Not much is more important than building relationships and a sense of community in the school. This week was spirit week at WHMS and the students did an amazing job participating in such a fun week! I really enjoy participating in these things as a teacher! When the students see that you connect and are willing to put yourself out there- they are too! I walked through the halls singing "Ole!" today. :) Such a fun job we have. Cheers to the fellow teachers who go all out to connect with kids!
0 Comments
'Today my students in 1b are working on making their own communities and describing what is where, and where they go in the town to do certain things. Its a pretty fun little project and a presentational writing component allows me to see if they can use the verb IR correctly and if they can use prepositional phrases to describe location. I have always loved project because the students have such different final products! It also showcases what the student's preferences are, my more athletic students always have fields and parks where as the artistic student includes a theater or amphitheater. I love it. Their lives are so intriguing. So... we don't just arrive at drawing maps and writing where we go and describing location. This is a product- like a mid-way through the unit check/assessment- to see what the kids can do with all we have engaged in in class. We first started out reviewing our own community. I am new to the Hagerstown area so it was fun to get to know the area by exploring the parks, museums, shops, etc. I used pictures from the Hagerstown community to present and engage the students in the new vocabulary. The kids were excited to see places they had been, which lead me to ask them if they liked certain restaurants, what grocery store they prefer, and where they go to get certain things. We had a discussion on whether Hoffman's Meats or Penn Ave. Meats was the better carniceria in town. The next day, we started class using polleverywhere.com (see APPS) and voted on the best grocery store in Hagerstown. We then went into other stores in the area and what you could buy there, and we used the Hagerstown Premium Outlet Mall to discuss location of stores in relation to others. I always have my students sing a silly song to remember the prepositional phrases: So after we practice and practice, we sing it without me, then without me pointing. We then take a look at a basic map which then leads to allowing us to manipulate the Hagerstown Outlet Map. There are a few other steps in this process to build confidence including cloze notes and a game called "Donde esta la planta" where they race in teams to place the plant in the correct location based on what I or another student says. We then do a blind speaking activity where one student describes a room to another student and the student has to position objects in the room based on what the other student says. (Interpretive!) Students work in partners to ask the location of stores to other students. They are both asking and answering questions (interpersonal communication!) The map is color coded so you can ask students to use colors as well to recycle information! We also completed a fun QR code activity using our iPads to explore our community of Hagerstown and gather simple information about our community. They also must identify what vocabulary word is associated with the place they are investigating. It is a ton of fun and the students get to review things they have previously learned in the target language but also explore their community to answer questions using their current vocabulary focus. They work in partners to negotiate meaning of the questions and formulate responses. Following this, we talk about where we go in our community and what we get at each of those places, which allows me to introduce IR with a specific focus on the verb but using the context of our community. They use the activity to tell me what store is represented by the picture and what they get there. Then we focus on the probable meaning of the words. The students are then given a calendar with information about where a family goes. Sometimes the calendar says the thing they need to get and other times the place they need to go. Students have to use their vocabulary and the verb IR to organize the calendar so that everyone in the family knows who is going where and when! I collect and grade these looking to correct specifics and give them back to the students to use and learn from. Insert- MAP PROJECT- I added a use time wisely category because, well, it is middle school, we are on a block schedule, and I have to push them! I have had great results from adding this regarding their time on task. I am excited to see the towns and what the students have to offer in terms of language output and creativity (Presentational!) :) That was mucho.... It makes sense in my head- but if you're interested in using any of my resources or want some clarification on what I am talking about! Shoot me an email or comment below! Also- I am totally open to suggestions for making things better or a more appropriate way to say something. I live by the fact that we never stop learning :) So if I made a mistake email me! [email protected],us 11/17/2016- post Actfl16 conference I am super struggling- in an all out mental battle with myself about adding the time in class component Ronny rubric. How does that time on task in class measure language proficiency and output? It doesn't! But then- How do I balance character development & content proficiency while holding students accountable for both without one influencing the other? Ah!!! Reflection! Sometimes it is not about technology... but technology certainly can get you there. . My students used Google Classroom to review a quick video explaining, "Día de los muertos." and submitted a quick comprehension check using google forms (target language use is key! What can my 6th graders pull out of this... boy was I surprised!" And then, we constructed our own ofrendas. I believe technology gives us the access to explore the world and it's culture, the people and their values and beliefs, all from the comfort of our classroom. But it is what we take from that and how we use it that truly counts. My students constructed their own offerings and brought tears to my eyes as they included pictures of their deceased mothers, fathers, grandparents, friends, and even animals. Some of the lives these children lead, I cannot imagine. I'm 30 years old and couldn't imagine losing my mom or dad, much less doing it at age 10.
