Rocket Writes a Story in Any Language

Have you had a chance to read Tad Hills' sequel to How Rocket Learned to Read? Rocket Writes a Story is an adorable picture book suggested for children 4-8 years old. I would recommend it to all teachers and parents who would like to introduce creative writing to their students and children of all ages.

Rocket and his teacher, the little yellow bird, come back in this second book ready to start the process of writing. The little yellow bird encourages Rocket to gather new words to help him come up with ideas for a story. Rocket agrees and creates a word tree, later he goes on long walks for inspiration and when he is ready, he writes every day. He comes up with a wonderful little story that will captivate young readers.

My soon to be first-grader and I started the process of creating his own book after reading Rocket Writes a Story. Diego seemed very interested in trying Rocket's creative and organized writing approach. My wheels were spinning to make it more challenging for him, so I encouraged him to make a Spanish word wall!

After we read Rocket Writes a Story the first time, I found leaf printables, made copies, and had Diego help me cut them out. We later read the book for the second time, discussed it a bit more and had him start thinking of words he knew in Spanish or words he wanted to learn. He went around the house looking for the names of objects he would write on his leaves, and like Rocket, he quickly drew the picture as well (perfect for those learning a new language!). Diego was most intrigued with translating articles, conjunctions and prepositions (little bird calls them "little words")! I love how he understood that they were an essential part of writing.

We set the leaves aside and will continue to build our tree in the next few days. Thank goodness for the long summer days. I am also helping him bind paper for his Spanish story book. I can't wait to share the final project with you.

Remember to have fun with projects like this. Reading, writing, math and science should be explored in a fun way during the summer months to keep kids' skills sharp! I sighed with relief that Diego loved the idea of writing in Spanish (his grandmother is visiting and perhaps her Spanish-only conversations motivated him).  Of course, this writing activity would have been great in English too!

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Betty Galvan, is helping her readers "find the positive and seek the benefits" over at her blog, MyFriendBettySays.com.

She is the mother of three beautiful little boys and a teacher.

Get Latino Teens Reading

In case you missed it, yesterday Latinas 4 Latino Literature announce the Young Adult Challege portion of their Latino Children's Summer Reading Program. To motivate teens to read this summer, they're giving away 10 Chromebooks and 10 Nexus 7 tablets donated by the summer reading program's naming sponsor, Google.

To be eligible to win, the teens must read 8 books over the summer and submit a video book review on one Latino (children's) literature title that they've read. Easy, no?

So if you know or have a child between the ages of 12 and 18, it's time to get them reading!

Learn more here.

Gloria & Rosita Sing a Song on Sesame Street

Happy Summer! Just a fun video today from Rosita y Gloria...

10-Year-Old Sebastien De La Cruz Sings National Anthem @ Game 3 of the NBA Finals

I've been a fan of 10-year-old Sebastien de la Cruz ever since I saw him singing his heart out on America's Got Talent last year. He won my heart instantly - and no doubt thousands of others - with his amazing voice, charm, and sincere face.

Last night, Sebastien took his turn singing the national anthem at game 3 of the NBA Finals in his hometown of San Antonio. Once again, his beautiful voice has moved me to tears. He seems to be embody the hope and possibility found within all of our children. A bright future where their talents are supported and applauded, and their amazing contributions are appreciated.

Even when the fears of the uneducated rears its ugly head, Sebastien responds with grace and confidence. I ask myself, would my kids respond in a similar fashion? Or would they be intimidated? Afraid? Too hurt to respond? Angry? Moments like this remind me to teach my kids to love and believe in themselves and their heritage.

Bravo, Sebastien. But more importantly, bravo to his parents.

And in case you missed his singing the national anthem, here you go! Sing it, M'ijo!

Teachers Re-Energize This Summer!

Whether you are teaching one child at home or you are about to release 30 kids from your class for the summer, it is no doubt that all teachers need some personal time during the summer months to prepare for the next school year. Many of you will clean out and organize your rooms, some of you will continue to teach throughout the summer and or perhaps will attend conferences to continue to work on your own education. It is often forgotten that teachers need to recharge too. Some like to think teachers are lounging by the pool every day but most don't even get a chance to do that at all! I remember working my second and third jobs during the summers "off"! No matter what, teachers, you need to stop to take care of yourself. You give so much throughout the regular school year so it is necessary to take moments for yourself. How else can we become better educators, mothers, and students ourselves if we don't take a little time?

Here are 7 tips to help you organize some of your summer days for relaxation and inspiration to better prepare you for the upcoming school year:

1) Travel. If you get a chance to go to a beautiful island or to a foreign country, enjoy!! Disconnect and just relax. You never know what might inspire you to develop a lesson to take back to your students. If you are not able to go too far away, I find that day-trips across town or a couple of nights to a nearby city are just as relaxing. Museums in a nearby town are my favorite when I can't go too far. My children learn and I watch out for what peaks their interest.

