| What are best practices? They are teaching strategies/activities/lessons
that meet three basic criteria: they have been "test-driven"
a number of times and have been proven to be effective;
they have measurable learner outcomes that can be met
successfully by a broad range of students; and the entire
process--planning, preparation of materials, classroom
activities, etc. -- are all manageable.
In the second language classroom, best practices are
often those that integrate the four language skills.
One of the best activities I have ever tried is what
I call "Draw, Tell, Write and Read." Below
is a four-day lesson plan for my third grade immersion
class. It could be done in fewer days, but it is essential
that students retell the story a number of times. They
should know the story by heart before attempting to
write it.
Description of Activity
This activity integrates listening, speaking, reading
and writing. Over a four-day period, students listen
to a story, reconstruct it orally with the help of drawn
clues, then write it. When finished, groups will exchange
their stories to read.
Day 1:
- The teacher tells a story, using a "story map"
as a memory aid.
- Students reconstruct the story, as a group, as the
teacher redraws the story map.
- Individual students are invited to reconstruct the
story, drawing and telling one element each.
- In pairs, students reconstruct the story, drawing
and telling alternating sentences.
Day 2:
- Repeat the last step above as review.
- As a class, make a vocabulary board (important nouns,
verbs, adjectives, and prepositional phrases). Students
record vocabulary into their notebooks.
Days 3 & 4:
- Draw and tell the story all together to review.
- In small groups, students write the story in its
entirety, each student being responsible for three
or four sentences.
- Students edit their sentences by checking their
own, then a partner's writing against the vocabulary
board.
- Students illustrate their sentences, based on the
sketches made during the retelling. They bind the
pages together to make a book.
- Groups practice reading their finished story, then
exchange stories with another group.
Here is a simple story you can use early in the year.
The bracketed words are the things you sketch as you
tell the story. Use just enough detail in your drawing
to get the point across. Use colors only where indicated.
|
Story: A Day at the Park
Today I visited the park. Right in the middle
of the park I saw a [huge oak tree]. The [leaves]
were [golden yellow] and [falling from the branches].
A [little gray squirrel] with a [bushy tail] was
busy gathering [nuts]. To the right of the tree
was a [small pond]. There were [four lily pads]
floating on the pond. And on one lily pad sat
a [big green frog]. On the other side of the tree
was a [park bench]. No one was on it, so I sat
down and ate my [red apple]. It was a great way
to spend the day! |
Assessment
Listening comprehension: Are all the elements
drawn correctly? Is the pond on the right side of the
tree? Are there four lily pads,? etc. Are all the sentences
accounted for?
Speaking: As you circulate, check to see if
each student is able to reconstruct the story with a
partner.
Writing: You may or may not insist on 100% accuracy,
but at least the words from the vocabulary board should
be spelled correctly. Punctuation and capitalization
are also checked.
Reading: Can students read their finished story,
including parts written by their teammates?
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