Gale_TP#9

Gale Workman

TP#9

Sept. 11, 2014, 6:30 p.m.

Hecht House

Last week Eranildo and Andressa requested work with prepositions, so I brought a game I created.

I distributed to each student a one-page color poster listing alphabetically most English prepositions. I reviewed the preposition as one of the eight parts of speech. I introduced a memory device: A preposition is anywhere a squirrel can go … in the tree, on the roof. A preposition shows relationship between the squirrel and another noun or pronoun (object of the preposition). The students have a solid basic knowledge of grammar.

An unexpected teachable moment was that neither student knew the word squirrel. I described it as a big rat with a big fluffy tail that stands up. Andressa, in a flash of recognition, said, “like Alvin!” It took me a second to realize she meant Alvin and the Chipmunks (movie). I corrected that Alvin is a chipmunk, but chipmunks and squirrels look and move similarly.

Let the game begin! I had typed each of the prepositions listed on the poster onto slips of paper and placed the slips in a bowl. I demonstrated how to play the game by drawing a slip from the bowl, keeping the preposition written on the slip a secret. The object was to demonstrate (without words) the preposition well enough for the other players to guess which preposition was written on my slip. When Andressa shouted “out,” I cheered and awarded her a sticker. Then it was her turn to demonstrate.

I quickly realized that the students’ vocabulary knowledge of English prepositions was Foundations. So I modified the game to allow the demonstrator to orally identify the two nouns in relationship and the verb s/he was demonstrating: Erinaldo, chairs, stands. This worked well for a couple of rounds. Then …when Andressa struggled to identify “among,” we dropped back and did vocabulary work with the preposition list. I modified the lesson to fit the learning level of the students.

We used Google Translate as we went down the list of pronouns. We discussed the prepositions students didn’t recognize, I demonstrated and gave examples, they took notes on their posters.