Last summer I set out to redesign my Spanish III curriculum, to make it more unit/theme based. I got the idea started and made some changes for the first semester but then the craziness of 4 1/2 preps and life got the better of me.
This summer I set out to redesign levels II and III. I still have a ways to go on creating better units but I did reorder when to teach concepts, vocabulary and grammar. However, that meant I would be teaching some things at a completely different time of year than ever before. Would everything still fit?
So I sat down with calendars for each level and sketched out when and how long to teach the concepts. Spanish III fit just right with a few days of wiggle room before feeling crunched (and living in Ohio, I know those days will come in handy).
Spanish II on the other hand has me worried. Why? Because I penciled in everything and still came up with nearly a month of school to fill! Seriously, what major concept am I forgetting? I even brought back one topic that got left out last year and pulled another small vocabulary topic down from Spanish III. I guess the good part is that I have plenty of time to teach that concept!
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Classroom Library
I made my first official purchases for my Spanish classroom library this morning! Two children's books from an educational consignment shop for fifty-five cents total :)
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Unexpected Learning
Last week I visited Nebraska for the first time :) I had really looked forward to the Museo Latino in Omaha to expand my Hispanic knowledge but sadly that museum fell short of my expectations. However, two days before I had a learning experience in the Durham Museum--in French.
I studied French in high school and reviewed a little bit of it this past spring. However, my skills are very weak. When I went to the information desk in the museum to ask a question, a man buying his entrance started speaking to the French clerk in her native tongue. I realized that by paying attention to the WHOLE exchange not focusing on one sentence at a time, I could follow along with the basic conversation. Did I know every word? Not at all. Did I understand what was going on? Yes. Could I produce sentences to respond when the man turned and asked me a question in French? No but I could give a short answer that got my point across.
The experience did not teach me brand new head knowledge but it gave me the chance to reflect on language learning, on what it's like to be starting to develop proficiency.
So what does this mean for my classroom? First of all, I need to keep pushing my beginning students to respond even if it's not in whole sentences. I want them to get to that point of fluency but a short response is better than no response. Second, I need to integrate more and more listening activities. Along with that, I want to try a few activities earlier in the year where I only let them listen to one sentence, think about it, and then the second sentence. Then I will give them a listening with the whole conversation in one chunk. I will use this type of an activity to promote the idea that it's the overall idea that is important, the little details come later.
I studied French in high school and reviewed a little bit of it this past spring. However, my skills are very weak. When I went to the information desk in the museum to ask a question, a man buying his entrance started speaking to the French clerk in her native tongue. I realized that by paying attention to the WHOLE exchange not focusing on one sentence at a time, I could follow along with the basic conversation. Did I know every word? Not at all. Did I understand what was going on? Yes. Could I produce sentences to respond when the man turned and asked me a question in French? No but I could give a short answer that got my point across.
The experience did not teach me brand new head knowledge but it gave me the chance to reflect on language learning, on what it's like to be starting to develop proficiency.
So what does this mean for my classroom? First of all, I need to keep pushing my beginning students to respond even if it's not in whole sentences. I want them to get to that point of fluency but a short response is better than no response. Second, I need to integrate more and more listening activities. Along with that, I want to try a few activities earlier in the year where I only let them listen to one sentence, think about it, and then the second sentence. Then I will give them a listening with the whole conversation in one chunk. I will use this type of an activity to promote the idea that it's the overall idea that is important, the little details come later.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Summer Reflection
Last week I attended a day-long workshop focused on teaching 90% in the target language, Spanish for me. This is an area of weakness for me as I have always felt less confident in my speaking skills, partially from my natural strength in learning grammar rules, partially from never spending a semester abroad (longest time in a Spanish-speaking country are two separate two-week trips, one to Costa Rica to study and one to Spain to hike the end of the Camino de Santiago).
I went into the workshop looking for little tricks and techniques that I could integrate into my classroom without needing to change a lot if I'm being honest.
I walked away with an affirmation of a thought that had been waving hello from the side of my brain for a few weeks now: it's time to do a major overhaul of how you're teaching.
It's a scary idea to change what for a decade has worked--because my students have been learn. I blogged about this a little before. I have spent the last week avoiding any major work although I have continued perusing the Internet for ideas.
It's also exciting to face new possibilities for student growth in achieving communication. I know that to expect the planning and units to not be overwhelming at times is unrealistic, but I am determined to keep focused on the long-term goals.
To help keep that focus, here is one specific step I will take in the next few days to achieve my goals: get my school computer to talk to the printer so I can print off the many useful resources on the ODE website related to World Languages. I love all that digital offers but when doing major planning, I still prefer actual paper and pencil to organize my thoughts. Plus, there are examples of IPA's and thematic units that I can use as springboards for what will work in my classroom.
I went into the workshop looking for little tricks and techniques that I could integrate into my classroom without needing to change a lot if I'm being honest.
I walked away with an affirmation of a thought that had been waving hello from the side of my brain for a few weeks now: it's time to do a major overhaul of how you're teaching.
It's a scary idea to change what for a decade has worked--because my students have been learn. I blogged about this a little before. I have spent the last week avoiding any major work although I have continued perusing the Internet for ideas.
It's also exciting to face new possibilities for student growth in achieving communication. I know that to expect the planning and units to not be overwhelming at times is unrealistic, but I am determined to keep focused on the long-term goals.
To help keep that focus, here is one specific step I will take in the next few days to achieve my goals: get my school computer to talk to the printer so I can print off the many useful resources on the ODE website related to World Languages. I love all that digital offers but when doing major planning, I still prefer actual paper and pencil to organize my thoughts. Plus, there are examples of IPA's and thematic units that I can use as springboards for what will work in my classroom.
and a photo of a happy cultural moment to keep me positive as I move forward in this challenge!
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Summer Reading
When I was in high school, we had a required book to read over the summer prior to our senior year and our Physics course. That teacher continues that tradition and allows students to use that reading assignment as bonus on a test during the year.
