OVER!!!

Well, thank God we are done with our teaching practicum for this cycle!

And I need to share with you my last experience with the Basic group of students. It was on Thursday 9th, so I got early to the class as I needed to prepare all the stuff. I was to teach or to review previous classes “there is and there are” “some and any”. So, I started with a warm up activity in which students made a circle and I said categories; for example, school supplies, so students started naming things of that sort. I used categories which students had already studied so that they could review the vocabulary.

After that, I taught students another new word. And they provided me some examples using it already. Then I had a table with many things (camera, cushions, books, a ball, cups, and many other objects) as they had been studying prepositions, I put some things on, in front of, under, behind and next to the table so that they could have a better understanding of how to use prepositions, and we practiced there is and there are at the same time. So I began saying there are many things on the table, and I continued naming each object, then they repeated with me. And they also were asked one by one. I was assessing their understanding on using there is and there are on all the form (positive, negative and questions). At the end, of this activity students were clearer on how to use the structures. I could see it was meaningful for them. And that made me feel cool!

Then I gave a brief explanation of the usage of some and any, likewise, I provided examples and now they were ready to practice.

So, I developed some fill in the blank activities in which they were to use either some or any. We checked as a whole class. And my time was gone. As it was my last time with them I bring some candies and say good bye to that group.

It has been a great experience, and for sure we will continue learning much more.

second class!!

To continue with our teaching process, I want to share with you guys my experience. On my second time teaching this group, the teacher asked me to make a review of the simple past as I was going to finish the lesson. So, I started the class and had a talking time with my students, then I developed a warm up activity, by the way, I did one that I´ve done before, I had students in a circle and they were going to write on their classmates ´back and at the same time they had to be turning, so I dictated some sentences in the past and after that we checked those sentences, I could see students enjoyed, likewise they were practicing the topic being studied.



This time, I brought a new word for students to broad their vocabulary, and give an example using the new word, and as a presentation I had a conversation, and I asked students to come to the front and performed it but they were to choose a paper and act the conversation according to the action they got, for instance, jumping, crying, and so forth; they really liked it and it was very funny, though some students did not want to participate.



After that, I just gave some explanation when making yes-no questions in the past and also about the negative form, I wrote some examples on the board and then I had students practicing, they work on a photocopy drill in which they had to make the sentences negative, then the whole class shared.
On the next activity, I pasted a chart on the board that contained some questions and students had to choose the correct form of the verb, and later they had to give an answer for the questions. At the end, I had I dictation practice as they are having evaluations next week I decided to include this activity.

Thank God students participated even though we were recording the class.

Here we go...

On Tuesday the 25th I had my first class of this third period; I am working with Basic English this time. I went to observe two classes before I started to teach, let me tell you that at first, I thought the students were not going to participate in my classes as some of them were not paying attention when the teacher was explaining. But thank God, they cooperated with me on my first day of classes. As they had been studying the simple past, I had to review what the teacher previously taught.

I developed a warm up activity in which students had to face each other, I gave each pair a balloon and I played some music; mean while students had to pass the balloon and say verbs in the past, and when I stopped the music the one who got the balloon was going to be asked a question related to the simple past, I did that some times and students seemed to like it. As presentation students had a reading about Michael Jackson´s life; the task was to circle all the verbs they could find in the past, after that I had students reading it and I made them repeat some words they mispronounced.

On the grammar point, I just focused on the affirmative and interrogative form of the past tense, I explained to students about the auxiliary “did” that we use when making questions as they had some problems on placing the auxiliary on their exams. So I wrote some affirmative sentences on the board and then I wrote the interrogative form for those questions. I explained to them that it is really important to know in which thing we want to focus so that we can create the question. For instance, if I say, Jane wrote a letter. We can get different questions of that sentence depending what we want to know. So I wrote, what did Jane wrote? And who wrote a letter. They asked me about the second option, as we use “wrote” and I told them that it was ok, as in that case we are looking for the subject, and that those questions are called “subject questions”. I could see they understood, after that students worked on a crossword to look for irregular verbs on the past. I brought a chart and had them repeat.

At the end, I pasted another chart that contained some affirmative sentences and I started calling students so that they could come up with the question forms. They did not have any problem to make the sentences into interrogative. So I can say I reached my objective; students were clearer on how to make questions. And I felt really nice when being in front of them.

Last class of the P...

