March 3rd, 2009
Here in the USA St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal, or “big doins’” as we say in west Texas! So many of us have some Irish extraction that it calls on the roots of many. Irish traditions, arts, crafts, and even sayings have left a significant imprint on American culture.
The fun of St. Paddy’s Day is also a great chance to have some educational fun in your class room. There is something for the young and the older: grades k-12.
Subject Areas: great for short research mini-projects
- Irish History
- Irish and British politics- for the high school student
- the Gaelic language
- Gaelic music
- Irish music- U2!
- Irish poetry
- Irish plays
- Irish novelists & writers- the high school student
- Irish crystal
- Irish linens
- Irish estates and castles
- the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland
- The Irish immigration to the USA
Click here for an elementary or ESL St. Patrick’s Day Activity Collection.
Tags: catherine fortin, foreign language house, free st patricks day ideas, free st patricks day topics, Irish culture activities, st patrick's day activities, st patricks day unit
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March 2nd, 2009
What a topic! Definitive texts, volumes, and PhD dissertations have been written on how you should, or should not respond to your students about, or on their writing. What a COW as my business partner and I say! (CAN OF WORMS. SO CONTROVERSIAL)
I had lunch with a Spanish teacher colleague on Saturday and we hashed the hows and ifs of writing corrections and feedback on student writing. We both still harbor these myths:
- We get so excited about seeing the students’ writing in Spanish that we’re dying to mark up all of their errors so “they’ll know for next time.”
- We’re sure that the more advanced students need even more marking up on their writing.
- We don’t get why the students cease written mistakes the next go round.
Now, we’ve had all of the writing process and foreign language writing training, but re-training teacher tendencies is far harder that teaching students anything. Here are some tips I’ve used:
Teacher Tips: Teacher Feedback on Student Writing
- Choose between 1 and 5 criteria that you will grade. grammar, content, mechanics, style, tone, fluency. Stick to this number. A paper marked up for “everything” is both demoralizing and confusing to the student. They either don’t look at it, or they are so confused they shut down.
- Tell the students in writing as well exactly which criteria you will grade and correct; stick to this. Students must know what is expected of them in their writing. Don’t assume anything, or . . . .
- Correct only the criteria that you have communicated to the students. Nothing else.
- Correct only the first of repeat mistakes.
- Jot down a brief set of correction bullets in a corner of the paper or on a post-it note. This summary clarifies exactly where & why you corrected writing errors. The best way to glance at a stack of a student’s papers and catch error or correction trends.
Individual student to teacher conferencing is also essential for you to talk through your student’s writing. Too often students are expected to learn a FOREIGN TEACHING CORRECTION LANGUAGE that they only see scribbled on their papers.
Tags: best practice writing feedback, correction student writing, evaluating techniques writing, how to correct writing, teacher feedback on writing, teacher student conferencing
Posted in General, Teaching ESL, Teaching French, Teaching Homeschool, Teaching Language Arts & English, Teaching Spanish, Teaching Techniques for All, Teaching a Foreign Language | No Comments »
February 27th, 2009
February and early March are a great time to put on a big scale Student Product Event. A Poetry Cafe in the humanities, a science, physics or geometry expo or a project gallery stroll in other subjects excite students with a finite goal. A big student product event is definitely a break from most classroom routines, and it requires students to call on creativity, research skills, planning, implementation, and then presentation skills.
Teacher Prep
- Depending on your subject, determine exactly what you need the end-product, goal, or culumination of the Poetry Cafe to be. This can be content based or a set of skills.
- Name your Poetry Cafe; “Poetry” may not be relevant in its name. Physics Expo, Zoological Symposium, the possibilities are endless.
- Backwards plan all of the way al a Understanding by Design. Assign time increments to the many steps the students need to take and break out your calendar.
- Determine necessary materials.
- Determine necessary information resources, how they are to be used, and how they are to be documented.
- Type up a simple, but comprehensive assignment sheet. Keep it to one page, but include: total point value & percentage of grade, all requirements, and steps.
- Provide models of end products to show the students & allow time for their many questions.
- Get ready to be flexible & resourceful! Something always comes up and problems do arise that need solving.
- Determine the exact about of time you estimate for students to work on the project inside of class and outside of class.
Students at Work
- Set them in organized freedom with daily guidelines, requirements, and points to be earned. Some classes need an every 15 minute goal and check in.
- Remain flexible, flexible, flexible
Event Staging
- Your vision of the Coffee House Reading, Expo, Symposium, or Project Gallery Stroll might not be exactly what your students present, and that’s A-okay.
- Set a date and time approved by school administrators.
- Let parents and families know via email or flyers
- Do at least 2 run-throughs with the students
- Have some Plan Bs for forgotten materials, supplies, etc.
- Video it
- Soak up the energy and have some fun!
