Mini-Lesson without the use of the English Language

I found my mini lesson on the history of the Soviet Union to be incredibly exciting. I was

impressed at the class’s general understanding of symbols, propaganda, and the major figures

from 1917-1991. I struggled to determine what my lesson would be on, or how I would be able

to instruct for over five minutes without speaking. I could not speak, because my five years of

Spanish, three years of French, and four years of Italian amount to an extremely basic

understanding of all three languages. I have decorated my room with many historical items, most

of which pertain to the Soviet Union. I also have an in-depth knowledge of Russian music, so I

figured that props and music could stand in for speech. I learned that my instruction was less

filtered, but more succinct and meaningful than if I had been speaking. I could have spoken for

three hours about the events I illustrated, and while I could never teach students who are brand

new to the subject matter in such a manner, I learned that sensory learning is extremely effective

as well. This makes sense, because atmosphere and immersion are better methods than speech

and static visuals. History is the compilation of opinion pieces and data that chronicle dynamic

events sealed in past space and time- a bland classroom with an expressionless teacher who does

not give the students a taste of the actual dynamism and intensity of a given period is a common

shame.