Hi gang. Thursday began in an especially chaotic fashion. Lots of students were asking after their grades, homework assignments, the date of the final exam. I wasn't sure what to tell them. Do we have the final exam date set? I distributed retakes with the explicit instructions that it was a Closed-Book take-home. Only two students submitted the writing assignment I created, so to all instructors, look out for these as they come in and just leave them in the box for me to collect.
I couldn't find the corrected lección 5 exams that Manning and Cline turned in. Are they in the box, or did someone take them home? In any case, I need them because I'm trying to get all of 5 graded for Mara.
The rest of class was vocab intensive. We talked about food vocabulary, discussed different ways to express likes +dislikes, and finally read the dialogue and wrote our own modified skit.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010
Hi everyone! Today we did some activities with the present progressive to prepare for the exam re-take, and also reviewed difficult consonants like g, q, and j (by request of the students). Then we began Leccion 8 by going over the food vocabulary. We used the menu from the book to act out little restaurant scenes (three tables simultaneously). We did not start any of the new grammar. I let them know that they all need to come to class tomorrow whether they are re-taking the test or not. I took home all of the Leccion 7 quizzes to grade.
Monday, November 22, 2010
11//22/10
Hi All,
We reviewed direct+indirect object pronouns for the first half hour of class. We then covered the hace tiempo que constructions, finishing up the first half of class with some exercises from the book. The second half of class was all preterite, drilling the conjugations. They'll need a lot more work Tuesday if they're going to take the exam on Wednesday.
Kara, I told them you would return the 4-6 exam tomorrow, and many of the guys are asking after workbook exercises also. I also noticed the course evaluations. We should do those soon, no?
I distributed the next writing assignment, which they're to turn into me next Thursday, and I've also given them the chance to correct some of their mistakes from Exam 5 for half credit, so they may turn those in to Tom, if there's class on Friday, or Kara next week.
OK!
We reviewed direct+indirect object pronouns for the first half hour of class. We then covered the hace tiempo que constructions, finishing up the first half of class with some exercises from the book. The second half of class was all preterite, drilling the conjugations. They'll need a lot more work Tuesday if they're going to take the exam on Wednesday.
Kara, I told them you would return the 4-6 exam tomorrow, and many of the guys are asking after workbook exercises also. I also noticed the course evaluations. We should do those soon, no?
I distributed the next writing assignment, which they're to turn into me next Thursday, and I've also given them the chance to correct some of their mistakes from Exam 5 for half credit, so they may turn those in to Tom, if there's class on Friday, or Kara next week.
OK!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
November 9, 2010
Today we continued working on Chapter 6. I started by answering some questions, and we ended up talking about the difference between pedir and preguntar, and reviewing "que quiere decir" and "como se dice." We also talked again about tu, usted, and ustedes. We talked about the e~i verbs and did exercise A p. 138 to practice them. We just started working on the pronouns for objects of prepositions, but didn't do any of the exercises.
I have Hector's homework about el mes de julio and all the exams.
I have Hector's homework about el mes de julio and all the exams.
Friday, November 5, 2010
SQ SPanish 11/4
Saludos a todos,
And sorry this posting comes a bit late. Yesterday, Thursday, was devoted to reviewing chapter five. Drew and Paul sat at the front of the class; Drew was bright-eyed and bushy, Paul a little less. I reiterated the drop date and Friday's exam, but I assume everyone in the class has made their decisions.
We began class with a "gap-reading exercise;" each student reads one half of a little blurb in Spanish about Madrid and Spanish society, and then in English explains to their partner what there half contains. Next we covered some of the irregular first person sing. verbs and o-ue stem changes. We did a few exercises from the text book, some related activities requiring them to modify third to first person sentences, and finally I set them loose to generate their own sentences that they read in front of the class. A follow-up activity, where they had to formulate questions for each other with the same verbs, sputtered out pretty quickly and it seemed pretty clear that the next thing we need to work on is formulating questions.
After the break we touched on saber/conocer, which they seemed to grasp pretty well. They assured me that they were good on comparatives, so we did a group activity, "abogado del diablo," in which I would provide them with a statement: Barry Bonds es el mejor jugador de béisbol, and they would have to contradict it, propose their own sentence, etc. This didn't work well, and we spent the rest of the class session reviewing the different comparatives, but they still seemed shaky by the end of class. I've already recommended to Tom that he review the different comp. forms in advance of the quiz.
Nick
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Updated schedule
Hi guys,
I would definitely recommend reviewing the syllabus with the students and revising as needed. Right now, it looks as if the class is about a week behind schedule, which isn’t all that surprising and fairly typical. So, I think the remaining schedule looks something like this:
Quiz 5: This Friday, Nov 5 (Nick develops)
Test 4-6: Unlikely that you’ll have time to complete Cptr 6 and review 4-5 next week since Thurs is off, so does Mon, Nov 15 seem reasonable? (Kara develops)
Quiz 7: Mon, Nov 22 (Lindsey develops) [no class Thurs and Fri that week]
Quiz 8: Fri, Dec 3 (Mara develops)
Final: Fri, Dec 10 or sooner (Kara takes lead). Actually, I would recommend having it Thurs, Dec 9, just in case. That way, you can still have Thurs to fall back on.
Sorry, I know this message sounds confusing. I was going through the syllabus as I typed. Basically, it is the same syllabus, just a week behind. Can everyone teach an extra week at the end?
How is the new study hall system working?
Finally, I think the students would have time to complete one more short written assignment, maybe due right after Thanksgiving, Nov 29. Nick, it would be great if you could do that.
I would definitely recommend reviewing the syllabus with the students and revising as needed. Right now, it looks as if the class is about a week behind schedule, which isn’t all that surprising and fairly typical. So, I think the remaining schedule looks something like this:
Quiz 5: This Friday, Nov 5 (Nick develops)
Test 4-6: Unlikely that you’ll have time to complete Cptr 6 and review 4-5 next week since Thurs is off, so does Mon, Nov 15 seem reasonable? (Kara develops)
Quiz 7: Mon, Nov 22 (Lindsey develops) [no class Thurs and Fri that week]
Quiz 8: Fri, Dec 3 (Mara develops)
Final: Fri, Dec 10 or sooner (Kara takes lead). Actually, I would recommend having it Thurs, Dec 9, just in case. That way, you can still have Thurs to fall back on.
Sorry, I know this message sounds confusing. I was going through the syllabus as I typed. Basically, it is the same syllabus, just a week behind. Can everyone teach an extra week at the end?
How is the new study hall system working?
Finally, I think the students would have time to complete one more short written assignment, maybe due right after Thanksgiving, Nov 29. Nick, it would be great if you could do that.
November 2, 2010
Today we worked on o~ue verbs and did practica A on page 125. We also talked about the irregular yo verbs and did practica A on page 119. We practiced the verb conjugations by writing sentences and sharing them with the class. We also went over saber vs conocer again. I told them that they should prepare for a quiz on Friday, although I have no idea if there will be one . . .
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Today we started Chapter 5 by going through the vocabulary quite thoroughly. We discussed verbs like volver that use "a" after them, and talked about tan . . . como . . . (but didn't do any of the exercises relating to it). Then everyone wrote sentences using the vocabulary words and shared them with the class.
After the break we played a mixer game where people ask each other questions, using the vocabulary from chapter 4. At the end we talked about how to say p, t, and k (c/q).
After the break we played a mixer game where people ask each other questions, using the vocabulary from chapter 4. At the end we talked about how to say p, t, and k (c/q).
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Today's class didn't start until 3:30 due to the lock-down, and even then, only seven students came...without books. We tried to make do under the circumstances: I dug into my binder and pulled out a Spanish proverb worksheet, basically a list of ten Spanish sayings and ten English (very rough) equivalents. The inspiration for the exercise was to show them that Spanish is more than just a translation of English, that we say substantively different things in different languages. Seemed to work, and lots of students thought the Spanish proverbs were pretty crazy. Just to drive the point home, we reviewed another worksheet dealing with some unusual Spanish animal noises (el perro: gua gua; el gallo: kiri-kiri-kiri) and some accompanying verbs (aullar, etc.). With the remaining time, we all shared two books and did a reading comprehension exercise, pgs. 107-109.
Rough beginning aside, class went Ok. The guys still seem confused about WK Bk stuff, and someone was circulating the idea that only the unit exercises were graded, not the normal chapter stuff. I told them to turn everything in, b/c everything will be graded, but we should probably repeat and reemphasize the importance of doing all Wk BK exercises.
Chapter 5 is very short compared to the last chapter, so I only feel sorta bad that I didn't get started on it. Good luck Tom.
Rough beginning aside, class went Ok. The guys still seem confused about WK Bk stuff, and someone was circulating the idea that only the unit exercises were graded, not the normal chapter stuff. I told them to turn everything in, b/c everything will be graded, but we should probably repeat and reemphasize the importance of doing all Wk BK exercises.
Chapter 5 is very short compared to the last chapter, so I only feel sorta bad that I didn't get started on it. Good luck Tom.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Able to write on blog and student status
Hi everyone,
Nothing to report, but I am finally able to use this blog. Thanks for fixing the settings, Lindsey. Sorry to hear about the ongoing challenges with Drew. I agree that the class shouldn't be taught in English just for him. Can anyone confirm whether or not he is taking it for credit or pass/fail? Kara, I know you have spoken with him in the past. Unless he has a significant improvement in the next couple tests, I don't see how he will pass.
Speaking of who is taking the class for credit, has anyone (or can someone) confirm everyone's status: audit, pass/fail, credit? I can then update the spreadsheet with that information.