My first teaching job was in a district in Maryland where students were required to read two books over the summer and then those books would be discussed in their English classes over the first grading period (I think I'm remembering that right...).
I have been toying with the idea of integrating a summer reading assignment into my class. I came across a list of over 40 novels that are written by or deal with Hispanics/Latinos. Many of the books I have not yet read so my summer reading list just got a lot longer! The books are predominantly in English but I think the cultural perspective would be worth the trade-off.
I do not know what type of a project I would ask of the students but I do know that it would not need to be completed until halfway to two-thirds of the way through the first grading period. I would want to do this in my level III and IV classes and limit the number of students per book. I would need to gather a list of which books are available in local libraries as well as if any can be purchased at a cheap cost.
Other teachers, have you done a summer reading assignment? What were some difficulties you encountered? What positive feedback did you receive?
My first teaching job was in a district in Maryland where students were required to read two books over the summer and then those books would be discussed in their English classes over the first grading period (I think I'm remembering that right...).
I have been toying with the idea of integrating a summer reading assignment into my class. I came across a list of over 40 novels that are written by or deal with Hispanics/Latinos. Many of the books I have not yet read so my summer reading list just got a lot longer! The books are predominantly in English but I think the cultural perspective would be worth the trade-off.
I do not know what type of a project I would ask of the students but I do know that it would not need to be completed until halfway to two-thirds of the way through the first grading period. I would want to do this in my level III and IV classes and limit the number of students per book. I would need to gather a list of which books are available in local libraries as well as if any can be purchased at a cheap cost.
Other teachers, have you done a summer reading assignment? What were some difficulties you encountered? What positive feedback did you receive?
Monday, June 8, 2015
Require Less, Expose More
Some thoughts from my week without students this summer (it's nice to have time to reflect)
Developing fluency in a second language in students who have very little knowledge beyond their first tongue of English prior to their freshmen year is difficult. I don't want to overwhelm them with too many words and yet at the same time I need to build a vocabulary base with them so they can actually talk and communicate. How can you express yourself if you don't know the words?
National and state standards have shifted since I was a student to focus on communication more than pretty grammar and long vocabulary lists. I am finding myself less interested in the long lists of vocabulary that I memorized and then wrote out on weekly quizzes. Still though I need them to learn the foreign words so what do I do?
A few years ago, I started supplementing the required vocabulary lists with optional words, words that I would not test but that students could use in classroom activities. I like this idea and want to continue with it especially since all of my students (all four levels) now have laptops. When we are working on new units, I can send them to the Internet to look at related vocabulary (possibly even in authentic context!!) and chose words to increase their own understanding.
This year I was blessed with a very talented Spanish I class. I remember being amazed at how some of the students would hear me use a word--not officially teach it, just use it--and then integrate that word a day or later themselves, not always with perfect grammar but still comprehensible! I pushed them a little bit more than I have in that level before. Not a lot but a bit more Spanish spoken by both myself and them, a little bit higher level with some activities. Looking back on that class now in addition to some of the research I've been doing to prepare for a major curriculum shift, I've made an important decision for myself, one that is reflected in the heading of this entry.
This next year I am going to focus on more fully immersing my students in the language and culture and not be afraid of them not getting every single word.
I am still going to be requiring them to learn vocabulary and grammar--of course! However, I am not going to hold back from using Spanish just because I am worried they won't understand me. I will expose them to more words with appropriate scaffolds (visuals and body languge, here we go!). I will surround them with more of the language in context and with cultural connections. I will work towards student choice with vocabulary while developing a common base so we can still communicate with each other :)
It's not that we've been a textbook and worksheet driven classroom (far from it really when you consider I didn't even pass out textbooks this year). I'm just ready for a change that will push my students even farther along the communication continuum and I'm excited to work towards the goal :)
Developing fluency in a second language in students who have very little knowledge beyond their first tongue of English prior to their freshmen year is difficult. I don't want to overwhelm them with too many words and yet at the same time I need to build a vocabulary base with them so they can actually talk and communicate. How can you express yourself if you don't know the words?
National and state standards have shifted since I was a student to focus on communication more than pretty grammar and long vocabulary lists. I am finding myself less interested in the long lists of vocabulary that I memorized and then wrote out on weekly quizzes. Still though I need them to learn the foreign words so what do I do?
A few years ago, I started supplementing the required vocabulary lists with optional words, words that I would not test but that students could use in classroom activities. I like this idea and want to continue with it especially since all of my students (all four levels) now have laptops. When we are working on new units, I can send them to the Internet to look at related vocabulary (possibly even in authentic context!!) and chose words to increase their own understanding.
This year I was blessed with a very talented Spanish I class. I remember being amazed at how some of the students would hear me use a word--not officially teach it, just use it--and then integrate that word a day or later themselves, not always with perfect grammar but still comprehensible! I pushed them a little bit more than I have in that level before. Not a lot but a bit more Spanish spoken by both myself and them, a little bit higher level with some activities. Looking back on that class now in addition to some of the research I've been doing to prepare for a major curriculum shift, I've made an important decision for myself, one that is reflected in the heading of this entry.
This next year I am going to focus on more fully immersing my students in the language and culture and not be afraid of them not getting every single word.
I am still going to be requiring them to learn vocabulary and grammar--of course! However, I am not going to hold back from using Spanish just because I am worried they won't understand me. I will expose them to more words with appropriate scaffolds (visuals and body languge, here we go!). I will surround them with more of the language in context and with cultural connections. I will work towards student choice with vocabulary while developing a common base so we can still communicate with each other :)
It's not that we've been a textbook and worksheet driven classroom (far from it really when you consider I didn't even pass out textbooks this year). I'm just ready for a change that will push my students even farther along the communication continuum and I'm excited to work towards the goal :)
Friday, May 22, 2015
Gambling in Spanish Class
In preparing for our final, I felt as though my classes were using the whiteboards for group activities more than the usual amount. I don't like class to consist of the same activities day after day so I wanted to come up with at least a twist for the review.
