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One strategy used was to bring exercises for fast finishers. They worked pretty well, because when students have nothing to do they get really bored.

Another strategy that I used was to shorten the activity that was not very successful: the food diary.

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The closure was a domino game. They got to play in groups of four or five. Some students got really engaged, but others preferred to work on the fast finishers photocopiable activity.

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Then, they had to write about the food they had eaten the day before, so I had to teach periods of the day and the main meals. It took me a long time and I had to use L1.
The, they had to draw one of the meals (lunch or dinner). The first part of the activity was not very successful. I had to go around demonstrating it with my example, but the level of engagement was not good. The drawing part was a lot better.

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The warm up was a simple hangman where we got to review the alphabet and vocabulary from the previous lesson (food, drinks, healthy, unhealthy). This activity got them active.

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I think students reacted pretty well to the activities. They have showed interest and were willing to participate, putting their hands on. In fact, they behave a lot better than the first lesson.

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The activity finished with their production. They had to write about them: name, age, nationality, and food preferences.

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Students completing the worksheet. I had to go around helping them with the text about the Mexican boy.

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Students completing the worksheet. I had to go around helping them with the text about the Mexican boy.

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The main activity involved food from different countries. I showed them pictures of traditional food from different countries and they had to tell me what country was the food from. I helped them to say the countries in English. Then, they a few students came to the board to show the exact location of the countries on the world map.
Then, I gave them a worksheet where they had to match countries and nationalities, read and complete a short text with information about a Mexican boy.

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We talked about their feelings (happy, sad, angry and sleepy) and about the foods and tastes from last class.
The warm up was a speaking activity where they had to interview three classmates about likes and dislikes. I scaffolded the activity first by demonstrating with a student and by writing the question form: Do you like... on the board.
Their level of participation was great, but I had to walk around to make sure they were using English and not L1.

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Taking the lead...(second lesson 7º 18º - October 30th

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Taking the lead...(second lesson 7º 18º - October 30th

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This was my last experience at the school. To be honest, I was pretty tired, because it was my second class of the day. My feet were really sore and my baby bump really heavy.

Students hadn't had their group teacher for two weeks, she had just returned. They were really agitated and it was very hard to get them to focus on the activities.

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Taking the lead...(second lesson 7º 19º - October 30th)

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Taking the lead...(second lesson 7º 19º - October 30th)

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My second and last lesson with 7º 19º went a lot smoother than the previous one. The class officially started at 9:45, as they first have to form with the other grades in the main hall.

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I didn't take many pictures this day. Here, students are looking for help.

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My role was to help them complete the activity and I've tried my best to mime and draw instead for translating it. It was worthy, some students were happy!

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She gave them an activity similar to the one she had given the other 7th graders: a fruit and vegetable riddles. They had a few problems understanding the riddles.

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An important moment for me was when one of the girls said she had never had a class in English before. I asked her if she could participate and understand and she said YES! She was one of the three girls who kept saying at the beginning of the lesson that they were not understanding a word...

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Discipline was not a big issue. When they got distracted, I would call them by their names, and I also used the coloured faces strategy, which worked pretty well.

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I felt this group was much more engaged in the activities than the other.I There were a few students from the other 7th grade, though. (As I've mention before, they are kind of mixed).

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The closure activity was a game. It was actually their snack time (which is slightly before the break), but they got really engaged. Some of them were playing, others were playing while eating and the ones who were just eating, gathered around the players to watch.

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Later, it was time for them to create a memo game. I had to adapt the activity according to the time we had. I had seven sets of fruits printed in colour (they were originally to be black and white, but the tutor suggested that I had them in colour to save time). I distributed them in groups of four and they had a few blank cards to write the names of the fruits. They had the opportunity to look at my set (which was ready) to remember all the names.

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The first activity involved classifying healthy and unhealthy foods and drinks (the ones on the flashcards) and learning about the eatwell plate and its divisions. After discussing a bit about it, students worked with a photocopiable activity where they had to classify what a familiy was eating. I went over to their desks to explain and show examples and they did a great job. We checked the activity on the board with the whole group.