Best,
Mara
Nothing to report, but I am finally able to use this blog. Thanks for fixing the settings, Lindsey. Sorry to hear about the ongoing challenges with Drew. I agree that the class shouldn't be taught in English just for him. Can anyone confirm whether or not he is taking it for credit or pass/fail? Kara, I know you have spoken with him in the past. Unless he has a significant improvement in the next couple tests, I don't see how he will pass.
Speaking of who is taking the class for credit, has anyone (or can someone) confirm everyone's status: audit, pass/fail, credit? I can then update the spreadsheet with that information.
Best,
Mara
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
October 19, 2010
Today we did a review for the chapter four quiz. As I was walking to class, Drew handed me a type-written later saying that I am the teacher he has the most problems with. I basically taught the whole class in English. (Well, not really, but it felt that way). I asked them what they wanted to review, and Drew said "ser and estar." So we went over ser and estar, and it turned out a lot of them were confused by things like "tengo hambre" too. After the break we went over the "voy a" construction and stem-changing verbs as a class. I had everyone construct sentences, but we did not do any group work. At the very end I got a chance to do an activity I had prepared, where they correct incorrect sentences, but only for about five minutes. Drew said it was a really great class, but I am pretty concerned that they hardly spoke any Spanish at all. Carlin just sat there listening to his Ipod, but other people seemed pretty engaged, and Mark and Tony got a few good answers in.
Friday, June 11, 2010
As was the case with Daniel yesterday, only eight people showed for the class today. We went over the quiz for lesson 9 and the corrections. I passed the corrected papers back to those who were there. The rest are in the box. We also reviewed the writing and pronunciation of dates, as they seem to get lost and revert to English on the larger numbers. We read some accounts of the FIFA World Cup and the NBA playoffs, which they said they enjoyed. Finally, in Chapter 12, we went over the Ud. and Uds. commands, as well as the Practica A. 1 and 2 on page 290-1.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The pace of the class is a problem, any way we go. There is a wide range of grasp of the lessons so far. I think that a few of the students would be troubled if we slowed the pace. Others would be very grateful. I also think that any changes should be based principally on the needs of those taking the course for credit, not those of the auditors. When the course was given a few years ago, it comprised three semesters (six lessons per semester), but most students did not take the third semester. At the present rate of progress, we may have to delay the test for lessons 10-12. I am going to review the quiz for lesson 9 with them when I go in on Friday. We will have lots to discuss at our meeting.
Monday's test was ready in the "box". I also made copies prior to arriving. The students were not enthusiastic about having to take the quiz. Most commented to me that the pace of the class is too fast and I noticed discouragement among many of them. Consequently, we did not take the quiz. I handed it out so it could be studied. We worked as a group, pairs, and individually. I will give the same quiz plus another page or two on Wed.
We are scheduled to give the examen 10-12 on the 17th, I suggest we do so on the 21st. Thomas' "acividad especial" on the 18th should be a study hall/test prep time. I will prepare that examen 10-12 today and begin reviewing the material wed. after the ch 10 quiz. along w/ pronunciation.
We are scheduled to give the examen 10-12 on the 17th, I suggest we do so on the 21st. Thomas' "acividad especial" on the 18th should be a study hall/test prep time. I will prepare that examen 10-12 today and begin reviewing the material wed. after the ch 10 quiz. along w/ pronunciation.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010 class
I picked up the chapter 9 quizzes for correction, and told the class they should expect a quiz on chapter 10 on Monday. We read through the section on Central America, pp. 258-261. Getting into chapter 11, we started to read "Haciendo diligencias" but as there didn't seem to be much comprehension of the story, we left that, and moved on to "Hace...meaning ago" with the Practica on p. 269. Then we worked on present subjunctive forms of regular verbs, and got about halfway through the exercize on page 271. It's a slow go for most of the group.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Last Class Thursday May 13
Hi All,
Kara and I went in yesterday and proctored the exam. We had 23 students take it. Thanks Krista for creating the final! There were 2 small issues we found on it. 1 was that they hadn't learned the verb "correr" officially and the other was that they haven't officially learned the preterit form of "traer" (It's taught in Chapter 9). We also collected all the outstanding homework that students still had.
Kara took home the exams and all the non-Chapter 9 homework. I took home the Chapter 8 homework and am currently grading it. We now need to get together sometime soon to grade the final and come up with final grades for the class. I'll email everyone to see if we can get together sometime in the next few days.
Daniel
Kara and I went in yesterday and proctored the exam. We had 23 students take it. Thanks Krista for creating the final! There were 2 small issues we found on it. 1 was that they hadn't learned the verb "correr" officially and the other was that they haven't officially learned the preterit form of "traer" (It's taught in Chapter 9). We also collected all the outstanding homework that students still had.
Kara took home the exams and all the non-Chapter 9 homework. I took home the Chapter 8 homework and am currently grading it. We now need to get together sometime soon to grade the final and come up with final grades for the class. I'll email everyone to see if we can get together sometime in the next few days.
Daniel
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Tuesday, May 11
There was no class yesterday. Today, I continued with review for the final test over 7 and 8. Students had questions over demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, IOPs and DOPs, and the various meanings and uses of hacer (time and weather). Students with fewer questions studied, completed their homework (I told them we'd be collecting all hw on the last day of class), and practiced with the self-test (p. 234-237).
Kenyatta gave the only presentation. He read a article from a Peruvian newspaper aloud and translating it into English paragraph by paragraph. Charlie and Paul could not attend class today, so they did not give their presentation. Vinh said he'd be prepared to give his tomorrow.
At the end of class, a few students felt prepared but most wanted more time to review. Perhaps it'd be best to finish the presentations and respond to final questions tomorrow before administering the test on Thursday. Students also asked about a cheat sheet. While I am leaning towards a "no" (it is the final, after all), I told them I'd consult the other teachers and we'd have a response for them tomorrow. I also mentioned that preparing a study aid, even if they could not use it on the test, would help them prepare.
I'd be happy to help with grading the exam. It may be a good idea for the teachers still around to get together early next week to determine grades so we're not too late in getting them to Jody and Jennifer.
Thanks, and have a good end to the semester!
Krista
Kenyatta gave the only presentation. He read a article from a Peruvian newspaper aloud and translating it into English paragraph by paragraph. Charlie and Paul could not attend class today, so they did not give their presentation. Vinh said he'd be prepared to give his tomorrow.
At the end of class, a few students felt prepared but most wanted more time to review. Perhaps it'd be best to finish the presentations and respond to final questions tomorrow before administering the test on Thursday. Students also asked about a cheat sheet. While I am leaning towards a "no" (it is the final, after all), I told them I'd consult the other teachers and we'd have a response for them tomorrow. I also mentioned that preparing a study aid, even if they could not use it on the test, would help them prepare.
I'd be happy to help with grading the exam. It may be a good idea for the teachers still around to get together early next week to determine grades so we're not too late in getting them to Jody and Jennifer.
Thanks, and have a good end to the semester!
Krista
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6
Hi All,
Sorry about the late blog. I had about 18 students today. Given Kara's announcement that we wouldn't cover L9, I spent the entire class reviewing for the final exam. I started with L1 and got through about L3 with lots of digressions and questions answered.
Sorry about the late blog. I had about 18 students today. Given Kara's announcement that we wouldn't cover L9, I spent the entire class reviewing for the final exam. I started with L1 and got through about L3 with lots of digressions and questions answered.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Review
I forgot to mention that I had told students to continue working on the L8 homework and the L7 & 8 "check your progress" in their copied workbook handouts. Students already finished with those assignments have started to work on the Self Test in the book (p. 234-237) for L 7 & 8 for further review and practice.
Thanks, and I hope Thursday's class goes well.
Thanks, and I hope Thursday's class goes well.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Wednesday, May 5
Today's class went well. It was a small group (10 students) due to a memorial service that held up the count and prevented many students from getting to the ed building in time.
Going off what Kara posted about yesterday, we spent today responding to questions over the chapter 8 homework and reviewing informally IOP/DOP, preterit and weather expressions. The small group allowed us to work together and respond to specific questions. I picked up and will grade the l7 homework left in the box (as well as a couple for l8).
I agree with Kara's outlining for the end of the semester. Perhaps we can administer the quiz/presentations next Tuesday or Wednesday, and give them Thursday and Friday off? Or, if there is no class on Monday (I also am unable to teach on Monday), perhaps have a review and presentations on Tuesday and then the 7-8 quiz/test on Wednesday. Any thoughts? I could draft the test, although if there is any one else could volunteer, that would be great! Like Kara mentioned, getting the grades determined pretty quickly will be important. Perhaps we could meet next weekend or early the following week to compile and discuss grades?
Hope that tomorrow's class goes well. A word of warning: a funeral is scheduled for tomorrow which could impact the timing and occurrence of class. The guards suggested that tomorrow's teachers either call the ed building around 1:30 or 2 to see if normal programming is on. I'd suggest just showing up and being patient.
Going off what Kara posted about yesterday, we spent today responding to questions over the chapter 8 homework and reviewing informally IOP/DOP, preterit and weather expressions. The small group allowed us to work together and respond to specific questions. I picked up and will grade the l7 homework left in the box (as well as a couple for l8).
I agree with Kara's outlining for the end of the semester. Perhaps we can administer the quiz/presentations next Tuesday or Wednesday, and give them Thursday and Friday off? Or, if there is no class on Monday (I also am unable to teach on Monday), perhaps have a review and presentations on Tuesday and then the 7-8 quiz/test on Wednesday. Any thoughts? I could draft the test, although if there is any one else could volunteer, that would be great! Like Kara mentioned, getting the grades determined pretty quickly will be important. Perhaps we could meet next weekend or early the following week to compile and discuss grades?
