My last blog entry!!!! THIRD PERIOD

HELLO CLASSMATES! I AM MORE THAN HAPPY THAT I AM DONE WITH ALL MY CLASSES AND I THANK GOD AND THE TEACHERS BECAUSE OF THAT.

I TAUGHT MY LAST CLASS IN THE INTERMEDIATE LEVEL LAST MONDAY AND THE TOPIC THAT I TAUGHT WAS: " PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS". I FILMED MY CLASS AND I FELT KIND OF NERVOUS; HOWEVER, I THINK THAT I WENT NICE!

FOR THE WARM UP, I DECIDED TO INCLUDE SOMETHIG DIFFERENT AND NOT RELATED TO THIS CLASS. I ASKED THEM TO MAKE A CIRCLE, AND  I GAVE THEM A SHEET OF PAPER AND THEY HAD TO DRAW WHAT I SAID, THEN THEY HAD TO GIVE THE PAGE TO THE CLASSMATE THEY HAD TO THE RIGHT AND DRAW ANOTHER THING THAT I TOLD THEM. THE RESULT OF THE DRAW WAS A REALLY FUNNY FACE, SO SOME OF THEM PASS TO THE FRONT TO SHOW THEIR DRAW. IT WAS SO FUNNY, AND THEY WERE LAUGHING TO SEE THE DRAW.

THEN, I HAD TO TEACH THE GRAMMAR PART. I EXPLAINED THEM THE STRUCTURE AND SOME EXAMPLES. I WROTE SOME SENTENCES IN THE POSSITIVE FORM AND THEY HAD TO CHANGE THE SAME SENTENCES TO THE NEGATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE FORM.

FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS, I DEVELOPED A PDP BASED ON A MOVIE SEGMENT.

FOR THE PRE ACTIVITY I  ASKED THEM TO MAKE PAIRS, AND I WROTE ON THE WHITEBOARD THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN ORDER TO DISCUSS THEM ORALLY. 

1.                 Have you ever suffered because of a broken heart?

2.                 How do you react in those moments? Do you prefer to stay home by yourself or go out with friends to have a lot of fun? Explain it?

3.                 What is worse? To dump or to be dumped? Why?

THEN, I PLAYED THE VIDEO. LET'S TAKE A LOOK IF YOU WANT

FINALLY, FOR THE POST ACTIVITY, THEY FILLED IN THE BLANKS THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES ACCORDING TO THE VIDEO:

2. The weather ______________ (change) significantly in this period of time.

3. Both her boyfriend and her best friend, Alice, _________ (leave) Bella alone.

4. The tree leaves ___________ (fall).

5. It ____________ (snow) several times in December.

6. Bella _____________ (miss) her boyfriend all this time.

7. According to Bella, a huge hole ___________ (punch - passive voice) through her chest.

8. She ___________ (cry) several nights since October.

9. She _____________ (write) emails that Alice ____________ (never - receive)

10. Bella's dad ____________ (be) worried about her

WELL CLASSMATES, I WAS MY CLASS, AND I MUST ADDMIT THAT TEACHING DURING ALL THIS YEAR HAS BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE IT WAS MY DREAM.

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU GUYS!!!

MY SECOND CLASS, THIRD PERIOD

Hello dear classmates! I am glad because I just miss one class and I am done, and I am sure that you feel the same sensation because we are finishing our major.

I taught my second class in the Intermediate class today. I think that this class was better than the first one because I tried to improve what the teacher told me in the feedback.

The topic that I had to teach was a review on Modals, so now I am going to tell the activities that I developed in the class:

WARM- UP: 

I ask students to stand up and come to the front in order to make a circle. It was like the "Hot Potato", but when they got the ball, they had to throw a dice and the dice had written six modals (one per each side) so they had to tell me a sentence using the modal they had gotten, for example if they had gotten COULD, they had to tell a sentence using COULD.

PRESENTATION: 

For the presentation, I played a video on Modals. It was so useful because students were repeting the uses of Modals and also trying to do the fill in the blanks examples that it had. Here you have the video if you want to watch it.

GRAMMAR REVIEW:

I divided the whiteboard into four columns: PERMISSION, POSSIBILITY, OBLIGATION, AND PIECES OF ADVICE. I asked for eight volunteers. They had to take a sentences and paste it in the correct column according to the modals that the sentence had, for example: Can I use your pencil? (PERMISSION). I am sure that it was useful for them because they practice the use of each modal.

SEMI - CONTROLLED PRACTICE:

It was a Filling in the blanks practice. It was easy, but important for them in order to practice. They had to write the correct modal in each sentence. I gave them five minutes to do it and then, they shared their answers orally.

