Classroom celebrations are fun and children really love them (teachers…well they can be chaotic!). Often, whether birthdays or any other special occasion, these celebrations can be the ‘perfect’ excuse to bring not-so-healthy choices to students. Many school districts have strict guidelines as to what can be brought to classrooms (store-bought only, no nuts, etc.), other districts and/or schools can be more lenient as to what can be shared. However, one thing tends to remain constant: sugar. Fortunately, classroom celebrations can also be GREAT opportunities to show children that there are many other ways and types of foods to celebrate with.

This week a parent of one of my students had contacted me because she wanted to celebrate her child’s birthday in a special and healthy way. She asked me if she could make smoothies in my class. She would bring all the ingredients and devices needed (blender included) to prepare them at the end of the day. I thought the idea was genius! Fruit smoothies instead of sugar-loaded cupcakes or ice cream…YES!

After the success of this small yet great way to celebrate a special occasion, I started thinking about next week and how millions of classrooms across the country and the world would celebrate Christmas (if they do). I want to replace the cookie-ice cream-cupcake parties with a healthy alternative, and healthy does NOT equal boring.

I am still brainstorming about next week (clock is ticking), and thinking whether or not I want to do smoothies.I definitely want to make sure that as a teacher I am not only teaching academics and social skills, but also good eating habits. Instead of the afternoon lunch/treats, I was thinking about a healthy breakfast filled with fruit, some cereal assortment, juice and some type of bread. I will definitely share the idea with my students and see how we can ‘compromise’ so that we all win in the end.

My classroom could be filled with pan dulce, flan, queso de leche, and much more; however, I feel that there is a special time to share those dishes just not every classroom celebration.

This is a new thing and I am definitely still learning about it, but what are some tasty and healthy alternatives you have tried at home or in the classroom? I would love for you to share. I am convinced that teaching healthy choices and eating habits to our children is a  ‘team effort.’  Would you like to join my team? Please share your amazing ideas.

Abrazos and healthy eating,

Kelly

Photo thanks to Stegsie

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

How does cereal with orange juice or a pretzel covered cake sound?

Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash (Marisol McDonald y la fiesta sin igual in Spanish) is the story about a unique little girl named Marisol McDonald, her unusual birthday, and her doting love for Abuelita. When Marisol’s birthday approaches, she wants nothing more than to have abuelita by her side. Unfortunately, Marisol’s grandma is all the way in Peru and bringing her to the United States can prove to be challenging. Yet nothing can stop Marisol, her occurrences, and her determination for making her 8^th birthday party the best one yet. Will Marisol decide the theme of her birthday on time? Will Abuelita make it? I cannot give that away, but you will for sure fall in love with the girl and her ‘Chullo’ (Peruvian hat).

Did I mention that this book is filled with amazing vocabulary in BOTH English and Spanish? And finally, in times when teaching children that being unique is O.K., this book could not have exemplified the subject better than it did. Being one-off a kind is really awesome!

BOOK DETAILS

Title: Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash (Marisol McDonald y la fiesta sin igual)

Author: Monica Brown

Spanish Translation: Adriana Domínguez

Illustrator: Sara Palacios

Language: English and Spanish

Publisher/Year: Children’s Book Press, an imprint of Lee & Low Books Inc. (New York,      2013)

Ages: 4+

ISBN: 978-0892392735

Hardcover: 32 pages

Price: $15.19

Where to Buy: amazon.com 

The Giveaway!

We’re giving away one copy of Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave a comment telling us yours our your niños favorite birthday memory. Then, enter the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Every time I come across and/or find great bilingual or Spanish literature; I feel is my duty to share it with all of you. Some of the titles I am informing you on this post you may already be familiar with, but it is never a bad idea to refresh our memory and re-read them. Some are classics, while others are just too amazing to pass.

