Organizing Centers in our DL Classrooms

So today I wanted to share how we set up our learning centers in our Kindergarten Dual Language classrooms! Sometimes people feel that there is not enough time to get in centers, but this is where students get to work in small groups tackling different skills we have been working on during previous weeks as well as add new skills we are learning. This is also where students get their guided reading time with the teacher - which is extremely important!

I teach in 50/50 two-way dual language classroom, so we have two groups of students and we each always start with the same group but switch groups after lunch.

My partner and I currently follow a two-day schedule that we created in order to make sure we were getting in all the subjects in both languages as well as our learning centers, but in a way where we weren't repeating material to either group of kids. This is the schedule we follow:

The area that is highlighted - Learning Centers - are the times where we have our small group centers happening and where we get in our guided reading centers. Both my partner and I have a Center Rotation Chart where we have cards with our student names/groups and the 4 centers to they are getting to in one day. So here is an example of how the rotations would work for my homeroom ("los perritos") and my partner's homeroom group ("los leones"):

MY homeroom ("los perritos"):
Monday: Morning centers in Spanish with me
Tuesday: Afternoon centers in English with my partner
Thursday: Morning centers in Spanish with me
Friday: Afternoon centers in English with my partner

My PARTNER'S homeroom ("los leones"):
Monday: Morning centers in English with me=y partner
Tuesday: Afternoon centers in Spanish with me
Thursday: Morning centers in English with my partner
Friday: Afternoon centers in Spanish with me

In one week, it takes our students 4 days to complete all 7 Spanish centers (guided reading counts twice) and all 7 English centers (guided reading counts twice).

This is my Center Rotation Chart. As you can see, the children would find their name on the colored card and read across for their 4 centers for one day. Each center is about 20 minutes long. As you can also see, the MAESTRA center is doubled because that center has to be in every rotation, so students Monday-Thursday have a guided reading group (2 in Spanish with me and 2 in English with my partner).

Since I teach 2 groups of 18 students, I have two sets of grouping cards. After the day is finished, I switch the cards (move up or down) and then I bring the other set of cards to the front. Basically, I'm organizing all my 36 kids centers on one chart, I just have the group that has centers with me that day on the front and I make sure when the day ends I switch the cards in the correct way so that the other group is up front and cards are ready for the next day.

So depending on the week, my centers may change but they always include:

1. Maestra (guided reading)

2. Trabajo con palabras (word work)

3. Escritura (writing)

4. Computadoras (computers)

And then they may also include:

• Mesa Estrella (Star Table)-- a thematic-related art project/craft that we usually use later to write about
• Fluidez (fluency)--fluency games and activities the kids are familiar with
• Matematicas (math)--a review math center with concepts we have worked on previously to reinforce
• Tabletas (iPads)--learning games (alfabeto o silabas games)

Learning centers are such a staple of our instructional time because not only are students are working on activities that reinforce fundamental skills we have been working on, but students also get the opportunity to work in small groups and negotiate meaning with each other. I also make sure that there are answer keys or ways for students to check their answer (when I deem necessary and appropriate) so that each center is differentiated and at the student's level. Another example is in Word Work, is after students complete the activity, my higher-level groups might then go on to use the words from the sorting activity to build their own original sentences, while my non-native groups might just be writing the words on the dry erase board. I make sure to explain the varying things they can do when they are done with the activity so they feel they can choose and succeed independently at the activity.

How do you run your centers? Leave a comment or question!

My One Word for 2019...CHALLENGE

As I reflect on 2018 and all the moments that have happened this past year, I wanted to take some time and reflect on what I hope to focus on for 2019.

First, I want to say that 2018 has been an extremely rewarding year both personally and professionally. In April of 2018, my sister married her best friend and fiance, and so our family expanded! Their wedding was an emotional, beautiful experience and being as though she is my only sister, it was truly one of the best days of our lives as a family.

