Himitsu no messe-ji and the mummified chicken.

I’m working on writing a follow-up to my great Egypt lesson for one of the schools.

Technically I have my lessons plans I do for all of the schools each semester and then, if it is a school where I teach a grade more than once per semester we have some wiggle room, they can make thematic suggestions but they can’t just dump shit in my lap last minute and I don’t do Christmas/Halloween/thanksgiving…

School X has requested that I do the alphabet next week with 6^th graders. The problem is it is one of the schools where I went more than once a semester per grade　last year. It was one of the two schools I tested out the Egypt lesson, which is my alphabet and greetings lesson for upper grades, with 5^th and 6^th graders…so these students have already done my alphabet lesson. And, this echoes what they are starting to learn with the new textbooks…which is well and good but I think flogging children with just the alphabet for alphabet sake is a quick way to get them to stop paying attention in class. Last year’s Egypt lesson proved to teachers that these students don’t really need to be taught the ABC’s, they already know them. What they need is to use the ABC’s.

When I test new lesson plans for the upper levels I try to test them only with 6th gaders, so the next year I won't have to keep track of who did what.

The school says I can just use last year’s lesson, because it will be good review…but I can’t. My lesson plans are about cognative thinking and problem solving skills and reviewing or learning new vocabulary is part of that but it isn’t the thrust. These lessons aren’t design to review grammar points, they are designed to push how kids approach problem soloving. Putting students in situations where they don’t understand what to do or say, but giving them enough verbal and visual clues so they figure it out, is at the core of my lesson plans.

I can’t show them Tito dancing again because they already know where he’s from. I can’t have them write their name in heirogylphics again, because now they know that’s what they need to do and won’t struggle through the English set up to figure it out for themselves because they will remember.  I need to kick it up another level.

So, I am brainstorming now.

( More )

Himitsu no messe-ji and the mummified chicken.

I’m working on writing a follow-up to my great Egypt lesson for one of the schools.

Technically I have my lessons plans I do for all of the schools each semester and then, if it is a school where I teach a grade more than once per semester we have some wiggle room, they can make thematic suggestions but they can’t just dump shit in my lap last minute and I don’t do Christmas/Halloween/thanksgiving…

School X has requested that I do the alphabet next week with 6^th graders. The problem is it is one of the schools where I went more than once a semester per grade　last year. It was one of the two schools I tested out the Egypt lesson, which is my alphabet and greetings lesson for upper grades, with 5^th and 6^th graders…so these students have already done my alphabet lesson. And, this echoes what they are starting to learn with the new textbooks…which is well and good but I think flogging children with just the alphabet for alphabet sake is a quick way to get them to stop paying attention in class. Last year’s Egypt lesson proved to teachers that these students don’t really need to be taught the ABC’s, they already know them. What they need is to use the ABC’s.

When I test new lesson plans for the upper levels I try to test them only with 6th gaders, so the next year I won't have to keep track of who did what.

The school says I can just use last year’s lesson, because it will be good review…but I can’t. My lesson plans are about cognative thinking and problem solving skills and reviewing or learning new vocabulary is part of that but it isn’t the thrust. These lessons aren’t design to review grammar points, they are designed to push how kids approach problem soloving. Putting students in situations where they don’t understand what to do or say, but giving them enough verbal and visual clues so they figure it out, is at the core of my lesson plans.

I can’t show them Tito dancing again because they already know where he’s from. I can’t have them write their name in heirogylphics again, because now they know that’s what they need to do and won’t struggle through the English set up to figure it out for themselves because they will remember.  I need to kick it up another level.

So, I am brainstorming now.

( More )

Leg cramps

I think I overdid it on the dance practice, the zumba, and all without upping my water and foods. Wrong time to be like that. I have four restaurants gigs on top of my regular workload this week, let’s see if I pace myself correctly. (The line up is Monday:Ancrya, Weds: Bosphorus Hasan, Thurs: Ala Turca and back to Ancyra for Saturday).

 

I’m wearing my Tim Burton-esque minimal costume tonight. Tuesday I’ll figure out my sets for Weds and Thursday and use the same costume for both. For all train journeys I’ve packed my Eman skirt to do mobile beading on (the beads, not the mesh)

 

Not enough water is the only reason I can see for the amazingly painful leg cramps that pulled me from sleep last night and almost made me cry. My right calve still hurts from cramps and spastic twitching. I don’t remember being woken from sleep with leg cramps like this since I was in art school and hitting the No-doze a little too hard.

 

In zill news, I’ve ordered a pair of Zildan FX dancer’s zills. I tried Mika’s new pair when we did lunch and really fell in love with their tone. They are heavy, but I figure I’ll use them for extending drilling first before I transition them into performance. I figure once I am used to them, I’ll be prepared for any weight of zills.

Leg cramps

I think I overdid it on the dance practice, the zumba, and all without upping my water and foods. Wrong time to be like that. I have four restaurants gigs on top of my regular workload this week, let’s see if I pace myself correctly. (The line up is Monday:Ancrya, Weds: Bosphorus Hasan, Thurs: Ala Turca and back to Ancyra for Saturday).

 

I’m wearing my Tim Burton-esque minimal costume tonight. Tuesday I’ll figure out my sets for Weds and Thursday and use the same costume for both. For all train journeys I’ve packed my Eman skirt to do mobile beading on (the beads, not the mesh)

 

Not enough water is the only reason I can see for the amazingly painful leg cramps that pulled me from sleep last night and almost made me cry. My right calve still hurts from cramps and spastic twitching. I don’t remember being woken from sleep with leg cramps like this since I was in art school and hitting the No-doze a little too hard.

 

In zill news, I’ve ordered a pair of Zildan FX dancer’s zills. I tried Mika’s new pair when we did lunch and really fell in love with their tone. They are heavy, but I figure I’ll use them for extending drilling first before I transition them into performance. I figure once I am used to them, I’ll be prepared for any weight of zills.