Reflection on Comprehensible Input

I haven't updated my blog for a while now, and as I am taking a break due to my fourth baby coming at the end of September, I wanted to reflect on my last school year. I was teaching Spanish from grade 6 to 12 and I decided to turn to comprehensible input and TPRS since I was never fully satisfied with the traditional way to teach languages.

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6th graders2 acquisition33 comments1 comprehensible41 Education8 encourage2 feedback3 fluency15 fluent12 grade 108 grade 74 grade 85 grade 98 IGCSE12 input39 inspire4 languages5 listening29 Martina Bex10 middle school3 motivate7 motivation6 personalized13 review4 song10 Spanish27 story34 story asking9 storytelling28 TPRS34

How to use a mini story in a Spanish beginner class

I have become a fan of TPRS because I do believe it is the most efficient way so far to help students develop both fluency and accuracy in Spanish. However, I am new to the techniques and although I read the Big Green Book: Fluency through TPR Storytelling,

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6th graders2 accuracy3 activity13 beginner10 circle3 circling5 comprehensible41 comprehension31 Education8 fluency15 grade 68 input39 key structures7 language26 leaning1 mastery1 method3 noresource1 output10 proficiency8 repeat3 repeating3 Spanish27 speaking37 story34 storytelling28 structures6 TPRS34

Spanish story: El chico cansado

This story comes from a French story on The Task Magic blog: Bob est fatigué. I wanted to recycle the structures "debe", "tengo que" which my students already learned with Los niños prisioneros de Bolivia and I also wanted to use "está cansado".

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cansado1 comprehensible41 comprehension31 debe2 debes1 Education8 input39 key structures7 obediente1 personalized13 practice17 questions19 script10 Spanish27 story34 storytelling28 teacherspayteachers11 tengo que1 text4 TPRS34

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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Cultural input: the prisons in Bolivia (or how to engage Spanish learners)

How to get students engaged and producing a lot of language???? Well.... I recommend purchasing Martina Bex 7-day lesson plans about Los niños prisioneros de Bolivia as it is truly worth the investment! Not only did it save me a lot of prep-time, it also made my students had a meaningful discussion in the target language!

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a favor1 Bolivia1 comprehend10 comprehensible41 comprehension31 conversation12 culture22 debate3 debe2 discuss1 discussion3 Education8 effort1 en contra1 engage14 family16 high interest5 input39 interest9 interesting9 issues1 key structures7 listen6 listening29 lo que hace1 Martina Bex10 meaningful4 output10 performance2 prison1 read7 reflect3 reflection4 skills24 social relationships2 South American1 Spanish27 speaking37 story34 storytelling28 structures6 target8 target language12 TPRS34

The Spanish alphabet

This is a simple activity to do with Spanish beginners when you are teaching the alphabet: students create their own alphabet page by looking for words which start with each letter of the Spanish alphabet. This is the first year in my teaching career that I do this activity and I have found out that my grade 6 students (11-12 years old) had a lot of fun doing this.

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activity13 alphabet1 beginner10 browse1 browsing1 culture22 dictionary3 enjoy2 find2 finding1 foreign language5 fun13 grade 68 language26 letter1 letters1 looking for1 research1 simple7 skills24 Spanish27 writing17

IB Spanish students: La casa de Bernarda Alba

I am teaching Spanish language B IB higher level and my students have to read two works of literature. Since I have a group of only girls, I have chosen La casa de Bernarda Alba which is written by the famous poet Federico García Lorca.

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biography2 book10 free4 higher level1 IB6 La casa de Bernarda Alba. teacherspayteachers1 language B4 literature2 Lorca2 play7 presentation10 read7 ressources8 slideshow2 Spanish27