On Friday 5th I had my last class with the Basic group of students, I came really early to the classroom to set the seating arrangement, I was happy because it was going to be my last class of this period  and I also felt really confident when starting the class.  As it was Friday a few people came but I started the class with the ones that were there. I developed a warm up activity in which students had to shout some sentences that I have written on the board, they worked in pairs so if they shouted the same sentence they could sit down otherwise, they had to continue until they shouted the same sentences. Students really liked it. As we were studying the simple past, I introduced the expression “used to” I explained to them that it can be used when talking about past habits. They did not have any problem to understand the usage. So I gave them some practice, I brought a grid for each students so that they could fill the spaces with information when they were 10 and about now, so in that way they practice “used to”.

After that, they worked on a fill in the blank activity; they had to put the correct form of the verb that was on parenthesis. Students worked on all the tasks I assigned them to and they participated a lot. After that, I formed groups of four and gave each group a set of ABC, I asked them to form as many past verbs as they could, and while they were working I put some music so that they could feel more motivated when performing the task. Then they were asked to write sentences using past verbs. Later the whole class shared.

Indeed, I can say I did a good job in my last class or at least that was what I felt, but sometimes when you think things are going good for you others do not think the same, anyways, I believe a grade is not that important in this process we are going through, but the experience we are gaining because mistakes are the ones that make us grow.

Let´s keep on working hard guys…;) 

Basic 2nd!!

Friday, March, 22nd 2013

On my second experience with the Basic group I can say that my class went much better than the first one as students cooperated more when I asked them to. This time I bought an activity called “Categories” as warm up, it helped students to review previous vocabulary. Because in this activity you say a category of something for example, Fruits, so students start saying names of fruits, and when one student does not say a fruit the Leader changes the category. And the one who didn’t say a fruit has to seat, and you can continue with other categories. After that, I explained Wh-questions with frequency adverbs; students did not have any problem to understand how to make questions as they had been studying questions with the teacher before.

I just can say that to bring fun activities to the classroom encourage students to participate. So, I will continue doing the same so that everyone can participate more in the classroom. We know that every group is different so we have to focus on the needs all students have to make their learning more meaningful. And as Basic students I know some of them are still afraid of participating but if the teacher brings a positive attitude and create a good environment, students for sure will be willing to do their best.

Basic 1st Blog!

Well, teachers we have started the second round already hope that you are enjoying it…

On Friday the 15^th I had my first class with the Basic group of students, I started  by playing a song that contains the days of the week, by the way, I used the one the teacher presented, but it did not work as I had planned it to. Students did not look so interested in that activity; besides, I had some problems with the equipment. It was kind of messy.

But I had to move forward so I gave them some practice as my partner had begun the topic the previous day. They had a reading comprehension about daily routines. They worked on that part successfully. Mostly my class was about practice, I did not explain any grammar point. So the class was based on activities that addressed the macro skills. Something I have notice is that sometimes students do not want to cooperate with the development of the class.

Hopefully that next time they participate more and that I can select or create other activities that they enjoy doing. May be Sara and Ely can name some activities that worked with them, so I can take them into consideration! I will be glad girls. And one more time, I had problem when monitoring students. I leave them working and sometimes I do not go over them to check if they are really working on the task I have ask them to. I do not really know why but I can´t manage that…

Indeed, I have to be more careful when creating the task students have to develop so that students get more interested in my class!! I have notice the difference when teaching intermediate and basic, but there we go.

My last class of the period!!

On Wednesday the 20^th   I had my third and last class with Intermediate II.

I entered the class and started by having a little chat with my students, even though I was kind of sick I continued with the development of the class. I began with a warm up activity as I always do. This time; I asked my students to come to the front and take a piece of paper and a pen with them. Then they formed a circle, I explained to them that they were to write in each classmate´s back and that I was to dictate some sentences(related with the topic I was to teach) so while I was dictating they had to be going around in a circle. It was really fun because they could barely write as they were moving but I could notice they enjoy that activity.

After that I moved to the presentation part; I introduced the topic by presenting a family tree, then I asked for vocabulary about family members and students started to mention the ones they knew already. That part went pretty fine, and I think the rest of the class went well as well, I gave some fill in the blank practice, and they also were asked to write sentences about what they have been studying. Something I consider I need to improve is to be “present” in the whole class; I mean to monitor students in every moment of my class, I think sometimes I do not monitor them as I should. So I would appreciate if you share with me some tips on how to control or to keep an eye in all my students. The teacher mentioned that part because while I was pasting some charts on the board some students were talking to each other, so I would like to know, what things should I do while I am pasting visuals aids on my class?

Summing up, I can say my teaching experience has been good up to know because I am gaining more confident when being in front of a class.

Waiting for your comments guys…