Week 11

March 22, 2011

The first half of the week has gone pretty well. We are working with new material, mainly vocabulary and culture. My students acted shocked when their desks were rearranged and some made sure to tell me their opinions (both positive and negative). It is going to take some getting used to and transition time. Now that the students are in groups there are more opportunities for communication practice, which is both a positive and a negative within itself. I need to make sure students are communicating with each other in SPANISH. Obviously, the goal of learning a new language is to communicate and use it effectively. But this is a huge challenge that I have faced in Spanish II. The students feel restricted with their level of knowledge, so they resort to English, but they know more than they think. I need to help them believe that they know more and they are full capable of communicating ideas in Spanish.

Another goal I have been working on this week is getting my resume finalized and ready to go. Thanks to my colleagues and friends who have given me great tips and advice with my resume! I am also making sure that I have everything lined up for graduation requirements, signed up for the ceremony (yes, you have to register for graduation, etc.). I think I am pretty much set, still need to purchase my cap and gown though. I also registered for the BSU Teacher Fair and began making a profile on the DOE website and looking at their job postings. I have a feeling a lot of big changes are going to be happening soon. I am anxious and excited to see where God will lead me and where I will be come August.

On the downside, just as I am finally building relationships with colleagues/other teachers, my time at CHS is running out. I am thankful for a wonderful group of teachers that I have been able to work with during this experience. They are all supportive and encouraging.

March 25, 2011

The second half of the week went well. On Thursday the students were in the language lab to record themselves for a 3rd quarter oral assessment. After a few technical difficulties got worked out, everything went well. Everyone then worked on a mini-project for my LAMP. The chapter we are studying now is about Cuzco, Peru. Students did some more research about the city and wrote some sentences about it. The purpose of this activity was to practice the process that they are to use when completing their semester two project. I think it was helpful for the students to practice on Cuzco, and work with a partner for collaboration help.

Friday our main focus was to continue working with the culture section about Andean music. We watched some videos to see authentic examples of the instruments and listen to the music.

Next week we only have four school days and then spring break starts. I have a feeling it is going to be a quick week packed with information we are trying to cover before they go away for a week and don't use or think about Spanish ☺