[etni] Re: writing - in hebrew and/or english
- From: Michele Ben <mggben@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: saragabai@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:34:34 +0300
I meant two "halves." Sorry.
Michele
On Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 12:34 PM, Michele Ben <mggben@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I think that this new form of "lashon" test is very positive, and likely
> that eventually it will make teaching English easier. At the end of school
> meeting we were told that the kids in the seventh (and maybe eighth) grades
> will now be learning a subject called "Ivrit" 6 hours a week. This is the
> old "lashon" and "habaah" which was taught 2-3 hours a week. The six hours
> will be either 6 weekly hours per class or 4 weekly hours as a full class
> and one hour a week in two halfs. Or 4 hours four everyone and two more
> hours for kids who need it. This is a very positive development - the
> better the kids know their native tongue, the easier it will be for them to
> learn English.
> Michele
>
> On Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 8:48 PM, sara g <saragabai@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> last week i proctored a matkonet test - lashon bet (the new test) - for
>> 11th
>> graders.
>> the tests consisted of a 3 page unseen - about migraine headaches,
>> with 5 comprehension questions - very much like our unseen questions.
>> and then a choice of 2 topics to write a 1-1.5 page essay on.
>> (then there were grammar and syntax question, with some of them based on
>> the
>> unseen test - interesting.)
>> the idea of a choice of topics for the writing is nice, but that's not
>> what
>> i want to write about. i want to comment on the level of the kids' hebrew
>> writing. i teach about half the kids who were doing the test. so i looked
>> at
>> their writing. these are weak to average 5 pt kids, some of them are
>> strong
>> 4 pt.
>>
>> the topics were connected to the topic of the unseen. one topic was about
>> alternative medicine, and the other was about addictive behaviors.
>>
>> these are kids who have FINISHED learning "written expression" (haba'ah)
>> in
>> their native language. they are supposed to know how to write a basic
>> essay.
>>
>>
>> but - a lot of them write the whole thing as one long paragraph.
>> some of them started a new "paragraph" for each sentence . (sound
>> familiar?)
>> some of them wrote in outline form, like this :
>> opening:
>> cause 1:
>> cause 2:
>> for:
>> against:
>> conclusion:
>> some of them were not sure, when the instructions said to write about
>> CAUSES, if it was enough to write about one cause, or did they need to
>> write
>> about two.
>>
>> of course, some of them wrote wonderful essays, as to both form and
>> content.
>> but there were enough problems that i wondered - if this is how they write
>> at the end off the 11th grade in their native language, what can we expect
>> from then next year, in english?
>>
>> i am not blaming the lashon teachers. and this is not against the lashon
>> teachers at our school. i know they are wonderful, devoted teachers. i
>> know
>> they taught them about paragraphs, and how to read the topic in order to
>> understand what you are supposed to write.
>>
>> but - if the kids don't "get it", then we have to go over everything in
>> english. i think it would be nice if ALL our 12th graders understood what
>> a
>> paragraph is. then we would have more time to teach english as a foreign
>> language . and maybe even literature, and some hots etc.
>> (and why didn't they have to define what HOT they used in answering the
>> questions?)
>>
>> anyone agree? or disagree?
>>
>> --
>> sara g in israel
>> sarag@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> saragabai@xxxxxxxxx
>> Visit us at The E Zone
>> http://clickit3.ort.org.il/ganyavneenglish
>>
>>
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