Saturday, January 19, 2008
Taste and see...Peanut Butter is good!!!
On Friday, we had short lessons, so for 9b I prepared a short lesson about peanut butter; how it's made, where it came from, etc. And then I treated the students to a taste of the stuff. Most liked it, some didn't. For all but about 3 of them, it was their first time trying it. Here are some pictures and a video.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Apples to Apples...Happy New Year!
Whenever I travel, I think about what I can bring back to share with my students. This holiday season, I went to Seattle to spend time with my family. My brother got a new game for Christmas, called Apples to Apples. It is a really fun game! We played it for hours on Christmas Day, and even a couple days after. We even played it on New Years Eve...almost missed midnight because we were having so much fun!
Well, I just knew I could play this with my students! I bought my self a copy of the game. I brought it to 12a today, and they loved it! It took no time at all for them to learn how to play it. They were laughing and learning new words too. I asked them to start cleaning up about 3 minutes before the bell and they didn't want to...they wanted to keep playing!
We're looking at reading "The Catcher in the Rye" this term. I think it will be a challenge for them...me as well. The language is kind of "slangy" and very "American." But they seem to want to read it, so we'll see. This class are all 18-year-olds, so I think they can handle the "mature" subject matter. I could use some prayer in this area!
11b-
We've been reading Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" since before the break. It's been interesting to see the students' reaction to the story. I've struggled a bit to be able to really discuss the meaning of the story and get the students to think critically about it. I'm thinking that it's a bit "heavy" for them in the language department, let alone the critical area. So, I just asked them to read for content, and the exam will be on that.
10a-
My co-teacher, Kati, found some portfolios that correspond with their course books on line. This is really cool! The activities in the portfolio go along with exercises that they're already doing. Plus, there's a section for reflection! Less work for the teacher! Score! For Christmas, I bought the class a bookshelf to store their portfolio binders. I hope we'll get to them next week and start putting things in them. I need to get on this!
We're going to start a literature unit in January. I'm torn between Pride and Prejudice, Oliver Twist, and Silas Marner. I have graded readers for all three, and I've taught all by OT, so I don't know yet. All three of them have great messages and are good stories. I may have the students vote!
9b-
They've gotten into the second book now, so they're no longer beginners! They're elementary English students! They're still a curious group, wanting to know about me and my life in America. I have a strategy to get them to use more English than Hungarian in class, and it seems to be working. They're such a smart group of kids!
Thanks for reading my update. With all the planning and grading, I don't update this blog as often as I'd like to, but your comments help me know you're reading.
Thanks,
Ms. Barrett
Well, I just knew I could play this with my students! I bought my self a copy of the game. I brought it to 12a today, and they loved it! It took no time at all for them to learn how to play it. They were laughing and learning new words too. I asked them to start cleaning up about 3 minutes before the bell and they didn't want to...they wanted to keep playing!
We're looking at reading "The Catcher in the Rye" this term. I think it will be a challenge for them...me as well. The language is kind of "slangy" and very "American." But they seem to want to read it, so we'll see. This class are all 18-year-olds, so I think they can handle the "mature" subject matter. I could use some prayer in this area!
11b-
We've been reading Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" since before the break. It's been interesting to see the students' reaction to the story. I've struggled a bit to be able to really discuss the meaning of the story and get the students to think critically about it. I'm thinking that it's a bit "heavy" for them in the language department, let alone the critical area. So, I just asked them to read for content, and the exam will be on that.
10a-
My co-teacher, Kati, found some portfolios that correspond with their course books on line. This is really cool! The activities in the portfolio go along with exercises that they're already doing. Plus, there's a section for reflection! Less work for the teacher! Score! For Christmas, I bought the class a bookshelf to store their portfolio binders. I hope we'll get to them next week and start putting things in them. I need to get on this!
We're going to start a literature unit in January. I'm torn between Pride and Prejudice, Oliver Twist, and Silas Marner. I have graded readers for all three, and I've taught all by OT, so I don't know yet. All three of them have great messages and are good stories. I may have the students vote!
9b-
They've gotten into the second book now, so they're no longer beginners! They're elementary English students! They're still a curious group, wanting to know about me and my life in America. I have a strategy to get them to use more English than Hungarian in class, and it seems to be working. They're such a smart group of kids!
Thanks for reading my update. With all the planning and grading, I don't update this blog as often as I'd like to, but your comments help me know you're reading.
Thanks,
Ms. Barrett
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