Make it personal, make it relevant, and bring world language to life. I'll let you know who wins- 6th grade A day or 6th grade B day! Everything is better with a little competition! - Caroline Students in my level 1a Spanish class embarked on their first Integrated Performance Assessment, for which we had much preparation! The task of grading such an assessment is certainly no small feat. It took me the majority of the weekend to get it done but as laborious as the task was it was incredibly rewarding. Here is what I learned about my students from their IPA's
1. They know what they are doing 2. They don't give up 3. They tackle authentic text with the mantra "It is ok that I do not understand everything, it is about exposure." and boy do they tackle it! 4. They can identify theme 5. They can identify author's purpose 6. They can identify author's perspective 7. They can locate information in authentic text documents 8. They can pull out the information they have learned 9. They are amazing 10. They are capable 11. They were inspired by being rated at the "Novice mid" proficiency. When I passed these IPAs out for my students to review their grades, the smile on their faces and the chatter in the classroom was intoxicating, "Look how much I understood!" "I knew it was a library car form!" "I knew Francesca was a student, she talked about school!" I loved it. Success on Integrated performance assessments doesn't come by just handing out the paper and saying a prayer that they get it right. It takes skillful planning, opportunities for students to observe, listen, produce, communicate, and examine the language. You want students to be able to listen to a native speak and pull out information, well then you better give them multiple opportunities to do it! You want them to be able to identify the theme of a text or the purpose? You better give them multiple opportunities to do it! You want them to communicate with each other in the target language? You guessed it! You better give them the opportunity to do it! I couldn't be happier with what I learned about my students following this first IPA! I better get to planning more awesome experiences :) -One happy Spanish 1 teacher I recently attended MFLA at Howard Community College in Colombia, MD. I was so impressed with the conference this year. Having been to MFLA many times before and having presented at the conference in the past, MFLA always offers up some of the best "bang for your buck" professional development around. I am NEVER disappointed.
Friday is my second favorite "F" word. Food is obviously my first. The food this year was out of control at MFLA. Those of you who know me know I don't turn down much and MFLA gave us no choice but to wine and dine on Saturday, well, without the wine. :) We were well intoxicated with WL ideas anyway, who needs wine. HAHA. I was thankful to attend so many great sessions but so many wonderful colleagues from around the great state of Maryland. The session that stuck with me most was presented by Gloria Dempsey and Crystal Dunkin of St. Mary Ryken High School in Southern Maryland. Wow was their enthusiasm infectious. Their session, "Let's Play- Increased Engagement and Communication Using Technology was incredibly inspiring. Much of what they presented included things many of us were currently using but allowed us to open our minds on different ways to use the apps and how to extend the use of the app past the tool. Their presentation inspired me to create this website so that I could share the great things that we are doing across Washington County in our World Language Program. I invite all teachers to send me your guest blogs throughout the year. What technology are you using? How are you using it? Why are you using it? How does this technology reinforce our standards for World Language? What potential does it have to increase proficiency in the WL classroom? Shoot me an email showcasing your amazing incorporation of technology and we can post it for all to see, learn from, and incorporate! Tech on amigos :) Caroline |
Author14th year Spanish teacher Archives
June 2020
Categories |