Self-Selecting Vocabulary: The Sequel

The topic of how to encourage students to create personal vocabulary for themselves has been very present for me lately.   The following is a lesson I gave last week as a part of a 6th grade unit called, Where does the world live? exploring how people live in the world, and what challenges some face, relying heavily on the book, Material World and Where Children Sleep.

Since both of these books are in English, I use them for their thought provoking and highly engaging photographs that we use in class for describing, narrating and asking questions in the TL.   In the context of this unit, I created a lesson around the following IKEA ad:



What did I do?

• I divided up the students into groups of three, after we watched the video once.
•  I told them that their group would eventually tell the story of the video, and asked them to think about what language they would need to tell the story of the video, and identify the gaps-or language they didn't know but would need for the task. 
• While watching the video a 2nd time, the students individually make a list of 10 or less words they needed to look up to help them tell the story- none of the words on the list could be verbs(they're not working with conjugating verbs from infinitives). While they worked to create a list of their unknown words, I wrote recycled, conjugated verbs on the board(from previous units), like es, son, tiene, hay, va, da, lee, mira, limpia, come, invita, cambia.
• After the 2nd viewing, the groups worked together to come up with a final list. Using wordreference.com, they looked up the words they would need to write the story.
• Next, during a silent writing time, each student wrote an opening line to the story using new/recycled language. After a few minutes working by themselves, they shared their opening lines with the group. As a group, they decided how to combine/use the language for a group created opening line.  We put those up on the board, and took a vote on what would be the opening line to use for the stories.( This was an opportunity to fine tune and do a little instruction):

 

• Working in a similar manner, they created the last line of the story.
• Finally, each student wrote 2 sentences to go in between, and the group worked together to again combine language from the individuals to create the group story.
• With the text from their stories, some of the students wanted to make a storyboard version of the video.

I treat this activity as a forum for instruction and creation. The students are creating with the language, self-selecting new vocabulary, recycling previously used language chunks and vocab(feelings, weather, activities, descriptions), and getting lessons throughout on vocab/grammar use(for example, drawing their attention to the repetition they see among sentences and asking them to co-construct the grammar rules).  This process takes 3-4 classes(FLES length), and helps to lay the foundation for their performance assessments on which they need to describe or explain by themselves.

Using Twitter... in Elementary!

Personally, I love Twitter. I mean, have you been on #langchat?  As a teacher, my favorite part of Twitter is the 140 character limit.  This provides a wealth of authentic reading material for my elementary students to work with, and can easily be tailored to the unit themes and student interest.

I'll lay it out for you:

1) Take a look at your units and start searching twitter. My 4th graders are looking at biodiversity and conservation-so I follow @WWF España and @WWF_Mexico.

2) Choose some tweets that are relevant, and of high interest.

WWF España Verified account ‏@WWFespana 15h15 hours ago

También celebramos la #HoradelPlaneta por los osos polares: su vida depende del hielo http://www.horadelplaneta.es 

This tweet makes interpreting authentic text doable: it's not overwhelming, and provides great visual support which novices need.  While following WWF España we discovered lots of hashtags for different causes including #loboSi, and we learned about the plight of wolves in Spain.

3) Create activities that work toward the unit goals:

1.  I can understand some words and phrases about conservation in a tweet, email message 
2. I can talk about ways I can help the planet .

The first step is interpreting the tweets-this is when I ask students to look for cognates, words/phrases they already understand,  and take a look at the image and then make some guesses.  If needed, they look up a couple of words in wordreference to fill in the gaps.

In preparation for Hora del Planeta on March 19, we looked at tweets under #horadelplaneta and then the students created their own on our class "Twitter feed."  It looks like the one for Earth Day below.

 

The final piece of this is using a tweet for a conversation topic: Talk to a friend about your opinion-do you agree with the tweet? Why? Why not? Talk to your friend about ways you are helping the planet. Children can also describe the picture or compare the cause to one they know of in the US. (This is where differentiation comes into play-not everyone will have the exact same conversation, rather some will work comparing, and others will be able to discretely describe the photo)

This was a big hit with my students and it can be transferred to a whole range of themes, depending on the unit on which you're working. 

Focusing on Global Citizenship...Even with the Littles

 

One of the foundational materials of the Montessori elementary curriculum is Fundamental Needs of Humans. I think this can be a gold mine for WL teachers.   This material focuses on the interconnectedness of people and their needs- a great base when broaching global citizenship with elementary aged children. At my school, children participate in Trick or Treat for Unicef,  and I thought this to be an untapped opportunity for Spanish class.  

What did we do?

• I volunteered the Spanish department  (OK, that's me and a part time assistant teacher) to sponsor our school's elementary-middle school Trick or Treat for UNICEF efforts. (Can you say positive PR for WL?) That meant that I was responsible for ordering the trick or treat boxes, distributing them, collecting the funds and sending them in. 

