Talia Block
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Presentations
  • Teaching Resources
  • Contact Me

Brain Breaks 

12/7/2016

4 Comments

 
If you’ve ever taught elementary school, you know the kids are squirrely. They can’t sit for more than 10 minutes or so before needing to stand up and move. This is great for language teachers as we often want our students moving around the room and interacting. There are times, however, that we need students to focus on an interpretive task or work on a presentational activity.
 
After reading about primacy and recency, I realized this was a great way to plan my lessons. Even with a 30 minute period, students could only focus on a task for about 10 minutes before needing a change. Enter the brain break.
 
Not only do brain breaks give students a chance to rest and recharge their brains, but also it is a way for me to incorporate cultural songs and ideas and to review previous lessons. Here are a few of my favorites:
 
Chocolate
This is a popular one with students as they get to talk (and think about) chocolate. It has a simple rhythm and simple hand gestures, but it gives them a chance to interact with a friend during class.
Cho-co-la-te
Choco choco la la
Choco choco te te
Choco la
Choco te
Choco Choco la te
Palo, Palo
This is a new find and the students love it! Again, simple words and gestures make it easy to introduce and do during class and it’s just fun! (The action starts about 2 minutes in.)
Palo, palo, palo
Palo, bonito
Palo, eh
Eh, eh, eh
Palo, bonito
Palo, eh

Hand clap
Everyone loves a good hand game and this one is no different! There are three parts to this, the second being quite long. While there is not a lot to the game, I love that the students learn the words associated with the different actions. As they move their hands, they have to say the words. For now, I only have them do part A, but as they get better I may add in part B and the finale. (Start video 1 min in.)
Busca algo…
This is a game we used to play as part of the color unit, but our color unit has been absorbed in other places (thankfully). Kids simply listen for the color (busca algo rojo) and walk around the room to find it. There are three rules: no running, no talking, and no touching other people. It’s a quick and simple way to get them moving and spot check for if they remember their colors. If you want to change it up, have them look for objects or letters.
 
Body Rock, Paper, Scissors
This is your typical rock, paper, scissors game, except that students use their entire bodies to form each object. Before playing, I go over each word and each movement with the students. We practice them in different orders and then in order. When they are ready to play, students close their eyes and say: “roca, papel, tijeras, ¡ya!”. On ya they pick a movement and open their eyes. You can teach phrases like “I win” or “rock beats scissors” as an added bonus.
 
Estatua
Another great way to review vocabulary is with statue. I name an object and students freeze in a way that demonstrates that word. Sometimes, I throw in feelings or adjectives as well.
 
When introducing the brain break, it can take a few extra minutes out of class, but once students know the song or game, all they require is the title of the activity to get going. It is worth the minutes up front to help long-term class participation and interest.
 
These are just a few of the many brain breaks out there. Not all are specific to the World Language classroom, but they can be adapted quite easily. Another option is to take a favorite rhyme or hand game in your target language or to search in your language via YouTube or Google.
 
No matter what you find, find a way to let students move and have a good time. 
4 Comments

Top 5 Reason Language Teachers Should Travel

1/4/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Winter break is over and it’s back to work, but this year, the first day back is a bit different. I spent the past two weeks in Panama, living the culture and the language. Other than having a great time and enjoying the warm weather, it made me realize how important travel is for a language teacher.
 
Travel is fun. It can be relaxing, educational, inspiring and more! For language teachers, however, travel can be much, much more. For many language teachers, the opportunities to practice their target language (TL), is rare. While many of us may have chance to use our TL in our everyday lives, it is often at a surface level. Travel, on the other hand, opens us to a world of possibility to learning and practice, which we bring back to our classrooms in both planned and unplanned ways.
 
1. Brush up on your language.
Whether or not you use language in the classroom every day, I would imagine your TL could use a bit of a brush-up. Speaking classroom language to 8 years old (in my case) is not ensuring I maintain my language skills. Many of our classroom conversations are limited; travel expands the topics of conversation, challenges our language negotiation skills, and often pushes us out of our comfort zone. It is also a great reminder of what our students go through everyday as we acclimate to new vocabulary and situations.


Read More
0 Comments

Making Conversation Happen

10/14/2015

0 Comments

 

My job as a teacher at the novice level is to provide my students with the building blocks to creating conversation. That is, to give them set questions, phrases, sentence starters, and conversation structures that they will eventually use to create their own language (pushing them into the intermediate level). Not only do I provide the language chunks, but also the opportunities to use that language. Almost every activity we do is based on creating conversation.  The distinction between conversation and speaking is important, as my goal is to encourage a language exchange between two or more people, rather than a one-sided answer.

