[ola] Re: Progressions
- From: Thomas Hinkle <thinkle@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2013 09:22:50 -0500
Just to clarify, by L1 texts I meant L2 texts, ie target language
texts (maybe that shows how much I've internalized the 100% L2 goal?).
I have trouble finding good texts that are accessible. I try to draw
heavily on magazines (both physical and online). For low level students,
I've used a lot of advertisements in the past because they are heavily
contextualized. One thing that happens to me is that I go back to the same
kinds of texts again and again when I'm just doing a conversational class,
which is why I want to experiment with a more unit-based curriculum,
because I think it will actually be easier to look for an appropriate,
accessible text that connects to "la casa" or "la política" or "las
amistades" or what have you than it is to find a text without a clear
anchor to begin with.
Tom
On Wed, Dec 18, 2013 at 11:36 AM, Thomas Hinkle <
thinkle@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> To me, the issue of grammar and the issue of units are two separate issues.
>
> I think there's a *lot* to be said for focusing on competencies rather
> than grammar, as Arnold pointed out in a recent post to this group.
>
> I'm becoming more and more skeptical, however, of the OWL belief in not
> having units. For me, as a teacher, I find I can get in a rut and easily
> not introduce nearly enough material. Often my best days (and I'm currently
> *not* using units) are when I quickly grab onto something from the kids and
> use it as a base for teaching a particular vocabulary area (yesterday we
> did cleaning, for example). My current plan is to design units of
> vocabulary for next semester to make sure I am teaching a breadth of
> material and not getting bogged down with kids reviewing the same old words
> or topics. I'll let folks know how it goes, but I am suspicious that
> organizing my class into "units" will (A) give the kids a feeling of
> security and structure (B) improve the variety of topics and engagement
> that I get from kids (C) inspire me to do a better job bringing in L1 texts
> and materials for kids to practice with.
>
> Tom
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 18, 2013 at 11:02 AM, Young, Lisa <lyoung@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> I am another one struggling to make sure the grammar piece is included
>> so I explain to my parents that I actually teach a modified version of the
>> OWL program. I had a conversation recently with my feeder school teacher
>> who told me that she is happy when the kids come in to Spanish 2 with
>> “Lots of vocabulary” and able to conjugate verbs in present, preterite and
>> present progressive. I guiltily will take days to explain in English
>> certain grammar concepts that I am trying to teach in the circle. I try
>> not to do this and am convinced as my program develops with my younger kids
>> I won’t have to do this anymore. One thing I have done staying in the
>> language that I think helps is showing student work examples that are
>> correct and then modeling on the board and in the language what is not
>> correct.
>>
>>
>>
>> My little kids are another issue because it is difficult for me to stay
>> in the language with the discipline issues that arise. K-2 will totally
>> tune my out in the language and it is hard to stay in the language with
>> them and keep their attention. Maybe someone out there has some good
>> advice for me?
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On
>> Behalf Of *ANGELA STEPHENS
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, December 17, 2013 3:12 PM
>>
>> *To:* 'ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'
>> *Subject:* [ola] Re: Progressions
>>
>>
>>
>> Calysta et all,
>>
>> I find that I too am leaning toward the UNIT driven class though it
>> stresses me out because I feel like I am not being “faithful” to the OWL
>> though we do aim for 100% Spanish and I do not have desks or chairs. Most
>> of my kiddos have no issues sitting on the floor when we sit and they
>> absolutely love using the small whiteboards for a variety of activities.
>> The small whiteboards are available through Carlex and Teacher’s Discovery
>> for fairly reasonable pricing. We also use them as hard writing surfaces,
>> so they are multi-purpose.
>>
>>
>>
>> The grammar stuff is not an issue for me at this point because I am the
>> only Spanish teacher in my building, but I do worry about how the kids will
>> transition to the next level. From what I am seeing, my 6th graders are
>> adapting to the speaking and accepting the “lack of grammar instruction”
>> much better/easier than the 8th graders who spent time in the
>> traditional classroom style setting. For example, my 6th graders are
>> always trying to tell me stories about what happens in their lives in
>> Spanish, even with their limited Spanish vocabulary. They draw, act out,
>> point, and mimic just like we really do in authentic situations. One such
>> story was told by a young lady who was trying to tell me that her mom, her
>> sister, and grandparents had gone to the pier to watch the boats for
>> someone’s birthday and her mom turned quickly and dropped her Bluetooth in
>> the water. She knew azul and pointed to a tooth in her mouth, I was quite
>> confused but when she pointed to her ear, I finally understood that she
>> meant Bluetooth for her phone, and the story became funny to all of us. We
>> then were able to add vocabulary for cell phone and technology and money,
>> stuff we would never traditionally cover in an exploratory level class.
