Grading Tips and Tricks

In the teaching world, it is clear to say that we won't always get our weekends. I am guilty one too many times of going a few days in a row looking at that stack of papers hoping that they will magically grade themselves only to find my Saturday GONE by the task of getting 145 essays graded, quizzes, tests, correct writing errors, and entering participating. If ANY person says teaching is an easy job...it takes every bone in my body not to haul off and attack them...ya know what I mean?!?! 

I'm still fairly new to this teaching "stuff" since I've only been in the teaching profession 3 years but I do know one thing about myself...I work on incentives. That's why you will always see my kids leaving with a star on their head or sugared up continuing their journey to the next teacher (Who I'm sure wants to give me 2 cents because kids are bringing their suckers into their rooms and not mine)...oops, sorry :( Anyways...here are a couple ideas of how to grade papers efficiently and maybe even somewhat 'ENJOY' the experience (yeah, I just said that)....

HAVE A GRADING PARTY (GET OUT OF YOUR FREAKING HOUSE)....

One thing that kills me is the dreaded fact KNOWING I have to be cooped up all day INSIDE reading a bunch of essays. I get tired, I say "I'm going to take a 30 minute nap" and I find myself sleeping for the next 3 hours, pushing off ANOTHER task. 

So..I leave. Yep, I pack my crap and I leave. I grab my laptop, charger (cuz the dang thing won't ever hold charge), my papers to grade, a couple nice handy dandy new pens, a pocket full of cash (COFFEE), and I'm gone. I have my selection of local cafes I go to. 

I tell myself I'm staying until X-amount of time and I sit my jolly butt down and grade. It works. It makes me feel better when I look around at the cafe and see a bunch of workaholics s like myself who are putting in their time too. 

Grab ya a coffee, plug up the laptop, get comfy, and grade. Take a friend with you if you have someone else who also partakes in this grading misery on the weekends as well.

SET A TIMER AND GO....

So I'm not a procrastinator EVERY weekend...only the ones that have 2 days ;) Smart people will get that. Anyways, some week nights I have to get these dang things graded ASAP. So I assume the position....kitchen table cleared (no distractions), cell phone timer set, papers lined up, pen ready....GO. 

I start grading like a MAD-WOMEN. (Warning: grade the papers accurately and efficiently even though you set a timer.) Once the timer goes off...I am no longer obligated to grade ANYMORE papers for the night. I am off-duty, partner. PEACE OUT! But...usually since I get my momentum going...I end up adding 10 more minutes to the timer, and then another 7, and before I know it.....Yep, you guessed it...papers graded! It's a beautiful thing, people!

STAY ON YOUR FEET....WORK, WORK, GRADE....

So I am as guilty as the next guy that if I get myself planted in that couch....done, finito, fin, he terminado! I am down for the night and there ain't no person going to stop that...so....I designate certain nights as "work nights" the key is DON'T GET TOO COMFORTABLE. 

1. Get your papers ready to grade, lap top up on table, ready to grade and enter the grades. 
2. Start working around your house on your chores....straightening, laundry, cleaning, etc.
3. For every few minutes of cleaning...run back to the table and grade about 7 to 10 papers.....
4. Repeat and get those papers graded! 

I told you I WORK ON INCENTIVES! 

If you get your momentum going...you'll notice you'll get through the whole thing AND have a sparkling clean house afterwards. 

These are just some tricks that work for me!!! You guys post your ideas at the bottom. I am always up to new ideas of how to get those darn papers graded. :) 

God Bless,
Brittany B. 

Pick a Series and Let them Write...

I am always looking for new and exciting ways for the students to write. I feel like sometimes it's hard for the kids to have a wide variety of topics because they really are just learning the foundation of the language. Also, do they LIKE the topics we have them write about?!?!

One day I was on my facebook and I seen a video that was posted that made me laugh for days! It was called "Walk on the Wild Side" They were these hilarious videos of animals with voices. It was so funny because they each had their own personality and it was just nice clean comedy.

I then got to thinking....I bet my kids would enjoy this video. Now, I love sharing "clean" humor with the kids because I feel as if it's very rare these days but I worry about sometimes things not being tied to the curriculum so I thought how can I swing this Spanish....and then a light bulb went off!!!

