New Blog! Same us!

We have the great fortune to be starting our own little mini business, Mundo de Pepita, and along with that we have started a new blog. It's still us, but with a brand name :) Find us here!

DIY I Spy Activity

I would love to say I came up with this all on my own, but alas! no :) I found the idea of creating your own DIY I Spy on a preschool activity board on Pinterest and modified it for my classroom. This is a great way to practice vocabulary, especially recycled from earlier themes so it doesn't lay fallow in the minds of your students.
To create: Gather together a group of objects of known vocabulary (if you don't have manipulatives you can use pictures) and place them on a solid piece of paper. Take a picture of the grouping, like I have above, and print it out. You can print out several copies or just one, depending on how you will use the activity. Laminate if possible. Secondly, create a 'I Spy' (Busca...) checklist to go along with the picture. For this one, there are tons of possibilities. Here are some:
-a horse
-a house
-a dog
-the number four
-something orange
-three fruits
-five mammals
-something prehistoric
-a mode of transportation

I like to have a checkbox next to each item on the list so kids can check off each thing as they find it. And, it's wonderful to have a mix of nouns and categories so kids have to think a bit more about what they are looking for. The checklist can be printed out multiple times so you can use the laminated picture over and over again. The alternative could be to laminate both the list and the picture as one larger page and use a dry erase marker to circle things as they are found. Super fun and easy to create!

We are thrilled to launch our new Etsy shop, Mundo de Pepita! Mundo de Pepita is a collection of mini-books designed to be used in teaching Spanish to children and are PDF in format, easily copied for use in the classroom. The mini-books are leveled A-D, starting with very basic vocabulary building at the lowest level while the highest level features short stories which are easily accessible for beginning learners.

Each mini-book focuses on a particular vocabulary theme or linguistic concept of high frequency in the Spanish language, and features adorable illustrations which can be colored by students.

Level A- This level features a single word on each page which builds vocabulary. Picture to word correlation is complete.

Level B- This level has single sentences per page which are typically pattern oriented. There is a high picture to word correlation for easy comprehension of text.

Level C- In this level, each page features 2-3 sentences which form a short, simple story. Some books are pattern oriented. Illustrations highlight key vocabulary in the story.

Level D- This level features multiple, more complex sentences on each page which form a story. Illustrations highlight key vocabulary in the story and enhance comprehension.


We will be adding new books and activities regularly so keep checking back!

Making simple sentences

My Fourth Graders are learning how to put simple sentences together using verbs and nouns. Giving them visual choices makes it easier for them to come up with vocabulary to use. Each of these sentences begins with Ratoncito Pérez, the tooth mouse, further simplifying the process. So, for example, a student could choose 've' as their verb and 'una manzana' as the object...."Ratoncito Pérez ve una manzana." Limiting choices for each verb especially helps those students who have difficulties coming up with vocab 'out of thin air', and quickens the pace enabling more students to have turns. Of course, I like to have some of the choices be silly and ridiculous as that just heightens the motivation and fun!

Using the target language for instructions (visual)

I am a big fan of posting what I say to kids visually, not just providing oral input. Not only does this provide great support for kids who learn differently, but it also creates an ongoing reference source for that input. One of my favorites "posts" are instructions for activities we are doing in class. I've created simple instructions on the back of which I've placed magnets so I can easily change them out when transitioning from one class to another. Additionally, I break down the activity into it's steps and stick those next to each instruction so my kiddos can see the correlation between instruction and step in the activity. As I introduce the activity, I go over the steps one by one ensuring my students comprehend what it is I am asking them to do. What I love about this (apart from using the target language, of course!) is that as we are doing the activity, I can refer my students to the instructions when they ask me "So, what do I do next?" or "I'm done with this".

So, as an illustration, you can see in the above picture students need to first put their name on the activity (La oruga muy hambrienta) using a pencil (note I put the material- pencil, scissors, etc- up as well, reinforcing that vocab). Then, they must cut out the pictures, thirdly glue them to the appropriate pages, and lastly, color. I've provided an example of each step for additional visual support.
The more you use this system, the better students get at it. Keeping the instructions simple enables them to more easily access the vocab, and over time they begin to know what the expectations are for instructions in class and use them independently.
We've created a great printable so you can easily do this yourself! Get it in our shop!

Get our printable here!

Sub Tub

I can not believe I never came up with this idea before! Creating sub plans has always been a challenge, especially considering it is a rare event when my sub speaks Spanish, so a day out is a day lost. Browsing on Pinterest, I came across another teacher's Sub Tub, and with modifications, I have created a marvel (or so I think!). My goal was to create a tub filled with activities that were reusable, easy for a sub who doesn't speak Spanish to manage, and were cultural or linguistic in nature, but accessible for students. I started by thinking of the necessary components:
-Plan book (In this I have, of course, my schedule, emergency info, and instructions for how to use the sub tub and more- see below for a longer listing.)

-Activities organized by grade level (The bulk of these activities are games, each in its own bag, with instructions for how to lead the game/activity and materials to play. See below for a listing of the activities I've included.) The sub chooses one of these activities to do with each class. They are organized by grade level.

-Additional Materials (ball for greeting games, bingo chips, playing cards, etc)

Though it took a lot of time and effort to get the tub together, now I do not need to worry about heading into work in the morning when I am really sick, the plans are always ready to go!

 PLAN BOOK CONTENTS:
-Introduction to Sub Tub
-Class notes, including assigned seats, class rules and routines, food allergy info, how to transition classes
-Conducting a Lesson (Three components: Greeting, Poem, Activity)... this details how to run the three components of the lesson
-Greeting Activities- I start all classes with a greeting activity. I've included four activities which are easy for a sub to manage; materials such as a ball for 'Ball Roll' are in the tub.
-Basic Instructions for Class Activities
-Schedule
-Map of School
-Phone Extensions

ACTIVITIES
-Poems- I have a book entitled 'Poetry Celebrating Life in the Amazon Rainforest' which the kids love. I've made a checklist of each class and each poem, so as one is read, the sub checks off the poem and which class has heard it. This creates a visual reference should I be out again; the next sub will know which poems have been read to which classes.

-Fairytales- I have included a selection of fairytales and folktales from various Spanish speaking countries and a checklist for these. (K, 1)
-Bingo (Lotería)- This could be any vocabulary set, but mine is colors and numbers to 10. The call cards have the word and pronunciation on the back for the sub. (K-2)
-Gato (TicTacToe) (K-3)
-Memorama (Memory)- I made a version with various pictures and vocabulary having to do with Days of the Dead. You could use any vocabulary set or cultural images. (3,4)
-Puzzles- I took a variety of large pictures and maps of cultural images, glued each to a stiff piece of paper, laminated them, and then cut them into pieces. Each puzzle goes into a little baggie. Kids can do the puzzles in pairs. Should they finish one puzzle, they can choose another. (1, 2, 3)
-Reloj (a card game from Spain) (4)

All games have been played with classes at some time in the past so the classes are familiar with them. I've noted the grade levels for each activity in parenthesis. Many other types of games could be included; I plan on adding others in the future to mix it up a bit and add choice. Yay to the Sub Tub!

We've created a Sub Tub Kit ready to print out and put together! Games, activities and more to create your own... get it here!

Get it here!

Welcome back!

I am getting my room ready for the start of school and wanted something that shared with my students how I feel about them. I ran across a really neat door display on Pinterest, http://pinterest.com/pin/169659110933142031/, which I decided to adapt for my room. The result is the above, with vocabulary they already know and new that they can figure out. I am excited to share with them!