Student Centered Language Learning Fl TA Training workshop

Student Centered Language Learning Fl. TA Training workshop Katie Clinton Instructor of Spanish, Syracuse University kclinton@syr. edu

Welcome Bienvenidos Hoan nghenh Bienvenue Dobro požalovat'! Nǐhǎo ahlan wa sahlan Bem-vindos Willkommen Yōkoso hwangyong-hamnida

Getting to know you… • How did you become fluent in a second language? • What made you love the language?

Student Centered • Ball • White Boards • Thumbs up/Thumbs down: • This woman’s name is Laura. • 1 -2 -3: We are in the state of: • 1. Connecticut 2. New York 3. Maine

Avoiding a Chorus in Class • When students are working in small groups on a grammar exercise, instead of having them all start at 1 (which causes the choral effect in my classes), I have them either: • Go in random order 1 -3 -5 -4 -7 -8 -10 • OR you can assign each group a start number. I usually alternate groups starting with 1 and going through the last question or starting with the last question and go in reverse to the first.

Hands on! • Name game • Music • Pandora • Spotify • Google Music

Dice Game • 1. Mohammed & Sebastian 1. To eat • 2. Sabrina 2. To dance • 3. Rayan and I 3. To study • 4. I 4. To want • 5. Carlos, Larissa &Sara 5. To live • 6. You 6. To be

Headbands • Put a list of vocabulary on the board and one partner sits with his/her back to the board and the other looks at the word, trying to describe it to their teammate. If the classmate correctly identifies the word, they get one point. • They are to keep track of the points earned. • After 2 minutes, they switch positions and the other student has the back to the board, guessing from a different list of vocabulary words. • They SHOULD NOT do the words in order!

Headbands 1: Fruit • Apple • Banana • Pear • Watermelon • Kiwi • Mango

Headbands 2: Veggies • Cucumber • Pepper • Carrot • Lettuce • Asparagus • Brussel Sprouts

Dr. Tuttle • Students in pairs • Give one person in the group one minute to say as much as s/he can to describe the picture • Can direct them to use certain vocabulary or grammatical structures • Partner records how many utterances said in that minute. Give one slash (/) for simple sentences and an X for complex thoughts. • /= 1 point X = 2 points

Tell their story

Tell this, a more complictaed, story

Nacirema

Student centered reading comprehension • Teacher read first to model good pronunciation – • Students take turns reading line by line • Jigsawing • Always pause for comprehension checks! • • Thumbs up/thumbs down Voting A/B/C or 1/2/3 White Boards Written/oral comprehension activities

The Ancient Nacirema • 1. How do the Nacirema spend the majority of their days? 1. Exercise 2. Nutrition 3. Pursuit of wealth • 2. What is the biggest worry of the Nacirema? 1. Survival 2. How they look 3. Fruit • 3. The rituals in the shrines are: 1. Secretive 2. Celebratory 3. Avoided

Pair Work Comprehension • Describe the shrines used by the Nacirema • Describe the medicine men • Describe the rituals of the Nacirema in these shrines.

Jigsawing Nacerima • Each student gets a paragraph to read on their own. • In 2 minutes, the group of three will come back together and explain the paragraph read • Comprehension questions

The Study of the Nacerima • What is the Nacirema intensely interested in? a. supernatural b. teeth c. children • How often do the Nacirema go to see the “Holy Mouth Men”? a. as needed b. once a week c. twice a year • According to the article, the “Holy Mouth Men” are: a. gentle b. sadistic c. faithful

TTT/Conecta 4 • Students work in pairs • The group members have different questions (A or B) • Students ask their partner a question/translation from the list and if they get it correct, they can mark X or O on their TTT board • Or, they can do a Connect 4 theme • Always personalize with students’ names

Speed Dating • Form two lines of students (I have them line up on the floor) facing each other • Show them the first situation , assign roles, and give them approximately 2 minutes to role play the situation • Circulate around the room to ensure everyone is on task • At the end of the role play activity, summarize what you heard or ask for student reactions to the situation • Have one row slide down one spot (the person on the end of the row will have to slide to the completely opposite end – they often don’t like to do that, just warning you!) • Show the second situation and repeat steps above • I typically have 3 -4 situations prepared for them to act out

Speed dating: First day • You are a new student to the university and are very nervous. • The other person is a very involved upper classman who wants to make you feel as welcome as possible. • At the end of the conversation, make plans to get together on Saturday night.

