Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Brain Dump Round Up - Miriam's list of activities

This morning I came to work knowing, in great detail, the things I wanted to work with, but at a complete blank of how to do it. The normal things I tend towards would not meet the purpose of what I wanted. So, after having a much needed cup of coffee, I started on a search on my favourite blogs to find an activity I could use. What I found were a few new activities and one that I am using today. Additionally, Rachel and I were speaking about some alternatives to the things we use for review/brain break vocabulary activities. I thought I'd take this information and round it all up for you all. So, without further ado, here is my list of favourite and newly discovered activities broken up into categories (and in no particular order). I want to honour what has been said, so I will only present 1-2 sentences where needed to clarify my thoughts or provide review.

Activities with Readings

  1. Fan N Pick discussed by Martina Bex - I found this activity this morning and I cannot wait to give it a try! 
  2. Story Tower discussed by Martina Bex - Also found this morning, this is the activity I ultimately decided to use. Look at my twitter for some pics later today! 
  3. Story Wars discussed by Miriam Patrick, original from Diane Neubauer - I love this activity to spice up a reading! 
  4. Picture Relay Races discussed by Rachel Ash 
  5. Seek and Find discussed by Rachel Ash - I love the variations on this! 

Activities with Vocabulary

  1. Draw, Discuss, and Read discussed by Miriam Patrick
  2. In my hat described by Miriam Patrick - We haven't discussed this original activity as it is. There is a variation on this, the white elephant activity, which is linked below. 
  3. White Elephant described by Rachel Ash and Justin Slocum Bailey
  4. TPR in the First ten discussed by Miriam Patrick with resources from Latin Best Practices
  5. One Sentences Stories discussed by Miriam Patrick and Two Sentence Horror Stories discussed by Rachel - both of these ideas were snagged from other places. My idea came from ideas for English/Literature classes and Rachel's idea came from a Reddit thread. 
  6. One Word Picture discussed by Keith Toda
  7. Movie Talks/Movie Shorts discussed by Miriam Patrick (secondary post)

Activities with Personalisation (PQA and untargeted types)

  1. Discipulus Illustris (student interviews)  discussed by Miriam Patrick with links to Bryce Hedstrom's original ideas and other follow up posts. 
  2. Free Voluntary Reading discussed by Miriam Patrick (expect an update post later this year)
  3. Roll A Write discussed by Miriam Patrick
This list is by no means exhaustive and I am always searching for new ideas. Share them in the comments below! 

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Draw, Discuss, and Read

"This is my best timed write ever!"

"Can we have five more minutes to write, please?"

---

I think these are examples of my dream feedback from kids. At the very least, they go right along side things like, "I dreamt in Latin last night", and "I think I want to be a Latin teacher".

I heard these things yesterday in class after three days of the lesson plan I am sharing today. I have done this style once before and knew that it was a fan favourite, but only at the lower level. Doing it at a higher level is more of the same, and yet completely different.

The Plan

I used this plan to introduce a new unit and, particularly, a certain set of "themed" (if you will) vocabulary. In Latin I, we did this with natural elements and pictures of scenes from nature and sci-fi. In Latin III, we did this with medical/body vocabulary and urban legends. 
  1. First, I went over new words. Theses words stayed projected for #2.
  2. Secondly, we did a picture description. I read the passage three times. 
    1. I read, they listen
    2. I read, they draw
    3. I read, they draw
  3. Thirdly, I displayed the picture and we discussed. We discussed a variety of things.
    1. What they put in their own images  1&3
    2. What colour things are 1&3
    3. How many of things are 1&3
    4. What they think things are (if they don't know the name) 1&3
    5. What qualities they think things show 3
    6. Where they think things are 1&3
  4. Fourthly, I displayed a story I wrote. In Latin I they were based solely on the picture. In Latin III they were based on the mythology and legend I researched. We discussed
    1. Areas of misunderstanding (what does it mean) 1&3
    2. Content of the story 1&3
    3. Where they think things are going 3
    4. Comparisons to previous stories 3
  5. Lastly, after the three days, we did a timed write. 
    1. Latin I (after 5 days) - I showed a new picture and asked them to do a timed write and create a story around the image. Latin I was given, if I recall ~8 minutes
    2. Latin III (after 3 days) - I gave them copies of the picture descriptions and the stories and asked them to write about a monster and give a description and write a story. Latin III was given 12-15 minutes because we spent more time discussing than I anticipated. They could:
      1. Choose a monster from a favourite book, movie, game, etc. 
      2. Choose a monster from their own or a favourite culture/heritage
      3. Create a monster from scratch

