Who am I?
I'm a middle school Spanish teacher in Lexington, Kentucky. This is my first year teaching middle school! I taught K-5 Spanish for the last 12 years. I love to plan fun units of study that incorporate STEAM and authentic resources from Spanish speaking countries around the world.
I've worked on my district curriculum development team, worked as an educational consultant for KET & AAPPL. I've served on both the Kentucky World Language Association (KWLA) and the National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL) boards in the past and was lucky enough to take part in cohort 3 of LILL (Leadership Institute for Language Learning.)
I love languages. I speak Spanish, French and Japanese. I'd love to learn Korean.
The first two years I taught with Sra. Speedy - my trusty cart. My third year teaching, I finally got a room of my own.
Hi señora speedy! I teach 2k-5k! Can I ask what curriculum you use for 5k? And can I have access to buying/getting it? I currently have a very general preschool one, but as they move through each year it's the same and I've changed that but need something more structured! Thank you!
ReplyDelete¡Hola! I use Calico Spanish. I like it because it is based on ACTFL standards and it does a great job of spiraling - each chapter focuses on one animal, one color, and one structure. It is a little lean in my opinion so I try to find a text for each chapter that ties it all together. Their videos are free so if you're not sure if your students will respond I highly suggest trying it out before committing. I used their free materials for a year and then convinced my principal it was worth the money to buy the full curriculum. If you have any other questions just let me know!
DeleteHi! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about Calico Spanish. I was looking at their website and noticed they have two separate programs. Are you using the story video based one (it's newer) or the song based program (it's older)?
DeleteI use the older one that is song based. The newer one is more TPRS oriented I think (but that's me guessing since I don't have it.)
DeleteHey Jen - feel free to refer any questions like this to me if it's helpful. I wrote (am writing) the newer program. :)
DeleteYou're right that the biggest distinction is the story-based curriculum; not sure I'd call it story-based since establishing meaning in the videos is based on context and not translation, though the translations are in the text. Also, the other big distinction is the new Stories for Schools program is designed to support teachers with little to no proficiency in Spanish (e.g. schools want classroom teachers to incorporate Spanish but won't pay for a Spanish-speaking teacher). Of course, Spanish-speaking teachers can add their creativity too. Hope this helps!
- Sara-Elizabeth
Hola my name is Srita La Torre and this is my first year as a teacher, I teach Spanish k-8 and I only see k-4 once a week. I find it hard to teach this way in addition to not having a curriculum and starting fresh since the school hasn't have a teacher since 2013. I would like to connect with you and if I can get your email. I have come across your blog recently and I have found it really helpful. Gracias!
ReplyDeleteHi - my email is SraKennedySouth@gmail.com. I'm happy to help where I can. Sounds like you have a lot on your plate!
DeleteHola senora Speedy
ReplyDeleteHere I am in the same boat!!First year of teaching Spanish with 6 day rotation, my school has me using Descubre( Santillana) which I modify frequently with my lessons.I also have bilingual clases coming to Spanish my target here is reading comprehension, writing, grammer. The school curriculum wants me to base my teaching more on culture, So the Santillana was given to me as a supplemental resource. I'm actually doing a little bit of everything, culture and content based on the standards. Any thoughts or ideas on this?
I don't know much about Santillana. Have you looked at the new interculturality Can-Do statements? They are supposed to help teachers integrate communication and culture. There's also a new book out called Teaching Interculturality Across the Age Range which includes examples for elementary (which is awesome because we always get great high school ideas and almost nothing for the littler kids.) Hope that helps! Thanks for reading the blog!
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