Showing posts with label lesson plans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lesson plans. Show all posts

Monday, February 22, 2021

Mars Lesson Plans, Videos, Books, & More

 

Did you watch the Mars rover landing last week? What a phenomenal accomplishment! As a Texan who has been weathering the storm (pun intended), so many of us needed something positive to read about for a change.

So I'm dedicating this week on MommyMaestra to space. Today, I'm starting with Mars!

This post contains affiliate links.

The landing of Perseverance rover on Mars

For older students:


For younger students:
  • SpacePlace has the latest from NASA for young children.

Lesson Plans about Mars



For older students from TED-Ed:


Videos



Printables

Crafts 

Books

(The following are affiliate links.)



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Thursday, January 21, 2021

Online Lesson Plans for Amanda Gorman Poetry

Amanda Gorman. Image by Shawn Miller, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons


Yesterday, 22-year-old Amanda Gorman recited her most remarkable poem, “The Hill We Climb,” during the inauguration. 

Gorman already has a remarkable list of accomplishments to her credit, which includes being the first National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States.

But at the moment, she is best known for her poem recital yesterday. 

The Lesson Plans

If you are interested in using that moment as a teachable lesson in your home or school classroom, check out these excellent resources:


Other lesson plans about Amanda Gorman and her other poems:


Watch Gorman reciting her poem at the inauguration 



Mini Lesson on Poetry Analysis



Teach your students how to analyze poetry with this mini lesson on Poetry Analysis. Worksheets are designed for differentiated instruction. Gorman's poetry would be a perfect complement for this activity.

English only. Spanish coming soon.


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Monday, November 2, 2020

A More Complete History: Hispanic Activists

Traditional history programs have long omitted or downplayed the critical role that Hispanics have played in U.S. history. But many of these activists have advocated and created sweeping social change or contributed to the restitution of societal wrongs through their actions.

That is why I'm so pleased to share with you a grant project that I've finally completed and published on Teachers Pay Teachers.

A More Complete History - Unit 1: Hispanic Activists is a comprehensive Teach for Justice unit that focuses on five important (and often forgotten) historical figures of the 1900s. Designed for high school students, this 150 page unit is comprised of lesson plans for both in-person and virtual learning. It uses articles and mini-documentaries as secondary sources. And it includes: 

  • challenging pre-reading questions,
  • literal comprehension questions,
  • higher-level questions,
  • social-emotional connections, 
  • essay questions, 
  • project based learning options, 
  • vocabulary worksheets,
  • and research & present topics. 
Answer keys and options for worksheets and summative assessments that allow for differentiated learning are also included.

The five figures covered in this unit are:

  • Jovita Idár
  • Sylvia Mendez
  • Ralph Lazo
  • Willie Velásquez
  • and Helen Rodríguez Trías
These are in-depth lessons to challenge students and highlight figures who have fought for equality in the press, education, politics, health, and society. They fought not just for their own families, but for Hispanics as a whole and other marginalized groups.

These lesson plans are only available in English as they are centered around English secondary sources.

If you'd like to see a sample, Lesson 4: Willie Velásquez is available free for download.


If you use these lesson in your home or school classroom, please let me know. I welcome feedback. And if you send me a few photographs, I'll send you a special gift. 

This project was made possible by the Teachers Pay Teachers' Teach for Justice Grant Program. I'm so thankful to have been selected to participate.

Enjoy!
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Monday, January 13, 2020

Biblioburro: Lesson Plans, Videos, Books & More

Biblioburro Lesson Plans, Videos, Books

Do you know about Luis Soriano? Are you looking for resources to teach about this remarkable man who travels far and wide the mountains of Colombia on his little burro to deliver books to children in remote villages?

His story came across my desk once more this morning and I started thinking that I should share some resources for his inspirational story. So here you go!

This post contains book affiliate links.

Printable Activities & Lesson Plans:



Videos




Articles



Books


Below are the two children's books that I love. I'm starting with Monica Brown's "Story Behind the Story," in which she shares how she was inspired to write Waiting for the Biblioburro (aff link). This post was originally published first on the Latin Baby Book Club, which is no longer available online.


