My School Placement: IES Ciudad de los Poetas

Source: http://www.iespoetas.es/

I was placed at a public bilingual secondary school called IES Ciudad de los Poetas. It includes students in grades 1, 2, 3, 4 and Bachillerato 1 & 2, with students between 12-18 years of age. Unbeknownst to me at the beginning of my time in Madrid, Ciudad de los Poetas has an excellent reputation as a bilingual institute and many students commute over an hour to attend. This reputation became evident to me after meeting many of the staff and pupils; the students' high level of English and the teachers' enthusiasm contribute to a prosperous learning environment.

I am assigned to the following grade levels and subjects:

• One 2º ESO class in Music (age 13-14, 1x a week)

• Three 3º ESO bilingual classes in English and Geography/History (age 14-15, 3x a week each with 3B, C, & D)

• One 3º ESO non-bilingual class in English (age 14-15, 1x a week)

• One 1º Bachillerato class in English (age 16-17, 1x a week)

• Two 2º Bachillerato classes in English (age 17-18, 1x a week each)

The Tercero ESO classes in English and Geography/History take up the vast majority of my teaching schedule, as they are part of the Global Classrooms program and I have 3 different class periods a week each with 3B, 3C, and 3D (3A is an English class for non-bilingual students once a week).

The English level of most of my students is fairly advanced (B2/C1) as many of them have been studying English since the early years of primary school.