What if....I had the students WRITE about what they saw. They could describe the animals (using ser), they could put which animals they liked (using me gusta and no me gusta) and they can even talk about verbs they do (La tortuga canta, La foca nada, etc.). So I ran a little "experiment" and now it is one of my favorite things to do in class to get them to write.

1. You can pick ANY you-tube video that you consider clean comedy. You can even pick a series like I did. Now, I ONLY show about 3 minutes of the video even though some of them are 15 minutes long...that's WAY too long.

2. Before showing them the video, teach them some of the common and popular vocabulary like Nadar = to swim and marmota = groundhog, etc. 

3. Develop some questions to GUIDE their writing. Remember they are JUST in Spanish 1...now you can do this with upper level and expect a bit more but for Spanish 1...give them some ideas. 

4. First time of watching...just watch....then show the guided questions. Go over them and see if they know what you mean. How would they answer? What vocabulary do they need?

5. Show it one more time and have them take some notes in English. The groundhog is brown, the otter sings, etc. 

6. Now.......give them a time limit and let them just go to town writing! Walk around and help with order, vocabulary, verb conjugations, etc. 


 Here is the link for the series I use: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIDp05SHJVk

You will be surprised how much they write :) and they are actually kind of fun to grade ;)

Infinitive Charades

So we all have those Fridays where we give a huge unit exam and the kids look like little zombies after taking the test. Their hands hurt from the writing, their heads are thumping from the listening....and you should really start a new unit but you know that's probably not going to the greatest idea? What do to do now!?!?

One really fun game is "Infinitive Charades" It involves no documents, grading, and it is easy to jump into after a few times of playing it. 

 

The first thing you need is a big stack of flashcards that have a bunch of infinitives on them. I like to continue adding to my stack as we go along through the year. It always makes the kids feel good when they know the WHOLE stack at the end of the year. 

Next, you'll need to divide the class into two different groups and assign each player a number that matches the other team.  So two # 1's, #2's....

Then call a random number from a certain team  (#6 Team A)....that person will make their way up to you in the front. (To speed up the game you can do a random number list at the beginning so they know they are next instead of waiting for them to come to the front.)

How to play.....

1. Show the player the verb card. If they know the verb without asking it's 1 point ALREADY.

2. Next the player goes to the front of the room to act it out. For instance "escribir".....they may start acting like they are writing or they may go over to the board and pick up the marker.

3. Now...picking a student to guess...you have two options...you can be mean or nice....The "nice" way is for YOU to call on the student whose hand is already up. The "mean" way is for YOU to randomly call a student to answer. ON THE SPOT! You pick how mean or nice you are....just depends on the day and class, right?!?

4. If they get it right...they get another point. If not, the other team gets to guess and steals their point.

Variations:

- Put a time limit on it to make it challenging.

-Allow only 2 tries from each team. 

-Decide to call on raised hands or randomly calling students. 

-Randomly call on students if only certain students are participating. 

-MAKE EVERYONE PLAY! No excuses! 

Make a Movie

So when my kids started learning their conjugations, I wanted to do something a bit non-traditional and out of the ordinary. I knew that if I could get the kids to do "something" with their conjugations they would remember them more. So...we made movies. The students were responsible for getting with a group, creating a song, getting footage, and making a conjugation movie. 

To my surprise...they were REALLY good. Not only did they memorize the Spanish but they got to incorporate technology into their content. 

Here is a sample video done by some girls in my class :)

Grab It Game - Modified for Conjugation

I was so inspired by the success of the "Grab It Game" I started to think of how I could change it up to fit other concepts and boy was I onto something.

Once again many thanks to my co-worker and awesome Spanish teacher, Marie Stevens, for telling me all about "Grab It Game". My kids are continuing their conjugation practice and I am currently focusing on -AR/-ER/-IR conjugations. The kids are getting good with certain words such as I and you but they still get confused on some endings....so here is what I did....

