Please choose from the list for the #fliplang chat on Wednesday, August 14th at 8pm EST. Can't wait to see you there!
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Listen Up!
Besides the actual format of the flipped classroom, I get more questions about finding quality, authentic listening selections than anything else. I believe that working on listening comprehension is one of the most important things we as language teachers do, and it is also one of the hardest. Even before I walked away from our textbook, I was always searching for quality listening selections. It began when I started teaching Spanish III, and I realized that we didn't have any of the CDs for the textbook anymore. Now I rely on the Internet for more and more things for my classroom, but none more than listening.
Anyone that has talked to me about this, or seen me present, knows that I spend most of my free time searching for listening selections. When I moved to thematic units, it became a little easier because I could narrow my search, and when I started focusing on one country per thematic unit, it was easier still to search for listening selections. Please don't mistake me, it is NOT easy to find good listening selections that are on the right level, topic and something that the students can identify with. It is a constant struggle, and that is why I am ALWAYS searching for new things.
Now, where do I find the ones that I use? First, I begin with the text supplemental material. Even with the upper levels, sometimes it is good to start slowly with lower level listenings to get them back in the groove at the beginning of the year. I also am going to start using easier ones to demonstrate grammatical concepts that we are working on. This way, students can focus on not just the content, but the construction.
After I have exhausted what I like in my textbook, which doesn't take long, I move to the other books that I own. So, look on your shelf and see what books you have inherited from others, or received free at conferences. Then, check out websites like www.textbooks.com or www.amazon.com and search for the accompanying CD. Yes, it requires spending some money, but I have gotten some great resources for class this way. For example, I owned a book called Conversacion y Repaso. I looked through it and there was a supplemental DVD which had some government things that were right on point with what I was doing in class. So, I searched for it and found it here. Now, it doesn't work for every book - the supplemental materials aren't always available, but it is worth checking out.
Third, I scour the web. I love some of the stories on BBC Mundo (pretty sure there are versions in other languages), but for the lower level students, these are often difficult. I have met many teachers that love www.audiria.com, but I have only found one or two selections there that really worked for me. I find many listening selections on YouTube. For example, one of my current favorites is for my Challenges in Teen Life Unit for level 3. The video is entitled Gang Stigmata. At my school, tattoos are huge, so this video really sparks their interest. I also like documentaries that are on point - for example this one on Dali. It is not in Spanish, but has so much great information, I decided it was worth it. It just goes to show the awesome videos you can find for listening. Just narrow down to specific topics and countries to help you in your search. Also, do not do these searches at school because sometimes you get some unexpected (and not things you want someone to ask you about) results.
The bottom line is if you are looking for great, authentic listening activities, you are not alone. Talk to everyone you know and ask them what they are using. Better yet, comment here and share with me too!
Anyone that has talked to me about this, or seen me present, knows that I spend most of my free time searching for listening selections. When I moved to thematic units, it became a little easier because I could narrow my search, and when I started focusing on one country per thematic unit, it was easier still to search for listening selections. Please don't mistake me, it is NOT easy to find good listening selections that are on the right level, topic and something that the students can identify with. It is a constant struggle, and that is why I am ALWAYS searching for new things.
Now, where do I find the ones that I use? First, I begin with the text supplemental material. Even with the upper levels, sometimes it is good to start slowly with lower level listenings to get them back in the groove at the beginning of the year. I also am going to start using easier ones to demonstrate grammatical concepts that we are working on. This way, students can focus on not just the content, but the construction.
After I have exhausted what I like in my textbook, which doesn't take long, I move to the other books that I own. So, look on your shelf and see what books you have inherited from others, or received free at conferences. Then, check out websites like www.textbooks.com or www.amazon.com and search for the accompanying CD. Yes, it requires spending some money, but I have gotten some great resources for class this way. For example, I owned a book called Conversacion y Repaso. I looked through it and there was a supplemental DVD which had some government things that were right on point with what I was doing in class. So, I searched for it and found it here. Now, it doesn't work for every book - the supplemental materials aren't always available, but it is worth checking out.
Third, I scour the web. I love some of the stories on BBC Mundo (pretty sure there are versions in other languages), but for the lower level students, these are often difficult. I have met many teachers that love www.audiria.com, but I have only found one or two selections there that really worked for me. I find many listening selections on YouTube. For example, one of my current favorites is for my Challenges in Teen Life Unit for level 3. The video is entitled Gang Stigmata. At my school, tattoos are huge, so this video really sparks their interest. I also like documentaries that are on point - for example this one on Dali. It is not in Spanish, but has so much great information, I decided it was worth it. It just goes to show the awesome videos you can find for listening. Just narrow down to specific topics and countries to help you in your search. Also, do not do these searches at school because sometimes you get some unexpected (and not things you want someone to ask you about) results.