In July of 2018 I traveled to Europe by myself and got to explore 6 new countries I had never been to before (England, France, Monaco, Italy, Germany and Netherlands)! Through this experience I learned a lot about myself as an individual, an adult and a traveler.  I met people from all over the world and traveling by myself in that way truly made me feel like I could conquer anything I set my mind to.

I also began my 4th year teaching in our dual language program and my 4th year getting to work with my exceptional "work wife," whom I am grateful for always! In 2018 I also became our Dual Language Team's first Team Leader, which has become such an eye-opening experience for myself as an educator. I planned my first field trip, and within that, our first field trip for the K/1st grade dual language classes to a bilingual children's show. I feel grateful to get to work with such strong, amazing educators and privileged that I get to learn from and grow professionally alongside them.

Throughout 2018 I also have such fond memories of getting to know some coworkers (whom I now call friends!) better, and getting to experience these relationships outside of work! As I reflect on these experiences, I feel so appreciative to work in a school and environment with people who are friendly, warm, caring, genuine and truly just amazing individuals.

I also had the chance to travel to Cartagena, Colombia with my best friend, which was a wonderful and riveting experience! We laughed, talked about our friendship throughout the years, met people from all over the world, danced, ate amazing food, and discovered a gem of a city in Cartagena! We are both so busy with our studies and careers but decided that we will be taking a trip every year together and making it our own new best friend tradition! I wonder where 2019 will take us...!

Those were just the highlights and I am ending 2018 with a clearer vision of what lies ahead for me professionally and where I see my career heading. I will continue to expand my business, connect with amazing educators via Instagram and other social media platforms and continue to read about bilingual education (my passion!), keep up on the latest trends and research and continue to do the very best I can for my amazing students and their families.

All of these experiences and new adventures have opened my eyes to more of the world and more of what I hope to accomplish as an educator, a Latina, a young adult and an individual living in this (what often seems) chaotic world! With that, I leave you MY word for 2019 - CHALLENGE. I hope to challenge myself as much as I can in my career as a educator, as an teacherpreneur and as a young adult with a clear vision of what I want to achieve in the near future. I will work hard in 2019 to challenge myself to reach those goals and continue to welcome new experiences and adventures with open arms! Big things are coming and I am so excited for the new challenges ahead! Happy New Year, everyone!

What is YOUR one word for 2019?

Raising a Bilingual Child

It might seem overwhelming thinking about how to raise a child bilingually. You may be in a household where one spouse knows a different native language than you, or you may be in a household where you both speak the same native language but live in a country where another language is the majority. Can I teach my child a language if I have a full-time job? What if my child doesn’t want to learn? How can I balance this? What if their native language suffers? What if they fall behind? These are all natural concerns for parents and rightfully so! You want the best for your child no matter what. So, I’m writing this post to give you some tips on how to approach raising a bilingual child! I base a lot of my recommendations from my own experience as a dual language teacher, a child who was raised bilingually and from two excellent books titled “7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child” by Naomi Steiner and "The Bilingual Edge" by Kendall King and Alison Mackey.

Here are MY 6 main tips for raising a bilingual child:

1.       Define your goals as a bilingual parent/household

2.       Create a Bilingual Action Plan (from the book “7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child” by Naomi Steiner)

3.       Integrate the second language within the technology already being used in their household (such as iPad apps, YouTube videos, online books). For example, these are some great YouTube channels in Spanish to utilize in your home:

a.       El Reino Infantil

b.       Lunacreciente

c.       Kidsmmersion

4.       Read, Read, Read

a.       A strong foundation in a child’s native language is a great predictor of their success in their second language acquisition.

5.       Write, Write, Write (in a meaningful context)

a.       Give children the opportunity to use the Spanish vocabulary they are learning in a meaningful context (grocery lists, labels around the house, words around the community, etc).

6.       Use the target language in context (make it fun!)

a.       Whenever possible, create opportunities for students to use the target language in a meaningful way and most importantly – make it fun! Language learning should be engaging, exciting and interactive!

