Teach-in-CORES Teacher’s Manual

Fall 2014 Welcome to C.O.R.E.S. Logistics & Scheduling C.O.R.E.S. Center Info Teaching Methods & Class Outline Teacher Resources

Contact Information:

Email: Teachincores@gmail.com

Harsha’s Cell: 508-250-8526

Emily’s Cell: 949-374-4385

Maya’s Cell: 914-330-3062

Alex’s Cell: 916-539-4117

Center: (617) 623-5322

Teaching Partner:

Name:

Number:

Sub Buddies:

1. Name:

Number:

2. Name:

Number:

Website:

www.teachincores.weebly.com

Welcome to CORES!We are so excited to start a new year of Teach-in-CORES! CORES, the Committee on Refugees from El Salvador, is a community-based organization of Tufts students who teach English and civics to local immigrants in the Somerville area. CORES offers an exciting opportunity to interact with our neighboring community and engage in cultural exchange with the local immigrant population.

This year we are CORES. We hope to have more teacher bonding events, more fundraising, and more effective training and teacher preparation. We are always looking for new ideas for how to teach classes and structure the organization. We value your help and feedback.

With your support and participation, this should be an amazing semester.

We love CORES and hope you will too!

Besos,

Your CORES E-BOARDEmily, Harsha, Maya, Alex, Cynthia, Gabriella, and Mitch

Logistics and SchedulingYour Weekly Time Commitment

● 2 hrs in the classroom (see schedule)● 30 minutes preparing for class (on your time)● 45 minute meeting on Wednesday @ 8:45

Weekly Teacher Meetings

Level Meetings are the primary source of communication between teachers and CORES eboard. They are critical for identifying and resolving problems within the classroom as well as scheduling conflicts. During Level Meetings teachers will recap the past week of classes and collaborate to create material for the following week. Additionally teachers will update the existing Curriculum reflective of the outcomes and problems that arose during the most recent class. By joining CORES you are committing to this once weekly, half-hour meeting in addition to your 2 hour teaching slot. WHEN: Wednesdays, 8:45 pmWHERE: Eaton 202WHO: All CORES teachers must attend level meetings.

ORDER OF EVENTS: Collective Meeting to address upcoming events or commonly experienced problems. Divide into individual levels:

1. Review student attendance2. Discuss commonly experienced problems, lecture-based or personal3. Update curriculum to reflect the learning obstacles4. Plan for Thursday class to wrap up the past week. 5. Review and edit curriculum for the following week.6. Plan any substitutions.*

*Remember! If you need a sub, ask your two sub buddies first! If they are unavailable ask anyone else teaching your level. Only if none of your 7 co-teachers can cover should you ask eboard to arrange a substitute for you. Questions to ask during level meetings:

What grammatical knowledge is necessary before we teach this lesson? Which students need more attention; can one teacher devote extra time to them? What activities go best with this lesson plan? Do we need to create any graphics or download any material for the following week?

Level meetings are also the opportunity for CORES teachers to address any problems they have in the classroom or otherwise. E-board members will be present to assist you! We appreciate your feedback and know that it is critical for creating a sustainable and effective club.

Rules and ExpectationsWe are very excited to have such a talented and committed team of CORES teachers. We want you to have a

good time this semester but we also expect you to bring a certain level of professionalism to class. Students

sacrifice their valuable time and some even pay to attend CORES classes, therefore, it is essential that you

come on time and prepared for your lessons. Teacher meetings are mandatory and important to creating

effective classes. If you cannot make it, be sure to communicate with your co-teacher before class so you are

adequately prepared. If you cannot make it to your class, it is crucial you find a replacement, see Sub Policy

for more information.

Teaching Methods and Class OutlineClass Structure

Classes are taught in teams of two Tufts students per class. Class sizes range from 5-15 students. We teach three levels of English and a Citizenship class.

Sub Policy: If

you cannot

make it to a

class, contact

your sub-

buddies first.

If neither of

your sub-

buddies can

make it, try

to find

another

teacher in

● Level 1 (Beginning). Little to no knowledge of English, basic grammar and vocabulary. ● Level 2 (Intermediate) Students are more comfortable with English but still make critical

grammar mistakes. ● Level 3 (Advanced) Students can communicate in English but look to refine and broaden

advanced grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. ● Citizenship (Preparation for the US Citizenship Exam) Students learn basic US history and civics,

focus on oral pronunciation and writing.*

Unlike many other teaching organizations, CORES gives teachers the freedom to design lessons and to teach “off book”. CORES does not enforce a rigid/memorized curriculum, but instead encourages natural conversation between students and teachers.

