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        • 5.2: Vocabulary (chores and feelings)
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        • 6.1: Saber vs Conocer
        • 6.1: Jugar
        • 6.2: Vocabulary (body parts)
        • 6.2: Preterite AR Conjugation
        • 6.2: Car Gar Zar
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Family Vocabulary Rap

10/30/2017

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I am in the process of putting together a series of videos and resources to teach family member vocabulary.  Some of those videos will be comprehensible input videos based on "The Simpsons" family.  As I was beginning to put that video together last week, I decided to make a basic introductory video of myself repeating the target vocabulary.  Kind of spur of the moment, I had the idea to make the video with Taylor Swift's new song "Look What You Made Me Do" playing as the background music.  I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out! It's an easy video/song that is repetitive and could be used with any grade level.  Check out the preview below! 

Sr. Ashby subscribers can access the full version and 40+ other original songs by clicking the button below. 

Click to Access Full Version
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Harry Potter Comprehensible Input Video

10/17/2017

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Last week I released a new comprehensible input video and corresponding worksheets! It is based on the vocabulary from Unit 2 in the avancemos textbook which covers school schedules, classroom objects, prepositional phrases, and descriptive words for classes and feelings.  Check out the video below! 

Click here to access a free worksheet to accompany the video here.


Sr. Ashby subscribers can access several worksheets and additional resources here. ​

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Grouping, Seating Charts, Cooperative Learning, and Differentiation

10/4/2017

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Doesn't the title of this blog post sound fun to read? I was asked on Facebook to share a little bit about some of the ways I group kids in my class, so I thought I'd write a brief blog post about the  student seating organization system I use.  

First, I put the kids in groups of four.  My classroom has desks, but this could be done with tables too.  My desks are in rows, but each desk in the group of 4 has a desk tag on it of the same color.  See the picture below.  
Picture
Cut these out quickly just for this blog post... sorry it looks like it was cut out by a 1st grader.
In the example above, that would be the yellow group, or grupo amarillo.  I have roughly 28 kids in each class, so I would have 7 groups of 4, each group with a different color.  The desk tags provide me with a large number of options for grouping kids:

1. Each group of four has 3 different partner possibilities.  Mexico partners (person right next to you), Cuba partners (person diagonal from you), and España partners (person in front or back of you).  This is great for quick partner speaking activities, etc. 

2. If you need students to work in a group of 4, obviously those are set-up for you with the colored groups. 

3. If you notice on the desk tags, each student also has a number, 1, 2, 3, and 4.  If you need to make 4 groups of students, you have 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s.  

How can I use this system for differentiating instruction? 
Okay, so this admittedly takes some time to set-up and think through when you make your seating chart. It also takes a little assessment and getting to know your students!  It also depends on what type of cooperative learning activities you are familiar with. (see more on this below)  However, the possibilities here are endless.  Here are some strategies I have used before.  

1. Organize your students so that the "1s" and "2s" in each group are strong students or heritage speakers, and the "3s" and "4s" are struggling learners.  Then, choose which partner groups you use based on if you want to have a strong student work with a struggling student, or have the two struggling students grouped together.  Of course if you think the students are catching on to this, you could have the 3s and 4s next seating arrangement be the strong students.  This also allows for you to easily make groups for station work, etc. where maybe all of the "1s" do something more challenging, while you work with the "4"s on remediation. I highly recommend this sort of organization as it provides you a lot of different options as a teacher.

2. Put students in their color groups based on ability.  This is pretty straight forward, but for a change of pace from above, you could put struggling learners in certain color groups, and high-level learners in other groups.  It takes away the ability to have higher level learners working with struggling learners for partner work, but does allow you to know exactly which groups you need to provide more attention to, and which groups you may need to find ways to challenge. 
Specifically, what are some cooperative learning activities that you could use within this organization system?
First, I encourage you to think of any sort of group or pair work you have ever done with your class.  How could having students grouped in the ways I've described above help add to what you have done? How might you change the activity, or change your role in the activity knowing that you know exactly where your high-level students and struggling students are in the classroom, and who they are paired with?  

Second, I encourage you to look into Kagan Cooperative Learning.  Check it out a brief summary of it here. I am by no means an expert at this, but the "Essential 5" Kagan cooperative strategies are a great place to start! For example, The "Rally Coach" gives the higher-level learner a challenge, while guiding the struggling learner through remediation.  

Feel free to download the word doc I use to create my desk tags below! Although I love the actual tags on the desks, I will say they were a pain to make, and keep on the desk! It involves laminating, then contact paper or some other way to adhere them to the desk so that students don't pick them off. Here is a whole teacher forum on that topic!  This year, I actually took permanent marker (don't tell my custodian), and wrote a number on the back of each desk, 1, 2, 3, or 4.  Each group of 4 had a different color I used.  Then, instead of using desk tags, I just put a partner organization paper on each wall of the room.  This has worked okay so far this year and was a lot less time consuming to set-up! 

What ideas do you have for grouping and cooperative learning? Comment below!
Desk Tags Download
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Steph Curry Comprehensible Input Video and Lesson plans

10/1/2017

1 Comment

 

This past week I released a new type of video, and I hope to do several more in the year to come! My brother-in-law Mike Steenstra gave me the idea to do Spanish video incorporating current events or sports to connect with the students and so I made this Steph Curry Comprehensible input video for Spanish 1 students. According to teachingenglish.org, comprehensible input is "language input that can be understood by listeners despite them not understanding all the words and structures in it. It is described as one level above that of the learners if it can only just be understood."  I created this comprehensible input video to teach vocabulary from unit 1 of the Avancemos textbook, which focuses quite a bit on characteristic vocabulary like alto, bajo, etc.   I am pleased with how it turned out! There are corresponding worksheets and 3 lesson plans as well!  Check it out below. 

