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5 Smart Ways to Use Social Media for your Bilingual Classroom

                                 

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One of the challenges of being a bilingual teacher is finding the right Spanish resources for your class. Even after I translated all the parent notes, created countless of activities for reading and writing, and  was always the one to ask "Is it available in Spanish?" I just could not do it all.

If you are feeling the same way, and even if you don't teach kinder and/or gifted and talented, here are

5 ways I used social media to help me find what I needed for my students:

1. Search on Pinterest
It is almost as if Pinterest has in a way replaced google images, if I need to find something, my first instinct is to go to Pinterest.  If you are already on there, but don't want to overload it with boards about education, remember you can make your boards secret (private).

If you can't find exactly what you are looking for, change the wording you use. For example, switch between English and Spanish, if I am looking for morning work, I could write any of the following

"Trabajo de la mañana"
"Morning work in Spanish"
"Daily work in Spanish"
"Trabajo diario para kínder"

Follow Teaching with Nancy's board Bilingual Resources PK-5 on Pinterest. Follow Gisel's board  ¡TPT Gratis! Español k-2 grado on Pinterest.

Two Pinterest boards you will find useful if you are a PK-5 Bilingual/Dual language teacher

2. Join Twitter Chats
A Twitter chat is a fast paced hour where teachers from around the world learn from each other. Usually, there is a moderator that will guide you through questions.
I recommend using Tweet Deck because it is very user friendly and you can keep track of the questions and answers to participate in the chats. Here are two examples of  the chats I particularly like for teachers, but there are so many more out there...

Twitter chat for bilingual teachers every month                                        Early childhood chat every Tuesday

3. Follow teachers on Periscope  
Periscope is new to me, but I'm already following teachers that are sharing really useful tips, classroom ideas, technology tips and more. You get to see them live and interact by writing them a message. @Luckylittlelearners is a teacher I like to follow:

Teachers on Periscope

4. Find Organizations on Facebook 
Many organizations create a Facebook page to stay connected with their members, you will be the first one to know about conferences, future events, new information, etc.


You can be part of various organizations that offer conferences throughout the year.  I recommend finding groups on Facebook to learn about these conferences. Here is a small list of bilingual/dual language organizations:

ATDLE  Association of Two-Way &Dual Language    Educators 

CABE California Association for Bilingual Educators

TABE Texas Association for Bilingual Educators 

BSETN  Bilingual and Special Education Teachers 
Network

And don't forget, if you are in the North Texas area, a group of bilingual teachers will be hosting the first ever iTeachbilinguals meet and greet, where you will get free bilingual activities for your class, click here to find out more. 

5. Use Instagram 
Teachers are also using Instagram to share organizational ideas, to show their classroom set-up, activities, videos, etc. Here are some hashtags to follow:

#teachersfollowteachers
#teachersofinstagram
#iteachbilinguals
#duallang

***Bonus***  Follow Teacher's Blogs/Websites
There are many teachers sharing really good content on their own website/blogs, you can use the website bloglovin' to follow the ones that you want. There is also an app for that! :) I  noticed that if I don't follow the blogs I like, I quickly forget about visiting them again, even if I really loved the content.

There are also collaborative blogs, where many teachers share their ideas.
A group of bilingual/dual/Spanish immersion/ FLES teachers created a website where they share free activities every single day once school starts in August:

Short video (1min) explaining what is iTeach Bilinguals 

Time for another bilingual blog hop!

Fourth of July is here! So, how do you teach your students about this holiday and why we honor it? How about your bilingual kindergarten students?

 I usually find holiday activities on TPT and Pinterest, but finding Spanish material for the fourth of July was a little different. 

I decided to create a simple activity to introduce vocabulary with a write the room activity. This product will be free for a limited time!

I like this activity because it is a great way to introduce vocabulary that you can later turn into a writing activity. Click on the pictures to get this activity. Some teachers that have used this product have said:

What if you don't teach in Spanish or need the bilingual version?

 No problem, you can still use this activity. There are blank cards where you can write your own words, you can add more vocabulary words, add your high frequency words, or create your own option. 

I hope you visit me again!

Last Friday Freebie Find of the year

For those of us who are still in school...

This is the last week of school and we are super busy with awards ceremonies, field day, assemblies, book giveaway parties, etc.

If you are like me, your mantra this week is "Ain't nobody got time for that" (I know, I know).  If you are on the same boat, I am happy to give you one less thing to do. 

We usually give a small present for our students. We bought  these Guitar Bubble Bottle Necklaces from Oriental Trading and attach a little saying.

 If you don't have time to buy the bubbles, something as simple as a bubble gum, goldfish, or M&M's will do. 

Here are some free gift tags that you can use throughout the year. 

          

from: A Cupcake for the                                    from: Loving-Life Teaching

                                           Teacher                                                       (I really like the ideas)

                                    (I love her store!)

Teacher Appreciation Week

...we could do so much! Specially if those gift cards are from Target, Starbucks, Amazon and TPT. 
 This  video reminds me that as teachers, we wear many hats. We work hard to motivate our students. We show them how much we welcome their efforts, their positive attitude and we motivate, care and value who they are, always looking for that spark of curiosity they need in order to learn.

Sometimes you just need to be reminded that you are appreciated! That's why we (iteachk bloggers) decided to give you gift cards to some of our favorite places. Just click on the following picture to enter.

EC conference in North Dallas!

I am truly excited about my first presentation at the Early Childhood conference in North Dallas.
I can't wait to share amazing bilingual resources that I know will help my fellow bilingual teachers, not only that, my friends from iteachbilinguals have graciously donated so many products and some have even prepared goodies bags for you!

My teammate and second time presenter Kara King will also be there!

Did I mention I also have a booth?

That's right, right after presenting I will be at a stand with my friend Alejandra. Do you need more bilingual 
ready-to-print engaging activities for your class? 

Nancy Alvarez from Teaching with Nancy 

Angie Soto from A la Escuelita 

Mynda Rivera from  B is for bilingual 






will also be there, their activities are simply amazing.

I can't wait to meet more bilingual teachers!

Come join the fun this April 25th from 8:00-2:30 click here to register today!

First giveaway on iTeach Bilinguals

 

I just posted on our collaborativeblog for "Win-it Wednesday" there is still time to enter, just visit Iteach Bilinguals Facebook page for more info on how to enter!

   During Spring, our kindergartners participate in a poetry recital, each student is expected to pick a poem, memorize it and then recite it to all the parents at a PTA meeting. 

I have to say, I was nervous the first year we did this, especially because my students were doing it in Spanish and even I was having trouble finding poems. 

   This year will be a little different, I decided to compile Spanish poems into seasonal packets. This way, my students can choose from over 60 poems and pick one they like, they also have the option of choosing one on their own. 

I'm still working on the Fall poems but here's what I've done so far:

If you win this giveaway, a friend and you will win all three packets! That's 47 poems in Spanish! We will announce a winner on Monday April 6th, so make sure you visit our facebook page, I will also mention the winner on Kinder Bilingue's facebook page. Have a great week!