Students were still put into groups with each student having a worksheet with all of the questions I would be asking (all informal commands, a mix of affirmative and negative, normal verbs all the way to completely irregular). I would call out a number and the students on a team would work together to write down an answer. However, before they held up the boards for me to check, they would also have to place a bet of 0, 1, or 2 points. They would then gain or lose that many points based on if their answer was correct or incorrect. I started with some of the easier questions to try to give teams a buffer away from a negative score (each team started with five points) which worked overall--only one team went below zero in both of my classes. If teams missed a question, I gave feedback on the answer. Also, all students wrote down the correct verb form before we moved on to the next question.
I liked this method of scoring because it helped teams to think about how sure they were in their answer rather than just hoping they were right. It also gave students a way to minimize the damage so to speak if they were unsure of a response.
Students were still put into groups with each student having a worksheet with all of the questions I would be asking (all informal commands, a mix of affirmative and negative, normal verbs all the way to completely irregular). I would call out a number and the students on a team would work together to write down an answer. However, before they held up the boards for me to check, they would also have to place a bet of 0, 1, or 2 points. They would then gain or lose that many points based on if their answer was correct or incorrect. I started with some of the easier questions to try to give teams a buffer away from a negative score (each team started with five points) which worked overall--only one team went below zero in both of my classes. If teams missed a question, I gave feedback on the answer. Also, all students wrote down the correct verb form before we moved on to the next question.
I liked this method of scoring because it helped teams to think about how sure they were in their answer rather than just hoping they were right. It also gave students a way to minimize the damage so to speak if they were unsure of a response.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Nuestro Viaje
A huge change for me when I switched to my current school in the fall of 2011 was being entire Spanish department. Not only was I teaching Spanish IV for the first time but I faced the challenge of being the only foreign language teacher these students would know in high school (barring moving in and out of the district). If my style of teaching didn't match a learning style, it was going to be a rough time with this new language.
That fall I met a group with varying attitudes towards the new teacher: uncertain seniors, bounced-around juniors, largely-unaffected sophomores, and blank freshmen, teenagers who had no previous experience with a Spanish teacher. Those three classes of young learners pared down over the next few years to fourteen. Fourteen young men and women I said good-bye to today, the first time that I could look at a group that only knew me as their foreign language teacher.
The relationships that I have formed with some of these students are special. I will always remember this group because of how they are my first graduating class that I knew as freshmen. I wanted to do a little something special for them so last night I went through the photos I could find that I had taken throughout the years in class and in Spanish club and made a Google slideshow.
We started class today by having them think about a good memory from class. Then I showed them the slideshow and loved listening to the laughter and comments as they saw themselves (and their hair!) from freshman year to senior year. Afterwards, we shared our memories for a little bit before one last round of Uno.
That fall I met a group with varying attitudes towards the new teacher: uncertain seniors, bounced-around juniors, largely-unaffected sophomores, and blank freshmen, teenagers who had no previous experience with a Spanish teacher. Those three classes of young learners pared down over the next few years to fourteen. Fourteen young men and women I said good-bye to today, the first time that I could look at a group that only knew me as their foreign language teacher.
The relationships that I have formed with some of these students are special. I will always remember this group because of how they are my first graduating class that I knew as freshmen. I wanted to do a little something special for them so last night I went through the photos I could find that I had taken throughout the years in class and in Spanish club and made a Google slideshow.
We started class today by having them think about a good memory from class. Then I showed them the slideshow and loved listening to the laughter and comments as they saw themselves (and their hair!) from freshman year to senior year. Afterwards, we shared our memories for a little bit before one last round of Uno.
I will miss you all. Thank you for the last four years.
Friday, May 15, 2015
End-of-Year Dinner
I don't feel adequate as a Spanish Club adviser. There is a lot more that I feel I could do with the club. However, there is one event that we hold that I definitely enjoy and am pleased that we have it.
We hold an end-of-the-year dinner at one of the local restaurants. They put us in their second room so we have private space. I don't decorate a lot but always make sure to put the Mexican flag colors across the table.
The restaurant coordinates with me for a Spanish-themed meal, usually more Mexican than European. This year we had tacos and a fruit dessert. The sixteen students--a really good turnout--enjoyed their meal overall :)
I gave the seniors a small parting gift of little bobblehead turtles that are coveted prizes from games during our meetings. They had a lot of fun naming their new critters.
For next year I would like to add a little game and maybe print out some pictures from activities throughout the year to add to the decorations.
We hold an end-of-the-year dinner at one of the local restaurants. They put us in their second room so we have private space. I don't decorate a lot but always make sure to put the Mexican flag colors across the table.
The restaurant coordinates with me for a Spanish-themed meal, usually more Mexican than European. This year we had tacos and a fruit dessert. The sixteen students--a really good turnout--enjoyed their meal overall :)
I gave the seniors a small parting gift of little bobblehead turtles that are coveted prizes from games during our meetings. They had a lot of fun naming their new critters.
For next year I would like to add a little game and maybe print out some pictures from activities throughout the year to add to the decorations.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Chili Treats
Kids love food. Food is part of culture. Therefore, I always try to integrate some sort of a snack at Spanish Club meetings. It is usually something basic that I can just buy off the shelf at the store.
Last week I came across these limited edition cookies from Milano in the aisles at Wal-Mart.
I had to pick up two bags for my club's monthly meeting!
The kids were a little hesitant at first to try them; the idea of something spicy in a cookie is different. However, after one of my seniors gave them the green light, the others were easily on board to taste them. The chocolate flavor is first followed by a little bit of a chili aftertaste but overall just a little kick. Not the most authentic snack on the market (although in my area, there are very few options for truly authentic) but a great introduction to the concept of chili and chocolate.
Last week I came across these limited edition cookies from Milano in the aisles at Wal-Mart.
(sorry that the image is sideways)
I had to pick up two bags for my club's monthly meeting!
