Creating%20Transitions%20in%20the%20Language%20Classroom

1
Creating Transitions in the Language Classroom

• Transitions are used to connect one activity to
  the next
• Transitions enhance seamless teaching and
  learning
• Transitions permit learners to easily follow the
  sequential steps of a lesson

2
How To Create Transitions

• Usually predicated upon content of the lesson
• Objectives must first be established, e.g., What
  do you want the learner to be able to do?
• Look carefully at what is to be taught and then
  decide how to go about teaching it. Make a list!

3
Steps to Follow to Implement Transitions

1. Treat the Warm-Up as a point of departure.
2. From the Warm-Up use the last sentence/question
   as the lead-in to the first activity of the day.
3. Go to your list and make sure activities are in
   an order that connects each one.

4
Steps continued

1. Connecting is what ties together each activity.
2. The last sentence(s)/question(s) provides the
   transition to the next activity.

5
Example

• Warm-up
• What day is today?
• What is the weather today?
• What do you wear when its hot?
• What do you like to eat when its cold?

6
Example continued

• Activity 1
• Introduce fruits and vegetables using a video
  clip of an open-air market in a country where the
  target language is spoken.
• Have students watch first w/o the sound. Ask
  questions.
• Have students view with sound. Have students pair
  and discuss, naming foods they recognized.
• Transition In the video, whats the weather
  like? Where does this video take place?

7
Example continued

• Activity 2
• Students use a color transparency to discuss
  weather conditions in countries where the target
  language is spoken. Incorporate foods
  (fruits/vegetables) that may be grown in these
  countries.
• Transition What do you wear when you go to
  countries that are cold in December January?

8
Example continued

• Activity 3
• Have a suitcase filled with clothing items and a
  picnic basket filled w/ plastic fruits and
  vegetables and have students come up in pairs
  while the class gives them clothing and food
  items to select. Once these are selected,
  students create a scenario in which they utilize
  the vocabulary for clothing, food, and weather.