Hope that tomorrow's class goes well. A word of warning: a funeral is scheduled for tomorrow which could impact the timing and occurrence of class. The guards suggested that tomorrow's teachers either call the ed building around 1:30 or 2 to see if normal programming is on. I'd suggest just showing up and being patient.
Tuesday May 4th
Hello all-
Class went just fine today. I devoted the class to mini-conferences, and gave about half of the students 10 minute conferences (to be completed on Friday). Sitting down with each individual student, we were able to address some of their more specific concerns and confusions, as well as discuss a general assessment of their work to date (or at least what I have graded/am aware of).
For Wednesday's teachers: I left the L7 packets I collected in the box- perhaps you guys can grade them or leave them for another teacher who can?
Also: I announced to the class today that we would not be covering L9 until next semester, and guaranteed them at least one class day off (Friday May 14th) before the coming semester. The class has seemed awfully overwhelmed for the past two weeks, and I just didn't think it was worth it to try and speed through reflexives etc in L9 for the sake of getting through the chapter. Therefore, the plan as it stands now is to test L7 and L8 next week RATHER THAN A CUMULATIVE TEST (either on Tues/Wed or Wed/Thurs) and offer review until then.
I also offered up some extra credit options for people who are seeking to pull their grade up or who have been testing poorly, etc etc. Students can write a composition (the description of which I can perhaps email out to other teachers later) and/or an oral presentation. It seems like a fair number of students will do the composition and four or five people are going to give oral presentations and have already been assigned dates. Three will be on Friday and two will be on Monday IF WE HAVE CLASS. Apparently Seth and Sharon are not teaching on Monday, so we need to see if some other teachers can come in that day to host class and hold a review. Is anyone available Monday May 10th? Unfortunately I work during the day on Monday, so am unable to come in.
I handed out the evaluation forms today and everyone in class completed them and gave them back to David Cowan. Michael Nelson, Bobby Evans, Frank Valdivia, Lamarr Mainor, and Luke Padgett were not there, but will hopefully get have evaluations delivered to their cells and turn them in either to David or to other teachers later this week. (If you receive them, just pass them on to David Cowan and he knows what to do with them).
Beyond that, we need to figure out a way to get grading done relatively quickly once the tests are collected, as well as wade through straggling homework packets etc. We also need to draft a test. Would anyone like to volunteer for this?
Additionally, from what I gathered today during conferences, it seems like each student has their own set of concerns, but overwhelmingly the two most confusing things in L7&8 for students were por/para and indirect object pronouns.
In other news, Nel got out of the hole finally and has decided to try and complete the class- he will be making up the second exam on Friday and will be taking next week's exam along with the rest of the class. He needs major support and catch-up, so if you have time to meet with him during class break or whenever, please do!
Hope all is well for everyone. Hope I don't sound bossy or awful- there's just a lot to get done in the next week and I want to make sure everything gets covered! Thanks to all...
Kara
Class went just fine today. I devoted the class to mini-conferences, and gave about half of the students 10 minute conferences (to be completed on Friday). Sitting down with each individual student, we were able to address some of their more specific concerns and confusions, as well as discuss a general assessment of their work to date (or at least what I have graded/am aware of).
For Wednesday's teachers: I left the L7 packets I collected in the box- perhaps you guys can grade them or leave them for another teacher who can?
Also: I announced to the class today that we would not be covering L9 until next semester, and guaranteed them at least one class day off (Friday May 14th) before the coming semester. The class has seemed awfully overwhelmed for the past two weeks, and I just didn't think it was worth it to try and speed through reflexives etc in L9 for the sake of getting through the chapter. Therefore, the plan as it stands now is to test L7 and L8 next week RATHER THAN A CUMULATIVE TEST (either on Tues/Wed or Wed/Thurs) and offer review until then.
I also offered up some extra credit options for people who are seeking to pull their grade up or who have been testing poorly, etc etc. Students can write a composition (the description of which I can perhaps email out to other teachers later) and/or an oral presentation. It seems like a fair number of students will do the composition and four or five people are going to give oral presentations and have already been assigned dates. Three will be on Friday and two will be on Monday IF WE HAVE CLASS. Apparently Seth and Sharon are not teaching on Monday, so we need to see if some other teachers can come in that day to host class and hold a review. Is anyone available Monday May 10th? Unfortunately I work during the day on Monday, so am unable to come in.
I handed out the evaluation forms today and everyone in class completed them and gave them back to David Cowan. Michael Nelson, Bobby Evans, Frank Valdivia, Lamarr Mainor, and Luke Padgett were not there, but will hopefully get have evaluations delivered to their cells and turn them in either to David or to other teachers later this week. (If you receive them, just pass them on to David Cowan and he knows what to do with them).
Beyond that, we need to figure out a way to get grading done relatively quickly once the tests are collected, as well as wade through straggling homework packets etc. We also need to draft a test. Would anyone like to volunteer for this?
Additionally, from what I gathered today during conferences, it seems like each student has their own set of concerns, but overwhelmingly the two most confusing things in L7&8 for students were por/para and indirect object pronouns.
In other news, Nel got out of the hole finally and has decided to try and complete the class- he will be making up the second exam on Friday and will be taking next week's exam along with the rest of the class. He needs major support and catch-up, so if you have time to meet with him during class break or whenever, please do!
Hope all is well for everyone. Hope I don't sound bossy or awful- there's just a lot to get done in the next week and I want to make sure everything gets covered! Thanks to all...
Kara
Monday, May 3, 2010
Friday, April 30th
Hi everyone,
I completely forgot to post, and I'm sorry that this is coming in too late for Monday's class. I'll be brief. The class was small on Friday due to a science fair and other activities. Eventually, about ten guys showed up. We went over "por" and "para" and the weather expressions. We also reviewed the preterite tense. Everyone seemed ready to move on to the next lesson, although we should probably continue reviewing direct / indirect objects, and the "por y para" difference for a few minutes in each class.
Good luck today,
Tom
I completely forgot to post, and I'm sorry that this is coming in too late for Monday's class. I'll be brief. The class was small on Friday due to a science fair and other activities. Eventually, about ten guys showed up. We went over "por" and "para" and the weather expressions. We also reviewed the preterite tense. Everyone seemed ready to move on to the next lesson, although we should probably continue reviewing direct / indirect objects, and the "por y para" difference for a few minutes in each class.
Good luck today,
Tom
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thursday, April 29
Hi All,
I had 15 students today. Mainly, I tried to finish Lesson 8. We went over the dialogue in the Cuban restaurant, the pronunciation of l, r, rr, and z, quickly covered the preterit of ser, ir, dar, and the stem-changing verbs. We went over the Practica A (I can't figure out how to do accents on this blog's word processor!) on page 194. The preterit seems to make sense to most of the students but it's difficult for me to cover it without covering the imperfect. I didn't get to the weather expressions on page 196 but I asked the students to do Practica A on pages 196-197 as homework.
Answering questions from the students I noticed that they are still having problems with the D.O. and I.O. pronouns used together and also with por/para.
I had 15 students today. Mainly, I tried to finish Lesson 8. We went over the dialogue in the Cuban restaurant, the pronunciation of l, r, rr, and z, quickly covered the preterit of ser, ir, dar, and the stem-changing verbs. We went over the Practica A (I can't figure out how to do accents on this blog's word processor!) on page 194. The preterit seems to make sense to most of the students but it's difficult for me to cover it without covering the imperfect. I didn't get to the weather expressions on page 196 but I asked the students to do Practica A on pages 196-197 as homework.
Answering questions from the students I noticed that they are still having problems with the D.O. and I.O. pronouns used together and also with por/para.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, 4/28
Yesterday, Kara went over por/para, and brought in a great handout to supplement the books description and also a worksheet for the students. She assigned exercise E in the self test (p. 236) for HW.
Today's class lasted for only 30 minutes because there was no out count today (computers down). There were about 15 students in class. Since it was short, we went over the HW exercise and reviewed the uses of por/para. Students then worked on p. 199-200 (ex. B and C) in pairs while I responded to individual questions. I collected some l7 HWs (some still needed to work on it and others had already turned it in).
We haven't had a quiz since the last unit exam. Should we have some type of evaluation (either test, composition or presentation) before the end of the semester? And, have we decided when the last class will be?
Thanks! I hope the rest of the week's classes go well.
Today's class lasted for only 30 minutes because there was no out count today (computers down). There were about 15 students in class. Since it was short, we went over the HW exercise and reviewed the uses of por/para. Students then worked on p. 199-200 (ex. B and C) in pairs while I responded to individual questions. I collected some l7 HWs (some still needed to work on it and others had already turned it in).
We haven't had a quiz since the last unit exam. Should we have some type of evaluation (either test, composition or presentation) before the end of the semester? And, have we decided when the last class will be?
Thanks! I hope the rest of the week's classes go well.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22
Hi all,
I had about 15 students in class today. We spent almost the entire class on the vocabulary for L8 on pages 187-189. I ended class with another look at sentences that use both direct and indirect object pronouns. I think that slowly but surely the students are starting to get it. Or am I being too optimistic?
I had about 15 students in class today. We spent almost the entire class on the vocabulary for L8 on pages 187-189. I ended class with another look at sentences that use both direct and indirect object pronouns. I think that slowly but surely the students are starting to get it. Or am I being too optimistic?
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wednesday, April 21
Hi everyone-
Sorry I'm posting so late, but I'm only just getting to the computer now. We had a good class today, and the consensus seems to be that Kara did a great job explaining the indirect and direct object pronouns, but that they would like to do even more review.
