MYP Rubrics & more

We all have the IB language guides and we all have the same thought: It would be way easier to have this in a table or at least in a different format.  Yeah! I had that same thought until I got bored of it and started just putting everything in a easier format to work with. Then I couldn't stop myself there and I kept creating resources to complement the rubrics. Along with the rubrics I have been working on more documents that come in handy for multiple purposes. 

MYP Unit Planner:
a template with guidance that fits the IB format. [Template found on the cloud, thanks to Locke School]

Task requirements:  
break down by phases. Really useful document to keep in mind everything in just one page.

What are we covering in phase 1?
This is a curriculum maps document for a school year. Remember that usually a phase takes two years to be completed ;)

Objectives and Assessment Criteria aligned with CEFR:
We all know that pretty much in all schools we have to juggle with two or more programs (IB, AP, DELE, CEFR, A Levels, IGCSE...) This is a document I use to put everything in one page.

Español MYP rubrics
Phase 1		Phase 2		Phase 3
Criterion A	Criterion B	Criterion A	Criterion B	Criterion A	Criterion B
Criterion C	Criterion D	Criterion C	Criterion D	Criterion C	Criterion D
Phase 4		Phase 5		Phase 6
Criterion A	Criterion B	Criterion A	Criterion B	Criterion A	Criterion B
Criterion C	Criterion D	Criterion C	Criterion D	Criterion C	Criterion D

If you have more documents that can complete this post and are willing to share with the community, please send them through ;)

Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.

Lyndon Johnson

Lunaprofe 9/05/2016  No comment

How can we learn vocabulary?

I have been doing this in my class every year but just this year had the necessary creativity to write everything down and draw my posters to put up in my class, more my style.

The posters are to put up in your class walls to have a continuous visual reference for your students, so every time you ask them for one of these concepts they can use them to answer or refresh their memory.

In addition to the idea and the posters, you can check this post out to get to know better how to use these materials and to see more ideas and resources in action.

An idea to use the posters:  when you are teaching/learning vocabulary ask your students directly referring to one of these categories let your students explore all these categories before helping them to understand a word, let them gain their independence acquiring the language by themselves.

Another ideas to learn vocabulary:  Research is saying that memory recall increases when students write down notes. Let them have five minutes each class to hand write the vocabulary list for that class in their notebooks.  I also use an online platform [Edmodo, Haiku, etc] to keep track of the vocabulary seen in class and at the end of the week they take a tiny-little quiz on the vocabulary learnt, usually five minutes to explain five words. This activity also help them to develop time-management skills. Recycle your vocabulary. After the quiz I can find out if my students are learning or not that vocabulary. If they haven't we recycle the words they are struggling with and re-teach them in a different way [hands-on, visual, listening ...] Personal connections are crucial to place words into our internal lexicon. If the student is able to find a familiar situation that connects the new word to something she/he knows it will be easier for her/him to remember that new word.

Estrategias para aprender palabras [McDowell, 1984]:

• Escribir la palabra
• Escribirla junto a su traducción
• Relacionarla con otras palabras [por la forma o el contenido]
• Intentar recordar cómo suena
• Asociar su sonido al de otras palabras
• Repetirla mentalmente
• Pensar en un contexto en el que utilizarla
• Asociarla con un sinónimo o con un antónimo
• Formarse una imagen mental de la palabra o del objeto
• Hacer un dibujo o un signo gráfico

Resources:

• ¿Cómo aprendemos vocabulario? [pdf] [document with links]
• Posts about vocabulary [Antonio Luna]

Extra:

• ¿Puedo ir al baño? [pdf]
• ¿Puedo ir a beber agua? [pdf]

Thinking about high-level vocabulary and scoring highly in your exams? 

