Within our essential question lies a great deal of flexibility and differentiation. All students with variety of previous language learning experiences can easily see how they can be successful in working toward answering the essential question in a way that is challenging and rewarding for them.
Something I noticed during the observational weeks before I took over the classroom is that the Spanish 9 and Spanish 10 curriculum relied heavily on a textbook for activities, and the computers were used in limited capacity during lessons. So an area I identified in need of developing the Spanish 9 & 10 program is the balance of textbook, technology, and teacher in the classroom, and how those tools relate to increased student achievement. Now that we had a vision of an authentic, engaging final assessment, (discussed in component 3 Curriculum Implementation) we had to work backwards to present the material in manageable steps students can follow.
Differentiating the Process
In practice this means we focus on students reflecting and self-assessing their abilities. After every speaking task students are given a rubric where they mark how they think they did in multiple competencies. They will get this rubric after the 4 major speaking tasks a trimester, and use a different color marker each time to show growth. After they complete the rubric they write a reflection where they identify something they did well and what actions they’ve taken to be successful. They also identify an area for improvement and articulate steps they can/will take independently to grow. The idea is to guide them along the path of an independent learner who feels empowered and motivated to put forth the effort in their own learning.
We do this through a blog students keep through Spanish 9 and Spanish 10. By maintaining the blog through the two years it helps remind students of the work they have already done, as well as creates a portfolio with evidence of growth over the two-year two-trimester program. Through blogging students are able to clearly see how our curriculum is connected and built on previous skills. We have found that the publishing of the blog helps adds credibility to student’s daily work in class. They see the outcome of their sustained effort in one place.
I have focused a significant amount of energy scaffolding the Spanish 9 & 10 curriculum to build upon each other, and build out to address various students needs. Using the framework of the essential question and blogging, I have focused on being very intentional and transparent in my lesson planning, my resource curation, and access to materials.
Gone are the days of the “What did I miss” bin in class where students go to for missing work. Everything I do is posted daily on our Edline Calendar. The Blog Directions Website has every resources you need to do any blog post. I link notes and additional online videos/instructions for students on our Spanish class website.
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Differentiating the Content/Topic and Accommodating Individual Learning Styles
The Spanish blog is a great way for students to showcase their work, reflect and identify areas of strength and growth. Optional blog posts allow students to differentiate their product as well as content. In reading their blogs I learn what each individual student’s learning style is because they tell me what we did in class to help them be successful. Many students say using Google Translate to hear how words sound helps them be successful. Some students say hearing me tell stories in Spanish help them be successful. Others say that the daily oral practice we do every day at the beginning of class help them be successful. Reading their blogs help me identify things I can do to help each student.
When introducing new material, I differentiate the practice in a variety of ways to reach all learners. First, I give them notes, so all students can see the topic. Many times I also teach content through a song. I have songs for most vocab and grammar I teach, some I made, some made by other Spanish teachers, and some made by my former students. These songs use catchy lyrics and rhymes to help students remember key information. Another way I differentiate is by degree of difficulty with practice.
An example of what this would look like in our class is the Adjective Unit. Before I even give them the notes I tell a story in Spanish using the vocab and translating it on the board. We finish the story and I pass out Adjective notes, and we talk about how the ending of the adjective changes according to the gender of the person it describes, and we use examples from the story to illustrate this grammar rule. The next day we watch a video a Spanish teacher made remixing Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” explaining how adjectives need to be “agreeable” to their nouns. We will then take brief notes as a class about this specific grammar rule. Students will continue to identify vocabulary they hear with a listening activity, which has an advanced worksheet, a regular or basic worksheet (two separate pages. This is a great example of differentiation by product). The next day they work in partners to apply the grammatical rules and vocabulary by creating sentences in Spanish. This activity requires them to use manipulatives that are color coded to help visual learners, and students are paired in such a way that each partner plays a specific role in the pair. One may not understand the grammatical rules as well and therefore will ask questions to the other that will need to teach their peer, thereby reinforcing the grammar rules for both of them. The fourth day we do a similar activity with manipulatives but now it is with the entire class. This is also a competition between classes so it’s called sentence races. It helps them work together to explain to each other any misconceptions, and I guide them toward understanding with questions that check for comprehension. Then students will get to apply these grammar rules and vocabulary creating Guess Who slides for a game we will play the next day. The final day we play the Guess Who Game, using it as an opportunity to identify and correct common errors as a class. Finally, students are encourage to revise their Guess Who slides and embed them on their blog. So in this week of teaching adjectives and agreement grammatical rules, students have practiced with these topics in listening form, in partners and as a class with manipulative, and in written sentences that they then edited. I have varied the input and practice by storytelling, using music, direct instruction, and games. Through the differentiation of instruction and practice, students are engaged and successful in learning.
There is so much variety in previously mastered skills in Spanish in our class that we naturally provide multiple scaffolded levels for each activity. This allows us to address and serve our students with special needs in a seamless manner. One example is that all students are expected to identify characteristics of a person they hear describe themselves, some students will get a transcript with the missing adjective to help them focus on what they are listening for. Another example is that all students are expected to describe their classes in Spanish, some may get a script to do so, or the script will be somewhat completed and students who need extra support will have fewer words to focus on pronouncing. Students with special needs also get modified tests and extended time. Depending on students IEP, some may get fewer choices on multiple choice questions, others may be able to answer short answer questions orally, others might get extended time, and others may get the directions read to them. Each students stated needs are different so we often get our exams and projects checked by the Learning Support instructors prior to giving them to students.
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Differentiating the Product
One of the hardest parts of teaching our Spanish 9 and Spanish 10 classes is that there is just not enough time to expose our students to everything that is wonderful about Spanish language and culture. However, that does not stop me from sprinkling it in here and there. And because technology allows us access to a plethora of materials, we can easily provide students with opportunities to expand their knowledge about Spanish language and culture through current pop culture in a motivating manner. I do this through The Hot Tamale Blog. This is a place where I post current events that relate to Spanish, pop culture that uses vocabulary that we’re working on, or fun videos or activities that can extend a student’s knowledge of Spanish language/culture. Each post has extra credit/optional activities that students can reply via email. This has been a great classroom tool because we set the expectation that if you are “done” with the task of the day you are expected to go to the Hot Tamale Blog and choose an activity from there to continue working. In addition to the Hot Tamale Blog we also provide choices of extension activities that relate to specific weeks topics, for example when learning adjectives students can choose between one of these activities to engage with the material outside of class.
I also aim to leverage technology and cultivate a collection of resources that connect student’s interest and passions with similar counterparts in Spanish culture. For example, I expose students who are interested in Hip Hop to Latino Hip Hop. In that way I am able to tie a student’s interest to Spanish language and culture.
Another way we provide students with multiple opportunities to learn is by expecting them to create optional blog posts for advanced grades. These are accessible to all students on the Blog Directions Websites and reinforces a variety of topics and vocabulary we discuss in class. In order for students to get an advanced grade on their blog as a portfolio, they must complete all required blog posts as well as at least three optional posts.
We also believe that providing choice in what students choose to study will give them more ownership over their learning. One of the ways we do that is to give students options for how they demonstrate their learning. Students get to choose how they practice content we are learning. For example, in Spanish 9 we give students the option of describing themselves in Spanish or describing someone else. Another choice we provide is during the major culture project in Spanish 10, students have an option to focus on hispanic culture through music or through art. After providing some background and structure to their project, students are allowed to choose an artist/musician to focus on and a way to present what they have learned in a product of their choosing.