Mackenzee CO #3

For the third class observation I sat in Leslie Wagner’s group 3A speaking class. Our agenda for the day focused a lot on correcting speaking errors students had made from a previous class. She had the following errors written on the board:

1.     When was the last time you see her?

2.     When I hear the scream, I was dancing.

3.     I know her since we were in school. (present perfect)

4.     Where you were at 8:30?

5.     She did not seem interested in what I am saying.

6.     The last person who saw her that is Patricia.

The flow of the classroom was very open and conversational as we went over what was wrong with the sentences on the board, which I think also added to the speaking focus of the class. Everyone had a chance to talk and correct the mistakes on the board. For the most part, students were able to correct the mistakes themselves and found the right answers on their own. Ms. Wagner was there to help guide them in the right direction a few times when they were close but not quite finding the best answer. After we went over the mistakes, we did a worksheet that we also used in the cultural workshop. It was an “iceberg” culture worksheet that allowed for the students to talk as a class about aspects of culture that are both above and below the surface. The class just talked aloud and shared their experiences from their own cultures and Ms. Wagner would correct them if they made speaking errors. It was nice to see the class all wanting to participate and volunteer to provide input for the discussion, because it was about a topic that pertained them and sparked everyones interest.