Below is the first script from which to read in order to introduce the posters to your students:

Say:

“The main thing we are going to be doing this year is communicating in [name of language]. However, from time to time we will take a break from communicating in [name of language] to talk about how we are going to be communicating in [name of language].”

“We will be discussing some posters, one per week. Sometimes you will see me reading directly from my notes here when we talk about them. I will be doing that because what we will be talking about is so important to you as a new language learner that I don’t want to miss anything. The grade you earn in this class depends heavily on your understanding of the various points made in these posters.”

“There is a word for the kind of work we will be doing with these posters - metacognition.”

Write it on the board. Then say:

“Here is the dictionary definition of metacognition:

“Metacognition is the process of thinking about one’s own thinking and learning. It refers to the processes used to plan out how you are going to understand something. One way to say it is that metacognition means “thinking about how you think”.

"So, if you play basketball and want to get better at it, that would involve thinking about what you would have to do to do that, like running on the track to get stronger, practicing your three-point shot and your free throws every day, scrimmaging a lot, working on set plays with your teammates, etc. Metacognition is ‘thinking what you have to do to get better at something’.”

“Now, in language classes you must learn to use a completely different part of your brain than the part you use for your other classes in school. That’s why these posters are so important. They show you how to find that other part of your brain, which is not used most of the time in school, and they show you how to get a good grade in here.”

“Let’s take a look at this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJWsIJQHUxM&list=RDLVQJWsIJQHUxM

[Discuss]

Here is another video on metacognition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZrUWvfU6VU&list=RDLVQJWsIJQHU xM&index=2

[Discuss]

“OK there is another term that I want you to know about that describes what we are going to be doing to learn [name of language] this year. It is called Social Emotional Learning, or SEL.

Write it on the board.

“Let’s take a look at this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myf2CUx9E60 [Discuss]

“Does anyone have any questions about Social Emotional Learning and what it is? “Here is another video I want you to see about Social Emotional Learning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEaRlcxEshg

[Discuss]

“OK, so please keep in mind what metacognition and Social Emotional Learning are when we go over these posters. If you understand that it is important to think about how you are going to learn [name of language] this year, and if you know what Social Emotional Learning is and how important it is, you will do much better in this class.”