We spent the last 45 minutes of class going over these issues with some examples I had prepared. I went through in a step by step process in order to show how we get from "Ricardo da la torta a ti" to "Ricardo te la da." Thus, I showed them "Ricardo la da a ti" and even "Ricardo te la da a ti" before getting to the full substitution. I did another, similar example except this time with a third person indirect object pronoun in order to teach the "le lo" to "se lo" transformation. By the end of the class, the majority of students said they understood the pronouns, but they were pretty unanimous in hoping for another review.
At the beginning of class, we reviewed "gustar" in order to explain the "gustar type" verb "encantar" that appears in lesson 8, and I went over the preterite forms with them, including the stem changing verbs "preferir" and "dormir." I think they understand the basics of the preterite, but they need more exercises, if not full conjugations.
After this review, we broke into groups of three, and I had them construct a conversation about what they did yesterday using the preterite, gustar, and encantar.
Lastly, we spoke very briefly about rules of accentuation. I pointed them to the index (pgs 450-451), and I added the rules about strong and weak vowels. However, this was too quick, and it would be good to get them a basic handout with an explanation of accentuation.
Good luck tomorrow!
Tom
Sorry I'm posting so late, but I'm only just getting to the computer now. We had a good class today, and the consensus seems to be that Kara did a great job explaining the indirect and direct object pronouns, but that they would like to do even more review.
We spent the last 45 minutes of class going over these issues with some examples I had prepared. I went through in a step by step process in order to show how we get from "Ricardo da la torta a ti" to "Ricardo te la da." Thus, I showed them "Ricardo la da a ti" and even "Ricardo te la da a ti" before getting to the full substitution. I did another, similar example except this time with a third person indirect object pronoun in order to teach the "le lo" to "se lo" transformation. By the end of the class, the majority of students said they understood the pronouns, but they were pretty unanimous in hoping for another review.
At the beginning of class, we reviewed "gustar" in order to explain the "gustar type" verb "encantar" that appears in lesson 8, and I went over the preterite forms with them, including the stem changing verbs "preferir" and "dormir." I think they understand the basics of the preterite, but they need more exercises, if not full conjugations.
After this review, we broke into groups of three, and I had them construct a conversation about what they did yesterday using the preterite, gustar, and encantar.
Lastly, we spoke very briefly about rules of accentuation. I pointed them to the index (pgs 450-451), and I added the rules about strong and weak vowels. However, this was too quick, and it would be good to get them a basic handout with an explanation of accentuation.
Good luck tomorrow!
Tom
Tuesday April 20th
Hello hello-
Sorry that I have tripped up on the blog-posting lately. I go to work right after teaching and often don't get back until late and forget to write. My apologies.
Anyway, I taught yesterday and on Friday. Friday's class actually went really well. It was rather small- only about 15 guys ended up showing up, so we gathered tables together and sat conference-style which seemed to keep everyone much more engaged. We went over I.O.P. again (and again) and it seemed to click for a few students. I know they've learned this over and over again, but I think each of us must present it slightly differently and hopefully the repetition helps for those who are struggling to grasp this. Because Friday's class was so small and people took a very long time to trickle in, I ended up meeting with several students individually in mini-conferences so we could discuss where they were at in the class and talk about where their individual strengths and weaknesses seemed to be. This seemed to be really helpful for the guys and I recommend we do this again later in the week for the students who there wasn't time to meet with last Friday.
On Friday Angel also gave a fantastic presentation on Spanish-language music. He had written out poster-sized lyrics of several different artists and brought some CD's to play in the class, which the other guys loved. It really helped with listening comprehension and associating particular sounds with their spellings.
A whole group of students requested the opportunity to work n some extra credit, so we spoke about a written composition that must be turned in by next Tuesday, April 27th. I'd like to write up some formal expectations for this and perhaps offer a second option for those who would rather do an oral presentation instead.
As for yesterday, we spent still more time on I.O.P., though I tried not to let that monopolize class time. I also moved into L8 and we learned the preterit of ir and ser and I also introduced them to estar in the preterit, though this doesn't appear until L9, but I thought it'd be good for them to learn ser/estar at the same time so they can continue to sort out the difference between these verbs no matter what tense they are in. We went over some of the exercises in L7, particularly those that included both D.O.P. and I.O.P. I think it'd be a good time to move on to L8's lesson about the 'order of operations' in a sentence when both types of pronouns are present. We also spent a fair amount of time reviewing the difference between demonstrative pronounts and adjectives, and this seemed to go well. I find it helpful to do short grammar lessons in English when introducing this kind of stuff, because if a student doesn't know what a pronoun is in English, it often seems to present an unnecessary stumbling block to understanding these concepts in Spanish. I also handed out L8 workbook packets to those who hadn't received them, but didn't assign anything specific yet.
That's all I can think of! I know I have been one of the worst at posting on the blog, but I would like to make a request that we try to keep each other apprised of our lessons (at least the teachers who come in the day after us), because it is difficult to go in and teach if you don't know what's happened the day before. It sounds like the students loved listening to Willie Colon yesterday, but I had no idea what happened on Monday, so it was a bit hard to know what to plan for Tuesday. If the blog isn't working out, I'm happy to return to emailing.
And one last thing: who is able to help grade?? I am drowning in homeworks, quizzes, and extraneous assignments that keep trickling in. Would love some help. Let me know and we can figure out where to meet and hand off hw- karaurion@gmail.com. Thanks!
Sorry that I have tripped up on the blog-posting lately. I go to work right after teaching and often don't get back until late and forget to write. My apologies.
Anyway, I taught yesterday and on Friday. Friday's class actually went really well. It was rather small- only about 15 guys ended up showing up, so we gathered tables together and sat conference-style which seemed to keep everyone much more engaged. We went over I.O.P. again (and again) and it seemed to click for a few students. I know they've learned this over and over again, but I think each of us must present it slightly differently and hopefully the repetition helps for those who are struggling to grasp this. Because Friday's class was so small and people took a very long time to trickle in, I ended up meeting with several students individually in mini-conferences so we could discuss where they were at in the class and talk about where their individual strengths and weaknesses seemed to be. This seemed to be really helpful for the guys and I recommend we do this again later in the week for the students who there wasn't time to meet with last Friday.
On Friday Angel also gave a fantastic presentation on Spanish-language music. He had written out poster-sized lyrics of several different artists and brought some CD's to play in the class, which the other guys loved. It really helped with listening comprehension and associating particular sounds with their spellings.
A whole group of students requested the opportunity to work n some extra credit, so we spoke about a written composition that must be turned in by next Tuesday, April 27th. I'd like to write up some formal expectations for this and perhaps offer a second option for those who would rather do an oral presentation instead.
As for yesterday, we spent still more time on I.O.P., though I tried not to let that monopolize class time. I also moved into L8 and we learned the preterit of ir and ser and I also introduced them to estar in the preterit, though this doesn't appear until L9, but I thought it'd be good for them to learn ser/estar at the same time so they can continue to sort out the difference between these verbs no matter what tense they are in. We went over some of the exercises in L7, particularly those that included both D.O.P. and I.O.P. I think it'd be a good time to move on to L8's lesson about the 'order of operations' in a sentence when both types of pronouns are present. We also spent a fair amount of time reviewing the difference between demonstrative pronounts and adjectives, and this seemed to go well. I find it helpful to do short grammar lessons in English when introducing this kind of stuff, because if a student doesn't know what a pronoun is in English, it often seems to present an unnecessary stumbling block to understanding these concepts in Spanish. I also handed out L8 workbook packets to those who hadn't received them, but didn't assign anything specific yet.
That's all I can think of! I know I have been one of the worst at posting on the blog, but I would like to make a request that we try to keep each other apprised of our lessons (at least the teachers who come in the day after us), because it is difficult to go in and teach if you don't know what's happened the day before. It sounds like the students loved listening to Willie Colon yesterday, but I had no idea what happened on Monday, so it was a bit hard to know what to plan for Tuesday. If the blog isn't working out, I'm happy to return to emailing.
And one last thing: who is able to help grade?? I am drowning in homeworks, quizzes, and extraneous assignments that keep trickling in. Would love some help. Let me know and we can figure out where to meet and hand off hw- karaurion@gmail.com. Thanks!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Thursday, April 15
Well, we're back on for Thursdays at SQ. The bad news is that I didn't find out until 2:10PM today. I made it to the SQ trailers (at the same time as the educational officers) just before 3PM. So, we were only able to get 7 students to class (and 2 had to leave within 20 minutes).
So, class ended up being a personalized review session. We spent a lot of time on the L7 demonstrative adjectives and pronouns. This seemed to be very confusing for the students. Also indirect versus direct object pronouns in comparison to pronouns as objects of prepositions flummoxed the students. Finally, we also covered the gustar (and related) constructions.
So, class ended up being a personalized review session. We spent a lot of time on the L7 demonstrative adjectives and pronouns. This seemed to be very confusing for the students. Also indirect versus direct object pronouns in comparison to pronouns as objects of prepositions flummoxed the students. Finally, we also covered the gustar (and related) constructions.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Wednesday, April 14th
Today I handed back the exams with the compositions graded. Most did well, but 3 students put little effort into it, which dropped their grades into the failing range. I did not have a chance to speak to them (Vinh, Luke and Evans) individually, but would allow them to write another composition. Since this was their first composition, I spent the first half of class going over some of the common errors I saw (a good way to review what we have covered up to now). We also talked more generally about using the Spanish grammatical structures that we have already learned well when writing rather than thinking in English and translating into Spanish. Students suggested that we give them a composition outside of class when they can have more time to work on it. I agree, so we should coordinate our classes to assign, collect and grade a take home composition sometime before the end of the semester.
