Zachary Backes - CO 3

6/13/12

Early this morning I got to attend Felicia's Ciappetta's Reading Class. After introducing myself to the class I noticed the stark contrast between a late afternoon class and an early morning one. Mainly that the instructor must battle drooping eyes, slouched postures, and languid malaise along with the normal combatants that come with teaching a second language to students.

I myself was one of the drooping heads, I hate to admit. But Felicia was pretty impressive in getting the class some momentum. She started by asking everyone to pull out their vocabulary and begin reciting the meanings individually, a good tactic to get those nodding heads to pop back up. She even got me to read off one and gives it's definition.

The she moved on to producing a short passage, much like the one Talal had shown me earlier in the week. The students were paired off and I was given free reign to jump from group to group as Felicia was doing. The task was to read the passage and underline words that they knew form their vocabulary and circle words that they were unsure about.

One thing I really liked was how Felicia had dictionaries waiting on each table to help the students look up the words they didn't know. I got the feeling that she had chosen this story on Mark Twain, a Great American author, because she knew some of the words would be challenging enough o make the students search for them.

Each group compiled the words they were not sure about in a list and found the definitions for each, then presented them to the class. By the time they had all finished not a droopy eye or head could be found. While not being overly abrasive in her teaching style Felicia was still able to get everyone, including me, engaged in the lesson. Something I am greatly impressed by.

I had never really thought about how the time of day could actually effect my teaching style but after watching this lesson I have a much better understanding of the effects. Early mornings need motivation while end of the day classes need focusing activities since most students are ready to be done by that time. It's not a lesson I plan to forget.