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Upper Levels + Señor Wooly
Recently on Woology, there was some talk of "upper level" songs--the issues relating to what songs people save for upper levels, and impressions of kids that certain songs are too easy. So here are my secrets of working with upper level students and the Sr. Wooly materials.
First, let me say, that I was intentional with my words. These are MY secrets. These are not THE secrets. What works for me may not fly in your context. As they say in car ads, your mileage may vary (YMMV). Also, these are not in some magic formula order. Just the order I thought to write about them.
Secret #1: Kids need to know about SLA. I don't make my kids read Krashen's essays or anything like that. But in level 1, when kids are in their first Spanish class experience, they expect things to work like other classes. But language isn't like other subjects. Even if a curriculum is divided into distinct units, it should be evident to all teachers that effective language class experiences would not involve a learn + test + move on to a totally new topic with limited connection to what we just studied. And regardless of the emphasis you feel may need to be placed on linguistic precision and mechanics, at the very basic level the premise that language messages that you understand (comprehensible input) gets stuck into your head. We teachers can debate the efficacy of an input-based instruction paradigm, but we can't deny that it works for mothers all around the world by just talking to kids who gradually understand more. So receiving messages they understand is beneficial for kids. Like I said, we can debate if that is what makes sense in schools but I dare you to prove that what I've said is wrong, at a basic level. Kids accept this as logical, and it increases buy-in not only for Sr. Wooly songs but anything we read or listen to, especially the easier stuff. (And for those who wonder "but what about the verbs?!" kids really easily can accept the addition of the idea "but since we don't have years of you toddling around the house like mothers of the world do, we have to sort of shortcut the process by practicing XYZ.)
Secret #2: In defense of "too easy". Let's face it...kids in upper levels still make super basic errors. "Me llamo es Brenda." "Yo es guapo." "¿Puedo voy el baño?" Hearing "easy" language isn't gonna hurt them. They just have to engage in a way that makes it not feel like level 4 kids are being made to do level 1 work.
Secret #3: Nuggets, schmuggets. I love the nugget activities. I wrote some of the nugget activities. And it is my go-to My AP class that worked with the Victor trilogy under the "Beauty and Aesthetics" theme to discuss what makes someone attractive (and if a pretty face can overcome an unpleasant personality). Nugget activities are great, but they are limited. They are comprehension activities (anything requiring student output cannot easily be "graded" by computer. And the Intermediate Low activities are the highest level available. Sure, the prompts could get more complex, but there is a limit to how high-level a multiple choice activity can be. My AP kids, with few exceptions, have comprehension levels higher than Intermediate Low. And many this year were native speakers or kids from our immersion program. For them, nuggets would be nothing more than busy work. (See below.)
Secret #4: It isn't about the song. Okay, this might be the most important one, and possibly the least intuitive one. Kelly, this post is about using Sr. Wooly songs...how can you say it isn't about the songs? Because, in upper levels, it is much more about the video than the actual song lyrics. And you've probably already embraced this to a degree without realizing it. Take "Puedo ir al baño" for example. This, for many teachers, is the very first song they use in level 1. It isn't the easiest set of lyrics on the site. There are a LOT of words in that song. But level 1 teachers teach it for one small chunk of language. "¿Puedo ir al baño?" And there are a lot of thrilled teachers as they see "Es una emergencia" or "No puedo esperar" in other things kids do. But nobody gushes about how their kids use "le traeré una manzana". Why not? Because those lyrics weren't important. Or particularly memorable for kids.
Now, when I get kids in levels 3-4-5, it's possible that they've managed to get that far without having been in my class before. And I'm definitely the Wooly-est teacher in our building. (Shocking, I know.) So, I might work with that video in one of those levels. But my goal isn't for the kids to acquire the title line. They all (should) know that. If not, well, they'll get that as a bonus.
How do I work with a video like this then? Kids in level 4 probably have seen it in levels 1 and/or 2. They know the song, they know the video, they know the punchline at the end. If the kids mostly would already know the video (like "Puedo..."), I probably begin by showing it, just to get it back into their minds. If fewer kids would have seen it (like "Encerrada...") then I would start with some screenshots to talk about before I show the video. The bulk of my work with the video is finding ways to talk ABOUT the story, using whatever language we're working on at the time. Sometimes the supplementary materials, the embedded readings help this. Many of the sort of activities that were in the Wooly Week lesson plans, specifically the Story Squeeze ones that focus on the plot. The beauty of high-frequency language is that you can use it in many, many contexts.
"Puedo ir al baño" + Subjunctive, for example. The easiest thing to talk about is if something is logical/ridiculous/probable/etc. ¿Es probable que Justin tenga tiempo para ir al baño? ¿Es justo que el maestro permita que Carlos vaya al baño? Not to mention all the comparisons of which teachers at our school are strict about what different rules--cell phone policies for example. Kind of proud of this one:
By focusing on narrating ASPECTS of the video that fit what we're studying, it actually makes it more comfortable to talk about a video they know well, while using language that is a bit newer.
Also, I don't show the video 137 times. We watch it once or twice, and mostly work off of screenshots after that. I try to space it out. Just like they will watch the same YouTube video multiple times, or listen to their favorite playlist on repeat, watching a Sr. Wooly video more than once isn't a bad thing. After all, a sports team doesn't only do a drill one time and then never again, because they've already done it. They do it anytime there is something to be gained from that drill. Same for this...if a song will help me meet my goals with students, it doesn't matter to me if they've heard it before.
WAFLT 2019 Recommendations
Here it is, folks, my annual recommendations of session at WAFLT. These are sessions that are focused on Comprehensible-Input/Acquisition-Driven teaching, as well as those by creative and engaging teachers I know. Please let me know if I've missed any! Also, don't take it that a session not listed is not a good choice. There are plenty that will be perfect for you if the topic is something specific you're concerned with.
Friday, November 1, 2019 8:30am-11:30am (NOTE: these 3-hour workshops cost extra to attend.)
FW-01: "90%+: Maximize Your Impact"-- Lynn Sessler Neitzel is a former WAFLT president and Japanese Teacher, now the Director of the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning at Blackhawk Technical College.
FW-03: "Dissecting the AP Language and Culture Exam"--Lee Belanger-Gonzales is an AP reader and has had good results on the exam. And frankly, I am including this in the list because I'm going to be there.
FW-04: "No textbook? No problem."--I don't know these presenters but the session sounds great for those who have been tied to a book and want to ditch it. This session may not focus specifically on input-based instruction, but when developing your own curriculum, looking at the AP themes isn't a bad way to go, if you need something official.
FW-09: "AVID in the World Language Classroom"--Okay, AVID things are going to be a lot of output. But their strategies are also all about supporting students and scaffolding material for them. So, especially if you're at an AVID school, this one could be worth attending, especially if you do need more structured ways to get output from kids, or to help them access authentic resources that are somewhat above their level.
FW-11: "CSCTFL Extension Workshop-Infusing Interculturality into Units and Daily Lessons through the use of ACTFL Can-Do Statements"--This session wins for longest title! But Claudine and Deana are both outstanding teachers whom I respect a lot. And if you're measuring your students, even loosely, by the proficiency levels, this will especially be relevant for you. Looking to find something to prove what you're doing is justified? Or maybe you're just one of the many teachers who realized that our classes are nowhere as infused with culture as they can be. (If I weren't going to the AP one, I would be in this room.)
Friday, November 1, 2019 10:15AM-11:15AM
P-1: "From Language Advocate to Activist"--We need to step it up in our advocacy/activism in our profession. And Karen Fowdy is pretty darn cool, so worth stopping by here if you don't attend one of the 3-hour ones, or if you duck out of one early.
P-2: "How to Engage Students in Advocacy through Social Media"--Nobody is better at social media than kids, so why not build a nation of advocates? Lauren and Erin I'm sure are going to do a great job.
Friday, November 1, 2019 1:45PM-2:45PM
A-3: "SDR" Pleasure reading for literacy development and language acquisition"--Yep. Reading. FVR/SSR/whatever you call it.
A-4: "Revised Standards for World Languages: Same, Same, Different"--It's important to know about our new state standards, so Pam Delfosse is definitely worth seeing! This session is repeated on Saturday morning.
A-12: "Community is the Key!"--Kaitlin is going to show great ways to work with student jobs and build relationships with students. This session is going to be great. You have probably read about some of the student job ideas online, so you can see how it works in her room.
A-14: "Using Brackets to Incorporate Authentic Resources: Christmas Commercial Madness and March Music Madness--I'm not sure if they're going to present Dustin Williamson's Christmas commercial brackets or Sr. Ashby's March music bracket, but if you're looking to see ideas of how to set up a bracket, or make one of theirs work for you, this is a great session for you!
A-15: "Student Interest: Gain it and Maintain it!"--Compelling input, scaffolded authentic resources, high-interest materials? What more do you need!?
Friday, November 1, 2019 3:45PM-4:15PM
B-7: "Assessment in the Proficiency-Based Classroom"--Yeah, who doesn't need ways to jack up their assessment?
B-10: "Getting the Input in so Students can Get the Output Out"--Jan is fantastic, and her demonstration is in Swedish, so worth seeing!
B-12: "Does that Activity Spark Joy?"--I 100% endorse going all Marie Kondo on your curriculum.
B-13: "What to do with readings...Besides reading"--THIS IS MINE! Some before-during-and after reading activities that might help shake up your routines. (I love presenting this because I need to shake up my own routines!)
Saturday, November 2, 2019 8:00AM-9:00AM
C-4: "Revised Standards for World Languages: Same, Same, Different" (Repeat session)
C-8: "Routines - Part 2!"--I have no idea where part 1 is, but I like routines and feel like they are one way to build your way to 90% TL in lower levels, although this session will focus on upper levels.
C-9: "Coaching from the Heart (How "C" is your "I"?)--Okay, this is mine. It's an open coaching session like at NTPRS or iFLT, but open to novices or experienced CI/TPRS teachers, as well as those who want to make their lessons more comprehensible. I would REALLY appreciate having a few "plants" in the room willing to take a 5-minute turn as the "teacher". And especially, especially to have a non-Romance language teacher! (Remember, secretly some of the biggest benefit in coaching pods is actually in being the observer.)
C-11: "Get Students Reading in the TL!"--I work right down the road from these presenters and sadly don't know them. But it sure sounds like something up my alley...except for the fact that I'm presenting at the same time. But if you need to jack up your reading program, this will no doubt be helpful!
Saturday, November 2, 2019 9:30AM-10:30AM
D-2: "Special Person Interviews: Low Prep, Student-Centered Activity"--Even if you've seen Bryce present this his way, these presenters will have their own style and spin on this activity.
D-4: "Evolution: From Traditional to Amazing with Novels"--While I hate calling things "TPRS Class Novels" because these books themselves are not dependent on TPRS as a method. But if you're looking at moving to a more reading-rich classroom, this sounds like a great session.
D-11: "Why CI? An introduction to Comprehensible Input"--Most of the people reading this list are probably already using input-driven methods, but hearing this teacher's journey could be a good start or a good reinforcement.
Saturday, November 2, 2019 1:30PM-2:30PM
E-1: "Active Acquisition"--If you haven't seen Sarah Breckley present, just go. Do it. DO NOT miss this session.
E-2: "TOYs Talk Advocacy"--Okay, if you have to miss Sarah, advocacy is something we all need to do, so go to this one.
E-5: "Bridging the Gap: ACTFL Proficiency Indicators to letter grades"--I mean, if you're using the ACTFL descriptors, you should hear how that can be translated into report card grades.
Saturday, November 2, 2019 2:45-3:45PM
F-1: "Flex Your Awesome for Fun and Profit"--Join me and Janet Rowe to hear about National Board Certification for World Languages. If nothing else, you can earn $2000/year for the time you have the certification, so it's worth your time to check out.
F-3: "Creating Embedded Readings from Movie Talk Moments"--Two of my favorite things in one session? Yes, please.
F-9: "Using the Textbook to Develop Proficiency"--Kaitlin has spent a lot of time working with textbooks and figuring out how to make them, frankly, suck less. If you've got a textbook you don't love, check this out.
Señor Wooly: Where do I start?
You've heard the buzz. Sr. Wooly is where it is at. But then you log yourself on to www.senorwooly.com and are immediately fill with a sense of overwhelm. You've seen the Baño video on YouTube and have heard of the famous Billy la Bufanda. Your crazy colleague down the hall actually BOUGHT the scarf!
But when it comes to how to use the songs and supporting materials, you're at a loss. Fear not, there is support. Here is what to do to start.
NOTE: This advice will reference some of the materials only available to PRO subscribers, and songs not available on YouTube. If you are not a subscriber yet, your mileage may vary on these recommendations.
NOTE ALSO: This post isn't the ONLY way that one can approach a song. And shouldn't be how you approach every song. Variety is the spice of life. But this is a fairly simple way to dip your toe into the sea of Wooly. As you get more comfortable with the layout of the site and the vibe of the materials, you'll develop a sense of what works for you.
