Every year there are certain items that need to be ready for the first few days of school. For those teachers who have to send their copies away, it is especially important to be organized. The rest of us can procrastinate a bit more, but I prefer to avoid the copier crunch and start the year prepared. Here are the items that I want to have ready prior to the first day of school.
1) Course plan or overview for the year
2) Detailed lesson plans for the first month (brand new teachers might have to start with the first two weeks until class pacing becomes obvious)
3) Ice breaker activities for the first few days
4) Parent letters or parent presentation for the "meet the teacher" night
5) Class expectations policies, and philosophy handout
6) Requisite class materials list
7) Newspaper or internet articles about learning foreign languages
8) Classroom decor finished and hanging
9) Projects, tests, and quizzes that will be done in the first month
10) Class website (my school requires that all teachers use an in-house website. This year, the school is trying a new platform called Haiku!) I am excited to try it out and see how I can use it to make learning more effective in my class.
What items have I forgotten? What else needs to be done before students walk through the doors of the classroom?
In my next blog, I will discuss the items that I put in my meet the parent night presentation.
domingo, 28 de julio de 2013
lunes, 22 de julio de 2013
Summer!
I haven't updated this blog much throughout the summer, but I just want you to know that starting next week I will be posting a back to school series!
In the meantime, I have been taking most of the summer to relax, spend time with family, exercise, and work on my TPT store. One new product in my store that I am excited to use for my Spanish II, III; and IV students is the present tense review packet. This packet goes through all of the different types of irregular present tense verbs, and is a good resource for students who need to quickly double-check an irregular present tense verb.
I have also been scouring the web for some new blogs and resources. Hopefully, I will be able to reference some of these at a later date.
I hope that your summer is going well, and that you are feeling refreshed, as many will soon be heading back to work!
In the meantime, I have been taking most of the summer to relax, spend time with family, exercise, and work on my TPT store. One new product in my store that I am excited to use for my Spanish II, III; and IV students is the present tense review packet. This packet goes through all of the different types of irregular present tense verbs, and is a good resource for students who need to quickly double-check an irregular present tense verb.
I have also been scouring the web for some new blogs and resources. Hopefully, I will be able to reference some of these at a later date.
I hope that your summer is going well, and that you are feeling refreshed, as many will soon be heading back to work!
lunes, 6 de mayo de 2013
Textbooks and Authentic materials
On several of the blogs that I follow, the teachers have specifically stated that they don't use textbooks and many don't use vocabulary lists of any kind. While I have to admit, I love teaching without a textbook, and I had the freedom to do so at my previous school; however, I think it is important to recognize that many of us simply don't have that freedom at our school as extreme curriculum consistency is demanded of us. So, what to do if you have to follow a prescribed or semi-rigid curriculum that is dictated by the school, colleagues, district, state etc.? Here are some of the things that I do to appease both the prescribed curriculum, and keep my class as authentic or semi-authentic as possible.
1) I spend tons of time looking for articles, websites, and songs that coincide with the vocabulary or grammar that is being taught in the chapter.
2) I devise projects that require the students to use the prescribed grammar and vocabulary, yet give the students the freedom to choose how to complete and design their project. Note, I use projects in addition to the paper/pencil tests that are dictated by the school.
3) I try to ask questions during the speaking portion of the class that uses the vocabulary. I will admit sometimes it is hard to make the text wholly relevant, but I do my best. For example, for the health care unit, I asked my students to talk and write about an injury that they or a family member have had vs. using the textbook exercises involving fictitious characters hurting themselves.
4) I ask the students to find internet articles, songs, etc. that are relevant to the topic and I give them extra credit for bringing authentic texts into the classroom and sharing them with me. Sometimes, I will assign this as homework, and then the students will share the information that they found with each other.
5) I try to use the cultural blurbs in the chapter as the focal point, as opposed to a side-note that is hardly or barely mentioned in class. I will teach my students about the cultural aspect presented in the chapter, and then if possible look for authentic materials that both involve the focus country and the grammar or vocabulary being covered.
6) I make my students use the vocabulary words in sentences that they create on their quizzes and tests so they are not simply translating or matching, and I hold them accountable for previously learned vocabulary words.
