First contact

It was my second contact with children, but in this time i had the opportunity to have the first real class with my partner Luiz. The topic for this class was “Welcome to the classroom” and Vocabulary: bag, book, pen, pencil, ruler and eraser.  Our planning was based in activities that could get students attention.

OUR PLANING: We decided that our planning needed to include some games in groups because we had children that are 6-to-9 years old. Therefore, we needed to mix them. ( Our planning)

THE DAY OF THE CLASS: First, We set the classroom with balloons, crepe paper colors and images (as we were developing vocabulary).

Second, after we had decorated, we started the class. To start we had as a role play in which luiz had a ball in his hands, then he threw it to me to ask me the question “What is your name?” After this I threw the ball to someone else asking the same question and saying “My name is glory, what is your name”?

Third, My partner decided to be the first one, he used some material such as pictures and cards that used to encounter the information(vocabulary), he repeated the words many times in order to clarify the correct pronunciation of the words. Then, he sat the children on the floor while he had a flashcard with the alphabet.

Fourth, it was my time to follow with the class. I saw that students wanted not to participate enough, so I used a bell in order to get their attention and asked to stand up. I did my activities, but it was not like I planned because even though I was explaining and modeling, they were not participating and in a opportunity one of my students told me “I cannot understand you because I had never had a English teacher” (at that moment I felt very bad).

Where I realize that my activities were not created for basic students, I improvised and changed some activities in order to help my students to clarify the vocabulary that we were using.

At the end of this class, I wanted to give up, but I realize that it is a challenge to help my students to learn a second language, even if they never had had the opportunity to be in an English Class Environment.