The kids were a little hesitant at first to try them; the idea of something spicy in a cookie is different. However, after one of my seniors gave them the green light, the others were easily on board to taste them. The chocolate flavor is first followed by a little bit of a chili aftertaste but overall just a little kick. Not the most authentic snack on the market (although in my area, there are very few options for truly authentic) but a great introduction to the concept of chili and chocolate.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
90%: Trick to Keep Pushing There
Trying to be in the target language 90% of the time is big challenge for me for a variety of reasons. However, it is a goal that national standards want me to push towards so I keep trying.
I have realized that one way I can stay more in the language is if I have presentations (powerpoint, Prezi, notebook for the SmartBoard) already designed ahead of time. It takes more prep work but then there are more visuals to help get my point across and avoid slipping into English to make it easier on the students. Plus, it helps me keep focused on what I want to say. If I write up my points the day before, I can also look up any words that I might need in the target language.
I have realized that one way I can stay more in the language is if I have presentations (powerpoint, Prezi, notebook for the SmartBoard) already designed ahead of time. It takes more prep work but then there are more visuals to help get my point across and avoid slipping into English to make it easier on the students. Plus, it helps me keep focused on what I want to say. If I write up my points the day before, I can also look up any words that I might need in the target language.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Para vs Por
In Spanish there are several times where we come across a word in English that can be translated two different ways into Spanish but those two ways are each used for distinct reasons. Students usually struggle with keeping these reasons straight.
"Para" and "por" both basically mean "for" in English but can carry significantly different meanings. "Las flores son para mi novia" means that you are giving flowers to your girlfriend while "las flores son por mi novia" could indicate that you are trading a floral arrangement to receive your significant other.
In previous years I have taught a list of reasons for when to use para and then a list of reasons for when to use por. We practiced those reasons in English and Spanish for multiple days but my kids were still nervous and tested poorly on the concept. I always ended up taking a day to reteach by showing how the reasons contrasted (use para if you are giving something to someone vs por if you are exchanging something).
This year I went straight to the comparison method. There are four para reasons that line up with por reasons. We looked at how the different choice of "para" vs "por" affected the sentence and went from there.
My students were still nervous approaching the quiz but as a group they did better than previous years. I think the uncertainty factor could have been knocked down a little if I had given the students a list of the para reasons and the por reasons right after we finished learning all the reasons. Having three sets of notes (since I was still rewriting them from last year and was only staying one day ahead of where we were in class) made it a little tricky to find information. However, I am excited about how this concept went this year and look forward to finding sneaky ways of introducing some of these reasons in the lower levels in the future :)
"Para" and "por" both basically mean "for" in English but can carry significantly different meanings. "Las flores son para mi novia" means that you are giving flowers to your girlfriend while "las flores son por mi novia" could indicate that you are trading a floral arrangement to receive your significant other.
In previous years I have taught a list of reasons for when to use para and then a list of reasons for when to use por. We practiced those reasons in English and Spanish for multiple days but my kids were still nervous and tested poorly on the concept. I always ended up taking a day to reteach by showing how the reasons contrasted (use para if you are giving something to someone vs por if you are exchanging something).
This year I went straight to the comparison method. There are four para reasons that line up with por reasons. We looked at how the different choice of "para" vs "por" affected the sentence and went from there.
My students were still nervous approaching the quiz but as a group they did better than previous years. I think the uncertainty factor could have been knocked down a little if I had given the students a list of the para reasons and the por reasons right after we finished learning all the reasons. Having three sets of notes (since I was still rewriting them from last year and was only staying one day ahead of where we were in class) made it a little tricky to find information. However, I am excited about how this concept went this year and look forward to finding sneaky ways of introducing some of these reasons in the lower levels in the future :)
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
A Little Bit of March Madness to Practice Some Sports
I am not a huge basketball fan. I have filled out a bracket for March Madness less than a half dozen times in my life. However, this is an event that connects to my students so this week I brought a tiny bit of the "locura" into my room.
Many names of sports are pretty decent cognates so to save a little time and get us into using the words quickly, I passed out notes with the English already written, not something I usually like to do but figured since so many words were similar to start with, it would be ok.
I put a bracket (made in powerpoint when I discovered my online bracket had been blocked by the school's firewall, sigh) up on the Smartboard and using phrases such as "¿Cuál deporte es mejor? ¿número uno? ¿el favorito?" I had the students vote on pairs and determined a winner for each pairing.
For the first round, the students repeated the sports several times after me before raising their hands to vote. For the following rounds we only said the words once or twice per round. Fútbol americano proved to be the favorite in each class.
I loved that this activity had the students engaged in their opinions right away! And while not everyone voted, they at least all had a chance. Plus it was an easy way to practice pronunciation that was not the traditional "repeat after me with flashcards."
Many names of sports are pretty decent cognates so to save a little time and get us into using the words quickly, I passed out notes with the English already written, not something I usually like to do but figured since so many words were similar to start with, it would be ok.
(I finally figured out how to add one of these graphic organizers and successfully add items to it!)
I put a bracket (made in powerpoint when I discovered my online bracket had been blocked by the school's firewall, sigh) up on the Smartboard and using phrases such as "¿Cuál deporte es mejor? ¿número uno? ¿el favorito?" I had the students vote on pairs and determined a winner for each pairing.
For the first round, the students repeated the sports several times after me before raising their hands to vote. For the following rounds we only said the words once or twice per round. Fútbol americano proved to be the favorite in each class.
Completed bracket up close
I loved that this activity had the students engaged in their opinions right away! And while not everyone voted, they at least all had a chance. Plus it was an easy way to practice pronunciation that was not the traditional "repeat after me with flashcards."
Saturday, April 4, 2015
The Struggles of Object Pronouns
Object pronouns--direct and indirect--have been a sore spot for my Spanish students ever since I first started teaching them a decade ago. I think part of the problem is that they just don't get what they are in English. I originally approached this grammar issue by trying to teach my students what object pronouns were in English. We would spend a whole day on practicing the concept entirely in English, not even considering the Spanish. Still didn't help. I came up with a checklist of questions to ask (what is the verb, who is doing the action, what is being given/mailed/seen/whatever the verb is, etc). Didn't work.
