Cristela, Monica and Gisselt: First Class

Hello!!! 

We continue with our discussion, analysis and comments about this first class with our fantastic children! This time as the headline describes, Monica, Cristela and Gisselt taught the English class. They developped the topics: numbers from eleven to twenty, days of the week, colors and prepositions. 

Let me say that I observed the students so enthusiastic and happy for the second part of this English classes! At the very first greeting they wanted to start, so the class began with the "Hello song", so they start feeling that the class had started. They sang it so well. They are starting to sing it alone. Monica started the song using three helpers. The girls pasted three images: happy, sad and hungry. The images were sticked on the wall. Monica moved each time the song said the adjectives, the kids were in line behind her... this gave the song more meaning. I liked it. 

Then, Monica continue with the warm up. I liked it because she used the spinning wheel to get the kids involved in the review! She spinned the wheel and the categories were like 5 or 6, in which she had to show them so they can say the name of the image. The spinning wheel pointed the Family category, so the students were competing 6 girls and boys against 5 girls and boys. They were all participating, but in order to win they had to grab a box so they can say the correct name of the image that Monica showed them. They were not angry if they lose the opportunity to say the correct name of the image. Even my case of study, Mariel participated, but did not answer quick. 

The calendar is one of those activities that children can see. They saw the days of the week and some of the numbers. I enjoyed watched them as Giss gave them one paper with a different color and a number. They had to go to the board and identify their number. However, Giss taught them the order of the days of the week (second time) and the numbers as well. 

I think that the way she conducted the presentation and the practice gave them the opportunity to learn by identifying the numbers more with colors. They were paying attention and were concentrated. 

 Imelda's card was color red and the number was 4. She managed really well. Monica told me that she is very perceptive and she is paying attention to everything, though you can see her talking with Maritza or with other girls. she is auditive and visual. This helped her to syncronize where to put the number in the calendar. 

 Alan did really well, as usual! He likes to participate in every activity and he models also for the rest of the class. As a teacher, you can take him to help the less participative students. 

 I was really pleased to see him participate. I think he liked the fact that the class involucrated numbers, order and  logic. The calendar activated this skill. We have to remmeber that multiple inteligences reflects that important part of our competences. This activity aim to Math, in less forms of course. He was very fast doing this activity and the next one that was conducted by Giss. He was paying attention, focused and he demostrated that he enjoyed the class! 

The next practice: The wagon days of the week

The activity was focused on the days of the week. Well, I liked it because the children stayed quiet and focused on the task. Giss told me that the more the activity is about doing, manipulating on the part of the children, the better because that way they do not feel bored thus this generate that they work more instead of the teacher doing, talking etc. 

This means that the wagon gave them the chance to demonstrate how much they had remember the order of the days of the week and also to have a little bit of fun in the process of pasting the wagons in the sheet of paper. I liked that Giss modeled and explained how she wanted the train to be done: horizontal sheet of the paper, days of the week had to be put in order and that was it. Raymund and his friends finished it quickly and Giss was happy about it. 

 The Days of the Week Train! 

To me this activity facilitated the topic of colors and the days of the week. Giss modeled the activity of saying a day of the week, "Monday" and she trow the ball in the box. By doing this, she wanted them to copy and think of the vocabulary. 
The boxes were in order. To me a variation could have been to put the boxes in desorder, so you can measure how much they had clarified the topic. However, as Giss told me they need more inforcement in the days. This can be done in later interventions where they see the days in desorder. I agree with her, since we all knew that it was a new topic. 

Then, Cristela explained more the days of the week. I think that they had much reinforcement in this topic as well as the numbers from 11 to 20. I can see that they had internalized the colors, even the white color. She started with retelling the order, then she ordered to close the eyes. They did and she unpasted two or three days of the week that were in the wall. 

They opened the eyes and she asked one or two students to see what day was left. Even when, Imelda participated was able to grab one day and pasted on the right spot! I was so happy! 

They repeated the same action like four times and they were parcipating. I like to point that when the oldest children were done in participation they were talking so much and playing around with each other. 

This is something that it happened to me and what I would have done at the moment when they started to chat is to put myself in the middle of them or to call their attention sufficiently so they knew that I wanted them to be quiet while the others were passing to the front. This is something to improve on. I noticed that she was a bit fustrated because they were not paying attention to the other students and Cristela did not say anything to them. She was nervous, I guess. I cannot blame her, this is something that often happens because it was already late and they all wanted to go; she might have noticed the time and stopped the activity so they began to feel like the activity was going to end. 

then, Cristela gave them Clay of different color. The only comment I have is that since this activity is so time consuming, it would have been better to put this last activity as the previous one, so they can have more time and have fun. Antoher variation is to have put this activity as the first one, so they have more time and have the opportunity to complete it. They all seem to enjoy it and they were so quiet that it meant that they were enjoying it so much. They all wanted it to finish because it was the first time with clay. They all seem like continuing but it was to leave. 

They sang the "Good Bye song" and a snack was given. They all were very happy at the end of the class!