CORES classes are each 2 hours long, one hour will be devoted to a curriculum and level based grammatical lesson, and the other hour will be devoted to interactive exercises with the students.

Grammatical lesson will be given to you (teachers) as a “teacher worksheet” at the beginning of the week. This is a concise packet of information that you will have to unpack and explain to the students. Therefore it is important you review lesson yourself before the week starts. Lessons will be reviewed in level meetings and will be posted on the website.

- Please start your class with a 15 minute warm up- these conversations are just to get your students talking, the topics of conversation do not have to pertain to the week’s topic

- In this hour you will write on the board and student should be taking notes into their own notebooks. You will have to think of other examples/example sentences to write on the board. Teach slowly!

Please fill the second hour of class interactive activities that both challenge the students and provide them with a fun learning opportunity. This is the section where you can be most creative!

General Class Outline (feel free to add/subtract as it is appropriate for your students)

10-15 minute warm up

45 minutes for new curriculum

10 -15 minute Conversation in English Introduce as "tiempo de charlar"

o Teachers may have to start/do most of the speaking the first few weeks. But try and have the students all contribute.

o Starting ideas: Weekend plans (upcoming or in the past) Favorite foods/movies/TV shows/ music/colors Family: siblings, children etc.

15 minute Pronunciation/Alphabet Write confusing words on the board practice saying them as a group and individually.

o Within the first few classes teachers should notice "problem words/phrases" use these often.o Repetition is key in this section.

Examples:

Sub Policy: If

you cannot

make it to a

class, contact

your sub-

buddies first.

If neither of

your sub-

buddies can

make it, try

to find

another

teacher in

o Somerville (and the difference between b and v)o How are YOU (not "chu” or “ju”) doing?o Have the class come up with as many words as they can that start with the same letter.o Advanced students can say words that start with the letter the previous word ends with.

Don't be afraid to teach them by explaining what shapes to make with your mouth! Be silly if need be. Many students are self conscious about their pronunciation so make them feel comfortable.

10 minute Dictation

Come up with sentences before hand and read them out loud while the students write what they hear. Repeat up to 3 times. Check work individually, and then as a group. Speak slowly, and encourage all

students to try- many will just stare at the page if they feel uncomfortable. 10-15 minute Dialogue

Either create your own skit, or use a book from the center. Pick at least 2 students to read the dialogue out loud, while other students read along. Try and have all students read. Choose funny or entertaining dialogues if possible.

After reading dialogue, have a short discussion about what happened during the dialogue 15-20 minute Games

You can make this section as interactive/competitive as you want, and based on the dynamic of your group.

Plan games ahead of class individually or at teacher meetings You can set up teams (rotational or permanent) or individual. You can keep score week to week, day by

day, or not at all. You can bring in prizes but this is not necessary. It is important to encourage students to only use English while playing the games—even when they’re strategizing with each other

See the Teaching Resources section for game ideas ** Though we have planned out a basic curriculum, you will be designing/planning activities and lessons during level meetings **

REMEMBER: Throughout these activities you may have the opportunity to go on a tangent and teach something else. If the opportunity presents itself, take it. We feel it is more important to teach small lessons as they come up. Students may learn at a different pace than the planned curriculum. Students understanding is much more important than following the curriculum. Tailor the classes to student’s needs, speed through concepts they find easy and take more time on concepts they find difficult.

Additionally, be careful not to single the person who made the mistake out. Share the information with the class but do so subtly- you don't want to embarrass the student.

Standardizing the Classroom

Many of our students have very limited or zero experience in a formal learning setting. Even those that have experience in their home countries face the challenges of learning wi th American teaching techniques. Not all students are literate, most are unfamiliar with note-taking

Sub Policy: If

you cannot

make it to a

class, contact

your sub-

buddies first.

If neither of

your sub-

buddies can

make it, try

to find

another

teacher in

strategies. Establishing a consistency in how our teachers present information can be very helpful for the way our students learn. We ask that you follow a few simple rules for presenting information!

Short notations: Indent.Ex.Def.

Translations: dash, maintain capitalization Ex. bienvenidos- welcome

Warnings: exclamation pointEx. Careful!Ex. Remember!

General Tips:

Limit punctuation marks! Especially for lower levels, adding extra punctuation marks can be confusing. Students may mistake a colon for a period, or even lowercase “i” Parentheses are sometimes mistaken for letters. Avoid contractions until they have been specifically covered in a lesson. Bullets can be diamonds or arrows instead of dots.

Space Carefully! Exaggerate spaces between words for readability. Erase the board frequently, but ask first!

