Author: senoracmt

There. I said it. I am counting down.

Ok, I’ll be honest, I count down every year… but not because I am SO DONE WITH THE YEAR… because it is fun to imagine drinking my coffee slowly… working by the pool… a NAP in the afternoon…

I don’t like keeping a countdown in my room because I sort of hate seeing the days tick away with my seniors… but this year we are ALL counting. Loudly. Daily. We are tired. We did so much this year and in so many ways… and we are toast.

It isn’t that I haven’t been appreciated. Honestly, I wish you could ALL have an admin team like we do. For teacher appreciation week, we got individual favorite snacks, donuts, a cook out put on by the admin, a food truck for lunch provided by admin, and a huge breakfast from the Student Council. We are SO loved and I am so grateful to work where I do.

So why am I so… ready?

At first I felt really bad about it… but then I realized, I can’t feel bad for feeling that way. In the last 15 months, our lives have spun so many different ways that we all deserve it. We should embrace all the feelings. We didn’t get to enjoy last summer! It was spent fretting about what this year would look like. And now… the end is in sight.

Count.

Down.

Those.

Days.

Today we still moved forward in Spanish 4 class… but we ALSO mentioned that there are 2 more days for seniors. Today we did a new movie talk unit in Spanish 3… but we also celebrated that there are only 7 more for juniors. Poor sophomores… They’ve got 9 but that’s still two hand counting so they’re tickled too! We’re going to read a Señor Wooly Graphic Novel next week as a way of continuing to advance their proficiency while honoring their completely FULL mental spaces.

I have 10 days. I’m going to enjoy every minute I have with my students. All 2520 minutes until the end of exams. And then I am going to exhale. I’m going to enjoy this summer and I am going to know it was hard earned.

There’s a sale at Teachers Pay Teachers today (May 4, 2021) and tomorrow! Everything at Somewhere to Share is 25% with the code THANKYOU21.

Leave your Spanish 3 and 4 planning to us! Huellas is a growing curriculum for your level 3-Ap classes!

Get started with Huellas 1, a 14 week set of lessons that you can implement a la carte or in the order we suggest! Pair the units with readers and you’re set for the school year! See my Spanish 3 syllabus with the Huellas curriculum here.

New to readers? None to use? Add the Pre-Order Huellas 1 Booster Bundle for another 10 weeks of lessons to fill in the gaps! Units 11 and 12 are complete and 13 and 14 are deep into planning! All 5 new units will be ready by mid-July!

Start Spanish 4/AP with Huellas 2 for 22 weeks of lessons that can be paired with readers or authentic pieces. Use the lessons in our suggested order or a la carte! Our scope and sequence for level 4 is in the same blog post as level 3!

Add in some music! We sell many song of the week units individually and as a bundle here.

Spend your summer relaxing and leave the planning to us! Our pilot year was amazing and we can’t wait to have you join the Huellas family. Find us on Facebook here!

We have new products!! While you’re filling your teacher appreciation carts May 4 and 5, 2021, don’t miss these new additions to the Somewhere to Share line up! (And don’t forget the code THANKYOU21 for 25% off)

FREE: Agua by J Balvin y Tainy

FREE: Tuyo y mío by Los dos carnales con Camilo

French: Ma routine quotidienne

Cultural Corner: El ciclo de vida de la mariposa monarca

Part of the Pre-Order Huellas 1 Booster Bundle, El paraíso es una biblioteca is ready for download! If you do NOT use Huellas and want to explore the library as a basic human right, I encourage you to check out this unit from my dear friend Abra Koch.

New music:

From CNCO Por amarte así Song of the Week

From Dvicio and Nil Moliner (one of my new FAVORITE singers), Epiphany

Movie Talk:

El patito – Check out the commercial here and find the full unit here. (Coming VERY SOON in French thanks to Krista Kovalchick)

In honor of teacher appreciation week, can I also take a minute to thank the Somewhere to Share crew!?

None of this would happen without the proofing work of Nelly Hughes. She is an amazing author and teacher! Check out her books Selena, Minerva, and Mujeres extraordinarias at Fluency Matters. (Hombres extraordinarios is on the way too!)

