Weekly summary!

Hi everyone!

I am going to do a summary of the last week classes. It's been a while without writing because we were off for the Easter Holidays, plus, instead of writing after each session, I decided to write about the whole week -it was easier for me to catch up!.

These days the students had been finishing Unit 5, about the planet Earth, recycling, etc. They had been reviewing the materials with my tutor; using videos, remembering vocabulary, grammar structures...And yesterday they finally had the exam.

In this unit I took the chance to implement an activity -half from the textbook and partly from my own experience. We used some pictures from the Recycling Art Festival called DrapArt in Barcelona, and we used them to talk about the materials there were made of, the uses of what was seen, etc. Their first reaction was to laugh at the pics (some showed dresses made of newspapers, earring made of cans and so on). They wrote down the info and then explained in loud. That was kinda cool, because it was the first time I could explain them something and see them react to my own activity.

In another session they also took the exam about the reading book "Missing in Sydney", they had to attach also a list with the irregular verbs found in the book. The vast majority of the class didn't give it out. Which brings me to another point I would like to comment. After I had designed my Unit and chatted with my tutor about it, I came to realize that this class has a big handicap, which is the lack of motivation of some students and also the fact that a bunch of them never do the homework.

These are problems I have to keep in mind while implementing my unit, and also I should start thinking about extra activities for those high achivers. The class level isn't bad, the thing is that some students have a really good level and they show interest for the class, while other don't seem to care at all.

I am please with my unit, and with the fact that my tutor likes it (which was a key point to me). Apparently I will have enough material to cover the hours and also the skills demanded. I put a lot of effort in it, trying to design imaginative activities, suiting them to their different levels and interests. For instance, I know that few of them are really into hip-hop and rock, so I adapt some of the activities to fit with their interests, therefore they will be more keen to do the homework, since they know the material and they like it.

I think pretty much that's it! Basically we've been reviewing the unit using different materials (from the Audiolab, to the classic photocopies and blackboard exercises), plus taking some tests, giving out homework and so on.

Ah! The other day we celebrate Saint George at the school. We had class early in the morning, but then we went to the theatre next to the center and there the students saw a play starring their teachers. I wish I could have stayed longer, but my schedule is pretty tight and I had to get back to Bellaterra.

Well, I think I am done now!
I will see you later.