Tonight's #EarlyLang is 8-9 pm EST on MAGICAL MOMENTS in the ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM.
INTRO TIME
For starters, let @lamaestraloca & @SECottrell know about you: WHO you are, WHERE you are, WHAT you teach, and a fave brain break!
Hey all! It's Marissa, I teach K&1 Spanish in NYC (but currently tweeting from vacation in Maine!) and I LOVE hand games like "Pikachu" and "Chocolate" for brain breaks in my classes #earlylang
A1: I constantly say things are "magic" in my classroom, and react with disbelief if students "call me out" on it, as @lamaestraloca mentioned in her webinar! Sometimes it's all about the acting! #earlylang
A1: I love this question! For our little learners, magic and imaginative play are such crucial components of their every day life; it's a natural to incorporate magical & unexpected moments in our classes, whether it be talkiing animals or... 1/2 #earlylang
A1: I integrate magic into almost everything I do. Whether it is a Unicorn peeing on my marker to make the class read chorally, or a magic wand that changes my slides (a clicker in my pocket) or a crocodile that eats stories (then students sequence) I LOVE it! #earlylang#magic
We're on Q1 everyone- don't forget to use A1 in your response. Q: In what ways to you see "magic" being a tool in your #earlylang classroom? ("magic"- anything that increases the joy, participation, & engagement!)
2/2 contrary to fact actions/situations/activities... it really connects with the age level & where they are at in general. One of the many reasons I so love working with early elem! #earlylang
I love all the things they still believe in, make believe is alive and well with the littles... so incredibly sweet and endearing! It's so important to make that part of class #earlylang
That is what I love most about it actually.... the look in their eyes when they first see what happens when you use Google Maps in the classroom and "drop" them in the middle of Asia... Sigh... it is TRULY magical! #earlylanghttps://t.co/QWvUfOwhJl
A1: I see it as being a way to just really get their attention and make them excited #earlylang . There are so many simple things that to them are magic, which just makes it so much more fun.
I'm reading "Las 10 cestas de Caperucita Roja" with my girls and the insertions of so many other songs/tales are captivating them: "los pajaritos cantan, las nubes se levantan," one mouse is carrying a tooth, etc. #earlylang#imaginationismagic
that's so true and definitely we need to remember this! Even my 4th graders love holding and playing with our stuffies-I hear MS & HS teachers say the same about their sts #earlylang
A1- I see a lot of reward systems in the classroom such as points or "filling the bucket". Student can get a point or a ball to put in the bucket when: being kind to friend, taking pride in their work, being kind to their peers, ect. #Earlylang
A2 I NEVER take myself too seriously. Kids need to know that you are having fun, too! I make silly mistakes on purpose. Also, each class has unique inside jokes (in Spanish!) #earlylang
We have three different boxes with a bunch of different sounds like: a kiss, a crash, a cha-ching sound, a ping like an idea, laughter, crying, applause, etc. I give students the boxes as a class job and they LOVE it! #earlylang
Lol! We were throwing (gently) a stuffed cat today in my Kinders as a greeting, & then I thought...ewwwww, germs!! Oh well, just washed my hands after class lol :) #elementaryproblems#runnynoses#earlylang
A2: As I was telling @kidworldcitizen on her Language Latte podcast, I just let go - and sing and dance and tell goofy stories - no affective filter when I'm with my Ss #earlylang
A2- I think its important to just address and show interest in what students are asking. If they ask a question about butterflies when talking about insects dont ignore them, explore it with them then and there. #Earlylang
A2: By having fun! And I totally with agree Annabelle on the power of voice, which can really help in being in the moment, whether reading a book, presenting something new and exciting, etc. #earlylang
A2 for me being in the moment means just that, fostering geniune interaction & as @WLClassroom said in Inspiring Podcast 2- being in the conversation, not outside it/ directing it #earlylang
A2: As I was telling @kidworldcitizen on her Language Latte podcast, I just let go - and sing and dance and tell goofy stories - no affective filter when I'm with my Ss #earlylang
That is what I loved best about using my point system with elementary babies.... They never expected a party in the end... they just loved it and loved being in my room! #earlylang
A2: How can you not "let go" while teaching #earlylang? I sing, dance and laugh out loud every day:) You have to model and shake your sillies out too! Join in on the fun!!
