(2nd year TPRS – 1st year was minimal TPRS. 7th and 8th grade French; four classes; 108 students)
•End of four weeks – all going well!
•PQA, extended PQA, one story (Matava – An Important Test).
•Have established jobs: quiz writer; script writer; artist; structure counters; question word responders; “Mais” bleater; one class has a clapper for too much English.
•I have given about 8-9 ten question quizzes.
•We have done readings on our extended PQA (along with artist drawings).
•I have gotten actors up in front of the class in 8th grade classes.
•I have been using Simon Says (Simon Dit) to teach wall word verbs, adverbs, and adjectives.
•I have used a few videos (Petit Cochon, Aux Champs Elysées, Fou La Fa Fa (Nonsense French video by comedy group Flight of the Conchords). I have used circled on some of the words in the videos (I would like to find more videos! Suggestions welcome!).
•I have given timed writings to the 8th graders (6 minutes); the most recent one I left the structures and the story from Matava’s An Important Test on the board to see if they would use these structures in their writings; have not looked at them yet, will report back later.
•The 8th graders are reading “Pauvre Anne” for 5 minutes at the start of each class, and then we choral read one page each day. They and I are both amazed at how much vocabulary they are picking up and how many times they are putting their hand over their head to show me they do not understand.
•I have ordered “Brandon Brown Wants a Dog” to use with my 7th graders. I think they already know enough for us to start reading it together.
•I have been using Sabrina’s recommendation to use the “eat, see, go, did” PQA on Mondays.
•Concerns:
I have started to hear “When are we going to start using the textbook” from the 8th graders (I used the textbook a great deal with them last year). I have put them off so far, but I still am avoiding dealing with it directly. I expect to hear from at least one parent soon.
I need to stay with the discipline for the next 3-4 weeks as Ben has suggested. I have been good about pointing to the class rules.
I need to stay in the target language more; I plan to establish the timing job this week.
I need to enter more of the jGR cooperative grades; I have only entered two sets so far.
Need to continue to work on SLOW
More pointing and Pausing
I need to create an “in-bounds” sheet that identifies what words we have added
•Bright spots:
Principal and administrator came in and were all smiles when they left. I am not sure if it was because the class immediately bleated “mais” when they walked in, or if the “qui”, “quand”, and “où” people immediately spoke up when those words were mentioned.
The 8th graders now immediately pick up “Pauvre Anne” at the start of class without my asking. They also like the classical music I play while they are reading. Last year they groaned when we tried to read “Pauvre Anne”.
•Want to know:
How do I ask the group specific questions, like, “Where can I get more videos?”
How am I going to deal with the textbook question when it comes up? (I know this is a potential lengthy discussion, but it would be great to have some easy and quick “cover my backside” strategy.)
That’s it for now,
Best,
Don Read
Moraga, CA (near Oakland and San Francisco)