Fluency

Hello friends!! I'm excited to FINALLY be back with some ideas to share! 

This post is all about FLUENCY! 

Fluency is hands down one of the skills my kiddos like practicing the most. It is NOT because it's naturally appealing, it is simply because we as teachers MUST MAKE IT appealing and attractive to them! 

My fluency station is pretty simple... a box with several fun items the students may use while reading...i.e. glasses, microphones, mini teddy bears, different kinds of timers, etc...  I also have different sets of fluency cards that I rotate throughout the year, depending on the skill that we are working on.... I promise I will get some pics of my fluency box soon!!! 

I use these cards from Stephanie Stewart for fluency in English and these for Spanish fluency. My students love working with both!! 

As YOU KNOW, it is very easy to a student to get off track or distracted in a center where they're expected to work independently. That's why I'm constantly reminding them of ways to be responsible during our centers. 

Just in case... I do 2 things to keep them accountable for their work: 

1. My students know that I will test their fluency at least once a week. I don't always use it as a grade. But whenever I test them or practice with them, I like to use the same cards they've been using in their center that same week. 

2. I have my students fill out an accountability sheet every time they go to the fluency center. That way, they know I'm checking their work even though I'm not there. 
You can grab this FREEBIE for your fluency center. 

You can grab my fluency cards in Spanish here. Levels 11+ will be added soon!

How do you teach fluency? 

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Secret Santa Gift Exchange

Hello friends!! Its been a while!! Life just seems to get crazier and crazier every month! But I'm glad to be back after a *short* social media break. 

Are you excited it's almost Christmas?! I know I am! That's why I joined a group of amazing bloggers for a Secret Santa gift exchange hosted by Mrs. D's Corner! 

Let me tell you, this is super fun! Receiving a package in the mail and having NO IDEA what's in it...love it!!  My Secret Santa was Carrie from Adventures in Kinder and Beyond. She went ALL OUT with the gifts she sent me. 

First, she sent me the cutest card! I absolutely loved it!

And if you know me at all... you know me about my not so tiny uncontrolled addiction to scarves! Carrie sent me two beautiful ones along with a cup for my tea!! 

Did I mention she included a Barnes and Noble gift card, post it notes, note pad, chocolates, and flair pens?!?! Is this girl amazing or what?!

Thank you so much Carrie!! You have truly brightened up my Christmas!! Check out Carrie's blog HERE

Want to check out more Secret Santa fun? Head to Mrs. D's Corner and read more about it!! 

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Currently November

I cannot believe this is the NOVEMBER currently link up... already?!?!
I love this time of the year, it's my absolutely favorite! Not too hot, not too cold... at least where I am in Texas! 

Listening: No don't worry it's not me watching ESPN...Im definitively NOT a sports girl... My husband is watching something (no idea what?!) on ESPN... it all sounds the same to me lol

Loving: So yesterday I asked my husband to run to the store cause I was running low on coffee creamer... he came back with this super soft blanket from Target (for some reason my dog thought the blanket was for him!) Very sweet thing to do but he was just trying to tell me he's not turning the AC off just yet lol. See... we have a BIG problem at our house, he's ALWAYS hot and wants to keep the AC running and of course... I'm ALWAYS cold and freezing to death! Can anyone relate? How do you deal with this?! 

Thinking: So everyone's talking about the extra hour of sleep they got today... not sure where mine went?! What did you do with your extra hour? 

Wanting: Whenever I'm not working, reading or spending time with my family... I like to spend my time BAKING and trying new recipes!! I've always struggled with cooking but baking is a different story, I could just bake and bake ALL DAY LONG! 

Needing: We moved into our new house about a month ago (finally) and I just can't seem to finish unpacking!!! It might just have to wait until Thanksgiving break!! 

YUMMY: Last year I made this DELICIOUS Snickers apple pie but I CANT seem to find or remember the recipe. I found a similar one on Pinterest and I might just have to give it a try. Who knows...maybe it will be better! 