By Monica Brown
Illustrated by John Parra
The Story Behind the Story
by Monica Brown

 I love librarians.  Like me, (and I’ll bet you too if you are reading this), librarians are book people. Book people find joy between the pages of a book, but their passion doesn’t stop there. True book people must share books with others. They believe that placing books in young hands and sharing stories with young minds is meaningful. Luis Soriano is a book person. Luis first came to my attention when I read the New York Times article, “Acclaimed Colombian Institution has 4,800 books and 10 legs” by Simon Romero. Fascinated, I did some research and came across Valentina Canavesio’s short film Biblioburro—The Donkey Library. The story filled me with joy and not a little pride in the resourcefulness and passion of the Latino culture that Luis and I share. Growing up, Luis Soriano did not have the benefit of extensive formal studies and unlimited financial resources. What he did have was vision—and two donkeys named Alfa and Beto. For years, Maestro Soriano has delivered books in rural Colombia to children who don’t have access to libraries. Some don’t even have teachers or schools. But Luis, who received his school degree at 16, and then became a teacher and librarian, has made it his life’s work to change that.

When I wrote Waiting for the Biblioburro, I didn’t want to presume to tell Luis’s story for him, so I created a fictional story inspired by his, from the perspective of a little girl whose life he changes. I contacted Mr. Romero, the writer, and Ms Canavesio, the filmmaker, and through them, reached Luis himself. I knew as I was writing this book that I wanted Luis’s blessing — I was lucky enough to get it, and to get to know Luis over the phone and through emails. I also wanted to make sure that his foundation shared in the profits from this work, which my publisher made happen. When I first spoke to Luis over the phone and across thousands of miles, I was felt that I was in the presence of greatness—he is great man with a great heart. Luis shared with me his wish to sow the seeds of creativity and to cultivate dreams in the minds of children.

After talking with Luis, I felt inspired to write an imaginative rendering of Luis’s legacy — a legacy not only of literacy, but of sharing one’s own stories with the world. My story is about a creative little girl named Ana who loves books and reading, but who doesn’t have access to a library, books, or even a teacher.  It’s her story of waiting, discovery, and finding a voice.

I hope that Ana’s story, like Luis Soriano’s vision, will inspire us all to be literacy workers and activist librarians, teachers, parents, and friends. What would you do to bring books to children?  Would you ride a donkey for miles, risking attack and robbery? Would you build a library with your own hands? Luis Soriano did. And we can too. 

 Watch the book trailer:

OR you can watch the book being read aloud by Brightly Storytime:



 Be sure to visit Monica at http://www.monicabrown.net/

** MommyMaestra note: If you visit Monica's website you can download a curriculum guide for her book for free!



by Jeanette Winter

What a treasure this little book is! Biblioburro is based on the true story of Luis Soriano, a bibliophile and school teacher, whose desire to share the beauty of words with others takes him on a selfless mission throughout the isolated villages of northern Colombia. In 2000, Luis began carrying books to the people in remote areas of his country. His initial collection of 70 books has grown to over 4,800!

Winter tells the joyful story of how Luis began his work and some of his experiences as the mobile "librarian" who delivers books with the help of his burros, Alfa and Beto.

Winter's folk-like artwork is - as usual - a visual treat for children, and captures the tropical setting beautifully. My own children enjoyed drawing scenes and characters from this book after reading it.


Other Posts You May Enjoy Reading



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Thursday, October 16, 2014

MommyMaestra Resources for Día de los Muertos




Many of you might have noticed that Día de los Muertos has reached Latinos and non-Latinos in America with a bang this year. If you are looking for crafts, printables, videos, books, lesson plans, or anything else related to the holiday, scroll down for a list of MommyMaestra's resources for Día de los Muertos! There is a ton of Day of the Dead content on this site for both educators and families. You're sure to find something that meets your needs. 

This post contains affiliate links.

A Note from Betty

For us, this year, Día de los Muertos will be a little bigger than other years for so many reasons. My boys are getting older and one will understand a lot more than his brothers. He can't wait to see The Book of Life this weekend and mainly because of Mommy Maestra! Throughout the years, thanks to Monica, the founder of this amazing site, my boys have been learning about this beautiful tradition for a while now! Thank you for helping parents and teachers educate our children in this way and SO many other ways. We are truly grateful for all your hard work.

For the past four years, Monica has created printables, developed lesson plans, and gathered great Día de los Muertos ideas for kids of all ages. I hope you find all the resources that you need in the links below. 

Enjoy!

