Vocabulary in Action: A Reflection, from wk. 11

My lovely beginner students are the subjects of this week's video vocabulary lesson.  Three days of the week, this group of first and second graders are my first class.  As soon as they pass through the sliding door, these students are in full communicative  mode.  I become instantly inspired as they dig deep into their adolescent lexicons to retrieve every bit of English so that I, Tracie Teacher, can understand the information that they are so eager to share.  By the time class officially begins student affective filters are lowered and they are ready to learn. 

Unfortunately, when the camera is on, it is my affective filter that is elevated.   This was not the case in week 11!  I will call this my 'breakthrough lesson' because it is an honest representation of my teaching style.  More importantly, in this lesson I observed how my animated personality has been fused with newly acquired teaching strategies and how this fusion has increased the quality of instruction provided to my students.  

  

In week 11 my beginner class played Charades (acting game) as a vocabulary review activity.  The objective was for students to become more familiar with phrases of morning activities by using and responding to body language.  I have played this game in other classes, but it was the first opportunity for my young beginners.    

Although initially there was some student disapproval of my team selections, their objections were short-lived.  There were points to be won!  The class was divided into two teams.  One member went to the front of class and acted out a morning routine, such as 'brush my teeth' or 'wash my face'.  The other team members guessed what the student was doing, by answering in complete first person sentences, like "I brush my teeth."  The team received one point once the sentence was said correctly.  The class greatly enjoyed the activity and wanted to play longer than time allowed.

In planning this activity, I used the WB to present a question and record student responses.  I modeled the language and used hand and arm gestures to signify proper intonation.  When students struggled to recall certain terms, I used my entire body to show meaning.  While watching the recording, I was surprised at what I viewed.  Evidently, the camera was of little concern to me.  I was more involved in guiding students to comprehension and less worried about how silly I may appear.  

There was a minor flaw in my planning.  During the game, I realized that I had not anticipated a small problem.  The second and fourth students (Team 2) repeated the activities of the first and third students (Team 1).  This made it easy for members of Team 2 to guess the terms.  I should have explained that the same morning action could not be done consecutively.  

Another flaw was that I frequently referred to two female students by the other student's name.  The two girls are best friends who are equally polite, attentive and soft-spoken.  Although they do not express the dramatic disapproval common with most of my students, I should still be more conscious of to whom I am speaking.

Overall, I was very pleased when I viewed this 'breakthrough' lesson.  I observed how my expressive teaching style has been significantly enhanced by better teaching strategies.  This lesson is a true reflection of my growth as an English teacher.