What I love about many of the books I am sharing with you in this post is that they are written in BOTH languages (Spanish and English). When I share these books with my class, and depending on time, I may read them in both languages. Children truly enjoy hearing these stories! Also, the language in some of these books is pretty ‘reader’ friendly. Therefore, whether you are a fluent bilingual or just starting, there is something for everyone. Did I mention that any of these books could make an amazing gift this holiday season?

One more thing, I am not actually offering a detailed review of each one of the books I am listing. I rather compiled a short, yet super list for you to access and refer when looking for books that take the holiday season a step closer to our hearts. But, let me assure you that the titles I am mentioning here will not disappoint.

1- My favorite (and here I am bias because I love dogs): The Dog Who Loved Tortillas (La Perrita que le encantaban las tortillas)

2- Who does not love The Gingerbread Man also known as El hombrecito de mazapán

3-The classic ¡Qué montón de tamales!

4- Arroz con Frijoles. Need I say more?

5- La piñata/The Piñata

Do you have any bilingual and/or Spanish holiday/celebration books that are your favorite? I would love to know. Don’t forget to leave the titles in the comments section.

Happy reading!

Kelly

Photo thanks to Mish Mish

In a dual-language program (whether 50/50 or 90/10), one of the goals is for children to learn to proficiently read and write in both languages. Coming from an English-only classroom, every year I had some students who had difficulty with fluency and speed (how many words per minute they could read). I knew that if they were spending too much time trying to decode words, there was going to be little or no comprehension. Why? Your brain cannot spend a long time trying to figure out a word and at the same time keeping the elements of a story in check or facts if reading non-fiction. Once children became more fluent readers, teaching comprehension strategies became a lot easier.

Fast forward to this current school year.

As I have been assessing my fourth graders to try to find their independent reading levels in Spanish, I found myself dealing with a whole different issue: fluency and speed were GREAT (their decoding skills were extraordinary) yet I knew that some of them had no idea what they were reading about. They may have been able to answer simple questions such as what, when, or where, but no deep thinking. What does this mean? That I have to keep assessing until I find a book that is just right – one that offers the perfect combination of both fluency and comprehension.

Additionally, I am making the following things a top priority as well (especially for students who need it the most):

1. Concentrate even more on vocabulary acquisition. As a native speaker I feel that at times I use words that my students have no idea what I am referring to; now add to this the fact that people from different Latin American countries can call ‘a thing’ ten different ways (popcorn, straws, and sofas just to name a few)

As a parent, are you spending time with your child in order to help him/her develop more sophisticated vocabulary? Reading or talking?

2. Provide more opportunities for students to discuss what he or she knows about the characters based on title and book cover, as well as opening paragraphs and texts read aloud (specifically in Spanish)

As a parent, are you diving right into books when reading with your child or are you taking the time to activate their prior knowledge (asking them about what they already know?)

3. Model and support how to distinguish between more important and less important ideas and details

As a parent, read a book and model your own thinking out loud, so your child knows exactly what is going on in your head

4. Model and teach how to be empathetic toward characters

As a parent, put yourself in the ‘shoes’ of the characters and share with your child what you would do if you were experiencing the same

The key is to have a discussion, a conversation about what they are reading. One cannot just take into account how fast they are, but rather how much they understand. This is particularly important in Spanish as words are really easy to read (vowels sound the same regardless!).

If you are a parent raising bilingual children, think about the importance of reading. Knowing how to speak another language is not enough. In order to access great literature, one must understand what we are reading. I often tell parents to leave the writing piece to the side for a bit. Do not have your child write a summary…they will dread reading. Instead be genuinely interested in what they are reading. You can always access short summaries and reviews of texts that way you are not completely clueless about a story (unless you read it at the same time). Another GREAT tool is using picture books. They are short, yet do not let the pictures or length fool you. Nowadays, picture books are most sophisticated than ever and it can lead to amazing conversations.

Happy reading and more importantly…happy discussions.