Melisa Lopez is my RIGHT HAND WOMAN. Melisa makes ALLLLLL the google sheets in the folders and administers the Huellas group page with me. She helps with webinars, with customer service… she’s just the best!

Dylan Brinkmann is my “if you build it they will come” representative. Dylan mans the Collaborative Huellas drive! This year we have around 350 users of Huellas one and 275 users of Huellas two. (So the files are kind of sparse…) BUT we are holding out hope that as new members join the family, the drive will grow and Dylan will be maniacally sorting files before he knows it!

Allison Toth, my number 1 kid and social media manager, keeps me from having an ugly Instagram. (Although she DOES owe me a post for this sale so I’m going to have to talk to her about that…

And Krista Kovalchick, my French teacher amie who has been helping me create a bunch of my units in French this year!

I have an amazing team and I am so grateful for all they do to keep Somewhere to Share growing and creating! We hope to make your planning MUCH easier in the new year!

MOST OF ALL… thank you to YOU, my Somewhere to Share followers and customers. I am so grateful for your trust in me and the content that I create. I am so happy that my classroom can spill over into yours and that we can be doing the same units at the same times! I think that was one of the things that helped me through this HARD year.. you shared so many pictures from your classrooms of your kids using my books, my movie talks, my curriculum… I am humbled and honored that you are leaving your Huellas alongside us!

With fingers crossed for no bad luck I say… I think I’ve taught in every imaginable scenario this year.

1. I began the year fully virtual with students in hybrid cohorts.
2. We went full virtual and so everyone was with me online.
3. Everyone went back face to face (with the exception of a few remote learners) and I was at home.
4. I am at school face to face with almost everyone and I have a few remote learners.

There are times it has been hard, times I thought they weren’t learning anything, times I thought I wasn’t learning anything, and times I thought we were all going to quit. BUT… it’s almost May (insert Justin Timberlake “It’s gonna be May” meme) and we just had our final assessment of the year. Friends, everything turned out alright!

Level 1 has definitely been hurt the worst having no prior experience with language but they are just starting so we can work on that next year! Spanish 2 is not quite as confident and comfortable as students have been in previous years. Spanish 3 was largely unaffected and Spanish 4 has really soared in spite of a MESSY year.

Considering what they’ve been up against, students at ALL levels knocked their writing and speaking assessments out of the park. It’s like I’d been holding my breath all year… worried that they were going to be deficient in some area. But there is NOTHING we can’t fix next year!

So… that means it’s time to think about NEXT year.

It’s funny. I have no idea what it will look like.

*Will we wear masks?

*Will they be able to work in groups?

*Will we be back to a full day schedule?

But in spite of the uncertainty, I do not feel like I did heading into last summer. Last summer I was nothing but anxious. We had no roadmap for what we were about to do! But now we’ve done it. It wasn’t always pretty… but we did it!

So how do we look to 2021-22? We have to consider two key factors:

Pace and Place

1. Place – Our level 1 students only got through half of what they would normally do this year.
   • This means Spanish 2 is going to be in a different place next year than Spanish two was this year or in 2019.
   • Knowing that place is going to be our most important tool for success next year.
   • We’ll have to throw out misconceptions about rigor, “material to be covered”, and our old plan books in favor of adaptations that will meet the incoming group where they are.
2. Pace – While knowing WHERE they are is most important, knowing the pace at which we can move is our second priority!
   • Just because Spanish 2 has always completed 10 units in the first semester doesn’t mean that Spanish 2 CAN complete 10 units next year.
   • We don’t yet know what effect the educational roller coaster they have been on will have… so plan to be flexible with your pace!

I mapped out the starting points next year for our students and made some goals for where I would LIKE to go throughout the year.

*Know that our updated Scope and Sequence documents are just a draft and that we will be moving in pace and place with our students so they’re subject to change!*

If you would like to see what our map in the new year looks like, these are SCHS’s 2021-22 Scope and Sequence documents.