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The topic was the same: foods and drinks. However, the activities were based on healthy and unhealthy choices and the eatwell plate.
In the warm up activity, I used the same flashcards I showed the other 7th graders. After they got familiar with the vocabulary, we played I game where they had to draw foods and drinks that were inside my fridge. I would tell them the word and they would have to remember them and draw the corresponding picture.

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Getting involved...(assistantship 7º 18º October 16th)

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Getting involved...(assistantship 7º 18º October 16th)

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The students were relaxed and participated in the activity Agustina brought them.

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Taking the lead...(first lesson 7º 18º - October 23rd)

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Taking the lead...(first lesson 7º 18º - October 23rd)

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I was exited for my first lesson with the other 7th grade. They are known to be a bit more calm than students from 7º 19º. And this class went way smoother than the one from last week with 7º 18º.
The timing was good - I had time to develop the two activities I had planned, plus the warm up and the closure.
I even had time to take some pictures and to ask Agustina to follow me with the camera.

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An important moment for me was when some students started to say a few words and sentences in English without me asking them. One of them, Alexis, looked at me and out of the blue said: My name's Alexis.

Another important moment was after the class, when I had time to sit down and think about the lesson. I'm a perfectionist, so I always get frustrated. However,  teaching is full of surprises, ups and downs, and it's totally ok that things can get a bit out of planned. I'm sure I can improve, but I'm satisfied I did my best and that's because I really enjoy my job.

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The other point that needs improvement is related to discipline. It's hard to keep them calm! It takes a whole chunk of the class just to make them pay attention. I'll try to apply the stickers strategy.

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The food taste was interesting because they wanted to participate. However, it was a bit messy because they were all standing around the food table and some of them didn't get the chance to see what was happening. I have to change my strategy with I want to do a practical activity in other lessons. Probably have them sit down and go around the classroom or arrange them in small groups.

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I think students liked the class overall. It's a big group, so some of them didn't participate that much. Although the majority of the students participated, they were kind of loud. I had planned to use blue, green, yellow, and red stickers faces to try to calm them down, but I honestly forgot it.
One strategy that I think it worked was to call the attention of a particular student who was not paying attention by asking a question.

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A bingo related to the topic closed the class.

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I had planned two activities, but had time to put into practice one. The activity was about tastes. They had to try different foods and drinks and say its name and the taste: sweet, sour, bitter, salty. (the concepts were taught before the taste activity). They got really engaged. Next, they worked on a worksheet were they had to match pictures and names of foods and drinks and classify them according to their taste.

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The warm up took me longer than expected, as I had to revise vocabulary from previous classes. The strategy I used was showing them flashcards with the picture and ask: What is it? I modeled the answer: It's an apple. Some of them followed me, but the majority just said the name. I also showed them the name of the food/drink to drill the pronunciation. After that, students played a game. I would say I like...(one food or drink) and they had to come to the board and touch the corresponding picture.

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Taking the lead...(first lesson 7º 19º -  October 16th)

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Taking the lead...(first lesson 7º 19º -  October 16th)

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It was cold and rainy. I got to school a few minutes before 8:30 to get all the material ready for the class. The thematic unit was "Foods and Drinks".
I was well received by the students and, as I was expecting, it took 10 to 15 minutes for them to arrive and calm down.
They were 24.
In the routine, we talked about the date and the feelings, and they started to express happy, sad, angry, and sleepy in English.

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One particular moment that was important during the assistantship:
Two boys: Steven and Ezequiel were disturbing the class while Agustina was explaining the activities and when it was time for them to start working, they were chatting. I went over their desks and started asking a few questions in English, such as "What's your name?" and they asked with they needed help.
They clearly did, so I tried to explain both activities using mimes and drawing and they got engaged

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My role was to assist students while they were copying and doing the exercise. I didn't have any aid to help them make connections, so in order not to translate everything I tried to draw and mime some words they were not familiar with.

One thing I realized was that, except for one girl, Maria, who is an outstanding student, children had no clue what they were copying.