Click here

I have no special talents

I am only passionately curious

Albert Einstein

Lunaprofe 8/22/2016  No comment

Spanish B Unit: El facebook de mi abuela

Unit titles must be engaging to gather students attention and awake their curiosity. I asked my students to think of a title for this unit and they came up with this super engaging title "El Facebook de mi abuela" which summarize perfectly what this unit contains.
Although the IB states the possibility of just choosing two options by the teacher we always see all of them. To me it just makes sense, the more you offer your students the more opportunities they will have to do better in their exam. There is no need of doing a super long unit on each topic. When it comes to this you can do mini-units or "express units" comprising vocabulary, main concepts and ideas and give them a sense of what is that option about.


For a full understanding of how to teach this unit, please read the unit planner and if you still have any question/doubt don't hesitate to reach out. If you develop any other materials for this particular unit, please share them so we can add them to the list below.

All you need to teach/learn this unit:  Essential questions [pdf] Vocabulary [pdf] [Quizlet] Unit Planner [pdf] Visual stimuli [images] [Interactive Oral] Activation of prior knowledge [pdf] Activity to work the subjunctive [.doc] [Antonio Gallardo] Skill: compare [pdf] Writing [pdf] [Paper 2] Article: Inventions del nuevo milenio [pdf] [Paper 1] Interactive activity [Edpuzzle] Making predictions [pdf] Presentation to compare evolution of different items [pdf] [made by students] How am I going to be assessed? [pdf]

Interested in more units? Click here ;)

Feedback through Social networking

There are worse crimes than burning books.

One of them is not reading them.

Joseph Brodsky

Lunaprofe 8/19/2016  4 comments

Why do we sing songs?

Singing songs is a great way of learning/improving languages. We do it in my class, every single day. The students have fun and that on itself can be enough to take this activity into my class but there are more important things while having fun implied in singing songs. 

In order to help my students to develop independency, autonomy, we always talk in class about the strategies, activities we do and we reason them out. This continuous practice allows them to take ownership of what they do and help them realize they are in control of their education and that being an active agent of it is crucial for them to become a better student and person.

How do I do this with my students: 

We start singing songs without any explanations or comments, we just sing. After that I ask my students to write down their thoughts on Why do you think we sing songs in class? [you will be surprised by how accurate their responses are sometimes] To conclude this activity I ask them to read this post and we do a debate the following class to put everything together.

Let's try to summarize what I think in bullet points [they don't come numbered because the order is not related to importance]:

Some benefits of singing songs:  It's a fun way of learning vocabulary and pronunciation Through singing you are training your "ear" for Spanish It helps you comprehend Spanish better because you get used to native speakers of the language in a natural context. Singing is authentic. When you listen songs from different singers from different places you are being exposed to different native accents It is a new and enthusiastic way of learning for many students When you are singing and learning you are being emotionally involved, therefore that learning that takes place is going directly to your long-term memory A song gives you the opportunity of dramatizing the lyrics When you are singing you acquire the information you need naturally Songs present the language as parts and wholes Singing songs will help you score highly in reading, spelling, reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, numerical operations and listening tasks Music training will give you a major boost in terms of spatial-temporal memory It benefits your oral communication skills  Songs are the perfect fit for many activities [language related] If you are new to the language and you are struggling, singing songs will let you join the joy of learning at the very same level as the rest of the class Songs are a snapshot of the culture, so singing songs you are gaining not just language knowledge but cultural one too A song will make you learn language without even realizing it because it keeps the stress bar low while you are just enjoying singing with your friends While listening to Mozart will not make you smarter, music instruction will help you score significantly higher on measuring spatial-temporal cognition, hand-eye coordination and arithmetic  Music improves your verbal skills and sensorimotor integration [musicians are better drivers] Your neurocognitive skills will get better Singing will help you achieve that fluency you have been struggling with in a natural and authentic manner ...

Bibliography:

• Renate Nummela Caine and Geoffrey Caine (1990) [pdf]
• O’Keefe & Nadel (1978) [pdf]
• Frances H. Rauscher (2003) [pdf]
• Brochard, Dufour, and Després (2004) [pdf]

Want to know more?