We asked some of our users to share their favorite Somewhere to Share products with you! If you’re not sure where to start, we hope that these reviews help you find just the right resource!

I love so many units from Huellas! My favorite so far is Bajo la mesa! The unit hook is the music video by Morat and Sebastian Yatra, and it connects to the theme of art! My students say that this song unit is “a banger,” which in today’s teen language means it’s a hit! Throughout the music video students are introduced to famous art. Each work of art has a comprehensible reading loaded with facts about the artist and their life and works. The unit comes with intriguing conversation questions and a final assessment that was a favorite by far in all of my classes! It is a wonderful opportunity for students to connect creatively and personally with the art that they chose all in Spanish!-Beth Langton

My kids have never been so interested in art as they are this year with Bajo la Mesa from Huellas. Not only do they love it but the plans are so easy to read and implement. It sure has taken a weight off of this teacher’s tired shoulders. – Meghan Loveless (@senoralovely)

Mi unidad favorita es “El agua es vida”  Siempre ha tenido un gran impacto con mis estudiantes. Miramos la película “También la lluvia” durante esta unidad y mis estudiantes siempre están asombrados al aprender esta triste realidad. Enseño esta unidad durante el tema de “cómo compartimos el planeta” con mis estudiantes de Bachillerato Internacional. También funciona con el tema de los desafíos globales para AP Spanish. -Cindy Medina (Profesora Medina)

Mar de plástico was an excellent unit for my combined Spanish 3/4 class this year. The new digital additions were so helpful while hybrid. The students loved learning about something “real” and multiple said it was their favorite unit ever! Allison Wienhold (Mis Clases Locas)

I’m new to using Huellas {Huellas 1 and Huellas 2} this year, and I’ve been really pleased with them in my all-remote level 4 classroom. When I ask my students what they are enjoying about the class, they tell me they especially like it when they get to talk about themselves and make the learning personal, which is what Carrie’s lessons do every time. We are doing Viaja Conmigo right now, because who doesn’t like to fantasize about getting to travel again?!?? I am very much enjoying getting to learn and use CI, even at the higher language levels, and the Huellas units are making it easy and fun (even on remote). Everything I need is right there, ready to go, and every unit can be modified for multiple levels of learners. Highly recommend (just buy the bundles, you’ll be glad you did). —Wendy Dufoe

I am NOT going to lie. This has been a crazy year. I was in a very dark funk from about November until February. I was struggling to just have the energy and enthusiasm for MY students and there was nothing left in me to draw on for making new materials! It was really a rough patch.

BUT the sun is shining, the faculty at my school is by and large vaccinated, and I am back with my students face to face. There was an almost immediate spark of needing to MAKE THINGS! They just feed my soul!

We want to introduce you to two new favorite songs:

IN FRENCH: Thanks to the amazing Krista Kovalchick, we can bring you our the Daily Routine unit as a French unit now!

Thank you for your support! Teacher authors couldn’t do it without our colleagues!

Don’t forget code FORYOU21 at checkout on April 6 and 7, 2021 to get an extra 25% off!

In upper level classes, it is hard to find the right balance between lighthearted, fun, engaging stories and real-world, current, engaging topics. I have, on occasion, found that my juniors and seniors were carrying the heavy load of a curriculum that was too grammar heavy. I have also, on occasion, found that my juniors and seniors missed the point of what we’d been doing in our curriculum because it was too light. It’s a conundrum.

• We want our language classes to TRULY lead to more proficient speakers.
• We want our language classes to be inclusive… places where no one walks out thinking they aren’t cut out to learn languages.
• We want our language classes to be engaging because engaged students acquire more language.
• AND we want our language classes to lead our students to a level of fluency that allows them to advance their skills even without us walking the path to proficiency with them.

But how do we do it?

With Huellas 1 & Huellas 2

What is Huellas?

How do I IMPLEMENT this curriculum?

We think that there are two ways: Option A, make Huellas your full syllabus. Here are my most recent scope and sequence (the pandemic has really wreaked havoc on a lot of things so we did NOT get through all I anticipated this year… I am hesitant to create them for next year because I JUST DON’T KNOW… Are you feeling this way??? Is next year going to be a regular year???)

