Making it work

     There have been several sources of inspiration for me as I move towards more Spanish in my Spanish classes.  The first is TPRS.  I like TPRS because it provides Comprehensible Input.  My students found it silly, though, and did not appreciate it at all.
     Two years ago I attended a workshop on making the 90% target, and I got some good ideas (though not many have stuck).  The next year, I decided to try to meet the goal.  I taught my students phrases to ask for help, and then proceeded to do everything the same, sticking to my textbook, except do it in Spanish.  I found out that you (I) can't make such a fundamental shift and keep everything else the same.
     Last year I attended an OWL workshop at OFLA, and there I got tools that made sense.  I know what my students need to know, and I don't have to rely on a text to guide me.  I am building a Spanish speaking community in my classroom, and using Spanish to do it.
     Today, my 8th grade students started to work in small groups on projects, and they worked together in English.  It sounded so odd!  I wondered if I should insist that they speak Spanish to each other even as they worked on their project and conducted research in English.  I think I can be comfortable with it this time.  I will definitely take time on Monday to talk to each other, review vocabulary, and add to our list.
     I visited Anne Weldon's Spanish II classes today also, and shared my experiences of the Camino de Santiago with them.  I shared two important lessons I learned on the Camino:  Trust (the arrow will be there!), and Pay Attention (you have to watch for it!).  Very important lessons that I carry with me and recall often, and need to be reminded of from time to time as well.  What a gift experience is, and what a gift we can make of it!
     I need to pay attention to what my students are doing, and how they are doing it.  I need to trust what I am seeing, and take appropriate action.  I am the one who gives me permission to try things in my class, and I can take responsibility for what works and have the responsibility to change what does not.  It is OK if I don't know everything now.  I am a learner, too.

"When do you think you'll be there?"

The innocent question from a colleague inspires this post.  When will I get to 90-100%?  I am there.  In all of my level I classes I am almost exclusively Spanish, and my students come close, too.  I need to encourage more circumlocution and reject the "¿Cómo se dice?" questions that are just a request for translation.

I video taped all of my level one classes and saw the proof.  I am reaching my goal of 90-100% Spanish every day!  I feel so good about what I am doing and how my student are learning!

What planning looks like

My goal for 1A is novice mid, for 1B is novice high.  I will use the vocabulary we have been practicing.  In 1A, our question will be ¿Cómo está?    We'll start, though, with asking 5 people Como estas?  We'll share out after a transition activity, back in the circle, polling kids, asking how their partner is.  The second activity will be about four people.  The hook will be four photos on a slide.  I will assign a photo to each student who will have to describe their photo to another, then switch cards.  The cards will be different colors, for the four different pictures.  We'll transition this one with back to back with your partner-- you're facing your new partner.  We'll play this for a few minutes.  Transition.  New partners-- same color shoes?  

I'll solicit a new word, like bad mannered/rude, boy/girlfriend, homeless.  How do you feel when someone is rude/flirts/you see a homeless person?  Share with a new partner.  Circle up and share with whole group.

The last slide will lead to our next topic.  Pair up and list colors.  Then, as a class, we will name things that are that color in the classroom. Literacy piece: list the color names in the notebook.

If we have time, I'll debrief at the end of class.

In 1B, we will start (after the conversation) with the slides I made last week, en la consulta del médico (literacy).  Then we'll pair up and ask each other what hurts.  They will mention something, and the partner has to point to the part that hurts.  We'll count to pair, then espalda a espalda to re-pair.  Share-out with a round of simon dice or cabeza, hombros, pierna, pies.  Or a student can say what hurts and everyone has to mime it.  Transition to having pairs name all or the body parts they can (recycle).  New question: what can you do with your feet, hands?  Pairs share out after re-pairing.  Hopefully someone will share sports activities, which will be our next segway.  New question: Cuales deportes te gustan?  Generate a list of sports.