Here is a list of some other sites I have found for listenings. Check them out and see which ones meet your needs.
- http://senorwooly.com/
- http://www.laits.utexas.edu/spe/ - I use this one quite a bit. It is AWESOME!
- http://www.ecoportal.net/ - I have used for the environment. I have used mostly the articles, but videos are here too!
- http://lab.chass.utoronto.ca/rescentre/spanish/
- http://www.videoele.com/Curso.html - I love any listening divided into levels!
- http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/pre-home.html - News site
- http://www.nulu.com/en-us/home/en-us/es-mx/hard
- http://feeds.feedburner.com/codyscuentos - Found this on iTunes originally. Great for Fairy Talk/Legend Unit
- Carol's Journey - I use during my Spanish Civil War unit
- Cinco Amigas - Silly and fun, but the kids like it
- Under the Same Moon - I know a movie is doing it's job when the kids cry at the end.
- Circo - A documentary, but the students really found life in the circus interesting
- Casi Casi - Another kids favorite about awkward kid running for class president
- Valentin - Cute love story - easy to understand
The bottom line is if you are looking for great, authentic listening activities, you are not alone. Talk to everyone you know and ask them what they are using. Better yet, comment here and share with me too!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Let's talk World Language flipping
Are you interested in flipping your World Language class and have lots of questions? Are you already flipping your class and would like to connect with other World Language teachers that are also flipping? Mark your calendars for the first #fliplang chat on Wednesday, July 31 at 8EST. Please complete the following form to help us tailor the chat to best meet your needs and expectations.
Don't have a Twitter account? Have you never participated in a chat on Twitter? Don't worry it is very easy! I had never used Twitter before when I started participating in chats. If you do not have an account with Twitter, create one. People and companies are identified by the @ symbol before their name. For example, I am @SraWitten. There are no spaces in the user names. To find someone on Twitter, just go to the search box and enter either their real name or user name if you know it. Then when you are sure you have the right person, click on the follow button. Now, every time that person posts to Twitter, you will see what they say.
To follow a conversation, you use hashtags. Hashtags are the number sign followed by a phrase, with no spaces. So, to follow our chat, you would use #fliplang hashtag. Keep this in mind when responding because you are only allowed 140 characters.
When you are participating in the chat, the moderator usually begins by asking everyone to introduce themselves with their subject area, grade level and where you are. Then questions are asked by the moderators to start the and keep the conversation going. Questions are usually numbered in the Q1, Q2 format and answers would begin with A1, A2. This helps to keep things organized and make the chat a little easier to follow. It is not necessary to reply to a specific person about the general questions.
Hopefully this helps those of you that have never participated in a chat. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me, or ask questions here and I will respond to you.
We are looking forward to this and can't wait to see you on July 31st.
Don't have a Twitter account? Have you never participated in a chat on Twitter? Don't worry it is very easy! I had never used Twitter before when I started participating in chats. If you do not have an account with Twitter, create one. People and companies are identified by the @ symbol before their name. For example, I am @SraWitten. There are no spaces in the user names. To find someone on Twitter, just go to the search box and enter either their real name or user name if you know it. Then when you are sure you have the right person, click on the follow button. Now, every time that person posts to Twitter, you will see what they say.
To follow a conversation, you use hashtags. Hashtags are the number sign followed by a phrase, with no spaces. So, to follow our chat, you would use #fliplang hashtag. Keep this in mind when responding because you are only allowed 140 characters.
When you are participating in the chat, the moderator usually begins by asking everyone to introduce themselves with their subject area, grade level and where you are. Then questions are asked by the moderators to start the and keep the conversation going. Questions are usually numbered in the Q1, Q2 format and answers would begin with A1, A2. This helps to keep things organized and make the chat a little easier to follow. It is not necessary to reply to a specific person about the general questions.
Hopefully this helps those of you that have never participated in a chat. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me, or ask questions here and I will respond to you.
We are looking forward to this and can't wait to see you on July 31st.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Reflections & AATSP recap from 6/10 & 6/11 sessions
Sadly the AATSP 2013 Conference is now over. I am sitting in the lobby of my hotel enjoying a margarita and reflecting on the great sessions I attended, and maybe even better, the connections I made with other teachers. The conference was wonderful and challenging for me. I was not prepared for most of the presentations to be in Spanish, and all the great conversational Spanish. I have to admit, by the time the Spanish part of my brain kicked in, the conference was practically over.
