For some people, the fear of public speaking is worse than death. Imagine having a spoken exam in another language! That is exactly what our 3rd through 8th graders have been doing this week, and they passed with flying colors.
Every semester I have college students tell me that they studied Spanish in high school, but that they couldn't actually speak it if their lives depended on it. That is such a tragic waste of time! Many universities and colleges are moving to oral proficiency exams, with good reason. Most of the time when you use Spanish outside of the classroom, you will be speaking it.
For our speaking tests, the students came out in the hall one by one, and I asked them a series of questions in Spanish. They did not know in advance what questions I would be asking, and there was no paper to look at. They were graded on their comprehension of the question, grammar and pronunciation. Although it was brief, it was excellent practice with "real life" Spanish.
It is fascinating to see how different learning styles shine with different forms of assessment. Some of the students who struggle more with the written exams excelled at speaking Spanish. I love seeing our students developing communicative competence!
Friday, December 12, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
National Spanish Exam ~ 7th and 8th Grade
I am so excited to announce that for the first time ever, All Saints students will be taking the National Spanish Exam! The NSE is the most widely used set of Spanish proficiency tests in the US, with more than 150,000 middle school and high school students participating in 2014 alone.
The test measures listening comprehension skills, reading comprehension skills, vocabulary and grammar according to national standards for Spanish language learners. There are several different categories for each level, so that students who have more exposure to Spanish (for example, if Spanish is spoken at home) are ranked against their peers instead of with those who are learning it in a typical school setting. Because students at All Saints have so much Spanish in elementary grades, the exam will classify them as OE (having outside experience).
I am preparing a study guide for the students who will be taking the exam that will include much of the vocabulary and brief explanations of the grammar that will be covered. To give you an idea of how rigorous the exam is, I still have two-thirds of the grammar standards left to cover and I am already at 29 pages and nearly 3,000 words!
I won't lie--the exam is hard. Most of the students who are taking it are in high school (there are plenty of sophomores and juniors taking the level 1). Additionally, many schools only allow their top students to take it (often an A average is required for eligibility). Finally, our students will be competing in the same group as those who have Spanish spoken at home. An "average" score on this exam is actually far higher than an average Spanish student would be capable of achieving. But having worked with the students at All Saints this last semester, I am convinced that they will excel.
The exam will be taken in the spring, probably in late March. Once our time grows closer, I will be looking for some parents to help proctor the exam. In the meantime, if you would like to practice with previous exams or use some games and links to help practice, they are available here: http://www.nationalspanishexam.org/index.php/exam-preparation/online-practice-exercises The link offers many types of practice, including listening comprehension and reading comprehension exercises.
I am excited about all that our students have learned, and look forward to seeing that reflected in this exam.
The test measures listening comprehension skills, reading comprehension skills, vocabulary and grammar according to national standards for Spanish language learners. There are several different categories for each level, so that students who have more exposure to Spanish (for example, if Spanish is spoken at home) are ranked against their peers instead of with those who are learning it in a typical school setting. Because students at All Saints have so much Spanish in elementary grades, the exam will classify them as OE (having outside experience).
I am preparing a study guide for the students who will be taking the exam that will include much of the vocabulary and brief explanations of the grammar that will be covered. To give you an idea of how rigorous the exam is, I still have two-thirds of the grammar standards left to cover and I am already at 29 pages and nearly 3,000 words!
I won't lie--the exam is hard. Most of the students who are taking it are in high school (there are plenty of sophomores and juniors taking the level 1). Additionally, many schools only allow their top students to take it (often an A average is required for eligibility). Finally, our students will be competing in the same group as those who have Spanish spoken at home. An "average" score on this exam is actually far higher than an average Spanish student would be capable of achieving. But having worked with the students at All Saints this last semester, I am convinced that they will excel.
The exam will be taken in the spring, probably in late March. Once our time grows closer, I will be looking for some parents to help proctor the exam. In the meantime, if you would like to practice with previous exams or use some games and links to help practice, they are available here: http://www.nationalspanishexam.org/index.php/exam-preparation/online-practice-exercises The link offers many types of practice, including listening comprehension and reading comprehension exercises.
I am excited about all that our students have learned, and look forward to seeing that reflected in this exam.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
A Million Ways to Learn
Having taught for fifteen years in a variety of settings has confirmed what any parent already knows: children don't always learn things the same way, and what works for some may not be effective for others.
