BRITTON SMITH

SPANISH 6-12
phone

989.464.0829

address

6710 THUNDER LANE

LANSING, MI

email

BRITTONASMITH@
GMAIL.COM

Please enjoy getting to know me as a teacher by viewing my online

portfolio as well: brittonasmith.blogspot.com.

Britton A. Smith

PORTFOLIO OF
EXPERIENCES AND
ABILITIES

for more information:

brittonasmith.blogspot.com

989.464.0829
BRITTONASMITH@
GMAIL.COM

Cmo soy yo?

Guillaume Appollinaire, a poet,
wrote:
'Come to the edge', he said
They said, 'We are afraid'
'Come to the edge', he said.
They came.
He pushed them... and they
flew.

want to see my students fly, because I

was given wings. My ninth grade
Advanced English teacher, Mr. Kelly
taught more than grammar, he taught his
students to appreciate literature, to read
for more than surface detail. He taught us

Sevilla, Espaa-

estudi all cuatro meses

Index:
Timeline
Classroom Environment
Conjugating Verbs
What Others Are Saying

2
2
3
4

not have echoed that great poet in, Come

to the edge, and if he did not push me off
that very edge, I would not have flown.
Students need a loving push and I want to
be there to help them grow wings. My
strongest personality trait is having an
encouraging and uplifting spirit. Mark
Twain said, I was born excited. I could
say the same of myself. Each day is a
beautiful opportunity to accomplish
something wonderful and the most
wonderful thing one can do it to uplift
someone else.

more than spelling, more than how to

formulate interesting sentences, he taught
us to live in the books we read and to look
at life through the eyes of each author. His
class was very difficult, and for a student
who was accustomed to an easy A on
nearly every essay, a B- after six revisions
was disappointing. Yet if Mr. Kelly would

What I am looking for:

In teaching in two different schools, as well as subbing and student-teaching in even more, I have found a
few characteristics that I am seeking out in a school: a principal who is supportive and student-centered, a
group of teachers who are dedicated to their craft, and a district that is moving students forward to
becoming globally-engaged citizens.

timeline

Abroad

Indiana

Michigan

06

08

10-13

07

09

13

07

09-10

13-current

Lived in Cuenca, Ecuador for

a summer and took language
classes as well as lived with a
Spanish-speaking Family

Semester in Seville, Spain

studying art, culture, literature,
and history all in Spanish

Tutored 3 elementary-aged
students in English.

The Classroom Environment

If you walked into my class you might
first hear music, laughter, and lots of
language. I love to sing (and my students
know it). I believe it is one of the most
effective ways to learn authentically and to
master vocabulary. Give me any grammar
concept, vocabulary list, or cultural topic and
if I dont already have a song about it, I will
find one or create one. Many people believe
that students wont sing or dance in front of
their peers, but somehow when we are all
silly together they forget their too cool for
school attitude and sing along.
The second thing you might notice is the
layer upon layer of procedure. I have taken
Harry Wong to heart. Students always have
a specific assigned seat from day one,
students pass back papers, get out supplies,
pick up papers on they need from their
designated location, get absent work,
complete intro bell work, keep track of their
own grade, take attendance, and feel in
control and valued as an essential part of the
learning process. These procedures take
about one week to establish, but are paid
back by a classroom that flows.
The most important thing you will note is
the respect and love that I give each of my
students. I know that each has an individual
set of talents, insecurities, and needs. I love
that in learning a language students share so
much about themselves, from what they like to

Named Outstanding Future

Educator by the Indiana
Association for Teacher
Education after student
teaching

Long-term substitute teaching

in an 8th grade English
classroom in an inner-city
school

Spanish I and II at a small,

rural high school (Blackford
High School: Hartford City)

eat, to how they view themselves, to who

makes up their family. In order to elicit
responses from my students, in order for them
to open up and share their thoughts, I must
respect them and open up to them about my
own weaknesses and strengths. I do this by
having students write me a quick note on the
back of their weekly quiz, by having them fill
in surveys on their first day, and by sending
each one a happy gram telling them what I
appreciate about them.
I am a firm disciplinarian but I am
thankful that I rarely need to raise my voice
because of all of the procedures in place, the
quick pace of my classroom activities, and the
deep relationship I have with each of my
students.

Communication
As previously stated, I find it essential to
encourage students in such a difficult venture
as learning a new language. When teaching
MS Spanish, I sent each first year student a
postcard home stating something positive they
have accomplished within my classroom.
I also call home on any student with
below a D+ in my class. I know parents have
the online grade book, but many need and
appreciate the personal contact of hearing
directly from the teacher.
I also use remind.com to text homework
and additional resources each night to
students and to update parents.

Pioneered a new Spanish

program at the Middle School,
teaching the equivalent of
Spanish I over the course of
6-8th grades.

Coached middle school club

tennis and began a Spanish
table on Thursdays during
lunch

Advocated for a Spanish

Conversations class to
accomidate all learners,
including LD students

Jokes: I have little ones like these all

over my classroom, the students love
them, and they learn a lot with minimal
effort.

