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.

SCIENCE
In third grade they wrapped up their units on farm animals, bird and reproduction so we were ready to review! With a classic game of Jeopardy we covered all of the subject matter. Each table became a group and were given the chance to answer questions from the category of their choice. One class had a bit more fun with this than the other class did, but the questions were exactly the same for each so there was just a bit more studying that one class needed to do. The winning team was given a prize and everyone was encouraged to study for their exam. The following week I began their oral exam portion and we will continue with that in the coming week.

ART
In art we learned how to draw a lion step by step using a YouTube tutorial. I used this time to talk about what type of landscape they would draw for their lion to live in. We sang "In the Jungle" more times than I can count but it was really fun!
The following week Teacher Carmen was out but we continued with the lesson she prepared. The students were given Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" as inspiration and asked to recreate their own version of the classic painting. We have some beautiful pieces in the works and I'm looking forward to seeing the completed works this coming week!

Week of February 18 - 22

NATURAL SCIENCE

This week in third grade we learned about birds. I used the book and we covered the vocabulary about wings, beaks and nutrition. Then Teacher Fatima played a video with several birds in it and we pointed out all of the types of bird characteristics we could find.

This activity was simple and a strong finish for the unit. Next week we will begin reviewing the unit so this time spent reinforcing content will be good for them. I used stickers for participation and it works well to get them involved.

ART

In art we are also working with animals. Teacher Carmen had the students bring in pictures of animals and cut different body parts to create a collage of a unique animal. I explained the activity in english and let their imagination go.

I used this activity to teach them the names of animals in english and help them name their unique animals with english names. Art is a more personal time where I get to communicate with the students about many things. We get to know each other a bit more and they get to ask me about words that may help them with other classes.

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!

My third graders have been fully invested since day one. They always give me their attention and are hungry to tell me new things and receive feedback. They help me to see the true difference and character of each grade level. I am always able to merge right into their lesson and they are eager to have me be a part of their class, which I appreciate very much!

SCIENCE

So far we have learned about our city around us, and the physical and political maps of Spain and Europe. These classes were helpful for me as well! I’ve learned some landforms and capitals, which is great information for me to talk with the students about. We spent a couple weeks also doing oral evaluations and I truly enjoyed that one on one time with each student. Last week we began animals and I wrote a story as a listening and logic activity. I read the story aloud and then asked for the order of animals. They did very well with this activity and next week we will build on it by having them answer more questions.

ART

In arts and crafts the students constructed their own city maps and presented them to the class. They worked carefully on these and presented some quality maps by the end of the unit.

Last week we began animals and I taught the students how to make their own hand puppet. They really enjoyed this activity and were even making more than one puppet. The goal was to create an animal puppet and make a short story with friends to present in class. I’m looking forward to hearing their stories and watching them present.

Outside of traditional classroom instruction I also took the opportunity to teach about Martin Luther King Jr on MLK Day. They all drew pictures in their notebooks about what his dream looked like to them and several of them shared their own dreams. We have some future lifesavers in third grade! They watched this video as part of the activity.

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

How To Draw Easy Cartoon Faces Step by Step

Himno Nacional de España en Sol Mayor

Himno Nacional de España Partitura con Notas en Sol Mayor Flauta Violín Oboe

How to draw a body

Draw a human figure step by stephttp://www.yedraw.com/how-to-draw-people.html#.W7w9xmgzbIU

Non-renewable and renewable energy sources

NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY

Fossil fuels are non.renewable energy, because we can not replace these natural materials and they will eventually run out. Oil, coal and natural gas are non-renewable energy sources.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

First of all remember the videos we watched in class:

Renewable sources of energy do not run out. They are much better for the environment because they do no cause pollution.

We know six different types of renewable energy sources:

• Solar
• Wind
• Hydropower
• Biomass
• Tidal
• Geothermal