Holidays Are for Family Time...

...Fact family time that is.

We're kicking it in high gear with subtraction and addition facts as well as fact families (related facts).
Our little sweeties are getting so good at these! A little girl in my math class compared the numbers to daddy, mommy and baby (numbers from greatest to least) which is great because it helps me explain how numbers are ordered in fact families.

In addition sentences daddy always sits in the BACK:
baby + mommy = daddy
mommy + baby = daddy

In subtraction sentences daddy always sits in the FRONT:
daddy - mommy = baby
daddy - baby = mommy

What a clever girl!
So we ran with her idea and created gorgeous fact family pumpkins:

 

I later learned my teacher friend had this amazing addition and subtraction bingo set from scholastic.

 How fun would it have been to play the game after making this cool looking pumpkin??? well maybe next time I can purchase it HERE

Then, I was able to spend some time with my family :) 

Until next time, 

Lissete 

I

I did it!

sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! What a relief I felt when I hit the submit button.

I did it...I submitted my application to attend Cal Poly Pomona again to obtain a 2nd teaching credential. I already hold my Multiple Subject teaching credential with CLAD certification, but this one will be a Bilingual credential!! I am beyond excited and of course, nervous. This is something that I had been meaning to do for the longest time, but for one reason or another (mainly procastination), I never did. It will be super weird to be on the other side of the grade book for the first time in 5 years!!

can't wait to be a Bronco AGAIN!!

NASA's Endeavour flyover

 I almost forgot to share this awesome picture of Mrs. C's first graders and me watching Endeavor on TV after it flew over our school.

Our principal made an announcement right after primary lunch that it would be flying over our school within a 10 minute window and the excitement was in the air! the entire school went outside to look at the skies and kept our eyes peeled for the once in history experience of seeing a real space shuttle mounted on a huge airplane. I was the first to spot it in the horizon and some of the littles were upset because it was flying VERY low and they couldn't see it over the trees and buildings in front of our school. So we ran back inside the classroom to watch it on TV. Check out those smiles!!!

New Beginnings

Hi Everyone!! 

Happy 2012-13 school year. I am totally in love with my new assignment this year! 

I can honestly say I do miss the privacy of my very own classroom. However, this new situation has created a small group environment for the little ones that I share to learn better. I hope I don't get spoiled and then when I get my own class of 30+ children I'll be all like ahhhhh!!! 

As everyone in California knows, our schools were inundated with combination classes throughout all grades and left with less classes. At my school alone there is a: 

K/1st
1st/2nd
2nd/3rd
3rd/4th
5th/6th

Can I get a collective WOW ????

Here is where my little assignment comes in. 
Since I just taugh 2nd grade last year, I was hired as a Title I aide to alleviate the congestion in the 1st/2nd combo and take the 2nd Graders for a couple of hours of the day to teach ELA from 8:20am until recess time at 9:55. I have a total of 8 students in this session and honestly it does not feel like a class. It feels like a study group. Lovely! 

After primary recess I take the first graders from the K/1st combo as well as the straight 1st grade class and teach them math. I have a total of 15 kids in this session and although there's more than in the first group it's still a lot less than the 30 I would normally have. 

Mind you, the pay is just as small as the group sizes, but it's still doing what I love and what I enjoy the most. TEACH! 

I hope to chronicle my adventures and experiences as an aide juggling 2 different grade levels and subjects. 


till next time
Lissete 

My First Time...

My first blog....please forgive me...As you remember the first time is always the worst.

I still remember the first time I googled (since it is now a verb) a thematic unit....Time has surely changed.


Since moving to a new grade this year, I have been researching more and more ideas and different ways to teach lessons and OH boy has my researching world changed. I found pinterest, TpT, and a million other teacher pots of gold. All of this amazing work by other teachers around the country has inspired me to revamp my teaching strategies and to share some of the cool ideas I have come up on my own.

If anyone reads this, I hope you can share your thoughts and ideas as I definitely do appreciate them.

Smiles,
Ms. Diaz