Assessments :
a.MS students took their
final exam using ipods, they
record verbal answers to a
list of questions. The
students can replay and
listen to their own test, they
even are given the chance to
rerecord and are asked to
listen to their performance
and mark their grade within
a rubric. I like this because I
can see what they think of
their own performance and
grade them after listening on
my own time. It is also really
neat to keep so they can
hear themselves again the
following trimesters.
b.When doing a unit on
prepositions, I hid these
items within the classroom.
Each student had his/her
own location to describe for
their quiz.
c. Socrative is a great
online source for students to
take a test/survey/quick
quiz, using their mobile
device.
d.Students will do twice
the work, twice as fast if they
can just write it on a
whiteboard. I use these mini
whiteboards to quickly
grade student work and
double check that my
students are with me.

Vocabulary Fun

Verb Tips

1. Connect Four
Students fill in a vocabulary sheet, if
they get the word correct, they can
place a chip on the playing board.

1. Begin with ser and emphasize

pronouns.
I use a pronoun song I learned at a
conference, students draw pictures, do
motions, and discover the organization
of a verb chart

2. Sit and Spin

Students complete various vocabulary
tasks by spinning and testing their
vocabulary knowledge.
3. Songs
I find a song to go with each section
and we play it at the start of the class,
in the last trimester students make a
music video using imovie with one of
the songs they have learned.
4. The noodle game
Hands down, everyones favorite!
Students hold signs in English, have to
say the word in Spanish, and use a
pool noodle to tap the person isnt
paying attention and cant get a word
out quick enough. (see page 4)
5. Mata Moscas
A classic, swat the vocabulary word
on the screen that the teacher says in
Spanish.
5. Ay or Lastima!
Students have various vocabulary
words written piece of paper inside a
container, they draw, say the word the
pulled in Spanish. Then they choose to
either draw again and risk the word(s)
they have accumulated that round, or
bank them to protect them from the
dreaded ay, which if drawn erases
all points from that turn.

2. Transition to ar/er/ir verbs with a

flip chart
Students can create a flip chart (see
picture depicting its use for ir) and turn
over the window that coordinates with
the correct form
3. Have students choose movable
stem and correct ending
I give students basic ar, er, ir verbs
with the endings already removed, I
call out a word, like I dance, they
have to find bail (for bailar) and
choose the o (for the ending that goes
with yo) and place them together as
one word.
4. Use conjugemos.com
After teaching both ar and er/ir
endings, have students use this web
address to practice forming the verbs,
allow them to use charts until they
have 80 % or higher
5. Give a re-takeable quiz
Give a quiz on conjugating (I do 20
combos in 4 mins) and insist students
retake it until the receive an 80%, give
extra practice to those who may not
have passed/allow extra time before/
after school for one on one attention.

Extra Verb Ideas

Use Conjugations Back (a Justin
Timberlake remix) by Sr. Mara:
students love it!
Use conjugation eggs (see online
portfolio)
Create conjugation sticks, pronouns
and verbs on colored Popsicle sticks,
for easy matching and practicing
Students raised $ for children with cancer
and I agreed to dress like Dora

Roll conjugation dice, one set has all

pronoun forms, one verbs, roll and go!

What
others
are
saying:
The following quotes are taken
from student notes,
evaluations, and letters.

administration

students
I really like Spanish, its fun to
speak to other people
especially if they dont know
what youre saying!

Spanish has opened up great

things for me. I thought that
the test (HS placement) was
easy, it was all because you
helped la clase de espaol so
much.

Thank you for offering a

positive, energized classroom
environment for students to
experience a new learning
opportunity. (David Nisbet current principal)

Spanish is going really well for

me because you help me
remember what the words are
by using the motions and
saying the words so I can get
them all stuck in my head.

My best memory from Spanish

trimester III would be you!
You always are having fun
and into the lesson to help us
learn! For that I thank you!

Mr. and Mrs. W approached

me to simply say how very
impressed they are with your
teaching and all the
excitement they saw in T
during the first tri of Spanish.
(Nisbet)

It helps to have an amazing

teacher. You are very
energetic, like me. I love
espaol.

I never learned anything like

this (flamenco/salsa) last year.
I really enjoy cultures,
especially when we learn by
doing...I learned so much
more than I ever could by just
reading.

She has continued to support

me and so many others here in
her unassuming and sincere
way. She is so intelligent and
highly competent in
everything... (Jill PalumboWorld Language Department
head)

the noodle game (vocabulary practice)

ojo de dios
Things I like to do outside of school:
a. snowshoe (I love being outside)
b. paint
c. travel (Ive been to Spain, Ecuador,
Italy, Romania, Mexico, the
Dominican Republic, and hope to
continue to add countries to my list)
d. read (anything and everything)

the verb ir -helpful flip book

Thank you so much for taking the time to review my

portfolio. I hope you find my enthusiasm and love for the
field of education and the Spanish language shine through.