Interactivity #4

Link to my Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0An22K3Z1cQ9gdDRacFJoX09qcGFVTE1QUmw4Wk1TcVE&usp=sharing

Teaching adjectives are a big part of teaching grammar and vocabulary in a foreign language.  Usually when people are learning a new language nouns and adjectives are the first types of words they look for to try to comprehend meaning.  This is one of the reasons why I chose this type of lesson.  The lesson I chose focuses on 9th-10th grade adjectives that students need to understand or become familiar with in order to be able to move onto more advanced vocabulary.  There were not many written lesson plans found online with the Italian language (many with Spanish and French), so this was the closest I could find.  I like the idea that the teacher has planned for this activity for her students, however I think there are a lot of things that can be modified to make it better.  It does not say how long ago the lesson was written, but from what I have observed it was either written when technology was still fairly new or the teacher is not familiar with other forms of technology that can be used for both relaying the material to students and having students use these different forms for their activities and projects.  Also, this lesson plan was written to adapt to Illinois State curriculum standards, so the lesson may have been written to adapt to them which means they may be entirely different from New Jersey standards for foreign language curriculum.  If I had to modify this lesson, I would incorporate more modern technologies to teach content.  Instead of using the blackboard and textbooks as primary tools to teach the lesson, I would incorporate PowerPoints or use a smart board (if available to me).  For teacher preparation, I would prepare PowerPoints with the necessary vocabulary and examples of pictures of that vocabulary so students would be able to have both a visual and accurate information for note taking.  Having students read in the textbooks independently about words that they do not know does not seem like a proper way of learning content.  The classroom should be student centered, but using a textbook and having students teach themselves does not seem like the right way to do it to me.  I think the teacher needs to teach what is necessary and also needs to establish what he or she is looking for in terms of completing activities and projects, etc.  Students would have a table(created by the teacher beforehand) to fill in while the teacher is explaining the meaning of the adjectives to the class.  As far as technology is concerned with completing the activity, I think that other programs besides Paint can be used to complete them.  Technology has advanced since the days that Paint was heavily used.  Programs such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Photoshop and other picture programs have been introduced and can be used in curriculum.  I think that this lesson plan is a good example of what Italian teachers should teach their students, but is also a good example of how modifications in more advanced technologies can be made to make it more efficient.