A Look into Our Classroom… Daily Procedures Bell Work Upon entering the classroom, students complete an activity based on the previous night’s homework or previewing a concept being discussed that day ▪
8th grade Spanish students have an activity of 3­6 questions. ▪
High school Spanish students have an activity of 4­8 questions. After I complete attendance and housekeeping tasks, we discuss the answers to this activity. Check/Collect homework My students are assigned homework almost every day. Often this homework is graded on the basis of whether or not it was completed. ▪
In 8th grade Spanish, we usually write each answer up on the board, sometimes I write, sometimes my ‘voluntarios’ do the writing. ▪
In high school Spanish, we typically go over the homework that they have been assigned, discussing
each question either as a class or with partners. Notes I use a guided notes structure in all of my classes. Students are provided a notes handout and follow along with me on the Promethean board. ▪
8th grade Spanish students have vocabulary notes broken into smaller sets of phrases over 2­3 different days throughout each unit to allow them to learn new terms in stages. ▪
High school Spanish students typically have vocabulary notes on the day that we begin a new unit and grammar notes introducing new concepts two or three times throughout the unit. In­class Activities My classroom is structured around the idea that students benefit greatly from guided practice and scaffolded activities that build their confidence in working with the material. ▪
8th grade Spanish students complete a few in­class practices with a vocabulary set before being asked to use the phrases on homework, that allows them to sample the types of questions and activities\s that will be asked of them on their homework. This also provides them an opportunity to work with the material while I am there to help them and provide feedback. ▪
High school Spanish students engage in a variety of input­output activities during class that allow them to interact on an increasingly deep level with the vocabulary and grammar structures presented. We discuss these activities in class, allowing the students to receive constructive feedback about their language usage. Homework My students are assigned homework almost every day. These activities are intended to be completed outside of class, though students usually have a few minutes to begin working at the end of class. My homework assignments are designed to provide students within independent practice of the concepts learned and practiced during class. I hope that these assignments serve to build the students’ confidence in
their abilities to understand and interact with the course material on their own. I strive to make myself available to help students with their homework whenever they need assistance. I do not view homework as a conclusion, but as a progress check for students to gauge their own level of understanding. I hope that when students do not feel confident in completing these tasks that they will take steps to increase their understanding; the first step being to ask me for help . As their teacher, I can observe the students’ work as a measure of their comprehension, but only the students themselves can tell how much, how well they understand. I must rely, to some degree, on my students to recognize when they need help. Homework and
the discussion of it can provide me and the students will a means of exploring their understanding. Lesson Closure Each class period I try to include a short review or summary of the concepts explored that day. This provides the students an opportunity to check their understanding, ask questions, and receive further clarification about the concepts being studied. A word about Tests… To many students, test is a four­letter word, hated more than many others. I understand the pressure and stress that students often feel when it come to taking tests. In my classes, I would like to remove as much of
the anxiety as possible for my students on test day. I provide a written review sheet in class two days before
each unit test. These review sheets mirror the structure of the actual test in form, including closely worded directions and examples of the exact types of problems/questions that they will be asked to complete on the
test. On the day before the unit test, we spend as much of class as the students express the need to in going over the review sheet. In these discussions, we check answers to the sample questions, discuss format of the
sentences needed, and outline what types vocabulary they should be capable of using on the test. I don’t want
tests to be about surprises or tricks. In many instances, students are allowed class time to work on these review sheets and ask for help with any sections that concern them. I also allow time on the day of the test to
discuss any last minute questions from the review sheet, if the class expresses an interest in doing so. I view
tests as an opportunity for students to demonstrate how much they have learned, not as a punishment or something to be avoided. Getting Help in My Class All students are encouraged to ask questions as much as they need to during class. I understand that some students are not comfortable asking for help in front of their peers. I make myself available before school and after school every day for students to receive individual help. I am available beginning at approximately
7:30 a.m. each school day and until around 4:00 p.m. each school day. I can arrive earlier or stay later, but I
ask that students make prior arrangements with me, if they would like to come in for help outside of those times. If students would like to email me for help, I do make an effort to check my email during the evening
or over the weekend, but I cannot guarantee that I will respond before I arrive at school in the morning. The
only reason that a student would not receive help in my class would be that he or she didn’t ask me for help.
For your information, here is an outline of Classroom Management Policies that have been established for our Illini Central Spanish classroom. Expectations Respect the rights of others, including teachers, students, and guests. Display appropriate classroom behavior at all times. Use appropriate language at all times. Be prepared for class, with the necessary materials, assignments, and supplies. Be in your seat and ready to begin class when the bell rings. Follow directions the first time given. Talking to classmates should be limited to designated times for group work and kept at reasonable volume. ▪ Class will be dismissed by the teacher, not the bell. ▪
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Consequences 1 st offense – verbal warning 2 nd offense – short conference after class & written warning 3 rd offense – teacher detention and/or phone call home Additional consequences could be applied depending on the specific situation, in accordance with
the student handbook. ▪ Any behavior deemed as gross misconduct may result in the omission of any of the above consequences. ▪ The teacher will keep a folder with a record of the written warnings and detentions along with the corresponding offenses. Each entry will be signed by the student on the day the offense is committed. Failure to comply with this policy will result in additional consequences. ▪
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Hall Passes ▪
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As a general rule, passes will not be given during class. Bathroom passes will be given in emergency situations only. Passes will not be granted without your student passbook. All requests for passes are at the discretion of the teacher. Cheating ▪ Offenses involving cheating will be regarded very seriously in this class. ▪ I encourage students to help each other with in­class and homework assignments; however, copying work will not be allowed. ▪ Any student caught cheating on any assignment will be given a zero for the assignment, a phone call home will be made, and he/she will be referred to the Dean. ▪ I am aware of the free translation sites on the Internet. Although these sites do provide quick translations for free, they are not accurate. Use of such sites for completing assignments constitutes cheating and will be dealt with as such.