The Differences

I've noted a few differences between Latin I and III. Latin III is fresh on my mind, so, if you'll allow me, I'll focus on those interactions. 
  • Today, a student interrupted me repeatedly, in the target language, to ask if what we were doing was similar to some other monster from some other culture. Another proceeded to "quiz" me on what mythology it may be from. This is something my ones (and most of my twos) NEVER did. They took what I said as fact. This debate totally got me off track, but was worth every minute. 
  • Along the same vein, kids argued with me, in Latin. If they didn't think I'd described something correctly or that it was a different monster than I said, they spoke up. They used the language to express their opinions. In Latin I, that rarely, if ever, happened. 
  • By today, students had started to identify with these legends. We did a "Would you rather" brain break. I asked them which ones they'd rather face and which ones they'd rather be. You'd have thought the monsters were in the room the way the kids got into it and moved. 
  • In both years, by the end, students knew I was going to ask what was in the image and started shouting them out to the point that I was play catch up. In Latin III, however, they were whole thoughts and ideas. They were complex. In Latin I, they were single words or simple phrases. 
  • In Latin I, kids wrote, but were done when they were done. In Latin III, kids asked for extra time and were excited for a timed write... A TIMED WRITE. 

Final Thoughts

There is a lot of discussion about targeted CI and untargeted CI. Personally, I am of the mind that we can use both. This CI was targeted, in my plans, but the discussions that came out of it were untargeted. The freedom that the kids took to talk about what they wanted (their fears, interests, opinions, disagreements, excitement) was amazing. The freedom kids had in their timed writes (and the freedoms they took) were amazing. 

I plan to do this again and it is now firmly planted in my box of goodies. I really like that it is a linked set of lessons that use vocabulary in a variety of ways to help kids become comfortable and acquire the language. Sometimes I feel like some of the things we do are so unrelated... I didn't feel this way this time. So, for me... this was a win. 

Thursday, March 1, 2018

March "Madness": 30 Day Challenge

Hi all!

In the spirit of getting through this long and "holiday-less" month (AKA longest day without a break), I thought I'd challenge us all to a 30 day "share" challenge (which means you get 1 "flub" day). I'm going to participate as well and share my own challenge on the PBP Facebook page and Twitter. :) Reply with your own photos and experiences!

I hope we build community, have some fun, and really see how similar we all are :)


  1. Find and snap a picture of one item in your classroom you think not many people have. 
  2. Find and share a blog post about your favourite activity. 
  3. Find and share a favourite reading (class created or "authentic" - however you define it-)
  4. Find and share a favourite podcast episode. 
  5. Try a new activity and share 3-5 sentences about the experience. 
  6. Share a recipe for a favourite snack/mid week meal. 
  7. Snap a picture of your favourite stuffed animal to use in class.
  8. Snap a picture of a stuffed animal you use that you doubt anyone else has. 
  9. Share you favourite morning beverage details that get you going each day
  10. Share a brief story of how your particular language reaches into the depth of your personal life. :)
  11. Share 10 facts about your target language.
  12. Give a shoutout to a colleague who has helped you, lifted your spirits, gifted you a lesson, etc.
  13. Share a favourite teaching app or website. 
  14. Share a favourite image from your: textbook, classroom, reading, etc. 
  15. Share your ideal classroom layout.
  16. Share a teaching dream you have.
  17. Share a joy from your classroom. 
  18. Share something you do to reset/unwind. 
  19. Snap a picture of your desk --- NO MATTER ITS CONDITION :)
  20. Snap a picture of your lunch
  21. Snap a picture of your classroom at the end of the day -- even if you haven't cleaned it :)
  22. Share a reading/novella that you love and want to recommend to others (especially if it isn't part of the accepted canon)!
  23. Give a shoutout to a favourite teacher/professor/program/school that you had/attended.
  24. School Pride! Give a shoutout to your team! (ANY team counts :) )
  25. Share something you'd like more information on/would like to see more resources on.
  26. Share your teaching "elevator speech".
  27. Share your favourite non-language related movie/show that EVERYONE should see. 
  28. Share a tip/trick that you swear by. 
  29. Share your to do list for the day. 
  30. Share your favourite/the worst "mess up" you see in regards to your language/history and popular media. 


Now, let's have some fun!