Spanish Version

In our classroom we develop a variety of academic activities that foster academic success.

        The purpose of the academic strategies is to encourage students to become independent readers and writers, so that children can find reading and writing as a fun and daily activity.

        One of the daily activities is reading aloud to the children by the teacher. The purpose of this activity is that the teacher models through think aloud all the reading strategies encouraging children to correctly address a book and be able to understand it.      

        Through active learning Mr. Acosta is modeling to the class how to find the important elements of the book, such as: Title, setting, characters, plot, and solution. In order to create literature awareness in children, the teacher addresses genre and the purpose for reading, so that the readers will be able to comprehend in a broad way their reading selection.

    In our classroom library Salma, Luis, Juan, and Kelly are in the moment of independent reading with their favorite teddy bear and the book that have chosen from the classroom library. Each one of them reads the book silently and implements the good readers´ reading strategies taught by the teacher.

            The reading strategies allow readers to get more in touch with the book because children are able to identify the important messages of books.  Independent readers should also look for connections in their reading in order to relate more to the book and be able to experience reading in a deeper way and find it meaningful.

        Buddy reading is a practice that Carlos, Mariell, and Angelica are performing in the library of our classroom; they read it aloud to each other to learn from each others way of reading using the correct intonation, punctuation, and fluency. The good readers of this classroom share their point of view of the book that they are reading to develop their critical abilities.

        The good readers of this classroom are also encouraged to test their own level of reading comprehension through Accelerated Reader, which is a computer program that children use to take tests from books from the library. Gerzon and Angelica are reading independently getting ready to take the reading test.

        During independent practice we perform shared reading through Big Books, by using a pointer we develop fluency, intonation, and punctuation abilities. In addition we elaborate questions to foster reading comprehension imitating the teacher.

        Through active learning Carlos is modeling Julio, Angelica, and Jaime the appropriate way to read and to ask questions to foster reading comprehension.

        The children meet on a daily basis with the teacher in order to receive guided reading small group instruction. Each group is organized by the students reading level so that the teacher is able to address their individual reading needs in a better way. 

        Through this activity the teacher is able to identify if the groups are doing correctly the good readers´ reading strategies.

       Writing is also a very important activity, because it encourages in children the ability to express themselves in a clear, organized, and structured way.

            In this sense, we have inside of our classroom writing centers that foster literacy creativeness by using the writing strategies of the good writers.

Luis and Cristian, after finishing their writing assignments, share by reading aloud to the class what they have written in their writing folders.

        They both learned from the audience because the students are questioned about their writing pieces of work.

        We also have centers that foster grammar and spelling awareness in which children practice their knowledge to correctly build complete and complex sentences by using grammar rules. 

        Elizabeth, Eric, and Juan Carlos are practicing their grammar knowledge in group so they can learn from correcting themselves.

       Angel and Edgar are exploring new words to be spelled and read by them using plastic letters on the magnetic board. 

        In addition we have a penpal writing center. Luis and Julio write letters expressing their ideas or those things that they want to share by using the good writers writing strategies.

        Technology plays a very important aspect as a learning tool under the supervision of Mr. Acosta inside of our classroom, because children can explore new topics and master previous knowledge. By the use of these resources children can enrich their learning process.

    Salma, Lesle, Kelly, Juan, and Luis are in the moment of independent practice of math reviewing and consolidating the topic previously taught by Mr. Acosta.

    There is also a very dynamic approach to learning through technology which is by the use of COWS, or Computer on Wheels. Students have been using the 16 wireless laptops that the school have to log into the website as a learning resource at their desks and own pace, and practice different learning strategies.

Spanish Version