My biggest complaint for the conference is not a complaint about the conference at all, but an admonishment to myself for being so lax this summer. How can I expect m students to practice over the summer, or at least do a little listening and reading over the summer if I am not doing the same? Yes, I am reading an Isabelle Allende novel in Spanish, but other than a little "Dora the Explorer" Spanish to m three year old twins, I hadn't spoken Spanish since the third week of May. This is something that needs to change. So, I am asking my Spanish speaking friends out there to help me. When you write, send me emails in Spanish. If you talk to me, make it be in Spanish. Sure, I may have to think a bit more before I speak, but wild that really be a bad thing? ;)
Now to the sessions.
I did take it easy on the 10th to gear up for my presentation. I had planned on the AP session, but sadly, I found that I was so exhausted, I just couldn't get there at 8am. I was pleased with how my presentation went and had many good questions from those in attendance. I also found that I was now known, not as the "flipping woman", but "that woman with the blog". Strange to think that my musings here are how people think of me. (I must be more careful about what I write!)
At the end of the day, I attended a session I was happy to find as a last minute edition to the program - STEM in the language classroom. This is something I was very excited about because with. The new Colorado teaching evaluation, I need to find ways to incorporate Math in my classroom. (Yes, it terrifies me!) the session had a small but mighty audience and we were presented with lots of ideas for incorporating Science and technology in the class as well as some Math. As often happens in these sessions, my fellow attendees had some fantastic ideas as well. Here is a list of ideas and websites from the session:
My biggest complaint for the conference is not a complaint about the conference at all, but an admonishment to myself for being so lax this summer. How can I expect m students to practice over the summer, or at least do a little listening and reading over the summer if I am not doing the same? Yes, I am reading an Isabelle Allende novel in Spanish, but other than a little "Dora the Explorer" Spanish to m three year old twins, I hadn't spoken Spanish since the third week of May. This is something that needs to change. So, I am asking my Spanish speaking friends out there to help me. When you write, send me emails in Spanish. If you talk to me, make it be in Spanish. Sure, I may have to think a bit more before I speak, but wild that really be a bad thing? ;)
Now to the sessions.
I did take it easy on the 10th to gear up for my presentation. I had planned on the AP session, but sadly, I found that I was so exhausted, I just couldn't get there at 8am. I was pleased with how my presentation went and had many good questions from those in attendance. I also found that I was now known, not as the "flipping woman", but "that woman with the blog". Strange to think that my musings here are how people think of me. (I must be more careful about what I write!)
At the end of the day, I attended a session I was happy to find as a last minute edition to the program - STEM in the language classroom. This is something I was very excited about because with. The new Colorado teaching evaluation, I need to find ways to incorporate Math in my classroom. (Yes, it terrifies me!) the session had a small but mighty audience and we were presented with lots of ideas for incorporating Science and technology in the class as well as some Math. As often happens in these sessions, my fellow attendees had some fantastic ideas as well. Here is a list of ideas and websites from the session:
- Puzzle of the day - Math word problems translated (possibly taken directly for lower level may classes)
- Temperature conversions- use in conjunction with weather and clothes. (Explaining temperature to a foreign exchange students with proper attire.)
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar book - incorporate life cycle of butterfly
- Magic school bus - I had forgotten about these, which are often very scientific in nature - not sure about this for high school, but elementary or middle could use this
- Using current scientific happenings - volcanoes, floods, hurricanes, etc. in various countries
- Planets with days of the week - planets are aligned with days
- El Niño/La Niña - weather cycles which originate with Ecuadorian fisherman
- Correlation between space station and houses - different parts of the space station owned by different countries - The space station idea is really cool because it can also include time, clothes, body parts... Check out http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/
- Incorporating constellations and astrology in superstition unit with horoscopes, calendars, etc.
- Globe Program which has resources for data reporting and experiments for things around the world.
- Nighttime lights of the world shows the world map as it is seen at night with lights. This map is a great way to talk about culture - why are there no lights in some places? Why are some lights highly concentrated? Which countries have the most lights? How does electricity, or lack of it, effect the life of the people into those places? These are all great higher level thinking questions.
Basically, once I really started putting my mind to it, there are many ways to incorporate STEM in he language classroom the best point made was that we need to try to surprise our kids and help the. Think about some of the basic content on more unusual and fun ways. Why not teach body parts and clothes with an astronaut?
Flipping Spanish your way - Good presentation by Ruth Valle, a college and high school teacher from Tennessee. She highlighted many video tools such as Jing, www.duolingo.com as well as the iPad apps Show Me and Markup.