This review of the writing led us to talking again about indirect and direct object pronouns, their forms, their use and their order. I would encourage more review (or perhaps smaller groups and practice) with pronouns (including the pronouns of prepositions) especially before we introduce yet another set of pronouns with reflexive verbs.
In the second part of class, I taught "gustar" and other "flip" verbs. I made a handout that further explained the "gustar" construction and introduced other verbs that behave like "gustar" (encantar, hacer falta, faltar, caer bien/mal etc.). The handout had some exercises and the prompt for a writing exercise. It was a lot of new material, but I wanted to at least introduce these other forms since the book really doesn't go into it.
The students still need more time with the material from L7 to digest it, practice and clarify before the quiz. Everything except for the time expressions with "hace" has been taught, but I think more practice and individual or group work is needed to reinforce the multitude of concepts introduced in this lesson. Have a good class Friday!
This review of the writing led us to talking again about indirect and direct object pronouns, their forms, their use and their order. I would encourage more review (or perhaps smaller groups and practice) with pronouns (including the pronouns of prepositions) especially before we introduce yet another set of pronouns with reflexive verbs.
In the second part of class, I taught "gustar" and other "flip" verbs. I made a handout that further explained the "gustar" construction and introduced other verbs that behave like "gustar" (encantar, hacer falta, faltar, caer bien/mal etc.). The handout had some exercises and the prompt for a writing exercise. It was a lot of new material, but I wanted to at least introduce these other forms since the book really doesn't go into it.
The students still need more time with the material from L7 to digest it, practice and clarify before the quiz. Everything except for the time expressions with "hace" has been taught, but I think more practice and individual or group work is needed to reinforce the multitude of concepts introduced in this lesson. Have a good class Friday!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Wednesday, April 7
Today Tom and I started today's class by responding to questions about the exam. Kara had graded much of the exam over the weekend and reviewed it with students yesterday before recollecting it to finish grading the compositions. Some students raised questions about the grading, yet most felt that it was fair and comprehensive. They asked about when they would be getting them back completely graded. We weren't sure, but said we'd consult with the other teachers.
In the review, we went over changing affirmatives into negative sentences. We also returned to direct object pronouns and spent some time working through the exam questions and also the book exercises (p. 142-3).
After the break, we divided the class into two sections to continue working with direct object pronouns and to introduce indirect object pronouns. Working in smaller groups gave Tom and I the opportunity to better respond to questions and get a sense for the understanding among the students. Most students really liked the divided class for the grammar lesson and practice, asking us to do it again next week.
Students already have the Lección 7 workbook exercises. For HW, we told them to continue working on it and to study and practice DOP and IOP some more. We're now in L7 which is a really grammar intensive chapter (demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, IOP, verbs like gustar, time expressions with hacer, and preterit). It seems like a chapter that will need more like two weeks, so we told students not to feel rushed to finish the HW or study for a quiz by Friday (there will be no quiz this week).
Have a good class Friday.
In the review, we went over changing affirmatives into negative sentences. We also returned to direct object pronouns and spent some time working through the exam questions and also the book exercises (p. 142-3).
After the break, we divided the class into two sections to continue working with direct object pronouns and to introduce indirect object pronouns. Working in smaller groups gave Tom and I the opportunity to better respond to questions and get a sense for the understanding among the students. Most students really liked the divided class for the grammar lesson and practice, asking us to do it again next week.
Students already have the Lección 7 workbook exercises. For HW, we told them to continue working on it and to study and practice DOP and IOP some more. We're now in L7 which is a really grammar intensive chapter (demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, IOP, verbs like gustar, time expressions with hacer, and preterit). It seems like a chapter that will need more like two weeks, so we told students not to feel rushed to finish the HW or study for a quiz by Friday (there will be no quiz this week).
Have a good class Friday.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
OH!
Most importantly!
I forgot to say that after the students lobbied (quite persuasively, I might add) for a "cheat sheet," I gave in. For this exam, they are allowed to have a large index card (roughly equivalent to a half sheet of paper) of notes or formulas or the odd word that they might forget. This was something that Carlos had allowed for the quiz and it seemed to have worked well. The students didn't overwhelmingly score A's or anything, and it seemed to take the edge off of some of their trouble spots.
Is this ok with everyone else? I had to make a decision on the fly, so I'm very sorry I didn't consult with other instructors. They asked me in class about this yesterday, and there weren't going to be any more classes until the exam so I had to decide so that they could prepare. Hope this is ok with everyone!
I forgot to say that after the students lobbied (quite persuasively, I might add) for a "cheat sheet," I gave in. For this exam, they are allowed to have a large index card (roughly equivalent to a half sheet of paper) of notes or formulas or the odd word that they might forget. This was something that Carlos had allowed for the quiz and it seemed to have worked well. The students didn't overwhelmingly score A's or anything, and it seemed to take the edge off of some of their trouble spots.
Is this ok with everyone else? I had to make a decision on the fly, so I'm very sorry I didn't consult with other instructors. They asked me in class about this yesterday, and there weren't going to be any more classes until the exam so I had to decide so that they could prepare. Hope this is ok with everyone!
Tuesday March 30th
Hello all-
So I wanted to start off by thanking Krista for making the exam (and a key!) Glorious and much appreciated. The key is wonderful and I think will make for more consistent grading, which was a bit of a problem on the last exam.
Additionally, I wanted to take the time here to talk about grading briefly. Is everyone willing/able to grade or are there some teachers that are unable to? I was wondering if we could figure out somewhat of a system so that we can get work back to students in a timely manner. I'm happy to take on a bunch of grading but recently I've been taking home so much grading (both from students and the instructors' box) that I haven't been able to get through it all in order to get it back to the guys when the material is still useful to them. Anyway, just been thinking about that and wanted to bring it up. I think the grading key Krista created for the exam is great and can apply to quizzes/exams etc in the future as well. I'm happy to do a bunch of grading this weekend so we can return the exams to the students next Tuesday or Wednesday and use the class time to go over any problem areas. I think the sooner we get it back the better, so we can resolve any lingering confusion/ issues...
As for class, yesterday's class went well, albeit a bit rushed. I think they are ready for the exam, but it was a lot of material to review in a short time. I gave them an outline of the ten major things they should study for the exam, and stressed that it had many parts with each section counting for a (relatively) small number of points. I encouraged the students to hone in on their strengths and not get discouraged if there was one concept or another that was difficult for them to master, as they could demonstrate their strengths in other sections of the test. The guys seem to like structure and predictability, so I think the more we as teachers can be concrete about our expectations, timelines, etc, the better.
I handed out an extra combined Lesson 5&6 workbook packet to the students who hadn't received one so they could use it as a practice exam, and picked out the exercises in the textbook's self-test that would be most useful for them as practice for the exam. I also handed back the quizzes from Lesson 5 (sections 1 and 2), but was missing MANY of the guys' section 1 quizzes. Does anyone else have these? A handful of students did exceptionally well, but the majority of students received C's (and a few D's) on this quiz, all of whom lost major points when trying to construct comparative and superlative sentences. I told them that they could correct their sentences and re-submit the quizzes no later than next Tuesday and they could earn those points back. I will record the quiz grades in the shared document once I receive them back.
Beyond class stuff, there seem to be a lot of shifts going on at the prison. There is no class today because of Cesar Chavez day, and no classes in the foreseeable future on Thursdays due to guard reassignment. The past few Tuesdays I've gone in, it has taken the count a while to clear and I've been stuck there late. Has this been happening to anyone else?
Hope all is well with everyone. Happy belated spring!
Cheers,
Kara
So I wanted to start off by thanking Krista for making the exam (and a key!) Glorious and much appreciated. The key is wonderful and I think will make for more consistent grading, which was a bit of a problem on the last exam.
Additionally, I wanted to take the time here to talk about grading briefly. Is everyone willing/able to grade or are there some teachers that are unable to? I was wondering if we could figure out somewhat of a system so that we can get work back to students in a timely manner. I'm happy to take on a bunch of grading but recently I've been taking home so much grading (both from students and the instructors' box) that I haven't been able to get through it all in order to get it back to the guys when the material is still useful to them. Anyway, just been thinking about that and wanted to bring it up. I think the grading key Krista created for the exam is great and can apply to quizzes/exams etc in the future as well. I'm happy to do a bunch of grading this weekend so we can return the exams to the students next Tuesday or Wednesday and use the class time to go over any problem areas. I think the sooner we get it back the better, so we can resolve any lingering confusion/ issues...
As for class, yesterday's class went well, albeit a bit rushed. I think they are ready for the exam, but it was a lot of material to review in a short time. I gave them an outline of the ten major things they should study for the exam, and stressed that it had many parts with each section counting for a (relatively) small number of points. I encouraged the students to hone in on their strengths and not get discouraged if there was one concept or another that was difficult for them to master, as they could demonstrate their strengths in other sections of the test. The guys seem to like structure and predictability, so I think the more we as teachers can be concrete about our expectations, timelines, etc, the better.
I handed out an extra combined Lesson 5&6 workbook packet to the students who hadn't received one so they could use it as a practice exam, and picked out the exercises in the textbook's self-test that would be most useful for them as practice for the exam. I also handed back the quizzes from Lesson 5 (sections 1 and 2), but was missing MANY of the guys' section 1 quizzes. Does anyone else have these? A handful of students did exceptionally well, but the majority of students received C's (and a few D's) on this quiz, all of whom lost major points when trying to construct comparative and superlative sentences. I told them that they could correct their sentences and re-submit the quizzes no later than next Tuesday and they could earn those points back. I will record the quiz grades in the shared document once I receive them back.
