senoracmt

5 days, 5 ways- How can I come closer to the 90%? Day 3

You’ve heard it, maybe even said it, a picture says 1000 words… And it does, doesn’t it?? So if that picture says so many words, why not use it to get some good discussion going in class??

Here are 3 ways to use a picture:
1. Back story- project your photo and discuss it with the class. When they know what the photo is, ask them to give you the back story. This activity works really well with pictures of scared or sad people!

2. What comes next- after the class has discussed the photo, ask them what they think will happen next. This works well with photos of people dropping things!

3. Alternate meaning- some pictures seem easy to interpret but what if there were another (more sinister or funny) meaning behind the image? Ask students what is REALLY happening in the photo! Ex: a photo of a couple on a dinner date. Seems obvious, right? Maybe not! Maybe he is a criminal and she is the unsuspecting victim but the man at the next table (who seems to not be paying attention) is an undercover officer…. There are endless possibilities!

Take those 1000 words and use them to create meaningful language with your class!!

Published by senoracmt

I began teaching Spanish in Illinois in 1994. I have taught levels 1-4 in a small rural high school, 8th grade introductory Spanish, Biology 1, and 101 and 102 at the community college level. My Spanish classes are partnered with the community college to offer students 8 semester hours of dual credit on completion of Spanish 4. In 2011 I met Carol Gaab and Kristy Placido and have since co-authored the book "La hija del sastre" with Carol Gaab and authored the novels "La Calaca Alegre", "Bianca Nieves y los 7 toritos." "Vector," "48 horas","Bananas", "Sostenible", and "Papálotl" through Fluency Matters. In 2006 I became National Board certified and I have been serving as a mentor both for candidates seeking certification in world languages other than English and a virtual mentor for candidates in all certificate areas. I completed my Masters degree in Spanish education in 2011 and did my research on the use of Understanding by Design to create meaningful cultural units for the language classroom. I am a frequent presenter on this topic, please consider me if you are interested in a workshop on backward design. In 2013 I was named the ICTFL Foreign Language teacher of the year and in 2014 I was selected as CSCTFL's teacher of the year. In November of 2014 I was lucky enough to be one of the five finalists for the ACTFL National Teacher of the Year in San Antonio, TX. What a "Cinderella" experience! You can reach me via email at carrie at somewheretoshare dot com.

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