Lesson Plans and Worksheets (subscribers)
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    About Señor Ashby:

    I am a K-12 Spanish educator specializing in creativity. I am passionate about learning through technology, music, and innovation.  I have taught Spanish to K-12, and am a two time finalist for online teacher of the year (2011, 2014). l live in West Michigan with my wife and our four energetic boys!

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    • Online Lessons >
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    • Online Lessons (Spanish 1) >
      • Blended Learning FAQS
      • Top Ways to Use Blended Lessons
      • Preliminares- Numbers 0-30
      • Preliminares: General Review
      • Country and Capital Lesson
      • Unit 1 >
        • 1.1 Vocabulary (pasatiempos)
        • 1.1: Gustar
        • 1.1: Ser
        • 1.2: Vocabulary (characteristics)
        • 1.2: Definite and Indefinite Articles
        • 1.2 Noun-Adjective Agreement
      • Unit 2 >
        • 2.1: Vocabulary (school schedule)
        • 2.1: AR present tense conjugation- FREE
        • 2.1: Tener
        • 2.1: Telling Time
        • 2.2: Vocabulary (school supplies)
        • 2.2: Estar
        • 2:2: Ir
      • Unit 3 >
        • 3.1: Vocabulary (breakfast and lunch)
        • 3.1: Gustar With Nouns
        • 3.2: Vocabulary (family)
        • 3.1: Er, Ir Present Tense Conjugation
        • 3.2: Possessive Adjectives
        • 3.2: Comparisons
      • Unit 4 >
        • 4.1: Vocabulary (clothing)
        • 4.1: Direct Objects
        • 4.1: Querer
        • 4.1: E to IE stem-changers
        • 4.2: Vocabulary (restaurant and town)
        • 4.2: O to UE stem-changers
      • Unit 5 >
        • 5.1: Vocabulary (house)
        • 5.1: Ser vs. Estar
        • 5.2: Vocabulary (chores and feelings)
        • 5.2: Informal Tú Commands
      • Unit 6 >
        • 6.1: Vocabulary (sports)
        • 6.1: Saber vs Conocer
        • 6.1: Jugar
        • 6.2: Vocabulary (body parts)
        • 6.2: Preterite AR Conjugation
        • 6.2: Car Gar Zar
      • Unit 7 >
        • 7.1 Vocabulary
        • 7.1: Er and IR Preterite
        • 7.2: Vocabulary
        • 7.2: Ser and Ir Preterite
      • Unit 8 >
        • 8.1: Vocabulary
      • Exploratory Spanish Vocabulary Lesson
      • Exploratory Spanish: Clothing
      • Mid-term Exam Prep
      • Avancemos Final Exam Review
      • Remote Teaching During Covid >
        • Preliminary Unit >
          • Lesson 1
          • Lesson 2
          • Lesson 3
          • Lesson 4
          • Lesson 5
          • Lesson 6
          • Lesson 7
          • Lesson 8
          • Lesson 9
          • Unit Quiz
    • Online Lessons (Spanish 2) >
      • 1.1: Vocabulary (Travel)
      • 1.2 (Direct Object Pronouns)
      • 1.3 (Ar Preterite Tense)
      • 1.4 (Ser, Ir, Hacer, Ver, Dar, Preterite)
      • 1.5 (Interrogatives)
      • 2.1 Vocabulary (Sports and Exercise)
      • 2.2 Adverbs
      • 2.3 Er/IR Preterite
      • 2.4 Demonstrative Adjectives
    • Face To Face Lessons >
      • Activity Videos
      • Creating A Classroom Culture >
        • Classroom Management
        • First Day of School
        • Team-Building Activities
      • Classroom Commands Lesson
      • Family/Simpsons Resources
      • Gustar
      • Harry Potter Resources (Avancemos 2 Vocab)
      • Los Verbos Lesson
      • Mr. Bean Restaurant
      • Navidad Extrana
      • Numbers 1-100 Lesson Plan
      • Pobrecito Lesson
      • Steph Curry Lessons (Avancemos 1.2 vocabulary) >
        • Steph Curry Video Resources
        • Steph Curry Lesson 1
        • Steph Curry Lesson 2
        • Steph Curry Lesson 3
      • Spanish Interrogatives
      • Sentimientos Unit >
        • Sentimientos Lesson 1
        • Sentimientos Lesson 2
        • Sentimientos Lesson 3
      • Top Ten Vocabulary Activities
  • Other Resources
    • Topics A-L >
      • Adjectives, Articles, and Agreement- FREE
      • Alphabet
      • Authentic Songs for the Classroom- FREE
      • Body Vocabulary
      • Calendar
      • Clothing Vocabulary
      • Colors and Shapes
      • Definite and Indefinite Articles
      • Direct Objects
      • Estar
      • Family Vocabulary
      • Food Vocabulary
      • Greetings
      • Gustar
      • House Vocabulary
      • Informal Commands
      • IR
      • Irregular Yo Verbs
      • Locura De Marzo
      • Los Quehaceres
    • Topics M-Z >
      • Numbers
      • Other Videos
      • Prepositions and Movement Vocab
      • Present Tense Conjugations
      • Preterite Conjugations
      • Possessve Adjectives
      • Reflexive Verbs
      • Saber vs. Conocer
      • School Supplies & Classroom Objects
      • Ser
      • Ser Vs Estar
      • Spanish Covers of Popular Songs
      • Stem Changing Verbs
      • Telling Time
      • Subject Pronouns
      • Weather
      • Tener
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