Speed dating: I want to come home! • One person is an 18 year old student who is living away from home for the first time and is feeling very homesick. • Student: You call your parents and tell them you want to come home. Use the present tense to explain your homesickness. • Parent: React to their child’s desire to leave school. Use the subjunctive to make urge the child to stay.

Speed dating: ARGH!!! • Your teacher is frustrated with you because you don’t do anything in his/her class. • Teacher – Use subjunctive and command forms to give the student suggestions that will motivate him/her to stay focused and on task. • Student – Justify your lack of interest and react to your teachers recommendations.

Lo mejor de mi vida • Remember that enthusiasm is CONTAGIOUS • Listen to song • Discuss tone/meaning/mood • Students write and perform their own version of the song • Write a letter to the person to whom the song is being sung

3 Truths & a Lie • Write out three truths about you and one lie (all in the present tense). Then, have students guess (by writing on the white board) which one is the lie by using the subjunctive (I doubt that, I don’t think that, etc).

My 3 Truths & a Lie • 1. I eat a salad every night. • 2. I Salsa dance on Tuesdays with my husband. • 3. I enjoy cleaning my house. • 4. I have dance parties in the mornings with my kids before school.

3 Truths & a Lie • After you model this for them, have the students write up their own ‘three truths and a lie’ and do the same activity in groups of 3 -5. • This game can be modified in for the past by having them use the present perfect subjunctive (I doubt that you have…)

Uncommon Commonalities • Students in groups of 3 -5 have a discussion to find uncommon things that they have in common. Ideas for this would be I have… eaten strange foods, have traveled alone, have 15 cousins, etc. • This is a great activity for those who are teaching the perfect tenses.

Uncommon Commonalities: Ideas • I have… • eaten strange foods (grasshopper, cow tongue, etc) • traveled to _______ (name country that not many people go to) • have 26 cousins • never left NY state • This is a great activity for those who are teaching the perfect tenses.

Writing prompts • 1. Form groups of 3 -5 students. • 2. Hand out a different writing prompt to each member of the group. • 3. Give students one-two minutes to write a story based on the prompt (can be true… or not!) • 4. After the one minute is up, have students pass their prompt to the person sitting next to them and have the students continue the story their classmate began. • 5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 for as long as you would like. • 6. Have one member of each group read their stories aloud.

Writing prompt examples • The first time I went to school… • When I arrived here this morning… • I never imagined that I would… • The first time I learned the truth about… • I thought that life in the United States would be… • Every time I hear (name a song)…, I think of… because…

End of year exam review • The first student listed in each group (Lori, Abi, Rebeca, Alina, Arkar) will form one group and the second students listed will form another review group. Each member is responsible for brining a thorough explanation of their topic, 10 practice questions and an answer key to share with their team. That way, everyone walks away with a review packet for the exam! • Just be sure students CITE their resources!!!

End of semester student led review sessions • 1. Vocabulary chapter 1 1. Lori/Jorge • 2. Vocabulary chapter 2 2. Abi/Liliana • 3. Present tense verbs 3. Rebeca/Gul • 4. Preterit tense verbs 4. Alina/Beatriz • 5. Future tense verbs 5. Arkar/Mei

Year end Jeopardy review • This is a great way for students to work together and review material, both cultural and grammatical. • I am sure that some of you use this already, but after MANY years of fine-tuning this activity, I think I have finally come up with a way to have all students engaged and on task.

How to play • Five groups, one white board per group • Each member of group takes turns writing • When it is team 1’s turn, they choose question and teams 2 -5 must also write answer on white boards and show it when it is time. If answered correctly, team 1 would get 5 points and teams 2 -5 get 1 point. • To ensure that one team doesn’t get first “dibs” in the easiest categories, I rotate going teams 1 -2 -3 -45 and then team 5 -4 -3 -2 -1. Let’s play!

THANK YOU! Contact me if you have any questions: Katie Clinton kclinton@syr. edu