I then attended the Bridging the Gap session about writing in the target language. much of the information, although obvious, is good to hear periodically. We must work with our students on HOW to write. Students need to be reminded to stay away from complicated techniques they use in English. we as teachers also need to remember that many of our students struggle with writing in English, so how can we expect them to excel in the target language? Two highlights from her presentation were 1) to always keep in mind what you want to convey and 2) how you want your audience to react. This is great advice for video creation to help keep on track and focused.
My favorite idea from this session was making reverse outlines. Although the presenters suggested this as a tool for learning how to create an effective outline, I was thinking that this could be a good technique for an interpretive activity. It would show if students can choose the main idea and supporting points from an article. It was also suggested that students should not be given any content to read which would take them longer than ten minutes. This would be difficult in 4 and AP, but I see the value in this for the lower levels because when authentic reading takes longer than that, the students tend to get frustrated and want to give up.
The last two sessions for the day were the most exciting for me. First, there was a session on Incorporating Proverbial Language. I loved the ideas for using proverbs to help teach vocabulary and grammar points. My favorite idea was to teach a few proverbs to the students and then have them write a story where the proverb was the moral to the story. This would really help me include more authentic language and culture in my Fairy Tale unit. I am thinking that I will teach two proverbs a week during that unit and then have students choose one when creating their own story. First, I will need to acquire a few more proverbs myself! (Here is a site with some good ones!) It was suggested that for teaching purposes, short and simple proverbs are used. Some of the longer ones get very difficult for students to remember and use correctly. In my AP class I think this would be very helpful for them on the exam where utilizing colloquial language where appropriate can help to boost scores.
The final session of the conference was my personal favorite - Interpreting Art in Spanish. This session brought me back to my college days where I spent many hours learning about art in the Prado Museum. I teach an art unit in Spanish IV, and this session was a good refresher for many of the terms and easy ways to explain art in Spanish. **On another note, in the depths of my basement this summer I also found my books from the Prado which are written in Spanish and will be a great resource for my students during the art unit. ** The presenter has a "museum day" where students dress and pose like various famous works of art for students to discuss similarities and differences to the real piece. This idea may be a great addition to my art unit and I may include this as a choice for the final assessment.
I enjoyed all the sessions, and wished I could have attended more sessions. I was sad that I was unable to attend the first day of the conference, but it is difficult to be away from home for too long with four children. If anyone else has thoughts on these sessions or others from the conference, please share them!
My favorite idea from this session was making reverse outlines. Although the presenters suggested this as a tool for learning how to create an effective outline, I was thinking that this could be a good technique for an interpretive activity. It would show if students can choose the main idea and supporting points from an article. It was also suggested that students should not be given any content to read which would take them longer than ten minutes. This would be difficult in 4 and AP, but I see the value in this for the lower levels because when authentic reading takes longer than that, the students tend to get frustrated and want to give up.
The last two sessions for the day were the most exciting for me. First, there was a session on Incorporating Proverbial Language. I loved the ideas for using proverbs to help teach vocabulary and grammar points. My favorite idea was to teach a few proverbs to the students and then have them write a story where the proverb was the moral to the story. This would really help me include more authentic language and culture in my Fairy Tale unit. I am thinking that I will teach two proverbs a week during that unit and then have students choose one when creating their own story. First, I will need to acquire a few more proverbs myself! (Here is a site with some good ones!) It was suggested that for teaching purposes, short and simple proverbs are used. Some of the longer ones get very difficult for students to remember and use correctly. In my AP class I think this would be very helpful for them on the exam where utilizing colloquial language where appropriate can help to boost scores.
The final session of the conference was my personal favorite - Interpreting Art in Spanish. This session brought me back to my college days where I spent many hours learning about art in the Prado Museum. I teach an art unit in Spanish IV, and this session was a good refresher for many of the terms and easy ways to explain art in Spanish. **On another note, in the depths of my basement this summer I also found my books from the Prado which are written in Spanish and will be a great resource for my students during the art unit. ** The presenter has a "museum day" where students dress and pose like various famous works of art for students to discuss similarities and differences to the real piece. This idea may be a great addition to my art unit and I may include this as a choice for the final assessment.
I enjoyed all the sessions, and wished I could have attended more sessions. I was sad that I was unable to attend the first day of the conference, but it is difficult to be away from home for too long with four children. If anyone else has thoughts on these sessions or others from the conference, please share them!
If you are looking for more information about flipping in the language class, check out the new book Flipping 2.0. Ordering information is available at the top of the blog on the right!
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