Welcome to #Earlylang! Tonight's topic is "The first few weeks; what are we doing?” We will be using a Q1/A1 format. So when answering Question 1, please include A1 in your answer. And don't forget to use our hashtag! #Earlylang
Hello! I'm Valerie from Chicago I teach gr 4-8 in a Montessori school... we're just crossing into 4 weeks... But my 4-6th gr are on a week long school trip already! #Earlylang
Hi #earlylang! I'm Rose in upstate NY. I teach K-5 Spanish, and we've been in school for nearly four weeks now? Wowee!! Also, a bug flew into my eye during my run today.
I’m Jackie Skelton. I teach k-5 Spanish in Belmont CA. Third week of classes. Have not gone to the book yet. Having fun with the kiddos doing other stuff!#Earlylang
A1 I love going back to school. It's like New Year's. Some new clothes, some new ideas, some new goals. Back to my routines that keep me happy and healthy. Any anxiety and nervousness melt as soon as I see my kiddos :) #earlylang
I’m Jackie Skelton. I teach k-5 Spanish in Belmont CA. Third week of classes. Have not gone to the book yet. Having fun with the kiddos doing other stuff!#Earlylang
To me, the beginning of the school year is the most exciting time of year! I look forward to new beginnings and fresh starts for everyone! (Not to mention new school materials and freshly painted walls...) #Earlylang
A1 The first few weeks of school I look forward to seeing returning students again and meeting new students for the first time. I also enjoy the fresh start and a chance to integrate summer learning in the classroom. #earlylang
A1: I teach a span of 8 grade levels, so I look forward to seeing all my little friends come back and how much they've grown over the summer. It's fun seeing how them acept new challenges #earlylang
A1: First few weeks- including a lot of new vocabulary and basic structures to fill their TL “lego tubs” (analogy courtesy of Bill Heller), spark interest, and truly get to know them as both students & people! #earlylang
R1: I look forward to seeing the kiddos again, as well as colleagues I haven't seen over the summer. I also look forward to trying new things, new themes, new ideas #earlylang
A1. Love seeing the kids and how much they've grown over summer. I love the rigor of the work--it's very creative. Fun to have a "fresh start" #earlylang
A1: I look forwrad to starting anew, to meeting my new students, seeing my old ones, and to implementing new ideas. After the NNELL summer institute, I was even more excited to implement new ideas this year! #earlylang
Hola! I'm Rocky, I teach 3rd 4th and 5th grade in Morris County NJ! It's my first year teaching elementary Spanish and I am eager to learn and grow!!! #earlylang
Hi! I am Marcy from the northern Chicago suburbs. I teach grades 1-5 Spanish (this year have 1 3rd, 4 4th, and 4 5th grade classes). This is week 6 so starting to settle down (as much as elementary kiddos can) and feel good that I now know everyone's name! #Earlylang
A1: I look forwrad to starting anew, to meeting my new students, seeing my old ones, and to implementing new ideas. After the NNELL summer institute, I was even more excited to implement new ideas this year! #earlylang
A1: I look forward to hitting that RESET button and looking at each and every kid as an opportunity to share culture, language, and empathy! Plus I love decorating my classroom and applying new things I’ve learned 😁😁😁 #earlylang
A2 I try really hard to enact our school's PBIS behavior matrix in kid-friendly & comprehensible Spanish. It's not my comfort zone, so it's a work in progress. #earlylang
R2: The primary element for me is tone, facial expression, body language. How I interact w my students makes all the difference in terms of how welcomed & cared for they feel, even if I am only speaking Spanish to them #earlylang
A2. Humor, encouragement, clarity, consistency and building rapport over many years of being with the children(I start seeing them in 1-3 gr for morning meeting in Spanish a la @responsiveclass#earlylang
A2: I think non verbal gestures are essential during those first few weeks. Smiles. High fives. Eye contact. Show them without words that you care about them, want them there, and welcome them to a new language learning adventure! #Earlylang
The rapport we #earlylang teachers get with our students means so much. We often get to see our students for YEARS. My fifth graders and I met when they were in kindergarten! *tears*
A2: I build trust & create a nurturing environment by not going too fast, using routines, and making my language as comprehensible as possible - gestures, pictures, examples, you name it! #earlylang
A2. My team decided to put TRUST & relationships as the theme for all of September. Every class was spent using #SEL strategies and #teambuilding to create a community. We folded the language review into the activities! #earlylang
A2: Smiling a lot, bringing in humor, and also this year I have been using some fun silent activities (thank you @HolaSrHoward for the inspiration!) to get us working and having fun together #earlylang
A2: I go over expectations and procedures to make sure we all know how to act and behave. I make sure to ask every student how they are doing, give a smile. But most of all, be fair. #earlylang
Q2 trying to put a positive spin on all engagement, plus learning names ASAP. Students can go the whole day and not hear their names but a few times. Learn them and use them. #earlylang