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Students had to classify the vocabulary into healthy food, party food, fruits, and drinks.

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During this class, Agustina gave them two activities:
- an exercise on the board (the same she had started on September 18th);
- a worksheet to match foods and drinks with their corresponding picture and classifying them.

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Getting involved...(assistantship October 2nd - 7º 19º) 

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Getting involved...(assistantship October 2nd - 7º 19º) 

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The routine was the same as the classes I've observed >>> time for children to accommodate, date on the board, recall the topic they were working on, and worksheet with vocabulary.

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This was my last observation. The observations (two with each group) are going to help me prepare different activities that focus on the other abilities and foster other types of intelligences. It's important to keep them interested, so preparing more than one or two activities is essential. This will also help me with discipline issues.

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Some students engaged in the activity and wanted Agustina to correct their worksheet. Others were chatting and disturbing their classmates.

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English class lasted 40 minutes and Agustina gave them another photocopy related to foods and drinks. This time, instead of just matching words and pictures, they also had to classify foods and drinks into healthy, party, drinks, and fruits.
She used L1 to explain the activity and the meaning of some words.

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As students were pretty unsettled, I chose this quotation to represent the class:

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What I found useful of this lesson was to observe the differences on students' interests. A few minutes before the end of the class, while some boys were drawing on the board, and were moving around, there where two very quite boys folding paper to make airplanes and other objects. As for the girls, they were mainly chatting and some were brushing themselves and looking at a small mirror.
Observing them in this way will help me plan my own lessons and the kind of activities I will bring to them.

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Observing...(second observation October 2nd - 7º 18º)

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Observing...(second observation October 2nd - 7º 18º)

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The class was shorter because there was a "jornada" with parents and students to discuss gender violence. Children from both 7th grades and a few mothers worked together over pictures of families and famous quotations related to women. The participation was good, with girls participating more than boys

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Students get distracted, but overall ask questions and come to the front for corrections, as Agustina doesn't go around the classroom. She corrects activity 1 with the group and takes activity 2 home for correction.
There is one very loud boy, Leonardo, and when I ask about him, Agustina tells me his father was murdered during winter break and since then he's misbehaving, he even stands up on his desk.
Ten minutes before their break, they stand up and start to move around, just like the other 7th graders.

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Observing...(first observation September 18th - 7º 18º)

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Observing...(first observation September 18th - 7º 18º)

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Students come back from break time at 10:15 and the group teacher  handles the class to Agustina. There are 21 students.
She introduces me and introduces the new topic using L1, using a few words is English: fruits, vegetables, numbers.
The group chats for a few minutes and then sit down.
The activities given to 7º 18º are the fruits and vegetables worksheet (the same as Agustina gave 7º 19º on September 4th) and the foods and drinks word search.

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During the whole class, she gives then two activities: a word search worksheet and a match the word to its description which they have to copy from the board. Students don't have problems in finding the words, but they need help connecting them to the pictures. Agustina uses L1 to help them. She takes their worksheet home for correction.

As for activity two, students don't finish it. Ten minutes before the break, they stand up and start moving through the classroom: they run around, draw on the board, and play with a ball.

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Agustina starts the class by asking the date. She helps students in the task and then writes the date on the board. The kids are restless, talking with each other and walking around the classroom. The group teacher enters the classroom to collect some money while Agustina is there. Some students are paying attention to Agustina, who is asking them to hand in their homework, others are taking to Cristina, the group teacher.
Cristina leaves and Agustina recalls the topic they were working with: foods and drinks.

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Observing...(second observation September 18th - 7º 19º)

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Observing...(second observation September 18th - 7º 19º)

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Students got to the classroom a few minutes after 8:30, as there was a presentation in the SUM. There were 18 and 4 absences.

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Overall, the class was a bit chaotic, as students were not previously informed of what was going to happen and how. She also left some details (such as cutting the copies) to do in the classroom, so the kids got a little distracted.
However, she managed to integrate 6th and 7th graders in pairs in Activity 1. Furthermore, students seemed to really enjoy Activity 2. I noticed that they spent a lot of energy and were very quiet and focused when they got back to the classroom to work with the fruits and vegetables photocopies. I think this was an important moment for students.

