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I was interviewed today by Channel 8 News in Austin regarding our state not paying for our adopted foreign language textbooks. Oh, we got word today that we WILL be getting the new textbooks, not in time for day one of school, mind you, but we will be getting them. ANYWAY, a reporter came over to where we were having inservice and we chatted quite a bit. I'm hoping I haven't made a fool of myself. I've been watching the news hoping to see it; they said it would probably be on by the 4 pm or 5 pm news cycle. I've been recording since 5 pm and nothin' yet. They also said to check back at 9 pm. Well, who knows about that.
Then an AP reporter called me so I need to start googling my name, she said, since she's going to post this online at some point.
Yes, it was dumb luck that I got this attention. I ran into the parent of a child in my son's class and she said she knew a reporter who was looking for a teacher to interview. I consider all of this just another way to promote Latin and will always jump to promote.
The wonderful Stephanie Pope was our consultant for inservice today. It was great seeing Stephanie again and she was wonderful. We have some good material now which outlines directly the changes from the old book to the new one. Marvelous.
I wanted to go back to my classroom but it's just me and my youngest son, and he wanted to just come home and chill after day camp. I've actually been calm enough and relaxed enough to just watch the news and fold laundry. Much of what I need to do right now I have to do at school and can't do here. Sigh.
I'm still trying to decide what I want to do regarding vocabulary flashcards. Required, extra credit? Extra credit but more info required per cards? Or do I need to give flashcards/vocabulary acquisition a higher priority? If so, what gives in class?
This is always the dilemma.
But a very good point was made today at inservice by the modern language keynote speaker: when we teach vocab it needs to be in logical groups. It does no good for students to be presented with the words for train, car, taxi, etc because he still can't do much with that. HOWEVER, if you give him train, train station, ticket counter, ticket, platform, etc, then the student CAN SURVIVE a situation in a foreign country.
Ironically, we have a train theme at school right now and I had written down a bunch of Latin terms for train yesterday. Maybe I should be messing with that right now.... I should google a train image. I wonder if I can use the Hogwarts Express? Not legally, I realize.
But vocabulary....
Well, not enough people are doing the flashcards right now, not even for extra credit.
That needs to change. Here's the thing. I want a way to grade them that doesn't take up time.
How about this? My twin said she has an activity in class that requires the flashcards. So I could require them to make them for the game, then when it's time to play, anyone without the cards on their desks gets a zero for participation, with the ability to bring it up to a 70 if they make their cards during class while we're playing whatever fun game we are going to play.
I suppose now I need to know WHAT it is that will be so fun. How will it really be RELEVANT and not fluff? HOW can I somehow keep this more "in the Latin" than a matching game? WHAT IS IT THAT I CAN DO???
AND.... WHAT will I do to replace the missing extra credit of vocabulary quizzes??? Or have I had too much extra credit up to now??
Then an AP reporter called me so I need to start googling my name, she said, since she's going to post this online at some point.
Yes, it was dumb luck that I got this attention. I ran into the parent of a child in my son's class and she said she knew a reporter who was looking for a teacher to interview. I consider all of this just another way to promote Latin and will always jump to promote.
The wonderful Stephanie Pope was our consultant for inservice today. It was great seeing Stephanie again and she was wonderful. We have some good material now which outlines directly the changes from the old book to the new one. Marvelous.
I wanted to go back to my classroom but it's just me and my youngest son, and he wanted to just come home and chill after day camp. I've actually been calm enough and relaxed enough to just watch the news and fold laundry. Much of what I need to do right now I have to do at school and can't do here. Sigh.
I'm still trying to decide what I want to do regarding vocabulary flashcards. Required, extra credit? Extra credit but more info required per cards? Or do I need to give flashcards/vocabulary acquisition a higher priority? If so, what gives in class?
This is always the dilemma.
But a very good point was made today at inservice by the modern language keynote speaker: when we teach vocab it needs to be in logical groups. It does no good for students to be presented with the words for train, car, taxi, etc because he still can't do much with that. HOWEVER, if you give him train, train station, ticket counter, ticket, platform, etc, then the student CAN SURVIVE a situation in a foreign country.
Ironically, we have a train theme at school right now and I had written down a bunch of Latin terms for train yesterday. Maybe I should be messing with that right now.... I should google a train image. I wonder if I can use the Hogwarts Express? Not legally, I realize.
But vocabulary....
Well, not enough people are doing the flashcards right now, not even for extra credit.
That needs to change. Here's the thing. I want a way to grade them that doesn't take up time.
How about this? My twin said she has an activity in class that requires the flashcards. So I could require them to make them for the game, then when it's time to play, anyone without the cards on their desks gets a zero for participation, with the ability to bring it up to a 70 if they make their cards during class while we're playing whatever fun game we are going to play.
I suppose now I need to know WHAT it is that will be so fun. How will it really be RELEVANT and not fluff? HOW can I somehow keep this more "in the Latin" than a matching game? WHAT IS IT THAT I CAN DO???
AND.... WHAT will I do to replace the missing extra credit of vocabulary quizzes??? Or have I had too much extra credit up to now??
