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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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 Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 6:27 pm Post subject: Middle School Summer Camp |
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Despite the fact that I find planning even one regular middle school lesson an exercise in misery and suffering, my school has decided that I will teach a two week summer camp for a total of 40 lessons. (Monsters.) I blew up at the end of May and almost walked out, but I slogged on through the last month and this is the last hurdle I need to jump before I can get the hell out of here and into a more suitable job.
So: I need 40 hours worth of English-related time killers for reasonably clever MIDDLE SCHOOL students. (Other threads I found are elementary focused!)
Students: They said around 8 so count on about 15. Levels? Grades? I don't know. Middle school.
Available materials: An unreliable computer, a printer and photocopier, and my best coteacher to help in the classroom.
Minimal prep: This is important. Even if I wanted to (and I really really don't), I don't have time.
I'm not sure if this is an asking advice thread or a rant thread. I guess it's both, which means it won't be complete until I mention.... I'm getting no extra pay for this! Let me say it again: MINIMAL PREP. Please. Also, remember: I can't use my computer for anything but surfing the internet and printing (and even that sometimes causes it to die) so no fancy stuff. I'd say I have an unlimited supply of white printer paper but it would be just like them to lock it up over the summer. I don't know what the *beep*.
I need a hug.  |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Will you have the same students for all 40 lessons? Last summer I did a one-week course with ten students in which I broke them up into two groups of five. One group worked on puzzles, board games, and craft activities while the other did intensive work with a strong emphasis on pronunciation and accent coaching with me. |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Yu_Bum_suk wrote: |
| Will you have the same students for all 40 lessons? Last summer I did a one-week course with ten students in which I broke them up into two groups of five. One group worked on puzzles, board games, and craft activities while the other did intensive work with a strong emphasis on pronunciation and accent coaching with me. |
Same students.
The reason I find lesson planning so difficult is I hear things like "intensive" and I have no idea what that involves. The school also used that word. I understand the literal English meaning but in this context, I don't really know. I am not a teacher. I get that it means studying hard, but the details... no clue! |
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D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:49 pm Post subject: Same students |
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| If it is 4 classes a day with the same students show a movie for two of the periods. |
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crusher_of_heads
Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Location: kimbop and kimchi for kimberly!!!!
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Get them conjugating verbs-if your higher ups are making your life miserable, which they are, that will do. |
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icicle
Joined: 09 Feb 2007
Location: Gyeonggi do Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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| What the word intensive in context of Summer Camp with the same students all day probably means is that the students (or at least their parents) are keen for them to get the benefit of 4 lessons a day to improve their English. I would suggest a mix of learning newish content and games / songs etc to break it up a bit ... A useful foundation would be to confirm the level they will be at and find a text book that will work and use that as the basic structure. And add games etc that fit into the content. With that much time to fill in it would take a lot of preparation to prepare for it without using something to stucture it / build upon. It might even be possible to actually find out who the students are and find out from them what they most want to work on ... |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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| From past experience, four hours a day summer camp does not mean that you will be teaching four classes along with the co-teacher. You will be doing two hours alone while the coteacher is doing two hours alone. |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:14 pm Post subject: |
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| crusher_of_heads wrote: |
| Get them conjugating verbs-if your higher ups are making your life miserable, which they are, that will do. |
What do I do for the second week? 
| CentralCali wrote: |
| From past experience, four hours a day summer camp does not mean that you will be teaching four classes along with the co-teacher. You will be doing two hours alone while the coteacher is doing two hours alone. |
That's not how it was explained to me. It sounded like the coteacher is only there to watch me and make sure I do something other than screw around and show movies for my mandatory four hours a day. Oh, and collect overtime pay. I'm sure she'll be doing that too. Grr. |
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crusher_of_heads
Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Location: kimbop and kimchi for kimberly!!!!
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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You're leaving soon-it's time they know that, and if your dumbass coteacher does nothing but hover and annoy you, use your leverage-get them conjugating in French while you're at it.
640x480 sucks |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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| I wouldn't be so pissed if they hadn't told me I get the week after school finishes off, then take part in the big well-organized camp in the city. When they told me that I thought "yeah, right" but I'm still disappointed that I wasn't wrong for once. No extra time off and no big fun camp for me. Yeah, no pay for camp is in the contract, but I wouldn't want to do this camp even if they were paying me extra for it. |
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marlow
Joined: 06 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Have any sick days? |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:13 am Post subject: |
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| marlow wrote: |
| Have any sick days? |
Plenty, but I can't call in sick for more than five days without a doctor's note, and if I take both a Friday and the following Monday, the weekend counts as two extra sick days. (If I'm reading the contract right and I bet I am.)
Man, I'm really bummed about this. Not so much losing the week off (I expected that) but getting bumped from the other camp to do yet another week of the uninspiring crap that I've been counting down the minutes on since the contract started four months ago. That, I didn't see coming. Damn. |
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ddeubel
Joined: 20 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:04 am Post subject: |
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Hey Draz,
What are you going to do so that you might "have a clue" of what to do -- in the near future?
That is, other than run from job to job and throw the blame elsewhere? Sorry if I'm taking off the gloves but you don't need a hug, you need a kick in the ass.
DD
http://eflclassroom.ning.com |
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nomad-ish
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: On the bottom of the food chain
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:01 am Post subject: |
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| Draz wrote: |
| marlow wrote: |
| Have any sick days? |
Plenty, but I can't call in sick for more than five days without a doctor's note, and if I take both a Friday and the following Monday, the weekend counts as two extra sick days. (If I'm reading the contract right and I bet I am.)
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so, in theory, you could teach monday and tuesday, then call in sick for wednesday, thursday, and friday? then do the same the following week for a grand total of 4 days of actual teaching, right? |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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In theory, yes, but it's not the kids' fault I was broke and signed a slave contract in a foreign country. I want to at least show up. The kids actually still seem satisfied with that. I am a rock star.
| ddeubel wrote: |
Hey Draz,
What are you going to do so that you might "have a clue" of what to do -- in the near future?
That is, other than run from job to job and throw the blame elsewhere? Sorry if I'm taking off the gloves but you don't need a hug, you need a kick in the ass.
DD
http://eflclassroom.ning.com |
Getting a job that does stuff like provide a curriculum. I know it's rare and I'll have to look really hard. Man, I can't believe how much I lucked out with my first teaching job ever! Jesus. I've used up all my ideas on regular class and have nothing left for camp.
The school does not understand why I agreed to do a second camp at a different school. "We thought you were tired." I'm tired... of being expected to do EVERYTHING! The other school knows what they're doing for their camp. They have materials! Props! A plan! I know it's going to be different, and I'm excited. |
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