•  We adapted some of the Trick or Treat teaching materials to Spanish and tapped UNICEF España for back up here: Check out their Pinterest Board.   I had to accept that there would be some English use in this-UNICEF has amazing videos, in English, to help explore the challenges children in the world face around water, nutrition, education and health.  However, the majority of the materials are great for adapting to the TL, and UNICEF produces all kinds of child friendly teaching materials, in a variety of languages, including  these video clips and games from the UNICEF-Pocoyo partnership on los derechos del niño.

• Something that really helped was partnering with the homeroom teachers to take care of the business that would have been too advanced for our students in the TL, creating a great tie between Spanish class and the homeroom.  This was a school-wide effort-children from kindergarten through middle school worked on this in Spanish classes. (Below was used with K-6)

UNICEF offers lesson plans on their website-with photos perfect for describing and discussing.  We used many of these photos to create flashcards with needs in Spanish: bomba de agua, vacunas, nutrición, etc.  At the beginning of the unit, we used these to teach new vocab, but in combination with photos of videojuegos, dulces, juguetes, etc, we asked the children to start categorizing and thinking about whether something is a need or a want.  Simple language: ¿Es necesario? o ¿No es necesario?

While considering what's necessary we introduced the question about what children might be lacking in places around the world(geography connection!).  I never want to pose problems to the children in which they feel helpless-this is why I love this program, because the children can develop awareness of needs in the world AND take action in an age appropriate way. 

During Spanish classes, we set goals based on these graphics:

(photo below)This part was done in the homeroom, then the information could be used in Spanish class-talking about how much money was raised and then what material support could be provided: # de vacunas, bombas de agua,  protección contra malaria, etc).

This first go was a lot of work, but in subsequent years, it will get easier and more automated for us, and well worth the preparation.  

In the end, children(in the TL) can:

 1) Identify needs, wants  

 2)  Identify challenges in the world to meeting needs

 3) Identify and suggest solutions to these challenges

 4) Name/find places on a map that are mentioned in lessons

 5) Talk about which materials goods (and how much) they were able to provide

Developing personal, self-selected vocabulary

 

 In my 4th-6th grade classes, I emphasize developing a personal vocabulary list during the course of a unit.  It doesn't take long for the children to see why this is important-what they want to say isn't the same as what I, the teacher, want them to say.  

We start the unit with a basic list of vocabulary and language chunks-or conjugated verb phrases, that the children need for the unit can-dos. This list, with a unit description and self-assessment are pasted into their class notebooks. Next to this are 1-2 blank pages for their own vocabulary list.  This list is developed over the course of the unit, based on the authentic videos, texts and recordings we use and of course, language collected through ¿Cómo se dice?  Generally, the children also investigate new vocab/language chunks through the course of in-class interpersonal and presentational writing tasks, too. What I notice, is that when the children want to and need to use language, they add it to the list and start using it regularly. 

Some of the children overshoot it a bit and want to write every word they hear, some add very little, but most do develop their own self-selected list of language that they start using, which extends past the unit of study. 

Here's one on day one of a new unit:

At the end of 3 months(my students meet 3x on a good week):

 

I noticed that during the unit on ¿Qué come el mundo?, one of my students added the work alérgica, allergic, because it's personal and pertinent to her when we go out to eat at a local Mexican restaurant.

So, how do I assess this?  Let me preface this by saying that 4th-6th grades in my school do not receive grades-so I can assess progress without grade assignments.  One way I look at new language use is through rubrics for performance on tasks. Below is my general class rubric that covers most tasks. As I see about 200 children, ranging from ages 7-14, having a general rubric on hand is helpful.  I include going beyond the task-the children know that this means, asking questions, including additional relevant information and new vocabulary/language.  On specific tasks, I use more involved rubrics for each mode I'm assessing, but for class work, or quick activities, I find this one works. 

Communication	My errors in grammar, word order, pronunciation and word choice rarely prevent communication.	My errors in grammar, word order, pronunciation and word choice sometimes prevent communication.	My errors in grammar, word order,pronunciation and word choice prevent communication.
Task Completion	I completed more than I was asked to do: using new/personal vocabulary, new/personal phrases.	I completed everything I was asked to do.	I completed most everything I was asked to do.	I completed little of what I was asked to do.

Feedback for the Masses...

One of our six core teaching practices is providing appropriate feedback in writing and in speech on various tasks.   I believe this is important for students to improve and have some agency in their language development.  I want to do this consistently. I also have over 200 students... and growing.

Tracking student growth is a key part of this dilemma-especially in schools that use student growth as a benchmark for teacher compensation and retention.  How can I follow best practices and manage it with the numbers?  Here are some things I'm doing successfully and things I want to do, but...I want to hear from you: How are you doing it and managing the numbers?  I hear it at my state and regional conferences and at ACTFL -there are a lot of us out there working to figure it out.

