| Teacher/Parent-led Activities Tips, by Maggie Broderick, Ph.D. I. Introduction to the Activities Please note: These activities are written keeping in mind that there are at least three types of adult-facilitators who may be employing them: 1.) The fluent and qualified L2 (second language) teacher, 2.) The qualified teacher or monitor of this language program who does not speak the L2 but who assists children in their use of the program, and 3.) Individual parents wishing to enhance their children’s L2 experience and learning. For this reason, in all of the activities, we address you as “Teacher/parent” and we may give instructions that, at times, seem very obvious to trained L2 instructors. The following activities can be used to reinforce material learned in any of the target languages on the website. At least one pair activity and one group activity are provided for each unit. Teachers/parents may choose the activities that are most appropriate to their language learning situation. Most of the activities can be adapted to any teaching situation, with just a little thought and creativity! If no learning partner is available to the student, the parent can easily take on the role. The activities are designed to be fun and engaging for young students, while providing much-needed time practicing language skills that have been learned on the web-site. Activities include practice in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Because of the age and language ability of the students, the activities stress listening and speaking skills. While the activities are written to be used with any target language, teachers/parents are encouraged to integrate target culture into the activities. Some suggestions are provided. Many activities ask students to “role-play” and do things that may seem silly out of context. For example, students might practice meeting each other for the first time in the target language, even though they already know each other in “real life.” Pretending and “role-play” are essential components of language learning at this stage. Encourage students to be creative and have fun! The Importance of “Modeling” For most of the activities, the teacher/parent is asked to “model” the activity before the students are asked to perform it themselves. “Modeling” is simply a clear way of giving directions by showing students exactly how to do something, instead of only telling the students how to do something. In other words, it is a meaningful demonstration. Modeling can mean physically showing how to play a game, how to move and interact during a role-play, or simply how to put together a sentence in the target language. Modeling keeps students on track, and gives them a framework for the activities, as well as an idea of the end product or result. Just think of yourself as the example to be followed by showing students clearly how to perform the activities, and then keeping them on-task as they try to do what you have demonstrated.
The units on the website are unified by a detective theme. (This theme is enhanced by the corresponding book series called the Suitcase Sleuths.) Many of the exercises revolve around the idea of solving mysteries and foiling criminals. Young children find this idea particularly engaging, and will often fall into this sort of play naturally. This theme can be further incorporated into the activities below by creating a “sleuthing book” with the students. Many of the activities result in projects or other types of work made by students (completed handouts, mini-books, art work, etc.). Students should be encouraged to keep a portfolio of this work, which they can call their personal “sleuthing book.” Students will enjoy referring to their “sleuthing books” for language review or simply for fun. Teachers, parents, and students can use the “sleuthing book” as a reference to show language-learning progress, and as a tool for further lessons or review. In deciding how to make the “sleuthing book,” be creative! A simple three-ring binder decorated with the student’s name and art work along the “sleuthing theme” works well. Students could also create “sleuthing books” using recycled materials such as cereal boxes. If your child likes to keep realia, a fun way to store it is in an old briefcase or old, small hard side suitcase from a garage sale or second-hand shop. It can be painted, coated with clippings or stickers for an individual look. Feel free to also print out our colorful realia and graphic art for use in any of your child’s or students’ projects. Use art supplies to decorate the “sleuthing book” and write the student’s age and other information in the target language. Students take pride in their work, and enjoy this personal touch as a way to keep track of their progress. Also, if activities were done in pairs or groups, make a note with the name of the partner or group members. It is fun to look back and remember.
Each activity includes a section on Assessment and Monitoring Progress.
Teachers/parents should refer to this section in order to gauge how students
are doing, and if changes in instruction need to be made. Teachers refer
to this as “monitoring and adjusting” the curriculum. The
website and activities are not designed to reach the goal of a grade,
but assessment and monitoring progress are still critical to language
learning success. That is, teachers/parents should be aware of students’
progress against what is generally expected, so that they can then adjust
their teaching. For example, the “Assessment and Monitoring Progress”
section may give hints on how to slow an activity down for students who
need more practice on a particular language skill. Some suggestions are
also given for how to continue using the activity and the material learned
after the activity is complete, and for how to make some activities more
challenging for students.
|