MOOC Portfolio

About Me 

Hello, my name is Grant Keller! I am a 29-year-old Auxiliar of conversation in Madrid. I enjoy playing sports, meeting new people, and teaching! If you need to find the MOOC project quickly, please scroll down to find the instructions for the unit! Growing up in California, I played a lot of basketball and spent time with family and friends in Simi Valley. It is a suburb about 45 minutes away from Los Angeles and the beach.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Simi+Valley,+CA,+USA/@34.4062822,-119.1699276,9z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x80e82e6c5b563301:0xf4e0598e94d3434d!8m2!3d34.2694474!4d-118.781482 

Then, I went to college in Northern California where I studied elementary education. After graduating with my teaching credential, I started teaching 5th grade! I developed passions and concerns about education after teaching for four years. One of my passions is teaching students soft skills such as empathy, communication, and problem solving along with practical skills such as finance. Some of the concerns I have are the standardised methods of teaching that states use. It seems to me that some students can not reach their potential because they are not able to study what truly inspires them. 

https://www.calstate.edu/attend/campuses/chico

As a reflective teacher, I needed this experience in Spain to grow as a person and to look at education from a different culture's perspective.  I was excited to be able to work with students on language development skills. Bilingualism is such a unique, important skill I believe all students of the world benefit from. I am excited to collaborate with my colleagues at CEIP Damaso Alonso to help students best discover the English language!

My Placement in Spain

I was placed at CEIP Damaso Alonso. It is a primary school along with a preschool teaching kids from aged 3-11. It is also a bilingual school which means that some of the courses are taught in English to ensure bilingual development. As an auxiliary, I coordinate with the English classes and some PE classes throughout my days.  I am primarily used for conversational and fluency practice in small groups. During the occasional United States holiday, I am employed to teach about American culture! I enjoy teaching different ages of students because each day and each hour is slightly different. I work with students from Year 1 to Year 6. My school is placed in a town called Villaverde. It is at the end of Line 3 opposite of Moncloa. This placement allows me to be immersed in Spanish throughout the day and to truly adapt to a different culture from my own.

MOOC Unit: "Touring the World"


In this unit, students in primary school will locate landmarks, geographical areas, and continents around the world!

Week #1: GREAT WALL OF CHINA
Week #2: SAHARA DESERT
Week #3: AMAZON RIVER
Week #4: ROCKY MOUNTAINS 
 Week #5: GREAT BARRIER REEF
Week #6: EIFFEL TOWER
Week #7: ANTARCTICA

LESSON PLAN: 
Day 1:
-Students will be introduced to the unit by listening to the video of "Tour the World."
-Teacher will announce that students are going to learn a little bit about each of the seven continents during the next two months through a challenge.
-Teacher will ask questions about their students' prior knowledge of continents, world geography, famous landmarks, or anything else pertinent.
-Finally, teacher will give instructions on rules of "Tour the Wold" competition!

Rules of "Tour the World":

1. Teacher will display one clue each day about the weeks' landmark, geographical area, or specific continent on a display board for students to observe throughout the week. 

2. Students will write clues in "Tour the World" section of their English (or Social Science) Notebook to record facts about landmarks, geographical areas, or specific continents. 

3. On Fridays, students will guess what the landmark, geographical area, and/or continent they think the clues are meant for. 

4. Students who guess the correct answer in their journals will receive stickers to put in their notebooks.

5. Students who complete all notes in an organised way will receive a sticker to put in their notebooks. 

6. Maximum amount of stickers a student can receive is two stickers per week. 

7. Students will take a quiz at the end of the unit surrounding the facts in their notebook. 

Week 1: 
GREAT WALL OF CHINA
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/facts/  
Monday: I am in the largest continent of the world.
Tuesday:  I am 21, 196 km long.
Wednesday: I am over 2,300 years old.
Thursday: I was built to protect China,
Friday: I am... The Great Wall of China

Week 2:
SAHARA DESERT
https://www.britannica.com/place/Sahara-desert-Africa
Monday: I get VERY hot during the summer time. 
Tuesday: I receive less than one inch of rain each year (usually).
Wednesday: I am in Africa.
Thursday: I am home to scorpions, sand dunes, and camels.
Friday:  I am... the Sahara Desert. 

Week 3:
AMAZON RIVER
https://www.britannica.com/place/Amazon-River
Monday:  I am 6,400 km long.
Tuesday: I live in South America. 
Wednesday:  I flow through Peru, Columbia, and Brazil. 
Thursday:  I am one of the largest rivers in the world.
Friday:  I am... the Amazon River

Week 4:
ROCKY MOUNTAINS
https://www.doi.gov/blog/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-rocky-mountain-national-park
Monday:  People like to hike, bike, ski, and camp with me. 
Tuesday: I am in North America.
Wednesday:  I am 4,800 km long.
Thursday:  I am seen in Canada and the United States.
Friday:  I am the Rocky Mountains

Week 5:
GREAT BARRIER REEF
https://greatbarrierreeftourscairns.com.au/blog/11-amazing-facts-about-the-great-barrier-reef/
Monday:  I live in the ocean and am home to many different species.  
Tuesday: I am millions of years old. 
Wednesday:  I am in danger due to coral bleaching.
Thursday:  I live off the coast of Australia. 
Friday:  I am... the Great Barrier Reef.

Week 6:
ANTARCTICA
https://www.livescience.com/43881-amazing-antarctica-facts.html
Monday:  I am bigger than the country of Spain. 
Tuesday: I am very cold, dry, and windy. 
Wednesday:  People do not live on me. 
Thursday:  I am home to the Empire Penguins. 
Friday:  I am... Antarctica. 

Week 7:
EIFFEL TOWER
https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/landmarks-monuments/eiffel-tower-facts
Monday:  I am in the continent that you live on. 
Tuesday: I was built in the 1890s and am 324 meters tall. 
Wednesday:  My nickname is the Iron Lady
Thursday:  I live in France. 
Friday:  I am... the Eiffel Tower



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