Reviving my blog

As a new school year approaches I am making the goal of posting on my blog at least once a week. I originally created this blog as an assignment for the "Blogging for Educators" professional development course I was taking but have not posted for well over a year.  Since that time, I have visited so many other blogs and websites that wonderful language teachers have created.  In the teaching profession, one of the greatest things we can do for each other is share our expertise, our successes, and even our failures. I hope to do that with those who visit.

My school (like most schools) is transitioning to standards-based grading and reporting.  We are developing proficiency scales, can-do statements, SMART goals, and priority standards. We are working to find a way to measure the standards and to grade the students on "what they know" and not "what they can complete".  My intention is to provide insight into that journey as well as stories from the classroom and our school community.  And, to share what I learn.

Here's to another great school year!

Learning and Sharing at ESU1

Some of the best days are when we get to share ideas with others. Today I got out of the classroom and met with other teachers from our area. Part of the focus was technology and tech ideas. FUN!

Super funny Video - spoof of Mexican Telenovelas

This video made me smile.  I think my students will enjoy it also.  I am currently working on a rubric and instructions for students to make their own video using this as an initial idea.  Should be fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WckCw_-7e3M

Teaching gem from the blog "Confesiones y Realidades"

I came upon this lesson while searching for writing ideas to use with my upper level Spanish kids and I want to share it.  It is one of many fantastic ideas by Anne H posted on her teaching blog and she gets all the credit!   She created a lesson from a series of pictures taken by Tim Dodd of an veteran of the war in Afghanistan named Taylor Morris. What a powerful series of pictures! with so many great learning opportunities for the students.
There are so many other great ideas in this blog as well.  I have added a link and it is now one of my favorites! 

Confesiones y Realidades: Una Historia Fotográfica del Amor y Valor: Several weeks back I was looking for a story in pictures as a reference for my AP students to do an oral presentation, and I came across the...

Pinterest - My Technology Board

I love, love, love Pinterest for collecting teaching ideas! It can be a bit overwhelming though so I am trying to figure out a way to organize my pins so that I don't forget what I have.  I want to make it a "usable collection" rather than just a "collection".  This is a link to my board on Technology. 

http://pinterest.com/carmenstark/tech-ideas/

Hope you find it helpful!

Verano

Summer is an interesting time for teachers.  Those who are not teachers imagine us with a super long vacation just sitting around, sleeping in every day, traveling, etc.  While for many teachers (myself included) there is plenty of summertime fun, summer break is also the time to sit back and reflect.   It is a time to think forward.... to look for new resources, re-write curriculum, take courses to update skills and knowledge, and to even work a summer job.  It seems that there is always plenty to do.  I have done all of those things and I know that many of my fellow teachers have also.  With just a few weeks left of "vacation" I am feeling ready. Ready to take on the new challenges of teaching in an age where the common core, standards based assessment, and technology have taken priority. The big question for me is how do I keep learning Spanish creative and fun while fulfilling the other "requirements" of the educational trend.  I'll get there.  I know I will. We all will.  

Acciones - Present Progressive Tense

Throughout the summer I have taken a course entitled "Digital Photography in the Classroom".  This is a lesson that I wrote as part of that class with the goal being to use photos.  It's a pretty basic lesson.  (My daughter was a trooper posing for them and it was good mother-daughter bonding time :)  )  Feel free to use the photos if they will help you illustrate actions.  The photos could also be used to show regular present tense actions, preterite, etc. etc. 

Theme:  What is the Girl Doing?  - ¿Qué está haciendo la chica? (Present Progressive)

Level:  Novice                     Lesson Length:  1 hour

Goal:    Verbs are the backbone of any language. Without verbs, sentences would simply be a collection of nouns and adjectives without any subject or any purpose.  This lesson will teach 25 common actions using photos of a girl acting each one out and provide activities to practice using the verbs in communicative activities.  The grammar focus is to use the present progressive form of the verb (-ing) to describe what she is doing in each photo.

Objectives:  The student will.......

-be able to identify basic verb vocabulary through photos

-be able to use the target vocabulary to tell what the girl and others are doing using the correct form of the present progressive tense

 Materials:

25 photos illustrating vocabulary

Vocabulary worksheet (list of Spanish Vocabulary only)

Vocabulary list:
1.    abrir – to open

2.    cortar el césped – to mow the lawn

3.    cerrar – to close

4.    hablar por teléfono – to talk on the phone

5.    beber – to drink

6.    comer – to eat

7.    tocar el piano – to play the piano

8.    montar en bicicleta – to ride a bike

9.    buscar – to look for

10. tirar la basura – to throw away trash

11. leer – to read

12. escribir – to write

13. jugar baloncesto – to play basketball

14. poner los zapatos – to put on shoes

15. escuchar música – to listen to music

16. caminar con el perro – to walk the dog

17. practicar deportes – to practice sports

18. limpiar basura – to clean up garbage

19. lavar las manos – to wash your hands

20. dormir – to sleep

21. mirar la televisión – to watch television

22. maquillarse – to put on makeup

23. cocinar – to cook

24. sacar fotos – to take photos

25. pasar la aspiradora – to vacuum

Instruction:
1.   Introduce vocabulary by having the students look at each photo.  As the students see each photo, model the pronunciation of the Spanish word for the action in the infinitive form (to open, to ride a bicycle, etc.).  Students repeat the Spanish word and write the English equivalent on the vocabulary sheet provided.  This way the students learn the Spanish word with the image of the action rather than immediately translating the word.  This activates prior knowledge and assigns the Spanish word to the concept that already exists in English.  This also gives the students a chance to practice pronunciation.
2.   Using the Youtube video by Sr. Jordan (he has put lots of instructional videos on Youtube that are really, really good), show students how to form sentences using the present progressive to tell what the girl is doing.  (The video includes practice activities)
3.   Show each photo again and ask the question ¿Qúe está haciendo la chica?  Use Think-Pair-Share strategy to have the students practice forming sentences to tell what she is doing.  
Practice:
Game:  Photos from a Hat/Charades
This game requires a hat, sentences strips, copies of photos, and a class full of students. On small pieces of paper, provide sentences in the present progressive form that illustrate the different verbs that are in the photos.  On another piece of paper have a printed copy of the photo.   Then cut each of these out and place all the sentences and the photos in the hat. Have each student draw one – and only one – of these pieces of paper. Give the students five minutes to find their counterpart with either the correct sentence or the photo.  Once they find their counterpart, they will plan how to act out that action that goes with their photo/sentence pair for the rest of the class.  After all students are ready, have each perform the actions while the other students guess what it is.  

Assessment:

Students write 5 original sentences using the vocabulary photos and substituting a new subject.