Hope you have an amazing month of November friends!! 

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Fall is HERE!!!

Fall is HERE!! Fall is HERE!!! 

If you live in Texas like me and you're still dealing with 90+ degree weather don't worry because FALL IS HERE!! and soon very soon we will be enjoying the awesome weather as well...

I'm super excited to be joining a group of awesome bloggers to bring you the best of the best of FALL!!! Make sure you go through all the blog hop so you can find a ton of free resources to use in your classroom this season :) 

Fall is by far my favorite season...why you ask? No, it's not cause of the pumpkin everything...I really don't like anything pumpkin flavored or scented (please don't hate me and keep on reading haha). 

I love fall for so many reasons! Every year I enjoy it even more and here's why:

1. Baking!! 

If you know me you know how much I love baking! I wish I had more time to bake and Fall is just an excellent excuse to do it. I have taken lessons and sometimes is what I do to relax. 

2. Scarves

I'll admit it (just not to my husband)... I'm addicted to scarves. Last time I counted I had 50+. I'm always looking for new combinations and different ways to tie them. It makes me so sad to see them just hanging in my closet all summer! I'm ready to start wearing them again. 

If you like scarves as much as I do, you MUST check this out:

3. School

Fall is my favorite in school as well. I just love the energy that students and teachers bring! I especially enjoy that by this time I've had enough time to get to know my students and we are starting to build relationships. 

This week my class will be working on 3-digit addition with regrouping. I'm trying my best to get my students excited about this tough challenging topic. I created this resource to help them practice addition skills while at the same time review the previous skills that we have learned this year! 

I have included a sheet in English and Spanish so everyone can use it! Remember that if you don't teach in Spanish you can simply choose the pages you wish to print.

I hope this freebie is useful and meaningful in your classroom! 

You can continue  going through the blog hop with Triple the Love in Grade 1 !

Have a WONDERFUL Fall!

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Birthdays

Confession time: Im the terrible when it comes to remembering my students' birthdays. Every year I have the good intention of doing something special for my kids but I always forget or realize there is no time... sound familiar? This year I promised I would not let that happen, especially since I know that many of my kids are not celebrated at home.  

I created birthday bags for each of my kids. I knew I would have to come up with something budget friendly since I have 20+ kids and it can get expensive!! I went to the dollar store and found this:

 I thought they were perfect! 10 bags for a dollar??? I'll take them! 

Then I went on to the fun (but hardest) part... finding treats. Of course, my heart wanted to get different things but my wallet wasn't so sure...

Luckily I found some HAPPY BIRTHDAY pencils at Target for $1.

 These I think were the "most expensive" items I bought. They were a dollar yes, but it only had 6/pack. I brought them anyway! My kids love them!

 Some erasers from Dollar Tree 12 for $1 is a great deal! 

 Then I went to the party section and found these awesome sticker boxes!! 

Every bag also included Smarties

 I created some homework passes to include in there as well. I wish I could have printed them in colored paper. I was in the middle of packing to move into our new house (yay!!) and my paper was packed away! They still turned out super cute! 

You can grab them for FREE here. I've also included a Spanish version :) 

What do you do to celebrate your students' birthdays???

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BTS Blog Hop!

Hello everyone!! I'm so glad you're joining me once again for another of our cool blog hops! This hop is going to be packed with ideas and tips for you to be ready and excited about Back to School so make sure you go through all the hop so you don't miss a thing! 

On Friday, I made another trip to my classroom to continue setting up. My students don't go back for another 2 weeks but I always try to be a lil ahead of the game and try to set up before that... I'm not the only one right? I finished setting up my Financial Literacy posters and my Scientific Method/Metodo Científico Posters. 

Many of you already know I teach in a Dual Language Program. So the visuals in my classroom are both in English and Spanish.