I explain to my students that conversation is like a tennis match: the goal is to volley the ball (or the language) back and forth as many times as possible.
A tennis match isn’t very exciting if one person serves and the other is unable to return the ball. The longer the volley goes, the more intriguing and exciting the game becomes. This is our goal. 

Picture

Read More
0 Comments

Pushing for Proficiency Through Conversation

9/28/2015

0 Comments

 
It's the first day of school, and one of my fourth-grader says: “Are we going to learn how to speak Spanish next year?”. “No!” I respond. “You're going to learn today!” What he really wanted to ask was if he was going to speak in Spanish the same way he speaks in English. As much as I would love to tell him that by the end of fourth grade he would be fluent in Spanish, but the reality is that he won't. Until this moment, I never thought to share the proficiency guidelines put out by the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL). I just did not think it would matter to an elementary school student. The more I think about it, however, the more I see the importance. In order for our students to understand their growth potential, however, we need to be clear on what we truly expect them to do. ACTFL provides proficiency levels to help guide us through our language learning. 

Picture

Read More
0 Comments

To review or not to review

8/25/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
For many of us, the start of school is just days away. The room is (almost) ready and the excitement is building, but what are you actually going to teach on the first day? Do you dive right in, or do you spend time reviewing and warming up your students’ brains? I’m always torn on how much time I should spend reviewing. While it seems to help ease the students back in, I’m not sure that it actually elevates their learning in any way. Every year, I feel like I go back and forth on how and what to review and how much time to spend.

In years past, I feel like I’ve tried everything. Some years, students create Facebook pages or write short books all about themselves. These activities pull in vocabulary, such as colors and activities, which we’ve learned the previous year. (See some samples below.) Other years, I skip the projects and do more interactive getting-to-know-you activities like human bingo. There is NOTHING wrong with these activities! It eases students back into school while allowing them to share about themselves and learn from others. (Truthfully, I think it also eases me back into the school year.)


Facebook Review.pdf
File Size: 42 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Human Bingo.doc
File Size: 34 kb
File Type: doc
Download File


Read More
0 Comments

Keeping it in the target language from day 1 to 180

8/10/2015

2 Comments

 
As a language teacher, I know my students need large amounts of input in order to be successful. I am also aware that the only place they truly receive that input is the 30 minutes a day they are in my classroom. With such a small window of opportunity, it is essential I use every minute to the fullest and fill their nimble minds with as much target language (TL) as possible. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL, 2015) recommends “language educators and their students use the target language as exclusively as possible (90% plus) at all levels of instruction.” Our goal is to set up them for success in travel and interaction with speakers of the TL, so it only makes sense to surround them with language in the classroom.

Picture
If you are new to the 90/10 model, it can be daunting at first. I couldn’t imagine how teaching elementary school students in the TL from day one; they would have a melt down! Our students, however, are extremely receptive if you approach the use of language in context and with plenty of support. Here are a few ideas for getting your year started off right at any level:

Use classroom decorations that double as input
While we don’t want to overwhelm our students, there are plenty of decorations that do double duty. Signs with essential phrases, such as “Can I go to the bathroom?” or “I have a question.” are a must! If you post classroom rules, make them bilingual so you don’t have to translate as you go. By mid-year, the first language side can be removed and you can continue to refer to the rules in the TL only. Keep the rules simple and easy to understand. 

Picture
As presented by Moeller, A.J. & Roberts, A. at Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Language, 2014.

Read More
2 Comments

5 Hacks to Broaden World Language Resources

10/24/2014

0 Comments

 
Picturetwitter.com
Finding resources for my elementary Spanish class can be frustrating. There are a plethora of resources available (thank you Pinterest!), but they are not always what I am looking for. The activity might be too focused on grammar or just be too high level. Sometimes I love the idea, but the content is too high for my students. Each time I search for "Spanish activities" or "clase español", I always seem to come up just a bit short of what I really want. Then it dawned on me: I don't just teach Spanish, I teach language arts, reading, math, social studies and more! While this was always in the back of my mind, I realized that I could widen my search and easily adapt ideas to make them work in my classroom and for my students. 

I know what you're saying: "DUH!" But with Pinterest making it so easy, I have expanded my toolbox exponentially and created some really amazing activities for my students. 