FREE PRACTICE: 

For the free practice, I tried to look for a funny activity, so they had to interview some classmates. The name of the activity was: " Fun ability test". Some of the questions they had to ask were: Can yoy spin around ten times and then walk straight line? Can wiggle your ears? Can you count to 20 in English in 10 seconds?, etc. They got fun asking those question because they were trying to do those activities.

Ok classmates, it was my class. I really enjoyed it! THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS!

SHOULD I?... SHOULDN'T I? - MY FIRST BLOG ENTRY

Hello my dear classmates! I am glad because time is flying fast and faster everyday, so I am going to share with you my experience in my first class during the first period.

Well, I am teaching an Intermediate level in the morning. I really like this group because they are always on time, so it allows me to begin the class at the correct time.

This class I felt comfortable because I started the lesson plan that Sara and I had done at the beginning of the semester, so I knwe what to do and of course, I was familiar with every activity.

The topic was: "SHOULD AND SOULD NOT"

For the Warm- up, I asked them to make groups of five, then, I gave them a name of a place such us: library, church, school, swimming pool, etc. They had to write certain rules to follow in that place. I like this activity because at the end they shared what they had written, so they practiced speaking.

For the Grammar Part, I pasted on the whiteboard some charts with the use and rules to use "Should and Shouldn't" They understood really fast because I provided many examples and also they help me to write more.

It was time to practice!!!! The name of this practice was: " What should I do in London". In the activity #1, it was a conversation about two friends, ine of them was giving some pieces of advice to the other one who wanted to travel to London. I asked two pairs to pass to the front and read the conversation.

The next activity was a filling in the blanks practice about the same topic. They did it so fast, and I could notice that they had understood.

For the last activity, I asked them to make pairs. They had to decide a name of a city and they had to give pieces of advice about what to do in that place, for example, Which hotel, kind of food and drinks, place to visit, etc.

Ok classmates, it was my class and as I told you before I felt comfortable and I really like this group... Thanks for your comments...

MODALS (MY THIRD CLASS)

I AM SO HAPPY TODAY AND I THANK GOD  BECAUSE TIME FLIES AND I TAUGHT THE LAST WITH THIS GROUP. 

I DID NOT EXPLAIN GRAMMAR IN THIS CLASS BECAUSE SARA DID IT, SO FOR THE WARM UP I PASTED FOUR SMALL CHARTS WITH THE CLASSIFICATION OF MODALS: PERMISSION, PROHIBITON, OBLIGATION, AND NO OBLIGATION. THEY HAD TO CLASSIFY EIGHT SENTENCES THAT I BROUGHT, SO THEY HAD TO PASTE THEM IN THE CORRECT COLUMN OF THE MODAL.

FOR THE PRESENTATION, I PASTED A CHART WITH THE RULES IN A HOTEL. THEY HAD TO COMPLETE SOME FILLING IN THE BLANKS SENTENCES THAT WERE WRITTEN IN ANOTHER CHART USING A MODAL.

THIS CLASS WAS TO PRACTICE WHAT THEY HAD UNDERSTOOD IN THE PREVIOUS ONE, SO FOR THAT REASON, I BROUGHT THREE ACTIVITIES.

THE FIRST ACTIVITY WAS A FILLING IN THE BLANKS PRACTICE. THEY HAD TO FILL IN THE BLANKS USING HAVE TO, HAS TO, DON´T HAVE TO, OR DOESN´T HAVE TO. I COULD SEE THAT UNDERSTOOD BECAUSE MOST OF THEM DID NOT HAVE ANY MISTAKE.

IT WAS TIME FOR PAIR GROUP, I GAVE THEM A SHEET OF PAPER SOME SIGNALS THAT INDICATES PROHIBITION, SO THEY HAD TO WRITE WHAT THE SIGNAL INDICATES, FOR EXAMPLE:

YOU CAN'T USE CELL PHONES IN THIS CLASS

THEN, THEY CONTINUE WORKING IN PAIRS, I GAVE THEM A WORKSHEET WHICH WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO COLUMNS: THINGS THAT I HAVE TO DO ON SATURDAY, AND THIGS THAT I DON'T HAVE TO DO. FINALLY, THEY SHARED WHAT THEY HAD WRITTEN.

FOR THE WRAP UP, I DIVIDED THE CLASS INTO TWO GROUPS. I PASTED A BOND PAPER AND THEY HAD TO WRITE THREE THING THAT ARE PROHIBED IN "THEIR PERFECT TOWN". THEY ENJOYED THIS ACTIVITY BECAUSE THEY COULD WRITE WHATEVER THEY WANT.

TO SUM UP, IT WAS A NICE EXPERIENCE BECAUSE IT WAS A LARGER GROUP, SO YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH THE ACTIVITIES THAT YOU BRING TO THE CLASS.

THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS!!!

GOD BLESS YOU!!!!

