Prompt 3

In our class room my teacher and I do an exercise called Word of the Day. Students have a designated section of the area, labeled WORD-of-the-Day, and open up their binders soon as they come into the classroom. A graphic organizer is provided for them at the beginning of the year where they keep track of their daily words. Each word-of-the-day is taught in conjunction with two other related words, and when the class has reached about 7-8 new words of the day, an assessment takes place in form of a regular quiz. In the first section students are asked to fill in the sentences with the proper word-of-the-day, the second section is matching section of roots/prefixes/suffixes to their appropriate meaning.
The way it works is that we break the word down into prefix, suffix, and root of word, related words (related words chosen by students), and definitions. Depending on the word we may be able to fit a piece of the word into each category, in some instances it may not fall into either but we try to break down the word before defining it. For example, the word “ Carnivorous” is written on the board. Underneath, the word is broken into two roots and a suffix: “carne” – meat, “vor” – appetite, hunger, “-ous” adjective. The teacher and I generally try to get the students to realize the definitions of the roots themselves, using other words they know, either in English or their own native language. Then, the class proceeds to collectively think of two other related words we can use for these roots, such a voracity- the act of being eager to a great amount of food, and Reincarnation- the rebirth of a soul in a new body or form.
When doing this exercise the teacher is aware of the fact most of the students are Spanish speakers and have taken either a Portuguese class or two while attending Coconut High. So she asks the class… “What does the word carnivorous sound like in Spanish or Portuguese?” the student’s respond by saying “carne” meaning meat in both languages. So then she says “great so if carne means meat, then what do you think it mean to carnivores or what is a carnivore?” I feel as if though my teacher is very aware of her student’s ethnicity, linguistics, and sociocultural assets. Whether it is through the word of the day or playing Spanish music during advisory or having students come into the class room to each other students how to dance their traditional dances, She is constantly seeking to learn more from her students’ culture and ethnical background. I have learned to embrace and appreciate every cultural asset that a student may bring into the class with an honest and open heart just as my teacher does in her classroom.