Category: Environment

Class at Home

April 14, 2020 Published by: Lynn

If you are suddenly transforming a home space into a classroom here are some ideas for you. There are all kinds of free resources available to support students from home. I did a blog at the beginning of the school year with links to free resources available to support student learning while decorating your room at the same time. Now that we are turning our homes into classrooms, I thought it might be a good time to repost. I have these circumlocution posters in my classroom but decided to print out a set for my home classroom.

At first I had them taped to my whiteboard but realized this is going to be a pain going from French to Spanish. So I came up with this.

I strung a piece of twine and used clothespins so I can switch them out easier. There are lots of question word posters available for free that you can print out at home, or make your own with markers.

I had an old white board in my office that I covered with white board paint. You can see the difference in the two photos above. You can buy white dry erase paint and put it on anything to create a white board. However, an old white binder works also. Even though there is a white board function in Zoom, sometimes it’s a nice change to go old school.

I revived and old cork board by covering it with fabric and hot glued some framed postcards from Paris onto it.

Don’t forget to add plants to your work space. They help clean the air. I just went out to my yard and cut some bamboo and clipping off other plants. I like baskets and boxes for stashing miscellaneous things.

Surround yourself with things that inspire you or bring you joy. You can print inspirational quotes off the internet and frame them, or have pictures of your favorite people near by.

I wanted to change my zoom backgrounds, but couldn’t find our green screen. So I looked around the house and found a Seahawk’s blanket that works great, sheets, paper it doesn’t really matter.

This is now my recording studio.

Tina Hargaden posted a really cool assignment called where I work today. Each student added a slide to a google slide show with a picture of where we are working these days and some sentences about our space. It was really interesting to see all the different places and ways people are working. I think I am going to try it with my students this week.

Where is your work space and does it bring you joy? Post your current work space photo here with a short description.

Environment supporting student learning

Free Supports for Students

July 25, 2019 Published by: Lynn

There are a lot of free resources available to world language teachers that provide scaffolding for student interactions as well as functional room decor. To start, welcome them into the classroom with these free cómo estás and comment ça va posters from the Creative Language Classroom. They also have signs to post inside your door so you can say goodbye in different ways. I frame them and change them up every couple of weeks.

My opening routine each day involves the student greeter or special person. There are special person interview posters in many languages available from Bryce Headstom. Here are other free options for special person posters in French and in Spanish.

There are many question word posters available in French, Spanish and other languages. I transformed an old cork board with black chalkboard spray paint. Here are some chalkboard style question posters in French and Spanish. Add lists of possible answers for each of the question words below the posters as they are learned so students can refer to them in their writing and conversations. For example, under the “where” sign, list possible responses like: in the school, at the restaurant, in the park, at the mall.

One of the first things I focus on is high frequency verbs. I like these “sweet 16” verb posters in French and in Spanish.

The TPRSbooks.com website has free emoji rejoinder posters in several languages as well as lots of other goodies (click on your language after following the link). Rejoinders are words and phrases people say to keep the conversation going. I laminate them and have students hold them up and say the expression at appropriate times. Here are a couple of rejoinder lists from Amy Lenord in Spanish and translated to French by Catherine Ousselin . I use them to make my own graphics at spark.adobe.com.

Circumlocution is a strategy for describing or defining a concept instead of saying or writing the specific words. Teaching students circumlocution techniques helps them stay in the target language when they don’t know a word. I use these Free Circumlocution posters at the Teachers Pay Teachers website. I have lists of rejoinders and circumlocution words for students to create class posters, or digital versions with images posted to a Padlet, as an emergency substitute assignment.

It’s always great to spend Fridays talking about what students want to, or are going to do, for the weekend. Then we return on Mondays and talk about what students did or wanted to do. Past tense doesn’t have to wait for second year. Students can be given supports for the weekend conversations. Here are some free products I really like to support the weekend conversations in Spanish. Also available for free is a weekend chat human bingo in Spanish.

