I know that I complain about 1st grade a lot, but they really are some of the most impressive language learners at the school.
In 1st grade, they aren't embarrassed to speak in English and don't care if they make mistakes. My 6th graders can say a lot more substantial things than 1st grade, but they are inhibited by their fear that they will make a mistake.
First graders also pick up on vocabulary much faster than my other classes. Today, one of my 1st grade classes was taking a test--just to see how they are doing. One student asked me for help. I told him that since it was a test I couldn't help him.
I said, "Try. Try your best."
He said, "Qué significa?" What does it mean?
Me: "Intentar. Haz lo mejor que puedas."
Later, another student asked me for help, and the boy I helped earlier went up to her and very seriously and nodding his head reassuringly said, "Try. Try."
It was completely adorable.
Another student asked me, "Cómo se dice 'Espera.' en inglés?"
I told him "espera" means "wait" in English.
He turned to the student next to him and putting out his hand gently said, "Wait."
Some days I can't get over how cute these kids are when they speak English. Even though I've student Second Language Acquisition theory and I know that it's easier because they are so young, it's unbelievable how much they learn just from hearing me speak to them.
Picture of the Day:
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| Granada, Spain |
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