A2: I think non verbal gestures are essential during those first few weeks. Smiles. High fives. Eye contact. Show them without words that you care about them, want them there, and welcome them to a new language learning adventure! #Earlylang
A2: i teach some silly class quirks and introduce them to class mascots (stuffed carrot and a rubber chicken) and we play a game where we try to pass the ball around the circle in less than a min (have to ask name of person in Spanish and respond b4 passing) #Earlylang
The rapport we #earlylang teachers get with our students means so much. We often get to see our students for YEARS. My fifth graders and I met when they were in kindergarten! *tears*
Excited & just the right amount of nervous to create space for vulnerability in my classes this year. Gracias a @Stephen_Krawec for bringing this to our team. Proud to grow together.Can’t wait to see what our Ss write back #whatiwishmystudentsknew#langchat#edchat#backtoschool
A1: During the first few weeks, I really like to talk in class - introducing my students to class in Spanish, getting to know the students in the TL and giving them time to get to know each other in the TL too! #earlylang
A2: Slowly but surely establishing routines, procedures & expectations. Ultimately a class that has these in place makes for a safe & kind classroom, which our kiddos, in many cases, desperately need #earlylang
A2: Lots of positive reinforcement both verbally (so many ways to express a job well done in Spanish!) and nonverbally (smiles, nods, hugs, etc.). Preaching kindness and the fact that every class is a fun, safe place to take risks, make mistakes, and encourage others! #Earlylang
A2: Lots of play & silliness to build a safe environment at the beginning of the year. We also talk about growth mindset and how important it is for us to make mistakes. I strive to establish routines and expectations to make it emotionally safe. #earlylang
I think this is also especially important with our new students, either at the beginning of the span, or new to the school. They need to feel those successes to build confidence #earlylang
A2: I greet them anywhere I see them (yes, even outside of school), use lots of body language, try to speak slowly and clear, give them enough time to think, add laughter, enjoy the silly moments, have fun and remind them that I am here for them #earlylang
A2: Lots of positive reinforcement both verbally (so many ways to express a job well done in Spanish!) and nonverbally (smiles, nods, hugs, etc.). Preaching kindness and the fact that every class is a fun, safe place to take risks, make mistakes, and encourage others! #Earlylang
A2: Lots of positive reinforcement both verbally (so many ways to express a job well done in Spanish!) and nonverbally (smiles, nods, hugs, etc.). Preaching kindness and the fact that every class is a fun, safe place to take risks, make mistakes, and encourage others! #Earlylang
A3: this is what I love about #Earlylang students...they’re already excited about it!! Ms Ss were to an extent, but not nearly as excited. I just feed the fire with song and movements and culture exposure
Hey #earlylang chat! Dropping in quickly to say I’ll be doing the slow chat later this evening, probably when half of you are asleep! ¡Hasta pronto! A bientôt!
A3 Honestly, the students who have told me they're excited about learning have said it's because I'm obviously pumped about it. We're here to have fun and learn Spanish. They've learned my class is that kind of place. #earlylang
A3: We talk about culture... and WOW! do they get excited! We listen to funny songs, and I give students a voice in what they learn. I try to tie in or emphasize their interests in the units. #earlylang
Yes! I'm thinking of those ss who come in at gr 4,5,6 after their classmates have has the TL since kinder--focus on what they can understand(and really hit the CI). Everyone feels good when they understand what's happening. #earlylang
I think this is also especially important with our new students, either at the beginning of the span, or new to the school. They need to feel those successes to build confidence #earlylang
A3: during the first week we explore the geography of Spanish speaking countries in the world, I show them pictures from incredible places, & we listen to awesome music like “La Gozadera” by Gente de Zona 🌎#EarlyLang
A3. Try to find things the children like and connect to--most of mine get hooked by music. Today a 7th grader said, while listening to "Quinceañera" "Call me crazy, but I really like this song" hahaha #earlylang
A3- recently to build excitement for language learning, I try to finish most lessons w/ a “🎬trailer” - “coming to a Spanish class near you!” Sometimes a cliff hanger- sometimes their homeroom Ts know but are sworn to secrecy. What will happen? Stay tuned! #earlylang
R3: Having the monarch butterfly chrysalis's in my room this year, watching one emerge, and setting them free was super exciting for everyone! #earlylang
A4 I've had decent success embedding expectations in class as we engage with content, but in an effort to enact our school's PBIS behavior matrix, we actually did a full lesson on what it means to be a Spanish learner. It felt like explaining a joke. Grumpy Maestra. #earlylang
