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Update on Two Strikes and You're Out
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8 thoughts on “Update on Two Strikes and You're Out”
I have been trying “warn and then gone.” But sometimes that can be difficult because you always want to give “oh just one more chance.” I may try this yellow card thing. It’s more solid than a verbal warning.
Even Linda was giving only verbal warnings. It was the end of the day and they were 7th graders in a block class. They were focused but fidgety and she called them on it. She is very strict in her own way and today served up about 3 short lectures about 30 sec. long. I just can’t break out of L2 anymore – those days are over. It’s like the L1 horses are out of the gate when I do that. I think someone else in our PLC uses yellow and red cards, can’t remember. No L1 involved with them, and that is where the hope lies. Sure hope they work! I’ll report back in a week.
And James congrats on those Royals! Those boys play baseball the way it should be played. If they hadn’t of been steamrolled by Maddie B. last year, they would have been back to back champs!
lol actually today is kind of an unofficial “free day” because half the kids (and teachers!) are gone for the parade–some school districts canceled! I didn’t grow up here so there’s no emotional attachment for me. But there is a fun vibe going around, for sure.
Good strategy here Ben. Thank you.
The posts I find here on dealing with blurting are so helpful! This has made a huge difference for my French class.
That said, I want to be more lenient with my ELLs speaking Spanish, but I’m still figuring how to make that work. Often, my ELLs don’t get another opportunity to simply show how much they know in their language. They feel a frustration at school all day that we can’t imagine.
I am allowing some students (not every group) to use their native languages to clarify. In the past, I’ve allowed them to ask questions to clarify in Spanish (I understand 90% of the time). My system for the moment: At opportune intervals (about every half hour or so), I have partners use L1 (and a visual/diagram) to evaluate their comprehension and give a strategy for clarifying (–using an running list of strategies we’ve been learned which I have posted around the room). This works fine for my group of 7th graders, and I think it helps practice self-monitoring in a “realistic” way because they’re naturally going to want to turn to a buddy and say in their language “I don’t get this…?” “Should I ask what “—” means?” It stays rather structured, and works well for some, but not my rowdy 5th grade boys. I can’t allow any Spanish or the blurting and interrupting is insane! (Particularly because they think they can say things that I won’t understand.)
I wish I could define and make clear for students the fine line between blurting and using L1 to respond to text and speech in L2. I wish they could use their Spanish for good and not evil. Oh well.
I might try the yellow/orange/red cards in my international English class. I just can’t seem to get them to stop using Chinese constantly. I have no problem with a stronger student explaining something to a weaker student in Chinese. It’s the constant chitchat that drives me nuts. I have them translate our stories into Chinese as we read them, and though I have no idea if it is correct, it helps the struggling ones.
I tried the yellow cards with my French 2 students yesterday. In one class I gave out 3 cards (to three students) and in one class I gave out just one card. It helped a lot! It was like they finally “got” it–speaking English does not help when we are trying to learn French. I am almost afraid to do it again for fear it won’t work again. I just need to be consistent, which is so hard. I especially find it hard when students whisper to each other while I’m speaking (yesterday it was a Movie Talk). I can’t always tell if they are whispering to tell each other what I just said, or if they are off task. I would prefer they wouldn’t whisper at all, but I know sometimes students help each other.
…sometimes students help each other….
Yeah, about 5% of the time. And only a few in the room. Crush that. They are fooling you. Specifically, don’t play a yellow card on whisperers. Just smile and point to Rule #2. Don’t use English yourself. Just point to the rule over and over until they get that in your classroom whispering is not allowed. If they say they are helping each other, tell them that it’s too bad, but you have to follow your own rules, and #2 says that “one person speaks and the others listen” and you are the one speaking in this activity. Be firm on that one. It’s a big powerful rule that works when enforced. And no English from you in class when you’re in the activity. Wait and explain it later or at the beginning of class the next day.