Tags: catherine fortin, class event ideas, class project ideas, foreign language house, language arts, poetry cafe unit, project expo lessons, science symposium, social studies, student product events, teacher planning, teacher project ideas, teacher project lessons
Posted in Amazing Activities, Foreign Language House, General, Teaching ESL, Teaching French, Teaching Homeschool, Teaching Language Arts & English, Teaching Spanish, Teaching a Foreign Language | No Comments »
February 26th, 2009
Bogged down by mountains of papers that have yet to be graded? They somehow make their way to and from school, without getting graded? How many times I’ve been there before, especially as a high school English teacher and then as a Spanish teacher too.
A gift from a 35 year veteran to me about 12 years ago was STACK AND PICK. It’s not my idea, so it’s brilliant. Here’s how you do Stack and Pick, and you can add your own twist.
STACK AND PICK GRADING
- Pass back the papers, quizzes, tests, ansd especially essays to the student-owners.
- Tell students that they’re about to STACK AND PICK FOR A GRADE.
- Ask them to rank in order from best to worst each of the papers. IT IS BEST IF THE PAPERS ARE THE SAME TYPE OF ASSIGNMENT OR ASSESSMENT.
- Students place their “best” paper on top of the pile.
- Students write a defense and rationale of why they chose this paper or writing as their best. THIS IS THE MOST REVEALING AND INFORMATIVE ASPECT FOR THE TEACHER.
- The teacher then grades only the top paper, or maybe the top 2, or 3 depending on your MO.
Enjoy, and tweak to your own needs.
Tags: evaluation tips teachers, free grading techniques, free grading tip, grading help teachers
Posted in General, Teaching ESL, Teaching French, Teaching Homeschool, Teaching Language Arts & English, Teaching Spanish, Teaching Techniques for All | No Comments »
February 25th, 2009
It’s official: the winter blues, or blahs, have landed in your classroom. What to do the clear the air, spice things up, and do some organizing? Do something, or several things differently and you’ll get everyone’s attention
ORGANIZATION
- Re-do that seating chart. Students need a change of seating scenery. A dramatic change has always done wonders for me. It just mixes up the energy in the classroom.
- Elementary students need to do some pre-spring cleaning of their desks
- Secondary students always need some time to purge those huge binders
Methods & Techniques
- Full-on group partner or group projects loosen up the work-style a bit
- An independent project shores up individual focus
- A literature break from the textbook: short stories, poetry, short novel, play (fantastic for groups)
- Internet projects in the media center or computer lab-individual or partners
- Bring in a class contest: estimation jars, reading minutes or pages, daily trivia, or a big math contest
- Put on a Coffee House Reading: poetry, short prose, table clothes, cookies, and coffee flavored beverages. Does wonders for oral fluency!
Tags: activity ideas teachers, catherine fortin, classroom ideas, Classroom management, classroom tips, foreign language house, lesson ideas, lesson plan ideas, student organization, Teacher Organization, teaching techniques, winter blues in classroom
Posted in Amazing Activities, Classroom Design, Classroom Management Musts, Classroom Set Up, Foreign Language House, General, Teacher Organization, Teaching Language Arts & English, Teaching Techniques for All | No Comments »
January 12th, 2009
Want to optimize student participation during your classes? How about overtly monitoring student behaviors? Keeping track of homework? A step toward frank student to teacher discussion and exchange? Have I got the tool for you: the STUDENT SELF-EVALUATION.
Student Self Evaluation Breakdown of Steps
- Each student is given a form from the teacher that is the SELF-EVALUATION.
- Each student fills it out after a pre-determined time period: a week, 2 weeks, a day, a few days, etc.
- The students tallies the points he or she has given him or herself. Students pass the self-evals in to the teacher.
- The teacher then looks through them to see trends, perception gaps between the student & the teacher, and many other revealing factors.
Before the self-eval materializes, the teacher has thought through priorities for student performance, proficiency, and behaviors for the class. A self-eval can also be developed by a class for that class, or even individually for each student.
Each element or category should be explained clearly on the form. The categories can be:
- behavior- desirable behaviors explained & enumerated explicitly
- class participation
- classwork
- homework
- going that extra mile
What is fascinating to me over the years is that a good number of students evaluate themselves lower than I would! They are their own worst critics. This situation is the best for a discussion with the student. And really, the self-evals need to serve the ultimate goal of the teacher communicating openly with the student, and it can be an effective jump-start to this type of exchange.
Click here for a STUDENT SELF-EVALUATION.
Tags: classroom management elementary school, classroom management high school, classroom management middleschool, classroom management tips, evaluating student participation, foreign language house, homework management, managing student behaviors, student self evaluation, teacher tips, teacherspayteachers.com
Posted in Classroom Management Musts, Foreign Language House, General, Survival Materials, Teacher-Student Relations, Teaching ESL, Teaching French, Teaching Language Arts & English, Teaching Spanish, Teaching Techniques for All, Teaching a Foreign Language | No Comments »
January 3rd, 2009
Listening, Reading, Speaking, & Writing
Looking for some independent literacy practice activities to boost your students’ literacy skills? Who isn’t? With language development at any age or level, the name of the game is frequent & varied practice.
