- Proficiency Activities during State TestingMost teachers hate the modified schedules, shortened periods and mentally drained or missing students that make up state testing season. I, on the other hand, love state testing time because it gives me the excuse to only do proficiency activities. With it being towards the end of the year, proficiency activities can be a good review of what students know and it does not matter whether classes do… Read more: Proficiency Activities during State Testing
- The Many Ways to Ask Students to Speak in the Target LanguageAfter I have had my “English Week” at the beginning of the year, it is time to start holding students accountable for staying in the target language. But how exactly do you go about ensuring that only the TL is used? Here is a list of the many ways that you can ask students to speak in the TL. They are in order of what should be used… Read more: The Many Ways to Ask Students to Speak in the Target Language
- What to Teach During the First Few Days of School Using Immersion
When you use immersion the first few days of school, there are several guidelines that you should follow when creating your lesson plans: 1. Name Activities This is for you, the teacher, to learn everyone’s name, not for students to learn each other’s names, so don’t do the overused and frustrating activity where students have to say everyone’s name who went ahead of them, or anything similar. Here… Read more: What to Teach During the First Few Days of School Using Immersion - How to Set Up Your Classroom for Immersion
Teachers set up classrooms to make procedures in their classes more efficient. For immersion, you want to do the same thing, but with the idea of making English less necessary. Here is how you should set up your classroom to help keep your students speaking in the TL: 1. Student Supplies for the Day On the wall by the door where students walk in, have an area where… Read more: How to Set Up Your Classroom for Immersion - The Step-by-Step Guide to English Week for an Immersion Classroom
You’ve used immersion the first few days of school. Students have not heard you use English yet. Now what? Now, you explain why you do what you do and you convince your students that it is the best way to learn a language. And you do that by using English. For an entire week. Yes, you read that right. You do not teach any French for an entire… Read more: The Step-by-Step Guide to English Week for an Immersion Classroom - Is Immersion Possible in the Classroom?
On social media, I hear language teachers say all the time that they want their students to use the target language more, but they don’t know how. They ask for strategies or rewards or consequences to get their students to use the language more. The thing is, though, you can’t use strategies or rewards or consequences here and there and expect it to make a lasting, permanent effect… Read more: Is Immersion Possible in the Classroom? - How Long Should I Use Immersion Before Speaking in English?
How long you use immersion before speaking in English with your students depends on your school schedule and your students. At my first full-time teaching position, the school year started on a Wednesday, so we had a three-day week followed by a five-day week. I saw my French 1 students every day for 45-minute periods. At that school, I used immersion Wednesday through Friday, then had my English… Read more: How Long Should I Use Immersion Before Speaking in English? - Why “Immersion in Motion?”
Bonjour ! Welcome to my blog and first blog post about teaching world languages using immersion. My name is Megan Helgeson and I have been teaching French for more than 10 years. I will share my world language experiences and journey with immersion in another blog post, but here I want to discuss the title of my blog. I named my blog “Immersion in Motion” for two reasons.… Read more: Why “Immersion in Motion?” - When I Subbed for a Colleague the First Day of School
One district I worked at had a split start where the first half of the alphabet came one day, the second half of the alphabet came the second day, then everyone came the third day. Of course, not all students came those first two days who should have. Plus, we had block scheduling, so I did not see half of my students until the third or fourth day… Read more: When I Subbed for a Colleague the First Day of School - The First Few Days of School
The first couple days of school, you have to give your students an immersive environment—meaning under no circumstances should you use English. No matter what behavioral situation happens, do not use English. If there is a fire drill, do not use English. If you have to sub for another teacher, which I had to do one year, do not use English. If someone comes to talk to you,… Read more: The First Few Days of School
Recent Posts
- Proficiency Activities during State Testing
- The Many Ways to Ask Students to Speak in the Target Language
- What to Teach During the First Few Days of School Using Immersion
- How to Set Up Your Classroom for Immersion
- The Step-by-Step Guide to English Week for an Immersion Classroom
