Language game to provide more comprehensible input: Guess Who?

https://goo.gl/photos/JPio26rjA9UosKXR7

As I mentioned in my previous post about story listening, I am part of an amazing group on Facebook called "CI Liftoff'' where educators around the world are discussing about how to use pure comprehensible input in the language acquisition process.

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Story listening is powerful!

https://goo.gl/photos/q3JwpJ4wErVuXC6e9

To me, developing listening skills are vital in life, yet not practiced enough. As teachers, we are told to let students learn by doing (which is valuable too in some cases) and that classrooms should be students led. As a consequence the skill of listening is being put aside,

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French story and poem: un amour qui finit mal !

My French students are now learning the passé composé in class and I am looking for ways to help them acquire this new tense without doing the traditional grammar approach.

The first text which came to my mind was Le déjeuner du matin which is actually a poem widely taught in French classes because the language is quite simple and repetitive.

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acquire28 acquisition33 breakfast2 comprehensible41 comprehension31 cultural5 déjeuner du matin1 Education8 food13 French20 guidelines2 literature2 love1 Martina Bex10 meal4 miming1 MovieTalk3 passé-composé2 perfect tense2 poem4 poet1 Prévert1 questions19 reading36 repetition11 script10 story34 storytelling28 target language12 target structure10 teacherspayteachers11 TPRS34 youtube17

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 activities5 bundle1 celebrate4 celebration5 communicative7 comprehensible41 Cooking17 cultural5 Education8 food13 French20 grammar6 infinitive1 input39 logic1 logical2 numeracy1 passé-composé2 past5 perfect tense2 recipe12 song10 story34 storytelling28 teacherspayteachers11 TPRS34 tradition1

Resources for English learners: shopping and the issue of being a shopaholic.

Last week, I was writing about my new "job" which is to teach online private lessons to Spanish students who want to improve their English. (via Google hangout or Skype). For now, it is going very well and I am receiving positive feedback from my students which is always good!

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acquire28 acquisition33 activity13 answers8 article5 communicate5 communication7 communicative7 compelling10 comprehend10 comprehensible41 comprehension31 conversation12 debate3 edmodo3 Education8 esl2 fluency15 input39 interesting9 language26 learner8 learning14 meaning3 meaningful4 personal8 personalized13 practise2 questions19 reading36 teacherspayteachers11 theme3 topic8

Resources for English learners: superstitions.

Although I am taking a break from my school and "formal" teaching, I have not really quit and I have now started to teach online (via Google hangout or Skype) private lessons to Spanish students who want to improve their English. It is actually very different from teaching a whole class and my students have a good level of English but they are not confident enough.

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activity13 comprehensible41 comprehension31 conversation12 Education8 engage14 fluency15 fluent12 language26 learning14 personal8 practice17 questions19 reading36 teacherspayteachers11

IB Spanish Students: el Flamenco

As you might already know, I have been reading La casa de Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca with my small group of Spanish language B IB higher level students. They are only girls in this group so I think they have enjoyed reading this tragedy about passionate love and freedom!

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art4 book10 comprehension31 critical thinking2 cultural5 dance2 define1 Education8 higher1 IB6 input39 intermediate5 La Casa de Bernarda Alba1 language B4 level2 Lorca2 music1 play7 reading36 Spain1 Spanish27 speaking37 teacherspayteachers11 UNESCO1 video32 worksheet2