Four Literacy Skill Groups
Divide language and literacy skills into four groups: spoken, reading, written, and auditory. Most students needs shoring up in at least one group.
Spoken: reading vocabulary words to someone else, teaching vocabulary words to someone, reading aloud, narrating a description into an MP3 file.
Reading: reading out loud to a partner, reading out loud to someone at home, silent voluntary reading, illustrating reading selections, highlighting titles & subtitles, highlighting parts of speech
Written: drawing and labeling, labeling illustrations, alphabetizing words, writing sentences, writing down answers in complete sentences, journal entries, bullets of information
Auditory: listening to an assigned CD track, listening to an assigned MP3 file, listening to someone read aloud, listening to a book on tape or CD
Click here for the full LITERACY INDEPENDENT PRACTICE ACTIVITIES.
Tags: foreign language house, free homework activities, free literacy practice ideas & activities, homework activities, independent literacy practice activities, language arts activities, listening activities, literacy support activities, reading activities, speaking activities, writing activities
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January 1st, 2009
It’s that time again: Back to School, and now in 2009! Organization and planning are musts in our profession, and the New Year is the best time to either continue great techniques, or start anew. I’m always game for trying out the organizational tools and planning techniques of others, so here are some I’ve inherited and re-tooled over the years: a lesson plan form & a binder check rubric.
Lesson Plan Form
These are a life-saver, even if the thought of filling out a form feels boring and rote. Some lesson plan forms out there are so detailed & limited with space that I’ve had a hard time using them. Here are some tips:
- Include the lesson plan steps required by your district or school in language that is yours along with their jargon.
- A one page form is the simplest and easiest to glance at and keep in a binder or on a clipboard
- Give yourself room to write notes or use post-it notes
- To include: day & date, lesson plan steps, all necessary materials, homework, different subject areas (elementary)
Click here for a simple, but tried & true lesson plan form that will accomodate your additions & changes.
Binder Check Tips
How can this chore be made simpler and shorter for you? A clear, general rubric for students to follow is the answer. Some tips:
- Designate a specific date for binder checks throughout the year
- Add in surprise spot binder checks for student incentives
- Give students a handout of a rubric detailing exactly what is required
- Have student partners check each other binders for practice, and then maybe a real grade
- Assign an organized binder-buddy to the organizationally challenged student
For a superior binder check rubric & tips, click here.
Tags: binder check rubric, classroom organization, foreign language house, free binder check tips, free lesson plan tips, free teacher planning tips, lesson plan form, lesson plan organization, lesson plan printable, Teacher Organization, teachers pay teachers
Posted in Classroom Management Musts, Foreign Language House, General, Survival Materials, Teacher Organization, Teaching ESL, Teaching French, Teaching Spanish, Teaching Techniques for All, Teaching a Foreign Language | No Comments »
December 23rd, 2008
Foreign Language House
Teachers, here is our holiday gift to you: the full selection of free materials we have created for teachers over the past few months. You’ll be set for the holidays, and there is always another freebie coming. Be sure to check at Foreign Language House for free winter activities for Spanish, French, ESL, & young children. Click on the links below:
1. Free Spanish Christmas Activities
2. Free French Winter Holiday Activities
3. Free English Nativity Coloring Scene
4. Free Spanish Hanukkah Activities
5. Free French Hanukkah Story & Activities
6. Free Spanish Thanksgiving Activities
7. Free French Thanksgiving Activities
8. Free Spanish Halloween Activities
9. Free French Halloween Activities
Tags: foreign language house, free christmas, free esl activities, free foreign language lessons, free foreign language worksheets, free french activities, free hanukkah, free holiday worksheets, free multicultural worksheets, free spanish activities, free worksheets for kids
Posted in Amazing Activities, Christian Education, Foreign Language House, General, Teaching ESL, Teaching French, Teaching Homeschool, Teaching Spanish, Teaching a Foreign Language, freebies | No Comments »
December 23rd, 2008
Free Nativity Handout
My partner Diane Farrug and I create and publish short, inexpensive, downloadable e-booklets from our entity Foreign Language House. Diane is a French teacher and a former colleague, so at this point most of our materials are in French, Spanish, and some are in English. We offer this Nativity coloring page to you for free for children. Just click here.
In working with the wonderful homeschool groups that I do, I’m creating materials for homeschool Spanish classes. Click here to see our full selection, which include French and ESL too.
Having tought English and social studies, I’d love to create e-booklets and e-materials for those subjects too. These can range from coloring pages, to non-fiction readings, stories, and to worksheets on writing and grammar, all in English if that’s your language of choice. Please leave a comment on any suggestions you have.
Tags: foreign language house, free christmas handout, free coloing page, free hoilday handout, free nativity coloring page, free nativity handout, holiday handout, nativity handout, teacherspapteachers
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