NOTE ALSO ALSO: This generic advice is coming from a perspective of students that have never seen the site before, but can' be of ANY level.
1. Watch a couple of videos. Pick one you like. Don't worry about matching it to your textbook or learning targets. Show it to your students in class. Play it a few days in a row.
Wait, what should you DO? Well, you don't have to actually DO anything. Play the video with whatever subtitles you think will help your kids understand the story. (I always use Spanish, then add English one when I think kids will need it.)
That isn't enough? Okay, okay, you want to WORK with the video. Cool! One of my favorite things to do is to download the Slideshow of Stills for the video, pick out a few key ones, display them in class and talk about them. Who is in the image? Where is that character? What are they doing, thinking, feeling, etc.?
I also like to use the embedded readings after we've seen the video once...or sometimes before they even know it is a video! We read the story, compare it to our school/lives, and discuss what we think will happen (or should have happened).
2. So, after playing that video (and playing with that video) for a few days, pick another video. Again, if it can connect overtly to some language goal you have, great. But I recommend that you instead consider making it more about the enjoyment than the "learning". Trust me, learning is happening, but it probably feels like goofy fun. And go ahead and play with it. Take a look at some of the extras. Use something different than you did for the first one. Play it (and with it) a few times over a few days.
3. Yep, a third video. Lather, rinse, repeat.
4. Now, get your kids signed up for the student accounts on the site. Set up your class, set the main proficiency level, adjust for kids that are higher/lower outliers than the rest of the class. Assign them a number of nuggets (levels) to complete. Each nugget has 8 activities, each activity worth 100 points when completed perfectly. To advance from one nugget to the next you need 600 points. So each nugget will probably take an average student 6-10 minutes. Some will finish astonishingly fast, some will take much longer. So how many nuggets to assign? I would figure about 1 nugget per 10 minutes you give them. But here is the kicker: THEY can choose which activities & nuggets to do. Within each song, the nuggets do have to go in order, but if you assign 3 nuggets across 3 songs, they can stick with their one favorite, or split up those nuggets among all 3 songs you've done. Student choice is powerful. It becomes less like an assignment and more like creative play time. Will kids need 30 minutes to do 3 nuggets? Generally, no. But during the extra time what do they do? Play around more. Heck, have a few songs unlocked that you don't think you'll use during the year. Let them explore and find things! Keep it flexible. The more you try to control the experience, the more it becomes a "class thing" and not a "play with fun videos" thing.
5. And then...? Basically, do the same but add some new "extras".
6. But there is so much more on the site!! Yeah, there is. Now it's time to explore whatever you haven't. Check out the blog! There are TONS of activity ideas. Check out the Wooly Week 2019 lesson plans. Join the Woology facebook group! The possibilities are endless.
My main advice? With everything, don't try to do it all at once. There is always another song to try another idea.
Señor Wooly is the BEST THING EVER
We recently finished "Wooly Week", which for the uninitiated is a week-long celebration of all things Wooly. New products, new songs, new activities for everyone who subscribes to the Sr. Wooly website. And this has renewed the strength in my opinion that this website is the best thing ever.
Now, I probably should preface my list of reasons for my opinion with this disclaimer: I work for Sr. Wooly. I'm not a full-time employee, or anything, I'm a full-time teacher. But working with/for him is my side hustle: I produce and edit some of his print materials, and occasionally serve as a sounding board for the crazy ideas he comes up with.
If you haven't stopped reading yet, secure in my jaded, possibly purchased opinion, I'm sure you'll find some of the same great benefits to using these materials.
- The stories. One of the things that Jim "Sr. Wooly" Wooldridge has always stressed is that the important thing in all of his stories is just that...the story.
One of the elements I respect most about the Sr. Wooly stories is that they are developed from the story first, and then work is done to tell the story in the most simple language possible. Oh yeah, and then set it to music. While looking at the lyrics of a simple song, such as "Es una ganga", there really isn't much to the lyrics. "How much does that shirt cost?" "This shirt?" "That shirt." "It costs $5." "It's a bargain. What a bargain." This is possibly the simplest set of lyrics in the entire catalog. But the STORY, of a sales clerk and his terrifying experience with two strange visitors is gripping.
2. Useful, varied, natural language. The language used to tell the stories comes at users in multiple ways. The song lyrics and tunes get stuck in your head and WILL. NOT. GO. AWAY. Just try to listen to "Una canción original" and not walk away singing about Jennifer Bilby. For weeks.
And if you have any students who have worked with this song and don't acquire the word "escrita". (What? A well-acquired irregular past participle! WIN!!) None of the songs shelter grammar...you won't find a song that only uses -AR verbs in all forms. Because nobody talks in conjugations. And while we teachers may notice an awful lot of past subjunctive/conditional in Billy y las Botas 3, the song is engaging and comprehensible for all students, and the use of that language makes sense in its context.
3. Narrative. One of the key skills as people move up the ACTFL proficiency levels is moving from memorized language to created language. Sr. Wooly bridges this gap beautifully!! They pick up MANY words/phrases in the lyrics of the songs. Which is great. But the magical move from novice to intermediate (and beyond) comes when they can recombine what they've learned into new chunks of language. As a teacher movietalks one of the videos, students hear some of the lyrics in new contexts, surrounded by other words. The embedded readings do the same thing. They allow students to see words they know combined and recombined, and they move closer to being able to narrate in a similar fashion themselves.
4. Fun. Because there isn't enough play and fun in our kids' lives. Kids who are in middle school and high school are dealing with such adult issues. Things that thankfully DO get attention today from adults (no sticking your head into the sand that suicide, abuse, bullying, academic pressure, gender and sexuality acceptance, harassment, and so forth.
So when do the kids get to be KIDS? When is playtime? And not just sit on your phone and break bricks with bouncing balls (I can't believe my kids are all obsessed with an upgraded version of Pong!). Interactive, goofy, no-holds-barred, tilt your head back and laugh FUN. Of course some consider Sr. Wooly's stuff to be, as Christian in 3rd block put it, "cringey". But I have yet to find any other materials with as fun of an attitude, while they still provide benefit to our kids' language acquisition in real, tangible ways...it isn't just theoretically gonna help them. We've all seen it.
5. Support, support, support. Sr. Wooly gets teachers, because he IS a teacher. Although out of the classroom, he gets how we need to learn ways to use new materials. For Wooly Week 2019, the team produced two full weeks of lesson plans working mostly with just one song, Una canción original. The activities were interactive and engaging, and scaffolded through language skills.
But it doesn't stop there. Sr. Wooly gives year-round support to teachers through his newsletter/blog and through the Woology group on Facebook. This teachers-only group, in which Jim Wooldridge and his team are all active, is a place for teachers to share struggles and joys and find better ideas for teaching our kids. And the Señor Wooly fan page on facebook (for teachers and students) shares all the vital Wooly information.
And students get support too! The "Nuggets" (leveled-activities) on the website are adjustable among 4 proficiency levels. This allows a whole class to be assigned one level, but individual students be adjusted individually to best meet their needs, whether they are more advanced or need more support than the rest of their class...all without students knowing the difference! Because no slow processor wants it to be glaringly obvious that they have the "dumbed down" version of the activities!
2019: New Year, New FOCUS
I've been inspired. I mean, this time of year, it is hard not to look ahead with eyes to the bright shining promise of the new year. But it also is tempting to pull my head out of the clouds and realize I have a few short weeks left in first semester, and a pile of grading staring at me from before break. So, how the heck do I balance my need for, well, balance with these competing sentiments of optimism and exhaustion?
As usual, when it comes to great ideas, I need to blame Meredith White. I feel like lately, she is my teaching patronus. The wind beneath my creative wings. Or to use an analogy I know she would appreciate, the bitters to my brandy old fashioned. Sweet. (I'm a WI girl.)
She recently posted about her New Year's Revolutions--things that she wants to "rethink, rework, and revamp". Seriously, GO READ THIS blog RIGHT NOW. Go. I'll be here when you get back. Every word of that post is SO necessary for any educator, but especially World Languages/Proficiency-focused folks.
But with her Revolutions, she also inspired me with her one-word resolution. After many years of being very good-intentioned with a resolution, you might have thought I was confusing my New Year's resolution with giving something up for Lent. "I'm going to lose weight." "I'm going to be better with my money." "I'm going to stay on top of my work." "I'm going to make sure I do the dishes right away." Yeah. I'm still heaver than I want, owe more than I want, have a pile of grading staring at me, and am sitting in the shadow of the snowy peak of Dish Mountain. I realized that while I had a very narrow resolution, what I lacked was FOCUS. And there is nothing simpler to focus on than one single word.
I need something easy to remember, and an easy mantra to remind myself of. I might even do actual meditation exercises about this.
I am reminding myself of all the many things that deserve my full focus in life. I am so easily distracted by things more entertaining but often less truly important than tasks I'm facing. And if I can breathe and FOCUS on my work without being pulled off track by passing whims, online diversions, and shiny objects, I will be able to get so much more done, and with so much more creativity, passion, and quality.
People I am with deserve my FOCUS. Whether the students in my classes, my colleagues in meetings, or my friends and family. There are times I lack that FOCUS. Instead of circulating the room while my students work independently, I take advantage of some "downtime" to do my own things. At meetings, I'm frequently polishing lesson plans or grading papers. And I wonder how long it takes while spending time with people I love before I pick up my phone and check notifications. The people I'm with deserve my attention. And I should FOCUS on them.
Of course, I have goals. Lots and lots of goals. Let's face it, all the goals. Professionally (develop streamlined class systems, blog more, finish my freelance writings for Sr. Wooly), personally (keep my house neat, cook healthy food, drop a few more pounds), and aspirationally (write a novel, be recognized as excellent in my field), I have lost my FOCUS for many of these tasks. They go in spurts. Sometimes I intently FOCUS on one, but the others fall by the wayside. I want to keep my eyes on the prize, or prizes as it may be, and look forward to achieving progress toward them in 2019.
WAFLT 2018 Sessions for CI Teachers
Here is a listing of all CI-focused, CI-friendly, or otherwise awesome (but not CI) presenters that I personally recommend at the 2018 WAFLT Annual Convention. Take this advice (like everything I say) with your own grain of salt, and as with everything, your mileage may vary! Not being on this list is not a criticism...there are a couple of sessions I'm planning to attend that are not here. This is my list of recommendations for CI-focused teachers looking to work on their CI-related teaching. Friday Morning Workshops (8:30-11:30am, extra fee to attend) FW-1: Amazing Race & a Wild Goose Chase - Kelly Ferguson: using scavenger hunts in class. (Not specifically CI, but totally comprehension-based assessment spin.) FW-2: Keeping Students Motivated - Edward Zarrow: So, I don't know if promoting ownership of student learning is going to have a CI spin, but Dr. Zarrow was our ACTFL TOY a couple of years ago and I hear raves about him from many people I respect. FW-4: Teach Students How to Interpret Authentic Texts - Julie Horvath, Becky Paulsen, Danielle Lavariega: Reading comprehension strategies? Could be good. I don't know the presenters, so other opinions welcome! FW-12: Bring Design Thinking into Your Classroom and Beyond - Haiyun Lu: Become an innovator and problem-solver. Haiyun is a TPRS/CI teacher from Milwaukee. Friday Morning 10:15-11:15am These are digital posters, none specifically related to TPRS/CI. Friday Afternoon Session A (1:45-2:45pm) A-1: Building Literacy in the Interpretive Mode - Laura Terrill: Interpretive reading!! Laura Terrill is a former ACTFL TOY and well-respected consultant. A-2: Using Comprehensible Input Methodologies to support ACTFL Core Practices - Erin Nienas (AATSP-WI President) & Zoe Witzeling: We should all know the ACTFL Core Practices!! A-3: Unlock the Door to AP Language & Culture - Janet Rowe: Janet is our WI TOY and CSCTFL TOY this year, and is pretty super. Not necessarily CI, but I like her so she's on the list. A-6: Viva la lengua loca - Jennifer Fleener, Andrea Hill, & Jennifer Schultz: This session is about telling stories, so while I'm not sure if these are TPRS-type storytellers, it seems relevant. A-15: Awarding the Seal of Biliteracy - This is with a caveat...it's presented by the exhibitors from Avant Assessment who run the STAMP Test. I'm not sure if they're going to be selling the test or the Seal. But we CI folks have kids who achieve levels that would earn them the Seal, so it could be worth visiting. Friday Afternoon Session B (3:15-4:15pm) B-4: Igniting the Language Classroom with HOT Strategies - Carol Gaab: I've seen her present this topic before. 100% worth seeing. B-8: Listen Up! Engaging Students in the Story Listening Experience - Marta Ruiz Yedinak: I also 100% endorse this one. So, just run between Marta and Carol, or form a team and divide and conquer. Saturday Morning Tech Session T (7:45-9:15am) If you're looking just for CI, sleep in a bit. These sessions may be AMAZING so please do attend, but not CI-focused. Saturday Morning Session C (8:00-9:00am) C-1: Reading Activities Sure to Inspire a "LIKE" - Carol Gaab C-8: National Board Certification in World Languages - Meg Graham, Janet Rowe, Kelly Ferguson: Yeah, you should look into this. (But if you want to see another session, catch me later!) C-10: Spice up Mindfulness with 90% TL - Haiyun Lu Saturday Morning Session D (9:30-10:30am) D-2: Got Game 2 - Jody Zieman & Pam Lange-Murillo: Games and materials created for use with current, popular novels. D-14: Advance: A New, Alternate PD Tool to Achieve ACTFL Proficiency Certification - Avant Assessment is leading this, but training in proficiency rating along the ACTFL Scale is definitely relevant! Saturday Afternoon Session E (1:30-2:30pm) E-2: Engaging the Whole Body: Kinesthetic Games in the Novice Classroom- Alison Dupee & Gretchen Miller: Games for novices are somewhat likely to be comprehension-based. E-3: Novice Novelty: Keeping it Comprehensible and Engaging in Lower Levels - Several teachers from Chippewa Falls: The session description includes CI, among other things. So, will this be true CI-based stuff? I don't know. Anyone out there know these folks? E-4: Implementation of a 21st Century Oral Proficiency-Based World Language Program - Holly Morse & Jean Plum: Develop a program that focuses on proficiency and how to measure it. (May not be CI, but the topic still seems relevant). E-6: Invisibles: Creating Stories with Your Students for Low Prep and High Engagement - Zoe Witzeling, Chris Jentz, Kate Hurst, Susana Gorski: Use Tina & Ben's technique to create characters and stories. E-9: Teaching the War in El Salvador - Linda Schumacher: Okay, this is a Spanish teacher kind of thing, but for those of us who teach Vida y muerte en la Mara Salvatrucha, this is quite relevant. Saturday Afternoon Tech Sessions (1:30-3:00pm) (Extra fee to attend) T-3: Natalie Glaze, Jodi Stokdyk, Katherine Conor: Tech that helps students interact with comprehensible input and output. Saturday Afternoon Session F (2:45-3:45pm) F-2: Creating Comprehensible Cultural Input - Kelly Ferguson: This session, which has been shared at multiple conferences, gives examples to help even novice students notice cultural products, practices, and perspectives. (Presentation co-developed with Mira Canion, but presented just by me at WAFLT)
Dissecting Danielson Domain 2: Making the Rubric Work for your CI Classroom
This is the second of a draft-quality (for now) series of posts about the Danielson evaluation tool and how the qualifiers and criteria can apply to a Comprehensible Input-focused classroom. If you're just stumbling onto this now, you can find Domain 1 here.
