at beginning we focused on pronunciation and comparison to the Spanish text (all students today speak Spanish)
this was an interesting exercise to read in English a text that students know in their own language but do not immediately see as similar, when they are actually quite similar!
agreed upon Red/ Yellow card strategy
Yellow card when student +/- understands the ENglish but is not sure
explanation will be in English
Red card when student does not understand
explanation will be in Spanish
distributed worksheets packet (11 pages) from Level Intro (Red) for students to work on
they are to complete for next week
worked in groups of 2 on dialog exercises
key was:
comprehension aided by on-page translation of English dialog
free response questions
student responses served as learning point given mistakes
discussed how Spanish has gender but English does not
rule =
if it's a person (human) use gender
if it is a thing, use "it"
started on Numbers worksheet, but errors on the worksheet needed to be corrected for next week
Wed Nov 6
Began and ended class with Hail Mary.
Reviewed "to be" in the present tense.
a few students described themselves as "I have 30 years" on the placement exam last week and wanted to go over "I am hungry" vs "I have hunger"
We went over three worksheets with varying difficulties. Students flew through it, with only a few mistakes.
Had students practice asking each other yes or no questions. Teachers went around to ask questions and help with any mistakes..
Went over "to have" in the present tense and phrases with "have to".
Had students work together asking each other questions.
A student had questions about how to ask if a store carried an item and led to a great discussion
Thoughts for next time:
go over some verbs in the present and past tense.
work more listening comprehension or videos into class.
I'd like to try to focus the next lesson around a specific scenario if possible.
ex. phrases to use in a hospital would be practical and would help a student who is working to get her nursing certifications
Sun Nov 3
Lesson Plan 2 Sun, Nov 3
We started prayer with "Hail Mary", working through each word carefully in order to pronounce clearly (articulate) every vowel and consonant sound.
ex. "full of grace": students are to clearly articulate the "ull" sound of "full" and the "se" sound of "grace"
We reviewed last week's lessons, especially to reminder students about how English is a mixture of different languages, which is why it has so many synonyms (similar meaning), homophones (sound the same, spelled differently)
a student mentioned that English has rules but many exceptions -- exactly!!
students were reminded that learning a language goes from the ear >> to the mouth >> to the mind
in order to practice "hearing" and "listening" English, we read three very difficult sentences with unfamiliar words, paying attention to the sounds and not the meanings
we worked on the articles "a" "an and "the"
a = precedes a hard sound (makes a breath to say, such as "cow")
an = precedes a soft sound (makes no breath to say, such as "apple" )
we reviewed ESL resources available to students at the Arlington Country Public Library.
Wed Oct 30
Handed out the pre-assessment as students came in and reviewed individually and as a class
Used example job posting online that students filled out.
goal to evaluate any gaps with filling out forms and reading the instructions
circle one of the below, write your email etc.: no issues
had students stand up and introduce themselves to each other in English
and practice asking each other about the fields on the form.
instructors listened and asked students questions.
Students did very well.
When asked to spell their email address or the street they a few got some of the letters mixed up that make the same sounds in both English and Spanish (E -> A and I -> E). Would be worth reviewing in a future class.
We ended class with the "Hail Mary"
Edwin pointed out after class that not all students speak Spanish. One of our basic level students spoke the native language of the country he was from. Something to keep in mind if we try to explain something in Spanish. I'll try asking each student if they speak Spanish next week.
Next week includes:
grammar rules, like conjugating "to be" in the present tense.
Sun Oct 27
Lesson Plan 1, Sun, Oct 27Started and ended with Rosary prayers in English, “Hail Mary” and “Hail Holy Queen” using prayer cards we gave them
Students worked on the pre-assessment
It was useful, and they liked working on it
We learned that each skill (out of 8 questions) is its own lesson, but that’s expected.
Walked through the lesson plan on differences between English and Spanish, English origins and quirks, etc.,
They were mostly unable to follow instructions in English.
we had to translate much of the lesson with reinforced explanations in Spanish.
We practiced saying words with diphthongs and odd spellings
including homophones
Goal for students: to use and expose themselves to English in some, any way, especially through daily Mass, Rosary, or watching a program, even if they don’t understand it.
English learning goes: from the ear >> to the mouth >> to the brain
Next week:
verbs
personal introduction practice
writing >> see Wed 10/30 note on inverted letters in emails (!)