I use these four corner signs to get students out of their seats and practice a little spontaneous interpersonal communication in Spanish and French. I like to make things for my home and classroom and I recreated these direction word signs that I saw in Saint Malo, France. These signs are also great for four corner activities. Check out my other free classroom decor hacks here.

I also like to print quotes of the internet and frame them for my classroom. Again, using the same frames, I can switch them up to go with different themes.

These are a few of the free supports I have found so far. If you know of others please share here and have a great year!

classroom management Environment

Free Seat Friday

July 17, 2019 Published by: Lynn

While teachers are reflecting on their routines, I wanted to share one of my favorite tips, Free Seat Friday.

In my opinion, one of the most important classroom management techniques is assigned seating, beginning on the first day of school. A seating chart helps to make students feel safe and included. It breaks up cliques, alleviates power struggles, and puts students at ease. Without a seating chart, valuable time is wasted as kids come in and try to decide where to sit, usually waiting to see where their friends sit, some even ask other kids to move so their friend can sit there. I think this undermines the atmosphere I am trying to establish. Assigned seating sets the precedent that I am prepared and in charge of my classroom. In addition, it allows me to grant my favorite reward: Free Seat Friday.

I want students to get to know everyone in the class and work well with whoever is next to them. So I ALWAYS have a seating chart that I change every two or three weeks. I also change the arrangement of the desks every few weeks. The first day of school I usually just make a seating chart alphabetically by their last names. I use that for the first few week until I figure out who works best where and I learn their names.

However if you would like to make it more random, and introduce some animal cognates, you can use these free seat finders in French and Spanish. I have used these animal cognates to assign seats to students on the first day of school. I printed two sets of cards: one that I hand out at the door, and one that is taped to the student desks. Students are handed a card at the door, and they must sit at the seat that has the identical card taped to it.

After the first day, you can use these cards to form groups for any activity. You can make multiple copies and have students get in to animal groups, or you can use two sets and ask students to find the other person with their exact match. I laminate my set of cards so that I can re-use them each year and throughout the year.

But here is the best part, if we have a good week, which means staying in the target language at least 90% of the time, then on Fridays they can sit where they want. We call this Free Seat Friday and they love it! They come in excited every Friday asking “Is it free seat Friday? Can we sit where we want?” It is the best reward and it costs me nothing.

I make a seating chart for each class and keep the charts on a clipboard. I use this clipboard to document everything. I take attendance on it, I document behaviors like cell phones out, I record TALK scores on it and generally write anything I want to remember on the seating charts. During class, if I pick up my clipboard they seem to pay more attention because they think I am documenting something. I call this the clipboard stroll. When they are working with a partner or in a group, I grab my clipboard and stroll around the room. Most of the time I’m not really writing anything, I’m just walking around with it, but they are very aware of where that clipboard is at all times.

I use a lot of movement activities in my lessons so students are never really seated too long anyway. I also mix them up in pairs and groups frequently, intentionally, so we form connections. If a kid tells me they don’t like where they are sitting I just say “don’t worry, you won’t be there for long.”

Even as an adult I prefer a seating chart. When I was getting my master’s degree, I was in a cohort of students much younger than me. The professors never made seating charts, and it was always “pick your partner or group” so after two years of meeting for the entire weekend, once a month, the class never really got to know each other and it was frustrating. I even like seating charts for faculty meetings. Teachers tend to stick to their departments or friends and I think we all benefit when we get to know and work with someone new, that’s how relationships are formed, and isn’t that what it’s really all about?

Environment

Classroom Decoration Hacks

August 14, 2017 Published by: Lynn

Recycle old frames for cheap classroom decorations. I printed quotes off the internet and soaked the paper in tea to give it an aged look. I cut up an old map and glued it to the back of the frame. I like just the framed map, and I have one that my husband and I actually used to drive around Europe (before Google maps) hanging in my classroom, but in this example I used a map as a background for the quote. I did a Google search for “quotes in Spanish” and “quotes in French” and then clicked images to get some ideas to get started. You can click on each picture for a better view.