The most important tip I have for language learning is to make it “comprehensible” which means, to make sure you are doing everything you can for your child to understand. This is mostly done through using as many visuals (images, videos, songs, poems) as possible! Remember that language learning is a long journey and any small stride is a success! Another important aspect of language learning is for it to be “interactive” – give your child opportunities to interact with other children who are being raised bilingually (playdates, outings, etc) and provide them activities where they will be interacting in a meaningful way with the target language. Therefore, it is crucial for you to give your children opportunities to produce the language orally and to interact with other children who are bilingual or being raised bilingually.

Here are some recommended books that are great reads for parents wanting to or already are raising their children bilingually:

1.       The Bilingual Edge by Kendall King and Alison Mackey

2.       7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child by Naomi Steiner

3.       Raising a Bilingual Child by Barbara Zurer Pearson and Living Language

4.       Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability: Ideas and Inspiration foreven greater success and joy raising bilingual kids by Adam Beck

Hands-On Centers

One of the focal aspects of our daily routine include our learning centers, math centers and our literacy workshops. An important facet of these centers includes engaging students with exploratory hands-on games and activities that aim at teaching the standards/content area goals for each week! One of the most exciting ways to get students engaged is to #SetTheStageToEngage and provide students with exciting and engaging activities that will have them looking forward to doing that center.

One of the main things that I try to do is include centers related to our thematic units of study. Below are some examples of some centers I have done that are related to our units of study:

Pilgrim/Native American Unit:

• Students get to "fish" for sight words! I have sight words glued onto fish cut-outs and then attach a paper clip to each fish. Students utilize magnetic fishing rods to "fish" the sight word, read it and then write it on their paper.
• I put out Lincoln Logs and images of actual log cabins and homes that the pilgrims/Native Americans used to live in. Students had to utilize the logs to build/recreate those images.

Plant Unit: Students get to "dig" for sight words! I get a big black tub, fill it with beans (to simulate dirt/soil), and then print sight words on paper carrots and place them in the bucket. Students use plastic toy shovels to "dig" for the sight word, read it and write it on their paper.

Space Unit: I print yellow stars with sight words on them and tape them underneath a table. Students have to lay down under the table and write down 10 sight words on their papers, as if they're looking up at the night sky.

Community Helpers Unit: Each week I organized a mini-dramatic play/literacy center where students got to be construction workers, doctors, vets and bakery chefs. The main literacy focus of the center was to have students find the missing syllable/vowel that completed words that were printed on buildings (construction workers), animals (vets), and pastries (chefs). I set up the area to simulate that occupation and students got to dress up, use tools and record their answers on a corresponding response sheet.

Animal Unit: I bought the caterpillars from Insect Lore and gave each student a butterfly life cycle recording journal. Every few days the students would get an opportunity to record what they were observing through the use of illustrations and words!

Now, of course you won't be able to include these specialized centers every week (just not physically feasible!) but there is an opportunity to make your centers hands-on and engaging every week! With simple things such as including games (spinners, using dice, using manipulatives, using magnetic letters) and with activities that allow students to get up from their chairs and move around! Especially with our dual language learners, I find it so immensely important to create an environment where they are excited about going to centers and being in class that their "affective filter" (Krashen) is lowered and they are at ease and comfortable!

What kind of centers and activities do YOU use in your classroom? Can you think of ways to revamp your centers?

Como Enseñar Las Vocales

Para enseñar las vocales, lo mas importante es enfocarse en una vocal cada semana. Esto significa que le enseñanza de las vocales durará 5 semanas (a, e, i, o, u). Sigue esta esquema cada semana para organizar tu enseñanza de cada vocal:

Esquema:

1. “Los amigos de las vocales” (Introduce el sonido de las vocales)
2. Videos/Canciones de las vocales
3. Introducir el poema de las vocales
4. Mapa de burbujas de las vocales
5. Libreta de las vocales
6. Actividades de alfabetización enfocadas en las vocales
7. Repaso de las vocales

Paso 1: "Los amigos de las vocales"

Para introducir cada vocal, introduce la amiga/el amigo y lee su cuento. Después, dile a los estudiantes que repitan el sonido que hace ese amigo.

