I've started out my French IV class with the film Ma Vie en Rose a week ahead of the other class so that i can prepare what the French III students will do. The parts that the IV students succeed with I will break down into smaller pieces for French III. The parts that the IV students struggle with I will re-work completely for the III kids.
Today the III kids wrote their identity definition:
Identity is the things and the description that make you unique. For example, the traits, the adjectives, the actitvities, name, family, tendancies, interests, the sum of the characteristics of one person.
It took the whole class working together. I think they really liked their mindmaps. The 60 minutes flew by, the other 30 taken up with the photo du jour, and making sure that they had two objectives for the day.
I have two students who are essentially refusing to speak French, and they are very negative about it. I have a parent meeting with one, and the other I will have to meet with again. Fortunately at this level, the honors class is an elective. The kids choose to be here. Although I'm surprised that no one dropped once we got started, I'm aware that this translates to me working harder to prevent the semester from crashing into a ball of flames.
Scaffold, scaffold, scaffold.
Scaffolding!
I copied this down from a fellow teacher's wall one day.
1. I do, you watch. -Teacher models a strategy or trait.
2. I do, you help. -Collaborative practice with the trait and strategy.
3. You do, I help. -Guided practice to learn the trait and strategy.
4. You do, I watch. -Additional Application to reinforce the trait and strategy.
Today I did a mindmap in front of the kids for myself. Then they did one and I walked around and monitored. Their homework is to revise it. That's 1 and 4. I skipped a lot of steps here. Hopefully the mindmap is simple enough to skip the two in between. I will find out tomorrow. In the meantime...
Scaffold scaffold scaffold.