Abrazos,

Kelly

Photo thanks to Will Ockenden

I hear it over and over again; “I just stopped reading to my child once he/she got older.” The truth is, as children grow and learn to become independent readers, parents often step aside. Do not get me wrong, independent reading is marvelous and many people (myself included) love getting lost in a book. However, I love to hear a great story; I actually enjoy when parents come to read to my class because I get to be a listener as well. Children adore listening to stories. I have yet to meet someone who disliked being read aloud.

So, why do many parents stop?

One has to do with children growing up for sure, but another BIG reason is because parents feel that if they cannot read perfectly in English, then reading in their native language has no effect. This could not be further away from the truth! I want to take a moment to let you know HOW important it is for you to read to your child in whatever language you are most comfortable with. Maybe he/she may not be able to understand the plot, but he/she will focus on your fluency, your intonation, and/or your passion for the written word. Do not let language get in the way of reading aloud to your children. Even if they are older, they will gain so much from this special moment.

Why Read Aloud?

• I am sure you have thought and know your child’s independent reading level, but what about his/her listening level? Children who cannot access books because of complex vocabulary, can definitely benefit from listening to stories
• Families are busy. School, work, and after school activities at times get in the way of sharing ‘quality’ time with your child. Use this time (either before bed, or after dinner, or any other scheduled slot) and make it count. Books can lead to amazing conversations. Not sure about you, but the number one complain I hear from parents is that once older children get home, they do not share anything!

Parent: How was school?

Child: O.K.

Parent: What did you learn today?

Child: Nothing?

Parent: What did you do at school?

Child: Nothing.

Sounds familiar?

It does not matter how old your child is or what language you are most proficient at – read! It is another great gift you can give to him/her.

As always, I would love to hear what you do and what your read aloud routine is.

Muchos Abrazos,

Kelly

Photo thanks to Betsssssy

Report cards are done which indicates that I am officially ready for parent-teacher conferences. If you still have not yet met with your child’s teacher, I suggest you take a look at a previous post of mine (full of tips to make sure you have a great conference).

While I have to admit that the past two weeks have been crazy busy, this week’s post is not about conferences, or teaching, but rather about your child and another observation/realization I had this week (and I think it was a big one). So here it goes:

My students are well aware of conference time and what that means – ‘report cards’ are going home. Personally, I am not really good with surprises. If you ask anyone in my family, they will be the first ones to tell you that they can ‘never’ surprise me because I either find out before the surprise takes place or because I annoy them tremendously that they end up telling me. So, I apply the same rules to my students: no surprises. I show them their report cards before conferences (they see it before their parents) and we talk about their progress and whether or not they have reached their goals.

I know children react differently: some are dying to see their grades; others would rather pretend that grades do not exist, but in the end everyone gets to see them and read my comments (which I take a while to write). This is something I have done for a while especially because I teach upper grades and children are well aware of the process and goal setting. What I was not prepared to see was the reaction of some of my students when they saw their report cards: tears. The truth is I was actually taken by surprise.

No, I did not give them horrible grades, and the comments were truly positive. At first I was worried thinking “Oh no, this child is not getting the grade he/she was expecting and his/her parents are not going to be happy.” So, after asking a few questions, the couple of answers I got were that ‘they were tears of joy.’

Now I am really confused. How much stress can a 4^th grader have? I am not torturing them about tests and/or grades. YES, I have high expectations, but it is not just about a grade/number or letter.

It was here that I had another ‘a ha!’ moment. How much pressure are we putting children under? How much anxiety is too much?

These events had made me think harder about my role as a teacher, but also the roles parents/caregivers play in how children feel. The truth is that children are put under pressure earlier and earlier each year. From test scores, to being ‘college-ready,’ to participating in ten different after school activities because that is what they need to be competitive. How much is too much?

Bilingual and multilingual children are already working harder as is, but where do we draw the line? I hear of middle school students having panic attacks and spending countless hours doing homework. Is this how we are preparing our children to be world citizens?

