Sunday, March 31, 2013

Pobre Ana: Story 7 - Transportation in Africa

Structures:
Story
Había una chica que se llamaba Jane.  Trabajaba en McDonalds en Africa.  Cada día tomaba su tigre e iba a su trabajo.  Antes del trabajo, se subía a su tigre, iba a McDonalds, y se bajaba de su tigre.  Después del trabajo, se subía a su tigre, iba a su casa, y se bajaba de su tigre.  Pero, había un problema.  El tigre quería comer a Jane.  Necesitaba otra manera de transportación.

Tenía un hipopótamo.  Jane siempre tomaba el tigre e iba a McDonalds.  Nunca tomaba el hipopótamo e iba a McDonalds, pero se subió a su hipopótamo, fue a McDonalds, y se bajó de su hipopótamo.  Después del trabajo, se subió a su hipopótamo, fue a su casa, y se bajó de su hipopótamo.  Pero, había un problema con el hipopótamo.  Era muy, muy odoroso y Jane estaba triste.  Necesitaba otra manera de transportación.

Tenía una girafa.  Jane siempre tomaba el tigre e iba a McDonalds.  Nunca tomaba su girafa e iba a McDonalds, pero se subió a su girafa, fue a McDonalds, y se bajó de su girafa.  En la tarde, se subió a su girafa, fue a su casa, y se bajó de su girafa.  No había un problema.  La girafa estaba perfecta y Jane estaba contenta.  No necesitaba otra manera de transportación.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Storytelling Self-Evaluation


Reblogged from Señorita Barragán:
I had to clip this to my Evernote the other night:
Self-Evaluation
Photo credit: twitter.com/soccermom2013
Fabulous find. Thank you @soccermom2013! I’d heard of guided notes during storytelling (students write down target vocabulary, jot down main points of the story, such as main characters, the conflict, etc., draw pictures, and write a summary), but I think I’m more likely to utilize something like this as the occasional exit slip. I took the liberty of creating a file to share. You can download it below:

Inklewriter Story!

I created my first Inklewriter story, complete with personalized details and circling!  Once I got the hang of it, it's pretty easy to use and brilliantly designed.  This goes with Pobre Ana: Story 1 - María the Theif.  Check it out!

"The Theif" Inklewriter Story

Some possible uses for these:

  • Out of class reading activity
  • Make-up for students who miss the story
  • Help with storytelling in-class (you could add additional details and circling, act it out, etc)
  • In-class reading activity
And I'm sure there are many more applications!

Just a tip:  Decide what you want to circle and personalize carefully.  Each detail that is circled or personalized adds more work!

Pobre Ana: Story 6 - A Dress for Helga

Structures
Story
Había un hipopótamo que se llamaba Hugo.  Hugo quería un vestido para su novia, Helga.  A Helga, le gustaba un vestido azul con patos verdes.  Vestidos azules con patos verdes estaban en JC Penny, El Gap, y Marina Vieja de Guerra.  Había un problema. Hugo no tenía dinero.  No podía pagar con dinero.  Pero, tenía 428 iPods.  Tenía iPods verdes con diamantes, iPods rosados con flores, y un iPod de oro.  Iba a pagar con los iPods.
There was a hippopotamus that called himself Hugo.  Hugo wanted a dress for his girlfriend, Helga.  To Helga, to her was pleasing a blue dress with green ducks.  Blue dresses with green ducks were in JC Penny, The Gap, and Old Navy.  There was a problem.  Hugo didn't have money.  He couldn't pay with money.  But, he had 428 iPods.  He had green iPods with diamonds, pink iPods with flowers, and an iPod of gold.  He was going to pay with the iPods.