Beyond class stuff, there seem to be a lot of shifts going on at the prison. There is no class today because of Cesar Chavez day, and no classes in the foreseeable future on Thursdays due to guard reassignment. The past few Tuesdays I've gone in, it has taken the count a while to clear and I've been stuck there late. Has this been happening to anyone else?
Hope all is well with everyone. Happy belated spring!
Cheers,
Kara
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Wednesday, March 24
We started today with a dictation (the first sentence from Borges' "Funes el memorioso") - more to get a feel for the language and to show the words and structures they've learned rather than to stress understanding. We went over the present progressive hw in the L6 handout and reviewed how to form present progressive. Then, I taught the remaining section of lesson 5 (comparisons of equality - tan + adj + como, tant@(s) + noun + como). They practiced in groups by doing p. 122-23, exercises A and D. Some students already had a good grasp on this, while others needed this grammatical clarification.
After a brief break, we reviewed the prepositional pronouns that Kara had introduced yesterday. They did p. 140 exercises A and B in pairs, and then we shared answers and questions with the class. Class ended with a (quick) grammar lesson on affirmative and negative expressions, reading a series of sentences that used affirmatives and negatives. We practiced changing affirmative sentences into negative ones and the other way around as a group.
In terms of lesson 6, the direct object pronouns and the stem changers remain (I didn't go over them, Kara, because I thought you'd already taught all the stem changing verbs). Students are continuing to work on L6 handout.
I told them there would not be a quiz this week, but rather a test early next week (probably Tuesday?) over lessons 4 to 6. I let them know the material that would be on it (tener expressions, stem-changing verbs e-> ie, o-> ue, e->i, ir+a+inf., ser v. estar, saber v. conocer, comparisons and superlatives, affirmative and negative expressions, present progressive, prepositional pronouns, and direct object pronouns), and encouraged students to start reviewing (consulting the self-test on p. 152-157).I'm working on a draft of the exam and will send it to all of you soon for feedback.
Thanks, and have a good class on Friday. Thursday is canceled this week, and it looks like that is the way it'll be staying unless we hear something else.
After a brief break, we reviewed the prepositional pronouns that Kara had introduced yesterday. They did p. 140 exercises A and B in pairs, and then we shared answers and questions with the class. Class ended with a (quick) grammar lesson on affirmative and negative expressions, reading a series of sentences that used affirmatives and negatives. We practiced changing affirmative sentences into negative ones and the other way around as a group.
In terms of lesson 6, the direct object pronouns and the stem changers remain (I didn't go over them, Kara, because I thought you'd already taught all the stem changing verbs). Students are continuing to work on L6 handout.
I told them there would not be a quiz this week, but rather a test early next week (probably Tuesday?) over lessons 4 to 6. I let them know the material that would be on it (tener expressions, stem-changing verbs e-> ie, o-> ue, e->i, ir+a+inf., ser v. estar, saber v. conocer, comparisons and superlatives, affirmative and negative expressions, present progressive, prepositional pronouns, and direct object pronouns), and encouraged students to start reviewing (consulting the self-test on p. 152-157).I'm working on a draft of the exam and will send it to all of you soon for feedback.
Thanks, and have a good class on Friday. Thursday is canceled this week, and it looks like that is the way it'll be staying unless we hear something else.
Tuesday, March 23
Here's an update from Kara about yesterday's class:
I went a bit rogue yesterday and deviated from the book. I figured it'd gotten to be a bit too late in the semester for the guys not to know certain basic vocab like body parts etc. So I made a worksheet that we filled out as a class of all the vocab for the face and body. We also talked about several verbs and other words that might be associated with the body (such as 'dolor de' and 'quebrar'). I then used this new vocab to have them practice comparative and superlative sentences, so they talked about whose hair was longer than whose, whose hair was longest etc. Some guys did really well at this and some guys could use some practice. They pretty universally write this stuff well because they have memorized the formula, but I think they could use some practice using these phrases in conversation.
We also worked on pronunciation of j/g/h which is in L6. I read them some news in Spanish about the healthcare bill and we translated it as a class as opposed to doing a dictation, so they could work on listening to these sounds and trying to derive meaning on the spot. We went over the gerundio and present progressive which they could practice today (I just got to put it up on the board for the most part). A couple of guys ended up leaving at 4:45 for chow and showers, but there was an overwhelming desire from 2/3 of the class to learn about the mi/ti/conmigo (etc.) pronouns, so a bunch of guys stayed late to learn about that. I hadn't prepared that lesson so I kind of rushed through it, but I did at least present it to a majority of the class. I think the fact that ella/el mean him and her in this context vs. she and he could be reviewed...
So now we are officially in L6, though I realized the guys never officially learned one last thing from L5, if you want to go over that- the tan...como and tanto etc. part. As for L6, there's a lot left, such as new stem-changing verbs and nadie/alguien etc. We are short a few L6 hw packets if you want to ask Jennifer to copy a few more. A lot of the hw they can't do yet because we haven't covered the material, but I assigned Exercise D on pp. 89-90 for today which goes over the present progressive if you want to go over them with that today
I went a bit rogue yesterday and deviated from the book. I figured it'd gotten to be a bit too late in the semester for the guys not to know certain basic vocab like body parts etc. So I made a worksheet that we filled out as a class of all the vocab for the face and body. We also talked about several verbs and other words that might be associated with the body (such as 'dolor de' and 'quebrar'). I then used this new vocab to have them practice comparative and superlative sentences, so they talked about whose hair was longer than whose, whose hair was longest etc. Some guys did really well at this and some guys could use some practice. They pretty universally write this stuff well because they have memorized the formula, but I think they could use some practice using these phrases in conversation.
We also worked on pronunciation of j/g/h which is in L6. I read them some news in Spanish about the healthcare bill and we translated it as a class as opposed to doing a dictation, so they could work on listening to these sounds and trying to derive meaning on the spot. We went over the gerundio and present progressive which they could practice today (I just got to put it up on the board for the most part). A couple of guys ended up leaving at 4:45 for chow and showers, but there was an overwhelming desire from 2/3 of the class to learn about the mi/ti/conmigo (etc.) pronouns, so a bunch of guys stayed late to learn about that. I hadn't prepared that lesson so I kind of rushed through it, but I did at least present it to a majority of the class. I think the fact that ella/el mean him and her in this context vs. she and he could be reviewed...
So now we are officially in L6, though I realized the guys never officially learned one last thing from L5, if you want to go over that- the tan...como and tanto etc. part. As for L6, there's a lot left, such as new stem-changing verbs and nadie/alguien etc. We are short a few L6 hw packets if you want to ask Jennifer to copy a few more. A lot of the hw they can't do yet because we haven't covered the material, but I assigned Exercise D on pp. 89-90 for today which goes over the present progressive if you want to go over them with that today
Monday, March 22, 2010
March 19,2010
Happy Monday to all of you. OnFriday, the 19th, Kara and I held "study hall" for then first hour and a half or so. We went around and did one on one, two on one etc. tutoring as needed. Afterwards, I passed out the L5 quiz (segunda parte) for the students to review and prepare for with their books. They took notes as to their "problem spots" for the quiz. We collected the blank quizes and gave them another 20 minutes or so to study these notes. The quiz was then given. My hope was to use it as a learning tool for "what to look for" "pick important parts of the chapter" "identify a pattern". With these, the students (especially the struggling ones can improve their learning and testing ability skills). The quizes were collected after 45 minutes.
The work sheets for L6 were given out as collectively planned.
IMPORTANT: The "comparison of equality" (p121) was not included in the quiz. This needs to be gone over with the class.
No trabajen muy duro.
Happy Monday to all of you. OnFriday, the 19th, Kara and I held "study hall" for then first hour and a half or so. We went around and did one on one, two on one etc. tutoring as needed. Afterwards, I passed out the L5 quiz (segunda parte) for the students to review and prepare for with their books. They took notes as to their "problem spots" for the quiz. We collected the blank quizes and gave them another 20 minutes or so to study these notes. The quiz was then given. My hope was to use it as a learning tool for "what to look for" "pick important parts of the chapter" "identify a pattern". With these, the students (especially the struggling ones can improve their learning and testing ability skills). The quizes were collected after 45 minutes.
The work sheets for L6 were given out as collectively planned.
IMPORTANT: The "comparison of equality" (p121) was not included in the quiz. This needs to be gone over with the class.
No trabajen muy duro.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15th
This past Monday we did a little bit of warm-up conversation about our weeks and weekends, and then we did another dictation: the first sentence of 100 Years of Solitude. The students all seem to be pretty into this subtle bit of culture, and they really seem to be improving on their pronunciation and listening ability. Sharon did a great reading lesson with a flyer on heart health from Puerto Rico, and then we finished up with reading in pairs a conversation from the book about visiting Madrid. Sorry this is a little late!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wednesday, March 10
Hi everyone,
I taught solo today because Krista had an unforeseen scheduling conflict. We began with a simple review of just one part of ser y estar, which I distinguished through the questions: "¿Cómo está?" and "¿Cómo es?" They seemed to catch on pretty quickly that the difference between the verbs isn't merely permanent vs impermanent, but rather, in this case, the attributes of a person (ser) versus one's sentiments (estar).
We reviewed "ie" stem changing verbs, and they seemed very on top of the work. Then I had them read the short text on page 104, and answer the questions on page 105 in order to practice conversation in groups of two.
As they worked together I assigned each student a name, and after the break they came back in to find two family trees on the board. With their new names in tow, I sent them around the classroom to find their herman@s, abuel@s, padres, sobrin@s, tí@s, etc. This was a wonderful assignment, and the guards had to come by and ask to keep the volume down because students were so happy to find their "long lost" brother, sister, and so on.