How do you keep your class as authentic as possible while using a mandated textbook?
1) I spend tons of time looking for articles, websites, and songs that coincide with the vocabulary or grammar that is being taught in the chapter.
2) I devise projects that require the students to use the prescribed grammar and vocabulary, yet give the students the freedom to choose how to complete and design their project. Note, I use projects in addition to the paper/pencil tests that are dictated by the school.
3) I try to ask questions during the speaking portion of the class that uses the vocabulary. I will admit sometimes it is hard to make the text wholly relevant, but I do my best. For example, for the health care unit, I asked my students to talk and write about an injury that they or a family member have had vs. using the textbook exercises involving fictitious characters hurting themselves.
4) I ask the students to find internet articles, songs, etc. that are relevant to the topic and I give them extra credit for bringing authentic texts into the classroom and sharing them with me. Sometimes, I will assign this as homework, and then the students will share the information that they found with each other.
5) I try to use the cultural blurbs in the chapter as the focal point, as opposed to a side-note that is hardly or barely mentioned in class. I will teach my students about the cultural aspect presented in the chapter, and then if possible look for authentic materials that both involve the focus country and the grammar or vocabulary being covered.
6) I make my students use the vocabulary words in sentences that they create on their quizzes and tests so they are not simply translating or matching, and I hold them accountable for previously learned vocabulary words.
How do you keep your class as authentic as possible while using a mandated textbook?
domingo, 5 de mayo de 2013
K-5 Giveaway!
Good luck to all who enter the giveaways!
viernes, 3 de mayo de 2013
Super Secondary Giveaway
Super Secondary TpT Giveaway! Just in time for Teachers Appreciation Week. 40 Prizes from TpT's Top Secondary Teacher Stores. ONE Grand Prize Winner. Scroll down below and enter to Win...
Enter May 1st to May 6th!
This week, I am participating in 2 giveaways! For the secondary giveaway, I am donating my Por y para all in Spanish handout. If you are interested in this giveaway, just go to either of the blog links below!
viernes, 26 de abril de 2013
Rewards in the Secondary Classroom?
I play a number of games in my classroom, or at minimum incorporate numerous game-like activities, and as a result, I do not use or give my students rewards for "winning." However, recently I have been wondering if using rewards on the occasion would be beneficial. Here are the reasons I have for not using rewards in the classroom:
- I want my students to partake in my classroom activities or games with the understanding that the reward is solidifying and learning the material, while being happily engaged in class.
- I would prefer that the activity is about the information and not the competition (although, here I must add that plenty of the games or game-like activities that I use are not super competitive).
- I don't want students to play/participate only because they are expecting a reward at the end.
- I don't want a student to hesitate to participate for fear of making his/her team lose out on a reward.
- I personally don't want the pressure of determining, keeping track of, and paying for the rewards.
- I want my students to learn to take joy in the classroom activities without needing an extrinsic motivator to make it worth their while.
What about you? Do you use rewards in your language classroom? What are the pros and cons in your opinion?
- I want my students to partake in my classroom activities or games with the understanding that the reward is solidifying and learning the material, while being happily engaged in class.
- I would prefer that the activity is about the information and not the competition (although, here I must add that plenty of the games or game-like activities that I use are not super competitive).
- I don't want students to play/participate only because they are expecting a reward at the end.
- I don't want a student to hesitate to participate for fear of making his/her team lose out on a reward.
- I personally don't want the pressure of determining, keeping track of, and paying for the rewards.
- I want my students to learn to take joy in the classroom activities without needing an extrinsic motivator to make it worth their while.
What about you? Do you use rewards in your language classroom? What are the pros and cons in your opinion?
lunes, 15 de abril de 2013
Movement
I think that along with having students as engaged in class as possible, movement can and should play a large role in the language classroom. I am not necessarily saying that one must be a TPRS expert in order have a great language classroom because I am certainly not an expert in this area, but opportunities should be created for students to move and interact. Here are some of the ways that I have students move (and often speak) in my classroom.