Danielson Domain 2: The Classroom Environment
Okay! This one is probably the least difficult to make fit a CI class, because frankly a good environment is a good environment! There are certainly some things that happen somewhat typically (but not universally) in a TPRS or CI class that do contribute to a high score on this domain, but this is the one domain where there really is minimal need to find a way to spin what we do into the domain. There are definitely things we do that really can ROCK these critical attributes. Component 2a: Creating and Environment of Respect and Rapport -Classroom interactions between the teacher and students and among students are highly respectful, reflecting genuine warmth, caring, and sensitivity to students as individuals. -Students exhibit respect for the teacher and contribute to high levels of civility among all members of the class. -The net result is an environment where all students feel valued and are comfortable taking intellectual risks. YES!! Alright, this one, totally not a disadvantage or even confusion if you're a CI teacher. Frankly, steps toward this sort of environment often happen in any quality world language classroom. Because of the interpersonal communication nature of our classes, rapport often develops on its own. If you add in some get-to-know-you activities, even better. Many CI and TPRS teachers are familiar with Krashen's theories and discussion of the affective filter. So a lot of us already spend a lot of time and energy creating supportive and comfortable environments. And if you can do something like PQA or the Special Person interviews that are so popular now, your class is all about learning about kids as individuals. Add in some classroom management techniques of your choice, and you're set! Or at least as set as anyone can be. Component 2b: Establishing a Culture for Learning -The classroom is a cognitively busy place, characterized by a shared belief in the importance of learning. -The teacher conveys high expectations for learning for all students and insists on hard work; students assume responsibility for high quality by initiating improvements, making revisions, adding detail, and/or assisting peers in their precise use of language. THIS ONE...a little harder to unpack. "Cognitively busy"? Personally, I would think that receiving and comprehending messages in a new language would qualify as cognitively busy. Of course, an observer can't see that. What would LOOK busy is having students receive a message and DO something with that. The more language modes that can be used, the better. Students hear a story. Then they draw pictures to show their comprehension. Then pictures are displayed and the teacher describes them while students try to identify which picture is being described. Afterward, students read a version of the story with some details changed and identify the differences. Then an assessment to rewrite the story. We've got interpretive listening, reading, writing, heck--make the picture identifying thing a partner activity and you can add some collaboration! High expectations for all learners...insisting on hard work? Yeah, I have a bit of a problem with that wording, from a language acquisition standpoint. But think of hard work as focus/dedication to the task on hand and it's less cringe-y. Expecting students to use as much of the target language as possible (without it being intimidating) is an example of high expectations. Giving students the chance to develop skills further and reassess shows that they assume responsibility for making revisions! Speaking in the target language and attempting to circumlocute so a partner understands could be an example of assisting peers in precise use of language. REMEMBER--this descriptor is used for all classes students take, most of which involve their first language (ELLs obviously excluded). This is NOT specifically about course content vocabulary, but rather about students expressing themselves well and clearly, and helping each other to do so. Or at least that is what I'm going to tell my principal. Component 2c: Managing Classroom Procedures -Instructional time is maximized due to efficient and seamless classroom routines and procedures. -Students take initiative in the management of instructional groups and transitions, and/or the handling of materials and supplies. -Routines are well understood and may be initiated by students. -Volunteers and paraprofessionals make an independent contribution to the class. Two words: Class Jobs. During the first couple of weeks, practice routines (I use "get in pairs", "make a group of 4", and "back to normal places" as TPR commands!). Have students be in charge of anything in your classroom that doesn't require a college degree. Take attendance? Hand back papers? Collect homework? Close the door? Turn off the lights? All jobs that a student can be on the hook to do automatically when class begins. Maximizing instructional time also means that class runs "bell to bell". I use a warm-up and sometimes add an exit slip to start and end class. Many teachers make the first 5-10 minutes of class silent reading time. Make everything a routine. A wise woman (Meredith White) presented about how routine is familiar and comfortable, and the variety comes from the content or the people involved, much like talk shows have all the same segments repeated frequently but with different content and different participants. (Look up Jimmy Fallon's "Box of Lies" game on YouTube. Same premise, but different and hilarious every time.) I'll admit, I'm stumped with the volunteers/paraprofessionals part. I don't ever get either in my class. But then, using them to make independent contribution to class isn't a CI issue. I don't know how one does that in ANY type of class! Component 2d: Managing Student Behavior -Student behavior is entirely appropriate. -Students take an active role in monitoring their own behavior and/or that of other students against standards of conduct. -Teacher monitoring of student behavior is subtle and preventive. -The teacher's response to student misbehavior is sensitive to individual student needs and respects students' dignity. Well, I'm not sure how there CAN be a teacher response to misbehavior if the student behavior is entirely appropriate, but all of these are just solid classroom management. Some classes have people who monitor English usage (possibly with a token passed to whoever used English in an unauthorized way and whoever has the token at the end of the period gets some light-hearted consequence). This would certainly keep kids also monitoring their behavior and others. But this is a fine line to walk...because you don't want kids constantly paying attention only to others' behavior in order to call them out. Consider using some system like that of Fred Jones or the Love & Logic system to make sure students are treated with kindness and not punitively. And it helps to get to know the students, what is important to them, and what their "tells" are so you can see things coming before problems actually happen. Many kids are really, really bad at having a poker face. Component 2e: Organizing Physical Space -The classroom environment is safe, and learning is accessible to all students, including those with special needs. -The teacher makes effective use of physical resources, including computer technology. -The teacher ensures that the physical arrangement is appropriate to the learning activities. -Students contribute to the use or adaptation of the physical environment to advance learning. Dude, if your space isn't physically safe, you need to fix that. Be sure students can all see your presentation space. Like, actually sit in the seats and be sure there is no obstructed view area. Many teachers have gone deskless, and have begun using flexible seating--that totally fits into this! And if students take initiative to use different seats and regroup as needed, all the better.
Dissecting Danielson Domain 1: Making the rubric work for your CI Classroom
Recently, a teacher asked in an online forum how the Danielson assessment system can be "worked" within a Comprehensible Input-focused classroom. So I've included my rubric interpretation here. My disclaimer also should be that I rate myself high, but with rationale, and then ask my administrator to prove I'm wrong. But I want my administrator to give me specific things I should improve if they don't feel I'm doing the best possible job. (Obviously, I totally know I can improve in many areas. But I'm not going to make it easy on them.) Please also remember that just because these can be connected to all parts of the framework within a CI class, they aren't a given. They must be done consistently to merit a "4", and many of them, if you just whip out an all-star use for your evaluation observation, it will likely not look natural. I don't do all of these all the time. I'm a work in progress too. But at least this may give an idea how to tick all the boxes where you can.
Danielson Domain 1: Planning and Preparation
Component 1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy The descriptor for 4-Distinguished includes the following: -The teacher displays extensive knowledge of the important concepts in the discipline and how these relate both to one another and to other disciplines Okay, that seems simple enough. Teaching language automatically connects with their English/Language Arts classes, and often with social studies. Also art, music, physical education, family and consumer ed. I bet if I put in even more thought, I would connect to other disciplines in school but these are what jump out at me. Extensive knowledge of important concepts of the discipline? Well, I read extensively and listen to Bill Van Patten's podcast, so I'm quite aware of concepts not only in language but in language instruction. -The teacher demonstrates understanding of prerequisite relationships among topics and concepts and understands the link to necessary cognitive structures that ensure student understanding. I got this. Justify why I teach things in the order I do. Cognates and high-frequency words first. Link to cognitive structures to ensure understanding? Well, knowledge of language acquisition, order of acquisition, judicious and purposeful use of the first language. As my aunt would say, "Boom. Done." -The teacher's plans and practice reflect familiarity with a wide range of pedagogical approaches in the discipline and the ability to anticipate student misconceptions. Yep. I use TPRS, One Word Images, MovieTalks, Pop-Up Grammar, limited error correction, you name it. And it is rare that I'm incomprehensible without realizing it in the moment. I've learned when I say "la boca" and point to my mouth I need to clarify that "boca" doesn't mean "lips". Component 1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students - The teacher understands the active nature of student learning and acquires information about levels of development for individual students. This is SO comprehensible-input-ish. Every day as we talk, I'm taking formative assessments. We do speaking, listening, reading, and writing and I use that to plan instruction going forward. When my 3's came in this year showing REALLY weak grasp of the past tense, that told me we're gonna talk about the past. A lot. -The teacher also systematically acquires knowledge from several sources about individual students' varied approaches to learning, knowledge and skills, special needs, and interests and cultural heritage. The kicker here might be "systematically". I'll admit that might be a sticking point (since the "3" descriptor says "the teacher purposefully acquires..." I will submit though, that doing something like special person interviews or student of the week is systematic. Wanna bump this up? Contact other teachers. Make regular contact with the special ed case managers. Do weekend chat times to find out about their interests. Ask them to compare holidays (even non-target culture ones) with how they celebrate to how your family celebrates. My family did Christmas Eve gifts at grandma & grandpa's house, and always eat sloppy joes (which we call "barbecue") and dad and grandpa would eat bologna and onions. Very few kids' families celebrate that way, and many don't celebrate Christmas but celebrate other holidays or none. Component 1c: Setting Instructional Outcomes -All outcomes represent high-level learning in the discipline. They are clear, are written in the form of student learning, and permit visible methods of assessment. If you run a completely non-targeted classroom, this might be a bit tricker. But if you have anything that could be called a "unit" or "chapter", you're good here! Even a novel or a song. Why are you doing what you're doing? Find a way to phrase it that kids can understand and that will help everyone know where you're going. Visible methods of assessment do NOT necessarily mean a test. It can be a listening activity where you name body parts and kids touch them. It can be a retell of a story. It can be ANYTHING that would prove that students met (or are closer to meeting) your target. Heck, make a target "can use the super 7 verbs in the present tense" and then find ways to measure their comprehension and then production of those verbs throughout the year. -Outcomes will reflect several different types of learning and, where appropriate, represent both coordination and integration. Outcomes are differentiated, in whatever way is needed, for individual students. We're aces in CI at differentiation. Asking a yes/no question to a student with lower proficiency, and a more open-ended question for the heritage speaker IS differentiating outcomes. Asking the native speaker to use accent marks while encouraging the novice to begin putting together complete sentences is differentiation. Different types of learning? All language skills, and different modes! Interpretive Listening...maybe add kinesthetic with some TPR. Interpersonal Speaking...greet them at the door and ask a question or two. Presentational Writing...put up some pictures and have them tell the story (even in isolated key words for the novices). Component 1d: Demonstrating Knowledge Resources -The teacher's knowledge of resources for classroom use and for extending one's professional skill is extensive, including those available through the school or district, in the community, through professional organizations and universities, and on the Internet. Well, extending one's professional skill? If you're here, you're active in professional learning communities at conferences or online (or you'd have NEVER heard of this site!). Resources...finding things like Señor Wooly, you favorite Teachers Pay Teachers sellers, finding nifty web-based tools like Gimkit or Quizlet, the good ol' Teacher's Discovery catalog, etc. You probably know all sorts of resources. If you help students learn where to find help or info, and they have ways to extend their learning independently, even better. If you've got kids who are obsessed with a certain blue and green scarf and binge watch the videos, this fits the bill. As for what your district offers? That you'd know. As for universities? You can investigate local schools, but consider if you use the University of Austin listening proficiency exercises, or get materials from CELTA or CLEAR, both based out of universities. Component 1e: Designing Coherent Instruction -The sequence of learning activities follows a coherent sequence, is aligned to instructional goals, and is designed to engage students in high-level cognitive activity. These are appropriately differentiated for individual learners. Instructional groups are varied appropriately, with some opportunity for student choice. Whooo...this one is bigger than it looks. So, following a coherent sequence, aligned to your goals. If this isn't happening for you, ya might need to focus on this one. Even non-targeted classes can have a coherent sequence: talk about something, read a text that uses the same structures (written after the fact), do some activity. Seems logical. High-level cognitive activity is a little hard to see for language acquisition, so asking kids to make predictions or to compare today's character to a celebrity or a teacher or even yesterday's character is high-level. If you want to score all the points, have them support their opinion. Even novices can do that. "Today's character is like Einstein. Both like math." "The dog is probably going to run away with the aardvark. They both like adventure." As for groups, just make sure that when you group kids there is a reason why they pick friends for this activity and you assigned groups for the next one. Always give thought to if they should work with friends or some other grouping. Component 1f: Designing Student Assessments -All the instructional outcomes may be assessed by the proposed assessment plan, with clear criteria for assessing student work. The plan contains evidence of student contribution to its development. So, you've got your goals, and you're going to assess all of them in a logical way. The key here between 3 and 4 is that students have clearly had some impact in its development. I would argue that this could be as simple as offering a choice between a couple of different ways to do the assessment (maybe write something or narrate something). But even better if, when setting up the unit, you can take time for students to develop the goals and assessments. Yeah, I know. Not many people do this. But a 4 should be something we have to work for, right? -Assessment methodologies have been adapted for individual students as the need has arisen. The approach to using formative assessment is well designed and includes student as well as teacher use of the assessment information. This is another toughie. Differentiation/adaptation is no biggie, we're used to offering kids shorter assessments or whatever they need. The tricky part is that students USE the assessment information. How do students process their assessment results? Can students use those results to improve performance and re-attempt? Or is there a reflection that they do after seeing the feedback you provide? But bring it down to a more small scale. A tiny scale. If I say "Hello, good morning" to a kid who replies "Good, and you?", I will give some feedback by asking, "Wait, what?" Even that tiny feedback of "Your reply was not comprehensible and I need clarification." offers them an opportunity to use that assessment information to tell their answer wasn't right, and that they perhaps misheard the question or misspoke their intended answer. I hope this thinking-through has helped Decode Danielson, at least somewhat. Stay tuned for the upcoming sequels that think through the other three domains.
