My 1st graders understand a lot of spoken English and they can read phonics at a kindergarten level. However, it is still very difficult for them to speak English. They know random words or simple phrases, but putting them together to form complete thoughts is hard for them.
Despite the fact that they cannot write a lot in English yet, I have been wanting to encourage creative writing/thinking. We have come a LONG way since September. At the beginning of the school year, my students could barely focus long enough to listen to me read a story. Now, they are trying to write their own simple "stories". At writing time, I no longer hear them say "I can't do it". Instead, they get to work writing quickly and illustrating their story. They have the choice to write in Creole or English. They have always chosen to write in Creole until this week.
At the end of writing time, one of the boys in my class, Ifocoeur, came up to me proudly displaying his story. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw his paper....
He wrote a story in English.
He wrote a story in English.
He wrote a story in English!!!! (just in case you didn't read it the 1st time)
Yes, it was phonetic spelling (with a mixture of Creole and English phonics). No, it was not the greatest story in the world. But, it was the best story I've ever read.
(Translation: Today me go Port-au-Prince. Mom gives me crackers. Is good crackers. Me mom thanks mom. Is good crackers. Me sleep. Me jump. Me run. Jump. Butterfly (not sure why he threw that one in there, haha) Me go to house.
Me go to house. Me sleep. Mom say, Ifocoeur, come on. Me say food. Come on, come on to food. Me go to mom. Mom gives my food. Mom, is good food. Thanks.
He managed to use as many of the English words that his little mind could think of and string them together to make a short story. If only you could all hear him read it with the inflections in his voice, his broken English, and his adorable Haitian accent pronouncing "crackers" as "kwakiz".
Seven and a half months. Five days a week. Eight hours a day. Planning/preparing lessons on my weekends and evenings. Missing out on fun things because I'm busy working at the school. Sweat, tears, and frustrations....It all became worth it this week as I listened to my student read his very own story to me in English.
I may look silly running around the school waving his story in the air. I might seem weird for walking around all week smiling over one piece of paper, but I don't care. I will cherish this moment forever.
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