>> This story stemmed from the student next to her mimicking that he likes to
>> go fishing. Just the fact that kids are using the language, without the
>> fear of making mistakes or looking foolish/uncool, is so awesome to me.
>> This is what we all work so hard to accomplish. This makes changing the
>> “rule for teaching” so worth every sleepless night!
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you all for sharing in this journey!
>>
>> Angie
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> [mailto:ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]
>> *On Behalf Of *Calysta Phillips
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, December 17, 2013 1:07 PM
>> *To:* ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> *Subject:* [ola] Re: Progressions
>>
>>
>>
>> Yes! I know I am NOT ALONE in doing a traditional UNIT driven class in
>> the CIRCLE. How do I know my circle is Unit driven? In Spanish and French 2
>> we are wrapping up a "Doctor/reflexive verb/body parts" unit. In Spanish
>> and French 1, we are wrapping up "Classroom/Emotions/Prepositions of
>> Location/estar/ir" Unit (Avancemos 1, Unidad 2 anyone?)...While I left room
>> for a lot of "extra" stuff to come up, we were hanging ornaments on the
>> very tips of my predetermined branches...
>>
>>
>>
>> The good news???? I FINALLY GOT RID OF MY DESKS!!!! :) I did it, Darcy!
>>
>>
>>
>> The bad news???? Still not letting it go, letting the Question Hook
>> Sequence happen... feeling "obliged" to my department that they arrive at
>> levels 3 and up with a knowledge of the grammar....
>>
>>
>>
>> Who else is teaching traditional "UNITS" in the circle... bringing the
>> agenda to the table? I have several things stopping me:
>>
>> Fear
>>
>> Department Alignment
>>
>> Lack of knowledge/comfort with ACTFL levels and progressions to really be
>> able to monitor my students that way.
>>
>>
>>
>> Would love to know who else is in my boat. Thanks! Calysta
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Dec 14, 2013 at 4:21 PM, Call Daniel <dcall@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>> Very helpful, Ricardo. I still feel that I could use a lot of practice
>> and mentoring with this, but every little bit helps.
>>
>>
>>
>> Dan
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On
>> Behalf Of *Ricardo Linnell
>> *Sent:* Saturday, December 14, 2013 11:46 AM
>> *To:* ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> *Subject:* [ola] Progressions
>>
>>
>>
>> Hey Everybody,
>>
>>
>>
>> I wanted to take a moment to talk about progressions. I am sure that
>> quite a few of you understand how to use them in your classes, but there
>> are probably as many or more teachers who are unsure of exactly what it is,
>> much less have the confidence to unleash it in your classes. I felt like
>> that for a long time, until I was able to visualize it and draw it. A
>> progression as a visual, looks a lot like this (see photo). You have the
>> central topic, either dictated by vocabulary from that day, the previous
>> day or such. For many of you who have been through one of Darcy's
>> workshops, you probably remember the types of questions that we used in one
>> part of the workshop. Creating relevant questions around the topic is a
>> great way to generate interest and motivation to speak. IE: we are wrapping
>> up a Canned Food Drive at my school and so we counted our cans and it was
>> just an instant, built-in topic for the class. I asked them to discuss in
>> groups the reasons for giving food during the holiday season. I gave them a
>> couple of minutes to speak and then asked 2 or 3 of them to tell the class
>> their reasoning. We got time, money, resources, things...etc out of the
>> students as far as vocabulary were concerned. I asked the students to
>> discuss the different types of resources that they felt they could offer to
>> those in need. Again, more discussion. Finally, the last question was if
>> they had a friend, family or if they themselves ever had a need to rely on
>> the Oregon Food Bank or another organization for food and resources. If so,
>> to explain what that experience was like. This all happened within the
>> course of no more than 15 minutes. It can go longer or shorter, depending
>> on the amount of questions, activities or depth to which the class goes. I
>> hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday and vacation. I hope this helps.
>>
>>
>>
>> Ricardo
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Thomas Hinkle
> English & Spanish Department Coordinator
> Innovation Academy Charter School
>
>
--
Thomas Hinkle
English & Spanish Department Coordinator
Innovation Academy Charter School
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