First Week of School

It is a new beginning, a new first week, and a new 2014-2015 school year! Even though it is exciting, it is also tiring. I have a total of 20 students. Some of them are more excited than others, but none of them cried on the fist day of school.  So, it was a great start! After the second day, two students cried because they missed their mom, and one more cried because she was sleepy. The first two or threes weeks of school are the hardest for those 5 and 6 year olds.

At this time, the kindergarteners are learning to follow rules, follow directions, and setting routines. They were introduced to the classroom mascot (stuffed raccoon) which they adore now.  I know that as time passes by, it will be easier for them to get used to kinder.

Here are pictures of some of the activities we did during this week.

 Chester the Raccoon with The Kissing Hand book in Spanish.

We read the book The Kissing Hand, and then students met Chester the Raccon. We talked about students' feelings during the first day of school. Most of the students were happy to be at school; a few were sad, and scared. As you can see, Chester has an IOWA t-shirt. That is because our school is part of the program No Excuses University, and our classroom adopted The University of Iowa. Go Hawkeyes!

                                     

Spanish Kissing Hand Poem.

I introduced the Kissing Hand Poem in Spanish to the students, and we read it several times. The students handprinted their little left hand with paint. We let it dry, and then they glued a little red heart. We practiced reading the poem every day, and on Thursday they took it home to share with their parents.

Manipulating different materials.

We practice with different materials, how to get them, how to use them, how to put them away, and clean our work area. Students love to learn how to use manipulatives!

Read to Self

During this week, we also learned about Good-Fit Books, the 3 Ways of Reading, and started with Read to Self. We are now working on building stamina  in order to introduce the other components of the  Daily 5.

We did much more, but it was hard to take pictures of all the activities during the day. For now, this is all I have. See you soon!

De regreso

Si, ¡ya estoy de regreso! Después de un viaje relámpago a México, la semana pasada. El cual por cierto aproveche para comprar algunos materiales y libros en español. Los cuales compartiré posteriormente.

Terminando los últimos detalles, para iniciar nuestro ciclo escolar 2014-2015. Mas adelante compartiré también, mas fotografías del salón de clases y varias actividades.

Esperando no dejar pasar mucho tiempo para escribir, poner mas fotos e ideas durante el año. Aquí les dejo algunas fotos de cómo quedo finalmente el salón de clases.

¡Hasta pronto!

Mesas listas

Canastas para libros

Area de calendario y lectura

Trabajo con palabras, parte del Daily 5

My First Post!

Hello! As you can see, this is my first post. I am very excited, but at the same time nervous, about this blogging thing. I do not know whether to write in English, Spanish, or both! I think I will start with English, and then switch to Spanish, maybe. So, if you see blue letters, that means English, and if they are red, that means Spanish.

I am going to start by introducing myself. I am a Kindergarten teacher. I am from Mexico City, and I was a Pre K and Kindergarten teacher there for 3 years.  Here in Texas, I was a substitute teacher for 2 years, and this will be my 12th year as a bilingual kindergarten teacher.

I love teaching Kindergarten. Those kids amaze me everyday, and as I am writing these words I am also getting ready for the beginning of a new school year!

¡Éxito en este  ciclo escolar 2014-2015!