chinchilla: A small animal that lives in the mountains. It can jump very high and it can't get too hot or else it will die. Besides it being a fun word to say, it wasn't very interesting. I didn't bring any pictures or stories. Nothing for them to wrap their heads around.
guess what: This was a bitter/sweet idea. They have a tendency to preface every single one of their stories with "Teacher John, I tell you." It has taken me this long to try to fix the problem, because there isn't really an English equivalent to that unless you use "guess what." So now at every second of the day I have a bunch of kids screaming, "Teacher John, guess what!"
June 26, 2009
June 25, 2009
puma/ stay put
puma: a very big cat, almost like a lion or a tiger. They live in North and South America and are very strong and fast. Naturally the kids are very scared. This animal was inspired by my co-teacher, who I'm convinced only buys Puma apparel. Of course the kids recognize the word "puma" right away and now my co-teacher is a puma.
stay put: Don't move. Not gonna lie, I like how many of my phrases are useful in terms of controlling the class (so much so that I've gone back and added labels to them). I say "stay put" and they freeze in whatever position they are in. This is really fun for them when they first learn it and you tell them to go crazy for 3 seconds before they have to stay put.
stay put: Don't move. Not gonna lie, I like how many of my phrases are useful in terms of controlling the class (so much so that I've gone back and added labels to them). I say "stay put" and they freeze in whatever position they are in. This is really fun for them when they first learn it and you tell them to go crazy for 3 seconds before they have to stay put.
June 24, 2009
praying mantis/ bad apple
praying mantis: a bug that looks like the spawn of a leaf and a grasshopper. It looks like it is always praying. TPR goes great with praying mantis (and meerkat) since the kids love to pretend to be animals.
bad apple: The worst one of a bunch. Nobody wants to eat a bad apple, so when they kids are being bad I ask "Who is being the bad apple?" and they all usually point to the same kid. It's a great way to isolate bad behavior because the kids hate to be singled out and embarrassed. I'm thinking it's a good idea to make a "bad apple" spot on my white board and whichever kid's name is written up there gets some kind of punishment.
bad apple: The worst one of a bunch. Nobody wants to eat a bad apple, so when they kids are being bad I ask "Who is being the bad apple?" and they all usually point to the same kid. It's a great way to isolate bad behavior because the kids hate to be singled out and embarrassed. I'm thinking it's a good idea to make a "bad apple" spot on my white board and whichever kid's name is written up there gets some kind of punishment.
June 23, 2009
meerkat/ make up your mind
meerkat: A cat/dog-like animal that lives in Africa. It crawls, but when it wants to look around it stands up like a person. Pictures are a must.
make up your mind: Mind= brain. When someone can't decide something you tell them to "make up your mind." This is good for when I call on kids (that actually raise their hands) and I get the "deer in headlights" look. You raised your hand to answer the question... stop staring at me and make up your mind!
make up your mind: Mind= brain. When someone can't decide something you tell them to "make up your mind." This is good for when I call on kids (that actually raise their hands) and I get the "deer in headlights" look. You raised your hand to answer the question... stop staring at me and make up your mind!
June 22, 2009
gecko/ in a hurry
gecko: a kind of lizard that has very sticky feet. They are very small and can walk on walls. They also chirp. Apparently they have them in Taiwan. Pictures got the "oohs" and "ahhs."
in a hurry: When you need to go somewhere very quickly you are in a hurry. They know what "hurry up" means, so this wasn't that hard to explain. Another phrase that will have its moments to use, but probably not everyday. Oh well.
in a hurry: When you need to go somewhere very quickly you are in a hurry. They know what "hurry up" means, so this wasn't that hard to explain. Another phrase that will have its moments to use, but probably not everyday. Oh well.
