Linda, Dave and Shirley
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How did these resources come to be?
Shirley Mather and Linda Thomson worked together as teaching colleagues, who shared both ideas and work space. Over the years they both noticed the same thing. No matter what commercial program they were using, or how effective or not it was, they were finding themselves constantly having to make up additional activities to supplement and complete the learning expectations. After working for a few years with a curriculum that was very prescriptive as far as grammar expectations went, the frustration level grew. One day they were engaged in what was becoming an increasingly frequent interaction, that went something like this: |
Shirley came back to their shared workspace at recess and stared at the choice of current and past program materials as if willing something that did not exist to materialize. It seemed that she had found yet again, while working on a creative project with some students, that they were demonstrating that they needed a quick review of a certain grammar point. A quick review, an engaging activity and they could get back on track with their project. Linda, ever resourceful, knowledgeable and willing to help, started pulling out possible books or old activity sheets. The only one that seemed appropriate was from a commercial unit with an astronaut theme.
"But we're not doing astronauts! I'll have to teach the astronaut vocabulary first before the activity will make sense! I just want a quick activity reinforcing this one grammar point with no new theme attached that I can plug into what I am already doing! Is that too much to ask? Why can't someone take these expectations and just make a book with activities that reinforce each one, that I can turn to if I need it? "
"But we're not doing astronauts! I'll have to teach the astronaut vocabulary first before the activity will make sense! I just want a quick activity reinforcing this one grammar point with no new theme attached that I can plug into what I am already doing! Is that too much to ask? Why can't someone take these expectations and just make a book with activities that reinforce each one, that I can turn to if I need it? "
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The light bulb had been turned on, but it would be another year at least before life and the planets would line up so that the first book, Grammaire Sous La Main™, Part 1 : Verbs could be written. When it was well received by teachers, Shirley and Linda felt that was a signal to go ahead and complete the resource by creating the Part 2 binder which dealt with the rest of the grammar expectations.
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It turned out that teachers didn't want that to be the end of this type
of resource and another 9 supplements followed as part of the Grammaire Supplémentaire Sous La Main™ series. Recently, the changing curriculum has led to the start of the français sous la main™ series, providing support to teachers' changing needs.
Matt Kirk (Part 1) and Anne Whitcombe (Part 2 and Supplement A) provided the illustrations for the earlier resources. It is the handiwork of Eleanor Matte that you see in all the supplements that have followed the first two binders.
Over the years Shirley's husband, Dave Dawe, has played many roles behind the scenes, of business adviser, computer technician and he can often be found providing customer service at LearningSpirit's table at language conferences.
Matt Kirk (Part 1) and Anne Whitcombe (Part 2 and Supplement A) provided the illustrations for the earlier resources. It is the handiwork of Eleanor Matte that you see in all the supplements that have followed the first two binders.
Over the years Shirley's husband, Dave Dawe, has played many roles behind the scenes, of business adviser, computer technician and he can often be found providing customer service at LearningSpirit's table at language conferences.