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Week 3

Assignments

Identifiying the problem As teachers we can see some common verb tense errors in fifth graders

Here are some of the most frequent mistakes to look out in their speaking and writing:

  • Inconsistent shifting: Students may start a story in the past tense and then accidentally “drift” into the present, especially during an exciting part of the narrative.
  • Incorrect irregular verbs: English has many irregular past tense verbs (e.g., go, becomes went, not goed), and fifth graders commonly overgeneralize the “ed” ending.
  • Missing helping verbs: In continuous tenses, students may omit the auxiliary verb, such as “He playing soccer” instead of “He is playing soccer”.
  • Presente tense instead of past: In storrytelling, a student might say, “Yesterday, I go to the park” instead of the correct past tense, went.

Doing my research While doing my research I found this amazing ideas:

  1. Direct and interactive teaching.
  2. Contestualized learning and story telling.
  3. Error correction and editing.
  4. Game-based practice* .

My favorite and the one I’ll focus on this project is Game-based practice. I got some ideas on We are Teachers web page:

Ideas

I have developed several ideas for developing a tool to create an engaging, educational game for my students.

The Process

I started with the creation of the Box using the Falcon 2 machine to cut the piece of redwood. We visited the page Boxes.pyLink name

Initially, we had to program the cutter four times to successfully cut the box components. After assembling the pieces, we found that they did not fit together properly. We then reattempted the process using the “Falcon 2” machine, which achieved a perfect cut. However, we discovered that the design itself was not entirely accurate, as some parts overlapped and did not fit as intended. To resolve this, we adjusted the dimensions of the assembly holes, used a small handheld drill to remove excess material, and sanded the surfaces to obtain a clean and polished finish.

Final Product

Tools

  • Creality Falcon 2 -Laser Cutter
  • Pieces of redwood
  • handheld drill
  • Filer

Reflection

Ideas for the future with the laser cutter: The first activity that comes to mind is a timeline with the same size and dimensions as a 30 cm wooden ruler, on which the past, present, and future are engraved. Students can visually position a small wooden figurine that can move along the middle of the timeline depending on the tense they want to talk or write about. This will serve as a visual aid for them, and it can be used by learners of any age who are studying English as a second language. Objective: Students are able to communicate ideas expressed both orally and in writing using the correct tenses. My second activity could be to create and cut out a map of Guatemala and engrave the name of each of its departments so that the children can use it as a puzzle while simultaneously memorizing the geographical position and name of each one. This would be intended for elementary school students in social studies class. Objective: Students are able to name and identify the different departments of Guatemala. Reflecting in my own practice… When I prepare a lesson, I take into consideration the students’ age, their prior knowledge, the materials I will use, the activities I will carry out to connect, teach, practice, and assess the topic covered, as well as other details that support the specific activity. About my previous experiences with socio- emotional learning Depending on the topic and/or activity to be carried out, I always take each of my students into consideration—their personalities, strengths, and skills. Whether they work individually or in groups, I assign specific tasks, something I know they will be able to accomplish, knowing that their curiosity and motivation will encourage them to go further. This not only allows them to feel confident but also motivates them to support one another, while I guide the process as a facilitator. In certain specific cases in which more is required of them than they are able to produce due to factors beyond my control, curricular modifications or accommodations have been made. These are proposed by me and approved by the institution. In this way, we seek to support their emotional well-being.

This lesson made me think not only on my students with certain learning difficulties but the ones who are facing phisical changes or missing some abillities due healthy issues.