Words of the Week
As I approach my AP Spanish Language class debut, I am thinking about what words kids may want to use in their essays and oral responses. What might they need to use (and understand) to take their language to the next level? So with a bit of my own research, and a LOT of crowdsourcing from the Facebook groups Spanish Teachers in the US and AP Spanish Language and Culture Teachers, I have come up with a list of words (that no doubt will be updated as the year goes on) that are high-frequency enough, or just plain fun, that kids may find helpful to spend time with. Most of these are words that are hard for me to provide a TON of input for, but valuable nonetheless. Please feel free to enjoy the list and make it your own. Others who want a copy of the original file can visit here or find it on my Teachers pay Teachers store (for free). This document has lists of words in the following categories:
- Nouns (some are more theme-specific than others)
- Verbs (some include easily confused words like "moverse" and "mudarse")
- Transition words (words like "in fact" or "however")
- Adjectives & Adverbs
- Funny or Random Words (I tried to even out the rows, so many of these are just extra nouns)
- False Friends (pairs of words including a false cognate. Like "chocar" =collide vs. "ahogar" =choke)
Download: Palabras de la Semana List
Packing for Travel--Start to lighten the load
I've said it before & will say it again. There are 2 kinds of travelers. Those who pack light and those who wish they had. But how do you know what you'll really need?!?
1. USE A LIST!
Using a grocery list helps you make sure you don't forget something important for dinner. It also keeps you from picking up a third bottle of ketchup, because standing in the store you're not sure if you have one at home. (Trust me, I've got 3 bags of powdered sugar that will serve as witness of me doing just that!)
Using a packing list is a great way to make sure you bring everything you need, and ONLY what you need. You won't find yourself in a hotel abroad without contact lens solution (I did this one too), you also won't have to lug around a lot of things that do nothing but take up valuable real estate in your bag.
Speaking of valuable bag real estate...picking your bag is a key to packing light. Start with the smallest bag you think could possibly work. If it's too small, look at what doesn't fit. If you really need that stuff, only then should you step up a size in your bag. Want to know more about choosing a bag? Check out this post about picking the right bag.
2. DO A REALITY CHECK!
Recently while planning a 4-day visit to my parents' house during spring break, I put 4 pairs of pants into my pile to take. Then I realized, the pants I was currently wearing were on their 3rd wear without being washed. Ignoring my sketchy level of hygiene that might indicate, I clearly didn't NEED 4 pairs of pants for 4 days. I think everyone will agree you can get at least a second wear out of a pair of jeans. If you do this regularly at home, there is no reason you should plan to pack more than one pair of jeans for every 2-3 days while traveling. This is especially easy to do with pants. Nobody notices a repeat. Do you REALLY need three pairs of flip flops in different colors? Would one or two be enough?3. GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE CLOUDS!
If you don't wear it here, you won't wear it there. You love that top that has been hanging in your closet for quite some time. It isn't comfortable, but doggone it, you just might find the perfect occasion on this trip! NO! Put the shirt down and step away! It's fine to think of options (on one day I can wear the blue shirt or the green one), but every outfit doesn't need a contingency plan. If you think it could be hot or chilly, pack ONE or TWO items that could be your "just in case" clothes for the whole trip. I always bring an extra "just in case my bag gets lost or my flight is canceled" underwear with me. I always bring a cardigan or jacket in case it gets chilly. But I bring ONE extra. Not an extra to coordinate with each outfit. Which brings me to...4. PACK WITH A WHOLE-TRIP PLAN!
When I travel, my "uniform" is black bottoms and a shirt. I bring in a lot of color and fun pattern in my shirts, but mostly stick to black pants or skirts. This way I am never stuck because I brought the blue pants, and only one shirt that matches the blue ones, but I accidentally wore it with the green pants and now I can't match anything else to the blue ones. To fix this problem, I will bring black pants, a black skirt, and shoes that match me wearing black. Everything is interchangeable. If I decide not to wear a skirt the day I planned because it got chilly, it doesn't throw off my matching scheme later on. Sometimes, if I do a really good job of planning, all the shirts I pack will match my gray pants and I can bring those along to spice it up. Yeah, it isn't always my favorite items that I bring (I *love* my purple pants!) but it keeps packing simple and any "contingency" plan items like my cardigan will match whatever I'm wearing on the day it gets cold.5. KNOW YOURSELF & MAKE THE "HARD" CHOICE
The best example I can give of this is possibly more girl-specific, but also tends to be more of a problem for the girls. If, for example, you usually wear one eye shadow, but sometimes you like to rock a smoky eye and need 4 additional colors...make the decision to go with your "normal" eye look during the trip. If you have 2 different colors of flip flops, just suck it up and bring one. Find ways that you'll be okay with the pared down numbers. Don't pack for "just in case"...pack for "will I really use this enough to make it worth lugging around the world". In most cases, no. Remember, we're going to travel to a place where millions of people live. They have stores. If you really need more socks, or shampoo, or whatever, you can buy it there. I did forget contact lens solution when I went to Mexico for study abroad. And I bought it there. But I've traveled a lot and never found forgetting one special shirt or pair of shoes ruined my trip.6. FIND A FRIEND!
When we travel, students are put into rooming groups of at least 2, sometimes 3. Odds are, within a pair or group, you don't need 3 tubes of toothpaste. Or 3 shampoo bottles. Or 3 hair dryers. Figure out what you can do to split the load of what you all bring. Another recommendation? Swap some suitcase space with a friend...put some of your clothes into their bag, and take some of theirs in your bag. This is called "buddy packing". That way, if your luggage is lost, you'll only be missing half of your stuff until the bag finds its way to you.
Packing for Travel--What about Luggage?
Luggage. There is SO much luggage out there! Odds are, your family has a suitcase or two laying around the house. My parents have a TON of luggage. Some old, some new, some big, some small, some giant. This post is going to help lead you through the pros/cons of different types of luggage, from the perspective that you might be looking to buy a new bag for the trip, or at least trying to figure out which of the bags you have access to would be best for you to take. Of course, you don't need to buy new luggage to travel. And you may be stuck with whatever your family has, like it or not. Still, thinking about how to get your stuff from here to there is important. I will begin this with a disclaimer--I am a HUGE supporter of traveling light. If you can go carry-on only, there are lots of benefits. Keep your eyes peeled for my post about light travel, and also you can follow my packing journey to spend 3 weeks living out of my carry-on bag leading up to and during July 2018!
Baggage limits for student trips
For my student trips, as well as many other international study programs, travelers are allowed ONE checked bag and ONE carry-on bag, plus a small personal item. I've been fortunate there have been no extra fees for our luggage charged by our carriers, but do realize that some carriers charge for checked bags even on international flights. If you're booking by yourself and going with a budget airline, check their specific rules and fees. Some give a super low ticket price, but charge high fees for all types of luggage...and those fees are higher if you don't pre-purchase them with your ticket! While each airline makes its own rules, here is the general low-down:| Bag Type | Measurements MAX | Weight Max |
| Checked Bag | 27” x 21” x 14” is a typical size. Many will simply say 62 linear inches. | Normally 50lbs. |
| Carry-On Bag (must be able to fit in overhead bin or under seat in front of you) | 21.5” x 14” x 9”, give or take a bit here or there. Some will simply say “45 linear inches” which means add length + width + height | 15-22lbs or so. Some have no specific limits, some are as much as 35lb. |
| Small Personal Item (must be able to fit under seat in front of you) | Often about 9” x 10” x 17”. Again, give or take an inch, if measurements are specified. | Usually not specifically stated, but this should be a SMALL item. |
Styles of Luggage - Pro/Con List
There are several types of luggage on the market, each with its own pros/cons.1. Hard-Side Luggage
Image: flickr.com
2. Soft-Side Luggage
Image: 419th Fighter Wing
3. Backpack or Duffle Bags
Image: max pixel
The most important thing about luggage is psychological.
If you start with a large bag, you will often feel free to FILL that large bag. When planning to pack, start with the smallest bag you think MIGHT be okay. And then only move to a larger bag if and when you absolutely need to.
Preparing for Travel--What to pack? Use a list!
If you talk to any travel experts, the one thing they will always tell you is to use a packing list. Why? Because travel itself can be stressful and a packing list will take away one giant source of stress--the worry about forgetting something you will need. So, how do you come up with a packing list? Here are some simple steps to developing a list that will work for you.
- Know where you're going, when, and the weather. This is obviously important in deciding what sorts of clothing to bring. You don't need to know the exact daily forecast, but knowing if you should expect snow or sunbathing will have a huge impact on your list! Think about what sorts of clothing and items you'd use around home in that weather. Your packing will probably be somewhat similar.
- Know how long you'll be gone. Obviously, for many people, the longer you'll be gone, the more likely it is you need more clothing. For others, they pack the same and plan to do laundry on the road.
- Figure out how to set up your list. Personally, I like using the packing list app "Packing". The icon is shown here. For most casual travelers, the free version of the app is sufficient. Other people prefer good old paper, or even a Google doc or spreadsheet. I like having a checklist on the app, and I also often write a list of my planned outfits on paper since the app isn't that flexible. The nice thing about the app is that it has a database of all sorts of items you can just click to add to your list. It's nice because things you might have forgotten may be remembered when you see them on the app.
- Categorize your Items. I recommend the categories of clothing, toiletries, and "other". In the category of clothing, include everything you plan to wear on the trip. Toiletries are all the things you use (often in the bathroom) to get yourself clean & pretty. And "other" would be things like a notebook and pens, entertainment (movies downloaded to watch in flight).
