Spanish Reading Materials

I'm working on building a library for my students to read from.  With a focus on Comprehensible Input and minimizing frustration, I plan for students to select their free-choice reading material from my library or to purchase their own books (giving them even more choice and flexibility) from an extensive list of leveled reading resources.  These resources I'm suggesting come from the novels popular with TPRS teachers, short stories (again from TPRS resources as well as my own), carefully selected popular novels that students should be able to read, and authentic resources that include embedded readings and context for students to understand them.  I'll help guide students to what best fits their level and interests, allowing for considerable differentiation and flexibility in choice.  Of course, if students have something they REALLY want to read, then their motivation can overcome the difficulty of the book and it's still valuable, but most students find that my recommendations are usually the most enjoyable since they feel more capable of reading them.

Below are "Amazon Wish Lists" of the books I plan on recommending to my students.  These were compiled based on what's available through Blain Ray, TPRS Publishing, and Susan Gross's list of Spanish novels.

Middle School Spanish (Intro to Spanish)
Spanish 1
Spanish 2
Spanish 3
Spanish 4
Spanish 5
Spanish 6

Additionally, I am selecting authentic resources from NMSU's reading list for students in their Spanish Literature Master's degree list.  Almost all of the items other than the books (they're formatted correctly, so books titles are all underlined) are in the public domain, so you can easily find them online.  These can be very challenging, so I'm making these available to students to read if they want (there's some wonderful poetry and enlightening essays!).  I will be teaching some of these to my Spanish III students separate from free-choice reading as well.

On a side note, I'm trying to raise funds to purchase many of these books so that students have more selection in my classroom.  If you'd like to donate, please visit my GoFundMe page: http://www.gofundme.com/ba121w (I will love you forever if you do!)

Genius Hour 2014-2015

Genius Hour next year is going to look very different than Genius Hour this year for a few reasons. During my first year teaching, I identified a few things that I need to address and fine tune a bit more before I'm ready to take on Genius Hour in the same way again: Spanish proficiency and Structure.  I felt that I was lacking in these areas last year, and Genius Hour was when it showed the most.  However, while re-structuring my curriculum and teaching this summer, Genius Hour emerged in a whole new way that I didn't expect.

Reading is a fundamental element of developing language proficiency.  In my quest to pack as much comprehensible Spanish input into my class as possible, I set aside a daily free-choice reading period for students.  However, I needed a way to hold students accountable for their reading and to check that they're getting out of it what they should be.  I added a reading journal, where students identified what they read and included a brief summary as well as a list of words they came across that they didn't know (note to self - I just had the idea of adding in a "rating" for each entry, indicating how students feel about reading that day).  Then, while deciding the format of my final, I decided to use that daily reading as the source for a book report and presentation, which allowed me to assess speaking, something that can be tricky in a Comprehensible Input-based classroom.  My main objective was simply to translate their reading into a somewhat painless writing and speaking assessment, but I decided to include a "product" of their choice that could represent their book as well as help remind them of what they wanted to talk about during their 1-2 minute presentation to the class.

In my push for more comprehensible input and Spanish instruction, I was a bit sad that I was eliminating Genius Hour, but felt this was needed and that I would be much more successful with my instruction and meeting my responsibilities with my new curriculum plan.  Then it occurred to me... Isn't this reading project just another form of Genius Hour?  I'm requiring that they read... but they're welcome to read anything they want to, create a project that represents their learning, and presenting it.  All the elements are there, PLUS it's all in Spanish!  I feel like I've found my silver bullet and am quite pleased with myself.  Because of some of the attitudes toward "Genius Hour" from last year, I won't be calling it that this year (at least not in front of my students).  However, the fundamental elements are all there and I am so excited to capitalized on this experience again!

My First-Year Genius Hour Experience

Well, I learned a lot about Genius Hour this year.  Being a first-year teacher, I learned more about what works for me and what doesn't.  I also got a lot of honest feedback from students.  In all, I love the idea of Genius Hour, but it's going to look very different next year.

My goal for Genius Hour was for students to explore culture.  I made a decision to focus on Spanish language proficiency during the first four days of the week, and then allow students to explore culture on the fifth.  I felt that the Genius Hour experience would be hindered if I required students with minimal Spanish skill to try and complete their project in Spanish.  Thus, the tie-in to my subject was through a focus on culture.

