5 Things I'd Love My Classroom Teachers To Know

School started last week but they had me on the transportation team making sure all of our precious kiddos got home the right way the first few days. Tomorrow I'll start teaching and I was thinking of what I'd love for my colleagues to know about Spanish class.


Dear Classroom Teachers:

I love love love when you try and speak Spanish. Any Spanish - what you remember from two years of high school twenty years ago bad accent, poor grammar, and all. It shows the students that languages are for everyone and it's okay to try and fail. My music teacher ALWAYS tries to use Spanish throughout the year (despite one time accidentally swearing at a third grade class) and makes sure that the students tell me that she's trying very hard. It's super cute and they're always eager to tell me.  It also communicates that Spanish is what we do at our school in AND out of Spanish class*.


I love when you get your class to me on time, all of your students there, and hand me the classroom clipboard with a hello. It shows a turnover of authority and I don't get out of my room much so it's nice to see a friendly face.  I also love when you introduce any new students personally.


I love when you tell me what you're doing in your classroom and how I might incorporate it into Spanish class. I mostly collaborate with the other Special Area teachers but I'd love to do more with my classroom teachers.

I love when you ask the kids what they are learning in Spanish. Or even better when you have them practice in your class. I have a fifth grade teacher who had students using por favor and gracias in her room and a kindergarten assistant who routinely has the kids sing the latest Spanish song while waiting for the bus or lining up for recess.


I love when you tell me what you like (how the new schedule gives you time to pee, how you think the kids are improving faster, how sad your class is when Spanish is cancelled.) But I love it even more when you tell these things to the decision makers at the school.


All the best,

The Spanish Teacher & her trusty cart Sra. Speedy



What would you want your classroom teachers to know about your elementary World Language program? Share in the comments below!

*I try to reciprocate and use music terms in Spanish class when we sing songs like Cabeza, Brazos, Piernas, Pies 100 times - (ahora piano, esta vez forte, etc.)

It's time to advocate!

School is just around the corner and in addition to lesson planning, organizing our classrooms, figuring out seating charts, and dreading adjusting our sleep schedule it's also time to ADVOCATE!

Advocacy has always been on the top of my to-do list thanks to biting my nails each spring wondering if my program will get funded for another year. However, the time to start convincing people that Spanish should stick around is NOT right before they make that decision but throughout the entire year, starting before even the first day of school.

Before school starts...


Our PTA sponsors an ice cream social every year a week or two before school starts so that the kids can meet their teachers, hang out with their friends, and have a cold treat. It's usually at a local park so it's very low-key and informal. But it's also a great time to introduce myself to parents and answer any questions they might have about the Spanish program. It's also a great opportunity to have my kiddos show off what they remember. Nothing is better for your program than your students actually speaking the language!


Back to School Night is another chance to meet parents and families. Our students can bring drop off their school supplies, meet the teacher, have their parents fill out the mountain of required forms, and check to see if their desk is near their friends'. Unlike at the ice cream social I'll be prepared with an infographic with Frequently Asked Questions about the Spanish program and why early language learning is important. I'll also have Spanish Club forms ready so kids can sign up early if they're interested.

            

And once school starts...

-Greeting students and parents in Spanish on the first day (and every day after that!)

-Sending home newsletters with what we're learning and cultural events in the community.

-School-wide art projects in the front hallway showing off what we're learning in Spanish to anyone who comes in the front door.

-Organizing Family Nights such as Culture Fair or Hispanic Heritage Night.

-Forcing Encouraging students I meet in the grocery store to speak Spanish in front of their parents.

-Making community connections (like having local dance instructors come in and teach salsa.)

-By planning and delivering engaging lessons that make my students excited to learn.

-Never give up and never stop talking about your program and your students.


Also check out my post The Cart as Advocacy.


How do you advocate for your program? Share your ideas below or on Twitter using the hashtag #earlylang!

Reflections on this past year

I've been out of school for a couple of weeks now and I've been reflecting on how it went, what to keep, what to change, and what just needs a few tweaks.  Here are a few of my thoughts...

 - My schedule change WAS amazing. To go from a 6 day rotation to every other day made a huge difference. Everything got better - behavior, my routines, target language usage by me & the students, what the students could do in Spanish, the assessments I could get done, etc, etc.  I had to pinch myself throughout the year to make sure it was real. The best part is that I get to keep this schedule next year. Yay for awesome administrators!!!


- Classroom management is always a top priority for me. I refine my practice in this regard a little more each year. This year I started doing bell ringers and I loved how it became routine and gave me a moment to breathe as one class left and another was coming in. They started with me writing them on the board (way too hard to keep up with) to having them in a Word document (couldn't quite fit them on the screen) to finally having a "Duh!" moment and putting them in Powerpoint. With Powerpoint I could get the date, the bell ringer, and the learning targets for the day in one slide and then just hit next when a new grade level came in. Sometimes it's small changes that make the biggest difference!


- Tracking student participation and growth using the Si, se puede bubbles was a BIG win! I will definitely keep this system for next year although I'm already brainstorming ways I might modify it. I had a lot of students get bubbles for the same learning targets over and over this year so I'd like to somehow figure out they can get those, show growth, and then move on to the next targets.