My question to you SpanglishBaby parents: How do you make sure your child has a balanced childhood? How do you find the perfect balance for your child as a student and you as a parent?

I am left without answers, but I know many of you do great and unbelievable things. I would like to know, and I am sure other SpanglishBsby members want to find out too.

Much love,

Kelly

Photo thanks to woodleywonderworks

I cannot believe it is that time of the year already! Parent-Teacher Conferences are just around the corner. It seems like it was yesterday when I was running around trying to set up my classroom and getting ready to start the new school year. But, time flies. It is already November and before we know it, a new calendar year is upon us.

Parent-Teacher Conferences are a great opportunity to check on your child’s progress and mastery of academic standards. With Common Core implementation already rolling in many schools, it is always helpful to be proactive and know what the new changes/expectations in curriculum are. For example, with the new standards, there is a major emphasis on reading informational text (not just narrative), writing opinion pieces, and supporting both reading and writing with textual evidence. When it comes to math, children are now spending more time on major concepts; therefore, giving children the opportunity for more practice and understanding.

So, do you know what specific questions to ask during this precious time? Conferences do not last more than 20 minutes. Actually on average parents and teachers meet for about 15 minutes.

Below I have compiled a few tips to help you navigate this time with ease and more importantly – success:

• Have a discussion with you child prior to attending the conference. Ask him/her about his/her academic progress. What are the areas he/she feels successful? What areas have room for improvement? As a parent, you want to make sure you walk into the conference informed of your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Educators WANT parents to be involved. If you have an honest understanding of where your child stands, it will be a much more productive conversation

• Draft a list of questions you want to ask. If you have them written down, chances are that you will ask them.
  • Ask about your child’s reading level and what that means
  • Is his/her reading at grade level?
  • What about your child’s fluency and expression?
  • Homework. How long should it take to complete?
  • Mathematics. How is your child performing? (Fact fluency, number sense, geometry, problem solving, etc.)
  • How is your child’s writing? Is he/she writing fluently?
  • What genres is he/she most successful and what genres should he/she spend more time practicing?

• Leave the conference with a plan of action. Discussing progress is great, but what next? Make sure you discuss a plan of action with your child’s teacher. What do you and him/her commit to do and how is progress going to be determined? If your child needs help mastering multiplication tables (for example), what are you going to do at home to help?

• Request to see work samples. Your child’s teacher will most likely have plenty of samples for you to see. But, what does an exemplary paper look like? What should your child be aiming at? I am not saying this for you to compare your child to others, but to rather see where he/she should be

• Assume always the best intentions. This applies to every aspect of our lives. Assume positive intent and keep in mind that teachers wan the best for your child

• Give your child feedback about the conference. Children want to hear how they are doing. Do not forget to share the major points of your conference with your child

The truth is that I could draft an infinite list, but ‘keeping it short and sweet’ is always a plus. Remember that you and your child’s teacher are a team – together you can work great things.

Happy conferring,

Kelly

Photo by U.S. Army Corp.

Last week, I gave Spanglishbaby readers the opportunity to take a special peek into a kindergarten classroom at a dual-language school. I received many great emails from parent to teachers – THANK YOU for all your questions and comments. I also got quite a few requests asking me about dual-language in the upper grades (not just 4^th or 5^th grade, but beyond). I am excited to be able to share with all of you great insights as well as amazing images about the work that takes place in this middle school with a dual language program (6^th, 7^th, and 8^th).

First, and as it happened in the kinder classroom, images were everywhere. These images support the more sophisticated vocabulary work that takes place in the upper grades. I was pleased to see how illustrations were present in science, literature, math, as well as social studies. There is great emphasis on vocabulary instruction and this was reflected on the work that I saw posted on many of the walls.

