We use morning meetings in my class every day. It is part of our daily routine.
At the beginning I must admitt that I wasn't a great fan well I thought it was good for the kids because it made them speak French and as I am in 1st grade every occasion to speak french is good to take. But I found it long and a little bit boring for myself.
That's when I decided I was gonna be in charge of the meeting prepare it everyday, find a "salutation", a question, and a game.
And throuhout the year I found new games and the questions were becoming more and more intersting as the kids were able to speak more french.
I think the morning meeting is a good way to start the ay, at the begining of the year it helps the students know their classmates, and gives you an opportunity to speak french but usually in a fun way.
Plus the kids just LOVE to share personnal things!
Here are some quotations from kids.
I asked them what they like and what they did not like in the morning meeting and why:
" I do not like games when you don't do anything"
"I like the morning meeting because we play and say Hi to the others"
"It is fun"
"It helps us speak french"
"To know the others"
"I'd like to speak more when we're sharing."
"I don't like when kids don't listen"
"I don't like to look at the person who speaks cause after, I'm tired"
mardi 18 mai 2010
lundi 25 janvier 2010
Challenge, it makes your life more interesting and gives you the opportunity to evolve.
My student:
He is a little boy of 6 and has been detected with... actually I don't know exactly so I don't want to say something wrong. But in the class there is a person that is here specifically for him. He has a special schedule with breaks during the day and different people he sees.
He talks whenever he wants that is too say when he wnats to say something he HAS to say it and tends to monopolies the conversation. Plus he has a "bossy" attitude he sometimes acts as if HE was the boss of the kids and the adults too. Giving you kind of orders, it is usually very polite but it is still an order which is not appropriate for the teacher. "don't!"; "I am telling you not to do that" or "First warning!".
He rides his own bus, has his own personal aid and I think in a way that it reinforces his idea of being an important person.
It does bother me sometimes because he gets extra attention and takes away times that is due to the other kids; it feels even more unfair when it is teaching time.
Since I was little Justice has been a really important things for me that is why maybe despite the fact that I know he has this problem I sometimes feel it is unfair.
I think the presence of the aid is a good thing it allows the teacher to have more time for the other kids so that she doesn't have to focus all her attention on one student. But it can also be a little bit hard because there is 3 people involved in the education and authority system. I thinks sometimes too you tend to make profit of it choosing not to deal with the kid because there is somebody else here for that.
The things that I find amazing and sad at the same time is the other kids' reaction; they understand it and are really good about it! They don't really pay attention to him anymore that is the sad part. They are horrified when he does something really bad.
Because of all that he ends up having no real interaction with the other kids, they even roll their eyes when he talks, making up stories!!!
It feels like he isn't really part of the class partly because his schedule is slightly different but I think it is more because of his attitude.
Strategies:
I do not let him do whatever he wants just to avoid having to deal with him, I remain firm. I showed him that he couldn't do anything he wanted but at the same time , I try to have a good relationship with him like with the other students, I try to have positive exchanges and make the most of the times when he is as sweet as the others.
I think I have been pretty successful,in general, of course there are days when it is more difficult but the whole picture looks good. He knows when I say something that he cannot do whatever he wants (he still tries a little bit) and actually that is the problem sometimes with subtitute aids he can be really awful with them, it must be hard for them to find the right balance in only one day. And sometimes they just give up and let him do whatever he wants! And that's when it really upset me. I don't see why because he is bad he gets the right to do what he wants like having a break or playing.
But at the same time we have good moments and he likes me so that make me think that I do the right thing I guess...
Other support?
He already has lots of support therefore I don't see anything else he could have. But maybe the fact that the class is in French is even more challenging for him as he has trouble focusing on things and therefore doing the work he is asked to do.
He is a little boy of 6 and has been detected with... actually I don't know exactly so I don't want to say something wrong. But in the class there is a person that is here specifically for him. He has a special schedule with breaks during the day and different people he sees.
