Gaudi Mosaics

Students at my school have learned a lot about Spain since a group of nine teachers, including myself, returned from a trip there in February. The whole school has been involved, making connections to the culture and people in all areas of learning. One of my favorite projects that students are working on is in art class. Our art teacher, Mr. D, took the work of Antoni Gaudi and used it as inspiration for a mosaic project for students. One of Gaudi’s famous projects, Parc Guell in Barcelona, is a great example of mosaic work. Everywhere you look in the park, brightly […]

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Classroom Fame 

Happy Friday! Last week I wrote about Spain Day that my school put on. It was a day that celebrated global learning and shared information teachers learned from traveling to Spain. You can read more at my blog post Spain Day at DWS. This week the event was covered in the local paper, The Marshfield Mariner. Students were abuzz when the article was published. One student even brought it into school so I could hang it on the front board. I read it aloud and we enjoyed reminiscing on a fun day. Four students from our class were interviewed for […]

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Pen Pals 

Since coming back from Spain students have had the chance to ask questions, see pictures, and learn more about all things Spain. Many of the questions have been centered around school, students and what life is like for kids growing up in Spain, which makes sense since students are kids. I tell students all about my observations from my school visits, but it’s just not the same as going yourself. The next best thing would be to learn about student life from actual students. Luckily there is a way I can make this happen. I contacted our tour guide from […]

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Learning to Salsa- Classroom Connection 

Travel sometimes presents some unexpected benefits. A little gem that emerged from Spain was learning to Salsa dance. You may wonde how salsa dancing translates to the classroom? Well, on a large scale our school is preparing for a Spain Day, to celebrate everything students have learned about Spain. Students from my classroom are learning to salsa dance each morning from their very salsa dance skilled (not!) teacher. Each morning for the last two weeks, we have begun our day learning new steps and practicing a routine I put together from my lesson we took in Spain.  It has been […]

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Sagrada Familía- Classroom Connection 

Happy Friday! Before we jump into another weekend I thought I’d share a fun travel teachable moment from this week in my classroom. I could not have asked for a better connection to my recent trip to Spain. This past weekend in the Sunday Boston Globe, there was an article in the travel section about La Sagrada Familía. Thanks to my mum and dad (who still reads a print paper these days?!) I was made aware of this perfect connection to my recent trip to Spain. Thanks mum! Big color pictures of the famous basilica and a short article filled an […]

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Alhambra

One of my favorite sites we visited in Spain was the Alhambra. What made this place extra special besides the beautiful views, intricate details and amazing history, was the fact that my mum and grandmother visited Alhambra when my mum was in high school. I felt an extra special connection to this site knowing that the two women that I love the most in this world had also seen it. I miss my grandmother, Gikee everyday and so visiting a place that she had seen and told me about made the experience all that more magical. Alhambra is located in Granada […]

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Return from Spain…So Now What?

What an amazing trip through Spain! With each country I visit it still surprises me how many new things there are to learn about different cultures. The possibilities are endless for incorporating all that I learned and experienced back into my classroom, but I have come up with a few favorites that are fool proof in getting students engaged and excited about learning. Student Treasures– After each trip when I return home I have students create a class book compiling all they have learned. These class books have come a long way from the word document pages gathered together with […]

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Olive Farm 

Yesterday we broke up our long drive from Córdoba to Madrid by stopping at an olive oil factory and I loved it! Maybe it’s from growing up with my grandparents blueberry farm, but I just love visiting farms or other places that grow plants. I find it fascinating to see how different plants grow, and see where exactly food comes from. It doesn’t hurt either when there is a little snack at the end. Before I dive into this post I should probably admit something, I really don’t like olives. My mum loves them and I have tried them before, but […]

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Spain School Visit 

The absolute highlight of my trip so far has been the visit to the private school. There is just something about being in a school, and talking, or attempting to talk, to students and watching teachers in action that I love. After arriving at Colegio International Alminar, we started our visit with a mini presentation put on by one of the teachers, Mercedes. She explained the school mission, what a typical day looks like and answered our many questions about teaching and school life in Spain. Then it was off to the classroom. We broke up into small groups so […]

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2 Days til Spain…Preparing for Substitutes

As I sit at home on another snow day, I can’t help but begin to feel slightly anxious about my trip to Spain, which is in just 2 DAYS! Eeek! I can’t believe it is almost here. While I am more than ready to hit the road (or runway as the case may be), there is still plenty to be done at school to make sure my substitutes will be ready to fill in for me for the two days I will miss. I have finished packing, repacking, double checking the packing here at home, which is nice. Wednesday afternoon […]

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