Paso 2: Video/Canciones de las vocales
En YouTube hay muchos videos buenos de las vocales y a los estudiantes les encanta verlos. También, utilizo unos "chants" o canciones de las vocales que creé que ayudan a los estudiantes repetir los sonidos y nombres de cada vocal.

Vowel Chants in Spanish  --you can listen to the chants here!

Vowel Pack in Spanish  -- if you want to purchase the vowel pack/chants!

Paso 3: Introducir el poema de las vocales

Para introducir el poema de la vocal de la semana, lo muestro usando mi proyector y primero lo leo yo. Después, les digo a los estudiantes que repitan el poema mientras yo lo leo. Por ejemplo:

Maestra: A de abeja

Estudiantes: A de abeja

Maestra: A de avión

Estudiantes: A de avión

Al final de la semana, dejo que los estudiantes tomen turnos con el “pointer” y dirigiendo la lectura del poema a la clase entera. ¡Les encanta hacer esto!

Paso 4: Mapa de burbujas de las vocales

En grupo entero, di: “Vamos a pensar en palabras que comienza con la vocal Aa. Hmmm. ¿Quién sabe una palabra que comienza con Aa?” Aquí puedes dejar que los estudiantes se den una vuelta y hablen con un compañero de la alfombra (turn & talk). Después de unos minutos, haz la pregunta de nuevo. Mientras van diciendo palabras, escríbelas en el papel grande y pega la imagen (si no tienes una tarjeta con la imagen, dibújala – recuerda que los visuales son muy importantes). Cuando terminen, deja el cartel en una pared.

Paso 5: Libreta de las vocales

Al principio de la unidad sobre las vocales, cada estudiante debe recibir una libreta de las vocales. Deja que cada estudiante escriba su nombre y coloree la portada de la libreta. Después, pon todas las libretas en un lugar asignado del salón donde los estudiantes saben donde están. Cada semana, después de que hayan hecho el mapa de burbujas de las vocales (no en el mismo día), deja que cada estudiante complete la pagina que corresponde a la vocal de la semana. Esto los ayuda a repasar la vocal y al mismo tiempo tener una libreta que después podrán leer ellos independientemente porque reconocerán los dibujos.

Vowel Booklet in Spanish 

Paso 6: Actividades de alfabetización enfocadas en las vocales

• Vocal (sonido) inicial que falta
• Vocal (sonido) final que falta
• Emparejar un dibujo con su vocal inicial
• Rompecabezas de las vocales
• Determinar la vocal inicial del dibujo
• "Escribe el salón" de las vocales

Otros Recursos:

• Missing Vowels in Spanish
• Vowel Game in Spanish
• Back to School Vowel Game in Spanish

Paso 7: Repaso de las vocales

Hay varias maneras de repasar las vocales en después de las 5 semanas. Como las vocales son una base fundamental del idioma en español, dedica una semana después de las 5 semanas para repasar lo que han aprendido.

• Mapa/Grafica en grupo entero de todas las vocales
• Utilizar WheelDecide para repasar y practicar las vocales
• Cada estudiante deben tener un pizarrón y marcador (o un papel/lápiz). Anteriormente, pon palabras que comienzan con todas las vocales en la rueda. Gira la rueda y los estudiantes deben leer la palabra y después escribirla en su pizarrón/papel propio.
• Pelota de playa plástica
• Escribe en una pelota de playa plástica una vocal en cada color (a, e, i, o, u, y en el ultimo color escribe “tu decides”). Los estudiantes deben estar sentados en un circulo en la alfombra. Tira la pelota y el estudiante debe decir una palabra que comienza con esa vocal. Después, pasan la pelota a otro compañero.