A2: To create a comfortable environment in the TL, I use a lot of gestures and exaggerations. Lots and lots and lots of body language and positive feedback helps, too! #earlylang
A4: I use the acronym PIENSA, which has cognates and they are already familiar with in English using the acronym THINK. I might ask ¿Es necesario? And the Ss know. We also use hand signals for warnings, such as siliencio. #earlylang
R4: Grades 1-4 already know expectations since we've already been together, so we remind ourselves of them, & move on. For my Kinders, I introduce them throughout the first several weeks, building on what the homeroom Ts are doing #earlylang
A4: I have Ss brainstorm a list of expectations - w/ coaching - compile them & make a poster. I number them 1-10 so i can reference by number. I say your name and hld up that many fingers. No need to talk abt it. The "biggies" are 1-5 so I only hae to use one hand #earlylang
I’ve talked about what a language learner does, a la @lamaestraloca. I had great success and I think I got more buy in, esp when I emphasized that no other elementary kids anywhere near us learn another language. #earlylang
A4: short and sweet. I do it through a short story I tell the class and we act it out and everything. “El estudiante de español” ft. How to act in class #Earlylang
A4: We've been practicing expectations (like attention getters, expectations for looking) as we engage in fun comm bldg activities like practicing turn taking in building towers. teamwork in throwing stuffies in the air with handkerchiefs (thanks @profeashley), etc. #earlylang
A4: My Kim taught me- Full Value Contract. Ask Ss to 💭 of symbols that represent Spanish. Then vote as class. That’s drawn. Inside we put what we want to achieve & do this yr(ex:skits)Outside we put post its w/ anything that may hurt our chances (ex:side chatter). #earlylang
A3: I try to incorporate fun crafts or activities, dance, etc. I try to keep reminding them "WOW - you're speaking another language and that is SO COOL" which they generally respond to and get excited about!! :) #earlylang
A4: I have Ss brainstorm a list of expectations - w/ coaching - compile them & make a poster. I number them 1-10 so i can reference by number. I say your name and hld up that many fingers. No need to talk abt it. The "biggies" are 1-5 so I only hae to use one hand #earlylang
Continued. The idea is that it is a living, breathing document that we can revisit. If post it behaviors are no problem, we trash them! If issues arise, add some. Goal to have no to few post its by EOY. A4 #earlylang
A4 I have a simple slide in all of whiteboard files, which is the first thing they see each class. For individuals I will quietly address it by proximity, but if I notice a larger number, I flip back to it and point to the one I’m not seeing. #earlylang
A5: I usually start theme activities during the second week of school, the first week is more 'welcome back' & 'blast from the past' activities #earlylang
A4: I’ve also started a new system of giving paper chili peppers to students when they follow directions, help a peer, win a game, etc to build a different incentive. At the end of the week I pull from my Cofre del Tesoro 🌶🌶🌶 #earlylang
In a few days, we'll have the summary from tonight's #earlylang chat posted online. In the meantime, check out some of our past chats: https://t.co/rFkVMpOp6h
A4: Intro yourself &asking for names is curriculum so day 1...but I really get started and add routines and expectations along the ride. I start with a song then a story. So my routines are explained through the agenda with pics on the board & expectations thru story #Earlylang
A5: Our curriculum includes greetings and classroom language (stand up, sit down), so I guess I can say day 1. And as we play games, we are hearing a lot of vocabulary that is part of our curriculum too #earlylang
A5: Around the 4th week we begin new units. The first 4 are spent reviewing vocab, commands, & expectations, as well as getting all tech accounts set up (@Seesaw, @ClassDojo, etc.). I am lucky to get 30 min a day with all 9 classes, but that time goes super quickly! #Earlylang
A5: I think all the frontloading activities we've been talking abt can be considered "the curriculum." i had a principal once tell me to make sure Ss learn something on day 1 and go home and talk to their parents abt it. #earlylang
Did you use Martina Bex's Tomatina unit? That's how I started last year--and it was a fun way to jump in with lots of CI and interactive work. #earlylang
A5: Day 1, in the target language. With 4-8 we talk about our summer vacations, in lower el we review ¿Cómo estás? And Me llamo... as well as expectations. But I mostly focus on expectations and procedures. #earlylang
It’s in simple Spanish with simple pictures: I watch the teacher, I listen to others, I speak Spanish, I work with respect. —> Ojos, orejas, boca, corazón. #earlylang
I print out the kiddos' photos (they are last year's) from PowerTeacher so I have faces/names together. I also change their Class Dojo pics on my account to their pics so every time I use Dojo I see them! #Earlylang
A4: Since I go class to class, I use the general class expectations their teacher has! We review classroom commands during day 1 and use a point system for incentives (zumba, Quizlet live, free time, etc) #earlylang
