Question for the Group – Staying In Bounds

4 thoughts on “Question for the Group – Staying In Bounds”

1. Matthew DuBroy

   September 8, 2015 at 9:35 am

   I also struggle with this. I think one way to begin the year is to offer choices: is it X or Y? And possibly to have some posters up for certain common questions (like having a poster of adjectives or colors so you can ask is this big or small). I suppose this is why doing something before doing stories is helpful like TPR, Word Wall, etc. Though some clearly just begin with stories and do it just fine I’m sure. Hopefully they will chime in with what they do. An option is not just to ask for such details early in the year and just to give them yourself.

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2. Charla Young

   September 12, 2015 at 6:59 pm

   Yah. It’s especially hard to stay in bounds when you haven’t had the kids very long and they are excited to contribute and even tell you where the story is going to go. They don’t understand yet what you are trying to accomplish and that you need to circle the last kid’s suggestion for another 3 minutes before adding more new words to the story.
   I had one class this week where this became a ridiculous problem, and I was too tired to really get it under control. I felt horrible when I looked behind me and I saw so many new words on the board. The kids were overwhelmed. And I had to re-evaluate myself. It’s tough for me to keep excited kids in bounds, especially when you’re worried about stepping on their excitement this early in the year. I love that they want to contribute.
   Maybe next time I see this happening I will stop and quickly explain/remind them in English what I’m trying to do with my counters and that often the amazing suggestions won’t all fit into our story, but they are perfect for the quick write at the end of the mini story unit.
   I also think that for this class it might be good to limit how much input I allow them so that they can pick up on the pattern of the stories. I like Matthew’s idea about giving them 2 options. But I have to say, often their ideas/options are far more creative than mine. And usually the kids buy into the options they produce more than they buy into mine.
   But part of this problem for me is that I prefer to do extended PQA for the majority of my stories. It’s more fun for me and the kids stay engaged more. Just my style for now. But this is only my second year of doing TCI. What do I know.

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   1. jen

      September 12, 2015 at 7:56 pm

      One thing I have done with exuberant groups is to have them write ideas on a white board or paper. That way they get to contribute their idea but without the auditory “pollution.” I am doing this now with the “persona especial.” I give the “talk show guest” a white board so they can answer the “what do you like to do” question by drawing or writing it in English and I just say it in Spanish “OH! you like to hug lions! Fascinating!”

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3. Leigh Anne Munoz

   September 12, 2015 at 7:35 pm

   Hi, guys! Kids love to go crazy with suggestions, but in the end, norms will save the day.
   I have two rules for suggestions:
   use a proper name, or just use a French word off of the board that we all know
   otherwise, the suggestions is a ‘no go’ — cheers!
   –Leigh Anne

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