My experience as a Teacher with Teenagers.

I want to share a little bit of my experience, so let's start!

The first day, I was very nervous! I didn't want to enter, but I had to. They were asking to Teacher Ani, who were us and what were we doing there, and we introduced ourselves. Then, everything started. I really like the group of students in which I worked, I had the opportunity to observe some of the characteristics that we studied at the beginning, like shyness,(in some of them) they were afraid of make a mistake in front of their classmates,however, many of  them were outgoing and hardworking, they really wanted to participate in all the activities. I really felt accepted for them even, some of them had the confidence to tell me a lit of bit of their lives and I think that have a good relationship with our students it's something essential for our work.

I had the opportunity to teach 4 complete lessons, 2 vocabulary lesson and 2 grammar lesson, but many times, I participated in little activities like, encounter and fluent use.
The first time that I performed a class, I was happy, exited, and, very nervous, but through the time, that disappear during the class and a the end, I could teach a lesson without that feeling. I didn't have problem to work with them, they respect me and saw me as their teacher, even when I look like one of them ( a student more), On the other hand, I notice that I need to memorize many words because they had questions about the meaning of words all the time.

as a negative aspects. I think that the biggest problem that I had was the time, maybe because the content that we needed to cover was too much and we didn't had enough time to make all the activities that we wanted, but we try to do it in the best way. On the other hand, as a positive aspects from that experience I had the experience and guide of Teacher Yanira Peña who helped me every time that I had a doubt, I had the help and the real-life example of my mentor Teacher Ani Molina. On the other hand, The group of students that I had were unique, they were friendly,, respectful and hardworking and I had the help of my  good colleague T.A.Abi. I'm very grateful for all the help that I received.

I really enjoyed my experience, I feel proud of myself because I improve many thing and I learned many things more, but never is enough, I know that I have to continue working hard for what I want, I think that we leave a mark in our students and that is the reason for what teaching is a beautiful profession 

Our amazing mentor, Teacher Ani.

My good colleague T.A. Abi 

Class #9 Last class! - Observation.

Saturday, November 05th 2016

7:30am - 11:30am

This time, we had the opportunity to observe a class of our mentor teacher Ani.

Activity #1. "Handman"

T.Ani made 2 groups, she drew lines base on the quantity of letters that the word had, (all the words were adjectives of personality) students had to guess the word. each group had 2 opportunities to said a letter or the word if they had an idea of it, if they said a letter that was wrong, T.Ani wrote it in one side of the board, but if they said a right letter they had one more chance.

I had to say that it was different from the way that I knew it, but I really like the way in which T.Ani did it, because, she had control of all her students, also, I could notice that she gave chance to the students who never participate in activities because they are shy or afraid to make mistakes in that way  everybody were participating.

Activity #2. Vocabulary- Adjectives of personality.

Teacher explained the meaning of each adjective that she presented in the previous game, then she asked to students to go to a page from the text book to practice by doing some exercises.Then, they compare and discuss the answers with the whole class.

T.Ani explained very well the meaning of each word, she model and made gestures and mimics to have everything clear. To be honest, that's something that I need to improve.

Activity #3. Listening.

Students listened to an audio to complete an exercise from the text book, they compared and shared answer with the whole class.

T.Ani had some problems with the audio, she couldn't find her flash driver, but fortunately, TA.Abi had the audio in her flash driver.so she helped to T.Ani. I could notice that, students were asking about the meaning of some adjectives that they didn't seen in the game, I think that the content in the book it's very useful but sometimes it's too much information and it's difficult to cover everything.

Note: It was a good class, however, many things could happen as the problem that T.Ani had, but as teacher we need to be prepare and try to do everything that we can do to continuous our class, because the most important thing it's that our students learn something new.

PROJECTS

Students presented their projects in which they had to create a talk show about superheroes, using grammar structures like can/can't and comparatives and superlatives. They were very creative with their customs and they did a really good job!

OUR FAREWELL

We finish our practice with teenagers, after 10 Saturdays we had to say goodbye to our students and mentor teacher, We expressed our gratitude for their help and we have to them Little presents to say "thank you"

I really appreciated my students they are unique and we learned so much from our mentor teacher Ani she is amazing. I really enjoyed that experience, I learned so much and I improve many things and I hope to improve even more.

Class #8 - Observation

Saturday, October 29th,2016

7:30am - 11:30am

T.A Abi started the class.

Activity #1. Form the word.

Students made 2 groups, T.A.Abi gave to each group a plastic cup which had pieces of papers with letters. T.A. Abi said a number and students had to form a word with the number of letters that she mentioned.

That was a good activity because unconsciously, students use vocabulary from the previous classes.

Activity #2. Fruit salad.

