SPANISH:
ELENA POUSADA
INQUIRY RESULTS, 2013..............................................................................................
Sleepy Hollow High School
New York, NY |
Elena Pousada is a Foreign Language Teacher at Sleepy Hollow High School in Sleepy Hollow, NY (near Tarrytown, NY).
Sleepy Hollow High School serves an ethnically and socio-economically diverse student body from the villages of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown. Recently renovated and expanded, the school stands above the east bank of the Hudson River in southern Westchester County, approximately 20 miles north of New York City.. epousada at tufsd.org |
Inquiry Title:
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An Inquiry-Based Approach to the Imperative Mood in Spanish
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Inquiry Questions:
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If I allow my students to discover on their own the basic structures of the imperative mood (the command forms), and ask them to use these forms in authentic ways, will they be able to incorporate them in both the regular and irregular forms on a consistent basis?
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Contextual Information..................................................................................................
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What I did:
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Special Resources utilized in this inquiry
(i.e. websites, apps, books, etc.): |
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Data Evidence Plan
Data Sources |
Central Content Ideas Measured |
Measurement Tools |
Advice column
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Written production in real-life situations
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Journal entries, quizzes, unit test, advice column project
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Role-play
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Journal entries, quizzes, unit test, advice column project
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Use of commands in classroom work, especially round-robin activity
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Recipe
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Written production in authentic form
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Journal entries, quizzes, unit test, recipe project
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Commercial
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Persuasive writing in authentic form
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Journal entries, quizzes, unit test, commercial project
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Self-evaluation
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Reflective thought regarding pro’s and con’s of inquiry process
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Classroom discussion, journal entries on the topic
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Summary of Results..........................................................................................................
Results of student inquiry in
terms of my learning goals: |
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Evidence that was most useful to me in this
inquiry and what it reveals to me: |
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What my results suggest about
my initial inquiry question(s): |
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Samples of Student Work...................................................................................................
Examples of Student Work
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Quotes From Students
About What They Learned “…It’s better to work with others and find a way to learn ourselves instead of being just teached in the smartboard. When you can talk to others about it.”
“…it was much more interactive than just getting worksheets because it comes from our brains.” “…more group activities; everyone piggy backs and learns from each other very well!” “…it was more interactive than just sitting there and being told.” “…it gets boring when the teacher feeds us the steps.” “…it allowed us to think for ourselves which we never usually do.” “…we had to learn it ourself, and we actually learned it that way.” “…you do more than just sitting and writing. It’s more fun and less boring doing these projects.” “…it made me think about what to put to make sense, and how to get to the right word.” “…we had hands-on projects to do to learn how to apply the mandates in your project.” “…what worked well was the way we could personalize it and make it our own.” “…I think it’s better because it makes me understand the rules better.” “…there was different things to help out other than just boring notes.” “…we learned a lot faster and judging by my test grades, it helped me out as well.” |
Reflections: Backwards Look and Forwards Look........................................................
What I have learned about Inquiry:
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Frustration is part of inquiry. It is NOT a negative part, however. It is the natural product of testing and refining hypotheses. It was fascinating to watch the students struggle, and “hate” it, and then see their faces light up when they got it. I think they felt more personal pride in their achievement because of inquiry.
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What's next for my students and my teaching approach:
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I think that inquiry naturally deepens understanding, and I will use inquiry at every possible step. I keep learning how to withhold information and give easy answers, which is hard for a teacher!
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How I plan to share my results with the community:
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I have shared my experience extensively with my department, and have been a spokesperson for inquiry within my school. I have also hooked the director of a private school (who just happens to be my husband!) on inquiry, and he is actively pursuing it as well as guiding his teachers to incorporate it into their teaching.
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