To play the game:
1. Divide the room up into two even teams.
2. Assign a student numbers for each teammate and make sure each student has a matching "opponent"
(For example there should be #1 for Team A and Team B.)
3. Have a small white board, marker, and eraser ready. 
4. Take an object in the classroom that you have alot of (at least 6 or so).
5. Make signs for the endings....o, as, a, amos, an (and if you teach vosotros) and tape them to the objects. I chose sombreros because you can buy them for a 1.00 at Dollar Tree.
6. Line them up and let the games begin....

Now...I am a very interactive hands on type of teacher. I love to see my students get into games and be competitive. If you haven't learned already, I am a former athlete/competitor and this often comes out in my classroom. My favorite students when playing these games are my aggressive kids who keep asking to get there number called.

Be sure to set some rules up at the beginning so no one gets hurt but here's how it goes....

1. STAY OUT OF THE WAY! I have a stool and I get my white board, a marker and I go sit on my stool OUT OF THE WAY. (I learned the hard way)....:(
2. Write down ANY infinitive...if you are working on -AR...write Hablar, Llegar, Mirar....ones that they know.
3. Write the verb down and show them...call out the subject pronoun...and then....here we go....the #....and you will see your students FLY out of their chairs and race up to the front to grab the certain hat that matches their subject pronoun. 
4. I give an extra point if they can put it all together and say the word "Hablar "Yo" = "Hablo"

Another thing is...some students will FLY out of their chairs that the opponent won't even try so I created a rule that even if you try...if your opponent gets it wrong...they are automatically rewarded the point. That gets them ALL trying at least :) 

You can change this up to fit any conjugation tense and any category of items.

God Bless -
Brittany B.

Wall Station Writing

Sometimes its so hard for me to get the students to WANT to write. As their teacher, I LOVE watching them GO GO with their writing but the feeling isn't always mutual...so I have learned something...students like to write on a non-traditional resources...using marker boards, on walls, on the floor etc...

In this activity, all I did was write a "person" (madre, abuela, mejor amigo, etc.) on the top of the paper and the students have to write a mini letter to each person. 

They didn't realize but they were writing a TON by the time they go around and hit each station. Be strict with your rules (no talking, time limit, must have at least 3 sentences, whatever you decide.) You can adjust this writing assignment WITH ANY objective...descriptions, telling birthdays, filling out a job application, etc. 

Have fun!

God Bless 

-Brittany Baxter 

Grab It Game - Learning New Vocabulary

I think every language teacher can say at one time or another....they have been in a situation where they didn't have a clue how to teach/practice vocabulary. How do we get the students to learn these words for easy recall?

With some vocab words , I have noticed it is hard to find a "theme" or "life experience" where you can  practice the words with real life experiences. For example...with teaching food...just have the students do a "Fake Cooking Show"....with learning clothes, do a "Fashion Show" I had a hard time thinking of what to do with "School Supply Vocabulary" I thought about loading different backpacks and having the kids describe verbally and in written form what was in each vocab....until I found an idea I like better.....

My awesome co-worker, Marie Stevens, suggested a game and I absolutely love it. Very easy to play:

1. Divide the class up into two even teams.
2. Assign a number to each team mate and make sure each person has an "opponent"...so someone is #1 on Team A and them someone is #1 on Team B, etc.
3. Lay out all the school supplies in the front of the room. I like to scatter them all out. 
4. Stand in the front and RANDOMLY call out the object in the target language and then a number.
5. Sit back and watch your students race to the front to grab the correct item.
6. Make the students say "lo/la tengo" or whatever "LOCK IN" word you want. This finalizes their decision.

Working out the kinks:
-Some students will not even try to make their way to the front so what I do is....as long as they attempt to walk up IF the other person gets the other wrong when they "lock-in" their answer....the point goes automatically to the other teammate....BUT ONLY...if they attempted to walk up and give it a try. 
-Lay down the law on the rules. Some students are going to push, shove, trip, etc. Be sure to explain the expectation, rules, and consequences before the game starts. 
-Allow students to "switch sides" to make it fair if you have one side of the room that is hard for students to travel.

The kids loved this game and it can be done with ANY objects you teach. You could even laminate big cards and hang them on the board if there is not a tangible object.

 Some of the items laid out. 

And some more....

This student thought it would be funny to pick up ALL the items and then say the "lock-in" word....nice try, Juan Jesus!