We ended with a short review of saber and conocer. A few students handed in straggling Lesson 4 assignments.
Tom
I taught solo today because Krista had an unforeseen scheduling conflict. We began with a simple review of just one part of ser y estar, which I distinguished through the questions: "¿Cómo está?" and "¿Cómo es?" They seemed to catch on pretty quickly that the difference between the verbs isn't merely permanent vs impermanent, but rather, in this case, the attributes of a person (ser) versus one's sentiments (estar).
We reviewed "ie" stem changing verbs, and they seemed very on top of the work. Then I had them read the short text on page 104, and answer the questions on page 105 in order to practice conversation in groups of two.
As they worked together I assigned each student a name, and after the break they came back in to find two family trees on the board. With their new names in tow, I sent them around the classroom to find their herman@s, abuel@s, padres, sobrin@s, tí@s, etc. This was a wonderful assignment, and the guards had to come by and ask to keep the volume down because students were so happy to find their "long lost" brother, sister, and so on.
We ended with a short review of saber and conocer. A few students handed in straggling Lesson 4 assignments.
Tom
Tuesday March 9th
Hey hey... Sorry I'm not getting this up until morning. I went straight to work after class and was there til midnight. Anyway- yesterday's class went well. I decided not to cover any new material yesterday and instead we spent the day reviewing trouble spots where students seemed to still be stuck. We reviewed phrases with tener, went over some more complicated sentences structures, contractions, and the infamous personal a. Though it was all review, I think the guys found it really helpful, and hopefully we cleared up some murky topics. We didn't get to all their questions, and I know several students are counting on a dictation today.
As for new topics, they are expecting to continue with stem changing verbs as the week progresses- we reviewed e --> ie verbs yesterday, and I think they are ready to continue with others. I collected some straggler L4 hw packets and will grade them tonight and I collected Friday's quiz, which we will hand back and go over this coming Friday. Also, there was overwhelming support for the first hour of Friday's class always being a study hall (the students were really positive about Friday's class, Carlos!), so I said we would keep that up.
Hope all is well with you all. Thanks to everyone for helping get the Spanish exam to the students and graded!
Kara
As for new topics, they are expecting to continue with stem changing verbs as the week progresses- we reviewed e --> ie verbs yesterday, and I think they are ready to continue with others. I collected some straggler L4 hw packets and will grade them tonight and I collected Friday's quiz, which we will hand back and go over this coming Friday. Also, there was overwhelming support for the first hour of Friday's class always being a study hall (the students were really positive about Friday's class, Carlos!), so I said we would keep that up.
Hope all is well with you all. Thanks to everyone for helping get the Spanish exam to the students and graded!
Kara
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday, March 8th Recap
This afternoon we started with a little warm up talking about what the guys do on weekends. Seems a lot of girlfriends visit on Sundays. Then we did a dictation (the first sentence from Don Quijote: En lugar de la Mancha...), focusing on rules of pronunciation and accents. Sharon led a reading comprehension exercise using some car rental material in Spanish, and then we finished up the class with a conversation about our favorite holidays and parties. July 4th and Spring Break took the cake. We left their Friday homework in the box, Carlos, and Jennifer said she'd pick it up and work out logistics with you for a hand off. Also, how are the test corrections coming? Lindsey and I didn't manage to work out a hand-off last Thursday, but I am still willing to correct a few of them. The students are starting to ask about them.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Friday 03/05/10
Friday's class went well. We began with an impromptu study hall which I think we will be incorporating into the class during the first hour. Consequently, what I had planned we did not totally complete which is O.K. because of the benefits from the study hall.
We worked on the L4 worksheet/homework for the first hour. The class worked together helping each other out. Next, I gave out the first 2 pages of the L4 quiz. There was a lot of sentence construction in this one so I made it an open book quiz. The third page of the quiz was handed out as students completed the first two pages. Some did not finish. Those students were instructed to take the quizes with them and return them completed on Monday. Can Monday's teacher leave them in the box please as I am going to ask Jennifer to take them to the PUP office for me to pick up. Thanks everyone.
We worked on the L4 worksheet/homework for the first hour. The class worked together helping each other out. Next, I gave out the first 2 pages of the L4 quiz. There was a lot of sentence construction in this one so I made it an open book quiz. The third page of the quiz was handed out as students completed the first two pages. Some did not finish. Those students were instructed to take the quizes with them and return them completed on Monday. Can Monday's teacher leave them in the box please as I am going to ask Jennifer to take them to the PUP office for me to pick up. Thanks everyone.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Thursday, March 4
Kara and I went in today. First, we went over the assigned homework (Sections C and D on pages 93-94) covering uses of tener. After a break, we covered the uses of ser and estar and how they (and tener) map out in English from "to be". I think this is finally clicking for many of the students. Finally, we briefly covered the "e" to "ie" stem-changing verbs. So, this basically covers Chapter 4. We also handed out the photocopy of the Chapter 4 workbook for homework.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wednesday, March 3rd
We started today's class reviewing the conjugation of tener and the construction "tener que" before teaching the idiomatic expressions with tener listed on pg. 92 (as well as "tener sentido" and "tener ganas de"). Students then worked in pairs doing the exercises A and B on 92-93 and creating their own conversations using tener expressions. Some groups presented their work to the class.
After the break, we went over the conjugations of ir, dar and estar. While going over the verb conjugations, we discussed the immediate future construction of "ir + a + infinitive" and reviewed the differences between ser and estar.
We told the students to do exercises C and D on p. 93-94 for homework. We went over a lot of grammar today but didn't do a lot of practice in the second half of the class, so I'd suggest additional review. I'll email Jennifer to make sure there are copies of the Chapter 4 workbook for tomorrow. Students turned in their Chapter 3 HW, which I have and will record.
Have a good class tomorrow.
After the break, we went over the conjugations of ir, dar and estar. While going over the verb conjugations, we discussed the immediate future construction of "ir + a + infinitive" and reviewed the differences between ser and estar.
We told the students to do exercises C and D on p. 93-94 for homework. We went over a lot of grammar today but didn't do a lot of practice in the second half of the class, so I'd suggest additional review. I'll email Jennifer to make sure there are copies of the Chapter 4 workbook for tomorrow. Students turned in their Chapter 3 HW, which I have and will record.
Have a good class tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Hi everyone,
Today we started Chapter 4. We went over the dialogue on page 87 in pairs, and answered the questions on page 90 as a class.
We went over the vocabulary on page 88 in some detail, and reviewed gender agreement in adjectives briefly.
We talked about the pronunciation issues on p. 91, (b,d,g) and also about the pronunciation of single /r/.
At the end of the class, we did a short dictation related to the party theme.
I brought the tests home, and I need help grading them!
yours,
Lindsey
Today we started Chapter 4. We went over the dialogue on page 87 in pairs, and answered the questions on page 90 as a class.
We went over the vocabulary on page 88 in some detail, and reviewed gender agreement in adjectives briefly.
We talked about the pronunciation issues on p. 91, (b,d,g) and also about the pronunciation of single /r/.
At the end of the class, we did a short dictation related to the party theme.
I brought the tests home, and I need help grading them!
yours,
Lindsey
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday's class
Today's class was...alright. I'm worried I left students feeling confused about certain things in Lección 3, but hopefully that´s not true. I devoted the class almost entirely to review- we went over "tener que" and I think it clicked. Some of the students who seemed to have a better command of this particular unit helped others and volunteered suggestions to others. It seems like students found Krista's grammar instruction this week particularly helpful. Yay Krista!
We then reviewed the personal a, which is what got us into trouble. Some students seem to really be having difficulty with this, but we went through myriad examples that they answered correctly, so hopefully they at least have the application correct, even if the comprehension of the concept is still a little murky.
We also went over the quizzes from last Friday and I directed them to points in the quiz where the majority of the class seemed to be having difficulty. We went through the quiz in extreme detail, so I think they are feeling comfortable with Lección 2 material.
I did speak primarily in English today, which I didn´t feel good about, but many students sad that they found it really helpful to talk about the more confusing aspects of grammar in English and translate it into Spanish. I still think it's important to speak as much Spanish as possible, but since the class was entirely review, I did end up speaking English for clarity's sake to make sure that as many people as possible were absorbing the concepts we discussed.
I asked the class to compile a list of specific questions and things they find particularly difficult for tomorrow's class so we can review them before the exam Monday. I will make the exam this weekend and send it out this weekend. I would appreciate any and all comments and input you may have...
Other things of note:
1. Nel Butler informed me that he is dyslexic today. We are scheduled to meet tomorrow independently and have a talk about accommodations that he may find useful in this class, but if there are any teachers particularly familiar with how to accommodate for this learning disability in terms of teaching style etc, please share any advice!
2. The class seems to be super interested in having a study hall, as Krista mentioned yesterday. I briefly spoke about this subject with Jennifer last week, but it seems like the study halls with PUP are already quite full of English students. Given that Spanish already meets 5 days a week, I don't think giving priority to Spanish students in study hall is at the top of the list. We can keep working on this, but one idea I had was to potentially set aside time in class twice a week that serves as office hours, so we can set up individual meetings or group meetings with people around areas in which they struggle. That's just one idea and I'm sure there are many more, but the class seemed adamant enough about wanting out-of-class support that I think it's important to keep in mind.
Hope everyone is well!
Kara
We then reviewed the personal a, which is what got us into trouble. Some students seem to really be having difficulty with this, but we went through myriad examples that they answered correctly, so hopefully they at least have the application correct, even if the comprehension of the concept is still a little murky.