Hugo fue a JC Penny.  En JC Penny, había un gato que se llamaba Gloria.  Gloria tenía el vestido azul con patos verdes.  Quería $2,793 para el vestido, pero Hugo no podia pagar con dinero.  Iba a pagar con los iPods verdes con diamantes, pero a Gloria no le gustaban los iPods.  Hugo no podía pagar.
Hugo went to JC Penny.  In JC Penny, there was a cat that called herself Gloria.  Gloria had the blue dress with green ducks.  She wanted $2,793 for the dress, but Hugo couldn't pay with money.  He was going to pay with the green iPods with diamonds, but to Gloria to her weren't pleasing the iPods.  Hugo couldn't pay.

Hugo fue al Gap.  En El Gap, había un pero que se llamaba Pepe.  Pepe tenía el vestido azul con patos verdes.  Quería $678 para el vestido, pero Hugo no podia pagar con dinero.  Iba a pagar con los iPods rosados con flores, pero a Pepe no le gustaban los iPods.  Hugo no podía pagar.
Hugo went to The Gap.  In The Gap, there was a dog that called herself Pepe.  Pepe had the blue dress with green ducks.  He wanted $678 for the dress, but Hugo couldn't pay with money.  He was going to pay with the pink iPods with flowers, but to Pepe to him weren't pleasing the iPods.  Hugo couldn't pay.

Hugo fue a Marina Vieja de Guerra.  En Marina Vieja de Guerra, había una ballena que se llamaba Beluga.  Beluga tenía el vestido azul con patos verdes.  Quería $781 para el vestido, pero Hugo no podia pagar con dinero.  Iba a pagar con el iPod de oro.  A Beluga le gustaba mucho el iPod de oro.  Hugo podía pagar y tomó el vestido azul con patos verdes para su novia.
Hugo went to Old Navy.  In Old Navy, there was a whale that called herself Beluga.  Beluga had the blue dress with green ducks.  He wanted $781 for the dress, but Hugo couldn't pay with money.  He was going to pay with the iPods of gold.  To Beluga to him was pleasing the iPod of gold.  Hugo could pay and took the blue dress with green ducks for his girlfriend.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Interactive Reading

Today, I discovered Señora Barragán's website and blog.  She's got a lot of great ideas!

One in particular was for a resource called Inklewriter.




Isn't this exactly what we do for our stories - having a framework, and then allowing students to change the details??  Of course, I would most likely be using the feature that simply changes the nouns used throughout the story...  But, I could also change the ending!  What a great way for students to practice reading stories at home!  Adding this to my must-do list :)

Using Volunteers in Class

I'll take a break from writing stories for Pobre Ana to mention an insight I had last week while preparing/doing my interview for my new job.  One of the things I'll need to integrate into my classroom is parent volunteering.  Parents at Somerset are required to volunteer 30 hours per year...  But I have to admit, I was at a bit of a loss as to how to use them!  Without being fluent speakers nor having an understanding of TPRS methodology and how it differs from what they experienced in most (all) of their classes, it's hard to find something parents can do.

I came up with the easy ideas of decorating the classroom and making copies, but I really wanted to think of something concrete and meaningful for parents to do.  A slightly better idea was for parents to chaperone/host cultural activities like field trips or after-school experiences, such as going to a Mexican restaurant.

Then, finally, it dawned on me: Speaking!  This is the one area that I found is difficult for students to get sufficient practice in doing.  They're to embarrassed to do it with someone outside of class, I don't have the time to monitor or do formative assessments, and very few students (particularly in Spanish 1) take full advantage of the opportunities I give them to speak with one another because it's still uncomfortable for them.  However.... what if, during certain activities that students are able to pick right back up where they left off (reading!), I had a parent volunteer or two pulling students aside and simply listening to them talk for 30 seconds (or whatever the time requirement is).  I think this would have many beneficial outcomes:

