In My Classroom

A favorite activity in my classes, an OWI refers to a "One Word Image" (coined by Ben Slavic). We begin with a single word and create a whole character or story by asking questions and making a decisions as a class... All completely in Spanish. 8th grade imaginations flourish during these activities and they tend to forget that we are interacting in Spanish because the image is so vivid in their minds! Students generally acquire and maintain an impressive amount of descriptive vocabulary through this activity and its extension activities.

Students end the year by forming "publishing companies" and creating their own fictional narratives in Spanish using the language they have acquired throughout the school year. Together they brainstorm, receive student and teacher feedback, and illustrate their stories to be added to our permanent class library for future students to read.

We enjoy a free-reading program in class and generally read for at least 5-10 minutes each day. My library is made up of student-made cartoons, student-made children's books, and Spanish readers designed to scaffold vocabulary for language learners (Click on the book or see below for where to purchase). Students choose the books they would like to read for fun. I do not assign any work other than simply hosting quick conversations to debrief our reading time.

Every few weeks I have my students complete a 5-10 minute freewrite. Students can write about anything they like: stories or conversations from class, the weather, their family and pets, sports, or even create their own narratives. We track word count and spend time reviewing writing for key elements covered in a language arts class (ie transition words, descriptive vocabulary, character or plot development, etc). Freewrites instill confidence in my students that they are indeed acquiring language and give me insight into what language and structures they are acquiring.

Resources I regularly refer to or incorporate into my language teaching