Why Theories of Language Acquisition are Important

Let's suppose you're a native English speaker. Now imagine if you were put in a classroom, as a Kindergartener, where you begin your day learning in Chinese...from Day 1. How do you think you would feel? As an adult, I can only imagine feeling the searing nervousness and anxiety running through my mind and body. As a child who is just beginning their formal schooling experience, I can't even imagine.

When I think about this, I put it all into perspective. I remember how important it is to not only think of this as a rigorous dual language education program that will be cognitively challenging (in a positive and developmentally appropriate manner), but is also the first formal schooling experience of many of our children. Therefore, we need to make sure that students are having FUN, are ENGAGED, are EXCITED and are not feeling pressured or anxious throughout the experience.

To put these ideas into theoretical perspectives, which I believe are essential in understanding how we should approach our teaching practices in dual language classrooms, let's take a look at my favorite language acquisition theorist - Stephen Krashen. Krashen's theories of language acquisition are amongst the most notable and referenced in our field because, simply put, they make sense.

Below you'll find Krashen's Five Hypotheses:

1. The Natural Order Hypothesis-- "we acquire the rules of language in a predictable order"
2. The Acquisition/Learning Hypothesis--there are two independent ways in which we develop our linguistic skills - through acquisition and through learning.
3. The Monitor Hypothesis-- "conscious learning...can only be used as a 'monitor' or an 'editor'"
4. The Input Hypothesis-- "humans acquire language in only one way - by understanding messages or by receiving 'comprehensible input'"
5. The Affective Filter Hypothesis-- "a mental block, caused by affective factors...that prevents input from reaching the language acquisition device"

Below I'm also including my favorite video of Krashen speaking (yes, I know the video is from the 80s but in my opinion, timeless!) where he explains the very important idea of "comprehensible input" and demonstrates it in a way where we can actually comprehend (oh, look at that!) how to structure a language lesson so that students get it!

Another important aspect of language learning that Krashen points out is that "language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does not require tedious drill". I think that this is very important and something that I take to heart in my own teaching. I believe that if we continuously correct students and their grammar, then we are essentially turning them off to the process of "trying" and being proud of "trying their hardest." Research shows that extensive correction and tedious drills of grammatical practices does not actually result in better/more grammatically correct writing. This in fact can do the very opposite - it can turn students off to the process and disengage them! Therefore, we need to ease into it gradually and while we do need to expose students to to grammatical rules and practices, we should not be tedious, mundane and rote in our teaching practices of these rules.

I felt the need to write this post for several reasons. First, I do think theories are important when they are understood in a framework of actual teaching. When we just read about theories but have no experience applying them, then they are a foreign concept, without any context. However, whether you're a dual language teacher, a specialist who focuses on language learning or a parent in a household that has committed to teaching their child more than one language, it is important to understand how actual research-based theories can inform our own best practices. Secondly, as a teacher myself, I witness the everyday struggles of ALL that encompasses our day and how very often we are anxious ourselves with how many standards and concepts we have to teach by the end of the year. However, when I think about everything that needs to get done and then realize that ordinary, boring measures will most likely not get my students there (and also very likely completely shut them off from wanting to learn the target language), I realize that my kids need to have fun and so DO I! We need to enjoy this tremendously rewarding journey and also realize that if we are utilizing engaging, interactive, fun activities and practices, the concepts and standards WILL stick! 

There is a lot of really positive and helpful research out there available to us through the click of a button, so, why not use it to our advantage and ultimately, our students' advantage?!

Here are some of the books that I utilize in my own teaching practice:

 

Staying Organized!

So, ideally, every teacher is uber organized and enjoys the satisfaction of seeing their organization come to fruition and aid in their sanity! I would personally say that this holds even truer for teachers in two-way 50/50 dual language immersion programs! Being that I am a Kindergarten teacher in such a program where I work super (and I mean SUPER) closely with the English side teacher, we pride ourselves in how we have organized our program - including a two-day schedule, math unit charts and thematic unit charts!