2) Read.  Anything! If you want to catch up on the latest thriller or dig into that historical-fiction novel that is too heavy to carry during your commute, just read. Sit back and relax. My mother is coming this summer for three weeks and she has promised to spend time with the kids so I can finish a couple of books I started months ago!

3) Take an art class. A music class or a dance class are good ideas as well. Taking classes outside of your teaching subject matter is great for the soul and your overwhelmed head! They also foster creativity and inspiration. I'm always looking for something new and I like classes that I don't have to commit to long-term. A fun, spontaneous, and different class where you are not the one teaching can be so beneficial.

4) Meet up with a different group of friends. You know what I love about my girlfriends? They are all SO different. I also like meeting their friends because women are so interesting, full of ideas and have unique work experiences. Hang with your teacher friends, of course! But don't be shy about meeting new friends too. I bet you'll learn something new.

5) Pamper yourself. Take a day (or a few for this one!) to give yourself a spa treatment. I know some friends who like to take care of their own manicures and pedicures. I suggest that if you can splurge a little, make an appointment at your favorite spa. You need a massage. You might need a facial too. Wink wink.

6) Get outside. Gardening, hiking, or running can be very relaxing and inspiring. Whatever your favorite outdoor activity may be, it is important to reconnect with nature. Our teaching jobs take place in the same room every day. Some teaching conditions are not always ideal. This is your time to take advantage of the weather and ground yourself a little to earth. Picnics under a tree are my favorite.

7) Hang out with kids of different ages. I had the opportunity to teach preschoolers in Tokyo and what a difference from American middle-school kids! I found inspiration and ideas for my regular students from that experience. I never thought I could bring more picture books into the secondary classroom but little children taught me that I could. Borrow your nieces and nephews or attend family events and mingle with different ages a little more. Pick their brain or just listen to their conversations for some clues on what they are really into.

Teachers deserve a break! A little re-energizing and inspiration this summer is a must! Concentrating on just you for a few days or a few weeks will be very valuable to your students and to yourself. Enjoy!

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Betty Galvan, is helping her readers "find the positive and seek the benefits" over at her blog, MyFriendBettySays.com.

She is the mother of three beautiful little boys and a teacher.

Spanish Preschool Curriculum Review: Monarca Language & {PRINTABLE}

If you have a 3- or 4-year-old child at home, then this summer is the perfect time to start preparing them for entering school and kindergarten. I want to emphasize once again, how important it is for children this age to either attend a preschool or be worked with at home to develop the skills they'll need when they enter kindergarten. I am reminded of a 2000 study by the department of education that showed that half of the Latino children starting kindergarten could not recognize all the letters of the alphabet, no surprise given that Latino kids are less likely to be enrolled in a preschool program than any other group.

I have written extensively about the importance of parents working with their children at home to teach them basic concepts such as letter and number recognition, shapes, colors, and more. You can find tons of bilingual resources here on MommyMaestra simply by searching for "preschool" in my sidebar.

And now I have a new one to add to the list! I recently had the opportunity to explore Monarca Language, an website with high-quality materials in Spanish for 3 and 4 year olds. The subscription-based site covers math logic and pre-literacy skills, as well as fine-motor coordination, reasoning and attention span.

With a subscription you can get access to the following themed printables and activities: Seasonal Materials, Reading & Writing Corner, Math Circle, and Coloring Activities. (The coloring pages are actually free to everyone.) And you don't have to worry that your kids will get bored with the same old worksheets because they are adding new materials every month. They even include phonetics instruction, in addition to letter recognition. I was impressed to read that 85% of the participating children finish the program reading and writing efficiently.

I really do like the easy and age-appropriate printables. They use many of the concepts my own children used when learning to recognize numbers and letters. Best of all, you can choose the level of difficulty and proceed at your child's own pace. All of them are in Spanish, with easy to understand directions in both English and Spanish for teachers and parents.

The fact that they include math is especially exciting as so often program focus on pre-literacy skills and forget or ignore early math skills. Really and truly, as I looked throughout this program I was very pleased to see that it covers all of the basic skills and concepts a child would learn in preschool.

I also love that there is no long-term commitment and you can cancel your subscription at any time. This makes me feel like Monarca Language is so confident in their materialsprintables, activities, and newsletter. You can even test it out with a one-month free trial.

FREE PRINTABLE

The kind people at Monarca Language have allowed me to share the following printable with MommyMaestra readers. It is part of their Seasonal Materials and features La Primavera: Animales de la Granja. Best suited for 3 year olds.

