Last Term Implementation

These are the two final topics to be developed along the last term in the writing workshops:

Date	Activity	Purpose
October 21st	9. Learning guide: My cooking book part 1	Sts will get training in the use of quantifiers, countable nouns and uncountable nouns in the kitchen context, as to be able to describe the process of preparation of their favourite recipes.
November 4th	10. Famous food around the world	Sts will use their previous knowledge and skilfulness to develop by themselves the last task, which consists of describing their favourite recipe and writing to Jenny the whole process of preparation.

October 22nd.

Today Sts developed the last learning guide of the course, and they are expected to create the last product with no guidance, as a final outcome covering all the topics seen along the semester. They seem to be confident to do the task, and in this session they were applying the strategy to create shopping lists and identifying the ingredients for their favourite recipes. It was a long list requiring too much grammar that included, of course vocabulary regarding countable and unocuntable nouns, quantifiers, recipients and many food items. Some of the Sts brought good vocabulary aides, and others asked for more resources to practice. I gave them a vocabulary supplement and some of them are observing the food items presented them, to identify the ingredients of the plates suggested on it. They are not having trouble identifying the differences between countables and not countables, which they were working along the week, and now are interested in identifying more specific expressions to indicate portions, tastes, cooking verbs and indications of time and temperature.

For practicing the vocabulary we created an imaginary kitchen in the classroom and they are moving around identifying the items they need for their recipers and writing them in their lists. I hope they really do not have difficulty identifying the items and recipients as they have a lot of vocabulary to learn.

October 29th

Most Sts have not practiced the topic out apart from the last face to face session. However, they have ben practicing the vocabulary through different activities in the classroom such as imaginary kitchen and imaginary cooking. For the second they are telling the other their recipe and their peer has to write the process described. Now, I am giving them feedback of their first recipe, their favourite one, and up to this stage their drafts are samples of shopping lists and enumerations of kitchenwear and stages in a preparation. They are demanding to be shown sequencing linkers to connect the ideas. Meanwhile I am going around the class I listen things like these

A: 'yo no creo que hay coladores de café como los de aquí'.

B: y es que tú crees que en otras partes no cuelan el café?

A: No, porque ya viene procesado. Quizás sólo en polvo.

B: Y entonces la greca para qué la usan?

C: dónde?

L asks me about 'molinillo, teacher, how do you say molinillo'?

November 3rd.

In today's session Sts were expected to use sequence linkers appropriately besides manipulating some, any, little, few and countable and not countable nouns. For this purpose they were describing the national or international recipe they chose as the final product. Now they were much more concerned since they know that the only purpose is not simply describing a recipe but all the cultural context around it. Most students chose something local, but, for instance, S selected a pasta and he handed in a little consultation about some traditions of Italians around pasta. He almost completed a very good basic draft about the pasta and it was as good as the recipe. L wants to talk about Cali and Villavicencio at the same time. She needs to take a decision, but she points to a cultural fact that attracts her. 'Why do people prepare the recipe? She wonders' She also mentions that she is planning to be pregnant soon, and that 'hablando de comida me pone con agrieras, Miss.' L. wants to develop a whole compendium of the historical and cultural value of the 'ajiaco santafereño' and I tell her that she does not need to mention too many ideas. But I can foresee that, as usual, she will try to do a very complete task, not a summary.