On Friday I had a big DUUUHHH moment but fortunately it turned into a tip that I want to share with you!! Hopefully I'm not the only one with this problem. See every time I go to my classroom I end up thinking of a million things I need to go purchase. Sometimes I write it down on whatever piece of paper I can find BUT since my class is such a big mess right now I end up losing it. I came home and decided to create a very simple, quick way to keep my shopping list in one place... by the door! 

There's no way I'll lose it or forget it if its there! I used some colorful washi tape (just to make it more colorful and exciting haha). And now every time I'm out the door I simply grab it and I'm ready to go. Just last time I was there I knew I had to buy command hooks, spray paint, black fabric and pink borders for my bulletin board! 

Make sure you head to my store and grab it for FREE

Don't forget to enter our amazing giveaway and keep visiting all the other blogs for more Back to School tips and ideas!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Our Teaching Tribe August Challenge

Hello Friends! I'm very excited to be joining a group of very amazing authors for this Blog Hop! The challenge this month was to trade a product with a blogger and share about the greatness of the product...

Are you ready to see the product I got??? 

The Self Portrait and Bio Poem by Longwing-Montessori. 

Before I tell you a lil about this awesome product... let me tell you about this super TPT author! She has a variety of products in her store that you will absolutely love! Im telling ya... you must check them out during this BTS season... (she has a bunch of FREEBIES too!!). 

So... the Self Portrait and Bio Poem is an excellent way to get to know your students. Im going to be using this activity with my third graders during the first week of school. This product includes a 1 page anchor that explains what a Bio Poem is (I will have them glue that into their notebook). It also has a sheet where your students can plan and brainstorm ideas before writing, templates for the cutouts, a rubric, and paper for students to publish their writing piece! 

I especially love that she included that planning sheet. It is so hard for some kiddos so come up with ideas and this template allows them to follow a specific format to talk about themselves! 

But wait... that's not all!! I really appreciate the way she created the cut outs... You know those craftivities we all have used in the classroom that require you to use a million small pieces, so many copies, kids lose them, and they take away your instructional time? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE those activities because it keeps students engaged but sometimes the kids seem a lil too crazy for them. I love how the cut-out templates in this product are not super small and they are simple to put together. I'm pretty sure my third graders won't take long on putting them together.

So there you have it friends! Isn't it awesome to be able to read a full description of a product before purchasing it?! 

You can learn more about this incredible author on her blog and TPT store. Head over to Longwing Montessori and check it out!! 

But don't forget to continue hopping through the blogs with us... next you will find Lil Country Librarian...go check her out!! Just click on the image below! 

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Stereotypes

Tips for Bilingual Students.

I'm so amazingly overwhelmed by everybody's support during the kickoff of these blog series that I'm even MORE excited (if thats possible?!)... I have been wanting to do this for a while now and Im happy to finally be able to share with you.

Today's Topic is all about STEREOTYPES...

When you have an English Language Learner in your classroom it is super important to you get rid of any stereotype or prejudice that you might have consciously or unconsciously built in your head. Every single child that enters your classroom should be given the same opportunity to learn from you, their teacher, and the SAME high expectations to succeed. 

Now... how do me make sure our classrooms are STEREOTYPE-FREE?

1. EDUCATE yourself

You just got a new student from Puerto Rico in your classroom? Go online! Read about Puerto Rico. There is no better way to connect with your student than being knowledgable about their country. 

To me there is nothing funnier than people finding out I grew up in Mexico. I often get asked questions like: Do you guys have cars in Mexico? Do you guys have TVs? These questions come from the stereotype that Mexico its only about sombreros, tacos, and piñatas.

Don't let this happen to you! 

2. TALK to your students

Let your students tell you about their country, their house, friends, hobbies. If your student is still unable to communicate in English find different ways to do it. I mean if there is one thing Im sure of is that teachers can ALWAYS find a way, am I right?? Have them draw a picture, allow them to bring things from their home that will teach you about their background. 