Our Genius Hour experience was primarily split into two parts.  During first semester, I tried to promote learning a little about a lot of topics.  I gave students a list of 10 categories of cultural topics ranging from Art and Food to Economics and Government.  By the end of the semester, students needed 15 blog posts - one in each category plus five on any cultural topic they wanted.  I gave them a format for the blog posts that required them to include their resource and a paragraph describing what they learned and why they researched it.

• What worked: students did end up thinking about culture in new ways beyond just food, dance, and music.  They were also able to learn things that were unexpected.  Overall, they gained an appreciation for many of the similarities and differences that exist between the cultures (including ours).  It was also easy to keep track of posts because each student "tagged" their post with the cultural category as well as their name, so I could pull up all of their posts at once to grade.
• What didn't work: STRUCTURE.  This year, I learned that I don't really have it, but I really need it.  This holds true for all of my teaching, not just Genius Hour.  However, Genius Hour was the least structured part of my week, and I really struggled with it.  This is a classroom management issue rather than a GH issue.  I would particularly warn new teachers that they need to be meticulous and hold many students' hands through the process to ensure their success.  My highest students got this right away and took full advantage of it.  They were the ones who got the most out of it and enjoyed it the most.  My lowest students, on the other hand, just wished I would teach class.  Unfortunately, this was a reinforcing idea considering they didn't get out of it what they could have, and so they felt it was a waste of time.  My higher students also noticed the lack of actual learning that seemed to prevail in the classroom.

At the end of the semester, to get buy-in for another semester, I put continuing Genius Hour to a vote.  If I had simply continued Genius Hour as it was, I can almost guarantee the vote would have been a unanimous "no".  However, I explained that the goal and format would be changing to allow them focus on one topic of their choice and complete a project on that topic.  I REALLY turned on the salesman pitch.  In the end, only one class voted not to continue, but the rest of the classes voted by a landslide to continue doing GH.  Since I had informed classes that the votes for all the classes would be tallied and we would all either continue or not continue, I decided to move forward with GH with all my classes (the class that voted not to continue did come around, I think).

Second semester, student chose one topic and then completed a project about that topic.  They had to create something to display about their topic (I purposely left this vague to see what they came up with) and attend a "Genius Hour Fair" where everyone displayed their product and filled out a worksheet about other students' projects.  Their final for the year was to turn in a portfolio that included their initial proposal, a 1-page "What is culture?" paper, a 2-page reflection paper about their experience, a Spanish-English dictionary that listed the key terms of their topic in Spanish and English, and an annotated bibliography.

• What worked: Students got really excited about their project.  Students who cared about their learning and project really went the extra mile.  They also learned a lot about the process of designing and following through with their plan.  Before starting their project, students had to present a well through-out proposal.  Most of the groups split up early on (usually at the proposal stage) once they realized that working in a group would limit them being able to do their project their way (or they were worried about relying on another person), and many students realized that their plans changed for various reasons (not enough information, not feasible, etc.)  It was really cool to see students work these things out themselves and then simply come to me for approval for their changes.  In the end, I had a number of amazing projects - students built websites (I showed students with digital projects how to create a QR code for their display and then scan other codes to see items on their devices), sewed clothes, built models, and cooked food, and learned to dance among other things.  For these students, the experience really paid off.  In fact, a number of my "lower" students had the chance to shine when they brought their projects in - there were a few that all the students were talking about and they had no idea that that particular student could do the things they did!  Parents and students alike seemed very impressed at the Genius Hour fair - Most students put at least satisfactory effort into their projects (though it was obvious many of them slapped a poster together the night before).  However, there were clearly students who turned their "wow" factor on with paintings and displays that went well beyond anything I knew these students could do.  Many students and parents commented on how this experience gave them some unique opportunities with their kids.  For example, more than one Mom commented on how much fun it was to cook with their kids (students were required to work with a "mentor", defined as someone who knew more about their topic than they did) and that their family now had new recipes they ate on a regular basis.
• What didn't work: Again, the issue of structure came in.  There were a number of students who just couldn't get the ball rolling with an idea and wasted a lot of time.  The issues from first semester rolled over into second semester and resulted in sub-par experiences for my students (and me).  However, I would say that second semester was much more successful than first semester and students got more involved in their projects, including my "low" ones.

If I were to do Genius Hour this same way in the future, I would make sure I thought through more structure, provided physical resources (such as worksheets), and spend less time on the "general" research.  I would also do shorter projects - a semester seems so far in the future for students.  I would possibly spend first quarter (or one week) researching a variety of topics so that students could explore things that they wouldn't normally explore and discussing those as a class.  Then, I would do one project each quarters - students who want to "go big" could form an idea that would justify three quarter's worth of work and then complete part of it each quarter, resulting in the one larger project.  The Genius Hour fair was well worth all the work put into it, however, and I would make an even bigger deal out of it than I did this year, sending out invitations to parents and families and announcing it at the school.  Next year, though, Genius Hour is going to have a different focus since I need to fine-tune some of my other responsibilities before I can facilitate a less-structured Genius Hour like this.

