January and February

These past two months have flown by and we have covered a lot of new material in our 2nd grade classes! After coming back from winter break we started with "Water Pollution and Drought" where we took a look at the effects of pollution, why it's important to save water, and what happens when we run out of water. 

We learned about all different types of landscapes, both natural and human-made. I showed different photos of landscapes and the class had to identify if it was natural or human-made. I also got to share photos of amazing places all over the USA. After learning the difference between natural and human-made landscapes, we moved on to landforms and cardinal directions. Once I had finished with the presentation the class worked in pairs to describe the landscape to their partner using cardinal directions.

Another topic we've covered so far is rocks. Students learned about the three different types of rocks, where we can find them, and different ways we use them in our everyday lives. In their notebooks, they made a chart with the 3 different types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic, and then  I handed out photos of 11 different rocks for them to glue into the correct type of rock column. 

This week I introduced the class to different animals, some of which were new to them. After learning each animal's name the class was grouped into pairs and given a worksheet with animal riddles. One student read the hints and the other student had to guess the animal. We''ll continue learning more about animals such as what they eat, how they are born, and their different characteristics which I'll make sure to post here! Hope your 2022 is off to a great start and you have a wonderful long weekend! Happy Andalucía Day 😊

October, November, and December with Nancy

Seeing as it is almost the end of 2021, I know this is a very late introduction, but better late than never. Wouldn’t you agree? My name is Nancy and I am the English Language Assistant (ELA) this school year at ​​CEIP Antonio Rodríguez Almodóvar. I am from California, USA and this is my fifth year working as an ELA. 

The first few weeks were spent introducing myself and getting to know how things worked around the school. Once I felt like I had gotten the hang of things we learned about feelings with a presentation and some worksheets. Next, the focus switched over to Halloween and I was able to incorporate the bones they were learning with a paper puppet skeleton activity. 

November began with a review for the upcoming exam. We played a game of Jeopardy, which is a popular television game show in the United States that has been airing since 1964! The game consists of 5 different categories with questions worth 100-500 points. The more points a question is worth, the more difficult it is. For the new unit we focused on information about towns. This unit included places, people, and services. Before the exam for this unit we reviewed by playing games in groups. The students were very excited to play not one, not two, but three different activities!

At the end of November I was able to share with the classes traditions and celebrations that take place for Thanksgiving. I shared a presentation and videos with the class to show them some of the traditions that happen on the 4th Thursday every year. They learned about the food that is typically eaten on Thanksgiving, watched parts of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and got to share what they were grateful for by decorating a turkey. 

Next on the agenda is winter holidays! I will definitely talk about Christmas and how my family and I celebrate this special holiday, but there are also other holidays the students may not be familiar with. I am looking forward to sharing these new (to them) holidays next week. 

Time has flown by and I am enjoying every minute of it. I will try to do a better job with this blog to keep you up to date on everything going on with the 2nd graders and all the material they are learning in their science classes. I hope you all have a great winter break with your loved ones!

P.S. To view any of the presentations linked to this blog post, just click on the underlined word and once the tab opens click on Presentación (top right) to begin the slideshow!

March - Animals

Habitats and Invertebrates and Vertebrates 

This topic was great because it is all about animals! We used some interactive PowerPoints that the children could use to classify animals as invertebrates and vertebrates. There was lots of verbal communication, as I asked the children where different animals lived and got them to think about habitats. We focused on Mammals the week after, looking at the characteristics of Mammals, for example that they need milk from their mothers. Then the students had to classify the correct characteristic to the correct kind of animal. We did this step by step and they managed to do it perfectly in the end! I also showed them my pets from when I was a child and we talked about our favourite animals! We also did some flashcards where I held up pictures of different animals and my students had to tell me if the animal is a vertebrate and invertebrate. Then we watched some fun video to help them remember.