3. FORGET about your past experiences

Oh! You got overcharged at that Mexican restaurant last week? Does that mean your Mexican students are thieves? Absolutely NOT! You met a Chinese man that was rude to you? That does not mean students from China will be rude too. We've all had had bad experiences with people but that does not make everyone else guilty. 

Many people say that it is impossible to eliminate stereotypes but I'm completely positive we can do our best to eliminate them in our classrooms!

Thank you to all of you who entered last week's giveaway!! Head over to last week's post to see if you've won!

If you are a winner, I sent you an email with the information...CONGRATULATIONS!!

In the mean time be sure to follow me on FB, IG, TPT and Pinterest so you can be the first to know about everything coming up in this series: FREEBIES, GIVEAWAYS, tips, FLASH FREEBIES and more! 

See you next week!

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Tips for Bilingual Students

Welcome to the REVEAL of my brand new series Tips for Bilingual Students. But wait!! Don't go! Just because you see the word BILINGUAL does not mean you should go. You can still benefit from this, even if you don't teach a bilingual, ESL, or a dual language class. 

Every Tuesday I will share with you a tip, strategy or idea that benefits English language learners. If you're thinking "I don't teach ESL" you should still be informed. As teachers it is our job to meet the needs of ALL our students. You never know what's ahead! You could be getting an English Language Learner for the first time next year or a parent who doesn't speak English. 

Before we begin, let me tell you a lil about myself so you know why I'm doing this... I'm an ESL myself. That's why

teaching English learners is my PASSION. I was there, I know exactly how our ELLs students feel!

 I'm a certified bilingual teacher. This means teaching students that are in the process of learning English OR Spanish. 

Now let me tell you something about bilingual education... it is NOT SIMPLE, it is NOT easy but I still love it. Bilingual ed. is not just about teaching kids the language but also about teaching them CONTENT in a new language.

 If you teach in a Bilingual, ESL or Dual Language  program you know exactly what this means... but I will get more into that later :) . 

For me there's nothing more enjoyable than noticing the progress that a student has made. I LOVE when a newcomer comes into my classroom and doesn't know any English because I KNOW I will see the progress and it will all be WORTH IT. My experience comes from teaching mostly hispanic students that are learning English but I've also taught students who are learning Spanish. 

I'm super excited to be sharing with you.  Next week I will be coming back with Week 1 of Tips for Bilingual Students.

Don't forget to enter the rafflecopter giveaway for this week! You could be one of 2 lucky winners to get a $20 shopping spree to my store OR 1 product of your choice from my store as well :)
 I will announce the winners next week during the first week of THINK TWICE. Giveaways will be getting better and better each week so make sure you come back every Tuesday :) 

In the mean time be sure to follow me on FB, IG, TPT and Pinterest so you can be the first to know about everything coming up in this series: FREEBIES, GIVEAWAYS, tips, FLASH FREEBIES and more! 

See you next week!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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TPT Seller Challenge: Week 1

I'm so excited right now because I've been playing catch up with the TPT Seller Challenge... We are in Week 3 of the challenge and I just finished Week 1... uh-oh! O well! At least I'm DONE! And I couldn't wait to share it with you all! 

So Week 1 of the #TPTSellerChallenge consisted of doing a makeover on one of your products. I decided to update my 2D and 3D Shapes Posters. This was one of the first products that I created for my classroom. I wasn't teaching Dual Language at the time but I did have English language learners. So I created these posters so that ALL my students could benefit. 

This worked for some time BUT after many requests of changing the colors and fonts to coordinate Dual Language classrooms... I knew it was time for a change :)! And I'm so glad because I love they turned out.

This is BEFORE:

And AFTER!!!!!!!!

Ok so now these posters will be so much better for my students! They look cleaner, the font is bigger and bolder. Also, it goes PERFECT in Dual language classrooms since it now has red and blue words. I added another version... there's a set with the kids holding the shapes and one without so you can pick your favorite :)! 

What do you think? Do you like it better?? I wish I would have done this sooner! Anyway... you can still JOIN US for some TPT Seller Challenge fun! Its not too late!

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