- Think about clothes. As you fill your categories, do so with specific numbers. Writing "t-shirts" will let you know that you plan to bring some, but how many? Which ones? Be as specific as you can. Also, keep in mind that you will probably not regret having a suitcase that is too light and easy to manage, so consider using a few items as possible on your list. So what quantities are recommended? Well, look for another post about packing light, but this will help you figure out MAXIMUMS of what to bring. Do NOT pack more than this. You'll pretty much never be glad you did. For every night you're gone consider: 1 pair of pants/shorts/skirt/dress, 1 shirt, 1 pair of underwear (and 1 bra for the ladies), and 1 pair of socks. Also, 1 "nice" outfit (depending on your plans), 1 pajama. Whatever you'd wear to swim in. Maximum of 4 pairs of shoes to allow you to look nice and/or walk comfortably. I personally bring 1 pair of flip flops, a pair of Birkenstocks, a pair of tennis shoes (sometimes), and a pair of comfortable but dressier shoes. NEVER bring a brand new pair of shoes you haven't broken in. NEVER. EVER.
- Think about toiletries. As you get ready for your day in the morning & ready for bed in the evening, notice what you use EVERY day. Plan to pack those things. Don't pack any of the "sometimes" items (like a hair straightener you're often too lazy or busy to use). Ladies, don't forget to pack feminine products you might need during the trip. Include in this any prescription or routine medical items you may need (including things like pain reliever & band-aids).
- Think about entertainment/other. Remember you may not have data service on an international trip, so any digital things you'd want should be downloaded to your device (movies, podcasts, etc.). Also, please remember that electronics & their cords/chargers are relatively heavy. The more tech you bring, the more your bag will weigh.
- Special Activities--will there be anything special you'll do on your trip itinerary that requires special items be packed? For example, if you're going SCUBA diving, you may want to bring your own wetsuit. Think carefully about this. Don't pack special items for something you aren't planning to do but could do. If something like that comes up, plan to rent one at the destination.
About student travel
As I prepare to make a 3-week carry-on-only trip this summer and find myself obsessively pouring over blogs and videos and tips for traveling light, it struck me that while I learned a lot of tips from the experts in traveling with a backpack only, most of the suggestions for packing techniques and how to not be that traveler are all things I knew.
Photo from Pixabay
I need a system. (Intro to upcoming series)
Today I was reading some notes from a conference I attended a year or two ago, and realized something that hit me like a ton of bricks: I need a system. Truth be told, I need several systems. And they need to work together. I work out at a great gym with franchises throughout the middle of the US called Farrell's eXtreme Bodyshaping. I've been a member for 5 years. (Please withhold the comments about how not so extremely my body seems shaped...I like cake.) Anyhow, every day that I've gone there for five years, I walk in, grab my attendance card out of the "EFG" section of the file sorter, take it to the front of the room, place it in the pile next to the PA system, and go find my spot. This gym has a SYSTEM for attendance. You turn in your card to the pile. The instructor takes all the cards after class and logs them into the computer. Everyone does their part, and if you don't turn in your card, you don't get logged. Sometimes the instructor realizes it and catches you anyhow. But usually, unless your interaction during class was memorable (I tend to be memorable. Shocking, I know) or the class was extraordinarily small, the instructor won't realize he or she has one card too few. That is what I need. Because every year, about 4-5 weeks into new classes, I'm already underwater. I'm drowning. And throwing me a little floaty ring isn't gonna really help. I need to start the year in a boat that doesn't have holes drilled in the bottom. So. Many. Holes. And this is going to be a work in progress. An evolution, I hope. I will be teaching all sorts of new courses and high-intensity courses (AP Language, which is new to me; Spanish 5, which I've only taught once before, AP Literature, which is in its 3rd year; and Spanish 3, which I haven't taught for three or four years). Despite the mess my classroom often is, I love organization. The Container Store is one of the most amazing places on earth. I love bins, boxes, and color-coded shelves. I could spend HOURS on Pinterest looking at classroom decor and organization. But bins and boxes are little floaty rings. I need more than cute. I need a comprehensive set of SYSTEMS that will allow me to be more efficient and more effective in my classes. So please, join my on my journey to develop some systems of organization that are more than just neat-looking sets of matching boxes and color-coded stations. My professional practice goal for next year is to get my room running like a well-oiled machine. I have upper level classes, so hopefully this collection of students will be most capable of joining me on this journey, helping me tweak what doesn't work, and figure out smooth ways to make my class happen. And then I won't be grading quizzes six weeks after I've given them. And I won't have to spend 40 minutes handing back all the class papers. Stay tuned for SYSTEM POST 1: Physical Layout--making the room set up to work. Also up in this series: handling homework, class jobs, student feedback, weekly/daily routines, and more!
ACTFL 2017 Part 2: Things I learned
1. Get. There. Early.
Yeah. That is what I learned today. The keynote was actually not as crowded as I've seen before, but in general I've noticed that what I considered "good" session topics are what EVERYONE considers good session topics. The first session I thought I was going to attend a session about Classroom Management and 90% Target Language. This session said it was based on Zaretta Hammond's writing (and since I was supposed to be reading her book for staff book club at school, seemed like a GREAT choice). There were people standing 4 deep...outside the room! And it looked like standing room only from what I could see IN the room. So, if you want to see a session, get there early. During that time slot I bopped around to a couple of other sessions before finding my 4th choice. And ducking out of that a bit early did let me get into the line at the restaurant before everyone got there.2. Value the chats
One of the best things I did at ACTFL was meet up with a couple of colleagues in the hallway and chat about what we heard in a session. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE the value of this processing. Why? Quite simply, because your friends are probably human. I don't know about you, but although I'm a presenter who sometimes feels like I've got some expertise, while watching others present at ACTFL, I tend to feel like THEY ARE SUPERHUMAN. They bring a mystique to their presentations. Their activities are SO dazzling that you just don't even comprehend how to do what they do. You watch in awe, and feel totally inspired about what you will be able to do. And 25 minutes later, all you know is you've got a warm glow of inspiration and absolutely NO IDEA what that activity was! Talk with other participants about what you saw and how YOU can use it. And do this right after the session. Heck, if it's good enough of an idea, duck out of a session right then to work on turning your inspiration into action.3. There's learning in numbers
I know that the temptation to attend conferences with colleagues and then divide & conquer to double or triple the number of the sessions' learning that you can bring back home. But 30 foggy ideas aren't better than 10 really well-developed ones. Heck, 10 foggy ideas aren't better than 1 solid one. Attend sessions with a colleague so that you can actively engage in #2 above--the processing chat.4. Be selfish
I hate people. Well, not all people, but masses of people. I missed out on a couple of sessions that interested me this year because the rooms were crowded. My butt was dragging on Sunday because I stayed up WAY too late on Saturday night. I ate more bread-wrapped foods than I usually do, plus coffee and breakfast pastry. Every time I go to a conference like this, I don't drink enough water and my lips get chapped from the dry air. Don't be me. Get sleep. Drink water. Find a way to get movement and fruit. Don't avoid a session because it's full. Take care of YOU. Do what YOU need.5. Find a way to take good notes
I am not a paragon of organization. I know that may shock you coming from someone whose ACTFL reflections are coming out almost a MONTH after the conference. But, yeah. So what I've started doing, rather than just having a notebook somewhere that I put my info in, is getting things digital. I keep hearing about Google Keep that a lot of people love for this purpose. What I do? I tweet. And I only "favorite" tweets that have things in them that I want to remember. I create twitter events to group all my tweets from ACTFL and I can go back and find what I wrote, and who I wrote about. I also have taken more in-depth notes on a simple Google Doc. Next year, totally going to try this Google Keep thing.
ACTFL Part 1: Plan of Attack (2019 Update)
1000 sessions. Three days. One. Thousand. Sessions. Just the idea of the size of ACTFL's Annual Convention is overwhelming to think about. Even for someone who attends state (Wisconsin) and regional (Central States) conferences regularly, ACTFL is a bit overstimulating. There are thousands of attendees. It's insane. How do you even approach something like this? This will be my fifth? ACTFL conference, so I've got some experience with this, and still remember how thoroughly overwhelmed I was by some aspects of my previous conferences.
1. Attend the Opening Session
I still remember Rick Steves's speech in San Diego. He was outstanding. During his speech, #ACTFL15 was trending on Twitter. It was remarkable. The opening general session from 8:30-10am on Friday morning will feature journalist Bill Weir presenting "Stories from Cultures Around the World". The five regional finalists for the national Foreign Language Teacher of the Year will be there and the winner will be selected. For first timers especially, there is also a convention welcome & orientation from 7-8am. This is typically a high-energy session, and can set the tone for the weekend. I don't know what DC has up their sleeves, but I'm sure it will be spectacular. And the keynote is usually something people rave about, even if you don't know the speaker beforehand.2. Have a Goal
Between sessions, presentations, and exhibitor workshops there are over 1000 possible learning opportunities. And that doesn't count the pre-conference workshops and paper presentations. Looking at a time on the schedule with 100+ things to see can be really challenging. Is there something in particular that you would like to learn about? Maybe you're trying to incorporate new technology. Maybe you've got a textbook you dislike. Need to inject more reading? Want to find more review games? Pick a mission or two. Whatever your goal is, define it clearly. Use that to hack away at the sessions that don't meet your goal. You can't become an expert in everything in 3 days. Some folks have published session listings, including the newsletter of the CCLT Special Interest Group which has a list of CI-focused sessions at the convention. Myself, I'm going to focus on differentiation, equity/diversity, and since this is my second year with AP Language, any session that seems like it will help me help them.3. Rest Your Brain
There are 19 different session times on the schedule. That means you could soak up 14.25 hours of professional learning over the span of 2.5 days. Here is a secret: you don't have to attend a session every single time one is offered. If none of the sessions at a time meet your goal (see above), or if you feel your brain getting full, it's okay to take some time off. You may want to just process what you've learned. Maybe you need to get some physical movement by walking a lap around the convention center. If you're staying close enough, there is nothing wrong with a little siesta. Maybe sitting down and blogging, or writing lesson plans inspired by a session will benefit you. I know, you're thinking, "But Kelly, I paid SO much for this convention & the travel! I need to get my money's worth!" I say this: Think of how you pace learning in your class. Quality teachers don't just "cover" material, because students don't acquire it well. Your brain is the same. "Covering" more topics during the convention won't necessarily allow you to acquire any of the topics and incorporate those into your teaching. You might actually get a better VALUE for your money by processing what you've learned. I have actually gotten some of the best value of my session attendance by processing right afterward with a friend (or even the presenter) to make things make sense for how my classes work. Or sit down and search online for resources to use with an activity I just learned. Make it REAL, and not just some bunch of ideas that flew past your head.4. Meet people, attend "other" events, or just be a tourist
There are frequently other groups that get together and hold events during the conference. Sometimes states or regions hold receptions. Online PLCs may have a get-together. Maybe you've got a long-lost friend from another state who will attend with his school. Take advantage of meeting people you don't get other opportunities to bond with. On Saturday night at 8, there will be an event called "Hot for Teacher: World Languages Edition" where some funny and talented teachers will share stories from their classroom...and no hot topic is off topic. Or, visit a site in DC! After all, you may not get here again soon to see some installations of the Smithsonian Institution or our seat of government! (Note: if you want to visit the capitol, you need to get your congressperson to do some paperwork, so it might be too late to make that happen.)5. Exhibit hall--be there!
There are so many exhibitors to visit! Way beyond what you've ever seen at state or regional conferences. Companies you have never heard of. And several you have. Check out the things they offer. Or just cruise by and get some swag. (Okay, I know...but we all do it!) And if you want to say hi to me, I'll be spending some time at the Señor Wooly booth! It's worth it to take a lap through the hall. Besides, after sitting and learning, you'll welcome the exercise!
CI? I thought you used TPRS!
Among several proficient and reputed experts of TPRS (Teaching Proficiency Through Reading & Storytelling), there has been some discussion about how one defines oneself. There is no shortage of acronyms to go around, of course, but recently there has been a significant number of teachers dropping the TPRS label and instead referring to themselves as CI teachers. CI? No, people are fans of this site enough to have become CI teachers in my honor. In this case, CI stands for Comprehensible Input. Comprehensible Input isn't a technique. It isn't a method. It isn't even a philosophy. Stephen D. Krashen wrote about comprehensible input in his Comprehension Hypothesis long before I began teaching. Here is a link to Krashen's writing if you want to read the source. Since then he has refined his hypotheses to include the indispensability of compelling input. But the point is that if we are able to understand messages, and do so repeatedly enough, language soaks into our brains. This happens faster if we're interested in those messages.
Image by E. Dentlinger
- It is too narrow. Many teachers are moving to doing student interviews, reading and discussing novels, talking about social issues, movie talks, and a myriad of other activities that aren't technically the 3 steps of TPRS. Some teachers who are well-versed in the techniques of TPRS, and who present workshops about TPRS find themselves using TPRS techniques like "circling" to discuss and converse but never truly ask a story. So TPRS feels like the wrong label.
- Peer pressure. I can say from personal experience that it can be tough being the only TPRS teacher in a large school in a large district. And TPRS seems like you're really bucking the system. And when someone gets swept up in the euphoria of this new method, it can be hard not to preach about the new language acquisition theory you learn. It can be hard to keep from turning others off with your born-again teacher excitement. Everyone wants to buy something, but nobody wants to be sold anything. By saying you're a CI teacher, you can point to the ACTFL position statement which few would be able to find fault with.