This year I tried flipping the order that we approach the pronouns when we reviewed in Spanish III. I still wasn't sure if focusing on indirect object pronouns first was best but without having to worry about masculine vs feminine, I decided to stay with that approach when the time came to use this concept in Spanish II for the first time.
We spent basically a week with each idea (other vocabulary and culture in there too so not five full days for the concept).
Overall when the two concepts--indirect and direct--were kept completely separate, the students got the idea. Unfortunately when we combined them (just using one or the other in a sentence not both in the same sentence--that is coming this week), things got hairy. A lot of kids just didn't know which pronoun to use (and some even forgot to get rid of the word the pronoun was replacing).
I then spent the beginning of a class teaching the students how to diagram sentences. I know that is very grammatical and not how we think about language when we are forming sentences but it gave them a visual way of approaching sentences. I haven't tested them since but I did have several students tell me that the diagramming helped. One kid even said he wished we had done this earlier.
I am still frustrated with object pronouns. I think I need to start sneaking them into sentences students will see earlier in the year so maybe there will be a tiny bit of subconsciousness understanding before we focus on the concept.
This year I tried flipping the order that we approach the pronouns when we reviewed in Spanish III. I still wasn't sure if focusing on indirect object pronouns first was best but without having to worry about masculine vs feminine, I decided to stay with that approach when the time came to use this concept in Spanish II for the first time.
We spent basically a week with each idea (other vocabulary and culture in there too so not five full days for the concept).
Overall when the two concepts--indirect and direct--were kept completely separate, the students got the idea. Unfortunately when we combined them (just using one or the other in a sentence not both in the same sentence--that is coming this week), things got hairy. A lot of kids just didn't know which pronoun to use (and some even forgot to get rid of the word the pronoun was replacing).
I then spent the beginning of a class teaching the students how to diagram sentences. I know that is very grammatical and not how we think about language when we are forming sentences but it gave them a visual way of approaching sentences. I haven't tested them since but I did have several students tell me that the diagramming helped. One kid even said he wished we had done this earlier.
I am still frustrated with object pronouns. I think I need to start sneaking them into sentences students will see earlier in the year so maybe there will be a tiny bit of subconsciousness understanding before we focus on the concept.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Website with Listening Activities
This week we have been working on hotel vocabulary. I came across this website with a nice listening activity in Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK-qBHERXPU
I like how it first goes through the listening without any subtitles in the video but then includes for the second read-through that then reveals the answer.
I just had my students identify which of the four rooms was the one desired by the customer, but you could easily write up a short list of accompanying questions as well.
In later on-line hunting, I found this short multiple-choice listening activity: http://lingohut.com/en/v72485L/spanish-lesson-hotel-checking-in-listening-game. Not all of the vocabulary was the same as we used but it was another opportunity to practice listening skills with a voice other than mine.
I like how it first goes through the listening without any subtitles in the video but then includes for the second read-through that then reveals the answer.
I just had my students identify which of the four rooms was the one desired by the customer, but you could easily write up a short list of accompanying questions as well.
In later on-line hunting, I found this short multiple-choice listening activity: http://lingohut.com/en/v72485L/spanish-lesson-hotel-checking-in-listening-game. Not all of the vocabulary was the same as we used but it was another opportunity to practice listening skills with a voice other than mine.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
House Vocabulary Game
I've been teaching house vocabulary this week to my sophomores. It is a vocabulary-intensive unit versus a lot of grammar, something I appreciated since these kids are taking their state exams all five days this week.
We've done a variety of activities this week but a fun small group one is when I split the students into groups of three and hand each group a sheet of scrap paper and then a set of directions they will follow to draw a house. They keep the directions facedown until I tell them to flip the paper over. Each student in the group must draw, so usually one is drawing while the others are figuring out the directions. When they have completed all the directions, the group raises their hands for me to come check how they did.
I usually give the first group or two stickers :)
We've done a variety of activities this week but a fun small group one is when I split the students into groups of three and hand each group a sheet of scrap paper and then a set of directions they will follow to draw a house. They keep the directions facedown until I tell them to flip the paper over. Each student in the group must draw, so usually one is drawing while the others are figuring out the directions. When they have completed all the directions, the group raises their hands for me to come check how they did.
I usually give the first group or two stickers :)
Friday, March 13, 2015
Movie Trailers' Comparisons
I can't take credit for this idea but I think it's a neat one.
Find movie trailers for a recent (or popular) release in Spanish but one that was shown in Spain and one that was shown in Latin America. Have students compare what they hear or possibly see.
The example I first saw for this can be found at Zambombazo, a site belonging to Zachary Jones. He created a great worksheet to go along with the two trailers for "Cinderella." The activity had students comparing the level of formality shown between characters. Here is a link to what I saw: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/elyunque/learning/nature-science/?cid=fsbdev3_042978
I think this is a great way to link student interest to the target language. Plus you can adjust the level of difficulty for the task to as difficult or as simple as you want so this is an idea that can be adapted across abilities. I chose to use this activity in level four but I could have integrated it much lower.
Enjoy!
Find movie trailers for a recent (or popular) release in Spanish but one that was shown in Spain and one that was shown in Latin America. Have students compare what they hear or possibly see.
The example I first saw for this can be found at Zambombazo, a site belonging to Zachary Jones. He created a great worksheet to go along with the two trailers for "Cinderella." The activity had students comparing the level of formality shown between characters. Here is a link to what I saw: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/elyunque/learning/nature-science/?cid=fsbdev3_042978
I think this is a great way to link student interest to the target language. Plus you can adjust the level of difficulty for the task to as difficult or as simple as you want so this is an idea that can be adapted across abilities. I chose to use this activity in level four but I could have integrated it much lower.
Enjoy!
Monday, March 9, 2015
An Observation about Preterit vs Imperfect
This can be a tough concept for my Spanish II students. One technique that I try to help students learn how to determine which past tense they should use is to teach them vocabulary words that usually (because there are always exceptions!) indicate one tense or the other.