Second, one has to remember that students are not only speaking and reading in another language but they are also writing. This is no small task as both oral and written fluency are clear expectations. As a Spanish native speaker myself, I can recall how difficult it was to write in both languages at the beginning, but these young adults do it marvelously. I captured a couple of images of a sixth grade class that had just published personal narratives (narrativas personales en español). I was really moved by many of the topics several students selected and how well developed their stories were.

Third, and as I had mentioned on previous posts, children would rather read and write in English than in any other language (here in the U.S). Here comes the balancing act that teachers educating in these types of programs have to do: How much reading and how much writing will be done in each language since resources are very hard to come by? (Spanish resources that are well-written that is).

It really takes commitment from both family members and teachers to help children continue developing their academic skills in more than one language. I am content to see that there is an increasing trend when it comes to speaking more than one language. Therefore readers: Do you have an older child attending a dual language program? Do you teach your older child/children to be biliterate/bilingual? How do you do it and what resources do you use? I love to hear from you and the great things you do.

Abrazos,

Kelly

{Photos courtesy of MLC Middle School}

This week, I had the rare opportunity to visit a kindergarten classroom at my school and I was fascinated with what I saw…I just had to share the wonders that take place inside a dual-language classroom – especially kinder.

First, and contrary to what several people I have met thought, many students at dual-language schools do not come from houses where the target language is spoken. In fact many kinder students come from English-Only households (or EO’s).

So imagine this: A child comes to a classroom where his/her language is NOT spoken (in a 90/10 program which is more 100/0 at the beginning of the year). This student is spoken in the target language all the time from numbers, letters, to directions. Therefore I wondered: How do they do it (teachers)? How do children survive? I can only think of myself being thrown in a foreign country. What would I do?

It is here that the wonders of a well-designed dual language classroom start to work. Children survive…they just do. They learn fairly rapid commands and key words. It starts slow, but in a few weeks they take off (even their writing).

When I visited the classroom, what caught my attention were the amazing charts: plenty of charts with rich vocabulary and eye-catching illustrations. In fact, these charts become a crucial part in a child’s journey through kinder. EO’s rely on them especially for writing. The kindergarten teacher mentioned how children not only look for them but also request them.

The charts below are a small sample of what I was able to capture (I wish I were more artistic!).

So my question to you SpanglishBaby moms, dads, and other family members is: How many visuals are there at your home that support your child’s language acquisition? Is there a visual schedule, an area where you cut/paste/draw illustrations? I would love to read and see what amazing things you do at home.

Much love,

Kelly

Photos thanks to MLC’s Kinder Classroom

As I continue to navigate the waters of ‘Dual Immersion,’ I learn more about what happens with students in this type of program as they get older. And as many may suspect, it becomes a ‘battle’ between having them keep up with both languages at a somehow equal (close) pace. However, I do not mean battle in a terrible way, just that children will try to constantly shift to the language they feel more comfortable with and here in the United States it will most likely be English. But as my sister would tell me (she is the mom of a now fully fluent/bilingual teenager)…“You have to push them, and push them hard.”

Talking to teachers in both the lower grades (K-3) and middle school, it is somewhere in fourth grade that English takes off, and the other language (in this case Spanish) becomes the ‘second choice.’ For many children reading and writing in English is just ‘easier,’ or so they claim. So, as a teacher I am trying to figure this out: How do I help my students keep alive the love for the target language?

The answer:

Modeling and honestly showing them my love, appreciation, and joy for being bilingual.

Therefore, at school this is what I and many,many other teachers do. From observing my sister, I know it took perseverance and TONS of patience. But what else? Is there another ingredient?

If you have younger children, you are probably pondering on the same question and wondering why I am not offering a ‘perfect’ solution (I just do not know the answer). Yet, if you are the parent of an older child who became bilingual thanks to your persistence and value for the other language my question to you is: What did you do that worked?

We are all in this together. Whether students or our own children, we just want what’s the best for them. So again, what was your secret to ensure children carry with them to adulthood the love for the other language?

I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Much love,

Kelly

Photo by Neeta Lind