Createch-ing

Teaching Inquiry through a second language? Yes, we can! Very often, us , bilingual teachers, debate about the ease of teaching in an inquiry environment while teaching Spanish ( or any other language) at the same time. Well, it is not an easy one, but we can do it. Take a look at this slideshow !

Our class went to  the Microsoft Youth Sparks workshop to learn to code and to create their own apps. At the beginning they were not sure about what to expect but soon they started to discover what it was about. The students used the new Surface pro3 to learn how to code. They enjoyed the useful pen and soon started to create beautiful designs that moved all over the screen. They created a simple pattern that looked like a caleidoscope and discovered and app that they can use to create their own games at home. After, they used a special xbox to design their own video game. They chose their world, the setting, the characters and started to create their own adventures. I recognize that there was an element of literature since they had to figure out the 5 w's and also create a beginning, middle and end to their story ( game).It was really simple and the most important thing is...they can also do their games at home if they purchase that feature. In their free time, they got to pl

Yesterday, Sra. Hernandez taught our class and Srta. Palma's class a recipe from El Salvador: "Pupusas" . We started by washing our hands properly, like Mrs. Larsen taught us, everybody came ready to be cooks. Mrs. Hernandez had all the ingredients ready when we came to the kitchen. First our students  measured using fractions ( 1/2 cup, 2/3 cups...) , after the dough was done, students split it in two parts and made two balls. They flattened the dough using a dish, after they put the filling inside. Finally, they covered the pupusa with the other layer and put it on the pan to toast. They were ready in a few minutes. While a group was cooking the other half were playing a fraction game in spanish.  The pupusas were so yummy! Everybody had so much fun while learnt more on practical use of fraction in our everyday life and learning a recipe from El Salvador. Thank you Sra Hernandez! PS Every student got a copy of the recipe in Spanish, please let me know if you try it

We are working this year around our inquiry question "How do stories connect the past with the present?" , our focus is to have a strong literacy base that allows us to connect all the core subjects and enhance reading comprehension. At the beginning of the year, we started reading the book "The Witches" , by Roald Dahl. I enjoyed reading this book aloud everyday, it allowed my drama side to happen in the class. We had lots of fun and now I have a group of students that have turned into Roald Dahl fans and are researching, reading and making power points about him ( still, three months after) . The plan was to connect art and Spanish with this story , and based on the chapter where the children disappear, we designed "Missing" signs that were displayed around the school hall. We worked the self-portrait technique following "that artist woman " blog guidelines. 1st.- We used a recycled paper as background , with white paint and a roll

This week we have been practicing robotics in Room 10.  We first brainstormed what do we use robots for in everyday life. We discovered that robots are often used for dangerous or difficult tasks for humans.  We then  decided our project : we will make a map of Alberta's  Natural Regions and we will make our robot tour around some landmarks in our province.  We did a couple of challenges to practice and refresh our memory before our expert, Richard Gaskell , came to our class. We also learned decimals in class because we are going to need them to program our robots. Estimation has also been a handy strategy to figure out the # of rotations needed. Today we were doing an advanced challenge. The students drew some letters with tape on the floor and the robots had to trace them. It was not easy, that is for sure, it involved decimals, angles moving backwards... but there was lots of determination and engagement and the results started to appear just in time. It was so

Bienvenidos a todos los profesores españoles que acaban de llegar a Alberta. Espero que tengáis una buena experiencia! Jornada de Bienvenida para los 48 profesores visitantes de Alberta, Canadá pic.twitter.com/r5N8juTd8d — Melissa Valdes (@melissavaldesv) September 29, 2014

My class  has been designing a Minecraft town garbage detector robot. The presentation will be on May 5th. I will be showing pictures of their creations.