St. Paul wrote, " I have become all things to all people, so that by all possible means I might save some." As a teacher, my challenge is to teach in all possible ways so that I might reach my students. It will always be an area of growth, but here are some of the many ways we learned this week:
Listening:
As part of our Advent, we have been listening to different Spanish versions of "O Come, Emmanuel" each day. We have heard renditions from several different countries and noted the differences in musical instruments and translations from each region. One of our favorites was from South America, recorded for the Católicos de hoy program (Catholics Today).
Every week we practice with the ¡Avancemos! audio CDs, and I encourage students to use the links in the right side bar of the blog, as well. This gives students exposure to a variety of accents and speakers using the vocabulary and grammar structures we are covering in class.
I conduct about 25% of the class in Spanish. While I never want to frustrate the students, I do want to give them exposure to the sounds, rhythms and intonation patterns of a native speaker. Usually I will say things in Spanish first, and then repeat it in English. You can see their confidence grow as they understand what I say the first time.
The elementary classes are practicing with a dictado (dictation) this week, and it is exciting to see their competence and confidence increase!
Seeing:
Besides reading, we love to use the Promethean board to find images of topics we are studying.
Our 8th graders have been learning about Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl, and we found several images of those mountains that illustrate the legends associated with them. This morning we looked at some of the chocolate in Oaxaca, and how it is mixed with spices and nuts.
Each chapter in our ¡Avancemos! textbooks includes several DVD clips with vocabulary, cultural info and story-lines that provide a fun way to reinforce what we are learning.
Movement:
Whether it is dancing along to a song in Spanish or playing games, we try to find plenty of opportunities to move around in class. One of our favorite things to do is to play a game of catch with a couple of very soft and fuzzy balls. The student who catches the squooshy has to conjugate a verb or give the correct Spanish response before throwing it to someone else. Since you never know who will get it next, it keeps us on our toes!
Taste:
St. Paul wrote, " I have become all things to all people, so that by all possible means I might save some." As a teacher, my challenge is to teach in all possible ways so that I might reach my students. It will always be an area of growth, but here are some of the many ways we learned this week:
Listening:
As part of our Advent, we have been listening to different Spanish versions of "O Come, Emmanuel" each day. We have heard renditions from several different countries and noted the differences in musical instruments and translations from each region. One of our favorites was from South America, recorded for the Católicos de hoy program (Catholics Today).
Every week we practice with the ¡Avancemos! audio CDs, and I encourage students to use the links in the right side bar of the blog, as well. This gives students exposure to a variety of accents and speakers using the vocabulary and grammar structures we are covering in class.
I conduct about 25% of the class in Spanish. While I never want to frustrate the students, I do want to give them exposure to the sounds, rhythms and intonation patterns of a native speaker. Usually I will say things in Spanish first, and then repeat it in English. You can see their confidence grow as they understand what I say the first time.
The elementary classes are practicing with a dictado (dictation) this week, and it is exciting to see their competence and confidence increase!
Seeing:
Besides reading, we love to use the Promethean board to find images of topics we are studying.
 |
| Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl |
Our 8th graders have been learning about Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl, and we found several images of those mountains that illustrate the legends associated with them. This morning we looked at some of the chocolate in Oaxaca, and how it is mixed with spices and nuts.
 |
| Oaxacan chocolate ready to be ground |
Each chapter in our ¡Avancemos! textbooks includes several DVD clips with vocabulary, cultural info and story-lines that provide a fun way to reinforce what we are learning.
Movement:
Whether it is dancing along to a song in Spanish or playing games, we try to find plenty of opportunities to move around in class. One of our favorite things to do is to play a game of catch with a couple of very soft and fuzzy balls. The student who catches the squooshy has to conjugate a verb or give the correct Spanish response before throwing it to someone else. Since you never know who will get it next, it keeps us on our toes!
.JPG) |
| Señor Suave and Señor Scushi |
Although we don't get to do this one quite as often, every one of my classes agrees that when it comes to learning about the foods and drinks of different Spanish-speaking countries, it isn't enough to read and talk about them. We have to actually try them. During our Country-in-a-Bag presentations, the students tried authentic tamales, tostones, papas, limonadas, and many other recipes for each of the countries that we presented. After learning about the chocolate in Oaxaca, we all had a cup of real Mexican chocolate.
These activities are more than fun, they are the key to engaging all kind of learners. While we do plenty of traditional pencil and paper work, too, we know that sitting still and writing is not the only way to learn. Recognizing that each student is unique and helping to capture their imaginations is part of why I love teaching--my students make sure that I never get bored!
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