Inside/outside circle- I have also heard this format called a choo choo train or a wheel and spoke format. Half of the class is assigned to different spots in the room and the other half faces the outer circle. For my beginning Spanish students, I give an easy speaking prompt: tell your partner five things that you did yesterday; describe yourself in 20 words; describe a movie or a book that you saw/read recently; say what you ate for breakfast; talk about your favorite activities in elementary school. etc.
With older students, the prompts can become more complex: compare the school's recycling program to your habits at home; describe the ideal candidate for student council; describe your ideal prom date; compare your study habits with your partner's; describe your ideal college; etc.
Cocktail Party- Once again, there are many activities that can be run in cocktail party style. Some ideas include: putting a word, celebrity, famous painting, building, etc. on the student's back and have them survey their classmates at random until they are able to guess the item on their back. Another option, is to have advanced students write their own questions about a topic that has been studied, and conduct an informal survey of their classmates that is then reported back to the class. For example, in the environmental unit, I asked my upper level students to write their own questions regarding their interactions with the environment, living green, time spent in nature, etc.
Role Play/Improvisation: I will often create a series of conversation cards that pertain to the unit that we are studying, then at the beginning or ending of class, a few students will be selected to choose a card at random and act out the conversation. Later in the year, I ask the students to create their own conversation task cards and the conversations often become much more exciting!
Fun elementary school activities that involve movement:
Scavenger hunt- Spring is a great time for students to do a scavenger hunt inside the school building, outside during recess (if permitted), or even just in the classroom. I will ask students to look for letter sounds, specific vocabulary words, or different patterns.
Duck Duck Goose (or grey duck) Everyone seems to love this game, and it can be modified for lots of different vocabulary practices. For example, once students know colors, they could have to say different animals for each person, or any other series of vocabulary words, as long as the "trigger" for running has been previously established.
What time is it Mr. Fox? Once again, a favorite game that can easily be converted into Spanish, and played in the classroom. If students have already learned time, they can ask the fox other questions. What color are you wearing? and advance a step for each question asked.
The possibilities are endless for connecting movement and learning! What do you do in your classroom?
Inside/outside circle- I have also heard this format called a choo choo train or a wheel and spoke format. Half of the class is assigned to different spots in the room and the other half faces the outer circle. For my beginning Spanish students, I give an easy speaking prompt: tell your partner five things that you did yesterday; describe yourself in 20 words; describe a movie or a book that you saw/read recently; say what you ate for breakfast; talk about your favorite activities in elementary school. etc.
With older students, the prompts can become more complex: compare the school's recycling program to your habits at home; describe the ideal candidate for student council; describe your ideal prom date; compare your study habits with your partner's; describe your ideal college; etc.
Cocktail Party- Once again, there are many activities that can be run in cocktail party style. Some ideas include: putting a word, celebrity, famous painting, building, etc. on the student's back and have them survey their classmates at random until they are able to guess the item on their back. Another option, is to have advanced students write their own questions about a topic that has been studied, and conduct an informal survey of their classmates that is then reported back to the class. For example, in the environmental unit, I asked my upper level students to write their own questions regarding their interactions with the environment, living green, time spent in nature, etc.
Role Play/Improvisation: I will often create a series of conversation cards that pertain to the unit that we are studying, then at the beginning or ending of class, a few students will be selected to choose a card at random and act out the conversation. Later in the year, I ask the students to create their own conversation task cards and the conversations often become much more exciting!
Fun elementary school activities that involve movement:
Scavenger hunt- Spring is a great time for students to do a scavenger hunt inside the school building, outside during recess (if permitted), or even just in the classroom. I will ask students to look for letter sounds, specific vocabulary words, or different patterns.
Duck Duck Goose (or grey duck) Everyone seems to love this game, and it can be modified for lots of different vocabulary practices. For example, once students know colors, they could have to say different animals for each person, or any other series of vocabulary words, as long as the "trigger" for running has been previously established.
What time is it Mr. Fox? Once again, a favorite game that can easily be converted into Spanish, and played in the classroom. If students have already learned time, they can ask the fox other questions. What color are you wearing? and advance a step for each question asked.
The possibilities are endless for connecting movement and learning! What do you do in your classroom?
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