- Political Correctness. Since TPRS began growing as a method, it has faced opposition. Some thought it was just another fad. Some heard of the trend toward bizarre stories and figured it worked for clown-like teachers and looked on practitioners as the hippies of the teaching world. Some even thought it was a cult. (See the enthusiasm thing above.) It is not lightly that I say many TPRS teachers have felt like they need to stay in a teaching methods closet. It can be hard to "come out" as a TPRS teacher, especially in one's initial attempts to use this inspiring new method, before their own results can prove they made the correct decision.
La casa de la Dentista...part 1: My Review
When Jim Wooldridge (Sr. Wooly) asked me to review his new graphic novel, I JUMPED at the chance!! You can't blame me for not resisting a sneak peek of what he calls "...the best story I've ever created in any medium. ", right? So I was over the moon when the book landed in my mailbox.
La casa de la Dentista
But this book really is good. The art is AMAZING. I couldn't wait to read the whole book. I was so impatient, I decided we were going to have a little extra FVR time in class, just so I could read!
Best excuse for FVR...Profe wants to read!
TPRS/CI-Friendly Sessions at WAFLT 2017
I've noticed a recent trend among other TPRS/CI type folks to put together a list for big conferences like ACTFL of all the sessions that may be of special interest to those of us focusing on COMPELLING, CONTEXTUALIZED COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT. So, for those similarly-minded folks, here are a list of sessions at the upcoming annual conference of the Wisconsin Association For Language Teachers that might be of interest. These are sessions presented by CI teachers, as well as some personally recommended sessions by presenters who have good stuff to say, regardless of their CI-ness. Of course, there are lots of other good sessions too...so don't assume things off my list are not worth seeing! And if you see any sessions I should add, let me know! Thursday Pre-Conference Workshop: 10a-4pm "Moving Along the Road to Proficiency: Where Do We Need to Go? How Do We Get There?" by Helena Curtain, Jessica Bradley, Carol Hartmann, Theresa Kruschke-Alfonso The Greendale Schools have got their stuff TOGETHER! It's worth seeing if you're able to attend Thursday. Friday Workshops 8:30am-11:30am ($ extra cost) FW-1 "Looking Forward, Planning Backward" by Carrie Toth FW-10 "Using Children's Books in the Target Language..." by Jean Hindson *Disclaimer: I don't know about Professor Hindson at all. But usually reading sessions have value for CI folks. Friday Afternoon Sessions 1:45-2:45pm A-9 "Let's Breakout" by Jennifer Peterson & Paula Meyer *Okay, not really truly CI, but a LOT of CI teachers use Breakouts, so you may want to experience one! A-10 "Social Media? For Professional Development? Yes, really!" by Kelly Ferguson *Yep, it's me!! And while CI things might get even more of a mention, this session really is for anyone!! A-12 "Strategies for Building or Activating Background Knowledge" by Melody Leung *It's an ESL session, and ESL people tend to really get language acquisition/comprehensibility stuff. I don't actually know Melody personally. Friday Afternoon Session 3:15-4:15pm B-1 "Taking the Lead: Proficiency-Oriented Programs in Practice" by Lisa Hendrickson. *I love Lisa. We all love Lisa. Go watch Lisa. B-5 "Boost Creativity & Proficiency with Augmented Reality" by Deana Zorko. *Come see why Deana was a CSCTFL Teacher of the Year. B-10 "National Board Certification in World Languages" by Meg Graham. *Might wanna think about it. Also, if you're in the Madison area, we've got great mentorship going! Friday Awards Ceremony & Keynote Come hear Carrie Toth speak! DO IT!! Saturday Morning Sessions 8:00am-9:00am C-1 "Breakout EDU! Break Into Classroom Creativity" by Andrea Behn *Another chance to check out breakouts. I don't know if this session lets you actually experience one though. Saturday Morning Sessions 9:30-10:30am D-13 "Warm Up With Culture in the Target Language" by Nicole Thompson & Taylor Rutter *I don't know these teachers, but I bet there are some ideas for comprehensible authentic resources in this session! Saturday Afternoon Sessions 1:30-2:30pm E-1 "TOYs Talk Proficiency" by Josh LeGreve and several former WAFLT Teachers of the Year (TOYs). E-7 "Inclusive Pedagogy for the Language Classroom" by Joshua Brown, Connor Zielinski, Tristan Devick *Okay, I don't often want to recommend sessions by University folks, and I don't know ANY of these presenters, but diversity, inclusion, and culturally-relevant teaching is kind of a "thing" for me, so fingers crossed this session does its topic justice! E-9 "CI Tailored for Classicists" by Daniel Tess Saturday Afternoon Sessions 1:30-3:00pm T-4 "Can you Breakout EDU?" by Kari Ewoldt *Yep, another breakout session. This one includes doing a breakout and debriefing, then talk about how to connect to your curriculum. Saturday Afternoon Sessions 2:45-3:45pm F-2 "Life Hacks: Classroom Edition" *Woo-Hoo! Me again! An assortment of tips and tricks to make every minute filled with language from even before students enter your room!
Give 'em a Break!
I've heard it said that people can pay attention, typically, one minute for every minute of their age. My students are 14-18. I teach on a 90-minute block. Which means that on average, after about 15 minutes, my students are physically incapable of paying attention. I teach on a 90-minute block. 90/15 = 6. 6 changes in tempo. 6 breaks in the action. This was a daunting number to see. I use a lot of activities in class, I work hard to engage students. I've even considered myself creative from time to time. But to do 6 changes of gear during one class period? What if what I'm doing requires more than 15 minutes? How many different ways can I change up what I'm doing with a topic? How can I recharge the students and keep our class productive? With brain breaks. What IS a brain break? I'm a child of the 80s, and I love playing Atari games at my neighbor's house, and later challenging my brother on our Nintendo (he ALWAYS won). But the one thing that all those systems had in common, and most current video games I've seen also have in common, is the reset button.
It stops the game, lets the player refresh, get into a better place, and then move on. The player could use the reset as a chance to take a breath, apply knowledge (you die if you turn right; a coin is hidden in those bricks), and get a fresh approach a the problem, with a full stock of lives or health points.
Our students need us to hit the reset button. Their brains need a breath. They need to approach our classwork full of life.
Inspired by Annabelle Allen and her work with brain breaks, I have compiled a list of some of my favorites. The first 19 came from Annabelle's blog, and you can find more complete descriptions there. The next bunch are from a variety of sources, including several from the Colorado Education Initiative and my own ideas of games, camp experiences, and shamelessly stolen from a number of random presentations by colleagues for which I can no longer remember whom to give the credit.
- Copy my dance moves (or other moves not so dance-y)
- Rock-Paper-Scissors (when music plays, dance. When stops, challenge)
- Use musical chairs type of partner chat (move during the music, chat when it stops)
- Look up a goofy word
- Stand up, high 5 someone, sit.
- Stand up, touch your head, sit
- Stand up, jump a few times, sit
- Stand, do 1 rock paper scissors match, sit
- Choco-choco, la-la, te-te chant with actions (fist bump, palms, back of hands)
- Stand up, switch seats with someone wearing same color shirt as you, sit.
- Stand up, move 1 seat (direction), sit.
- Stand up, turn to partner and make dumb face, sit. (1st to laugh loses!)
- Take a group selfie (slideshow at end of year, use on website or blog, or for picture talk)
- 2 lines, touch body parts with partner
- Invent a high 5 with a partner
- Drive by compliments (write 1 for each person in group and then extras. Stick on each other as a drive by)
- Handshakes & Introductions
- Handshakes & Name favorite ____
- Stop and Text/Tweet/Snap (something curricular) on phone (or post-it for a low-tech variation)
- Take a lap around the room
- Stretch together or individually
- Massage pressure point between thumb and pointer finger 30sec and switch hands
- Breathing exercises
- Cross feet and hands, bend elbows so hands by face. Breathe deeply holding for 30 sec
- Clockwise circle on foot, draw 6 with hand
- Be the Mickey Mouse on a watch. Or mirror the hands on a watch.
- Nose/ear touch with opposite hands. Then switch sides.
- Mime hiking, swimming, cycling, paddling (sitting or standing for all)
- Put fists together, point 1 thumb and other index finger. Switch. How fast can you go?
- Blink 1 eye while snapping fingers on other hand (or hop on opposite foot instead of snap...or add that)
- Forward/backward circles
- Win by getting to 21: high 5 once or twice each turn counting up.
- Aw-so-go Aw= arm horizontal at chest. SO=arm horizontal at belly. GO= Arm straight forward. Stand in a circle & signal another player. Get it wrong and you’re out.
- Toss a ball around circle and answer questions as you get the ball
- 4 corners (strongly agree/agree/disagree/strongly disagree) with various statements
- Cross crawls (touch raised knee with opposite hand, switch)
- Boot scoot (touch hand to opposite heel behind your back)
- Mirror drill (mirror your partner. Can limit to just hands or whole body)
- Tippy Toe Walk
- High Knees Walk
- Heel Walk
- Foot Rock Paper Scissors (feet together, feet apart, feet crossed)
- Chair Roller Coaster: harness on, climbing turns, drops, finish (lift harness), exit (grab stomach)
- Arms straight up, one leg straight in some direction, turn body as horizontal as you can
- Act out action verbs in a text
- Higher/lower (ss has back to board, teacher writes number. Student guesses. Class indicates higher/lower by jumping or squatting
- Make a beat (clap, snap? Unh, whoop). See how long it takes to become a recognizable pattern. (Credit: Sr. Wooly)
- Get up, touch 10 chairs not in a row, sit.
- Touch 8 elbows from other people.
- Touch 6 different colored shirts in the room.
- Rainstorm (the bigger the group, the cooler this is!)
- Human Tic Tac Toe groups of 8-9
- Ninja
- Kickboxing moves (jab/cross).
- 360 turn and dunk like you're an NBA star
- Fast feet (Like football players running through tires, but in place)
- Alice the Camel song
- Captain’s Coming (Consider starting small & adding new actions each week or so to limit vocabulary for novices. Feel free to leave off/modify any actions you don't like. The "mermaid" one described here is one I'd skip, but the description of the game is good.)
- Camp Songs, especially those with hand or body motions
- Baby Shark song
- Children's songs
A day (or week...or month) in the life of a Sr. Wooly Song
[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.63" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" border_style="solid"] If you know me, you know that I LOVE me some Sr. Wooly. The why is easy--the songs and videos are fun, comprehensible stories that engage students and help them acquire language. But the HOW could be a different matter. What do you DO with the songs? That is a loaded question. Loaded, because there is no right answer. There is no wrong answer. There are just a LOT of things you can do with any given song, so putting too much stock in what I do could lead you to believe that your ideas aren't correct. PLEASE, do NOT take this as THE way to use a song. There is no magic to my order or flow. I have just been using this stuff long enough that I can see how things will/may flow in a logical way. This is just how I am currently picturing me doing this. Heck, this isn't even how I *am* doing it. I'm writing this in the middle of July! But here is how I would approach the story/song. A bit of my context first. I teach levels 1-AP Literature. And I do it on 90-minute blocks. As I describe my plans, I'm going to write about 10-30 minutes of activities as a whole day. If you're on a 45-minute period, you may not want (or be able) to devote that much time on any given day to Sr. Wooly. And that is okay. We won't tell Jim that his site isn't your everything. It can be our little secret. "¿Puedo ir al baño?" According to a completely non-scientific poll on the Woology facebook group, this is the first song many teachers use. So, it's a great way to show how I teach a song. Hopefully this helps you get ideas at the start of the year. Kelly's first step: Activating vocabulary
- I always check out the supplementary packet. While I don't always use the clip art matching activity, it's good especially in level 1. In this case, rather than just doing the matching activity, I will put up the clip art, or my own images found online for these words.
- I do a little talking/questioning about things related to this vocabulary. So, looking at the first image, it is "maestro". Since I use "Profe" in class, I will mention that maestro = profe, and then talk about teachers at my school. "¿Cómo se llama un maestro de arte?" I might ask if they are good teachers, or if they are strict teachers, or if they are crazy teachers. As much as I think students will easily understand so they can hear the word "maestro" without me being boring and repetitive. Lather, rinse, repeat with the other words.
- Because I love reading in class, and because I love holding off on the big reveal of the video, I would then read the embedded reading. Because this could be one of the very first
readings they do in Spanish, we will go through and as a class say what it means in English. I don't say we're going to "translate" it, because I want to avoid word-by-word translation. I want to get at the meaning of the story. And we are going to start with the 2nd reading, the "Versión Pequeña". You will see why later. How do I do this?
The great thing about embedded readings is that the text from one version is embedded into the next longer version. So having read the 2nd one in class together yesterday, the 1st one should be more comprehensible. They would write a summary. Yes, they already know it. Yes, they probably have yesterday's story with the answers on it. I don't care. I just want them reading the words.