Another classroom decoration hack is to recycle photos from calendars, postcards, and travel posters. I had a ripped Picasso poster and a calendar with his paintings. I took the calendar apart, spray painted some old frames grey, and now I have a museum to use with the novels Agentes Secretos and La France en Danger. For more ideas on teaching with the art of Picasso, check out this previous post.

At local, regional, and national conferences I collect free travel posters from vendors and then cut them down to fit the frames.

I cut up a postcard set of Paris and framed them. I also spray painted some old planters black and decorated with a silver paint pen to hold supplies. Don’t forget to add plants to your classroom. I use cuttings from my existing home plants and spray paint plastic containers and decorate with paint pens for a cheap hack. And don’t forget to frame a photo of your target language crush for your desk.

Environment supporting student learning Tools

Back to School Freebies to Decorate your Classroom.

July 30, 2017 Published by: Lynn

There are several places on-line to get stuff free to decorate your classroom. Bryce Hedstrom has The Special Person Posters in several languages and lots of other goodies on his free stuff page.

The Creative Language Classroom has great free stuff to decorate your classroom also. I use their proficiency indicator signs and their activity to teach the proficiency levels to students the first week of school. See my prior post for this lesson plan. I also love their Greet Them at the Door signs, How Are You posters, and Question Word posters.

Martina Bex has an entire google folder with helpful posters on her website. There are links to her Question Word Posters in French and Spanish at Teacherspayteachers.com. There are actually lots of free items on Teachers Pay Teachers, each seller has to post at least one free item as a sample of the quality of their work. Just enter what you are looking for in the search bar and if it is not there consider creating it yourself and making it available to others. For example, with a simple search I found these free posters in Spanish. Check out my free word ladders in French and Spanish that can be enlarged into posters or framed and placed around the room.

Amy Lenord has a free list of rejoinders in Spanish that make a great word wall and there are a couple other free on TPT. Here are some free classroom labels in Spanish and in French.

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I found these 10 French phrases on Pinterest that will make awesome class decorations.

I also found this free Pledge of Allegiance poster on Pinterest in two versions one colored and one that students can color.

For more ideas Check out my Pinterest Page.

What Freebies can you find or share for back to school?

Environment Interpersonal Activities

Creating Classroom Connections

July 26, 2017 Published by: Lynn

One of my favorite activities for the beginning of the year is to learn every student’s name and hobby. I have students make a list of their 10 favorite things to do in life. They make the list in English at first and then it gets translated into the target language.

I start with one student and ask them what they like to do and they tell me the first thing on their list. I ask how many other people have that activity on their list of ten. If they have it on their list they raise their hand. I count the number of kids and we graph the data.

This is a great way to connect to math and gives the kids something to do while listening to me count and repeat the hobbies over and over again. I am also purposely making connections between students with similar hobbies and interests. I go around the room, one student at a time, asking their name and favorite thing to do and then poll the class to see if they have that activity on their list. If a student’s favorite hobby has already been graphed, they can choose any activity on their list that has not been mentioned yet. I continually go back to the first student and say their name and hobby and continue around the room until I can say every child’s name and hobby from memory. The kids are impressed that I can do it and then they realize they can do it too.

For one of our first quizzes of the year I can say number one and point to a student. They write down their name and hobby in the target language and we continue until all students have been listed.

Another way I create classroom connections is with a recipe file holder and index cards. An entry task on the first day of school is to write your name on an index card and list 3 facts about yourself. I collect these cards and put a rubber band around the class set and store them in a recipe file on my desk.