• Learn Spanish through music
• Learning Spanish through music: Using Youtube
• Developing oral fluency through songs
• Learning Spanish with songs
• Learning Spanish through songs: Lyrics training
• Learning Spanish with the version of your favorite song

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education

Mark Twain

Lunaprofe 8/15/2016  2 comments

IB Spanish text types: la invitación

The key to write a perfect invitation is to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Keeping this in mind you'll be able to identify which are the key components you need to include. 
Basic information always needs to be there. As a telegraphic reminder:

• ¿Qué? [evento]
• ¿Cómo? [código de vestimenta]
• ¿Cuándo? [Fecha y hora]
• ¿Dónde? [Lugar]
• ¿Por qué? [motivo]  

Regarding register we basically have two different types: formal & informal.

Make sure you:

• include a reference to the person/group of people you are inviting

• structure your invitation in paragraphs

• include basic information (review the telegraphic reminder)

Invitación evento formal

#colegio     #escuela  #invitación    #formal

Estimada Sra. Palargo: Tengo el placer de comunicarle que su hijo ha sido seleccionado para uno de los premios que se otorgarán en la ceremonia de clausura de este curso escolar en el Hotel Trinidad, calle San Poque, número 28C a las 20:00. Nos encantaría poder contar con su presencia y la de su familia y nos llenaría de orgullo que usted o su esposo acompañaran a su primogénito a recibir su premio. Nos complacerá muchísimo su compañía en este evento. Me gustaría aprovechar la ocasión para recordarle que este es un evento de etiqueta. Reciba un cordial saludo, María Eugenia de los Toldos Directora de Secundaria CIS

Resources:

• Activity: writing + culture [pdf]
• Presentation on Invitations [web]
• Text types [web]

If we want to reach real peace in this world,

 we should start educating children.

Mahatma Gandhi

Lunaprofe 8/01/2016  No comment

Learn Spanish with the version of your favorite song

Back with music to learn Spanish, a former student (gracias Tina) passed me this youtube channels with Spanish versions of pop hits. We, teachers, are always talking about adapting the content to our students motivations... This is a great opportunity for that.
Also, the bands are very talented and not just singing but editing the videos as well.
These channels are, definitely, worth a try.



You can do any activitiy song-related with these, although take into account that all are high level language songs. We can try these channels with our Spanish B classes, ab Initio students could just listen for fun if they like the songs and make it optional. Make them compulsory for your class could bring down the moral of your students. 

Ideas:  - One of these songs can be the perfect fit for one of your three Interactive Oral activities [10% of your final score] that you have to do in your Spanish B as part of your Internal Assessment. After listening to it, you can do a:   - group discussion/debate about the topic of the song [remember this   assessment is based on the core]   - role-play based on the topic distributing your students in pairs.   - anything that involves oral interaction is valid - You can use edpuzzle.com and personalize your activity [believe me, if you don't know this site, it's amazing]

Resources:

• Joshe Jr
• KevinKarlay La Banda 

The direction in which education starts a man

will determine his future in life

Plato

Lunaprofe 7/28/2016  No comment

IB Spanish text types: el ensayo

An essay... how many essays have we written in our lives? Hundreds, at least, very probably. But, sometimes is not easy to find a short definition of it. We could say an essay is just a writing piece where the writer express his/her ideas. For that, the most usual structure is:

• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion

Now, that we have that clear, what else can be useful to write a good essay?

Simple things always work, like making sure you structure your essay in paragraphs, balance out your ideas and arguments, advantages and disadvantages... if you want to read the complete document with all advice and tips to write a good essay, click here. 

