First Day of Class Techniques: A Concrete Example by Ruth Warner, Ohio State University, 1998
Objectives:
Students will comprehend and respond to "Hello!" in Russian.
Students will comprehend and be able to ask "What's your name?" and to answer
with own name: "My name is _________. And yours?"
Students will comprehend and be able to respond with "Pleased to meet you."
(If time allows) Students will comprehend and be able to ask "What's his/her name?"
and respond with "His/her name is ________."
Presentation:
(1 min.) I will present the expressions to be learned in the context of the 1st-day
classroom by greeting students and introducing myself. Look for the following to
convey meaning: handshake, other gestures, and use of cognates.
Practice: (2 min.) Any or all of the following may be used to aid and vary practice:
clear and loud pronunciation for modeling
lively pacing of modeling/repetition
varied modes or repetition, e.g., whole group, partial group, individual, males,
females, loudly, softly
involvement of all students in as many ways as possible
exaggerated pronunciation of problematic sounds
sensitive/humorous error correction
backward buildup for longer words or phrases
Application: (1 min.) Assessment in this case is easy. Can the students tell in
Russian the names of the other students, and if they cannot, do they know how to
find out? It is difficult to anticipate what my every move might be during any given
5-minute period of teaching. Each group of students is unique, has its own
personality, and learns at its own pace. One may understand immediately while
another does not. One may be very vocal, another timid and quiet. The above is a
general plan which one can pick and choose from and revise in mid-sentence,
depending upon the nature of the group of students.