  • Under the specific supervision of an adult, students are able to simulate what they will have to do for the speaking section on the final, so they won't be as unfamiliar or nervous about it when the final actually rolls around.  During my student teaching experience, many students did poorly on the speaking section because it was simply a new situation to them (even though I had asked them to practice with each other multiple times and given them opportunities to do so in class).  Upon being given a second chance and knowing what to expect - usually in the same class period - most students who did poorly improved their grade drastically. 
  • The fear of making mistakes or saying things in a funny way is minimized because the person can't understand what they're saying anyway!  It's the attitude of "At least I can speak more Spanish they can!" 
  • Even if they don't understand any of it, parents are likely able to give me a good idea of how students will perform on the final with a basic rubric: continues talking, frequent pases, talked very little, using made-up words.  I'm fairly positive that if the student sounds like they're saying something comprehensible in real Spanish to a parent, they probably are.  Parents can give them this simple feedback (graphed in their interactive notebook!) - but of course, students will have the most insights into how they are doing and whether they'll need to improve their performance before I listen to them talk.


Pobre Ana: Story 5 - A Boyfriend for Linda

Structures:
Había una chica que se llamaba Linda.  Quería un novio alto y guapo.  Pero, había un problema.  Pasaba poco tiempo con chicos.  Necesitaba pasar más tiempo con chicos para tener un novio.  Su mamá le dio a Linda cinco boletos del teatro en Broadway.  Eran para "La fantasma de la ópera."   Linda llevó los boletos a la escuela.  
There was a girl that called herself Linda.  She wanted a tall and handsome  boyfriend.  But, there was a problem.  She passed/spent a little bit of time with boys.  She needed to pass/spend more time with boys to have a boyfriend.  Her mom to her gave to Linda five tickets to the theater on Broadway.  They were for "The Phantom of the Opera." Linda took the tickets to the school.

Llevó cinco boletos a la clase de historia.  Frankie estaba en la clase.  Frankie era alto, pero no era guapo.  Linda pasaba poco tiempo con Frankie.  Le dio un boleto a Frankie. 
She took five tickets to the class of history.  Frankie was in the class.  Frankie was tall, but not handsome.  Linda passed a little bit of time with Frankie.  To him she gave a ticket to Frankie.
Llevó cuatro bolets a la case de matemáticas.  Chucky estaba en la clase.  Chucky era alto y guapo, per era un chico malo.  Linda pasaba poco tiempo con Chucky.  Le dio un boleto a Chucky.  
She took four tickets to the class of math.  Chucky was in the class.  Chucky was tall and handsome, but was a bad boy.  Linda passed a little bit of time with Chucky.  To him she gave a ticket to Chucky.
Llevó tres boletos a la clase de ciencias.  Victor estaba en la clase.  Victor era guapo, pero no era alto.  Linda pasaba poco tiempo con Victor.  Le dio un boleto.  
She took three tickets to the class of science.  Victor was in the class.  Victor was andsome, but not tall.  Linda passed a little bit of time with Victor.  To him she gave a ticket to Victor.
Llevó dos boletos a la clase de español.  Jeffrey estaba en la clase.  Jeffry era una girafa muy, muy alta y guapo.  Linda pasaba poco tiempo con Jeffry.  Le dio un boleto a Jeffrey.
She took two tickets to the class of Spanish.  Jeffrey was in the class.  Jeffry was a very, very tall and handsome giraffe.  Linda passed a little bit of time with Jeffrey.  To him she gave a ticket to Jeffrey.
Tenía uno más boleto para ella misma.
She had one more ticket for herself.

En la noche, fue a Broadway.  Llevó el boleto al teatro.  No había nadie en frente del teatro. Así, pasaba poco tiempo en la fila.  Le dio el boleto a un hombre del teatro y fue al show.  En el teatro estaba Jeffrey la girafa.  Pasó mucho tiempo con Jeffrey y eran novios.
In the night, she went to Broadway.  She took the ticket to the theater.  There wasn't anybody in front of the theater.  So, she passed a little bit of time in the line.  To him she gave the ticket to a man of the theater and wen to the show.  In the theater was Jeffrey the giraffe.  She passed much time with Jeffrey and they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

Pobre Ana: Story 4 - Chucky's Chocolate


Structures:
Story:
Había un chico malo que se llamaba Chucky.  Siempre comía chocolate.  Siempre le gritaba a su mamá: "¡Quiero chocolate!"  Siempre le gritaba a su papá: "¡Quiero chocolate!"  Siempre le gritaba a su maestra: "¡Quiero chocolate!"  Nunca comía otras cosas.
There was a bad boy that called himself Chucky.  He always ate chocolate.  He always yelled at his mom: "I want chocolate!"  He always yelled at his dad: "I want chocolate!"  He always yelled at his teacher: "I want chocolate!"  He never ate other things.

Un día, Chucky fue a su mamá y le grito: "¡Quiero chocolate!" porque siempre comía chocolate.  Pero, su mamá no tenía chocolate.  Chucky buscó el chocolate en la casa, pero no lo encontró.  Encontró un calcetín.  Nunca comía calcetines, pero tenía hambre y lo comió.  No estaba contento.
One day, Chucky went to his mom and to her yelled: "I want chocolate!" because he always ate chocolate.  But, his mom didn't have chocolate.  Chucky looked for the chocolate in the house, but didn't find it.  He found a sock.  He never ate socks, but he had hunger and ate it.  He wasn't happy.

Chucky fue a su papá y le grito: "¡Quiero chocolate!" porque siempre comía chocolate.  Pero, su papá no tenía chocolate.  Chucky buscó el chocolate en su carro, pero no lo encontró.  Encontró dinero.  Nunca comía dinero, pero tenía mucho hambre y lo comió.  No estaba contento.
Chucky went to his dad and to him yelled: "I want chocolate!" because he always ate chocolate.  But, his dad didn't have chocolate.  Chucky looked for the chocolate in his car, but didn't find it.  He found money.  He never ate money, but he had much hunger and ate it.  He wasn't happy.

Chucky fue a su maestra y le grito: "¡Quiero chocolate!" porque siempre comía chocolate.  Pero, su maestra no tenía chocolate.  Chucky buscó el chocolate en el baño, y lo encontró.  Encontró chocolate raro y largo.  Lo comió.  Nunca comía chocolate otra vez.
Chucky went to his teacher and to her yelled: "I want chocolate!" because he always ate chocolate.  But, his teacher didn't have chocolate.  Chucky looked for the chocolate in the bathroom (or trash can) and found it.  He found strange and long chocolate.  He ate it.  He never ate chocolate again.

Pobre Ana: Story 3 - Frederick's Marvelous Hat

Structures:
Story:
Había un dragón.  Se llamaba Frederick.  Quería un sombrero maravilloso.  Lo necesitaba para la fiesta de Justin Beiber.  Vio muchos sombreros maravillosos en las cabezas de personas famosas, y quería el sombrero perfecto.  Pero, había un problema.  Frederick nunca compraba nada porque no tenía dinero.
There was a dragon.  He called himself Frederick.  He wanted an marvelous hat.  He needed it for the party of Justin Beiber.  He saw many marvelous hats on the heads of famous people, and he wanted the perfect hat.  But, there was a problem.  Frederick never bought anything because he didn't have money.

Fue a Deseo Bueno.  En Deseo Bueno, vio muchos sombreros maravillosos.  Había un sombrero azul con diamantes.  Era perfecto.  Lo necesitaba para la fiesta de Justin Beiber.  El precio era $2,000, pero había un problema.  Frederick nunca compraba nada porque no tenía dinero.  Había otro problema.  Frederick vio a la policía en frente de Deseo Bueno.  Así que, no lo tomó.
He went to Goodwill.  In Goodwill, he saw many marvelous hats.  There was a blue hat with diamonds.  It was perfect.  He needed it for the party of Justin Beiber.  The price was $2,000, but there was a problem.  Frederick never bought anything because he didn't have money.  There was another problem.  Frederick saw the police in front of Goodwill.  So, he didn't take it.

