Sunday, September 6, 2009

Using Step & Jump

Firstly, if you have it, USE IT
the students get tested on Step & Jump material, and it's not necessarily stuff you find in the book. It can be a good supplement for your curricular materials.
and furthermore, you can pick up phrases or conversational traditions and discuss them im more detail when theres extra time in your schedule (i've def. used it for afterschool classes before!)

Step and jump gets kids to listen to the cadence in your voice (as a native speaker)
and yes, it's repetetive and annoying sometimes (esp after doing this routine 6 times in a row), but repetetive is good when learning language, (and remember, the kids aren't repeating nearly as much as you!).

My S & J routine is as follows:
1) ENGLISH-ENGLISH line by line, say it twice in a row
first time: I break it down as slow as I can, breaking up words into syllables and longer pauses in between words, so they can tell the difference.
second time: say it as if you were saying the line
example: Kids, who-s e-ray-sssser is this? (Ss repeat) Kids, whose eraser is this? (Ss repeat)

2) ENGLISH-KOREAN
Teacher says line in conversational-speed English
Students repeat in Korean

3) KOREAN-ENGLISH
Students say the line in English
Teacher uses her busted up hanguel reading skills to sound out the Korean with the help of snickering kids.

I do this last one for two reasons.
firstly, the kids get a kick out of it, and secondly it is a good example to the kids. It shows that learning language is heard for everyone, and that it comes with effort. it's okay to ask for help, as I often do from my students, and it shows that you should try to do it, even if you think you will sound silly.

When I read aloud, I get to yell at the kids who make fun of (laugh about) my slow reading skill. I tell them that it's good I am trying, and that it's never nice to laugh at someone who tries, right? effort is effort and we should help each other out! I want my students who are having a hard time reading to see it's okay to read slowly. and sound it out. because that's the only way you learn!

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