Arrive at school running late-I drop Ms. B off at school so I come in about five minutes (if I'm lucky) before the students arrive.
7:28-7:35 Check classroom, answer phone about a conference, say hi to my podmates (who are amazing!) and go to pick up the students.
7:35-8:28 7th grade continuing Spanish. We start the bell ringer but a few straggle in late. I am really trying to focus on culture so we are doing Tin Marin. It is a great activity that the students seem to enjoy. 7:42 a few more students trickle in and try to catch up in their INB (interactive notebook). We do student led TPR and using the nerf ball the students count by two's to 100. Phone rings and the office has the wrong #. We go over tonight's homework. As students are filling in their homework, I hand out progress reports. I go over the procedure for early release on Wed. and remind them that all late/missing/absent work is due by Friday. Most students do not have their agenda so I make them write it on a piece of paper to make sure that they at least wrote it down. We take ten minutes (I only planned for two) to go over homework. We are focusing on the verb "ir" I realize that I forgot to do the review of the verb so I make a mental note to do that for next class.
We start the spinner game where students roll the dice and spin the wheel to write sentences. Most students are getting the subject part but not how to conjugate a verb. We do a brief review and get at least one sentence written down. (we will revisit later)
We move on to our "living maps". Due to field trips, pacing, and early release days, these students have not started their "living maps" so I have to regroup again. I hand out their papers, put them in groups of three and begin to tell them how to design their maps. We get to their groups (of course they don't want to work with the group I gave them) and the bell rings. We will out guia de participar they give me their ticket out the door. I go to pick up second period.
8:31-9:21 7th grade continuing spanish.
We begin with more of a routine-students ask each other questions in the target language, a student calls out names to take roll, a student throws the ball for numbers (we only get to 50) and student led TPR (total physical response--this gets the wiggles out. I start each class with this-at least I try to) Students get out their agenda and write tonight's homework in it. Several students hand me late work, I hand out progress reports. I go over the procedure for early release on Wed. and remind them that all late/missing/absent work is due by Friday.
We sing the song Adonde vas to activate prior knowledge about the verb ir. Phone rings, a student is arriving late to the pod and needs to be let in. I have a student go let her in.
A student puts the chart on the board, another student reads the question to review. I write one answer on the overhead and circulate to check comprehension. Several students do not have paper/pencil/notebook so I supply this. I also remembered today is a lockdown drill so I mention procedures about a lockdown. I write absent students names on their work and file it in the class folder to hand out on Wed. or Friday (due to the early release schedule). We move on to spinner boards but by this time its 9:04 and we have not done our living maps. We write one sentence down and I make a note to finish on Wed. or Friday.A student calls and asks me to please look for something he forgot. I find it and put it on my table. Students get in their map groups and start their symbols. We refer to our INB so we know what symbols to use. Warning bell rings and students return to their assigned seats. Fill out guia de participar, line up and give me their ticket out the door (a place they will include on their map). I have several students with grade questions so I am not able to walk the students in immediately. Questions are answered, I walk those students in.
9:25-9:28 brief breather
9:33-10:23 8th grade HS Spanish 1 Start with bell ringer and have to review quite a bit because students were out last week due to DC trip. I collect homework that was assigned before trip (most students do not have it
:() We begin to review -ar verbs by making sentences. Students take out their INB and write a subject. Several students say they are not clear what a subject is so we go back over it. A student is banging on the door (no one called so we could let them in) so we go to let them in). I circulate to check comprehension. After some reflection, I think I need to reteach a bit so we go over -ar verbs and how we drop the infinitive. They seem to "know" what to do but the application is just not connecting. I continue to circulate and several students are being more successful. I hand out progress reports. We review --er & --ir conjugations. I try to stay in the target language but students just are not with me so I go over what is a noun, what is a verb where do we put it? Students start making sentences and practice with a partner. The objective of the activity is just for review but upon reflection, I know I will have to do a lot more focused instruction. Phone rings to let someone in, we let them in and continue with our sentences. I quickly reflect to see how to reteach the concept. We go back to a song we learned in sixth grade. Bell rings-fill out guia de participar. Ticket out the door was a sentence with an -ar verb. I have several students with grade questions so I assist them and then walk to pick up my next group. 10:28-11:18 8th grade HS Spanish 1
Begin with the tongue twister bell ringer. This is my largest and most active class. I let the students speak a lot to practice. Several students arrive late. I collect work from last week and remind them that all late/missing/absent work is due by Friday. Many years ago I did not accept late work but I do not give homework as busy work. It is an extension of the classroom to show that the student understood the concept. If a student does not understand, I ask them to stay for tutoring. If most of the class is not understanding, I reteach using a different strategy. I start by reviewing what is a noun what is an infinitive? Phone rings and the student that left something this morning would like to come pick it up. I send a student to open the door and give him his item. Students are doing rather well, then the phone rings to call someone to the office and it is a challenge to reel them back in. We continue to practice sentences with partners but due to the size of the class, it proves to be difficult. I will record the students using vocaroo to assess speaking. In writing this, I realize I did not have a chance to ask about DC nor talk about homework. (wow-this is a really great way to reflect) Bell rings and it is time to go. I do not get to guia de participar.