Then, I'm going to steal the yes/no/sometimes sentences from the Supplementary Packet and we'll talk about those. Where/when can kids go to the bathroom? When/where can they speak English? Or Spanish? (My target is really "poder ir" and "necesitar ir" in various forms.)
FINALLY, I show the video. I might do some pause and talk moments during the intro especially. But I'll let the song play. In level 1 they watch with both English and Spanish subtitles. And then that's it for day 2. Always leave 'em wanting more, right?
DAY 3
Yep, I drag these out for about a week. So we're about halfway through. Today I would give them some true/false sentences about the video which we will discuss. "T/F--Justin necesita ir a Target". "T/F--El profe tiene mucho pelo". Whatever makes sense that they'll understand.
We will watch the video again. THIS time, I will be annoying and stop it about every 6 seconds so that I can give even more comprehensible input and conversation about EVERYTHING that happens or can be seen in the video. Yes, this is annoying. Too bad. I bet their math classes have annoying things that happen too. And English. And social studies. They can deal. Embrace the fact that you are probably going to frustrate them.
Before they are totally over how awesome this song and its video are, we will start in on the nuggets. I typically give them about a week to complete any online assignment, since not all my students have internet access all the time. We are on our way to being a 1:1 school but in the meantime I have a chromebook cart in my room, so pretty easy access to the technology to do these things in class. For this first one, I will assign them to complete Nugget 3, and give about 30 minutes to work on it. We have Dyknow at school so I can block all other sites from their Chromebooks and see who is on-task and who is goofing around. I would set all my level 1 kids to the Novice Low level early in the year, but later would allow kids to request a "bump up" to more complex tasks. Some kids I just bump up during the year anyhow, because I know they're ready.
DAY 4
Today I will probably pirate one of the nugget activities, such as the one pictured below to use as a warm-up. I would choose one from later in the nuggets that they haven't seen yet. This is Nugget 9, Read & Review. I'd reformat it so that I could have a couple of questions on the screen as the warm-up.
Because I'm doing other things in class besides this song, we probably won't spend as much time on it today as we did yesterday...remember, I've got a 90-minute block. I would probably just show the video one more time, maybe with pop-ups as a treat. Sometimes we sing the song, with different groups being responsible for singing different parts of the song. That depends on the class. Since I do this quite early in the year, some classes aren't ready for the locura that is life in my room. What about homework? I would give kids copies of the remaining embedded readings and assign a "ROBERTO"...an idea I got from Jorge Perez de Jesus. ROBERTO means "Read Or BE Read TO". They need to read the long version of the story to an adult and have that person sign the page, or take a selfie with that adult and the reading and send it to me. But the medium and extended versions are on the sheet. I let them know that they can do one of the other versions, secretly hoping they will choose the long ones to show off to their parents...and make ME look good in the process! Mwa-ha-ha!
DAY 5
Our warm-up today could be the "translate" activity from the supplement packet.
We might listen to the song today as a class, just for a quick review. If I haven't shown the pop-ups, they will see that version today. Then, I often retype these scrambled sentences from the supplement packet into SMART Notebook so kids can physically move them around and create the lines of the song. This could also be easily done on pieces of paper. I would color code each line so that they keep lyrics from each line separate. Or don't...that could be an added challenge especially for higher level students, or those who have heard the song before in previous classes.
To finish up with this song, we would play the Rocola video game. I do this game in a few different ways. Sometimes I have one class compete for a top score against another class, with students taking turns at the SMART Board touching the right answer. Other times I do 2 groups in one class. Still other times I have kids play on their own to get to a certain level or beat a benchmark score. I've even given extra credit for kids who beat my top score on a given level. (I didn't get perfect scores on purpose. No, really, I planned it. Seriously! I did!)
As they say, Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV). This is a fairly typical week of me approaching a Sr. Wooly song. This is NOT how I do every song. I don't spend this much time on all songs. Others really connect with my students and we do WAY more in terms of extension activities, because if kids really get into something, I want to run with it. But as they say in theater (or is it "theatre"?), always leave them wanting more. If you beat a song to death, kids are NOT going to spend a lot of time outside of class obsessing on the song, doing the videogame just for fun. Sometimes, less is more.
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Música Madness 2017
After using Dustin Williamson's Navidad Madness bracket for holiday commercials in Spanish, I wanted to do another bracket tournament. After all, my kids loved it in the fall, and I've got a new class this new semester. So as the spring basketball tournament approached, I wanted to follow suit of other teacher I know and do a music bracket challenge. So I combed the internet and Billboard lists of the best Latin music hits of all time and recent years. There were folk anthems like Guantanamera and groundbreaking thees like El gran varón. New hits by Shakira and Juanes and Enrique Iglesias, and some cheesy older songs like Gerardo's Rico Suave. 64 songs in all. NOTE TO SELF: 64 songs is WAY too many. Maybe 32 songs next year. Heck 16 would be nice. It was difficult for me to come up with songs, and actually as I realized the "oldies" outnumbered the "newbies" by a huge amount, I replaced some of my original songs with newer, cooler ones. I did this before we listened to those songs. I didn't give the kids copies of the bracket until round 2, so there was no problem with making the switch. Next year I'm going to consult Sharon Birch's database! She has something like 1400 songs and counting!! PREPARATION: Not wanting to be able to lose my results, I created the bracket online at Challonge.com. It was simple, and free. Just plug in the list of participants and it makes a randomly structured bracket. This program can handle double- and single-elimination tournaments, and even set up byes for tournaments with an odd number of participants. After a little playing around, I figured out how to edit my list of songs ("participants") and report winners. I also went to YouTube and found a version of the song with the lyrics in the video. More often than not, these weren't the actual video, but a home made karaoke style video, often with questionable spelling. I did this because I thought it would give students the best leg up in understanding the song, although at this point it is mostly voting based only on what their general impressions of the song were, rather than anything much deeper. I put a picture and the name/artist on the Smart Board, with a link to the lyric video for each song. This took a LOT of work. NOTE TO SELF: Save these links for next year. Even songs that got voted out, they might be winners in a different class. And it will save a ton of work later. Each day during round 1 (64) and round 2 (32) we listened to 2 songs. On a couple of days we ran out of time or wanted to move things along quicker so we did two battles, 4 songs. Students voted by a show of hands which they preferred. Beginning in the round of 16, my plan is to spend a few minutes looking at the lyrics of each song and being a bit more in-depth with what they mean. In the round of 8, we'll talk more about the artists and also do some partner conversations about why they like certain songs more than others, with the help of a vocabulary cheat sheet for things like "rhythm" and "lyrics". We will also watch the official videos for these songs, if I can find them. Here is a link to our bracket, feel free to follow along live and see which ones win! Round 2 starts on April 3.
El capibara con botas--critical thinking in early level 1!!
This year I read El capibara con botas by Mira Canion in my Spanish 1 class. We started this book on roughly our 8th day of every-other-day of block scheduling classes. Which means in a typical HS schedule, this was about Day 12. I can't stress how impressed I am that Mira was able to write a book that is comprehensible this early in the year. There are very few books that would be approachable this early in the year. The only other one I know of is Pobre Ana by Blaine Ray. What I like about this book is that there is not only a cute and silly story (Carlos the capybara cannot swim well, but goes on a long trip to help save his rainforest lake home from the Puma and the Jaguar), but deals with real issues. This story is ripe with "other" topics to discuss--friendship and bravery, deforestation and environment, acceptance of self and others who are different. It is fantastic. I'm not going to lie, this bright idea of mine was a case of necessity being the mother of invention. We were doing "Instructional Rounds"...classes are observed by small groups, and then they discuss things that they saw in classes to determine trends across our school. And one of our goals this year is to increase student collaboration and how students "interact with each other's thinking and a text". So I knew I needed students to interact. And think. With each other. And a text. So I divided them into groups of 3 based on where they were sitting and handed each student this chart. Each student had to follow th
e example and fill in the first 2 rows with quotes from a book that also give some science information, even if it isn't explicitly stated. As the example says, "Carlos doesn't swim well. He isn't normal. So the science information is that capybaras DO swim well. After completing their own, in their groups of 3, they had to share their 2 facts. Rows 3 & 4 on their form were to be filled in with information, one from each other person in the group's brain. Row 5 could come from any brain in the group, their own or a partner's.
It was really impressive that students were (mostly) able to infer items not explicitly stated from the reading, and while this was only one instance, this is definitely an Intermediate-Advanced level skill, and certainly calls for critical thinking on the students' part, without needing to have a huge amount of language at their disposal. Because it was based on comprehensible input, although their discussions were mostly in English, there was a lot of analysis and interpretation of target language text.
The Best Ideas are Stolen (Vol. II)
In today's edition of thank goodness people are generous, I bring you the best new idea I didn't think of, and basically didn't understand until I saw it in action: Running Dictation. To give credit where it is due, I have to thank Martina Bex, who got it from Michele Whaley, who got it from Jason Fritze. What is running dictation? A great activity for my energetic and squirrely freshmen in Spanish 1, although clearly would be great at any level (I can't wait to try this with my 4's next week!). As we are reading Piratas del Caribe y el mapa secreto, I took 8 of the "put these events in order" sentences from the Chapter 1 Teacher's Guide and printed them out in a large font. I cut them apart into 8 separate papers and had my student assistant tape them on the lockers outside my room. To do the activity, students divide into groups of 4, and each person gets a job. I used: Runner, Secretary, Illustrator, and Editor. The first runner goes out into the hall and scopes out a sentence taped there. The runner has to memorize the sentence and bring it back to the group. The secretary then writes the sentence on the paper, with support from the editor and runner especially to spell things right. Any question and the runner goes back to the source for clarification. Then the paper is passed to the illustrator, who draws a quick sketch of the sentence. The roles switch, and the process repeats. My kids were crazy...but engaged! One of my least engaged gals was an amazing runner, and didn't seem all that frustrated when she had to make several trips to the hallway to check on one particularly tough sentence. So, what can go wrong? What "tips" to make it work?
- Give everyone a job. If kids are in groups of 5, make sure all 5 have jobs.
- Call it a game. Everything is more engaging if there is a game. I'm not sure what my kids thought they were competing for, but they REALLY hustled to the hall.
- Warn your neighbors. If kids are going to be in the hall, you might want to warn the neighboring rooms that you might be louder than usual. I've got one particularly picky science teacher across the hall. He hates me, I'm sure. Sorry, not sorry. To mitigate the hatred, I stood in the hall when more than 1 or 2 kids were out there. No major complaints! Although, my room itself was really noisy.
- Sentence choice--be sure to pick sentences that are very easy and also a little harder, but none too complex. There needs to be something the slower processors can memorize and comprehend, as well as having a few that give a challenge to the top kids. I mention that groups may want to have strategy in picking their sentences and you should pick the hardest sentence you can do, so you don't stick someone else with one far beyond their level because all the easy ones were gone when they went out.
- Number of sentences. I did 8 (2/kid in each group) but it took a good 30+ minutes to do this. In my block period, I didn't worry too much about that, but if you've got shorter classes, consider how much time you want to do this. It takes longer than you think.
The Best Ideas are Stolen Ideas (Vol. I)
In a workshop recently, Mike Coxon said he was told by a professor that the key to success in education was "CASE: Copy And Steal Everything".
Of course, you want to make sure to give credit where it is due and respect other teachers' copyrights and intellectual property. So in this first homage to that philosophy, I bring you the best new thing I've stolen--Strip Bingo.
No. Not THAT kind of strip. Although kids will appreciate that name! It's funny! But be careful if you send a bunch of kids home telling their parents that they played Strip Bingo in class...could really raise some eyebrows.
Before I tell you the deal with this game, let me tell you my problem with pretty much all games: They are a waste of time.
Sure, I've played bingo. Does this sound familiar?
T: Take a couple of minutes to fill out your card. (10 minutes pass). Let's start. S: I'm not ready. T: Hurry. (Three minutes pass) Okay, the first word is Apple. S: What? S: What does that mean? S: (to another) What did she say? T: The next word is Banana. S: Did you call Kumquat yet? S: Wait, did she say Banana or Blueberry? (Someone finally yells BINGO!) T: Read back what you've got. S: Apple, wait--what is this? T: Banana. S: Yeah. Um, Carrot. (And so on) S: She cheated! And 30+ minutes of class are gone.I've done flyswatter. I've done Jeopardy. I have turned college drinking games into language games. Seriously. And they DO have value. They are a brain break for kids. They are FUN. They generally aren't that mentally taxing for us as teachers. But they also don't often allow students to get good input, and to give output that isn't super challenging.
So I am always excited when Martina Bex posts about games in her blog. Why? Because Martina doesn't post many time-killers. She is most known for spreading the Mafia game around the TPRS community. But this post is about Strip Bingo. My new favorite and potentially really, really low-prep game. Martina gives credit to Kristin Duncan for this game, so I shout out to Kristin as well.
If you prefer fancy schmancy polished things, you can get yourself a copy of a template here. It is 2-pages and suitable for framing. If you're really bad at decorating, that is. If you want to read Martina's post about this game, you can find that on her site.
