I "mustache" you a question

I designed this 10-page packet to help kids to ask and answer about personal information the first days of school. It is ready to print and use with your kids.

You can download your free copy here

All About Me Freebie

Today I am sharing with you all a quick "All About Me" freebie that can be used at the beginning of the school year to get to know your students a bit better and/or it could also be used throughout the year as a "Student of the Week" type activity! 

Younger students can draw in the provided spaces and older students can write and/or draw as well. 

Also, feel free to blow up the page to a size that best suits your needs! It would work great as a larger poster for the "Student of the Week" if that is what you intend on using it for as well!

Just click on the image to grab your free copy in Spanish/English :)!

Hope you are having a wonderful start to your school year!

Bilingual Blog Hop: FREEBIES and a $100 Giveaway

FREEBIES and a $100 Giveaway

That's some exciting news!
We have a wonderful Bilingual Blog Hop going on today. You are invited to come join us and grab some FREEBIES! We are also having a $100 TPT Giveaway for two lucky winners.

Click on my Kinder Alphabet blog button to get you started. Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Reading log freebie!

Teachers have two “New Year” celebrations: one in January and the other one in August. Start the year off right by establishing a routine for reading, even if your students are not able to read or write yet. 

This reading log is designed for beginner readers. It contains a parent letter (English/Spanish), and a reading log calendar (September-June). 

I hope you can use it in your class! Click on the picture to download. 

First Day Welcome

Going back to school is right around the corner for most of us (if you haven't already begun), and it is always nice to have a few ideas in the bank to welcome your students and even colleagues that first day back (as let's be honest, we all have some of those first day jitters!).

Last year as a coach, I placed one of these fun little snacks into each of the new dual language staffs' mailboxes.

It is just a little way to say "have a great day!"

You can punch the bags and tie on the saying with ribbon as I did, or just go ahead and tape it right on  there!

The image below represents a second version I created, which may be a great one to use with students the first day if you plan to set them out on their desks, etc. Click on the image and you can download either of the versions for free :).

Happy start to your school year!

Motivated for Back to School

I know we are not ready (I am not ready). But with all the ads, pinterest and so on I feel like BTS is almost here.

I am still creating fun stuff for my kiddos. I will be fun having badges for our special days in school.

Feel free to print these badges for your students.

If you like them check my Back to School Bundle or my First day of School minibooks.

Have fun! 

Lita Lita

learning in Spain

Calendar time

  I noticed that I was doing all of the work for my kinders during calendar time. I sang the songs, asked and changed the date, changed the place value chart, counted to a 100, asked about the weather etc. That's why I decided to create a morning work routine where students would become more independent. 

     It took a whole year to make but I can finally say that it is ready. I created a morning work packet from September through June. I also created it the English version for my team. 

         This is how I use it in my classroom. My  students have different jobs each week. One of their jobs is "teacher assistant", he/she sings all of the songs (good morning, days of the week, colors etc) and the "police officer" goes through our class rules.  
I then review the calendar and read the instructions for that day on the morning work routine.

Here is a short video explaining Mi trabajo de la mañana

       I still meet with my students during calendar time, that is something I will never change. I need to activate prior knowledge, establish a routine, talk to my students and prepare my students for the day.

At the beginning of the year my students need a lot of scaffolding to complete the morning work routine. I decided to practice with them for a week so they could get used to this activity. Eventually, they learn how to do it all by themselves. 

 Check them out! You could get each month separate, by bundles (3 months), or buy the whole year and save some $!

 

FREE Back-to-School Printable

Self-portraits are commonly used on the first week of school in Pre-K and Kindergarten. We can gather a lot of information from this activity. Teachers who walk around the classroom, during this time, will be able to observe and get to know their students and their abilities.

What should I look for?

*Fine motor skills
*Student's attention to detail
*Pencil Grip
*Dominant Hand
*Spatial Relationships
*Following Directions

Books to read

I compiled a list of several books that you can read during the first week of school. Some of them lend themselves to this self-portrait activity. My favorite one is Leo, el retoño tardio.

Click on my Kinder alphabet blog button to download your freebies. They are available in English and Spanish.

Enjoy!

Capital letters in Spanish

Hi! I am Lita Lita from Learning in Spain.

I teach 1st-2nd graders in a Spanish school. We have a bilingual program and sometimes it is difficult for our students to remember when some spelling rules.

When the same teacher teaches both languages in the same classroom students might mix the rules. That's why I create anchor charts all the time. I have separate walls for each language so they don't get confused. 

The kids loved referring to them and some copied them. That's why I created 'fill in the gaps anchor charts'. We use them to review or evaluate. The kids file them in their language binders and we staple them together at the end of the year to create a spelling reference book.

This is an example: Capital Letters.

We do not use capital letters for months or days of the week in Spanish. It is easier than that. 

For more Spanish resources visit my blog:

http://learninginspain.blogspot.com

New bilingual items!

It's almost back to school time and we must get ready. This Summer I have been working on some new clip art, back to school activities and lots of new Fold and Learn Science printables. Everything is done in English and Spanish! Check out for a freebie too!

I am having a big sale as many other sellers in Teachers Pay Teachers. Use the promo code: BTS12

Enjoy your last days of holidays and don't lose this great opportunity on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Lita

Learning in Spain

Bilingual Back to School Activities

Hola!
It's officially August, and time to start thinking about getting back to school.  If you're in need of some back to school activities stop by my blog for more information on some great bilingual activities for the bilingual classroom.

Cheers!
Mrs. Castro