As for me, an important moment was when two girls came to talk to me in Spanish and I answered them in English. They managed to understand and soon, other students came to ask for help with the photocopy. I didn't speak any Spanish with them and it all went smoothly.

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Back in the classroom, students work with a photocopy containing names of fruits and vegetables with a number and their pictures, so they have to match numbers and pictures.
Agustina comes back a few minutes before the break to check answers with the children.

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It was a special day, as the school had opened its doors to "Semana Nacional de la Ciencia ya la Tecnología". As all the 7th graders were participating in the event, Agustina had just one hour and a half to work with both groups. I go back to the classroom with the students and Cristina, the grade teacher, and Agustina stays in the patio to "play" with the 6th graders and the 7th graders from the other group.

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A memory game about jobs. It was a backup activity and there was no time for it.

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A chair game. The teacher displays a poster with three actions and three colors. When she says the corresponding colors, students have to perform the action (stand up, sit down, switch chairs).

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Students have to write the corresponding name without looking at the poster.

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A poster containing pictures and names of animals and fruits. Students have to look at it for two minutes and then, in pairs, write down the corresponding names in a photocopy the teacher gives to them.

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As 6th graders don't have any English knowledge, Agustina prepares three simple games related to what her students are working on.

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Agustina starts the class by introducing me to the group.
She then takes assistance and, mixing English and Spanish, recalls the subject they were working on the previous class: wild animals.
Next, she explains in Spanish that they are going to the patio to participate in an integration activity with 6th graders. Students get a little agitated as they were not previously informed about it.
They then get their chairs and pencils and head to the patio.

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I have taken a few hours to read the "Proyecto Educativo Institucional" which gave me precious insight about the school and its community.
You can find out more about the PEI here:  https://prezi.com/view/4FH9qpQ2eoElmj72KEhj/

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Observing....(first observation September 4th - 7º 19º)

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Observing....(first observation September 4th - 7º 19º)

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It was chilling out, however I was very welcomed by the principal, vice principals, and the
English teacher.
It was 8:30 am when I entered the classroom. Students were still arriving and making a lot of noise.
I felt calm, though, maybe because I'm used to the rhythm of public schools.

It was a special day, with lots of different activities in the school.

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The English teacher is Agustina.
It's their first year of English and they have one hour and a half every Tuesday.
The students are seated in pairs.
The front wall has two blackboards where teachers write and one student marks the attendance every morning.
There are students' work and decoration hanging on the other walls.
There is plenty of light, as the two classrooms have big windows facing the street.

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As part of a multidisciplinary project, students were invited to watch the movie "Coco". Then, they worked with physical and psychological descriptions in the English classes.

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There are two 7th grades with 24 students each (7º 18º and 7º 19º). The teachers are Cristina Duran and Natalia Reggio.
The children are between 11 and 13 years old.
The students rotate between one group and the other, so my practicum involves both groups.
There are three children with special needs and the "seños" adapt the activities to their needs.
You can find more about the groups at: https://prezi.com/view/4FH9qpQ2eoElmj72KEhj/

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A wall painting welcomes the school community 

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A wall painting welcomes the school community 

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The school - Escuela154 Jerónimo Rezzoagli

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The school - Escuela154 Jerónimo Rezzoagli

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Escuela 154 is an elementary public school located in Frutillar, a low-income neighborhood in San Carlos de Bariloche.
The building has 15 classrooms, a science lab, a computer lab, a library, a kitchen, a copy room, two indoor patios and a sports hall, which is used as a multi-use room. It also has a place designed for the teachers: work offices, teachers room, two bathrooms, and a small kitchen. You can find more about the school at: https://prezi.com/view/4FH9qpQ2eoElmj72KEhj/

Students and grades
408 students are attending the school this year.
There are nine groups from 1st to 6th grades in the morning and eight in the afternoon.
There are two 7th grade groups which are in the school full time, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Thursday and from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm on Fridays.