How can a children's book be for everyone?

I am always on the look for interesting funny stories and at the same time stories which are comprehensible to my learners. A few months ago when I was busy breastfeeding, I was reading the TPRS bible "Fluency through TPR storytelling" by Blaine Ray and Contee Steel and one chapter entitled "Kindergarten Day" caught my eyes.

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acquiring5 acquisition33 animal sounds1 animals2 bedtime2 children8 ci16 circle3 circling5 comprehensible41 comprehension31 connection3 engaging9 exercises1 fun13 funny2 high frequency7 home practice1 input39 interesting9 kindergarten day1 listening29 own pace2 parallel story2 practice17 present tense1 reading36 repetition11 repetitive5 story34 storytelling28 teacherspayteachers11 TPRS34 verb forms1 video32 vocabulary18

French culture: celebrating la Chandeleur !

Candlemas is around the corner and I have prepared some fun activities to do in the French class to celebrate this special event. In fact as the activities are mainly centered around crepes and how to make them, you could also use them to celebrate Mardi Gras (which is on the 9th of February this year) or if you are teaching a topic on food.

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acquisition33 bundle1 celebrate4 celebration5 communicative7 comprehensible41 Cooking17 cultural5 culture22 Education8 food13 French20 grammar6 infinitive1 input39 logic1 logical2 numeracy1 passé-composé2 past5 perfect tense2 recipe12 song10 story34 storytelling28 teacherspayteachers11 TPRS34 tradition1

Fun and simple idea to practice "gustar"

The verb "gustar" is not an easy verb to use as it is so different from "normal"verbs. The majority of students know how to use it in the first person singular "me gusta" but they rarely know how to use it when they want to refer to someone else.

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cards1 clapping1 Education8 engage14 focus6 grade 68 grammar6 gustar1 lesson4 listening29 marker1 matching1 motivation6 objective2 practice17 reading36 Spanish27 speaking37 warm up2 whiteboard2 writing17

Homework "a la carte"!

As far as homework is concerned, I have been trying something new which has been successful so far. Basically I let my students do what they want as long as it is in Spanish!

At the start of the year I told them that they will acquire the Spanish language,

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acquire28 anjoy1 book10 choice2 Education8 engage14 hobbies4 homework2 internet3 language26 library3 listening29 magazine3 memorize5 memorizing1 mother tongue1 motivate7 reading36 skills24 Spanish27 tasks1 watch2 youtube17

Spanish culture - Poem: Gracias a la vida

Today I want to share a beautiful song and poem in Spanish about life, love and being thankful. It can be used in class with intermediate to advanced learners to review or reinforce the perfect tense. It could also be used with beginners looking at the vocabulary in the song which is quite simple and then talking about what students are grateful for.

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advanced3 canción2 culture22 gracias1 input39 intermediate5 Mercedes Sosa1 poem4 poema1 reading36 song10 Spanish27 thankful1 thanksgiving1 video32 Violeta Parra1 worksheets1 youtube17