Private Conversation with Students and Parents
Finding resources based on students' needs and beliefs. The parent, the student, and I have had very open communication about their religious beliefs throughout the year. I shared this email with the mom and the student.
QR Codes to Quickly Share a Resource from Canvas
Using Screencasts for Instructions
Jargon-Free Essential Questions & Learning Goals
This year I've been using the announcements tool on Canvas as well as email to communicate with students. My motto this year is: "Work smarter, not harder". I pared down the number of tools that I'm using. Sometimes less is more. Communicating with students and parents doesn't have to be hard or cumbersome. Why was I making it harder than it needed to be?
It has often troubled me that we, teachers, write Essential Questions and Learning Goals that are completely teacher-centered. In my opinion, we don't take the opportunity to use these as a means of communication to our customers. It's essential that they be very clear and as user-friendly as possible. This helps everyone to stay focused, to be able to track progress easily and to increase transparency. |
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 Question using a Visual and Polling on Nearpod
After reading Chapter 5 of Carl No Quiere Ir a Mexico, seventh graders learned that the street dogs that the main character found were very sick. I asked if they wanted to dogs to survive, die, not suffer, or it didn't matter to them. Most students were worried about the sick dogs. This made a nice cliff hanger to pique interest for the following chapter.
Questions Related to Class Novels
Pre-Reading Questions (using the graphic organizer)
What (if anything) 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.
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.
Storytelling Guidelines
Discussion of High Interest Topics: Making Students the Center of the Class
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What is are favorite things for students to talk about? Sports? Pets? Music? Themselves?
Last school year I decided to try "La Persona Especial" from Bryce Hedstrom. I started small - to ask some simple questions such as their name, age, where they live. Throughout the year, I have added more questions based on our target vocabulary. The kids absolutely HATED the format! My challenge for this year was to make talking about themselves and each other more natural. I found that when I stopped trying so hard, the conversations happened more naturally. It became easier to connect the students to the target grammar and vocabulary. |
I'm CONSTANTLY asking questions or asking stories. Questioning using Comprehensible Input and compelling topics can be difficult for a CI teacher of Novices - especially while staying in the Target Language. Knowing and learning about 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.
Homework Choice
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Choosing how to Represent Learning - Olympics Homework
Using Games & QR Code Scavenger Hunts
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Nearpod Advanced Functions Make Lessons More Engaging
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Use of web content, drawings, question functions, virtual field trips and video to bring the culture in a novel to life. Here, students are taking a 360 Tour of Estadio Bernabéu from field level.
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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 or a Brain Break can increase 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.
Quizizz as an Assessment Tool
I like using Quizizz for formative assessments for several reasons. First, I get a very quick visual picture of students' progress even as they're taking the assessment. Next, I get a report with an item analysis. The results from the formative above tell me that: 1. Students are not spending much time on any of the questions; 2. Students need more time with the "you" words; 3. Students are pretty solid with "they" words.
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Formative Assessment in 6th Grade - A Wake Up Call to Reteach (SLO)
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. Many times, students know exactly what they don't know and will advocate for themselves until they feel more confident with the content.
Plan B (and then some)
Teaching in a 1:1 school affords more advantages than disadvantages. However at any given moment, we have to be ready for the potential of equipment failure, sites being down or Wifi issues. I've learned to expect the unexpected. One day when I planned to do a sorting activity, we lost access to Wifi. I pulled out Post-it notes and hula hoops to make a life-sized Venn Diagram.
I've created my Plan B activities. |
Movement in the Classroom
During our October Inservice, I attended a session called "Get Up and Move". During the session, six different types of movement in the classroom were discussed: Brain breaks, supporting exercise and fitness, developing class cohesion, priming the brain, teaching content, and reviewing content. I currently use Brain Breaks (see attached file), but I hadn't considered how what I already do fits into those types. I would like to be more intentional with movement throughout my lessons.
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Other examples of student movement in the classroom
Stations after a Sports Unit: Inclusion of Minute-to-Win-It Style Games
This year I've been focusing on getting students more actively moving and engaged. I have been more intentional about using Brain Breaks, games, scavenger hunts and student choice have made me and my students feel more relaxed. In addition, I have been using less screen time and more manipulatives. Providing variety seems to help to increase students' engagement.