11:20-12:12 Lunch and planning.
I stop by ISS to talk to several students about what we are doing in class and how they can access it to stay up to date. I agree with Robbie that you cannot recreate what takes place in the classroom. It is a struggle for me. My answer has been research on You tube to find videos that are teaching the same concept and I add it to the grade level symbaloo on my haiku site. So far, it seems to work.
Stop by the office to check my mailbox, go to the cafeteria to discuss something with Mr. P.
Return to my room and start grading papers. I want to make sure I give usable feedback. I check email, go warm up my lunch and have a wonderful discussion with my podmates. They reassure me about several things (I am so fortunate to work with such amazing people). Return to room, respond to several emails, eat lunch, speak to our amazing custodian and go to pick up my 6th graders.
12:12-1:05 6th grade beginning Spanish
Have a fabulous conversation with the students as we move to the pod. They ask how I am and we continue to the pod.
Start with warm up--number off 1's and 2's, 1's read first, 2's listen and then switch roles. I hear a lot of great pronunciation taking place. I am so proud. Do our TPR-I do numbers because of time. Students write homework in planners. We review our foil animals from last week-students "talk about them". I hand out the poem La tortuga pocaprisa. Each student will have line to memorize. I divide them up into groups of four. We have a group captain who must assist in pronunciation. We watch a short video about an elementary classroom in Costa Rica that also did this poem. They watch intently. Students break into groups and I circulate to assess speaking and reading. While circulating, I pass out progress reports. We watch once again and they say their part to the video. I go over lockdown procedures in case we have a lockdown. Ticket out the door is their line from the poem. I filled out absent students work, filed it in their folder and walk the students to 6th period.
1:08-1:55 6th grade beginning Spanish.
A very lively group. They love to speak and exercise so we do quite a bit of that. We do the poem and the students love it. The phone rings twice for students to go home. I give my keys to a student to walk the other student in and continue with the lesson. At this point, I figure we are not having a lockdown but I call the office to make sure. Students spot clean the room, fill out guia de participar and their ticket out the door is their line from the poem.
I turn off the projector and the overhead (so the bulbs will not turn out) and walk my car riders to the front. I get stopped on the bus lot by two students that left things in my room. They take the keys, find their stuff and get on the bus. I walk up to the lobby to make sure my car riders made it, have a lively conversation with our secretary, check my mailbox, contemplate needing something sweet from the snack machine and go to find a colleague for some advice.
2:00-3:15 Have a conversation with a colleague for some advice. Again, I am so fortunate to work with amazing people. Go to my department meeting and realize that one person is missing so we will have to have another department meeting since that person is only here on B days. My colleague and I go over her upcoming field trip, how to access the writing practice in Haiku and pacing. I make my way back to my room and grade two periods of papers. I am happy because these two periods seem to understand irregular verbs. I listen to several recordings the students have made and make a note that they will have to go outside the classroom to record from now on. The back ground noise is HORRIBLE. I make a note to see if there is an interactive program that I can record my voice and the students record their answers. The phone rings and it is a student who has left something in my room. I let them in and thankfully they find what they left. I update powerschool, email several parents, make a note to write thank you notes to the parents that were chaperones last week on our field trip, get everything ready for tomorrow and remember I have to call one more parent. They did not answer so I left a message.
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