Change

Change. For some, this is word is a nasty four-letter-word. I can understand complete as humans are creatures of habit. Is change necessary? You bet! Change is inevitable and we know it is coming. So what can we do to help our students meet those changes head-on? ¡Es obvio! We need to change our mindsets and how we teach our kiddos.

One thing to ponder: Are you teaching your students to learn? I know this sounds silly, but really, are you teaching your students to empower their learning or are you just teaching the subject? We must help our students learn how to learn.

I decided to throw out many of my "normal" routines and change everything. It was quite daunting...but so rewarding! Being part of Klein ISD's new program, Transform Academy, I had the opportunity to reflect on what I was doing and decide where I wanted my students to be based on the incredible experiences in Transform Academy.

I changed my furniture (due to generous funding by Klein ISD). Here are a few photos of my class. I am sure it will evolve many times over until we find what truly works. The desks are Ethos chairs from Haskell Furniture. I love these and saw the Steelcase version at TCEA a couple of years ago, but I love the fact that these chairs have desks that will pivot for a right-handed person or for a left-handed student. The Zynergy chairs are great for students who have trouble sitting still. I found the table at a ReStore location and finished it with a dry-erase finish. I have chairs on casters that telescope up and down and swivel around, so they have multiple uses.

Star Wars and Spanish?

Wow! It has been such a while since I've posted! There is so much information and resources I want to share with you!
My latest venture is being selected as part of a new program that Klein ISD has developed called Transform! Academy. We are "no-box" thinkers and have an amazing time collaborating and coming up with spectacular ideas for our classrooms.
They gave us some monies to us as we see fit to enhance our students' learning. Since my campus is a 1:1, I decided to focus on some unconventional technology as well as new furniture to create a cafe style atmosphere in my class. I am excited to receive all my collaboration technology and love the fact that KISD is so supportive.
I wanted to take a moment to chat with you on the different things you could do in your classes to make it fun and engaging. With the new Star Wars hype, it was so much fun to use the scene between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker to explain ser vs estar. You could bring in light sabers and really get into the presentation of this. I use a scene clip without sound and we act it out.
Here's the poster in my class:

I also use travel posters when we do our travel unit of the various planets in the Star Wars movies. We have a discussion in Spanish as to which planet they would visit and why. I put together a short video that serves as a travel commercial to each one of the planets/locations in the ads. As we discuss each planet, I play the commercial for each The kids have so much fun and it is completely relevant to them. Using pop culture is one way to reach our students and make things interesting for them.
You can also take a photo and use Yakit to have them speak for the character in the photo/poster. It is a great way for students to use the language and have fun with it!
¡Que la fuerza te acompañe!