“Make the most of yourself....for that is all there is of you.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To shine your brightest light is to be who you truly are.”

― Roy T. Bennett

Introduction:

To describe oneself to another is one of the fundamental branches of sincere communication. From a very young age, we already begin to develop distinct personality traits, passions, and likes and dislikes. These characteristics make us who we are. Each person has their own unique formula of individuality.

It is equally important to convey our personal interests to others as it is to learn of theirs. Learning the qualities that make up an individual allows us to build long-lasting and meaningful relationships and to understand the world with greater perspective. Identifying the differences within the people around us is the gateway to greater qualities such as understanding, inclusivity, empathy, and love.

This final project will introduce students in grades 1 & 2 how to observe and describe people. They will not only learn how to how to describe themselves, but the people they spend the most time with--their classmates, friends, and family. While their content will be at an age-appropriate level, the concepts will allow them to identify both the similarities and differences of those around them in a positive and encouraging environment. These ideas set the tone for more complex concepts they will learn as they mature, such as learning inclusivity despite differences.

The project: DESCRIBE Yourself

Throughout the 2018-2019 school year, both first and second graders in CEIP Ángel González have been slowly learning key, descriptive vocabulary in their English language classes. The purpose of this final project is for primary students to use their ever-growing knowledge of descriptive English words and sentence structure to orally describe a family picture to their best ability, according to their prospective level. This will be a progressive project, lasting several months, allowing the students to gradually build their vocabulary and fluency level.

This project will encompass both first and second grade and eventually lead to the students’ final project—an oral presentation (in English) about themselves, their family, and how they are represented in a family picture. It will be presented to the class. All students will be encouraged to bring a family photo (real or drawn) that includes both immediate and extended family members.

First Grade

First grade will be graded on their ability to clearly identify the different family members, the colors of clothing they are wearing, and other identifying characteristics (such as size, age, and “feeling” words—ie, my grandpa has a big nose; my mom has brown hair; my bother is 10 years old, my dad is happy). The students should present their family photo in front of the class and the discussion should last about 2-3 minutes each.

Second Grade

The project for second grade will include everything of that in first grade’s project and more. Students will bring a family picture to class and be graded on their ability to describe their family members, items of clothing, colors, where their family is from, where they are pictured in the photo, ages, their physical appearances (pretty, strong, young, old, etc), the correct usage of plural and singular grammar, scenery (are they inside or outside? Are there plants/animals in the picture? How is the weather) and hobbies of their family members (likes/dislikes). Fluency during oral delivery is an important part of their final grade. The project will be presented one-by-one in front of the entire class and should last 3-5 minutes.

Project Goals:

• learn new vocabulary pertaining to physical descriptions
• learn new vocabulary pertaining to character descriptions
• learn proper sentence structure (i.e. adjective before the noun)
• learn new grammar (specifically plural vs. singular)
• easily identify members of the family
• speak confidently in front of their classmates in English
• gain greater observational skills with the people around them
• ability to fluently describe others with simple vocabulary and grammar

Vocabulary

• family members
• colors (reimplemented but not new)
• character descriptions
• physical descriptions
• clothing
• body parts
• numbers (reimplemented but not new)

Grammar

• Simple present: (there is / there are)
• Singular vs. Plural

First I introduce the new vocabulary to the students by saying the name of each family member while holding the corresponding visual flashcard. For example, I say "Grandad" while holding a picture of a cartoon version of an older man with white hair, glasses, and a cane. I say the word twice and the class repeats after me each time. We repeat this until we complete all the family members.

This vocabulary is further implemented by in-class activities such as:

• draw and identify your family
• small group work (groups of 4-5) reviewing flashcards, encouraging quick responses
• build a family using flashcards: students create examples of families (single dad with daughter; mom, dad, and son; etc) while saying the names of each family member as they post them on the white board in front of the class.

Character Descriptions

• strong
• weak
• funny
• mean
• nice
• interesting
• boring
• smart
• scary

First I introduce the new vocabulary to the students by saying the name of each physical/character description while holding the corresponding visual flashcard. For example, I say "strong" while holding a picture of a cartoon version of a body-builder with huge muscles. I say the word twice and the class repeats after me each time. We repeat this until we complete all the descriptive words.

This vocabulary is further implemented by in-class activities such as:

• draw an example of one description word (assigned by the teacher). For example, if a student's word is "smart", she might depict a person with a book and reading glasses.
• small group work (groups of 4-5) reviewing flashcards, encouraging quick responses
• miming game: one student mimes a description word to the class and the class tries to guess which word.

In-Class Activities

Diverse and exciting activities are vital to my learning curriculum. I never want a child to feel bored while learning about English. My activities make learning fun!

First grade

Visual flashcards - our class uses visual flashcards to memorize the names and differences from members of the immediate and extended family.

"How Are You Feeling?" morning routine - Each day first grade English class starts with an introduction to the students. I encourage them to express themselves by asking “How are you feeling today?” We focus on using “feelings” vocabulary (sad, angry, hungry, tired, happy, excited, scared, thirsty, etc) that correspond with the emoji icons in my hands. When a student says she feels happy, for example, I stick the happy emoji icon on the whiteboard to reinforce the spoken vocabulary with the visual representative of the word. Daily repetition encourages fluency with these vocabulary words.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes Song - this song helps to instill vocabulary of some basic body parts. The tune is catchy and easy to remember which will help students when they describe their family members in their final project.

Second grade

Visual flashcards - we work with visual flashcards in small groups and also create games off of the emotions represented in cartoon figures on flash cards (sad, angry, hungry, dizzy, happy, excited, scared, etc). We also use visual flash cards to learn family members and items of clothing.

Individual conversation - each day in class, no matter the assignment, I visit and talk to each student individually and ask questions that promote them to practice the vocabulary and grammar that will be used in the family project (ie, do you have brothers? How old are they? What color is your shirt? What color are his eyes?). This helps students to practice the vocabulary and grammar that they are learning in class in a more relaxed and conversational manner.

BENEFITS

This project is beneficial for students because it combines all of the vocabulary and grammar that they have been learning in class and channels their learning progress into a presentation that encourages fluency, conversational skills, and confidence in the English language.

EVALUATION

After months of learning and implementation, the students will be ready to present their final projects to the class and teachers. The final project is evaluated on correct usage of vocabulary, correct pronunciation, and fluency.