The Best Worst First Day Ever
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| See that little speaker under the bulletin board? My husband got it paired to my iPad this morning, and it worked beautifully!! Adding to the beauty: my library on the left and my Art Club display on the right. |
But if I was sweating buckets in a windowless room with 25 teenagers, I had been a veritable fountain trying to wrap my mind around what a comprehensible AND engaging first day would look like in the weeks since iFLT! I was desperate to do my REAL job, to connect with the kids, to make them feel heard and supported and like they could keep up with the Spanish!
I had decided I needed to address them directly for this to work, so I scrapped the stations. I also needed to get them INVOLVED A. S. A. P., and fortunately Sra. Whisenhunt gave me just the in I needed with Nicky Jam’s new song! (More on that in another post!)
After we got good and silly with some call & response, I laid it on the line: it’s my job to BE UNDERSTOOD, and to make that happen, I will 1) direct your focus, 2) establish meaning, 3) repeat excessively, and 4) check in regularly.
Then I gathered some crowd pleasers to do a little PQA at Mme. Laine‘s suggestion (incorporating the choral “AWwwww” I got from iFLT for all “no me gusta” responses).
Then we collaborated to “decide” which order the class questions should go in using a shared Google Drawing, and wegot our notebook table of contents and our first page started.
They weren’t even freaked that they had homework the first day, with NINE. WHOLE…pictures.
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| Since I can’t get rid of all of the college’s tables, this is as close as I dared get to deskless–the mochila table worked pretty well. One of my colleagues even ended up copying me! |
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| Check out all of the meaning establishing I did! Question posters from Creative Language Class, a couple of my Essential Verbs, plus some posters I printed before planning to clarify some basics ahead of time, a la Linda Li. And just look at all of the meaning establishing I did on the fly! |
Also, I did want to make a note that this first day was also another special first. It is the first day of the first time I have been at the same school for a fifth year since I started 13 years ago!
16 Comments
jackie'snaturalnow · August 12, 2016 at 12:24 pm
Where can I find a copy of these poster?
jackie'snaturalnow · August 12, 2016 at 8:24 am
Where can I find a copy of these poster?
Sarah Whisenhunt · August 12, 2016 at 12:48 pm
I am so, so glad that Nicky Jam went well! I'm excited to present it to mine…I might even do it Monday (first day) like you did!
I hope you can have best best days ever real soon!
Sarah Whisenhunt · August 12, 2016 at 8:48 am
I am so, so glad that Nicky Jam went well! I'm excited to present it to mine…I might even do it Monday (first day) like you did!
I hope you can have best best days ever real soon!
Sra. Sexton · August 12, 2016 at 8:21 pm
The Creative Language Class posters are available on TPT:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Las-Preguntas-Question-Word-Posters-1153067
The Essential Verbs posters are available on my store:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Verbos-Esenciales-1763808
The other ones I LITERALLY just made the other day!
Sra. Sexton · August 12, 2016 at 4:21 pm
The Creative Language Class posters are available on TPT:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Las-Preguntas-Question-Word-Posters-1153067
The Essential Verbs posters are available on my store:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Verbos-Esenciales-1763808
The other ones I LITERALLY just made the other day!
Cecile Laine · August 14, 2016 at 1:10 am
Way to go Laura! Your first looked exciting!
Cecile Laine · August 13, 2016 at 9:10 pm
Way to go Laura! Your first looked exciting!
Rebecca Clesen · August 17, 2016 at 1:16 am
Awesome! What do your quiere and gusta signs say? Are they available somewhere? I made my own ver, leer…signs I've spent too much money on TPT lately :).
Rebecca Clesen · August 16, 2016 at 9:16 pm
Awesome! What do your quiere and gusta signs say? Are they available somewhere? I made my own ver, leer…signs I've spent too much money on TPT lately :).
Sra. Sexton · August 17, 2016 at 3:07 pm
I have some example questions/sentences for each word:
-GUSTA-¿Te GUSTA escribir? A mí me GUSTA escribir. A mi hermano no le GUSTA.
-QUIERE-¿Usted QUIERE más bebida? Sí. QUIERO* más, por favor. El no QUIERE más.
You can get posters for these and 8 other “Essential Verbs” in my TeachersPayTeachers store! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Verbos-Esenciales-1763808
Sra. Sexton · August 17, 2016 at 11:07 am
I have some example questions/sentences for each word:
-GUSTA-¿Te GUSTA escribir? A mí me GUSTA escribir. A mi hermano no le GUSTA.
-QUIERE-¿Usted QUIERE más bebida? Sí. QUIERO* más, por favor. El no QUIERE más.
You can get posters for these and 8 other "Essential Verbs" in my TeachersPayTeachers store! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Verbos-Esenciales-1763808
Emily Lampe · August 21, 2016 at 7:14 pm
I really like that song but after looking at the lyrics I'm not sure it's appropriate for my Freshmen. I'd like to incorporate more music that my students will enjoy this year but so many of the themes are iffy. How do you handle this or is it that you teach older students? I realize they won't comprehend the whole song, but I also know they'll look it up if they like the song or ask heritage speakers what the song is about.
Emily Lampe · August 21, 2016 at 6:32 pm
I really like that song but after looking at the lyrics I'm not sure it's appropriate for my Freshmen. I'd like to incorporate more music that my students will enjoy this year but so many of the themes are iffy. How do you handle this or is it that you teach older students? I realize they won't comprehend the whole song, but I also know they'll look it up if they like the song or ask heritage speakers what the song is about.
Laura Sexton · August 21, 2016 at 10:35 pm
Fair question. My students are sophomores, so a LITTLE older (it does make a difference though!) I do emphasize that Nicky Jam CLEARLY loves DANCING, and THAT is obviously what he wants to do until dawn. Also, if they're looking up other parts, I didn't assign it. Can I help teenage curiosity? *deniable culpability*
If you're that concerned, there are a bunch of safer songs out there. Try my playlist from last year! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcpOEMTiV4UHct0_Sh350zH7mbScbs9oL
Laura Sexton · August 21, 2016 at 6:35 pm
Fair question. My students are sophomores, so a LITTLE older (it does make a difference though!) I do emphasize that Nicky Jam CLEARLY loves DANCING, and THAT is obviously what he wants to do until dawn. Also, if they're looking up other parts, I didn't assign it. Can I help teenage curiosity? *deniable culpability*
If you're that concerned, there are a bunch of safer songs out there. Try my playlist from last year! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcpOEMTiV4UHct0_Sh350zH7mbScbs9oL
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