Each day I pick an interesting fact from someone’s card and read it to the class. For example it might say “I have been to Hawaii.” I say anyone who has been to Hawaii stand up. Everyone who has been to Hawaii stands up and we make connections around the room. I can ask follow up questions like which island, with whom, what did you do? I can say anyone who wants to go to Hawaii stand up. Then have everyone sit down and pick another card. I purposely look for things that I think a lot of people have in common, point out the connections, and look for opportunities for spontaneous interpersonal communication. I do a few each day until I have used a statement from everyone at least once. I also use these cards to randomly call on kids or form groups, like Popsicle sticks, but cheaper and easier to store for five classes.

Another way to make connections is the game I call Te presento a in Spanish and Je te présente in French. Have the students make a name tag and stand in a circle. I start in the middle. I say Je te présente and say a student’s name. The students on either side of the named child race to wave and say “Bonjour” to the other child. The slowest of the two moves to the center of the circle and becomes the next caller. This forces kids to listen for the names of the kids on either side of them. After a few minutes have everyone find a new spot so they are next to different people and listening for other names.

When I was in high school I won a scholarship to a Dale Carnegie Course on Public Speaking and Human Relations from Junior Achievement. This course was life changing for me. In particular, I have always remembered these quotes.

Environment Using Children's Literature in the World Language Classroom

Saving Animals in Danger

May 2, 2016 Published by: Lynn

Endangered animals are the perfect way to lead into a unit on saving the environment. I found these beautiful books in Spanish.

I have students watch these videos and fill out these Google forms in French and in Spanish.

https://youtu.be/5PeQrFwNFTs

Then I like to have kids do a quick search for an endangered animal and post a picture with a sentence to my padlet wall.

Created with Padlet

I created my first thinglink on endangered animals in French. This is a great website in French. Have students search for websites in the target language on endangered animals and post them to a thinglink or padlet wall. Students now have reasons to discuss why we need to conserve water, energy, and trees!

Environment Using Children's Literature in the World Language Classroom

Saving the Planet: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse

April 15, 2016 Published by: Lynn

Reduce food waste, recycle clothes and toys, reuse school supplies, and repurpose items into art. Organize a toy, clothing, or book swap in the target language.

Students in my classes look forward to The Market or El Mercado each year. Students bring in items to sell, set up a business, and we buy and sell things in the target language with fake Euros. This year for a twist, every thing in the market must be made from recycled items!

Here a a few good websites in French. This one has some cute cartoons. Here are some infographs in French,Les Gestes.

Here are some good websites in Spanish.

https://youtu.be/2Q5dRzuJaZI

Environment Using Children's Literature in the World Language Classroom

Saving Energy in your Home, School, and Community

April 14, 2016 Published by: Lynn

I use these two books and lots of infographs to start this discussion. There are also a ton of authentic resources on this topic. Google in your language the term for “saving energy in the home” and voilà. This topic works really well with vocabulary for rooms in the house, household objects, and many verbs for saving, economizing, and turning off!

Here are some websites and infographs to start students looking for things they can do in the house to conserve energy. I like this one in French and this one in Spanish.

Which appliances use the most energy?

How can you make your house, school, community more energy efficient?

Have students list at least 5 ways they can save energy in the target language.

Environment Using Children's Literature in the World Language Classroom

From Saving Trees to Saving Water

April 12, 2016 Published by: Lynn

I like to start with these books. There are an abundance of authentic resources on the internet on this topic. Start with google images and follow the links to the original websites. Or, go to my pinterest page.

This could include a study of the water cycle. Where does water come from?

What do you think uses the most water? How do we use water?

How do we save water? Here are a couple of websites in Spanish with ideas for saving water.

Here are some infographs I give to the students. I have the students read them and list 10 things in the target language they can do to save water, in the order they would do them. Number 1 being the first thing they are willing to do. These are the two infographs I like best, but there are several others. Here are some water infographs in French Les infographies d’eau, and Spanish Unas infografías de agua. These are the worksheets I give the students in French, Je-préserve-l’eau and in Spanish, Ahorremos-Agua.

For discussion: How does water influence our lives? What can you do to save water?