We learned the words last week and practice them today. We started this part of class by studying the words for 1 1/2 minutes and then the students tried to remember as many words as possible in under two minutes. Each student recorded his or her name in a column that matched their score (these columns were in ranges: 0-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-13--or something really close to that). We studied for three minutes and then tried to remember as many clue words as possible in under two minutes again. Students recorded their new scores under the green line on the board.
We then repeated these steps for the imperfect.
Afterwards I looked at the two sides of the board and noticed that the kids had done significantly better on the imperfect words even in the first round. I'm not sure of all the reasons for this difference in their knowledge of the vocabulary for the two different tenses but I did realize that they have used some of the imperfect clue words since mid-Spanish I whereas many of the preterit clue words are new this unit.
So my take-away? Start introducing the preterit clue words earlier in the year when I first introduce the tense. Then not only have they had the chance to start becoming familiar with those words but they also associate the words with the preterit from experience more than just a given list.
Preterit is on the left side, imperfect on the right after the line dividing my whiteboard in half. The categories are hard to see (faint marker) but 0-3 started on the left for both groups. There is a definite skew to the right for the imperfect.
We learned the words last week and practice them today. We started this part of class by studying the words for 1 1/2 minutes and then the students tried to remember as many words as possible in under two minutes. Each student recorded his or her name in a column that matched their score (these columns were in ranges: 0-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-13--or something really close to that). We studied for three minutes and then tried to remember as many clue words as possible in under two minutes again. Students recorded their new scores under the green line on the board.
We then repeated these steps for the imperfect.
Afterwards I looked at the two sides of the board and noticed that the kids had done significantly better on the imperfect words even in the first round. I'm not sure of all the reasons for this difference in their knowledge of the vocabulary for the two different tenses but I did realize that they have used some of the imperfect clue words since mid-Spanish I whereas many of the preterit clue words are new this unit.
So my take-away? Start introducing the preterit clue words earlier in the year when I first introduce the tense. Then not only have they had the chance to start becoming familiar with those words but they also associate the words with the preterit from experience more than just a given list.
Friday, February 27, 2015
February Spanish Club
We looked at the mola designs from a native people group in Panama. I found this site to be a nice intro to the topic: http://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/docs/0109teachclassactmolas.pdf
I then collected some more pictures of molas and put them in a powerpoint so the students could see some more examples of the molas.
Finally the students got to pick out a mola design that I had printed and color it in. Some students chose to post theirs in the room and I will have one of my classes vote on which one they like the most next week.
This was not our most exciting meeting but it was a different piece of culture than we will get to in the classroom.
I then collected some more pictures of molas and put them in a powerpoint so the students could see some more examples of the molas.
Finally the students got to pick out a mola design that I had printed and color it in. Some students chose to post theirs in the room and I will have one of my classes vote on which one they like the most next week.
This was not our most exciting meeting but it was a different piece of culture than we will get to in the classroom.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Una Visita al Museo de Arte
I teach art vocabulary to Spanish II students. Honestly, there is a lot more I could do with this unit and I am working on adding in more culture. However, one of the days that we work with these vocabulary words is a day that I am proud of: the art museum visit.
I bring in little objects that I have picked up in my travels/received as gifts and place them around the room so they can double as sculptures for the day. I tape mini-prints of works by Picasso and Dalí around the room along with transparencies of other paintings (the only time I use transparencies the whole year since I no longer have an overhead projector). I dig out a larger, rolled up poster of Acapulco and stick it to my bulletin board to pretend that it is a mural. Voila! I have transformed my room into an art museum for a day.
I created a sign with a name for our museum for the first time this year: El Museo de Arte del Rey Felipe VI. I liked naming the museum but want a better sign for next year; I might even put it on the door to the room instead of just the whiteboard in front. Also for next year I want to give students entrance tickets the day before. For homework they will be expected to write a sentence that uses art vocabulary on the back and then must hand the ticket to me to enter the room.
This year I put on my docent voice to explain the assignment and made sure to remind them that flash photography was not permitted. (Apparently I did a really good impersonation since one boy told me I might have missed my true career calling.) Each student was advised to pick up a museum guide which was really a list of their vocabulary since carrying computers around to reference their notes would have become awkward.
At this point the students moved around the classroom/museum at their own pace to look at the artwork and respond. For each piece they had to write three sentences: what type of art they saw (painting, portrait, sculpture, etc), a description (it was traditional for example), and their reaction (I liked it/loved it, etc). I definitely want to work on having a greater variety of artwork next year although I think everyone knew the word for painting by the end of the period! (It doesn't help that this year I left my personal collection at home--just too tired with musical rehearsals I guess!)
Students get a small classwork grade for the assignment. I look for adjective agreement, spelling, and overall sentence structure but I don't take off a lot of points for mistakes especially if they are repeated. I also look for variety in adjectives used. I do have a minimum number of artworks that I expect students to have seen but since I let them work at their own pace, this number is not really high and I don't tell them what it is. I would rather have students reflecting on the artwork and writing well than rushing to hit a magic number.
I bring in little objects that I have picked up in my travels/received as gifts and place them around the room so they can double as sculptures for the day. I tape mini-prints of works by Picasso and Dalí around the room along with transparencies of other paintings (the only time I use transparencies the whole year since I no longer have an overhead projector). I dig out a larger, rolled up poster of Acapulco and stick it to my bulletin board to pretend that it is a mural. Voila! I have transformed my room into an art museum for a day.
a sculpture (from Colombia)
I created a sign with a name for our museum for the first time this year: El Museo de Arte del Rey Felipe VI. I liked naming the museum but want a better sign for next year; I might even put it on the door to the room instead of just the whiteboard in front. Also for next year I want to give students entrance tickets the day before. For homework they will be expected to write a sentence that uses art vocabulary on the back and then must hand the ticket to me to enter the room.