Day of the Dead Lesson Plans



Crafts & Activities




Printables





Videos





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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Spanish Word Wall and First Book Tips


We hope you caught last week's post on introducing creative writing to kids in any language! As promised, here is the final project that the book, Rocket Writes a Story, by Tad Hills, inspired my six year-old to write his own-in Spanish!

Just like the main character in the book, my son Diego searched for inspiration for his Spanish word "tree". Although his tree was up and done for a few days, once he was ready to start his story, he realized his word tree had to grow some more. I was happy to help him express his thoughts in Spanish, help him add words to the wall and let his imagination go!


The lines on his paper had to be perfectly straight! Hmmm, reminds me of someone I know. ja! 


Because Diego understands Spanish a lot more than he speaks it, he had a little trouble translating on to paper what he wanted his story to say. His traditional classroom has many word walls and I knew he was already in the habit of looking around the room for help in spelling or coming up with "juicy" words. 


As you can see, we added more Spanish words to the tree. It was so rewarding to see his eyes light up when he realized everything he thought in English, could be written in Spanish! 


Diego wrote his first Spanish book (two chapters and six pages long) and boy, was he proud! He read it to his grandmother and to his father as soon as he walked in the door. He also kept saying that he had enough, "subjects" on his tree to write another story soon. This Spanish word tree isn't going anywhere for a while!

A few tips:

Creative writing can be frustrating (I know it, first hand!) so make time to be available if kids need to process their thoughts with you.

Writing in the child's minority language will be hard but not impossible. They should be encouraged to write simple sentences at any age and any language.

Take small steps. Notice we did this project by reading a book first, then writing single words, reading the book again, creating an "art project" and then finally writing a story.

Once the book is in development, encourage your child to look back at their story to see if they have used a word they need again. Not only do they have the word wall as a reference point, but now a new source as well.

Writing is just as important as reading for academic success. An early start is so beneficial. Keep your summer occupied by asking your child to tell you a really good story-on paper.

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.


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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

End of the School Year Lessons and Activities

 

Whether you are teaching in a classroom or at home, summer is quickly approaching and lesson plans are coming to an end. After the units are completed and the testing is done, we have to find ways to continue to motivate our students during the home stretch. I remember being in the classroom and the final weeks in May became more challenging as the kids (and teachers) developed a bad case of "summer-itis".

It can happen at home as well. On a daily basis, I supplement my son's education by teaching Spanish, working on math word problems, reading, spelling and sometimes even religious education. In addition, I make sure music lesson assignments are completed and chess is enjoyed at home too. As the school year is wrapping up, I realize that we stop staying on schedule (some days have been so nice outside)! Although, I believe in just relaxing on some days and enjoying lots of free time, there are enough hours in the day to continue our job! Here are some ideas for you to help end the school year with assignments and ideas that are educational and fun! These can be applied to all grades too and can be carried on to the summer months as well.

If you use your smart phone as much as I do to take pictures of your little ones all day long, review the photos with your students to do the following: 

Talk about the big moments/projects done this year and make your own yearbook or picture album.

Have your students journal about their favorite part of the school year.

Have your students journal about the most challenging part of the year.

Think ahead: 

Journal goals for the next year.

Journal plans for the summer.

Creative writing:

Objects in a beach bag. Pack a bag with summer essentials such as a beach ball, sunscreen, and sand toys and have your students write a story using the contents in the bag. Get creative yourself! Throw in an odd object (a serving spoon or a thermometer) to help add humor or drama to the story.

Write a letter to a character of your favorite book.  If your students could say anything to their favorite fiction characters, what would it be?

 Organization:

Clean the classroom! Organize supplies, books, and paper clutter. File, recycle, wash down and dust. Have your students help you make a list of the supplies needed for next year. They might surprise you with a great request!

 Having fun while still learning:

Play games: Sorry!, Matching, Loteria, Chess, Chinese Checkers, UNO, Quirkle...just to name a few of our favorites, are great educational games to play during down time.

 Field trip! A trip to your local firehouse or post office can still be educational! Or take a simple nature walk. Have students write or illustrate what they saw on the way to their destination. Maybe bring a camera along?

Special lunch or dinner.  Some home schooled students go year round and some don't. Regardless, make time to celebrate! Even if a graduation is not taking place, take your kids out for a special meal and reward yourself too!

Do you have any educational end-of-the-year ideas? Please share in the comments below! image via
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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.


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