February - Pollution

Air & Water Pollution

In February, we looked at air and water pollution. I asked everyone to take a deep breath in and out. I asked them some questions about air and if we need to breathe to survive. Then we looked at some photos of clean and dirty air and I asked them, 'is this air clean or dirty?'. They were very good at telling the difference. So then I asked them if certain vehicles or human activities make the air dirty and they had to think about the human impact of pollution. We watched a video too, which you can see here. Afterward, we did a scientific classification activity where the students had to sort pictures of clean and dirty air into two piles. This was a great activity to see if everyone had learned the content. 

The following week, we looked at water pollution in the exact same way. This time, we watched a video about a Whale called 'A Whale's Tale'. This video shows a whale battling polluted water. Showing children environmental issues through animal issues is a really good way of helping them understand the effects of environmental issues and climate change, as they really care about animals.
You can see the video here.

January - Weather and Water

Weather 

At the start of January, we started learning about the weather with 2A and 2B. We used lots of kinaesthetic learning approaches by getting the students to move and make actions for each type of weather whilst calling it out. he students have learnt different types of weather like 'freezing', 'sunny', 'windy', 'rainy', 'foggy' and 'cloudy' along with actions.

We watched a video about weather and they sang along to a song to help them remember the different types of weather. We did a guessing game where one student came to the front of the class and the others had to guess what weather they were acting out. Everyone was participating and putting their hands up to guess the weather. We also asked them questions about what they wear in different seasons for some good independent thinking! They seem to love this topic.

The Water Cycle

Teaching the water cycle seemed like a big challenge at the beginning because it is so complex. However, it has been one of the most memorable parts of my time with 2A and 2B because we learned all about the water cycle with song, dance and a water experiment!

The students learned all the parts of the water cycle and performed different parts in groups with lots of big actions. They really loved the action involved and remembered all the processes perfectly after a few weeks. I was so proud of them! They even showed their water cycle story to classes 4a and 4b a few weeks later. 

We also did an experiment where we put water in a plastic bag and taped it to the door. We watched how after a week, a lot of condensation had built up in the bag (just like in the atmosphere!).
They consolidated their knowledge with some fun worksheets about the water cycle, which included some colouring!

December with Teacher Daniella

Bones Review!

At the end of December, we reviewed the bones in the body (which we learned earlier on in the term!).

The best way to review content with year two is always a game! So, I picked two students at a time to stand back to back and listen to the countdown '3...2...1...0!'. When I got to zero, they turned around to face each other and I would say a bone that they needed to touch on their body.

The students love watching and playing this game and it really helped them to remember the bones in the body in English.

The next step up in the lesson was for the other students to do the countdown and say a bone for the competing students to touch. This was great as the students could practise their communicative English skills as well as observe the game when not playing it themself.

To get everyone involved the game was very quick and the slowest competitor would switch places with another student. This meant the stakes were high if you wanted to play more than once... I don't think I have seen the students so motivated!

At the end of the lesson we watched a Youtube video about bones where we could all sing and dance to help remember the bones better. This was great for kinesthetic learners who could use their body to remember the bones in their body!

Christmas

We also looked at Christmas in the UK so that they could think about how different cultures celebrate differently!

We looked at some pictures of food and games played in the UK over the Christmas period. I also asked them what they do at Christmas so they could practise conversing in English about what they do and love at Christmas time.

November

Traditions and Festivals in the UK and Spain

In November, we talked about traditions and festivals in Spain and the UK.

To start off with a communicative activity, I asked the students about 'traditional' food in Spain and what they thought of it. Then, we looked at some traditional British foods. This was a great chance to bring in some British culture as part of my role as a foreign language assistant.

This is a classic 'Afternoon Tea' in the UK, with scones, jam and clotted cream alongside black tea with milk. Teacher Maria and I drew some links between the Afternoon Tea we have in the UK and
'La Merienda' in Spain. We asked the students what they thought of the British foods and if they would like to try them one day.

I showed the class pictures of some traditions, festivals and activities in the UK and my childhood village.

They watched a video about this activity, 'May Pole Dancing', where children dance with one another using ribbons and a central pole. 

Then the class worked in their science books to identify different festivals and traditions in Spain. This was a fantastic chance to introduce them to another culture's traditions and festivals, to expand their knowledge of the Anglo world and get them to think outside of their Spanish customs and norms. 