Ensayo:  El flamenco es un estilo de música multicultural y al mismo tiempo muy genuino y auténtico del sur de España. Tenemos numerosos ejemplos de artistas flamencos que han colaborado con artistas de otros géneros y que nos muestran las conexiones entre estos distintos tipos de música. Por ejemplo, B.B. King y Raiumundo Amador colaboraron por primera vez en el Festival de Jazz de Donostia. Este primer encuentro público dio lugar a más colaboraciones que fueron muy prolíferas. Otros estilos o géneros musicales no son tan dados a la fusión, por eso pensamos que el flamenco es un género abierto que ayuda al diálogo intercultural. El motivo del encuentro entre el flamenco y el jazz se puede personificar en Chano Domínguez, siendo el primer artista flamenco que consigue un estilo sólido y lo pasea por el mundo. También El Niño Josele y Jerry Gonzales han fusionado sus melodías con unos resultados espectaculares. Los ejemplos son infinitos, pero quizás, el estandarte de este camino que ha recorrido el flamenco mezclándose con otras músicas sea Paco de Lucía. Paco de Lucía representa la evolución del flamenco. Desde la introducción del cajón peruano, hasta sus increíbles improvisaciones con John McLaughlin y Al Di Meola. En resumen, podemos decir que el flamenco se puede mezclar con otras músicas y de esa mezcla puede salir algo nuevo, fruto de una conversación entre dos mundos distintos que se quieren entender. El flamenco es un estilo de música que conoce sus raíces y que añade lo bueno de otros estilos compatibles.

Resources:

• How to write your essay [pdf]
• Text types [web]

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. 

Learn as if you were to live forever 

Mahatma Gandhi

Lunaprofe 5/24/2016  1 comment

Text types: el discurso

A speech is a format that covers any topic. The two most important things to focus on when writing a speech are the audience and the purpose. 
A good idea to help you writing your speech is looking at specific examples, specially famous speeches delivered in historical moments. 
In order to write a phenomenal speech you need to pay attention to several things:
Purpose:
A good way of finding purpose on your speech is to ask yourself a simple question like Why am I writing a speech on this topic? don't confuse purpose and the story you are telling in your speech, they can be two very different things.
Vocabulary:
Put some thought on the words you are going to use. I am sure you want your message delivered to the best. For that, you will have to take into account your audience. You don't use the same range of vocabulary with 8th graders, your family, friends or for a job interview.
Visuals:
Stay on your message, make it clearer by adding some visuals to help understand or exemplify your ideas.

Some steps to keep in mind to write a great speech:

• Set your general and specific goals 
• Your general goal will be emphasized during your speech
• your specific goals will help exemplifying your general goal and or expanding on a specific idea related to your general goal...
• Structure, structure, structure. Make sure you have
• an introduction
• a body
• a conclusion 

If you are writing a speech/discurso make sure you:

• Title
• include at the beginning a greeting similar to: Hola compañeros
• a reference to your audience 
• have an introduction and a proper farewell 
• These four elements will be necessary in order to get full credit for your criterion C [Format] 

Ejemplo de discurso:  Profesores, alumnos, amigos... muchas gracias a todos por estar aquí hoy. Me gustaría empezar agradeciendo el tiempo y la consideración que me han dedicado, así como su apoyo durante mi estancia aquí. La oportunidad de haber trabajado en este entorno donde he podido aprender tanto y de tantas personas diferentes me ha cambiado para siempre. Ahora, veo el español con otros ojos y se lo tengo que agradecer a ustedes. El término intercultural-multicultural se presenta en este entorno como algo real, que puedes tocar, vivir, experimentar y de lo que, desde luego, puedes aprender muchas cosas. Las experiencias que he podido vivir aquí me han enseñado una realidad distinta que no conocía. La humildad, el trabajo duro, la empatía, la habilidad para ser valiente cuando se necesita, la importancia de la comunidad y la naturalidad con la que he sido aceptado en ella me siguen conmoviendo a día de hoy. Construir puentes entre nuestras culturas que permitan el entendimiento y la mejora de la comprensión y nos ayuden a llegar a acciones conjuntas es primordial en estos nuevos tiempos que vivimos. Cada vez estamos más cerca los unos de los otros, la globalización, el internet... todas estas herramientas nos mantienen en contacto y nos ayudan a conocernos. Sin embargo, nada puede reemplazar el contacto directo con personas y las experiencias personales. Si todos aportáramos nuestro granito de arena para el diálogo entre culturas seríamos capaces de construir un futuro conjunto brillante. Todos tenemos el deber de seguir intentándolo. Muchas gracias a todos por su atención.