We also went over the quizzes from last Friday and I directed them to points in the quiz where the majority of the class seemed to be having difficulty. We went through the quiz in extreme detail, so I think they are feeling comfortable with Lección 2 material.
I did speak primarily in English today, which I didn´t feel good about, but many students sad that they found it really helpful to talk about the more confusing aspects of grammar in English and translate it into Spanish. I still think it's important to speak as much Spanish as possible, but since the class was entirely review, I did end up speaking English for clarity's sake to make sure that as many people as possible were absorbing the concepts we discussed.
I asked the class to compile a list of specific questions and things they find particularly difficult for tomorrow's class so we can review them before the exam Monday. I will make the exam this weekend and send it out this weekend. I would appreciate any and all comments and input you may have...
Other things of note:
1. Nel Butler informed me that he is dyslexic today. We are scheduled to meet tomorrow independently and have a talk about accommodations that he may find useful in this class, but if there are any teachers particularly familiar with how to accommodate for this learning disability in terms of teaching style etc, please share any advice!
2. The class seems to be super interested in having a study hall, as Krista mentioned yesterday. I briefly spoke about this subject with Jennifer last week, but it seems like the study halls with PUP are already quite full of English students. Given that Spanish already meets 5 days a week, I don't think giving priority to Spanish students in study hall is at the top of the list. We can keep working on this, but one idea I had was to potentially set aside time in class twice a week that serves as office hours, so we can set up individual meetings or group meetings with people around areas in which they struggle. That's just one idea and I'm sure there are many more, but the class seemed adamant enough about wanting out-of-class support that I think it's important to keep in mind.
Hope everyone is well!
Kara
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 24th
Today's class went well. I read a short dictation to start the class. It highlighted basic vocabulary, the "tener que" construction, possessives, and agreement of adjectives. The students did well for the most part with some having a harder time than others. We went over the sentences in Spanish and translated them into English.
We then briefly reviewed -ER and -IR verbs, tener, venir and tener que. We started going over the homework, getting through the first two pages before the break.
After break, we continued reviewing the homework. The students had difficulty with section F, which dealt with contractions and the personal a. Before going over the section, we had a short grammar lesson on the personal a and the contractions al and del. We did the práctica in the book (p. 72 and 73) to practice those structures. I would encourage reviewing the personal a again, and emphasizing the difference between the preposition a and the personal a. Since it does not exist in English, some students had a hard time grasping the concept.
They are going to finish the handout for homework. I also told them that there would be no quiz this week, but there would be a test on Chapter 1 -3 on Monday. They should be ready after additional review on Thursday, Friday and time to study, over the weekend.
Some students mentioned that they would like us to come into study hall (held on M, W, F evenings) for the extra opportunity to practice, ask questions and review concepts.
Have a good class tomorrow.
We then briefly reviewed -ER and -IR verbs, tener, venir and tener que. We started going over the homework, getting through the first two pages before the break.
After break, we continued reviewing the homework. The students had difficulty with section F, which dealt with contractions and the personal a. Before going over the section, we had a short grammar lesson on the personal a and the contractions al and del. We did the práctica in the book (p. 72 and 73) to practice those structures. I would encourage reviewing the personal a again, and emphasizing the difference between the preposition a and the personal a. Since it does not exist in English, some students had a hard time grasping the concept.
They are going to finish the handout for homework. I also told them that there would be no quiz this week, but there would be a test on Chapter 1 -3 on Monday. They should be ready after additional review on Thursday, Friday and time to study, over the weekend.
Some students mentioned that they would like us to come into study hall (held on M, W, F evenings) for the extra opportunity to practice, ask questions and review concepts.
Have a good class tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 23
Hi everyone,
Today we did some of the exercises from the book for Chapter 3.
We started with the dialogue on page 62, which we did in groups. Everyone seemed to understand it well.
Then we reviewed all the adjectives we have learned that can be used to describe people, from pages 63 and 64. We talked briefly about the use of ser and estar with these adjectives (mostly ser!) Then we mixed up the groups a little and had everyone take turns describing a real or imaginary person using the vocabulary. At the end, we had a few people stand up in front of the class and talk about their person. Not everyone who wanted to talk got to talk, because we had to stop for the break.
After the break, we moved on to the -er and -ir verbs. We reviewed how to conjugate them, and then practiced using exercise A on p. 69 (some people also did exercise B on p. 70). Everyone seemed to understand this well. Then we talked about tener and venir, and I reminded them about using tener for age. Everyone seemed fine with the conjugation, but there was some confusion about "tener que" even after I explained it. We stopped there and didn't do any of the exercises on page 71.
For homework, I asked them to do the first four pages of the photocopy for tomorrow, but I told them that it wouldn't actually be collected until they had finished the whole packet.
In this chapter, we still need to talk about using "a" before people that are objects (p. 72), but we are pretty close to being done. I did not tell them when the quiz or the test will be . . . I don't even know whether there will be a quiz or not. Is the test on Monday? We should tell them!
I didn't have any more problems with people leaving early.
Today we did some of the exercises from the book for Chapter 3.
We started with the dialogue on page 62, which we did in groups. Everyone seemed to understand it well.
Then we reviewed all the adjectives we have learned that can be used to describe people, from pages 63 and 64. We talked briefly about the use of ser and estar with these adjectives (mostly ser!) Then we mixed up the groups a little and had everyone take turns describing a real or imaginary person using the vocabulary. At the end, we had a few people stand up in front of the class and talk about their person. Not everyone who wanted to talk got to talk, because we had to stop for the break.
After the break, we moved on to the -er and -ir verbs. We reviewed how to conjugate them, and then practiced using exercise A on p. 69 (some people also did exercise B on p. 70). Everyone seemed to understand this well. Then we talked about tener and venir, and I reminded them about using tener for age. Everyone seemed fine with the conjugation, but there was some confusion about "tener que" even after I explained it. We stopped there and didn't do any of the exercises on page 71.
For homework, I asked them to do the first four pages of the photocopy for tomorrow, but I told them that it wouldn't actually be collected until they had finished the whole packet.
In this chapter, we still need to talk about using "a" before people that are objects (p. 72), but we are pretty close to being done. I did not tell them when the quiz or the test will be . . . I don't even know whether there will be a quiz or not. Is the test on Monday? We should tell them!
I didn't have any more problems with people leaving early.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday February 22nd
Today we began by brainstorming the -ar, -er, and -ir verbs that we know, and then broke up into groups to invent stories using those verbs. Each group then shared their stories with the class. We read some more library books, working on our pronunciation and learning how to deal with unfamiliar words. And then we practiced descriptions by playing a "guess who I'm thinking of" game.
Good luck tomorrow!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Can't make it to the meeting today...
Hi all. Unfortunately I won't be able to make it to the meeting today in Temescal because I have a commitment on campus. Just wanted to give you the heads-up.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Class Update for Wed. 2/17
Tom and I had a good class today. We started with introductions (yet again since it was Tom's first day). Based on Kara's suggestions, he then went over the difference between nouns and -AR verbs, and the gender of nouns, to help clarify some of the confusion that some of the students had.
I went over their homework from the Práctica (p. 45). Like Kara mentioned, some students heard the assignment at the end of class and others hadn't. Together we found the -AR verbs in the sentences and conjugated them for additional practice. As we went over the exercise, we also reviewed how to form questions and negative sentences, and refreshed their memory on the gender of nouns.
We were interrupted at this point by a fire alarm. After a brief break outside, we had to change classrooms. We then read the few sentences (Práctica C) aloud together. I asked questions about the reading so that they could hear different ways of asking question, work on basic reading comprehension, and responding verbally to questions.
Tom taught the possessive - form of "de" - and then I went over possessive adjectives briefly. We didn't do any exercises to practice this because guys were starting to leave as it neared 5 pm.
We asked them to finish the Lección 2 workbook exercise for tomorrow - they complained a bit, but should have it done. Also, I said we'd have a quiz over Lección 2 on Friday since we've now covered all of that material - a postponement from last week's planned quiz. I'll bring corrected homework for lesson 1 to tomorrow's meeting so that Friday's teachers can return it.
I agree with Kara that we should postpone the exam. We haven't even started the 3rd chapter. Maybe it'll go quickly, but I feel like things are taking longer than initially imagined.
See you all tomorrow at 6:30 PM at the Peet's in Temescal.
I went over their homework from the Práctica (p. 45). Like Kara mentioned, some students heard the assignment at the end of class and others hadn't. Together we found the -AR verbs in the sentences and conjugated them for additional practice. As we went over the exercise, we also reviewed how to form questions and negative sentences, and refreshed their memory on the gender of nouns.
We were interrupted at this point by a fire alarm. After a brief break outside, we had to change classrooms. We then read the few sentences (Práctica C) aloud together. I asked questions about the reading so that they could hear different ways of asking question, work on basic reading comprehension, and responding verbally to questions.
Tom taught the possessive - form of "de" - and then I went over possessive adjectives briefly. We didn't do any exercises to practice this because guys were starting to leave as it neared 5 pm.
We asked them to finish the Lección 2 workbook exercise for tomorrow - they complained a bit, but should have it done. Also, I said we'd have a quiz over Lección 2 on Friday since we've now covered all of that material - a postponement from last week's planned quiz. I'll bring corrected homework for lesson 1 to tomorrow's meeting so that Friday's teachers can return it.
I agree with Kara that we should postpone the exam. We haven't even started the 3rd chapter. Maybe it'll go quickly, but I feel like things are taking longer than initially imagined.
See you all tomorrow at 6:30 PM at the Peet's in Temescal.
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