Question for the Group

3 thoughts on “Question for the Group”

1. Russ

   May 25, 2017 at 4:34 pm

   I am no expert, but I had a class of 4 once. We did a lot of TPRS and you can do pretty good stuff in a story (if they buy in) with that few kids. No real fighting with the kids to manage the class you just ask a story and pick the kid with the best answer. You might have super low energy since they are so few. If you are an extrovert that would be the worst, but if not no big deal. Instead of special person interviews I would more like PQA the class. I don’t target any things, I think of really interesting questions that I want to know about my students and then I ask them. I will put responses on the board. Asking the class what smell they would be for example? Or what is the ideal pet? Not because I am talking about smells or because we are working on pets/animals, but because i like kids’ responses. My current favorites are if you were a clown-themed super hero what would your super power be?

   I think leaning heavy on SSR and book talks would be a key.

   If possible movie talking something longer than a little youtube clip would be good. Like a movie 0r a tv show. You can really teach to the eyes with those 3 and if 1 kid is like i want grammar instruction he has to fight the other 2 to not watch a movie.
   The only thing i disagree with Ben on is that I do think you can have a community of 4 people. You have to believe that your students in that class are your family and they have to believe it. You are not their mom, but you are their language parent and that means we are a family.
   I do like his advice about not getting over familiar with them though.

   i also think that good old fashioned story listening would be good because it would be much more like a home setting telling a story to children.

   Finally I know this is taboo these days but a class novel might not be a bad idea either since you only have 3 the range of differences won’t be lessened but you ability to meet those students where they are will be greater in that class than in a normal setting.

   Finally building a program will come with using CI methods it takes the class away from the 4%ers and gives it to everyone. Your numbers will grow in time when kids hear you watch soap operas in class you listen to cool music and you use real language instead of drilling verbs.

   hope that helps

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2. Steven

   May 25, 2017 at 6:47 pm

   SL would definitely help.

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   1. Ben Slavic

      May 25, 2017 at 7:34 pm

      Ditto on SL. I would think of that class period as a planning period where I just did some SL and follow up literacy stuff et puis done.

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