Check for Understanding When Circling
Always check students’ eyes for what they are understanding. If your students look as if they do not understand, it is because they do not. Go back to the beginning of the pattern, slow down, circle more deliberately, and stay in touch with what is happening with all of your students.
Circling All Three Parts of the Sentence
It is possible to get ten or more questions from one sentence by circling all three parts of the sentence. If the structure that you want to teach is:
avait l’intention de (intended to)
I might ask Jesse if he intended to drink some milk yesterday. I could care less if he intended to do that or not, but I want to teach the structure, so I act interested. If he nods his head yes, I have the green light to go ahead and start circling, so I first make the statement:
“Class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday!” (ohh!)
Then I ask the question:
“Class, did Jesse intend to drink some milk yesterday?” (yes)
And then I continue on as per the pattern above. I have the option of circling either the subject, the verb, or the object. Most teachers for some reason only circle the object. They should focus their circling on the subject and verb as well, to keep things mixed up and therefore unpredictable and therefore more interesting.
A template for circling the subject:
Statement: “Class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday!” (ohh!)
Question: “Class, did Jesse intend to drink some milk yesterday?” (yes) “That’s right, class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
Either/Or: “Did Jesse or Eric intend to drink some milk yesterday?” (Jesse) “That’s right, class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
Negative: “Did Eric intend to drink some milk yesterday?” (no) “That’s right, class, that’s absurd. Eric did not intend to drink some milk yesterday. Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
Question Word: “Class, who intended to drink some milk yesterday?” (Jesse) “That’s right, class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
A template for circling the verb:
Statement: “Class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday!” (ohh!)
Question: “Class, did Jesse intend to drink some milk yesterday?” (yes) “That’s right, class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
Either/Or: “Did Jesse intend to drink or eat some milk yesterday?” (drink) “That’s right, class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
Negative: “Did Jesse intend to eat some milk yesterday?” (no) “That’s right, class, that’s absurd. Jesse did not intend to eat some milk yesterday. He intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
Question Word: “Class, what did Jesse intend to drink yesterday?” (drink some milk) “That’s right, class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
A template for circling the object:
Statement: “Class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday!” (ohh!)
Question: “Class, did Jesse intend to drink some milk yesterday?” (yes) “That’s right, class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
Either/Or: “Did Jesse intend to drink some milk or some tea yesterday?” (milk) “That’s right, class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
Negative: “Did Jesse intend to drink some tea yesterday?” (no) “That’s right, class, that’s absurd. Jesse did not intend to drink some tea yesterday. He intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
Question Word: “Class, what did Jesse intend to drink yesterday?” (milk) “That’s right, class, Jesse intended to drink some milk yesterday.”
It is not intended that you circle all the possibilities above in the order given above. The pattern given above is merely a set of circling training wheels, to be discarded when the time is right. Practice with the training wheels on (mechanical circling in the order given on the chart) first, so you don’t get bruised. Know that when the wheels are off (you can circle randomly and not lose your students), your overall instruction will take off in the real way, just as it is on a bicycle.
Mechanical circling gets boring fast because the students know what is coming next. Instead, pick and choose depending on the situation. Mix up your questions.
You have mastered this aspect of the skill when you can circle at will in random order without glancing at the chart.