Oversee students’ notes. Although students may claim to understand and have written down the material, this is not always the case. Be sure that they’re writing down the important concepts. Suggest section titles, or a designated page for vocab translations to avoid clutter.

We trust your judgment and encourage you to customize your teaching to your own personal style and the needs of the class! Please just keep this notation in mind so students associate the representation of information with

Teaching Do’s and Don’ts DO:

● Come prepared and with energy.● Think critically about what you like in a teacher, and what you don’t.

● Take opportunities to integrate literacy building into your teaching. ● Write on the board. Have students write what you write. Correct spelling, even if it slows you down.● Make sure your students know the difference between “e” and “i.” ● Get to know your students personally; share your contact information if you feel comfortable doing so.● Once you have your students’ contact info, reach out and remind them about class and homework. It

seems weird, but some just need that extra encouragement and personal connection.● Use music, movement, photos or even artistic projects.● Integrate as much American history, culture and civics as you can into your language classes.● Share details about your life with students. The more comfortable they feel, the more they participate.● Use the provided lesson plans as bases, but elaborate on them and add person touches. ● Keep in contact with teachers from other nights to keep lessons current.● Use as much English as possible! ● Split up the class with your co-teacher, some students may need more personalized attention● Share successful tips, tricks and lesson plans and ideas with the whole group.● Be understanding, yet firm about attendance and homework problems. ● Assess student understanding as you go. ● Take it one day at a time. Your job is not to teach them the whole English language in a semester.● Be understanding of student cultural and socioeconomic situations, and learn from them. ● Have fun! Your students will too.

DON’T:● Come unprepared or miss class! Students sacrifice a lot of their time to attend these classes. ● Speak quickly with your co-teacher in English in front of your students. It’s hard to realize how much

this isolates them.● Worry if you hit a wall. Change the approach or change the topic.● Be boring! Make lessons engaging and applicable to real life.● Forget to be sensitive to your students’ feelings. Sometimes you will need to adjust the amount of

English you speak to make them feel comfortable. Like I said, strive for bilingualism.● Turn your back to your students. Make eye contact and stay engaged. ● Teach strictly from the book.● Dismiss student’s questions. Even if you don’t have enough time to fully explain it, give them an

adequate answer and move on. If they are still confused, tell them to speak with you after class. ● Get ahead of yourself. Before your students master conjugating “to go” in the present tense, don’t

teach the preterit. It’s tempting to go into grammatical ramble mode (especially for us language nerds), but it’s generally not in the best interest of student learning.

● Don’t speed through the curriculum; student understanding is the main goal.

Teaching Resources:Activity Ideas:

English hangman Jeopardy

Pick the correct sentence (write 5 or 4 sentences all the same in meaning, with slight grammatical differences but only 1 correct sentence).

English taboo (you may have to come up with the words, so they are easy enough) Fill in the blank song lyrics (see which team has the most correct) English charades (good for practicing vocabulary words) Photo matching (have students match photos to words/phrases, can be written or verbal depending on

whether you’re focusing on spelling or pronunciation) Guessing famous people (each student takes a turn choosing the celebrity, the other students ask yes

or no questions to guess the famous person) *this game can be played with other categories too (ex: replace an action with a fake word, guess the fake word)

Two truths and a lie: have each student write down 2 truthful facts about themselves and one lie the other students need to guess what is true

See next page for upper level situational practices

Useful Websites: For Tips and Activities

About Education: English as a Second Languagehttp://esl.about.com/

ESL New Teacher Resource Guidehttp://www.lasc.edu/students/bridges-to-success/documents/NewInstructorCALPRO.pdf

Tips for Teaching ESL Beginners and Pre-Literate Adultshttp://iteslj.org/Techniques/Andrews-Beginners.html

Busy Teacher: What Every Teacher of Adult ESL Students Needs to Knowhttp://busyteacher.org/10366-what-every-teacher-adult-esl-students-needs-know.html

The Guardian Teach Network: Teaching Resources for English as a Foreign Languagehttp://www.theguardian.com/education/teacher-blog/2013/jun/18/teaching-resources-english-as-foreign-language

US Citizen and Immigration Serviceshttp://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/see-all-section-items-title/Beginning%20Level/55257?destination=node/41141

CORES Situational Practice (for upper level classes)

These skits are designed to mimic real-world situations. Practice with these scenarios aims to create a familiar and comfortable environment for students with the goal of producing their own speech and feeling more prepared for real-world encounters.

Read the roles of every character aloud. As a group define certain terms. Have students write down key words to use in their dialogues, but avoid simply reading a prepared script.

