The Two Week Model

For a long time I struggled with creating a structure for my instruction that could be flexible and interesting, yet predictable at the same time.  For the past several years I have utilized what I call the "two week model" and although I still have to tweak it now and again, I have been very happy with the success of my students within this model.

I created my own planner, an ACTUAL planner, to use for teaching in this format. 

Have a look at it here:

Foreign Language Teacher Planner:  Two Week Model

WEEK 1:  Recognition (Input)
The goal of the first week of instruction on a particular topic or unit is to have students recognize specific facets of the language when they see or hear them.  This means a focus on reading and listening with the teacher doing the reading and speaking in the target language.  My belief is that the classroom should mirror real life acquisition of language, and in real life, people recognize words before they are able to use or produce those words themselves.

Day 1:  Introduction of New Material

• Vocabulary is introduced by means of pictures or gestures to avoid the use of English
• Grammar concepts are introduced by example sentences within a context and students are asked to draw conclusions and use inductive reasoning to discover emerging patterns.

Day 2:  Reading

• Students engage in a variety of vocabulary rich reading activities that allow them to repeatedly review the meanings of words as they search for meaning.

Day 3:  Culture Day

• Students read or listen to a presentation on a cultural topic related to the vocabulary they are studying (i.e. if we are learning animals, they may learn about the Amazon Rainforest or take a virtual trip to the Mexico City Zoo).

Here are some examples of cultural presentations and activities I have created for my students:

Che Guevara Webquest
Cinco de Mayo:  What Would Benito Juarez Do?
El Hotel Internet Activity
Parque de Diversiones Internet Activity
Virtual Airport Internet Activity

Day 4:  Game Day

• Students play with the language through a series of games or challenges

Here are some examples of games and challenge activities I have created for my classroom:

Monster (Body Parts) Activity
Prepositional Phrase Seating Chart Activity
Vocabusorts
Loco Libs
Spanishgories Game Card

Day 5:  Show What You Know!

• Also known as "quiz day", students show what they have learned and the skills they have developed over the course of the week. 
• Just as the week focused on recognition of vocabulary and grammatical concepts, the assessment should also focus on recognition, rather than production, of the material. 
• These assessments do not require students to write in Spanish at all, but rather to be able to determine what is correct when they see it.

WEEK 2:  Production (Output)

Day 6:  Writing

• Students complete a guided or group writing activity
• Vocabulary is reviewed by showing students pictures and they must produce/pronounce the word associated with each picture as learned the week before

Day 7:  Speaking

• Students are not permitted to speak any English as they engage in activities where they must create stories aloud that revolve around a teacher provided visual. 
• The teacher acts only to clarify meanings and prompt with questions in the target language

Day 8:  Song Day

• Students listen to a popular song and apply grammatical concepts to the lyrics

Here are some song activities I have created for use in my classroom:

Song Activities & Kits

Day 9:  Game Day

• Students play with the language through a series of games or challenge activities

Day 10:  Show What You Can Do!

• Students show of their communication skills through a formal assessment of their speaking, writing, or both.
  
  
  

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