He talks whenever he wants that is too say when he wnats to say something he HAS to say it and tends to monopolies the conversation. Plus he has a "bossy" attitude he sometimes acts as if HE was the boss of the kids and the adults too. Giving you kind of orders, it is usually very polite but it is still an order which is not appropriate for the teacher. "don't!"; "I am telling you not to do that" or "First warning!".
He rides his own bus, has his own personal aid and I think in a way that it reinforces his idea of being an important person.
It does bother me sometimes because he gets extra attention and takes away times that is due to the other kids; it feels even more unfair when it is teaching time.
Since I was little Justice has been a really important things for me that is why maybe despite the fact that I know he has this problem I sometimes feel it is unfair.
I think the presence of the aid is a good thing it allows the teacher to have more time for the other kids so that she doesn't have to focus all her attention on one student. But it can also be a little bit hard because there is 3 people involved in the education and authority system. I thinks sometimes too you tend to make profit of it choosing not to deal with the kid because there is somebody else here for that.
The things that I find amazing and sad at the same time is the other kids' reaction; they understand it and are really good about it! They don't really pay attention to him anymore that is the sad part. They are horrified when he does something really bad.
Because of all that he ends up having no real interaction with the other kids, they even roll their eyes when he talks, making up stories!!!
It feels like he isn't really part of the class partly because his schedule is slightly different but I think it is more because of his attitude.
Strategies:
I do not let him do whatever he wants just to avoid having to deal with him, I remain firm. I showed him that he couldn't do anything he wanted but at the same time , I try to have a good relationship with him like with the other students, I try to have positive exchanges and make the most of the times when he is as sweet as the others.
I think I have been pretty successful,in general, of course there are days when it is more difficult but the whole picture looks good. He knows when I say something that he cannot do whatever he wants (he still tries a little bit) and actually that is the problem sometimes with subtitute aids he can be really awful with them, it must be hard for them to find the right balance in only one day. And sometimes they just give up and let him do whatever he wants! And that's when it really upset me. I don't see why because he is bad he gets the right to do what he wants like having a break or playing.
But at the same time we have good moments and he likes me so that make me think that I do the right thing I guess...
Other support?
He already has lots of support therefore I don't see anything else he could have. But maybe the fact that the class is in French is even more challenging for him as he has trouble focusing on things and therefore doing the work he is asked to do.
lundi 7 décembre 2009
The use of a lesson template
Well I filled the lesson template after I did my lesson therefore it did not help me preparing it.
But it actually summarizes everything I am thinking about when preparing a lesson.
It can be helpful I think when you are preparing your first lessons to guide you and make you think of everything you need to have prepared.
I think a lesson works well when it has been well prepared and when you know exactly what you expect from the students.
But it actually summarizes everything I am thinking about when preparing a lesson.
It can be helpful I think when you are preparing your first lessons to guide you and make you think of everything you need to have prepared.
I think a lesson works well when it has been well prepared and when you know exactly what you expect from the students.
samedi 28 novembre 2009
A little something that can change everything.
About two months ago I did a lesson on feelings. I had a firts part with my lesson where I gave a sentence that illustrated a feeling, giving examples that kids could identify with. And at the end of each sentence there was a smiley corresponding to the feeling. It was the kids that told me where to put the smiley.
After that they all had a white board and as I was saying an emotion they had to draw it.
The first time I did it was in my class and all the kids were sitting on the carpet in front of the board. After only a few minutes some of them were no longer listening to what I was saying and prefered drawing whatever they wanted; for those who were still playing it was quite cahotic.
In short I wasn't really satisfied with the second part of my lessson.
We have the great opportunity to teach our lesson four times, once in each fisrt grade class.
Therefore I tried to improve the acivity part in the second class. What I did is that the kids were teamed by table. As I had already realised they are a lot more involved when there is some kind of competition. So for the team to be able to win a point the whole table had to have drown the right smiley.
It did worka lot better!!! Kids were really involved and those who might not have been involved were pushed by those at their table who really wanted to win. They were all helping each other, working as team to be able to be the first table to have 6 correct answers.
