TV Project I watched very two different TV programs. The first was named “Jumong,” was in Korean, and lasted an hour. I did not understand any of it, and the only name I grasped was the name of the main character, “Jumong,” because it was in the title. At the beginning of the drama, Jumong was in a palace sneaking around trying not to get caught. He eventually makes it into the room of a woman who cries when she sees him. They hug and talk for a while. The whole episode is about Jumong, and how he talks to various people. Eventually, he is brought before the leader of the palace, and there is some dialogue. He is next seen in clothing that resembles the clothes the king. He walks in and out of the palace, and does not have to sneak around anymore. The episode had something to do with the planning of war or maybe a city because officials from the palace were constantly reading scrolls. This drama takes place in ancient times. In one particular scene, he is told something dramatic by an older woman, and then a young girl leaves crying. At the end, he is in the palace alone when an older gentlemen comes in and tells him something. He looks shocked, and the episode ends.There are several strategies I used to help me understand what was going on. The music helped me the most to understand the feelings of each character. “Jumong” is very dramatic and music is used extensively. The facial expressions of each character, and the tone of their voices helped me figure out what was going on. However, as I said earlier, I did not understand a lot of what went on. I felt frustrated and bored watching this drama. I know if I had known the details, I would have been more interested. The next show that I watched was called “Second Chance,” was in French, and I watched two thirty minute episodes. This show takes place in the present time, in an office setting. There is a lot of dialogue between the characters, and is not as dramatic as “Jumong.” In the first episode, there is a blond who is behind a big desk. She is talking to a Black character. He says something that surprises her and also makes her happy. I can tell because of the music and facial expressions. The next scene is in a restaurant. There is a skinny guy who is talking to another man. A woman walks in and the skinny guy introduces her to the other man. In the next scene, the blond is yelling at two guys in an office. She leaves and slams the door behind her. Obviously, she is upset, but I don not know why. There is a lot of dialogue and meetings between characters in this show. I never understood any of the plot, problem, or solution of each episode. At the end of the first episode, two young guys in the office get everyone’s attention. Everyone in the office then goes to the elevator and when it opens they all yell something. The blond character walks out and says, “Merci,” which I know means Thank You. From the first episode I watched, I thought that the blond character had been fired, but she was in the next episode. In the first scene of the next show, she is at her big desk, and there are two guys talking to her. One of them is the skinny guy from the restaurant. In another scene, a man comes in to a house, find two teens washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. He looks annoyed, especially at the young guy. The young guy is about to put detergent in the dish washer when the man brings out the dishwasher soap. I was able to understand this because the man points to pictures of dishes on the second box. He yells at the two kids and leaves. In the office, it is the next day. I know because all the characters are wearing different clothing. The blond is sitting at a table. She is thinking, but her thoughts are only heard by the audience. Suddenly two men walk in, one of them is the skinny character, and they talk a little bit. Next a brunet comes in and the blond suddenly looks tense. I get the sense that the two women do not like each other. There is some dialogue, and the blond woman gets upset and begins to leave. One of the men stops her, and persuades her to stay. Suddenly the blond says something, everyone looks surprised, and the episode ends. Watching these two episodes of “Second Chance” was very frustrating. I did not understand anything, and again was bored. I wish the characters would have talked slower. I do know Spanish, and I thought I would understand some words in French, but the characters spoke very fast and I did not even catch the names of the characters. I used the same strategies that I used before. Facial expressions told me a lot. Also the tone of voices, and the music helped me grasp the mood of the scene. When characters kissed that obviously told me two characters were either dating or were married. When the blond character slammed the door, I knew she was upset. This experience gave me a glimpse of what English Language Learners go through in school. If I got bored listening to something because I could not understand, a student in a class that does not speak the dominant language is certain to feel out of place and anxious. I can definitely apply what I went through watching these two shows to teaching English Language Learners. For example, I must take into consideration that my ELL students are probably feeling anxious. As a result, I must make sure that I sit any ELL student next to somebody that can constantly be translating. Additionally, I can reassure that student that all lessons will be clarified. I can also take my ELL students aside and go over the lesson with them a second time, making sure they understand what I am teaching. After this experience, I learned how easily an ELL student gets bored when they do not understand the language. I must also take this into consideration, and make sure that all my ELL students feel engaged and part of the classroom activity. Using a lot of visual aids is also important in helping an ELL student understand what is going on in the class. Additionally, I must talk slower and make eye contact with all my students to make sure that everybody is following the lessons. Watching two hours of television I did not understand was a valuable experience that I can take into the classroom. Being an ELL student must be frustrating at times, however, as a teacher I can do a lot to help all ELL students master the curriculum. |