Genius Hour 2013: First Semester

Each day, I'm getting closer to introducing Genius Hour to my class.  After much thought and input from coworkers, I feel like I've got a solid plan.  Obviously, things will be a little less flexible than this last summer as far as what material we need to cover (I need to demonstrate that I'm meeting standards for Spanish classes), but we have so many more opportunities to really go big with this project so I'm very excited!  Here's what I've got planned so far...

Genius Hour - The Moment of Truth

Our Latino Culture Genius Hour projects are done and yesterday we presented our projects.  So, how did we do?  Here's the process we went through, how everything turned out, student projects, and my reflections on it all :)

20 Time in a Foreign Language Classroom

Now that I have a better idea of what I'm in for this fall when it comes to Genius Hour and 20 Time, I've started thinking about how I'm going to connect it to my curriculum.  There are two main areas that Genius Hour can (and should) be connected to in a Foreign Language class: culture and language.

NOTE: A special "thank you" to Denise Krebs and Señorita Barragan for helping me form and articulate my ideas for this post.

Genius Hour Week 3: Three Distinct Groups

Three distinct groups of students have emerged within my classroom and, though my program is a special one for students who might be considered "at risk", I imagine similar groups will emerge in any Genius Hour classroom: the "This is awesome!" group, the "Ok, I get it." group, and the "What is this?" group.

Genius Hour Week Two: 2 Struggles and 2 Successes

Last week I introduced Genius Hour to my students, and this week we spent the entire class period researching various ideas.  We had a lot of interesting experiences today - some shed light on some of the struggles my students may have and that I need to address and others confirmed how awesome this really is.  For week 2, I have two of each to share :)

Genius Hour: Week 1

"How did you know that?"

"I Googled it."

The first student had asked a fairly complicated question out loud ("Do babies dream?"), and within a few seconds, the second student started telling her about the REM cycles of babies, something he knew nothing about just a few moments beforehand.  That's the beauty of Genius Hour.

20 Time as a model for the educational system

What if the entire educational system was modeled after the 20 Time approach?  In other words, what if all education were inquiry-based? What if the primary goal of early education was communication - including listening, reading, writing, and speaking - so that students would be able to obtain, learn, and share information independently?  What if students as young as primary school were then asked to form essential questions, research the answers, and then present their results?  What if teachers were viewed as experts and resources in their subject areas that students approached when they needed help or direction?  What if students were then connected with professional mentors with more specialized skills and expertise?  What if student assessment was then based on the products and innovations they come up with, like a portfolio?

I envision a school where teachers are not the content providers, but rather guides and inspiration for students.  Students would more or less take the same courses as they do now, but would form questions related to the topic area and then learn the content in the process of discovering the answers to their own questions.  Students would have access to more advanced levels of instruction as their needs and interests dictate.  Moreover, students in high school (or even middle school) would take a course that allows them to research any topic of interest to them.

Education would be individualized to meet student needs and interests
Students would understand why the information was important
Students would be motivated to master content
Students would be able to apply 21st century skills to find information on their own
Students would learn to rely on one another as resources with a high degree of expertise.

Students would demonstrate not only what they know, but what they can do with what they know.

Would this really work?  I don't know.  But I sure think it's a step in the right direction.

TL in Genius Hour/20 Time

I'm having an interesting conversation on Twitter with a few other foreign language teachers about how to use the TL (Target Language) during these times.  I feel very strongly that students should have the freedom to explore and present their passions without being hindered by having to do it in a second language (yes, that even includes higher levels - I would die if all the things I wanted to learn about and/or present I had to do so in Spanish).  So, the core of Genius Hour/20Time really needs to be done without having to use the language.

However, we are generating ideas for other ways of integrating foreign language.

• Obviously, part of mine is the requirement to connect at least part of their learning to other cultures. (I just had a related idea - rather than making that culture a focus of a project, students could do a sort of mini-project as part of their genius hour to find out ways their topic connects to Spanish-speaking culture).
• Since their passions will include some essential vocabulary and terminology (like the word "input" in education), students could make a vocabulary list of the essential vocabulary for their topic and how those translate into Spanish.  Should they decide to pursue their passions and need to communicate about them in Spanish, these words will be critical to them.

