Most of the students in my classes have to participate in an activity like this once or twice a week.
Their textbooks usually present them with a short list of vocabulary words (6-8), and I ask them to write--on the whiteboard--the English word, the Korean word, and a sentence that uses the word correctly. I will tell them how many words (minimum) to put in the sentence, otherwise they will naturally make very short ones (so, 8+ words).
This often involves using dictionaries and/or asking a Korean teacher to come in and check the translations.
After the students have written on the whiteboard they must copy everything into their notebooks.
I have found that, in doing this exercise over a long period of time (6 months to a year), the students greatly improve their ability to make well-ordered sentences.
Sure, they make mistakes, and I try to correct those before they write the sentences into their notebooks, but, for the most part, I am pleased with the progression that the students have made.
In the attached picture, I did make corrections, but not a lot (and I missed a few things).
What is important is 1) the long-term improvement and 2) the empowerment that such an exercise gives the students, for I make sure to tell them when their writing is good.
Also, writing on the whiteboard gives me a chance to point out who has good hand-writing and who doesn't, though I usually do it in a question mode: "Which numbers do you think have the best handwriting?"
"Wow! Ok, who wrote those sentences?"
"Great job!"
A bit of peer pressure is often a good thing.
*A note--this is not a normal class for my academy (hagwon); they are what I wold call 'advanced 4th graders', and I have been teaching some of them for several years.
Their textbooks usually present them with a short list of vocabulary words (6-8), and I ask them to write--on the whiteboard--the English word, the Korean word, and a sentence that uses the word correctly. I will tell them how many words (minimum) to put in the sentence, otherwise they will naturally make very short ones (so, 8+ words).
This often involves using dictionaries and/or asking a Korean teacher to come in and check the translations.
After the students have written on the whiteboard they must copy everything into their notebooks.
I have found that, in doing this exercise over a long period of time (6 months to a year), the students greatly improve their ability to make well-ordered sentences.
Sure, they make mistakes, and I try to correct those before they write the sentences into their notebooks, but, for the most part, I am pleased with the progression that the students have made.
In the attached picture, I did make corrections, but not a lot (and I missed a few things).
What is important is 1) the long-term improvement and 2) the empowerment that such an exercise gives the students, for I make sure to tell them when their writing is good.
Also, writing on the whiteboard gives me a chance to point out who has good hand-writing and who doesn't, though I usually do it in a question mode: "Which numbers do you think have the best handwriting?"
"Wow! Ok, who wrote those sentences?"
"Great job!"
A bit of peer pressure is often a good thing.
*A note--this is not a normal class for my academy (hagwon); they are what I wold call 'advanced 4th graders', and I have been teaching some of them for several years.
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