I just had a very good class with the 9-younger kids. Yesterday I’d played the Silent E song from the Long Vowel Word Families DVD. I decided to make flash cards with these words and review/continue with them.

The words are:

rob/robe

cub/cube

fin/fine

cap/cape

pet/Pete

cut/cute

tot/tote

man/mane

not/note

rip/ripe

kit/kite

dim/dime

her/here

man/mane

First, I held up each one one-at-a-time to see which ones they knew/remembered. I then modeled and drilled the ones they didn’t know. When it was a new word for them, I elicited the meaning either by miming, drawing on the WB, or using the surrounding posters (such as the giraffe and horse for mane). Also, I happened to have an art kit, which was a perfect example for the word “kit.”

I then went around the room holding the flashcards face down (spread out like a deck of cards). Each student chose one and then said the word. Several of the Ss were able to correct the others, and when no one remembered it, I modeled and drilled it.

Then I played a “game” with them. I arranged them in a line. “Form a line.” I figured it’s time they learn that expression/sentence. “Form a line.” With 9-students it’s so much easier (than with 32)! I then turned over all the flashcards. Each student selected a card. If they said the word correctly, they were able to pass through to the other side. If not, they sat down. Each student tried again until they got one right. Then we all cheered that everyone had gotten “passed through to the other side.”

I then did a quick review of all the words, holding the cards up and not saying anything (unless they couldn’t remember the correct pronunciation). I then divided the cards into 3 and had 3 groups of 3 Ss. They then said the words on their own and corrected each other (or asked for the pronunciation of a couple of the words when they weren’t sure). There was enough time to make one change of the cards between the different groups.

I then did one final review of all the words, holding one card up at a time.

Lastly, I had written on the board a few of the words written using the phonemic symbols. I simply pointed them out to the Ss at the end. Perhaps that was a silly thing to do since I hadn’t built up to it. But it felt like a simple way to introduce them to a few phonemic symbols using words that they’d just been pronouncing. I wrote them for Pete, pet and cut, cute.

At the beginning of the class, I gave them each a half sheet of paper for making their own name cards. At the very end of class, I took their pictures with their name cards (on the back of which I wrote the phonetic spelling of their names). Then ST1 showed me the list of the other Ss and that she and ST2 have divided them into two groups. Both groups will learn Gogo Loves English 1, but one group is comprised of the slower learners (17), and the other group is comprised of faster learners (22, I think).

“Are the Ss I’ve just been working with in this group?”

“No,” she replied. “They go to Gogo Loves English 2.”

Well, I took their pictures just in time. I do want to learn their names; I see many of these Ss around the school at various times. Several are in the dance troupe (which I watched rehearse last night).

It hasn’t been decided yet whether ST1 or ST2 will be paired with the faster or slower learners. Either way, I think it’ll be a fascinating challenge to be their teacher for a specific book. They’re not the only ones who will be learning!

And when will these new classes begin? Either tomorrow (Wednesday) or the next day. It depends on when the director gets a chance to type up and then post the list. (I noticed that my other class lists are posted by the Ss dining area.)

And now it’s time to get ready for my next class . . .

aloha,

sj

p.s. I was just told that the classes can meet starting tomorrow, but I won’t get the “official” teaching materials until Monday (or maybe sooner). It’s up to me to decide which student teacher is paired with each class . . . giving this some thought . . . :~)