In this post, I'll share samples of our charts and how we utilize them to inform our teaching and to make sure that we are not repeating information and that our groups of students are not receiving the material twice in both languages (what a waste of time that would be!).

First, here is a look at our rough copy of our daily two-day schedule rotation. As you will notice, we are both doing the "same thing" but just with a different group of kids. Basically, let's say DAY 1 is on Monday, then both myself and Mrs. Looky (my super awesome partner!) would be doing Calendar/Poetry/Shared Reading, and our Reading Groups/Learning Centers at the same time, just with our own respective group of students. THEN, that same day, we would switch groups of students after lunch and we would both then doing Math Centers, Writing/Literacy Workshops and our Science or SS lesson with our afternoon group of kids! Then, on Tuesday, we would both follow the DAY 2 schedule (which is basically Day 1, flipped!).

So that is our basic two-day schedule chart to its bare bones! It has made our planning for each week and month much easier and it has allowed for us to make sure we are getting all the standards, content and activities in but without repeating it with each group of students!

In addition, for our math curriculum, we teach our GoMath chapters utilizing Math Centers, so we have a whole separate chart for that. At the beginning of the unit, we rip the chapters out and send them home so students can work/practice at home with their parents and that way, the parents know the vocabulary we are using in class and they can also see what their child is learning in school!

Basically, we decided that we will teach 5 centers at a time for the math skill we are working on, meaning, that we will both have the same exact math centers happening in each of our rooms, but we have students go to ONE center per day in one language and then the next day they go to the next center in the other language, and so forth. Basically, each group will get, out of those 5 centers, 2 in Spanish and 3 in English OR 3 in Spanish and 2 in English. Here is a sample of one of our math charts:

As you can see, the children move to the next center the next day, just in the OTHER language. For example, imagine Group 1... This will be Group 1's rotation through the math centers for that skill/chapter:

Monday: CENTER 1 - English

Tuesday: CENTER 2 - Spanish

Wednesday: CENTER 3 - English

Thursday: CENTER 4 - Spanish

Friday: CENTER 5 - English

This way, they are all receiving all of the math skills, just half of the time they are receiving them in Spanish and the other half in English. We also run our classrooms this way to ensure that we are being as efficient as possible with the time that we have with each group (we really only have about 2 hours with each group!!)AND to ensure that we aren't repeating any content!

Finally, we have our VERY important thematic unit charts! So we teach our standards through thematic units and for each thematic unit we created a Unit Chart where we specify what graphic organizers, writing activities, collaborative group activities, technology (videos, songs) and poetry we will be doing with which group of students and in which language! For all intents and purposes, we call our morning group of kids our AM group and our afternoon group of kids our PM group and I am "Pantin" (the Spanish side) and my partner is "Looky" (the English side). Here is a sample of one of our unit charts:

As you can see, by using a chart like this we stay organized throughout our unit and we are able to tell what we need to cover with which group, making our lives SO much easier! Of course, we communicate daily and let each other know if perhaps we didn't get to cover something that day or if something came up, but overall, these thematic unit charts have been amazing at helping us stay focused on what we need to get done with each group!

Here are some other Unit Chart examples:

I just finished putting together our last three charts for this school year!...AND I must admit, they look MUCH cuter with a bright colored paper!

Finally, my partner and I do all 40 conferences together, since we are both teachers to all 40 of our kids! Therefore, when conference time comes around, we create this chart designating the time slots for our parents to sign in and then our Room Parent puts these dates and times on the class Sign-Up Genius. Once all the parents have signed up, we write in each parent's/student's name on the box next to the time and we have this handy throughout our conferences so we are on-task with which parent is next and the order of our conferences! This is another great and simple tool we've employed to help us stay super organized!

There is nothing more satisfying than staying organized and it is especially essential for teachers in two-way dual language programs to stay on top of it and to stay organized! I hope you will find this post helpful! Please let me know if you have any questions about our schedules or the way we run our program! :)