Like countless teachers around the world, my district is moving to online instruction this week due to Covid-19. Our schools have already been closed for 2 weeks, but our goal is to ease into online instruction and do the best we can. Each week I will be creating a couple 20 minute lessons my students will do independently and then be available for daily office hours. During this time of social distancing I have spent a lot of time brainstorming different activities my students can do at home and reflecting on what the most essential parts of my curriculum are. I don’t know if I’ll see my students again in person this year, just like I don’t know how or even if grades will be given again this semester. However, what I do know is that I want my students to know I am still here for them while also providing them with ways to connect to the Spanish language. Below are some of the things I’m planning to focus on in the coming weeks.
I need to manage my expectations! There is no way I am going to make it through every piece of my curriculum this year and that is ok. There is also no way all my students will complete the activities I provide to them, which is also ok. The best thing I can do right now is be available to my students and give them opportunities to practice their Spanish.
I am going to take advantage of free trials! Like most teachers I’ve received countless emails from education companies with free trials. I haven’t looked into all of them, however there are some language learning sites I’ve always wanted to use that are currently offering free accounts that I am definitely checking out. Right now I’m most excited to use Rockalingua with my Spanish 1 students as they practice ir and places. Depending on future grading practices, I’m also hoping to check out Extempore for speaking assessments. I’ve also seen free accounts advertised by Quizlet and Voces Digital as well as free materials from Teacher’s Discovery .
I am going to provide comprehensible input! As I reflect on how to move forward with online instruction, I keep coming back to the fact that I want to give my students the opportunity for input and interaction with the language, not just grammar videos and practice. I’ve decided my main goal is to present my students with opportunities to receive comprehensible input. My initial plan is to use sites like Rockalingua, Edpuzzle and YouTube for videos, then go from there.
I know going into the next couple weeks things are going to be messy and probably not go as planned, however all I can do is keep trying to give my students as many opportunities as possible. Stay tuned for updates!