This year I put on my docent voice to explain the assignment and made sure to remind them that flash photography was not permitted. (Apparently I did a really good impersonation since one boy told me I might have missed my true career calling.) Each student was advised to pick up a museum guide which was really a list of their vocabulary since carrying computers around to reference their notes would have become awkward.
At this point the students moved around the classroom/museum at their own pace to look at the artwork and respond. For each piece they had to write three sentences: what type of art they saw (painting, portrait, sculpture, etc), a description (it was traditional for example), and their reaction (I liked it/loved it, etc). I definitely want to work on having a greater variety of artwork next year although I think everyone knew the word for painting by the end of the period! (It doesn't help that this year I left my personal collection at home--just too tired with musical rehearsals I guess!)
Students get a small classwork grade for the assignment. I look for adjective agreement, spelling, and overall sentence structure but I don't take off a lot of points for mistakes especially if they are repeated. I also look for variety in adjectives used. I do have a minimum number of artworks that I expect students to have seen but since I let them work at their own pace, this number is not really high and I don't tell them what it is. I would rather have students reflecting on the artwork and writing well than rushing to hit a magic number.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Celebrating Success
Another bulletin board. This one is honoring not just students who earned A's in the second quarter but showed significant improvement from the first quarter.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Object Pronouns
My students love hate/fear object pronouns. I have tried teaching them according to grammar rules and the idea of asking a set of questions (what is the action of the sentence? what is receiving the action? what or who is receiving something). I have taught what object pronouns are in English even spending a whole day reviewing the concept alone with no Spanish involved. Nothing works.
This year to review with Spanish III I took a different approach. I still don't know if it is better but for one day at least the students were more confident in what they were doing (unfortunately today's activity seemed to put us back at square one but I have to start somewhere!).
Instead of going through any rules, I just dove in with a question: ¿Me comprarás la pizza? Students used their individual whiteboards to write me a complete sentence answer in Spanish. We did several questions like this and even had them create one of their own using their own vocabulary. Then after we had practiced with "me" and "te," we expanded to include "nos" and "les." Eventually we even got to "le."
Each time I was asking a question and they were responding, another area that we struggle in. What was also different this time around was that we started with indirect objects first. I have always begun with direct objects in previous years.
We took some simple notes the next day, not even writing anything done this first day of practice. We just worked with the concept without any official rules.
The jury is still out on this twist in my approach but at the very least I don't think we're any farther behind. (Plus I think today's problems had as much to do with some incorrect answers in the key for their activity as anything else--double check everything!) I am debating on using this approach in Spanish II to see if it would work with students who do not have any prior Spanish knowledge of the concept. What do you think?
Happy Friday!
This year to review with Spanish III I took a different approach. I still don't know if it is better but for one day at least the students were more confident in what they were doing (unfortunately today's activity seemed to put us back at square one but I have to start somewhere!).
Instead of going through any rules, I just dove in with a question: ¿Me comprarás la pizza? Students used their individual whiteboards to write me a complete sentence answer in Spanish. We did several questions like this and even had them create one of their own using their own vocabulary. Then after we had practiced with "me" and "te," we expanded to include "nos" and "les." Eventually we even got to "le."
Each time I was asking a question and they were responding, another area that we struggle in. What was also different this time around was that we started with indirect objects first. I have always begun with direct objects in previous years.
We took some simple notes the next day, not even writing anything done this first day of practice. We just worked with the concept without any official rules.
The jury is still out on this twist in my approach but at the very least I don't think we're any farther behind. (Plus I think today's problems had as much to do with some incorrect answers in the key for their activity as anything else--double check everything!) I am debating on using this approach in Spanish II to see if it would work with students who do not have any prior Spanish knowledge of the concept. What do you think?
Happy Friday!
Friday, January 30, 2015
Easy Idea for Spanish Club Activity
Este miércoles pasado tuvimos el club de español para enero. Jugamos las cartas en grupos pequeños.
Los juegos "Siete Loco" y "Burro Castigado" son fáciles para aprender. Hay más información aquí: http://www.pagat.com/national/mexico.html
Los juegos "Siete Loco" y "Burro Castigado" son fáciles para aprender. Hay más información aquí: http://www.pagat.com/national/mexico.html
Friday, January 23, 2015
Simple End to Testing Week
With midterms in most of their classes on Wednesday and Thursday, I did not want to do anything really difficult in my classes on Friday.
Since we have looked at the Incas in Spanish II, I decided to have them go on-line and look at some descriptions in English of ten different places to visit in Peru. They were all on the same website. Students wrote down the name of the place, two facts, and if they wanted to visit or not and why.
To keep kids from sitting all period, I also posted ten little charts around the room. Each one had the name of the site and then two columns: Quiero Visitar or No Quiero Visitar. After reading about a site, students had to go write their name on the side that matched their opinion. Really a simple idea but it allowed them to get up and stretch their muscles a little. This tiny shift in the activity also decreased the possibility of boredom slightly as well as creating the opportunity to compare opinions.
In the future I might change up which side of the column is the positive and which is the negative just to make them pay attention...I definitely want to use different vocabulary on some of the signs as well (viajar instead of just visitar for example).
Since we have looked at the Incas in Spanish II, I decided to have them go on-line and look at some descriptions in English of ten different places to visit in Peru. They were all on the same website. Students wrote down the name of the place, two facts, and if they wanted to visit or not and why.
To keep kids from sitting all period, I also posted ten little charts around the room. Each one had the name of the site and then two columns: Quiero Visitar or No Quiero Visitar. After reading about a site, students had to go write their name on the side that matched their opinion. Really a simple idea but it allowed them to get up and stretch their muscles a little. This tiny shift in the activity also decreased the possibility of boredom slightly as well as creating the opportunity to compare opinions.
In the future I might change up which side of the column is the positive and which is the negative just to make them pay attention...I definitely want to use different vocabulary on some of the signs as well (viajar instead of just visitar for example).
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Los Objetivos Para 2015
Here is the latest in my interactive bulletin board series: Goals for 2015!