Catching up...

I've been behind the past few weeks! I've been traveling and trying to keep my creativity alive in the classroom, so blogging has taken a back seat unfortunately but here's what we've been doing in second grade:

We have completed the water cycle, animal kingdom and plant kingdom and started to review. I took the opportunity to survey the class and ask them what they like best for class activities. They mentioned games! And some other things like coloring and songs but the general consensus was games, which wasn't surprising.

We have since played one game that was suggested to me by a fellow English teacher in my program and it was a hit. One student faces the class and I write a word on the chalkboard. The other students must take turns giving clues to the student so that they can guess the work. For example "cow"..."We get milk from this animal." "It is a mammal." "It has four legs." etc. The students had a blast and so did teacher Marta Ruth!

I'm going to continue searching for educational and conversational games to keep them engaged and their energy high, there are some stars hiding inside!

Weeks of February 25 - March 1 and March 4 - 8

These past two weeks were slightly off schedule as we celebrated Andalucia Day on February 28 and International Women's Day on March 8. We've also had some teacher's out with various things going on so these past two weeks were definitely a lesson in going with the flow which is very important! All that said, they were very good weeks and the students had a lot of fun with the activities that were related to these two very important holidays.

During these two weeks we wrapped up our lessons on the animal kingdom so I took the chance to review a bit about fish with the story Rainbow Fish. I read the story and Teacher Marta Ruth helped me to translate. I wanted to be sure they also understood the message of the book. After reading I gave each student their own sparkly scale as a representation of me sharing my English with them. They seemed to enjoy the story and the scales!

We continued on and started the plant kingdom, following along with the book.

Week of February 18 - 22

This week in second grade we were learning about the animal kingdom and specifically covered arthropods, mollusks, and fish. I did not have an activity but we worked with the learning activities in the book and I encouraged participation with stickers. We completed the sections together and I drew them large on the board so students could come up to write and draw their answers. Each time they came up or spoke, they received a sticker and the goal was for everyone to finish class with a sticker.

I felt good about this activity because it got them excited and interacting! Finally, my second graders are talking to me!! It only took a little incentive. I will build on this momentum with some more interactive lessons and more moving in the classroom.

Our first six weeks with Teacher Melanie!

Our first six weeks with Teacher Melanie!

Now that I’m adjusted to my new life here in Spain, let me tell you about these amazing first six weeks…

I am the Auxiliar or Culture and Language Assistant here at CEIP Antonio Rodríguez Almodóvar and my role is to encourage conversation and introduce relevant American culture into the classroom. Let me say…this is THE BEST job I’ve ever had! I am showered with love and appreciation and I get to use fun activities to get students involved in their curriculum. I think the one thing that I have been shocked by is how much I am truly able to teach the students. When I have their full attention I am able to introduce new subject matter and they walk away with knowledge and new confidence in their English. There is no better feeling!

Second grade is a surprisingly quiet bunch. They are energetic when they know the activity at hand but otherwise are very quiet. They are the last group I have to find my best communication style with. All of my other grades, I’ve tapped into what gets them excited and talking…second grade. We will get there soon!

SCIENCE

In class we follow the book very closely. I spend my time reading the activities and reviews out loud. I have used “Wiggle Breaks” to shake their nerves out from time to time. During a wiggle break they are given 10 seconds to stand near their chair and jump/shout/shake or anything that they want to make noise and move in their places. It seems to get them more comfortable and more likely to speak. We have covered the water cycle, and they had a fun song to sing to me about it. We also covered landscapes and I found it fitting to sing Marvin Gaye “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. The lyrics mention: mountain, valley, river, wind, rain and cold!

We’ve now started the animal kingdoms and I hope to find some fun communicative activities for the units ahead!

Outside of traditional classroom instruction I also took the opportunity to teach about Martin Luther King Jr on MLK Day. I also made sure to bring a little bit of the American style of holiday celebrations for Valentine's Day by giving the students candy and a Valentine treat to keep and to share. At the end of the school day I could see that they had shared all of their stickers with their friends and were enjoying their lollipops...ahh spreading love! :) <3