ESL Support Class Observation
Ms. Cantu has an ESL support class of 8 students sitting on a carpet in front of the smart board. It is a big room full of resourses and she uses the smart board for the class. I can easily read the maing goal of today's class. (Students will use topic-specific vocabulary to describe the weather in the jungle). She begins her class with a previous lesson review (brainstorming). Students pay attention and the teacher expalins the importance of rain. She mention that rain gives plants and animals water to live. Plants can not grow without water. After this, students get in pairs (A and B partners) tell one sentence each one and rotate. Next, students get the writting spots and they have to write 1-3 sentence (s) on a strip of paper following a pattern like: It's wet in the jungle. It's rainy in the jungle. Students write their names and today date independently. Finally, each student comes to the front to read his or her sentence aloud. The teacher motivate them through nice comments. Students look relax and they are not afraid to make mistakes. Students turn paper and line up in front of the door.
There are some facts that really call my attention. For example, it was a 30 minute class. They are just 8 students. They write sentences using a key vocabulary. I clearly see the use of four language skills: listening, speaking, writing and reading so it was an integrated class.
Excellent description. Now, can you reflect upon the experience?
ReplyDeleteI think this was a great and ideal ESL class developed in the best setting ever imagined. There are better conditions at this school comparing with mine in Panama.(classroom size, technology, time lenght, surround by native speakers, etc). I also noticed, there are not, at Monitor Elementary school, starving children, who have to walk serveral hours through a dangerous path without shoes to attent to and ESL Classes where there are 35 or more students in order to learn Spanish and English, reading and writing, and other things that they not pay close attention because they are thinking in a plate with some food. It seems to me that there is a quiet difference between ESL class in Monitor Elementary School and CEBG Finca 4.
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