Resources

• Cómo escribir un buen discurso [eHow]
• Text types [web]
• Image source: http://images.eldiario.es/andalucia/discurso-credibilidad_EDICRT20130802_0001_3.jpg

Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army Edward Everett

Lunaprofe 5/19/2016  No comment

Preguntas y respuestas para el examen oral

El examen oral es uno de los huesos para nuestros alumnos, así que cualquier tipo de ayuda que podamos brindar para esta destreza será bien recibida.

En este caso, la actividad es muy simple (y al mismo tiempo muy efectiva), ofrecemos preguntas difíciles a nuestros alumnos y les damos tiempo para que preparen sus respuestas [incluso se las podrían llevar a casa, ¿por qué no?]. Además les invitamos a que usen un lenguaje técnico, con conectores complejos, estructuras gramaticales complejas...

Después [nosotros] proyectamos cada pregunta y la analizamos entre toda la clase, vemos qué podemos mejorar, barajamos varias posibilidades de decir lo mismo con otras palabras...

De esta manera el alumno se familiariza [a su propio ritmo y con apoyo colectivo de la clase] con los temas y posibles preguntas en el examen oral y ve, escucha, analiza distintas respuestas posibles.

Preguntas y respuestas Español Nivel Medio:



Preguntas y respuestas Español ab Initio:



Esta actividad también funciona muy bien para la expresión escrita o prueba 2, después de la discusión se puede pedir al alumno/a que escriba un tipo de texto concreto: una entrada en su blog, una carta a alguna autoridad...

No quería terminar esta entrada sin agradecer a mis siete magníficos de este año su aportación y su duro trabajo. Gracias Valentina, Guillermo, Eduardo, Óscar, Santiago, Amelia y Anita. Y también, ¡mucha suerte!

Para ver el documento completo pincha aquí.

Entradas relacionadas:

• Español B [Página general]
• Recursos, ejemplos y prácticas para el examen oral [web]
• Preguntas y respuestas para el examen oral [pdf]
• Frases útiles en español [web]
• Ideas para elegir un buen tema [web]
• Rúbricas para Español B y algo más [web]

Human beings are curious by nature.

Aristotle

Lunaprofe 5/11/2016  1 comment

Los meses del año

Foundations are crucial to build up a solid knowledge, but connections are equally relevant to internalize it and make it ours. When you are learning the months of the year in Spanish you can also talk about:
- Days of the week
- Calendar [different types of calendar, religious calendars, roman calendar...]
- weather
- seasons
- cultural traditions or celebrations related to a specific month
- ... 
You can get started with the activity below to familiarize with the names of the months and the order.
Activity:
Organiza=Ordena=Enumera los meses del año.


If you like music and find motivational learning/teaching with music, there is a well-known song associated to the months of the year in English that you can adapt to Spanish. Your students will appreciate this type of activity in your class to break the ice or to finish the class. Something I usually do in my class is first I sing the song for them. Then we sing it together and from then on we assign a different student for each class who will lead the class singing this song. This little responsibility helps them build confidence, public speaking, leadership and help them realize how difficult is to lead a class with a several human beings.

Connection:  "Los meses del año" + "Las estaciones" [comparar] Along with this activity your students can answer questions like: ¿cuándo es invierno en tu ciudad? ¿enero? ¿abril? ¿julio? ¿cuál es tu mes favorito? ¿con cuál estación se corresponde? ¿por qué es tu preferido? ¿en qué mes naciste? ¿qué estación era? ¿hacía frío? ¿calor? Puedes preguntar a tu familia para recopilar esta información.

Activity:  Writing to practice comparisons + seasons in Spanish. Get it here [pdf]

Activity:  Quiz on Month sayings [online]

Want to know more?

• How to write months in Spanish correctly  [pdf]
• Cultural activity: Las 12 uvas [pdf] [borrowed from Spanish Playground]
• Comparisons and seasons in Spanish [pdf]

= is a symbol we use for synonyms. 

It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.
Albert Einstein

Lunaprofe 5/04/2016  No comment