They learned the vocabulary but also how to work as a team. And for me seeing them learn and enjoying their time was a great satisfaction.
It is one of the lesson I liked most and I think I even like it more because I did not got it right the first time but was able to improve it.
After that they all had a white board and as I was saying an emotion they had to draw it.
The first time I did it was in my class and all the kids were sitting on the carpet in front of the board. After only a few minutes some of them were no longer listening to what I was saying and prefered drawing whatever they wanted; for those who were still playing it was quite cahotic.
In short I wasn't really satisfied with the second part of my lessson.
We have the great opportunity to teach our lesson four times, once in each fisrt grade class.
Therefore I tried to improve the acivity part in the second class. What I did is that the kids were teamed by table. As I had already realised they are a lot more involved when there is some kind of competition. So for the team to be able to win a point the whole table had to have drown the right smiley.
It did worka lot better!!! Kids were really involved and those who might not have been involved were pushed by those at their table who really wanted to win. They were all helping each other, working as team to be able to be the first table to have 6 correct answers.
They learned the vocabulary but also how to work as a team. And for me seeing them learn and enjoying their time was a great satisfaction.
It is one of the lesson I liked most and I think I even like it more because I did not got it right the first time but was able to improve it.
lundi 16 novembre 2009
Entering HIS world.
Sitting « criss cross apple sauce », books all around, let’s get started.« Well dressed, speaking many languages, someone who travels a lot, but above all someone that is able to speak intelligently about things that don’t matter at all. »That is his idea of a classy gentleman.
This young man whose dream job would be writing for the New Yorker magazine, because he finds it “sophisticated and prestigious”, started French because he thought it would «help [him] meet girls », « I wanted something exotic, I could have chosen Chinese but Chinese is a little bit TOO exotic. » French seemed to be perfect « everybody here in the US learns Spanish, I wanted something else. » French is exotic but above all it is classy. «I thought it would allow me to appear like a classy gentleman. That I would gain respect that it would make me sounds smart and intelligent as not everybody is able to speak French here in America.”
“I am not from a classy neighborhood” and from what I was able to see of Greg, it seems that he was always quite attracted by this idea of being or looking good, fascinated by those gentlemen in suits, always well dressed and who looked so intelligent.
I don’t think Greg needs French to look classy.
Not one of the French interns at Normandale French Immerssion School, Greg speaks really good French as he has spent a year in France. French helps makes him feel like “a sophisticated traveler”.
“It feels good in my mouth” not a common way to describe what one think about a language but terribly accurate! Isn’t it exactly what you feel when speaking English? None of us interns from Normandale, Valley view, France, Spain, Columbia are native English speakers and I think most of us would agree with this statement: “It feels good in my mouth.” Whether you think that when speaking English or when speaking another foreign language that is why you like speaking it.
Speaking with Greg was quite fascinated, and even more for me who is not a native English speaker, even when he speaks you can tell he has something for words. It seems that every words he chooses to talk about something fits perfectly and that no other word would have describe it better. While listening to him answering my pretty common questions, I felt like he was telling me a story and I was devouring everything he was saying.
Looking forward to read his first article in the New Yorker!
This young man whose dream job would be writing for the New Yorker magazine, because he finds it “sophisticated and prestigious”, started French because he thought it would «help [him] meet girls », « I wanted something exotic, I could have chosen Chinese but Chinese is a little bit TOO exotic. » French seemed to be perfect « everybody here in the US learns Spanish, I wanted something else. » French is exotic but above all it is classy. «I thought it would allow me to appear like a classy gentleman. That I would gain respect that it would make me sounds smart and intelligent as not everybody is able to speak French here in America.”
“I am not from a classy neighborhood” and from what I was able to see of Greg, it seems that he was always quite attracted by this idea of being or looking good, fascinated by those gentlemen in suits, always well dressed and who looked so intelligent.
I don’t think Greg needs French to look classy.