GROCERY STORE-- CUSTOMER 1: Cannot find an item in the grocery store. ATTENDANT: Offers information on the item and goes off to look for it. CUSTOMER 2: Does not think Customer 1 should buy the item. CASHIER: Checks out the Customers.

ON THE BUS PASSENGER 1: Seated in reserved seat, does not want to give it up. PASSENGER 2: Standing, insists that PASSENGER 1 move for ELDERLY PERSON. ELDERLY PERSON: Does not want to accept the offered seat. DRIVER: Demands that PASSENGER 1 give up his seat.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE TEACHER: Explains the student’s bad behavior in class. PARENT: At first does not believe teacher, only ADMINISTRATOR can convince him. STUDENT: Denies all claims of bad behavior. ADMINISTRATOR: Shows school records of STUDENT discipline.

RESTAURANT CUSTOMER 1: Not happy with the quality of the food, asks for WAITRESS. WAITRESS: Asks about the meal. CUSTOMER 2: Experiences the same problem with the food, asks for MANAGER MANAGER: Offers meal vouchers to CUSTOMERS to compensate.

CRIME REPORT VICTIM: Had her purse stolen in the street, calls POLICE OFFICER. POLICE OFFICER: Questions the VICTIM, but cannot verify information. ACCUSED: Denies all claims of guilt. WITNESS: Gives a physical description of the ACCUSED.

CONCERT OR MOVIE THEATER SPECTATOR 1: Excited about her first concert, of her favorite band. SPECTATOR 2: Sees BAND MEMBER leaving the stage. TICKET TAKER: Checks bags for prohibited items. BAND MEMBER: Offers autograph to SPECTATORS.

POLICE STOP DRIVER: Makes an illegal u-turn when coming home from a bar. PASSENGER: Underage and has been drinking. POLICE OFFICER: Questions both PASSENGERS about their inebriation.

HARDWARE STORE CLIENT: Needs a specific screwdriver. SALESPERSON: Tries to help CLIENT find screwdriver, but gives another tool. MANAGER: Finds the right screwdriver, calms the frustrated CLIENT.

PHARMACY CUSTOMER 1: Needs an over the counter medication for pain.

CUSTOMER 2: Recommends Medication A to CUSTOMER 1. PHARMACIST: Does not let CUSTOMER 1 take Medication A due to

existing condition.

DOCTOR´S OFFICE PATIENT: Asks to see the DOCTOR immediately due to chest pain. RECEPTIONIST: Tells PATIENT that the DOCTOR is with another patient. DOCTOR: Calls 911 for fear PATIENT is having a heart attack.

NEIGHBORHOOD OR APARTMENT MEETING RESIDENT 1: Has a leak in his house, but does not want to pay to fix it. RESIDENT 2: Lives in the floor below RESIDENT 1 and has water

damage; demands that R1 fix the leak. RESIDENT 3: Claims RESIDENT 2 smokes in a non-smoking building. RESIDENT 4: Moderates the meeting, does not accuse anyone, tries to

come up with a compromise.

CAR DEALERSHIP CLIENT 1: Wants to buy a car, but does not have a specific model in mind. SALESPERSON: Helps CLIENT 1 decide on Car X, then fills out the paperwork. CLIENT 2: Wants to buy Car X because he has spent months looking for that specific model. MANAGER:

ELECTRICAL-PLUMBING ISSUE RESIDENT: Smells gas in the house and calls the gas company. COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE (PHONE): Advises RESIDENT to leave the house, dispatches TECHNICIAN. TECHNICIAN/PLUMBER: Investigates the gas smell, consoles RESIDENT.

ELECTRONIC STORE CLIENT: Wants to buy new computer, has very little knowledge. SALESPERSON: Tries to sell CLIENT the most expensive computer. TECHNICIAN: Advises CLIENT which computer to buy based on his needs.

FAMILY VACATION MOTHER: Wants to go to a tropical vacation, very expensive. DAUGHTER: Wants to go to a city for shopping. FATHER: Wants to go fishing in the mountains. SON: Wants to see a sporting event.

CLOTHING STORE CLIENT 1: Shopping for a dress to wear on a first date. CLIENT 2: Gives CLIENT 1 dating advice. SALESPERSON: Tries to sell CLIENTS the most expensive items. CASHIER: Checks out the CLIENTS and offers advice.

Center Contact Info and Location

Committee On Refugees from El Salvador (CORES)

Founder and Director: Marcos GarciaPrimary Contact: Rosa Garcia

Phone numbers: (617) 623-5322, (857) 363-0737

Address: 343 Medford St Somerville, MA 02145 (Suite 3b)

Bus Route: 80 to Lechmere Station, School St. stop

Bus and Driving Directions: