I teach an incredible group of students that represent great resiliency, diversity and communities coming together to learn. I am constantly inspired by my students to work harder and be better.
The student in my classes are excited to learn Spanish, not only because they love to learn, but also because they recognize the benefits of learning Spanish.
They are anxious to be able to communicate with members of their community and be able to see the world through a new lens. They are incredibly empathetic, curious and motivated.
I am extremely thankful to be working with such a great group of students every day!
My Project
The approach to learning a language has changed to be more input based, specifically through a theory named Comprehensible Input. This means that reading and listening in a new language are emphasized before a learner is asked to produce that language through speaking or writing. The reading and listening are comprehensible and matched to the learners ability so that it is easily understood.
This allows for learners to see and hear the language in context and in a more natural setting, just as a person learns their first language.The readers and books that I have selected were chosen because of the varying levels of difficulty and social relevancy for my students.
They were written for learners of a language and use high frequency vocabulary and grammatical structures. This means that they focus on the parts of Spanish that are most frequently used, so that when a student is communicating in an authentic context they will have had plenty of exposure to the most common words they will encounter.
They are also meant to cover a variety of topics that are interesting and engaging to High School aged students. The novels cover relevant societal topics such as immigration, cultural norms, historical topics and day-to-day teenage dilemmas. They are relevant to the lives of students and will help provide a variety of perspectives on different issues that our society faces today.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Velander and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.