Students moved their desks to make a big circle. T.A. Abi explained the game.  Each students had the name of a fruit, "cherry,orange or apple" one students was standing up in the middle of the circle while the others were siting down in their desks, the students in the middle had to say a fruit like "orange" and all the students who had the name "orange" had to change place and the student who was standing up had to look for a sit too. and the person who didn't find a sit had to answer a question and continue with the game. but if someone said the phrase "fruit salad" everybody had to move.

FIRST CONDITIONAL.

To make a little review T.A. Abi gave to students a little worksheet in which they had to complete a text using will.

T.A.Abi pasted on the board some pages with grammatical structures and examples to explain first conditional his use and rules, then she gave some examples and she asked to some students to give some examples. Then, to practice,  students wrote 3 sentences using first conditional.

Activity #3. Speaking activity.

T.A. Abi asked to students to make  pairs to create a short conversation using first conditional.

Note: It was a good class,I really like the game fruit salad, students review and had fun at the same time, I really like the materials that T.A .Abi use, they always are very colorful.

TALENT SHOW

Students had a talent show which was an activity to show their progress in the program and have fun, I really like all the presentations.

Class #7 - Participation

Saturday, October 22th, 2016

7:30am - 11:30am

This time I taught a grammar lesson.

Activity#1. What do you prefer?

I pasted on the board an strip of paper with the question "what do you prefer?
Then I wrote a short list of things among which they could choose.:

-Burger King's burgers or Wendy's burgers

-Drink coffee or chocolate

- sleep or eat.

They discussed the question to share opinions, them they share opinions with the whole class.

Activity #2. Guess the word.

I pasted on the board,some strips of paper with scrambled words. Students had to look the letters and try to guess what were the words.

The words were adjectives of quality. 

Comparatives and Superlatives Adjectives.

I asked to the students what they know about the topic, then I explained grammar structures of comparatives and superlatives adjectives, and I gave some examples. also, I asked to them to give more examples.

Activity #3. Sentences and Awards.

I asked to students to take a look of their classmates to write 2 sentences using comparatives adjectives and superlatives adjectives. Then, I asked to them to make a "Diploma" for a person in the classroom using superlatives adjectives. then, I made a little ceremony to deliver diplomas.

NOTE: I couldn't finish the class again, because students had to go to a place in the university to look some presentations.

Then was the turn of T. Any.

Activity #1. Review

T. Any showed to her students some adjectives, she asked to them, the superlative and comparative form of each verb, in order to make a little review of the previous topic.

Activity #2. work in the text book.

T. any gave to them a page with exercises about all the contents of the unit 5 to make a review, she completed the exercises with them.

WILL AND WON'T

T.Any. explained the use of will and won't to make predictions about the future, then she asked to students to make sentences to make predictions about the future using some of those phrases:

I think that...

I imagine that...

I'm pretty sure that... 

I bet that...

then, some of them read their sentences to the whole class.

Note: I really like the behavior of the students during the class, they show interest to learn  more and they are really exited to participate in the activities.

Class # 6 - Observation.

Saturday, October 15th, 2016

7:30am - 11:30am

T. A. Abi Started the class.

Activity #1. Mimics.

Students made a circle in front of the board. Some students went in front of board to make mimics and the rest of the students had to guess what was the action.

Students were very exited to participate in that activity.

Activity #2. What are you good at?

T. A. Abi. pasted the question "what are you good at?" in the board. Students looked for a partner to discuss the question, then some of them share their answers with the whole class.

SKILLS AND PEOPLE

T.A.Abi. showed some pictures about people doing activities. Students helped her saying what was the verb base on the actions that they saw in the mimics. Then, T.A Abi presented some verbs and pictures and she asked to some students to take a picture and paste it next to the right verb.T. A. Abi explained to student that some verbs becomes in nouns by adding the suffix "ER" a the end.

Activity #3. Text book.

T.A.Abi asked to students to go to a page from the student's book to work in some exercises. then, students compare answers and T.A Abi check answers with the whole class. 

After that class was the turn of Teacher Ani. 

Activity #1.  Write a word.

Teacher Any divided the board in 3 parts and she wrote the word "activities". Students made 3 groups to form a line in front of the board. Students had to write a verb or an adjective under each letter of that word.

CAN, CAN'T / COULD, COULDN'T

then, students wrote some exercises using can and can't, then they shared those sentences with their classmates.

Students were really exited to show what they can do. I could notice that some students made questions about the use of  "could" as a modal and Teacher explained the differences.

Activity #2. find the opposite.

T. showed some papers with adjectives of quality like: weird, slow, wild. Students went to the board take one adjective they had to look for the opposite of the adjective that they had. for example:  good-bad, big-small, fast-slow... etc. Then Teacher explained the meaning of each adjective.

Students were very curious, they want to know the words and many of them  I would like to do this activity, I think that it's useful to introduce or practice new vocabulary.

Class #5 - Participation.