A2 I think there's a powerful conjunction of organic, genuine interaction, flexibility in the moment in response to kids, and a strong foundation of goals you have articulated for your program #earlylang
I have also seen yoga done in the Pre K-K classrooms. I think it is great because as young children they are always so hyped up that it is important for them to just relax...and maybe enjoy a good book :) #Earlylang
I found them at Cost Plus World Market. My kiddos produce a tone of language to be the ones who get a box during class. The sounds almost act as a mini brain break when used and they make us laugh all the time. #earlylang
especially when we are singing about little chicks, dancing elephants on spider webs, & jumping fish in the water! How could you not have fun? #sograteful#lovelementary#earlylang
A3 there are some classes that get too rowdy or don't know how to let loose appropriately, so we have to dial it back sometimes...usually they can get back on track though! #earlylang
A1: I switched to elementary after teaching high school—love that magic is everywhere now! Songs, actions, funny faces and voices, acting out stories, bolsa mágica wit surprise items inside!#earlylang
A3 my youngest class is after lunch, and still struggling to adapt to learning sessions instead of nonstop recess... guess we need more "magic" to disguise post-lunch "class" as magic! #earlylang
I have some classes who just can't handle a looser structure...magic has to look different in those classes. But then again, magic doesn't have to wild & crazy either. Magic can be as simple as a snuggling bunny in a Kinder's lap. #lotsofwaystobemagical#earlylang
I believe that sometimes students can take advantage of you trying to have fun while teaching and mess around to the point where you need to limit the fun you have in the classroom. #Earlylang
I find that a rock solid transition is SO important for just this reason.... I practice it so much the first few weeks they are practically blue in the face! But it is ESSENTIAL in order for us to have all the fun we do and stay in the TL! #earlylang
A3: I struggle to bring the magic sometimes, often due to factors outside my control. Teaching on a cart in environments I don’t control, classes late due to transitions, extra challenging behaviors from students #earlylang
A3 I've found my kids do much better when we are calmer as opposed to over the top. Yes, still silly, but not out of control. I feel like many of my kiddos are just too overstimulated generally speaking, & welcome (& crave) quieter moments #earlylang
Yes! and to them, I invite them to the class and ask them to remain focused on listening to me in the TL for 95% of the classroom.... They realize really quick that we really ARE magicians and we NEED the magic! #earlylang
A3: I struggle to bring the magic sometimes, often due to factors outside my control. Teaching on a cart in environments I don’t control, classes late due to transitions, extra challenging behaviors from students #earlylang
I retweeted this but it doesn't attach I don't think. I think putting music on and letting the kids breathe for a couple of minutes can center them... #earlylanghttps://t.co/C1qNOjBQVc
I love call responses! Or noise makers... but the expectation is as SOON as they hear the noise or do the response, they are SILENT and their eyes are on me... it takes a LOT of strict practice but it is SO worth the time ! #earlylang
A4: One of my fave white lies - I teach in a haunted building - it's a huge old mansion - and the Ss ask me to tell them the ghost's story. I only tell a few details each class - and make them retell it to me subsequent class sessions. it takes forever! #earlylang
A4: another favorites"“I have no favorite (or least favorite) students”, they are all loved, and there are some of them that pull my hair up! #earlylang
A4: One would simply be saying 'it's magic' as a response when they ask about how I did something or something happened. Pretending I've lost something is another...then everyone has to check in their pockets, their shoes, help me search for it.. #earlylang
Ooh, that was mine too! (Before my current situation where they know me outside class... boo) Around November they overhear me and say "WAIT! SHE CAN TALK NORMAL?!" #earlylang
A3: nothing should hold you back from the magic in the classroom. If you are a teacher then you’re a magician and you make the magic always happen. #earlylang
yes!! I hadn't thought of that as a white lie lol. My first graders have now had 2 years of me 100% no English, & I don't understand it either... talk about magical tricks! #shedoesntunderstandyou#earlylang
when they answer/or say something wrong , I make them repeat, they are embarrassed so “Don’t worry, no one else noticed” #earlylang and they believe me!
Examples of "white lies" so far: ghost story of our haunted building, I'm a Zumba instructor, practice makes perfect, I have no favorite students, I don't speak English... great examples! #earlylang
I just did but here is another! A4: I love to tell my kids that I have a unicorn poop factory in Argentina... I tell them it is manufacturing all the poop that I send them and making them into tiny yummy morsels called Skittles (pronounced SKEETLES) #earlylang#theyCRYlaughing
right? there's always that one detail you hadn't thought of! So, Sra, how does she get on the plane, she's a bunny? or What does she eat on the plane? #ohmy#earlylang
A4: One would simply be saying 'it's magic' as a response when they ask about how I did something or something happened. Pretending I've lost something is another...then everyone has to check in their pockets, their shoes, help me search for it.. #earlylang
With 3rd grade, yes, but not K-2. In each class, as a class, they can get up to two marbles - one green one for staying in target language, and a pink one for listening, looking, and making good decisions. Effective in 3 of my 4 third grade classes #earlylang
I use "Sí, tú puedes" chart where the student fills in a bubble, for using a language function in class, while another one blows bubbles at them. (It's a favorite class job!) #earlylang
A5: I'm finding that my middle childhood friends are much more "too cool for school" than 4th-5th graders were when I started teaching 20 years ago. It's a shame. #earlylang
Yes, which gets pretty hysterical out in public, like Walmart, grocery store, etc! My district parents know "I don't speak English" so when we run into each other outside school, they help me keep up the "white lie".. too cute! #earlylang
YAY A5: The magic may change for them but I honestly don't change the way I use it in classes. They just think "WOW! Maestra REALLY DOES believe all of this" and then just participate the same to appease me... #earlylang
#earlylang maybe a little bit of skepticism, sarcasm, and eye rolls creeping into the upper grades. And when boys/girls notice each other, possibility of embarrassment rises!
A5 I agree - our class is SO different we can often get away with a type of #magic even with high school learners that would make them walk out of their other classes #earlylang#morecartoons#lospollitosdicen
A5: I don’t think the magic changes. I think that their understanding and appreciation of magic grows, develops. They get new magic shown as they meet their new magician each year. #earlylang
Yes, which gets pretty hysterical out in public, like Walmart, grocery store, etc! My district parents know "I don't speak English" so when we run into each other outside school, they help me keep up the "white lie".. too cute! #earlylang
A5: with older kids you have to be more sarcastic, and learn everything they like from music to sports, everything in between. we are “March madness” mode right now! #earlylang
True but I find that it is even MORE important to keep magic alive in my classroom. I need them to have a happy safe place to feel like a child. My middle schoolers really appreciate me 4 that... and so do their parents! #Magic#everyoneneedsMagic#preservingInnocence#earlylang
A5: with older kids you have to be more sarcastic, and learn everything they like from music to sports, everything in between. we are “March madness” mode right now! #earlylang