June 19, 2009
opposite/ no big deal
opposite: Something that is not the same. It's very difficult to define it without using examples. I started with "The opposite of hot is cold. The opposite of big is small. What is the opposite of good?" They get it.
no big deal: When something happens that you don't care about. I used the example of accidentally bumping into someone. They aren't hurt so it's "no big deal." This wasn't a very successful POD. I don't think they understand the concept behind not caring about something. A small bump is reported to Teacher every time.
no big deal: When something happens that you don't care about. I used the example of accidentally bumping into someone. They aren't hurt so it's "no big deal." This wasn't a very successful POD. I don't think they understand the concept behind not caring about something. A small bump is reported to Teacher every time.
June 18, 2009
confused/ ants in your pants
confused: When you don't know something you are confused. A very broad definition, yes, but giving examples helps to narrow it down. If I say a word in English you don't know, you are confused. Facial expressions help, and I think that a confused look is pretty much universal.
ants in your pants: Can't sit still, not paying attention. Put invisible ants in everyone's pants and see what happens. This worked particularly well because today my class was very jittery, and also we have been doing a lot of phonics work with the short /a/ sound (bat, sat, jam...).
ants in your pants: Can't sit still, not paying attention. Put invisible ants in everyone's pants and see what happens. This worked particularly well because today my class was very jittery, and also we have been doing a lot of phonics work with the short /a/ sound (bat, sat, jam...).
June 17, 2009
patient/ hear a pin drop
patient: A person (not the kind the doctor sees) who can wait is very patient. Pushing and yelling "hurry up" is not patient. It is good to be patient. Another word that was not an immediate success, but I will use maybe once or twice a day, now that I can.
hear a pin drop: VERY quiet. Obviously a demonstration was in order, and now, much to mine and my co-teacher's amusement, I raise a pin in the air and am met with complete silence. In addition to it earning a spot in my discipline tool belt, the children are very entertained by the phrase.
**An idea for next week: introduce a new animal everyday for the WOD, unless I can keep coming up with practical words.
hear a pin drop: VERY quiet. Obviously a demonstration was in order, and now, much to mine and my co-teacher's amusement, I raise a pin in the air and am met with complete silence. In addition to it earning a spot in my discipline tool belt, the children are very entertained by the phrase.
**An idea for next week: introduce a new animal everyday for the WOD, unless I can keep coming up with practical words.
June 15, 2009
action/ not quite
action: something you can do. Well, not just you; flying is an action. This is a small turn towards the direction of introducing/recognizing verbs and their function. It is slowly clicking that you can't "postcards" but you can "write postcards." I had everyone go around the room and name one action. Next stop: demonstrative pronouns.
not quite: almost there, but not all the way. I drew a glass of water almost full, "Is it full?", "Not quite." This is also the most polite way to tell anyone "No," i.e. when trying to define the word busy: "It's when you are busy." "Ehh, not quite." (not quite is quite often preceded by "ehh.") I can't believe it took me this long to use this POD, I say it a lot.
not quite: almost there, but not all the way. I drew a glass of water almost full, "Is it full?", "Not quite." This is also the most polite way to tell anyone "No," i.e. when trying to define the word busy: "It's when you are busy." "Ehh, not quite." (not quite is quite often preceded by "ehh.") I can't believe it took me this long to use this POD, I say it a lot.
June 12, 2009
imagination/ do me a favor
imagination: When you use your brain to think of cool things. We did a few creative activities today where I was able to tell the students "Use your imagination." It probably won't be a high frequency word, but at least now I can say it and be comfortable with the fact that they have a general understanding of the concept. (speaking of understanding concepts- I threw the question to my kids "How you do know you aren't dreaming right now? Don't dreams feel this real?" They're pretty content believing that this isn't a dream. Me too.)
do me a favor: Another way to ask someone to help you. I saw this being a bigger success than it was, but I never remembered to go out of my way to use it. I ask the kids to help me all the time, I just need to start asking them to "do me a favor."
do me a favor: Another way to ask someone to help you. I saw this being a bigger success than it was, but I never remembered to go out of my way to use it. I ask the kids to help me all the time, I just need to start asking them to "do me a favor."
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