20 Time with Profa Baros

This was written as my inaugural post on 20 Time In Education.  It includes a thorough introduction of who I am, what I teach, my goals for using 20 Time in my classroom, and my initial plans for what it will look like.

20% TIme Inspiration

Need some inspiration and motivation about 20% Time that shows just how amazing our students and their ideas can be?  Check this out!

20 Time Featured Teacher!

I haven't posted in a while, but I've been hard at work!  Remember that 20 Time website I posted (20 Time in Education)?  Well, I've been asked to become their featured "emerging teacher" as I integrate 20 Time into my classroom this summer and fall!  I'll be added to their "contact us" page and periodically write posts (which will also be posted here) describing our 20 Time experience.  I'm very honored to have this privilege and simply cannot wait to get started!

My first post (which will be on May 31st) will provide some essential information before we get started: A brief introduction (who am I and what am I teaching?), my goals, and how this is all going to look.  I've gotten a good start on this post and am going to continue working on it until the 31st when it'll be posted here as well as on the 20 Time website.  Stay tuned!

A classroom like none other

Sometimes I have to smile to myself wondering about my students' reaction this fall when the walk into my classroom.  It's going to be like nothing they've ever experienced before.  And, I'm glad it's my own and I have a lot of freedom with a supportive administration because I'm sure it'd give many teachers a heart attack.  Who in their right mind would have a Flipped TPRS classroom with Genius Hour?

• Though it's a language class, we will not focus on grammar.
• We will be telling and acting out stories in a chaotic manner.
• My class decorations include many toys and costumes you'd expect in a child's bedroom.
• Students will learn the most important material at home, and then come to school to talk and interact.
• Then, once a week, they get free reign to learn about whatever they want to.

Maybe I've gone off the deep end.  But doesn't it take just a little bit of crazy for progress and innovation to occur?

20 Time in Latino Culture Epiphany

Though most of my posts and thoughts have to do with my Spanish 1 classes that I'll be teaching full time during the 2013-14 school year, I still have to plan for my Latino Culture elective class I'm teaching this summer!  I already had a basic syllabus and outline that I was planning on fine-tuning once school gets out, but now that I've learned about 20 Time, I've been wrestling with whether I could work it into my summer class.  I believe it should be a part of this program in some way given he particular nature and goals of the Upward Bound program, but I can only control my class and have such limited time...

And then, I had an epiphany.  Another hurdle I was pondering in my head was how to get students jump-started in exploring the culture of the Spanish-speaking world and how they might connect their passions to culture in some way.  I thought that some sort of website with interesting links would be great, but how could I possibly manage to think of enough of a variety of resources that might spark an interest in my students?  Then I realized - I have the opportunity to let my students this summer put together a resource for me.  What could be better than a resource for students by students?  And I'd be killing two birds with one stone!

20 Time and Genius Hour

As I'm letting 20 Time "swirl around" my brain, there are a few distinctions and insights I'm having.  There is a wonderful website - 20 Time in Education - which I was introduced to this morning.  It is getting finishing touches done and will be "officially" launched in the next few weeks. I'm reading through and am excited to use as a resource. I'm just jotting these thoughts down as they occur and how I understand them, so adjustments and corrections will be made as necessary.

20% Time

Just read about this and want to bookmark it to ponder later!

http://edudemic.com/2013/05/10-reasons-to-try-20-time-in-the-classroom/

UPDATE:  OK, I'm reading mroe about this, and I'm getting that giddy "I'm SO excited!" feeling for doing this with my students.  I'm sold.  But, I need to ponder this more before I can clearly articulate the ideas my brain is forming.  Here are a few more websites of inspiration!

http://educationismylife.com/designing-20-time-in-education/

http://www.iteachithink.com/2012/07/give-your-students-20-time-to-do.html

http://stumpteacher.blogspot.com/2011/03/innovation-day-2011.html

http://www.geniushour.com/2013/03/29/approching-your-administration-about-genius-hour/

http://geniushour.wikispaces.com/Testimonials

http://www.geniushour.com/2013/03/29/approching-your-administration-about-genius-hour/

UPDATE:  I'm ready to write down the ideas running around my mind!

Spanish 1 Curriculum

I finally have a draft of my curriculum with general year-long ans weekly plans.  I've updated the "curriculum" tab above to link to this curriculum.  Now, I'm going to go back and work on resources and individual lesson plans.  I'll update here when I make progress!