PHRASAL VERBS (SECOND CLASS)

HELLO DEAR CLASSMATES! I TAUGHT PHRASAL VERBS IN MY SECOND CLASS IN INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH I. IT IS A LITTLE BIT COMPLICATING TO TEACH BECAUSE STUDENTS ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH SOME PREPOSITIONS OR ADVERBS THAT YOU USED TO FORM A PHRASAL VERB.

FOR THE WARM UP, I PLAYED "THE TEACHER SAYS". I DID IT USING SOME PHRASAL VERBS SUCH US: TURN THE LIGHT OFF, PUT YOUR CELL PHONE AWAY, STAND UP, SIT DOWN, ETC. STUDENTS ENJOYED THIS ACTIVITY BECAUSE IT WAS A TPR, SO THEY DO NOT GET BORED.

THIS TIME, I HAD TO TEACH GRAMMAR. I KNEW THAT IT WAS NOT EASY, SO I MADE A CHART WITH EIGHT PHRASAL VERBS. IN ONE COLUMN WAS THE VERB, NEXT THE MEANING, FINALLY, THERE WAS AN EXAMPLE USING THAT PHRASAL VERB. I COULD SEE THAT IT FUNCTIONED BECAUSE STUDENTS UNDERSTOOD MY EXPLANATION.

THEN, I DID A FILLING IN THE BLANKS PRACTICE. STUDENTS HAD TO WRITE THE CORRECT PHRASAL VERB, AND AS GUIDE, I GAVE THEM A GLOSSARY WITH THE PHRASAL VERBS THAT THEY COULD USE AND THE CORRESPONDING MEANING.

THE LAST ACTIVITY THAT I DID WAS TO ASK THEM TO MAKE GROUPS OF FIVE, AND THEY HAD TO SHARE SOME QUESTIONS USING THE PHRASAL VERBS THAT I GAVE THEM. FINALLY, I ASKED THEM TO SHARE THE QUESTIONS WITH THE WHOLE GROUP.

WELL, AS YOU COULD SEE, IT WAS AN INTRODUCTION OF A NEW TOPIC, SO IT WAS A HARD CLASS TO ME. HOWEVER, I AM HAPPY BECAUSE STUDENTS ARE LEARNING MORE DAY BY DAY.

THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS!

My First Class, Second Period

Hello class! let me tell you that I feel so glad to share my experience on this class with you because I put all my effort to teach a good class. I think this time my grade is not important to me because I just love teaching and I really liked and enjoyed the class that I taught today in Intermediate English I in the morning.

But, How was my class?

Well, this group is kind of hard because they don't pay attention most of the time and they are doing other things while the teacher is explaining. However, what Sara and I did was to establish the rules in our class at the very beginning. We pasted some flashcards on the door with the rules, such as an image that showed that cellphones were not allowed in our class, repect the class, and the teacher, be in class on time, etc

The topic was Comparative Adjectives, so for the Warm up, I pasted a chart with an advertisement about two digital cameras with the price of each of them and the characteristics that they offer. The main point was to make comparisons between the advantages of the cameras, as you can see in the following picture:

In the presentation, I showed them two leave, one big and the other one bigger than the other one. What I did was to compare the leaves like this:

"This leaf is big, but this leaf is bigger than the other one". I repeated the same procedure with two small leaves, then I asked for two volunteers to make the comparisons.

It is difficult when you have to teach grammar, but I tried to do it in a way to catch their attention. I did charts with the rules for comparatives. I thought that it was better to do it in colorful paper, and it funtioned because they paid attention and they cooperated giving examples.

Then, it was time to practice. I asked them to make pairs and they worked in a filling in the blanks practice. It is a really large group, so for this activity I divided them in groups of 5. I gave them a piece of paper with two things to compare and an adjective, they had to make a sentence using those words and share the sentence with their classmates.

For the wrap up, I asked for five volunteers to come to the front. They had an adjective written in a part of the piece of paper that we gave them at the beginnig, so those volunteers had to write a sentence using the adjective that they had (in the comparative form)

It was my class in general, I am so glad because I enjoyed it. Thanks for your comments!

THIRD ENTRY

Hello my dear classmates! I feel so happy because I finished my labor as a practitioner in this level.

In the last class, I taught the difference between Simple Past and Past Progressive. However, my partner has taught grammar part, and I just made a review.

For the warm up, I divided the class into two groups because the name of the activity was: The broken telephone. I did it beacause I wanted to check if they had understood the topic, and include sentences like: I was taking a shower when the telephone rang, in other words, I included sentences using both structures.

The teacher asked to bring written practices. That's why I brought some fill in the blanks practice, and a Reading Comprehension. The Reading Comprehension took me arond 20 minutes, so that's why I cannot tell more about my class. Nevertheless, I felt so happy because all the students did it well.

At the end, I would like to say that I am so happy because I finished these practices in this level. I mus say that I did not like the group because they are a little bit lazy, but it was a great experience to me!!!