Fun Resources to Include in the CLASSROOM!
TPRS BOOKS: Recently, after attending a training, TPRS has become my go to in the classroom. Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling has been a real eye-opener when it comes to teaching a foreign language in the classroom. Usually, we focus on chapters and grammar, but with this approach, we get to teach them the same things, just through stories. The students are able to speak more of the target language as they practice real life conversations. I am still practicing to better myself at teaching with this new strategy, but so far my students like it better. There is a lot of repetition and asking questions to check for understanding. We speak less English in the classroom and try to focus on speaking only Spanish the majority of the time. There is always a lot to learn from this, but the best part is, we can take the information we receive from them and make it unique in our own way and in a way that will help our specific students.
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NEARPOD: As I go through the material with my students, I like to check for understanding using Nearpod. This app is very useful because you can create a presentation for your students and embed interactive activities for them throughout the lesson. For example, after teaching and reviewing with my student the new lesson, I ask various questions about what they are learning, why it is important, definitions, to provide examples, and other questions that I think will help them retain the information. With the Nearpod, I can select options for students to create short answer responses, draw their response, match vocabulary, voice record, and so many more. These are quick to where I can set a timer and they have to submit their response. Once I move on to the next slide, their answers save and move to the next slide as well. After I close the session, I receive a report with all their responses and the percentage of students that were engaged in the activity. I like using the short response and recording options when checking for understanding, to ensure my students are understanding the material.
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Screencastify: This year was definitely challenging as we continued to teach through distance learning. It was difficult to get students to participate in zoom and even more to get them to speak in Spanish! With this app, students are able to record their screen for any presentations. It also provides them the opportunity to record themselves along with the presentation. It was a perfect way to assess their speaking skills while also assessing their writing, since I had access to both as I was grading.
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