Edmodo Messages to Advisory
Communication Using email (sent every few weeks)
Rewording Essential Questions & Learning Goals to be more Kid-Friendly
I feel that I'm doing a better job communicating regularly with my students this year. I've been making a better effort to send out regular email messages. Edmodo has been a VERY easy and efficient way to share information as well. I have not found Canvas to be as user-friendly (from either end) and do not rely on it to communicate as much. I also started dabbling with Remind but haven't had as much success with it as I have had with other tools.
As far as Essential Questions and Learning Goals, it's vital that they be very clear and as jargon-free as possible. This helps everyone to stay focused as well as to be able to track progress easily. |
Circling
Circling is used to introduce new vocabulary and structures - and ones that need additional repetitions. I have posted question words as well as other high frequency words (yes, no, either, nor, and, or, with, without, but, et. al.). This constant repetition, both orally and visually, aids in the second language acquisition process. This can be done in the context of a story, but many times I use it with real-life topics of high-interest.
Discussion Questions: Chapter 1 of Isabela Captura un Congo
Pre-Reading Questions
What do you remember about Isabela Huffman?
What were some of her characteristics? Anything weird about her? What did she like? Dislike? Where did she visit in the other novel? Looking at the pictures, what do you think is GOING to happen? During Reading Questions
What do the red words mean? What led you to believe that?
Where is Costa Rica? Who has visited Costa Rica? What do you know about Costa Rica? What do you know about the main character? Do you like to travel? Where do you want to travel? Do you have a pet? What is its name? What type of pet is it? Why is she so sad? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. Post-Reading Questions
What would Isabela's Instagram post look like at the end of this chapter? Find or create an image and hashtags (etiquetas) that reflect what you read.
Storytelling Guidelines
Discussion of High Interest Topics: Social Media Use
As a pre-reading activity, Spanish 2 students completed survey on Google Forms. The purpose of the survey was to determine which social networks they used most, to discuss the results and then to compare our results to the Mexican adolescents' on the infographic.
Google form created by @kathleenblum
Our results
Mexican adolescents' social media use
Sample Questions
What surprised you about the results?
What was similar? What was different? What social media networks have you NOT heard of? After reflecting on questioning, I realized that I'm CONSTANTLY asking questions or asking stories. Questioning using Comprehensible Input and compelling topics can be difficult for a CI teacher. Knowing my students' interests helps me to find highly relevant topics and materials. Questioning is a highly-effective, continual formative assessment technique. I can go deeper with students who need it and can at least get some type of response - albeit a simple one - from lower proficient students.
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Homework Choice = Student Voice
First homework assignment of the year: Choice board
Student submission of homework
The link is to a game that he created on Scratch. Homework has evolved to be more culturally-centered based on students' feedback.
January homework submission from the same student as above
Student Assignments
What did you learn from the homework project?
Students sharing their January homework
Nearpod Advanced Functions Make Lessons More Engaging
Use of web content, virtual field trips and video to bring the book to life
Use of polls & drawing tool to make predictions, discuss preferences about a compelling topic
I have made a more conscious effort to give students more autonomy, to allow more creativity and to bring more relevancy to my lessons. Something as simple as a quick poll increases engagement. Taking classes on virtual field trips using Nearpod has enabled students to get a first hand feel of what it's like to be on the field at a famous soccer stadium in Spain or what it's like to take a boat ride in Retiro Park in Madrid. An 8th grader just told me that he loves the cultural homework and the choices that it affords him. (He is learning about El Colacho, a festival in Spain in which people in devil costumes jump over babies to keep them safe.)
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Pre-Test: 7th Grade Making Plans Unit
One of the "big ideas" in 7th grade is knowing what the endings mean for present tense regular verbs. This falls under the umbrella of the Making Plans unit. I was curious to see what my class already knew so I created a Quizizz as my pre-test. Students were permitted to take the assessment twice. After looking at the data and talking with the class, I saw the need to focus on:
Unexpected Results from a Speaking Assessment
Seventh graders were completing a speaking assessment on buying food in the school cafeteria. We had practiced the utensils, various foods, expressing preferences and paying. When I was about half way done with the assessments, I realized that students struggled with the word for "dessert"; many said "desierto" (desert). I need to go back and review that! I actually showed them the graphics below as well as my reflection from this binder. What a powerful way to show them trends, to provide error correction and to model a growth mindset!
Video: Group Story Retell in Spanish 2
This Spanish 2 class had a lot of interruptions in February. During the span of two units on Art and Social Media, the past tense is "supposed" to be "mastered". This is an UNREALISTIC expectation, especially given the way we have traditionally taught the material. My goal is long-term acquisition. Thus I have been using the Movie Talk technique and TPRS to provide additional input of the past tense. I wanted to see how well students could retell the story given pictures only. What I noticed is that students switched between the present and past tenses. From a proficiency perspective, this is perfectly normal. My plan is to continue the required content using Comprehensible Input, in particular stories and Movie Talk.
I can't imagine NOT using information from assessments to guide my instruction. I rely on qualitative data just as much, if not more so than quantitative data. Noticing trends and making notes have been extremely powerful tools for me but also for students as they track their progress over time.
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Adapting an Assignment: The Dry Run
In the past I had done this assignment as a Type 3 Collins writing. Although the students had ample practice, they always panicked. This year, I wanted to make it more fun, more engaging and to lower their affective filter. I decided to incorporate a selfie into the assignment of describing themselves.
I had this assignment in mind for when I had a substitute, but we had a snow day instead. I decided to try it with my 6 azul class first (see version 1). I did not give a lot of guidance for apps for them to use. They gave ME suggestions: Google Slides, Adobe, Doodle Buddy, Skitch, Phonto, Pic Collage. We had a variety of different tools being used, and some students quickly discovered which apps "glitched" (Skitch), which apps couldn't import 2 pictures on the same visual (Doodle Buddy, Adobe, Phonto) and which ones easily shared to Edmodo or email (Google Slides, Pic Collage). This made the adaptation of my instructions for the other two classes much, easier (version 2). Technology Gone Awry: A Lesson In Risk-Taking
I have been mentoring a pre-service teacher from Grove City College while she is taking a course on technology in the classroom. One tool we used together was Wizer.me, an electronic "worksheet". She created an activity on clothing, and I created one on a Movie Talk that I did in Spanish 2. Here is an email to the pre-service teacher and to her professor based on students' feedback and my own personal reflection.
Variable Accountability While Sharing Homework Projects
In December when I assigned the Cool Country homework project, I thought that students needed a graphic organizer for accountability. It was rather cumbersome and got in the way of students truly enjoying others' work. I then switched to having the students sharing their homework, but I didn't have a follow-up. In February, I decided to create a Padlet for each class, and I asked students to mention something they learned from someone else's homework. I decided to phrase my question that way so I could include students who did not complete the assignment.
This dimension was something I needed to improve upon since last year. I guess I am flexible without being consciously aware of it. I forced myself to thoroughly examine my responsiveness this year. It was pretty incredible to realize how much I ask students' opinions about what we do in class and how we do it. I feel fantastic knowing that students feel heard and valued in my class!
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