A2LP - Ann Arbor Languages Partnership

Happy last week of classes! We have one final LTA spotlight to end the year. We are so proud of all the hard work that our LTAs have put in this year!

LTA spotlight: Maansi Dalmia
Lesson taught: Our own lesson about colors and clothes

"My favorite activity we did was on our last day of teaching and it was with our Bitmoji's. We created several different Bitmojis, each with a different outfit on and had the students work as a class to identify what type of clothing we were wearing and what color it was."

LTA spotlight of the week: Annie Pellegrini

Lesson taught: mi familia

"This week, our students are learning about family. To top off the unit and allow them to apply the vocabulary to their own lives, students will be making their own family trees in Spanish!"

LTA Spotlight: Seamus Lynch

Lesson: 6.4

"This week, we talked about where people might prefer to go on vacation: the beach or the countryside. This used information from previous classes about what specific things are at those places, and what activities one can do there. We also watched one of the A2LP movies, which featured the characters talking about their preferences. We then had the students come up to the front in pairs and ask a partner where they would like to travel, and why. The kids love to act."

Feliz lunes!

Today we have a LTA spotlight: Leah Burmeister

Lesson taught: Unit 6 Lesson 4

"I have the privilege to teach a wonderful and energetic group of students. They are so full of life and energy, some teachers may be overwhelmed by this energy but I strive to utilize it to my advantage. In every lesson, I incorporate a lot of movement into the lesson itself. I always open with a movement activity, then I introduce new vocabulary at a pace fast enough that students do not get bored but still at a pace where they are able to learn. My philosophy is to “Let fourth graders be fourth graders” by this I do not mean that they should be allowed to do whatever they want but that I should use the gifts that they have to their advantage. At this age one of their gifts is energy! After vocabulary, I moved to an activity where we applied the new vocabulary to the game four corners where students were able to move around the room and demonstrate their understanding. When class ended, I was filled with satisfaction that students had fun but also learned and were able to apply what they learned to an activity."

Today in seminar, we practiced with sequencing our lessons and thinking about preparing for when things go wrong!

LTA spotlight: Lanie Essex

"To start off unit 7, my fellow TAs and I taught our students vocabulary associated with professions. It is always super fun to teach vocabulary because we teach each new word/phrase with a creative motion. Our kids get super into the motions which makes teaching our kiddos even more fun!"

Happy Wednesday!

Today we have a LTA spotlight: Shelby Benham
Lesson: Exam Review

"This week we were reviewing for their unit 5 and 6 exam, so we played a game called Asiento Caliente! The game is essentially charades, so each student was acting out a vocab word for a partner who had to try and guess the word! This is a great way to review older material while still keeping the students engaged!"

ATLA spotlight: Jacqueline Caserio

How has A2LP impacted your future plans and life?:

"I have taught A2LP for two years, and it has been a wonderful experience. I've developed such a strong relationship with my students. It's an amazing feeling to know that I'm responsible for their immersion into the Spanish language. I have gained confidence in my speaking abilities through A2LP, in addition to understanding the concept of trial and error. I’m going to law school in the fall and it is my goal to build a legacy of working for others. A2LP has influenced my life in such a positive manner! Being a teacher has definitely been one of the greatest parts of my undergraduate experience."

Alumni Spotlight: Laurel Dearborn

"I graduated in 2017 from LSA with majors in History and Spanish, and was a part of A2LP for the 2016-17 school year. I am currently getting my Masters of Arts in Teaching for Secondary Social Science at Santa Clara University.

A2LP gave me a great foundation for my journey to becoming a teacher. When I had first arrived in Ann Arbor, I had only an inkling teaching may be in my future. Only after experimenting in majors and conversing with friends and family, did I realize teaching had always been my passion. Having not been enrolled formally in the School of Education, there were not a lot of avenues to exercise this muscle prior to graduating. Luckily, a friend told me about A2LP. If I had any doubts remaining about a career in education, they totally vanished. My classes now had a purpose. I was learning how to better equip students to love language, engage with their classmates, and have fun while doing it. I leaned how to collaborate with peers, share ideas, design lesson plans, and turn songs into educational experiences. I highly recommend getting involved in A2LP. It was the best decision I made as an undergraduate."

Alumni Spotlight: Arianna Dixon

How has A2LP influenced/impacted your post grad/future plans?:

"I graduated in 2018 from the School of Education with a major in Spanish and a minor in Psychology, and was part of A2LP from 2015-2017. Currently, I am living in Santiago de Compostela, a city in northwest Spain where I work as an English language teaching assistant in a high school. I arrived at U of M as a pre-admit to the School of Education, and I was eager from the second that I stepped on campus to get in front of a classroom. After not finding many opportunities to teach before formal student teaching, I learned about A2LP. I joined A2LP my sophomore year, and was automatically in love with the program. This program provided me with the opportunity to work with skilled teachers, insightful peers, and the best group of elementary students! A2LP gave me the chance to expand my teaching degree, allowing me to be K-12 certified to teach Spanish, and helped me get a jump start on my teaching career. Additionally, and most importantly, A2LP introduced me to my mentor and fearless language leader, Maria Coolican. I could write a novel about what A2LP has done for me, and the endless knowledge that I gained while being a part of the program, but I will leave with sharing that A2LP helps bring college students and elementary students together to show the power of language learning. A2LP pa siempre

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Jenny Choi
Year: Senior
Post-graduation plans: Teach for America

How has A2LP impacted your future career path and shaped your life?:

"Hola! My name is Jenny Choi, and I am graduating this May with majors in Chemistry and Spanish. Afterwards, I will be a Spanish teacher in Detroit while pursuing a masters in education here! I joined A2LP after a few people from the program came to some of my Spanish classes freshman year, and I was starting to like kids, and it fit into my schedule, so why not try something new and so different? After just one semester, I met with Maria Coolican to discuss switching from pre-med to education. It was THAT IMPACTFUL on me and my future; I saw the beauty of teaching-- of striving to be the best that I could be in spreading my knowledge and skills to 30 little kiddos who would later on maybe do the same. It was a way of giving back too since all my previous Spanish teachers had greatly influenced me in a positive way. If it weren't for A2LP, I'd still be passionate about Spanish, but I would have never discovered my passion for teaching :)"

LTAs of Winter 2019! In seminar, they prepared their lesson plans and recorded each other doing a practice lesson. Recording ourselves teaching and reflecting on these is an effective way to note areas where we can improve. Enjoy this glimpse into all the hard work and preparation that goes into our growth as teachers!