We’ve been back-to-school for a month now and things are going really well! Students are remembering how to ‘do school’ and most even have an interest in learning again. I’m not gonna lie, I was very anxious over the summer thinking about going back this fall. Last year was just SO HARD in so many ways. But this year is going very well and I’m once again cautiously optimistic for the school year! (There is still that part of me that is waiting for the other shoe to drop…. but I’m granting myself permission to hope and it feels so good!)
So what am I doing differently this year in an effort to make up for areas we weren’t able to focus on in the past two years?
- I’m jumping right in with engaging content – Nailed It!, Mexico in level 3 and Go! Vive a tu Manera in level 4. Both from Netflix.
- I am going slower than ever – which seems weird to say because I am definitely a champion of going slow!
- We are building a lot more structure back into our daily routines. I don’t know when I stopped regularly incorporating Write and Discuss into my class periods, but I did. Unfortunately, my students’ writing abilities show that we didn’t do enough of that. Time to get back to the basics!
- We are taking a little time each week to celebrate in English. Students share recent small and big successes: a new job, a new friend, a good test score, a great meal from a local restaurant, Billy made it to class on time, whatever! Anything that brings them joy brings me joy.
- I am fortunate to teach in a school that has BANNED CELL PHONE USAGE IN THE CLASSROOM. I know this has made a huge difference because I’m no longer fighting for attention. Who can compete with Tik Tok and Snapchat? Not me, and now I don’t have to! It has made an enormous change in the class atmosphere.
Nailed It! México – Voice and Choice
In past couple years, students have not been all that interested in watching a series in class. I wasn’t able to get buy-in to the cheesiness that is Nailed It! They acted like it was dumb and that they wanted to do ANYTHING as long as it wasn’t watch this series. So, I gave it a rest. This year, I went even slower with the intro slides and made sure we did a Write and Discuss at the end to summarize what we had learned. Sure, they complained a bit, but I told them my job was to make them successful. I couldn’t go any faster because I wanted them to do well on any and all assessments in my class and they wouldn’t be able to do that if we went any faster. They HAD to master this basic vocabulary so we could enjoy the show in Spanish.
Let me tell you, they really started getting into it! Using the viewing guide, I asked zillions of questions during episode one using their new vocabulary. At the end of the week, we had only made it through 1/2 of the episode. I only planned for one week and when I mentioned that we would only be watching it on Fridays, they were NOT having it! They begged to finish the episode the following week. Um, what? You want to watch more of a show that is in Spanish with Spanish subtitles and you want to write about it and discuss it IN SPANISH? Of course the answer was YES! It was a very good reminder for me that allowing students voice and choice is a win-win. I was able to milk one episode for two full weeks of instruction. So. Much. Fun! And the lesson plans were easy to write – “continue Nailed It!”.
Go! Vive a tu Manera – More Voice and Choice
Similar to Nailed It!, the past two years, students have not enjoyed watching Go! Vive a Tu Manera as much as in previous years. They just weren’t able to have fun with it. So much so, that I completely abandoned it last year. But this year is different. Students are laughing, poking fun at Juanma, Lupe, and Mía, and enjoying themselves. They negotiated watching twice a week. That, too, was an easy decision for me to make – more target language more of the time is definitely a win-win! I use these resources from TPT and adapt them to the past tense. There are a LOT of short YouTube videos that I use to extend the joy.
The Mochila Challenge series is fun. The characters share what is in their backpacks and we listen for items. After viewing all the videos, I challenge my students to create their own Mochila Challenge videos using Flip Grid or Formative.
This is a good opportunity for students to practice using the targeted structures in a low-stakes way. Everyone records at the same time and they have a time limit to complete their videos. I use these resources from Kara Kane Jacobs for the Mochila Challenge.
While watching the Mochila Challenge series, I stumbled upon cute videos comparing the actors to the character they play in the show. I created this ‘bio’ and listening activity for Juanma and Santiago Sáez. I wrote the Juanma bio in the first person so my students could get more exposure to those structures. It pairs well with episode 2 when Juanma quits the basketball team.
Here is another first-person bio comparing actress Pilar Pascual with her character, Mía Cáceres. It pairs up with episode 3, but can be used at any time – even as an introduction to the show.
Be sure to check back. I will be adding more resources as the year goes on. As long as students are interested, I will keep adding!
More New Resources
Are you gearing up for Halloween? Here is a cute level 2 or 3 Movie Talk/Clip Chat about a hungry zombie. It has an unexpected twist at the end!
I truly hope that your back-to-school is a good one and that you, too, have reason for hope!