I am using these techniques for 4th-8th grade,  from Laura Terrill:

1) Tracking progress:  I have a clipboard for each of my classes-with the unit can-do statements, and student names, so as I see/hear students complete tasks during the unit on assessments, I am checking them off.  I can use this to answer parent questions like "How is my child doing/How can they improve?"  I can look at the can do list to see what they can do so far.  (Below-my 7th grade roster)

2) Self-Assessments:  The students  receive a self-assessment for each unit,  pasted into their notebooks. The self-assessment form has the unit can-dos, and three columns: yes, with help, not yet.  Students can use this to monitor progress and have meaningful, specific conversations with me about where they are at. (Below-from my 5th grade, What is a Family? unit)

3) Task Rubrics:    At the bottom of each assessment is the rubric for that task(on an IPA-there may be three rubrics) so I can give very specific feedback to that student, on each area. (This one is an example from a 5th-6th grade unit on What the World Eats)

Listen to David from Spain:  http://www.audio-lingua.eu/spip.php?article934

List three foods he likes(in English)

1____________________________ 2___________________________

3____________________________

How does he feel about vegetables? ______________________________________________

Strong comprehension		Identifies the  complete    main  ideas(s) of the  text
Meets expectations		Identifies the key parts of the main  ideas(s)  of the  text but misses some elements.
Approaching expectations		Identifies some parts of the main  ideas(s) of the  text
No comprehension		Does not provide a response.
Comments:

Things I'm looking to do...

1) TALK scores:  This technique comes from Eileen Glisan and Judith Shrum, and looks at assessing interpersonal speaking focusing on target language use(and appropriateness to the situation), accuracy, listening and kindness(since I'm in Montessori, I really like that it includes kindness).  The idea is to circulate during interpersonal activities and listen for those four areas-assessing each student at least once during a two week or so period, trying to assess each student twice over the course of the unit.  Using the Glisan and Shrum model, I'm planning to use the rubric below that can be filled out quickly, and hopefully recorded quickly in my roster.

✓excellent!    + Good/Fair     - needs work

	(T)arget Language	(A)ccuracy	(L)istening	(K)indness

(roster view):
✓excellent!    + Good/Fair     - needs work

Class:	(T)arget Language	(A)ccuracy	(L)istening	(K)indness
Name
Name

2) Class passports

 This feedback technique appeals to me for younger learners- first through third grade groups, in my case. Each child has a little booklet(passport)with their name and can do statements for the unit/units we're working on. As we progress through the unit, the child, working with the teacher, gets a stamp on their completed can-do, filling their passport with can-do stamps.  With so many children, this would require lots of work at the beginning, but once up and running, seems like it would be easy to integrate into the class practices.

Are you using any of these?  What are you doing to help give appropriate feedback in writing and in speech to your elementary learners?  I want to hear about what's working in your setting. 

Teaching for Proficiency-Like Your Hair's on Fire

"In trying to get her alcohol burner to light, I set my hair on fire and didn't even know it until the kids started screaming," he says. "But as ridiculous as that was, I actually thought, if I could care so much I didn't even know my hair was on fire, I was moving in the right direction as a teacher — when I realized that you have to ignore all the crap, and the children are the only thing that matter."  

Rafe Esquith, from Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire

 I recently read a tweet from a teacher-"Writing a curriculum for proficiency is like building an airplane while in flight." 
Plane in mid-flight. Hair on fire.This is what I aspire to.

Despite all the stuff we have to deal with as teachers-schedules, logistics, school requirements-I try to stay focused on those things that matter: The children. Proficiency. Cultural context. The children. Justice. The children.  Curriculum development. The children.

A Fresh Start in the Classroom for 2016?

I'm always a sucker for the New Year's Resolution: I'll get fit this year, I'll save money, take a trip, I will be a better me.  Clean slate. Fresh start. But it's not really a fresh start when I return to school tomorrow. In fact, I'm just approaching the halfway mark in what I think of as a  marathon that started last summer.  In December, my elementary students didn't neatly wrap up their thematic units-rather they're in the midst of messy exploration of biodiversity and conservation, and what defines a family while working to express thoughts and opinions with new language.   So, I'm setting aside thoughts of resolutions and am simply going to reflect on where my students and I are now-what's going well, and what needs some attention.  I feel like I'm hitting my stride and I want to keep going, so...

• This summer I tossed the textbook and replaced it with units that I have written centered on themes and can-dos.  The students focus on language function and developing global mindset-asking questions and exploring their answers using the language.  It rocks. The children like it and so do I.
• The students are slowly building bridges with children from other parts of the world via pen pals.  I'd like to add more by using Mystery Skype and collaborating on projects virtually.
• In August I vowed to grade less and plan more-so I gave up homework. As we start 2016, the children  are still making progress and I feel freer than ever.
•  I want to create more IPAs. I think I'm assessing the three modes separately too much, and I'm working to find the best way to do that with 9-10 year olds.

 So, where are you at? What's going well as we approach mid-year?  What tweaks are you making to your plan?

By the way,  I am still aiming to convert the clothes hanger back into a treadmill-it's a whole new year, after all.