Option B- Go a la carte. We know that sometimes you’re just TIED to a district curriculum but we hope that the flexibility of our plans and unit structure will allow you to incorporate the units you love without causing waves with your colleagues!

What if I am new to using readers?

I have a lot to say about the power of readers in the classroom. The more we read, the higher my students score on the AAPPL exam (they take it to qualify for the Global Seal of Biliteracy and IL state Seal of Biliteracy). BUT… If you have never used a reader in class, I don’t recommend you dive in with 4!

Because the curriculum does not fill a full year without the readers, we have begun work on a booster bundle for Huellas 1. The curriculum is under construction but we know that budgets are often due at the end of the year so we are offering the new bundle on Pre-Order at a discounted price! Check out the product description for the anticipated release dates of each piece of the new bundle!

A final note:

We hope that Huellas can engage and inspire your students to use their new language to be conscientious consumers and conscious stewards of their planet!

Find all of our Huellas products on sale this week, April 6 and 7, 2021 for 25% off with code FORYOU21.

We are really excited about our new Huellas 1 Booster Bundle. This bundle will consist of 5 units that help pump up the possibilities for your students in their Huellas 1 year! Unit 1.11 (Compra menos y haz que dure) is already available and unit 2 is so close we can taste it!!

After picking the brain of the INCREDIBLY talented Abra Koch, I fell in love with the idea of the library as a basic human right! Books really open doors but libraries themselves open doors I never realized! From internet for families with no access to services and classes for people new to the community, the library is so much more than just books!

In this unit we have the great pleasure of sharing some poems from the amazing David Bowles and Diego Ojeda. We will introduce you to the Cajas de ideas in Colombia and the amazing Muloteca! We’ll read the book Soñadores with Yuyi Morales (if you don’t have it yet, we give it all our thumbs up for the classroom library. The art is precious). 12 days of lessons packed into one tidy little unit!

Take advantage of the sale tomorrow, April 6, and Wednesday, April 7, to pre-buy this bundle (or even just this unit) at 25% off!

It was an amazing launch year for Huellas 1 and 2. I am SO grateful to the teachers who used my units and who gave amazing feedback throughout the year. Our Huellas Facebook group has let me see all the ways YOU are using the units in the classroom and that is a 100% inspiration in MY classroom!

Huellas 1 is a shorter curriculum than Huellas 2 and when I use it, I read 4 readers with my students along side the units… and not everyone has that privilege! I know budgets for classroom materials can be TIGHT! I decided to expand Huellas 1 for those who do NOT have access to readers and also to offer more choice! If you don’t connect with one unit, our Huellas 1 Booster Pack will offer options to swap it out for a different topic!

We are also thrilled to be able to pick the brains of colleagues Abra Koch and Bethanie Drew to bring you these new units. Working with like minded educators to share new content is THE BEST FEELING EVER!

TPT is hosting a sale April 6 and 7, 2021. We have created some PRE-ORDER PRODUCTS for our Huellas users. In the fall, when the full Huellas 1 booster pack launches, it will be $70, we are offering at a pre-order for $50 (with an additional 25% off using code FORYOU21 during the sale). We want to do this as a THANK YOU to those who jumped on board with a BRAND NEW CURRICULUM this year and trusted us with your students!

The Pre-Order Booster Bundle includes:

1.11 Compra menos y haz que dure – Available now

1.12 El paraíso es una biblioteca – Available mid April

1.13 La ciudad nunca duerme – Available mid May

1.14 El que siembra cosecha – Available mid June

1.15 No basta con hablar de la paz – Available mid July

My cart was full on Saturday. I LOVE when TPT has a sale. I can support my favorite teacher authors and artists, find great things for my own business docs, and still save some money!

I’ve left my feedback and gotten my TPT credits!

By the time you’re reading this post, I will be checked out and enjoying my new “city” clip art and fonts!

Let us warm up your winter with some awesome new resources in both Spanish and French! If you fall for sales too, be sure you check out your favorite TPT authors today before the clock runs out!