Read More
0 Comments

Performance vs. Proficiency: The reality of language learning

8/25/2014

0 Comments

 
Picturehttp://tinyurl.com/opitriangle
Understanding the difference between performance and proficiency might possibly be the key to setting real expectations for our language learners and their parents. ACTFL defines proficiency and performance as follows:

Proficiency: "The ability to use language in real world situations in a spontaneous interaction and non-rehearsed context and in a manner acceptable and appropriate to a native speaker of that language."


Performance: "The ability to use language that has been learned and practiced in an instructional setting".
ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners

While it is essential to set high expectations for our students, those expectations must be attainable. and developmentally approriate If not, we risk pushing our students away from language learning.


Read More
0 Comments

Top Tips for Sharpening Language Skills This Summer

6/24/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Once the school year has ended and students are no longer in class every day, it can be difficult for them to maintain the language skills they learned throughout the year. But practicing and working with the language can be easier than you think. The more students interact with the language, the better they are able to get back into the swing of things come September. Here are some quick tips to help students maintain and sharpen their language skills:

  • Use technology. Tablets and smart phones offer a wide range of applications (apps) in many languages. Even if the apps do not concentrate on vocabulary learned in the classroom, they offer the chance to continue interacting with the language in a fun way. Duolingo is one free choice.
  • Listen to music. An important part of maintaining language skills is to continue interacting with the language. Listening to music is a great way to pick up new vocabulary and to get to know the culture of the language as well. If local radio stations do not provide international music stations, there are various Internet radio stations that do. From Top 40 hits to more cultural music, it can all be found online.
  • Read a good book. Reading children’s picture books in the target language, especially one that is familiar, is a great way to continue practicing over the summer. Books, such as “The Hungry Caterpillar” or “The Cat in the Hat,” are available in a wide range of languages. When children read books with which they are familiar, there is more focus on the language and often they can pick up new words easily. Many bookstores and libraries carry picture books in multiple languages, and many books are available through online retailers as well.
  • Watch a favorite movie. Many of today’s movies are available in multiple languages through the movie menu. Watching a movie in the target language provides students with an incredible amount of language. In watching a well-known movie, students can concentrate on the new language and not so much the content of the movie. Animated movies are an especially good choice as they are often available with target language subtitles as well. If you cannot find movies in the language you desire, YouTube offers an incredible wealth of material.
  • Focus on the word of the day. By focusing on one word a day, students can easily add to their vocabulary. Use the word in as many different ways and settings as possible. Another way to use the word of the day method is to find words in the target language in and around the community. More so than with words from a dictionary or website, these vocabulary pieces are meaningful and allow students to connect their language with their surroundings.

As previously published in SmartBlogs for Education.

0 Comments

La Copa Mundial 2014

5/27/2014

0 Comments

 
Picturehttp://tinyurl.com/copamundial2014
The World Cup is upon us! What better way to end the year than with a celebration of the most popular sport in the Spanish-speaking world?! 


I am lucky to have an incredibly collaborative specials team that is willing to work with me throughout the World Cup unit. In art, students make flags and posters to represent their country, and in music they learn national anthems and chants. Best of all, in PE, students play a World Cup tournament, where they use the flags and cheers to show their national pride. All of this ties together our learning in Spanish class, where students get basic information on the World Cup and this year's host, Brazil.

At the elementary level, one of the most important pieces is keeping it fun and interactive. Students use all three modes of communication to complete their journey through the World Cup. Students interpret graphics and schedules, present information in the target language (TL) about their assigned country's team, and works with classmates to find a common game to watch during the tournament. 


Not only is it important to provide students some background in football and the World Cup, but to help them feel like they are a part of the action. The cultural connections to products and practices are essential.


Here are some resources to get you started:

Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous
    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    September 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    March 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Art
    Authentic Resource
    Brain Break
    Colors
    Communication
    Connections
    Conversation
    Culture
    Curriculum
    Emotions
    First Days
    Foldables
    Food
    Fútbol
    Fútbol
    Games
    Growth Mindset
    Holidays
    Ideas
    Immersion
    Instagram
    Interact
    Interpersonal
    Interpretive
    Language Chunks
    Lesson Plan
    Music
    National Foreign Language Week
    Novice
    Numbers
    Performance
    Presentational
    Professional Development
    Professional Learning Community
    Proficiency Levels
    Project
    Questions
    Reflection
    Resources
    Review
    Shopping
    Social Media
    Student Work
    Target Language
    Technology
    Time Management
    Tips & Tricks
    Vocabulary

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly