Where the Magic Happens 2013

Homecoming week.  One of my favorite weeks of school.

Tuesday; Preppy Day

Wednesday; Animal Day

Thursday:  America Day.....nothing more American than college football!

Friday; Spirit Day  (Not thrilled about wearing jeans)

We had a pep-nic after school.  This was the first year we didn't have a parade with floats.  They were sorely missed. 

Co-worker and I racing on the bounce house obstacle course.

But we had a Black Light Pep Rally.  This was the first pep rally, since I have been at my school, where our 9-12th graders had an over abundance of pride, excitement, and school spirit.

This is wear the Magic did really happen! 

Minus the glow sticks breaking and the liquids inside spraying everywhere....sigh.  The student next to me said...."They are never going to let us do anything fun again."  Maybe the parades will make a come back after they discover all the glow stick liquid on the gym floor?   Yikes!  Never the less...I will truly treasure this wonderful memory.

Multi-sensory teaching

Since I have been so busy with my new preps and night-time class, I haven't had time to post the different strategies I have been using in my classes.  One of the things I love about working at my school is the freedom I get to incorporate different strategies into the classroom.  And it is my hope that other teachers might find some of my strategies useful.

1.  Scooping and coding for language therapy:  I scanned workbook pages into my ipad.  Then through the air server I was able to put it onto my smart board.  This has been helpful since our school didn't buy new books this year.  And it saves me a trip to the copier machine.

1.  Pablo positivo and Nano negativo:  When working with adjectives I love having the kids write on the tables.  The yellow cards represent happy, sunshine, positive adjectives.  The green cards represented the sick, throw up green, exorcist negative adjectives.  Color coordinated for the visual kids.  The cards turn into flash cards for the kinesthetic students.  Say it out loud for the auditory learners.

Uno

I bought a Uno template for my classes this year.  The kids have loved playing this game.  I made two sets.

1.  Spanish Uno

 I wish I had put the Draw two, Reverse, and Skip in Spanish.  Maybe next year.  The kids are able to match color, number, or Spanish verb when discarding.  And when they lay the card down they have to say the Spanish verb plus the meaning.

Highly recommend this!

2.  SAT Uno

 This has the same concept of the Spanish uno but I put SAT words on the cards.  In one of the games I put the SAT word with as many syllables as the numbers on the cards.  But that limited the number of cards I could have.
Now they get to practice saying the SAT word and we can talk about the definition.

The kids loved playing this!

It was $3 on Teacher Pay Teachers. 

My first 'Day of the Dead' celebration

Spanish II this year is kind of hard with all these 'go verbs' and 'boot verbs'.  So, I decided to make "Day of the Dead' a little more of a production than last year.

It started with me buying molds to make the sugar and chocolate skulls.

Then I needed to go to the Latin Cultural Center in Dallas because they were having a free class on making your own sugar skull.  Well, I get there and there are only children decorating their skulls.  I asked if I could design a skull since I have never been able to do that and secondly, it would be perfect to bring to my Spanish class.  Well, I was heart broken when they told me it was only for kids.  I took these pictures on my way out.....

Then I decided to go to the Bazar on Harry Hines to find the skulls....since my confidence level was pretty low.  Not only did I find the skulls....I got to speak Spanish to the vender!  SCORE!

Next was making the chocolate skull molds!  Super Cute!

And then packaging 60 of them for students, teachers, maintenance, college classmates and family.

And with time to spare, I decided to make a floral head piece to go with the mask.

The final product.....an amazing day filled with too much sugar and kids wondering who was the crazy teacher dressed in a mask with too many flowers in her hair.....

This one is definitely going in the year book!

A classic Halloween

So, this year our school gave us the wonderful opportunity to wear jeans and a crazy hat.  For one, I don't do jeans.  And second; you give me two choices between a crazy hat and a tiarra....the tiarra is going to win every single time!

So, I went with a Breakfast at Tiffany's theme because 1.  I had all the essential elements...(Thanks to my Uncle who goes dumpster diving and found me four jewelry boxes of treasures!) and 2.  Got to buy a bear claw doughnut!

And since we are talking about dressing up, I might as well throw in a picture of my 'Fun Friday Shoes'.

My students are always asking me when 'Fun Friday Shoe' day is going to happen again...they loved these shoes....my toes...not so much.

Plus, an added bonus to my wonderfully fun dressed up week....the student that I homework coach made the A/B Honor Roll for the first time in his high school career!

Cake and a tiarra.....I'm truly blessed!

Day of the Dead Mask

Today, I got a four hour nap....just what I needed to get the creative juices flowing.  While I was ordering Day of the Dead sugar skull molds, I found this cute idea on how to make a Day of the Dead mask.  So, I borrowed the idea and here's what happened.

Made a mask template.  Layered four sheets of fabric

Cut and sewed the layers together.  Suppose to 'quilt' them together...I just kept sewing around the mask.

Tried getting a feel for what fabrics look good together.

Cut and sewed the teeth on.  This was time consuming and difficult.

Cut and sewed the hearts on....time consuming.  Super glued the rhinestone/flower sticker.

Sewed the flowers on.  Super glued the stickers onto the flowers.

Cut ribbon and sewed on the back of the mask.

End result.

Not quite sure if I like the mask on.  But I definitely like the mask.  It will be a great way to incorporate cultural style, creativity, and fun for my Spanish classes.  We'll have to celebrate Day of the Dead on Friday November 1st since the 2nd is on a Saturday.  Good thing I got the mask done this weekend.  Next weekend, I'll be making 40 sugar skulls....Yikes.

The few times I have remembered I have a camera.

Needless, to say that I have been quite busy with four preps (which is now three because I realized my wonder woman costume didn't give me real powers) and a night time class.  But I need to blog once in awhile because if they ask me to teach Spanish three next year....I need something to remind me to say 'NO'.

So here are some random pictures since I'm now too busy to even remember I have a camera.

The wonderful package I got from my sister.  Unfortunately, she forgot that I don't check my mail very often....and Texas has consecutive days of days of 110 degrees.  :)  However, spooning the melted chocolate in my mouth seem to deceive the calorie intake.  And I have gotten a lot of compliments on the bracelet.  ¡Gracias mi hermanita!

No better way to be stuck in traffic, but to be next to the bat-mobile.  After daydreaming how it could fly me out of the traffic and into a pent house delight...realized I had my camera to capture such a wonderful contraption.  Is the cross between a car and a motorcycle a 'carcycle'?

Spelling closed syllables with cookie letters in SARA class.  Note to self...the students did not like the taste of year old cookie letters.

In Spanish 1, we were learning body parts. Thought this picture was cute.  We did learn body parts below the waist.  And when I was in Costa Rica they did put swans on all my toe nails, for $6.  That story will never get old.

In Spanish 2 we made note-cards for the 'question' words.  Spanish 2 is not nearly exciting as Spanish 1.....but at least it is still multi-sensory.  I have gotten quite good at recording myself rapping conjugated verbs for my auditory learners.

One of my Spanish 2 student's got a Birthday Card from his parents...and it was in Spanish.  How cute it this!  He brought it to class for everyone to see.  Got to remember to give kudos to his parents during conferences.

And I whipped out the Spanish Monopoly for Spanish club.  It was a blast!  I want the Game of Life in Spanish, but they don't make it anymore.  Maybe I could make it next summer...if I make it that far.

Next week we will be playing Spanish Uno with stem changing verbs (for Spanish) and SAT Uno (for SARA).  Hopefully, there will be time (while I'm demonstrating my Uno dominating skills) to take some pictures.  :)