Not one of the French interns at Normandale French Immerssion School, Greg speaks really good French as he has spent a year in France. French helps makes him feel like “a sophisticated traveler”.
“It feels good in my mouth” not a common way to describe what one think about a language but terribly accurate! Isn’t it exactly what you feel when speaking English? None of us interns from Normandale, Valley view, France, Spain, Columbia are native English speakers and I think most of us would agree with this statement: “It feels good in my mouth.” Whether you think that when speaking English or when speaking another foreign language that is why you like speaking it.
Speaking with Greg was quite fascinated, and even more for me who is not a native English speaker, even when he speaks you can tell he has something for words. It seems that every words he chooses to talk about something fits perfectly and that no other word would have describe it better. While listening to him answering my pretty common questions, I felt like he was telling me a story and I was devouring everything he was saying.
Looking forward to read his first article in the New Yorker!
lundi 28 septembre 2009
Discovery about myself
I have done many summer camps so I knew how I was like with the children but in an academic environment I wanted to see how I would be! Speaking the truth I am quite satisfied! (even if I have lots of progress to do!)
-Authotity: OK
-At the beginnig it was a bit confusing for me switching from french to English in the same conversation (Kids speaking English and I speaking French) but I got use to it! The only thing I have to think of now is: "stop speaking English at the begining of the day and then stop speaking French when I come back home!"
-I think I can improvise things when something does not happen the way it should have.
-I really like helping the students who need more attention and explainations, I thought it might be too much but I really like helping them and see that they can, do it!!
-I love seeing them playing and learning at the same time and they love it too! In these specific moments there is a particular relationship which is just GREAT!
-I am more comfortable speaking in front of a whole class than I would have thought, but I wonder if it would be the same with older students...
-I do prefer activity time rather than the moment I am doing my "lecture".
-And I realized that even if I loved poems at school I don't really like teaching them now... Funny
-Authotity: OK
-At the beginnig it was a bit confusing for me switching from french to English in the same conversation (Kids speaking English and I speaking French) but I got use to it! The only thing I have to think of now is: "stop speaking English at the begining of the day and then stop speaking French when I come back home!"
-I think I can improvise things when something does not happen the way it should have.
-I really like helping the students who need more attention and explainations, I thought it might be too much but I really like helping them and see that they can, do it!!
-I love seeing them playing and learning at the same time and they love it too! In these specific moments there is a particular relationship which is just GREAT!
-I am more comfortable speaking in front of a whole class than I would have thought, but I wonder if it would be the same with older students...
-I do prefer activity time rather than the moment I am doing my "lecture".
-And I realized that even if I loved poems at school I don't really like teaching them now... Funny
Discovery of the American educational system and Immersion teaching
There are many things I discovered during these first weeks and I am sure I'll discover a lot more!
-There are lots of unacademic activities within the school (especially in High School).
-There is a thing which surprised me: it is acceptable to miss classes for extra activities such as band. It would NOT be possible in France!
-There is a strong school identity.
-Parents are really present and they do help a lot within the school.
-Teacher ask a lot the kids' opinion or ask kids to find a solution to a problem encountered in class. I think it is great, it is their solution therefore, they have no excuse not following it!!
-I did not know anything about immersion teaching but I LOVE it! It is the best way to learn a language! I find it really cute when I speak french to the students even if they answer back in English! And I am amazed too! they are only in 1st grade and understand almost anything I say in French!!!
-There are lots of unacademic activities within the school (especially in High School).
-There is a thing which surprised me: it is acceptable to miss classes for extra activities such as band. It would NOT be possible in France!
-There is a strong school identity.
-Parents are really present and they do help a lot within the school.
-Teacher ask a lot the kids' opinion or ask kids to find a solution to a problem encountered in class. I think it is great, it is their solution therefore, they have no excuse not following it!!
-I did not know anything about immersion teaching but I LOVE it! It is the best way to learn a language! I find it really cute when I speak french to the students even if they answer back in English! And I am amazed too! they are only in 1st grade and understand almost anything I say in French!!!
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