Bilingualism helps postpone Alzheimers!

This is for a Spanish class for native speakers, while I MAY in some circles be considered a native speaker, I certainly would NEVER want to teach Spanish to native speakers! If a Korean school asked me to give a class to students in basic Spanish I would feel confident, but this is never something I would feel qualified to do.

So anyways, the

Ficha de la actividad
1. Objetivos
a.Trabajar la comprensión lectora.
b.Refuerza la importancia para ser bilingüe.
c.Usa del pensamiento de mayor nivel
d.Para aplicar el información del texto a la vida de la estudiante.

2.Nivel especifico recomendado: B2

3. Tiempo: 1 hora
Antes que leer 25 minutos
El gran olvidor 8 minutos
Luces Camar Accion 6 minutos

(Elecita la palabra Alzhéimers de los estudiantes y pregunta si alguien sabe alguien con Alzhéimers. Pregunta la conexión entre Alzhéimers y las primeras actividades.) 7 minutos

Un minuto para el video que da un poco de un cuento de Alzhéimers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXMV1x-iugI) 4 minutos (primero solo para ver, la segunda vez para notar las señales de Alzhéimers).

Durante la lectura 6
Elija el mejor 6

Después de la lectura 27
Obtener toda la historia 6
Preguntas 10
Imagen vale más que mil palabras (y resumen) 3
¿Qué más? 4
¿Y tú? 4

4. Materiales: Fotocopias de las hojas de trabajo

5. Dinámica: grupos de dos, individual, como un clase grande

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Hay otra hoja para parte B pero mas o menos ellos son lo mismo.

You can download A and B for free at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store

Communicative Activities in Reading

I am working on a project for a SNS (Spanish for Native Speakers) class right now and we need to create an hour of lesson plans regarding an article and communicative skills.

The problem is that I am so used to using a reading to teach grammar... eeks for having to break out of my mold, but YAY for being able to try new things!

Practicas de Escritura (facebook and Greek myths)

One of my classes (taught in Spanish) was supposed to help us be better teachers in regards to writing. So this is Spanish as a Second Language class designed for high school students around the Greek myth of Summer. Most of it is pretty standard, but I am quite happy with the fake facebook page!


Essentially students read the myth make a bullet point timeline for the characters and then pick one and make a facebook page on their behalf.

Ignore the typos please (if you can read them).

Halfway through

So I have been in the Masters program since September! That means I am already halfway through. I have learned and accomplished a lot (I think)

I have

• figured out I don´t really want to teach preschool ... ever!
• planned my first CLIL unit from start to finish (on Alexander the Great).
• begun planning an entire cirriculumn for creating a yearbook (and it uses Task Based Learning...YAY!).
• planned an entire didactic unit for a preschool level class on the house.
• discovered that all schools are chaos...really...ALL of them!
• had to remember how to teach without technology (oh how I miss Korea somedays).
• learned the importance of differentiating in the classroom.
• reviewed a lot of methodology (and even picked up some new stuff) koosh ball anyone?
• realized I have no problem being the "mean" teacher (and perhaps I should try to be the "nice" teacher someday...or find a balance).
• gotten to delve into linguistics about a Spanish creole language (Papiamento) and present on it in Spanish.
• learned all kinds of fun linguistics terms about Spanish (ceceo, voseo, seseo, leismo, sustrado) wohoo!
• created writing exercises (based on the theme of Spring) for all levels of language (from A1-C2).
• fallen in love with Prezi (and gotten pretty good at it!).
• improved my Spanish (though some of it is random .. like inframundo means underworld)
• finally started uploading things to eslprintables (more to come)

I hope the next half of the program teaches me even more as well as letting me know more about me and grow as a teacher.

Oh...and moved in with the loveliest ladies

Amazing roomies! All American girls also studying for their Masters

Children's Literature

So in Methodology we were discussing different ways to teach using Children's Literature. My friend Danesha and I got together and made up a lesson for Hansel and Gretel. In this case we taught emotions and made a brief version of the story

So this is the lesson plan:


And this is the script for the role play:

CLIL and Teaching Methodolgy

The talented and smart Jennifer Schmidt

My other first class was led by Jennifer Schmidt. She got her Masters in TESOL and Linguistics and works as an English Professor in a business school. Our classes were mainly spent going over the different methodologies used to teach and trying to focus on teaching English through teaching another subject matter (using math for example to teach plural nouns)

For our final project we had to create a CLIL lesson plan using a seventh grade standard (from the LOE again) to teach English. In my case I taught about Alexander the Great to teach reported speech, and how to summarize. Throughout the lesson there would also be a review of past tenses. This is the first lesson (includes activating the schemata and such).