Fue a Walmart.  En Walmart, vio muchos sombreros maravillosos.  Quería el sombrero rojo con gatos.  Era perfecto.  Lo necesitaba para la fiesta de Justin Beiber.  El precio era $42, pero había un problema.  Frederick nunca compraba nada porque no tenía dinero.  Pero, Frederick no vio a la policía en frente de Walmart.  Así que, lo tomó.
He went to Walmart.  In Walmart, he saw many marvelous hats.  He wanted the red hat with cats.  It was perfect.  He needed it for the party of Justin Beiber.  The price was $42, but there was a problem.  Frederick never bought anything because he didn't have money.  But, Frederick didn't see the police in front of Walmart.  So, he took it.

Pobre Ana: Story 2 - Tiny the Elephant

Structures:
  • New structures:
    • vivía en ______, pero estaba en ______
    • estaba (feeling)
    • tenía ______
  • Recent structures:
PQA:

Story:
Había un elefante.  El elefante se llamaba Tiny.  Tiny era un elefante muy, muy grande.  Vivía en Hollywood, CA.  Estaba en la playa y estaba triste.  Había un problema.  Tenía dos bikinis azules, pero quería un mini bikini rosado.  No tenía un mini bikini rosado.  Era un problema grande.
There was an elephant.  The elephant called himself Tiny.  Tiny was a very, very big elephant.  He lived in Hollywood, CA.  He was on the beach and he was sad.  There was a problem.  He had two blue bikinis, but he wanted a pink mini-bikini.  He didn't have a pink mini-bikini.  It was a big problem.

Así que, Tiny fue a Alaska.  En Alaska, había un gato.  El gato se llamaba Whiskers y era un gato pequeño.  Whiskers vivía en Alaska, pero Tiny no vivía en Alaska.  Vivía en California, pero estaba en Alaska.  Estaba triste.  Whiskers no tenía un mini bikini rosado porque no había bikinis en Alaska.  Tiny quería un mini bikini rosado.  Había un problema.
So, Tiny went to Alaska.  In Alaska, there was a cat.  The cat called himself Whiskers and was a little cat.  Whiskers lived in Alaska, but Tiny didn't live in Alaska.  He lived in California, but he was in Alaska.  He was sad.  Whiskers didn't have a pink mini-bikini because there weren't bikinis in Alaska.  Tiny wanted a pink mini-bikini.  There was a problem.

Así que, fue a Florida.  En Florida, había un perro que se llamaba Clifford.  Clifford era un perro grande y rojo.  Clifford vivía en Florida, pero Tiny no vivía en Florida.  Vivía en Californa, pero estaba en Florida.  Estaba triste.   Clifford tenía bikinis, pero no tenía mini bikinis rosados.  Tenía mini bikinis negros.  Tiny quería un mini bikini rosado.  Había un problema.
So, he went to California.  In California, there was a dog that calls himself Clifford.  Clifford was a big, red dog.  Clifford lived in Florida, but Tiny didn't live in Florida.  He lived in California, but was in Florida.  He was sad.  Clifford had bikinis, but he didn't have pink mini-bikinis.  He had black mini-bikinis.  Tiny wanted a pink mini-bikini.  There was a problem.

Así que, fue a Hawaii.  En Hawaii, había una chica que se llamaba Suzie.  Suzie era baja, pero muy bonita.  Suzie vivía en Hawaii, pero Tiny no vivía en Hawaii.  Vivía en California, pero estaba en Hawaii.  Estaba contento.  Suzie tenía muchos mini bikinis.  Tenía mini bikinis negros, azules, rojos, y rosados.  Tiny quería un mini bikini rosado.  No había un problema.
So, he went to Hawaii.  In Hawaii, there was a girl that called herself Suzie.  Suzie was short, but very pretty.  Suzie lived in Hawaii, but Tiny didn't live in Hawaii.  He lived in California, but he was in Hawaii.  He was happy.  She had many mini-bikinis.  She had black, blue, red, and pink mini-bikinis.  Tiny wanted a pink mini-bikini.  There was not a problem.