Saturday, October 01st, 2016

7:30am - 11:30am

This time we had to make a review from the units 3 and 4 because students had their final exam of that module.

T.A. Abi started the class.

Activity #1. Guess who I am.

Students made 2 lines facing each other, each student had a piece of paper with an adjective, like upset, scary and others. This  was great activity to review vocabulary.

Activity #2. Strings of words.

Students made 2 lines in front of the word. T.A. Abi said a word, and students had to write that word in the board and write another word that begins withe the last letter of the previous word. for example, she said: "House" students had to write that "house" and another word that begins with "e"

like this: 

                    Houselephantiredraworkeyellow...

Activity #3, Guess.

T.A. Abi pasted on the board a poster that had 4 answers of questions in simple past, students had to guess what was the question.
for example: "yes, I went to the school yesterday" the questions is " Did you go to the school yesterday?"

Activity #4. Listen and complete.

T.A.Abi played an audio. Students had to listen the audio and try to complete an exercise in the text book. they listened the audio 3 times.

After the break, it was my turn. I had to continuous with a review from the unit 4.

Activity #1. Did you do the homework?

I wrote in the board the question " Did you do the homework?" and I asked to students to talked to the person next to them and ask the question.they had to say why they didn't do the homework.

Activity #2. Check the answers.

Due to the last class, I couldn't finish my lesson, students had to complete 2 exercises from the student book as a homework to practice at home.

Review: Simple Past & Past Continuous.

I made a little review of the Simple Past and Past Continuous and I made a little practice with some sentences in which students had to identify in where they could use "when" and "while".

for example: 

we were having the picnic when it started to rain.

while we were having the picnic, it started to rain.

Activity #4. Write faster.

Students made 3 groups and made 3 lines in front of the board. I showed to them a word  like: "into" they had to write a sentence in simple past or past continuous using that word. This activity was useful to practice vocabulary.

Activity #5. Text book.

I played an audio about a conversation and n the text book were 3 different pictures, students had to guess what was the picture that describes the situation in the conversation. Then, students had to complete a grammar exercise.

FINAL EXAM

Students took their final exam from the units 3 and 4. 

Note: One more time, we didn't have enough time to end our lessons, but I think we use as many activity as we could to help to our students we their exam.

Class #4 - Participation.

Saturday, September 24th 2016

7:30am - 11:30am

This time, it was the turn of my colleague  T.A Abi with a vocabulary lesson.

Activity #1.Guessing game.

Students made groups, each groups had pieces of papers with lettres, T. A. Abi made mimics and gestures about the prepositions of movements that they studied the last class: over, under, into, through... etc. by using a box and a ball. Students had to use the pieces of papers with lettres to form the prepositions that they studied the last class.

It was a good activity, students likes activities in which they have to compete.

Activity #2. What were you doing during the week?

Students made groups to discuss the question "What were you doing during the week?

Activity #3. Descriptions.

Some students past in front of the board to take a picture of places of El Salvador. Students had to say somecharacteristics of those places.

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES.

T. A. Abi presented pictures about famous places around the world like: Niagara falls, The Sahara Desert, The Rocky Mountains, etc.. She taught the pronunciation of the words.

Activity #4. Listen and complete.

T.A. Abi. played and audio. the first time, students had to guess how many people were talking, and the second time they will have to complete an exercise from the text book.they compare answers with the whole class.

Activity #5. Speaking activity. 

T.A. Abi. gave to students a piece of paper with the name of a place around the world, Students had to talk about that place.

After the class of my colleague, it was my turn with a grammar lesson.

Activity #1. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child?

I wrote on the board the question "what was your favorite TV show when you were a child?

Students asked to the person next to them the question, then, some of them share their answers with the whole class.

Activity #2. Read and Identify.

I pasted on the board a poster with a short story in simple past and past continuous, I asked to students to identify the tense of the verbs in the story, This activity was for introduce the topic.

SIMPLE PAST & PAST CONTINUOS

I pasted some paper pages with the structures of simple past and past continuos, I explained the differences between both and their rules.  I emphasized the use of "when clauses" with simple past and "while clauses" with past continuos. then we practice with some exercises.

 Activity #3. Scrambled words.

Students made groups of 5; I gave to each group an envelope which had pieces of papers with words, Students had to form different sentences using the structures that were presented in class.This activity was useful to practise grammar structures.

PROJECTS.

This was an evaluated activity. Students worked in pairs to create a story about an amazing trip that they did in vacation, using simple past and past continuous.. They were very creative showing their stories with pictures and drawings.They presented their stories in front of the class.

They were really creative with their stories, I liked to see how much students have learned this was a good way to know it.

Note: I realized that time isn't enough. I couldn't finish my class because students had to present their projects and that was an evaluated activity, so I had to give them the chance to be prepare for their presentations for that reason, I asked to them to work in exercises from the text book as a homework.