- My monthly contest where students earned tickets for using certain phrases worked really well. The kids remembered and used them throughout the year and by the end I didn't even have to hand out the tickets. My only concern is that this incentive and the Si se puede bubbles rewards extroverted students over shyer students.  I'm not sure what I can do to make sure that I'm reaching these students as well. Something to ponder over the summer....


- My biggest concern for next year is that we're in the middle of redistricting which means instead of a few new students who have never had Spanish or another World Language before but a LOT of new students. I'm hoping to continue on in my curriculum and just try to pull these kids into the fold with some extra differentiation but I might need to see how that goes and be flexible. I don't want a bunch of frustrated students. I also need to plan more get to know you activities in the beginning to build those relationships as well as make sure I hit the rules and routines EXTRA hard since I'll have more students who won't be familiar with them or me.



So those are my thoughts as I plan for next year. How was your 2015-16 school year? What changes will you be making for the upcoming year? What worked really well for you this past year? Share in the comments below!

Lost Pets

My third graders are talking about pets this chapter.  With most units of study, I like for my students to engage with the language with some sort of authentic resource as well as have them "do" something with the language rather than just memorize words in isolation.  Inspired by an idea I saw on Twitter, I decided to have them not only talk about their pets but write Lost Pet posters.

Target Structures:

¿Cómo se llama?

Mi perro/gato/pez se llama _____.

Es grande/mediano/pequeño.

Es negro/café/blanco/gris. 

(Body part) es _____.
Numbers 1-10

The only truly new things in the target structures is ¿Cómo se llama?, Se llama ____. and the vocabulary perro and gato. Everything else we are spiraling back to. 

We first reviewed all the animals we had learned previously and then I introduced el perro by showing them pictures of my parent's Golden Retriever, Max. We also practiced describing a dog by using Clifford the Big Red Dog. Then students enthusiastically told me about their pets with the help of sentence frames on the board. 

I introduced the idea of Lost Pet posters with some authentic ones I found doing a Google Image search. I put them on the SMART board and with their partner they had to read and answer orally questions about each poster. 

After reading the posters we wrote one together as a group. Now earlier in the month I had found a small stuffed dog named Rocket outside on the sidewalk. I put it on my desk in the hopes that one of the kids would tell me it was theirs. No one came forward but several kids had come up and picked up Rocket and asked about him so it made sense that we wrote our poster about him. But first he had to go missing.

I took a picture, printed out four copies (one for each 3rd grade class) and then hid him in my desk.  I told the students that, "Estoy triste. No sé dónde está Rocket. Necesito escribir un poster para Rocket." So that's what we did.

The students supplied the sentences-I just cleaned them up & wrote them down.

When they asked if he was REALLY missing I told them yes. Although they're old enough that several have accused me of hiding him, I just wink and sadly say "Estoy triste. No sé dónde está Rocket."  (I did add in English that if they did find him they shouldn't move him - he might bite. And that he wouldn't go anywhere they weren't allowed to be or hide under anything they should touch.) Students who can tell me where he is hiding (in the computer lab) will get the recompensa - Chocolate!  The best part is that even though this is a 3rd grade unit of study, since the posters are in the hall I've already had 4th and 5th graders ask me about Rocket and the Art teacher told me she had a kindergartner ask if she could look in her room for Ms. Kennedy's lost puppy.

During the ongoing drama of Rocket my third graders are also writing their own individual posters. They can pick any animal, though I do encourage them to stick with ones we know. Some of them are writing them for pets that are really lost (one of my students lost her cat named Cal Purry - hilarious if you follow Kentucky basketball) for pets that they own now, or for pets they dream up.

Once we finish up our posters it will be nearly the end of the year so we'll wrap it up with Corre Perro Corre and if the weather is nice some Red Light Green Light outside (like we did last year.) Share how you talk about animals and pets in your classroom in the comments below!

¿Qué es esto?

Elementary kids LOVE to talk about animals and with Calico Spanish each chapter focuses on one animal. Recently we did a review of all the animals we had learned so far - fish, monkey, frog, bear, dog, butterfly, and elephant. We also added the question ¿Qué es esto?

First, we started by playing charades. I modeled and we played in a large group a few times and then they broke into pairs to play. They had to say ¿Qué es esto? before acting out anything or they lost their turn.

Next, we started giving oral clues and our partners had to guess what we were talking about. They already knew the song Vengan Ya so we sang it and again practiced in a large group using the conjugated verbs on the board. Some of the students never quite internalized the difference and still used the infinitive but as long as I could get their meaning I didn't push it too much.  Once they were comfortable I let them break off into pairs and again they guessed what animal their partner was describing.

Then we wrote out our clues and drew a picture. They covered their pictures with construction paper that said ¿Qué es esto?  After collecting their writing pieces I put them out on the tables around the room. Students did a gallery walk, reading and guessing. They wrote their guess down and then put a check if they got it right and an X if the missed it.

