Alles Gute zum ?Thanksgiving?

Okay, so we all know that Thanksgiving is a full-on American Holiday. There's really no way to translate that one into German. It does however, allow me some time to write a post here on the blog. Most of my free writing time has been absorbed by a Moon-watching journal that I have been writing for a class this semester. There's some really good stuff in there, I promise!

There's only about two weeks of class left before I am thrown to the wolves(literally, MCHS Wolves) at Michigan City High School. I can't wait to get started. I have completed my observation time at Ben Franklin Middle School in Valparaiso. In only about 30 hours of class time, I learned so many simple but important techniques. Keep instructions simple, model everything, take no prior knowledge for granted, make instructions explicit, plan and practice lessons, and allow students time to answer. More often than not, these students knew the answers to the questions I asked. I simply had to learn to give them the time to formulate their response.

As Thanksgiving arrives tomorrow, I wish everyone a safe, happy, relaxing holiday. I hope wherever you spend the day, your home is filled with love, family, friends, food, and football! It is truly a time to be thankful.

Modifications for Special Needs Students

I have spoken to a few teachers within the school where I am doing my field experience and they have both told me that they have done very little modification of assignments for specific students. Both of these teachers happen to be foreign language teachers and I am starting to get the impression that modifications and assessments are not as heavily used in these classrooms. Naturally, most foreign language study is elective, meaning students are not "required" to take it, nor are they specifically tested on its content by standardized state testing. I have observed two different German language classrooms so far this semester. My first impression is that the majority, if not all of the students in these classes would be considered high-achieving. I assume they are the best of the best within each of these individual schools. With regards to ESL students, I don't see many of them choosing to take another foreign language when they are still in the process of learning English.

I have learned a great deal about the use and importance of modifications and accommodations this semester, and I am confident that I can implement them when necessary. I believe however, that I will use them more should I be hired as a Social Studies teacher as opposed to a German teacher. I will be prepared to accommodate any student who requires it, but I don't believe modifications are as prevalent in foreign language classrooms as they are in other core subjects. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I am here to learn and these thoughts are wholly based on my limited observations in classrooms this semester.