My original plan was for students to write a goal for this year on a piece of paper two times, once in English and then again as much in Spanish as the student was capable. Spanish I would only have one or two words while Spanish IV could handle the full sentence translation. Not wanting it to be hard to take down, I settled on putting up different sheets of construction paper for each class on which they would then tape their little papers.
Then I got my visual brainstorm. I chose black paper for the background for the classes and said the darkness represented the emptiness of a future without hopes and plans. The basket of paper was filled with different-colored scraps instead of just white to add bright, beautiful pops of color as the future grows full of wonderful goals for 2015 :)
My original plan was for students to write a goal for this year on a piece of paper two times, once in English and then again as much in Spanish as the student was capable. Spanish I would only have one or two words while Spanish IV could handle the full sentence translation. Not wanting it to be hard to take down, I settled on putting up different sheets of construction paper for each class on which they would then tape their little papers.
Then I got my visual brainstorm. I chose black paper for the background for the classes and said the darkness represented the emptiness of a future without hopes and plans. The basket of paper was filled with different-colored scraps instead of just white to add bright, beautiful pops of color as the future grows full of wonderful goals for 2015 :)
at the start
growing brighter
Spanish IV goals
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
A Twist on the Worksheet
I love watching my students create with the Spanish language. However, I also have to balance that open-ended time with being able to translate specific sentences focused on certain grammar concepts especially on their major exams: the midterm and the final. With our midterm next week we are reviewing how to conjugate ser and tener as well as adjective agreement.
In previous years we have had worksheets that we do in class. Students work individually or in pairs/trios and then we either write the answers on the board or I send students around the room to look at the answers on other sheets (get a little bit of movement going!).
Today I tried a variation on the idea of the worksheet. After using our warm up to quickly review the two verbs and rules of adjective agreement, students numbered lined paper from one to twenty-eight, skipping a line between each number. Then each student picked up a card from one of the stools in the front of the room. The card had an English sentence on one side, Spanish answer on the back. They wrote the answer on their paper and flipped the card over to check. If right, they drew a star on the paper. If there was an error, they crossed out the wrong word and re-wrote it correctly on the line below. Then they scooted back up to the front of the room to trade out cards.
The cards varied in difficulty which was also a benefit. I liked that the students did not stay sitting for very long (today is only our third full day of school since Christmas due to the weather so we're still adjusting to being back!). I realize that the time it took to get up, get a card, and sit back down might be considered wasted time but I preferred allowing students to work at their own pace and that they stayed active; my second period was much more involved than when we have done "normal" translations.
In the future I might put two sentences per card just to cut down on the walking if I feel that too much time is spent moving around. Or I could put kids in stations with a pile in the middle and kids trade their cards with the pile and then after 8-10 minutes, they move stations. We'll see :)
This did require more prep than just writing a worksheet but I definitely think the benefit to the student learning outweighed my time spent writing the cards at home.
In previous years we have had worksheets that we do in class. Students work individually or in pairs/trios and then we either write the answers on the board or I send students around the room to look at the answers on other sheets (get a little bit of movement going!).
Today I tried a variation on the idea of the worksheet. After using our warm up to quickly review the two verbs and rules of adjective agreement, students numbered lined paper from one to twenty-eight, skipping a line between each number. Then each student picked up a card from one of the stools in the front of the room. The card had an English sentence on one side, Spanish answer on the back. They wrote the answer on their paper and flipped the card over to check. If right, they drew a star on the paper. If there was an error, they crossed out the wrong word and re-wrote it correctly on the line below. Then they scooted back up to the front of the room to trade out cards.
The cards varied in difficulty which was also a benefit. I liked that the students did not stay sitting for very long (today is only our third full day of school since Christmas due to the weather so we're still adjusting to being back!). I realize that the time it took to get up, get a card, and sit back down might be considered wasted time but I preferred allowing students to work at their own pace and that they stayed active; my second period was much more involved than when we have done "normal" translations.
This did require more prep than just writing a worksheet but I definitely think the benefit to the student learning outweighed my time spent writing the cards at home.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Verb Visuals: Transformer Verbs
The preterit tense has always been tough for my students with its many rules and changes. I explain them, we practice, but we still struggle. With our midterm next week, I have begun the review with my Spanish II students. Since today was also a late arrival day due to nasty winter roads, I only had twenty minutes with each class. Instead of writing out sentences or conjugating random verbs, I decided to review the irregular stem verbs by discussing the set and creating a visual with the hope that the different approach would help the information stick a little better.
Earlier in the year when I first taught these verbs to my Spanish II students, I taught them in four categories or as I referred to them "families." In our notes each family had its own house (really, I drew houses in the notes and that's where students wrote the information). The families were named after the common letter that appeared in all the new stems after they were transformed as part of their preterit conjugation: U, V, I, and J.
Today we rewrote the infinitives in each family to make the letter. For example, saber formed one side of the U, poder the other side, and then poner curved to close the bottom. Then we wrote the new stems next to each letter. We used a different color for each family. At the end students used their normal pens or pencils to write down the unique endings for these four groups of verbs.
Then I named an infinitive and a subject and all the class had to think for a few seconds before I pulled a namestick and that student answered. We all repeated before I gave the next question.
We ran out of time here but if it had been a regular period, I probably would have sent the students on-line then to do some more individualized practice.
I advise practicing creating these visuals on your own first. It did take me a few tries to get more comfortable with writing them and then I could give advice to the kids on how to be more successful with their letters (we still ran out of room with the larger J family...)
Today we rewrote the infinitives in each family to make the letter. For example, saber formed one side of the U, poder the other side, and then poner curved to close the bottom. Then we wrote the new stems next to each letter. We used a different color for each family. At the end students used their normal pens or pencils to write down the unique endings for these four groups of verbs.
Then I named an infinitive and a subject and all the class had to think for a few seconds before I pulled a namestick and that student answered. We all repeated before I gave the next question.
We ran out of time here but if it had been a regular period, I probably would have sent the students on-line then to do some more individualized practice.
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