We finished up with me selecting a few of the best and using it as a more formal formative assessment (My summative assessments include all 3 modes of communication and I only do 1 a year per grade level because they take forever.) Just like in the gallery walk they read them and made their guess.

At the end they got to take home their writing pieces to show off to their families. Assignments like these are great for sending home and go a long way for advocating for your program since parents can see what their kids are doing in Spanish class.

My third graders are doing something similar except we are focusing on pets - dogs, cats, and fish. They are making Lost Pet posters. What do you do with animals? What are your students' favorite animals to talk about? Share in the comments below!

Global Competency Matrices - Getting kids ready for a global world

We live in a global society where learning a second language is becoming more and more important. I haven't yet seen the ACTFL's Global Readiness Standards but I do know that whatever you call it - Global Readiness, Intercultural Competencies, or Global Competency - our students need it.  The best quote I have heard so far (and by golly I can't remember who said it so I can give credit) is that, "You can learn a World Language and not be globally competent but you can't be globally competent without learning World Languages."


In Kentucky we have the Kentucky World Language Standard, which has Intercultural Competencies for each proficiency level. In these there are the 4 Ps - products, practices, perspectives, and participation. We also have the Global Competency Matrices from EdSteps that we are also supposed to be using. While the Intercultural Competencies are specifically for World Languages, the GC Matrices are for EVERY subject - Math, Science, Language Arts, Arts & Humanities, and World Language. In these students Investigate the World, Recognize Perspectives, Communicate Ideas, and Take Action.

I recently attended two trainings on the Global Competency Matrices - one designed specifically for WL teachers and another that was attended for elementary school teachers and administrators that don't teach WL. Here are my main take aways:


1. Global competency is EVERYONE's responsibility in the building - not just mine as the Spanish teacher! You can teach it in Math, in Science, in Social Studies etc. etc.


2. Think of it as Real World application. How can you apply what you learn in Math, Science, Social Studies, English, and Spanish class to the real world to make it a better place? That is essentially what Global Competency is.


3. As WL teachers we are already teaching culture, but using the Global Readiness or GC matrices we can refine our practice to make it more meaningful and an integral part of each unit of study rather than just a special class on Friday featuring "culture!"


4. When it comes to the GC Matrices, everything we do in WL class falls under Communicate Ideas, as long as we are teaching proficiency.  But it is the Take Action or Participation part that can be tricky to integrate (especially at the elementary school level.)


5. While the Take Action piece is probably the hardest, it doesn't have to be done for every unit. It can be something small but it can also be something larger and more ambitious. I'll post separately on ideas on how to incorporate this one.



The training I took was through my district but if you're interested in learning more and are in Kentucky check out KWLA's Spring PD (and if you're not in Kentucky it will be a webinar before long!) www.kwla.org/pd/

What do you in regards to global competence, interculturality, or global readiness? Share in the comments below!

90% TL contest is over!

And the winner is...one of my sweetest 4th grade classes! They will be getting a piñata party before the year is up.  If you're unfamiliar with my 90% TL contest it is simple. Last year I used Class Dojo to give points to classes who stayed in the target language most of the class. They got points for me staying in the TL and separate points for them staying in the target language.

Check out my blog post introducing the idea here.

And my other blog post where I reflect on why it went long.

This year I shortened it to the month of February. Why February? Because it's my least favorite time of the year, which means it's also the time of the year I'm most tired and cranky and least likely to be trying to stay in the target language (I definitely suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD.)

Was it easy? No. Is it ever easy to get your students to stay in the TL? Is it ever easy to stay in the TL yourself? No, it's not. But it's always worth it. And the students responded well. I am pretty good at staying 90% myself and I use lots of other ways to motivate students to use the target language so it wasn't anything completely brand new or shocking to them but what it did do was keep ALL of us accountable and aware of when and how we were using English in Spanish class. Especially in the middle of winter when we needed extra accountability.


What did I notice between classes? I included 2nd-5th grade, which meant 16 classes battling it out. It was definitely a competition between several classes in second, third, and fourth grade. Fifth graders after winter break suffer from senioritis so I'm not surprised they didn't fare better. The biggest thing I noticed was that the classes that have I have classroom management problems with did a lot worse and the classes where classroom management is a breeze did much better. The class that won has a teacher whose class is my favorite every year (which speaks highly of her ability to create an atmosphere of learning and support for each other year after year.)

This pattern shows me that good classroom management is a MUST in order to create a culture where students are ok with hearing and using the TL nearly 100% of the time.  I already knew which classes are a struggle but this showed me exactly why it's important for me to continue to practicing routines & finding engaging activities. Because without all the integral parts of classroom management they use the TL less!


What would I change for next year? I think the move from all year to just one month was perfect so I would not change that. But in the spirit of always improving, I think next year we can do some more reflection. I reflected after the students left but I want to lead the students in reflecting on when they use English, why, and what they can do to stay in the target language more. I want them to take charge of their own learning.


So I probably still used less target language in February than I normally do but more than I might have because I had students keeping me and themselves accountable. All in all it was a success. How do you encourage target language usage in your classroom? Share in the comments below or on Twitter using the hashtag #earlylang!