If you already subscribe to Monarca, leave some feedback in the comments to help other readers decide if this is a program for them.

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Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post, however, I did receive a one-month access to the site for review purposes.

Spanish App: Aprendes Con la Selva poderosa: ¡Los animales!

Spanish app alert! Aprendes con just released their newest Spanish app: Aprendes Con la Selva poderosa: ¡Los animales! And yes, it is free. If you would prefer to play it in English, you can find that version here.

This app focuses on Life Science and is designed for children ages 3 - 6. It teaches them to recognize animals, identify their appropriate habitats, and associate key vocabulary words to describe each one.

You know we're big fans of iLearn With and all of their early education apps for children. We haven't played this one yet, but all of their apps are high quality, educational, and mostly FUN.

If you download and play it, let us know what you and your kids think of it!

Always Reading: Word Problem Resources

 

As school lessons are coming to an end, I love that I am seeing so much encouragement for parents to support their children's acquired skills from the school year well into the summer months.  Reading is fundamental for success in overall academic careers. Children who read outside the classroom (especially during summer months) can maintain or gain knowledge. Adding additional reading to other subjects such as math, is a bonus!

Our family has recently fallen in love with resources that encourage word problems.  As a Language Arts and Reading teacher, you know what my passion is! My husband on the other hand, is a math guy and he is teaching our sons to love math right from the start. We have found a happy medium for our evening routines while working with our oldest who is finishing up kindergarten.

Math word problems are more complex than common math problems. Reading and comprehension are required in word problems in addition to basic math skills.  Also, in order to solve math word problems, kids must be able to understand the relationship between math equations and simple everyday situations. Diego loves to hear an interesting story right before a problem. It keeps him engaged and it also helps him understand that we use math every single day. Practicing math word problems helps children analyze, use logic, concentrate, listen or read attentively, and dissect a complex piece of information by reading something carefully.

Here are some of my recent finds to help us with our summer reading and math practice.  All resources are available for all different grade or skill levels. I hope you and your family will be able to use some of these this summer. Enjoy!

Websites: Bedtime Math, Math Playground, Super Teacher Worksheets, and Kid Zone.

Apps: Bedtime Math, Banana Math, Ace Math, and App Tutor.

Workbooks: Math Basics: Story Problems, Brain Quest

Do you have other resources for word problems that you love? Please add in the comments below!

Disclaimer: Links to Amazon are my affiliate links. Thank you.

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Betty Galvan, is helping her readers "find the positive and seek the benefits" over at her blog, MyFriendBettySays.com.

She is the mother of three beautiful little boys and a teacher.

Summer Learning: Geography, Culture, & Reading

For the next few months, I'll be focusing on summer learning and all the great activities you can do to keep your kids from experiencing the dreaded "Summer Brain Drain" where students forget and lose the equivalent of one to three months of learning.

So I was more than happy to accept the offer to be a Little Passports ambassador (this is an affiliate link). I had actually already just subscribed to their USA edition, where we get activities and information on two different states each month, and I plan to continue it.

As an ambassador, I get a subscription to their World Edition and updates that I am allowed to share with all of you. I'll just be writing about our experiences once a month so you can see how the program works and decide on your own if it will work for your family.

Signing up for the program is super easy: All you have to do is go to their website and select which edition you want (World Edition or USA Edition), then choose your subscription plan according to your budget. You have the option of a monthly, 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month plan.

On their site you can find a complete description of each package, including what materials your child will receive and which countries/states will be covered. You can even find samples of the montly adventures you'll receive.

We received our first World Edition last week. It came with a suitcase filled with goodies, including a world map, passport, activity sheet, stickers, boarding pass (with directions for going online and accessing the Little Passports interactive pages with additional learning resources), a disposable camera, and an introductory letter from Sofia and Sam, your young tour guides on your adventure around the world.

My kids loved having a child-sized suitcase they can keep all of their materials in and a passport to travel the world. The activity sheet was super fun requiring my kids to decode some numbers to learn how to say hello in different languages. At the bottom of the sheet, they had to use the map to locate the capitals of different countries in order to find the answer to another question. On the back they get to practice their math skills by counting flags to answer a different question.

I really love how this program gives my kids a chance to practice their reading, geography, and even math skills with the very first package. And it's fun for them! They loved looking through all of the materials, especially their little passport.

In a few weeks, I'll share more of our experience with the program.

And if you're already sold, you can go and sign up via my affiliate link here.

Disclosure: I am a Little Passports affiliate. All the links used in this post are affiliate links.

L4LL Launches Latino Children's Summer Reading Program

In case you missed seeing it this weekend on my Facebook page, I just wanted to share with your the official launch of Latinas for Latino Literature's biggest project yet: The Latino Children's Summer Reading Program!