This is the teacher's notes, as Jennifer explained its like a toolbox it doesn't need to be in any order, it is where we put all the information we COULD use and then we use them when creating the daily lesson plans.


Overall it was nice introduction to the world of CLIL

How I got here

I have lived abroad, studied abroad, taught abroad, and traveled abroad. These experiences have allowed me to discover my passion for teaching and encouraged me to continue developing this passion. I am idealistic, naive and yet realistic.

I don’t think I will change the world, but I hope that one day I will teach someone who will.

While studying Communications at San Diego State University I had the opportunity to study abroad three times. My sophomore year I studied communications through Nanyang Technological University and had the opportunity to backpack through Asia. I later completed my minor in Spanish in Madrid, Spain through Nebrija Universidad and was able to take a Women's Study course (Women in International Development)in Turkey at Bogazici University that Summer.

At a lantern festival in Singapore

Next to the "Traveler's Palm" in the Royal Botanical Graden

My last semester at San Diego State (after I returned from Spain and Turkey) I had the opportunity to work with AVID students and Monte Vista High School. AVID is a fantastic program that targets students who wouldn't normally go to college (B, C, and even D students) but have the desire to do so. They are usually students who would be the first in their families to attend college, and most are from low-income or minority families. AVID has a great track record when it comes to bringing students up to their full potential and I enjoyed being part of it.

Monte Vista AVID woot!

This was a new age group for me as my previous teaching experience (swim and private tutoring) was always with younger children. It was here I realized that while I enjoy having fun with my students, I am predominately a "strict" teacher. Though the students and I could have fun on occasions, I was the only tutor who would be given groups which had to discuss sex (be it in biology, English, history, or anatomy). This is because none of the other tutors could strike a balance between treating the students as adults, while still holding them accountable as students. As the only one who could keep the students focused, the dangerous topics or rowdy groups were always assigned to me as I could handle them.

After graduating from San Diego State University I got a job teaching English through the the Gyeonggi English Program in Korea (GEPIK) in Korea. It was a great segway into the teaching world. It also helped me as I now have experience with difference age groups as well as in different cultures. I am aware of the need to change teaching techniques appropriately depending on the students. This combined with my motivation to help students reach their highest potential helps me recognize that no two students are the same and that lessons must be planned to include opportunity for different types of learners to flourish. Most of all, Korea made me realize how much more I needed to know.

My Korean students during Summer Camp

After I completed my contract I took time to return to Spain and walk from Salamanca to Santiago de Compestela. On the walk I realized that teaching is definitely the direction I want to go in my life, and that while I could learn a lot by teaching another year in Korea, I needed to gain more education in order to be a more efficient teacher.

My shadow and me walking the Camino

I ended up in The Netherlands to take a certificate in teaching English course (CELTA) through the British Language Teaching Center in Amsterdam (I aupaired while there to afford the expenses). After completing the course and receiving my certificate I became fascinated with the different ways to teach.

So, I applied for the "Teach and Learn" program through the Insitituto Univesitario de Investigación en Estudios Norteamerianos Benjamin Franklin (Instituto Fanklin) of the Universidad de Alcalá. This is a fantastic program my friend did last year. It allows me to take a paid internship at a primary school (in my case Colegio Europeo Aristos in Getafé) while taking courses to obtain my Masters in Bilingual and Multicultural Education. In addition to receiving some money each month the tuition and insurance are included! I am really excited about this opportunity and I hope to gain a stronger understanding of the theories behind didactic strategies in addition to how to best implement these in the classroom and my planning.


In order to get the student visa I need to return home for two months. Rather than twiddle my thumbs I looked for a temporary job in the education field. I got very lucky; International House San Diego was looking for an ESL teacher for a bit in July! International House is a well known school worldwide (over 140 schools in more than 47 countries) and I am very excited for the chance to work with them this Summer. The program is with 11-17 year olds from different countries who come to San Diego to enjoy the Summer and learn English!

(Flash forward to 2011-2013: I am teaching in Mexico)

After teaching in Mexico, I moved back to San Diego and found a great job teaching English Literature to ESL students in San Diego.