Of course they do. =)

Here they are hard at work with cent =)
We spoke about its meaning alone and its meaning in context. Then one little curious girls asks: “Maestra, si “cent” quiere decir cien, por que cuando me dan presents para mi cumpleaños, no recibo cien? Tiene la palabra cent andentro. Pre-sent” All eyes on me *PANIC MODE ACTIVATED* My answer? “Porque lo compran con sus “centavos” y te lo dan con cent-imiento” (that was purposely spelled wrong, btw!) Lol! I’m so clever when I’m under pressure.

We also went into aqua, same idea, same result=success =) This one reaffirmed my love for teaching, specially when one of my boys says, “Now I know why they call him Aqua man! Because he shoots water!!!” LOL. How exciting for everyone! Really.=)
I wish I would have taken more pictures because my blog post may not do this justice, but believe me it was so fun and had them going; it’s not too often they ask for another word or graphic organizer. ;)




Discover the program IN ACTION in more K-6th grade classrooms as you Pass the Torch!! Get ideas, discover the progression of the program, and enter the Raffle for a chance to win ONE of the three prizes listed below!!

First Place Winner : Gold Medal

  Prizes: Complete Reading Olympians Program
            $50.00 Amazon Gift Card
            50% off Discount Code for a 1-Day shopping spree at The 3AM Teacher's Etsy store!

Second Place Winner: Silver Medal

   Prizes: $25.00 Amazon Gift Card
              40% off Discount Code for a 1-Day shopping spree at The 3AM Teacher's Etsy store!

Third Place Winner: Bronze Medal

    Prizes: 30% off Discount Code for a 1-Day shopping spree at The 3AM Teacher's Etsy store!

Pass the Torch!!!
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Kindergarten:



Grade 1 & 2






Grade 3 & 4






Grade 5 & 6


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Speaking in Tongues Linky Party!

Hello, again, Damas y Caballeros! I know what you’re thinking, “Two posts in 24 hours?! She must be ill.” Lol. OK, so it may not be that exact thought, but I’m sure you are as surprised as me! =)

What brings me to this week’s second post? Well, Candis at I Teach Dual Language has an interesting Linky Party going on and I am honored to be part of it. =)

As part of this Linky Party I have been asked to share a brief description of what a day in my bilingual classroom is like. Well...

... it goes a little something like this:
My instruction is about 90% in Spanish and 10% English (with that percentage decreasing in Spanish and increasing in English as students go on to other grades). I’ll be honest, verbally I consider my classroom more like 50/50, but when it comes to the actual instructional time, it’s 90/10. =)

Here’s what my classroom looks like on a daily basis:

8:45-9:00- Universal Breakfast (breakfast is provided for FREE to all students that would like one.)

9:00-9:10: Math --> Problema del Dia and MClass Practice (Spanish)
During this time students must solve a math word problem and solve 10 operational problems in 10 minutes. The problem of the day is in spanish; I cut it, they glue it on the left page in their Morning Math Notebooks and the operational problems they write on the right page. When they are done, we collect notebooks (so they don't change their answers) and go through the problems together.

9:10-9:20: Morning Meeting (Spanglish [I know it’s not an actual language but I have to sneak English in every chance I can]) We cover calendar, weather, days in school, convert the days in school to dollars and cents. (i.e., if it's day 147, we would have $1.47 in money).

9:20-10:00: Math Lesson, Student Practice; Math Centers (Spanish)
If it's something brand new, we take notes in Math Notebooks (different than Morning Math notebooks). I teach the lesson, they solve a few problems in EDM Math Journals and complete 1 center a day.

10:00-10:40: ESL (English)
We use the program Moving into English; however, I've veered away from the program and started teaching my students word families and Dolch Words. (Basically, lots of English phonics!) Why? Well, I taught 3rd grade bilingual for 3 years; I know what's expected of them in 3rd grade, so teaching them how to read in English is my way of helping them reach that 3rd grade goal.

10:40-11:00 Lunch

11:00-12:10 Reader’s Workshop (Spanish)
Read aloud (even if book is in English, I translate it to their Native Language), Mini Lesson w/ Note taking if it's a new Focus Skill, 2 centers/guided reading groups per day.

12:10-12:45 (MTWF only) PREP (English)
35 minute preps 4 times a week!!!! =(

12:45-1:45: Writer’s Workshop (Spanish)
We use Lucy Calkins, but I wanted them to be more creative than Just a "Small Moment" so I also include a weekly option of writing with a Prompt.

1:45-2:30: Science or Social Studies (Spanish)
FOSS Science with my own Spin (which is: don't follow the guide and explore the kit with students! Lol)
We don't have a Social Studies Program, but we do follow the Hallmark Calendar of "holidays" and celebrate those... including Administrative Assistants Day! Lol.

2:30- Dismissal

I hope that this short post gives you an quick idea of what my day in a Spanglish Classroom is like ;)
I'll try to update this post with pictures of some of the activities in the near future!

Are you willing to share how you teach in your Bilingual/Dual Language classroom? Link up with Candis @ I Teach Dual Language for a chance to win a DVD of Speaking in Tongues (a documentary on Dual Language Education)!