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The Two Week Model

4/21/2014

16 Comments

 
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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.



16 Comments
Julie A link
4/22/2014 05:29:05 am

I am impressed by how well thought out your model is. I imagine you're seeing great student success with it. I'm also interested in the wonderful resources you've created. It would be fun to see those activities come to life in future blog posts! So excited to have found your new blog!
Julie

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Holly link
4/24/2014 10:27:30 am

Thanks Julie! The model is always a work in progress, but it helps me keep myself in check and make sure I am addressing all skill areas. I used to spend so much time teaching grammar at the expense of all these other wonderful things because that is what the textbook reallu pushed. Now that I have let go of that, I am getting way better results.

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Nicole
6/15/2014 11:51:33 pm

Do you have a sample of a two week lesson plan? I am very intrigued and would like to give it a try, but would like a more concrete example. Right now, I use interactive notebooks.

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Erin link
7/2/2014 03:06:55 am

I love this idea! I've been feeling inspired (during summer nonetheless) while reading this. I've been looking for way to set up a "format" for my students. My only problem is, I teach in the block schedule.
> How would you recommend using this format for the block schedule? Just include 2 days of lessons into it?

>What do your formative assessments look like? How do you perform the speaking exams?

>Obviously, with your blog title, you're not following a text book? For those of us who teach middle school, and need to make sure the students know specific vocabulary for placement exams, what do you recommend?

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Throw Away Your Textbook! link
7/2/2014 06:11:59 am

Erin,

Are you on a full block schedule? How long are your class periods? Do you have the same students the entire year in the same course or are they in Spanish I first semester and Spanish II second semester (for example)? I am going to do a follow up blog post and want to make sure that my response is applicable to your situation! Thanks!

Reply
Erin
7/2/2014 07:05:50 am

Hola,

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Our block schedule is 63 minutes, with an "a/b" format. So I may see "a" day kids 3 times a week, & only see "b" day kids 2 times a week. I hope this makes sense.

I teach Spanish 1 split into 2 years. Intro. The first year, and advanced the second year, so basically with the block scheduling it comes out to by a students end of advanced, they have completed Spanish

Reply
Throw Away Your Textbook! link
7/2/2014 08:40:47 am

So, just to make sure that I understand this right, you will see each group of students for a total of 5 - 63 minute classes in a two week period?

Erin
7/2/2014 07:10:47 am

I do have the same student the entire year. Thanks again, I love your blog and helpful information.

Reply
Steve
10/2/2016 06:03:22 am

Have you done the follow up to this blog?

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Holly of Throw Away Your Textbook
10/2/2016 06:27:25 am

What would you like to see in a follow up piece? I am always looking for ideas of what all of you would like to hear more about.

Erin
7/3/2014 01:36:36 am

Yes, exactly. Sorry, it's hard explaining the different block schedule templates sometimes.

Reply
Cherin link
7/8/2014 10:35:15 pm

I'd love to see your sample lessons as well. I teach 5 days a week, 40 minute periods, same kids all year. I'm just very curious to see how something like this works for you. Like Nicole, I also started using interactive notebooks (and have had great success with them, but I'm always looking to improve).

Reply
Eiddel
9/16/2014 08:19:17 pm

http://eathealthyplayhard.com/kids-cooking-activities-junior-chef-curriculum-free-online/#comment-518

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Steve
11/16/2014 07:38:58 am

How do you assess speaking and listening?

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Throw Away Your Textbook link
11/16/2014 08:37:43 am

I formally assess Speaking one of two ways; I either assess each student individually as I converse with them and ask questions. In this case, I would utilize a rubric (usually the ACTFL rubric for presentational speaking). I also assess speaking in a group scenario. Here is a link to a blog entry where I discuss this is more detail.

http://www.throwawayyourtextbook.com/blog/speaking-rocks

For listening assessments, I typically find an authentic video. From the video, I develop comprehension, true/false, or checklist questions.

If you check out the preview for this product, you can see some other ideas;

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spanish-Proficiency-or-Placement-Test-Novice-Mid-1357148

I hope this helps!

Reply
MRW link
10/26/2016 07:21:11 am

I like this a lot! Thank you for sharing. Do you have suggestions for a class that meets for 30-45 minutes, 3 days one week, and 2 days the next? It seems that it's taking FOREVER to roll out the new vocabulary. It's a grade six class, which meets all year. Additionally, I am interested in seeing a post on adapting this schema for a block schedule: class meets three days one week, two days the next, for 80 minutes, for the entire year. Thank you!!!

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     I have been teaching Spanish for the past 15 years in a large Suburban School District.

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