It's true that there are other summer reading programs by recognizable giants in the education world, and some even offer Spanish-language components to their program. But our program is the only one online designed specifically for Latino families with children who are newborns all the way up through high school. We know that parents are the key to success, and so we even provide those of you with children who are still too young to read a way to help them develop their pre-literacy skills so they can start school well prepared.

So I'm sure that you will forgive me for neglecting MommyMaestra last week. My dear amiga, Viviana (The Wise Latina Club), and I were "burning the morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and midnight oil" (as she likes to put it) while getting everything ready to launch on Saturday. We are especially thankful to Google, our naming sponsor, who has partnered with us to bring you additional tools and resources to help promote literacy in your home. And who spent hours patiently teaching us everything we needed to know to do things right. Their team is simply fabulous.

With the Latino Children's Summer Reading Program, we challenge Latino students and parents of young children to read a minimum of 8 books during the 10-week summer vacation period. We've created printables like pledges you and your child can print, sign, and hang up to help remind you to read every day this summer. You'll also be able to download reading logs, and even a certificate of achievement that you can present to your child at the end of the summer. All of our printables are available in English or Spanish.

And because we love to see Latino children's literature in the hands of our kids, we also put together three reading lists with some titles that we love and recommend. They are not mandatory, just fun suggestions.

In addition, we'll be revealing lots of great resources, more printables, as well as contests and prizes throughout the summer.

And the absolute bestest part ever? IT'S ALL FREE!

Just head right over here to register and start downloading all the free reading goodies.

Happy reading to all!

Con mucho cariño...

~Monica

Inspiring Latinos Series: Mariana Iranzi

I just absolutely love discovering talented Latinas. Especially when they are using their talents to educate children. So when I listened to Mariana Iranzi's music this weekend, I knew immediately I was including her in my Inspiring Latinos Series.

The great granddaughter of the famous Tango composer, Julio de Caro, Mariana spent her childhood immersed in the world of music. Born and raised in Argentina, she studied recorder, Orff music classes and choir at the Collegium Musicum of Buenos Aires, and started her first piano lessons when she was 8 years old. Since that time she has developed her talent and explored different genres of music with some amazing experiences.

After many years of playing the Beatles, Bach sonatas, and her own compositions at house concerts and music schools, she was deeply driven by the sounds of rock music and decided to try the electric bass. Next thing you know she's touring Argentina in 2000 with the rock band Kro-Magnon, and then goes on to get her degree in bass performance in 2003.

But if all that isn't enough, Mariana decides to continue learning and decides on a new adventure. Two years later, Mariana received her Bachelors Degree in professional music (education & performance).

Over the next six years, Mariana played bass for the Dave Alpert Band, the Florencia Gonzalez Big Band and created her own children’s music band. She has taught in the public schools of Buenos Aires, as well as early childhood music education classes here in the U.S., private lessons and ensembles for the past 14 years.

Now a children's music composer and performer, Mariana's albums focus on bilingual and multicultural music for kids. Not surprisingly, her debut album, Aventura Collage, received a NAPPA Golden Award.

Mariana's latest project is her new album for children, Hola Hello. It was released this year.

Honestly? I absolutely love it! There are a lot of really great children's albums in Spanish available on the market. But Mariana's training and unique talent is obvious when you hear her songs. Her style is so distinct that I know I would immediately recognize her work. The best part is that her songs are just as appealing to adults as they are to children. In Hola Hello, she's taken traditional Latin American rhymes and songs and made them her own. In fact, I do believe her version of Los pollitos dicen may be the best one I've heard.

To learn more about Mariana, visit her website, www.marianairanzi.com.

To listen to samples of her songs or to purchase your own copies of her albums for children, you can find them here on Amazon.

Bilingual Mathematics

 

Do you know about Bilingual Mathematics? A few weeks ago, the creator of the site sent me an email inviting me to take a look.

Carmen Ayala says she works with mostly Latino students in the Chicago area and has been creating resources to help them in school and life. She's most passionate about teaching math.

"What I noticed throughout my work is that students are able to solve simple arithmetic problems," Carmen says, "but struggle when it comes to problem solving, which often includes reading."

So she created a site called Bilingual Mathematics to help solve this problem. It offers math printables, all of which can be downloaded in both English and in Spanish. There is even a section on each resource that reinforces math vocabulary, which our students often struggle with. And all of the bilingual worksheets are common core aligned.

Bilingual Mathematics is a subscription-based service. It costs $29.95 a year. For those of you with children who are struggling in math, this might be worth a try.

I would, however, have preferred to download a few sample worksheets, though I could not find any on the site. If you have used Bilingual Mathematics before, or you sign up now, let us know what you think...