How to play: Kids still make their own cards, but instead of a 5x5 grid, they use a strip with 5, 6, 7, or so segments in a row. Heck, you could probably make a game last for weeks if you use enough squares! They use vocabulary words of the current topic. After cards are filled out, the teacher reads something that contains these words. If the word on the END of a student's strip is called, that student rips it off. Which leaves a new end! Words from the middle may get called, depending on how the student wrote them. That's fine, but they can only tear off the ends. The first student to tear off all pieces and then have their last single piece called is the winner! We played in AP Spanish Literature, while learning about the historical context of El burlador de Sevilla y el convidado de piedra. Just for contrast, I used this with my Spanish 1 kids doing some of Martina's day of the dead stuff!
CI on the Block
90 minutes.
An hour and a half. To some people the idea of trying to engage students for this immense amount of time is frightening. It must be impossible! And to do a TPRS class for 90 minutes? How does one sustain that energy?
On the other hand, there are plenty of other teachers who find themselves on the opposite end of the scale. 90 minutes would be a luxury, the Jacuzzi tub of class periods. How wonderful it must be to have all the time you want (and more) in a day with your students, instead of rushing through a 42-minute class. No matter your comfort level with a long class period, a block schedule does create some logistical issues for the lesson plan. In order to know how to plan a block class effectively for a TPRS/CI classroom (and I will distinguish later why I’m not just saying TPRS), we need to understand a few universal truths about a block schedule:- Just because the period is twice as long, it doesn’t mean you can just teach two days in one day.
- You won’t see your kids daily, or you won’t see them all year. You get 90 days, not 180.
- Block scheduling gives teachers fewer preps and possibly more planning time (in theory). And often (in theory) class sizes are smaller. In theory.
- With fewer different classes (and fewer class periods), some “housekeeping” tasks like taking attendance and dealing with absent students happen less often.
- In a 4x4 block schedule, students can often “double up” on subjects that interest them, taking multiple levels in one year. This is an advantage to students who would like to reach high levels of World Language classes or take more than one language.
- You can NOT expect to talk for 90 minutes every day. It is bad for your voice and students will not love you for that.
- Ask a TPRS story
- Watch/talk about a Sr. Wooly video
- Movie Talk
- Read a novel
- Listen to some sort of listening activity (textbook activity that I’ve probably changed the directions of, podcast, news in slow Spanish, University of Texas/Austin listening proficiency exercises)
- Read & then study a song
- Read yesterday’s TPRS story
- TPR activity
- Game (Kahoot, Quizlet Live, Mafia, Verba, Apples to Apples, whatever!) Okay, some of my games aren’t really that CI-based. But they are fun, in Spanish, and give my kids a break during our long class. So sue me.
- Free Voluntary Reading
- PQA/Conversation
- The circumlocution game—okay, another confession. This is TOTALLY output. But my kids like it and does give them practice of a vital skill. I play this with my upper level kids only. They can use any gestures and/or Spanish words they want to in an effort to convey the meaning of a word or phrase they probably don’t know how to say, to their team.
- Class yoga (think Simon Says, but more stretching-based, and nobody gets “out”)
- Mindfulness practice—a guided relaxation activity or breathing exercise to focus students or energize them.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| PQA/Conversation | Warm Up (4 questions about yesterday’s PQA) | Warm Up (3-4 questions about TPRS story) | Warm Up (3-4 questions about yesterday’s PQA) | Warm Up |
| TPR Break | Finish TPRS story (has, goes, wants) | PQA/ Conversation | PQA/ Conversation | Finish TPRS story from yesterday |
| TPRS Story (has, goes, wants) | Mindfulness break | TPR Break | Mindfulness break | TPR Break |
| PQA/ Conversation | Read TPRS parallel story | TPRS Story (different story than before with has, goes, wants but also add in says) | PQA/ Conversation | |
| Kahoot game with TPRS/PQA vocabulary |
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Warm Up (questions about PQA kids they haven’t answered about yet) | Warm Up (questions about TPRS Story 2) | Warm Up (Questions about PQA or Sr. Wooly) | Warm Up (Questions about new story or Sr. Wooly) | Warm Up (questions about PQA) |
| PQA/ Conversation | Pop Quiz on TPRS vocabulary (comprehension) | PQA/ Conversation | Sr. Wooly pop-up video | Review story & read it. |
| TPR Break | Mindfulness break | TPR Break | TPRS Story (finish) | TPR Break |
| Señor Wooly song: (read lyrics to establish meaning, watch video w/ both subtitles) | PQA/ Conversation | TPRS Story (has, goes, wants, says, gives, sees) | TPR Break | Quiz on TPRS vocabulary. |
| TPR Break | Sr. Wooly song (review tough lyrics, do an activity or 2 from the packet, watch video w/ no subtitles | PQA / Conversation | Sr. Wooly video game competition | |
| TPRS Story—read story from last Thursday and Friday | Señor Wooly song (review lyrics, do some exercises from supplement pack, listen & watch video w/ Spanish subtitles & movie talk the video) | PQA / Conversation |
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| PQA/Conversation | Warm Up (4 questions about yesterday’s PQA) | Warm Up (3-4 questions about TPRS story) | Warm Up (3-4 questions about yesterday’s PQA) | Warm Up (questions about yesterday's article) |
| TPR Break | Finish TPRS story (had, went, wanted) | PQA/ Conversation | PQA/ Conversation | Start a song study, "Dale la vuelta a la tortilla" |
| TPRS Story (had, wanted, went, including subjunctive) | Mindfulness break | TPR Break | Mindfulness break | TPR Break |
| PQA/ Conversation | Read TPRS parallel story | Read an article and discuss | PQA/ Conversation | |
| Plans for the weekend |
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Warm Up: Questions about weekend | Warm Up (4 questions about yesterday’s PQA) | Warm Up (3-4 questions about readings & song we've done) | Warm Up (3-4 questions about yesterday’s PQA) | Warm Up (questions about TRPS Story) |
| PQA/Conversation | Review song | PQA/ Conversation | PQA/ Conversation | Finish TPRS story from yesterday (reading) |
| TPR Break | Mindfulness break | TPR Break | Mindfulness break | TPR Break |
| Review song from last week | PQA/ Conversation | TPRS Story | TPRS Story (continued from yesterday) | PQA/ Conversation |
| Introduction to Guatemala (leading into reading Esperanza) |
CI? I thought you used TPRS!
Among several proficient and reputed experts of TPRS (Teaching Proficiency Through Reading & Storytelling), there has been some discussion about how one defines oneself. There is no shortage of acronyms to go around, of course, but recently there has been a significant number of teachers dropping the TPRS label and instead referring to themselves as CI teachers. CI? No, people are fans of this site enough to have become CI teachers in my honor. In this case, CI stands for Comprehensible Input. Comprehensible Input isn't a technique. It isn't a method. It isn't even a philosophy. Stephen D. Krashen wrote about comprehensible input in his Comprehension Hypothesis long before I began teaching. Here is a link to Krashen's writing if you want to read the source. Since then he has refined his hypotheses to include the indispensability of compelling input. But the point is that if we are able to understand messages, and do so repeatedly enough, language soaks into our brains. This happens faster if we're interested in those messages.
Image by E. Dentlinger
- It is too narrow. Many teachers are moving to doing student interviews, reading and discussing novels, talking about social issues, movie talks, and a myriad of other activities that aren't technically the 3 steps of TPRS. Some teachers who are well-versed in the techniques of TPRS, and who present workshops about TPRS find themselves using TPRS techniques like "circling" to discuss and converse but never truly ask a story. So TPRS feels like the wrong label.
- Peer pressure. I can say from personal experience that it can be tough being the only TPRS teacher in a large school in a large district. And TPRS seems like you're really bucking the system. And when someone gets swept up in the euphoria of this new method, it can be hard not to preach about the new language acquisition theory you learn. It can be hard to keep from turning others off with your born-again teacher excitement. Everyone wants to buy something, but nobody wants to be sold anything. By saying you're a CI teacher, you can point to the ACTFL position statement which few would be able to find fault with.
- Political Correctness. Since TPRS began growing as a method, it has faced opposition. Some thought it was just another fad. Some heard of the trend toward bizarre stories and figured it worked for clown-like teachers and looked on practitioners as the hippies of the teaching world. Some even thought it was a cult. (See the enthusiasm thing above.) It is not lightly that I say many TPRS teachers have felt like they need to stay in a teaching methods closet. It can be hard to "come out" as a TPRS teacher, especially in one's initial attempts to use this inspiring new method, before their own results can prove they made the correct decision.
Long overdue post: A syllabus is worth a thousand words
At the start of every school year, I find myself faced with a dilemma. No, not what to teach. See my post on How I started the year to see why that isn't a stressor for me. My dilemma surrounds my syllabus. Syllabi. I know there is important information I want students to know. I know that students don't want to read a long document. These are 21st century kids. Snapchat kids. Twitter kids. They want fast, brief information. How can my grading practices possibly be described in 140 characters. Well, okay, they can't. I'm just not that good. But I am moving my syllabi toward a format compatible with their "just in time" brains. They no longer learn and memorize things "just in case" they need it. They have smartphones at their hips. Well, if those phones ever leave their hands, that is! They are "just in time" information consumers. Information doesn't become important to them until it becomes relevant. And on the first day of school, my grading percentages are NOT personally relevant. I looked at my old syllabi and found pages upon pages of information. Stuff that I had thought I "should" include, but really I can't imagine caring about when I was a student--and I was a nerdy kid who would have read the whole thing! So I got to thinking...like this e-card says.
Why DO I write a syllabus? To let kids know what to expect? To tell parents what to expect? To cover my butt in case of an issue? Because it's what we've always done? Because it seemed like the thing to do? A little bit of all of those! As someone who has been a reflective teacher for some time, I was used to analyzing my practice: My use of target language, my use of compelling comprehensible input, my assessment techniques, how I grade. But my syllabus was never something that got much attention, reflection, and evaluation. Until now.
So my first attempt to make my syllabus more than a long document full of lots of information, led to a poster-inspired, infographic-inspired document I made using Canva. Here are the two I developed for this year's Spanish 3 and Spanish 4 courses. Are they perfect? Gosh, no. Are they good? Maybe. Are they better than what I've had before? Yes. I think if nothing else, the more graphic format makes them stand out to kids and their parents that I'm a teacher who works creatively and carefully, putting effort into what I do. Maybe that is a good thing in its own right.
Where do I go from here? I am considering making the document even more tech friendly, including a couple of QR codes linking to a page with my gradebook percentages, or to a post on my class website about how comprehensible input works, and will include a large invitation for parents to visit class and see what their kids are learning, especially in next year's Spanish 1 group. The family connection is something I really do want to work on. Perhaps I will begin a regular blog for students and parents to keep them posted on what is happening in my room.
What does CI mean to me?
In preparation for an upcoming workshop in her district in Washington, DC, Amy Wopat asked teachers on the IFLT/NTPRS/CI facebook group to give a quote about what CI means to them. This got me thinking. In my journey to teach using Comprehensible Input (CI)-based methods, what DOES this mean to me? While many think of CI teaching as another name for TPRS, I think of it as much, much more. So what does CI mean to me?
- It means getting to know my students. We have real conversations. We talk about who they are. The class follows their interests. We talk about things that relate to their lives and their opinions. I love that students tell me about their tests in other classes. I know about their prom dates. We all know about each other. They know I'm afraid of bees. I know that W loves to swim. I know that N is goofy and will go along with anything to get a laugh. I know that C is a living example of "still waters run deep". He hates speaking in class but his writings show a lot of thought.
- It means flooding the students with Spanish. As much immersion as they possibly can handle. And along the way, pointing out ways that cognates are formed, how words relate between languages, and pushing them to understand more complex Spanish. Everything is comprehensible and written on the board. Everything we do supports student comprehension of target language use.
- It means being tired. Being "on stage" a lot, with a mind constantly racing can be physically tiring. Yeah. I'll admit it. By the end of the class, I'm a little pooped. I put a lot of energy into my enthusiasm as I tell the story, after all, if I don't find it compelling (or at least make them think I do) then they will probably not be compelled either. If you want them to be spirited, you have to be spirited. Sure, they still may be half comatose no matter how into it you appear, but if YOU are lethargic, they won't be engaged.
- It is a 3-ring circus living all inside my head. As I teach, I am conscious of what structures I'm using, what vocabulary they're likely to understand, who I'm asking to respond, the higher and lower level questions I ask. I've heard teaching described as a web browser with 4, 187 tabs all open at once. That is me. On a slow day.
- It means proficiency. Students are expected to produce as much language as they can, as soon as they are ready and comfortable doing so. I warn observers when they walk into my room that it may look teacher-centered because I'm doing most of the talking. But taking into account everything going on in the questioning and the conversations, it really is a student-centered classroom. As the student proficiency improves and they become comfortable with the class and the Spanish, student production increases naturally.
- It means differentiation. While there are standards in my classroom that I expect students to shoot for, all students can feel successful at their own level. Students are set up for success. Questions are asked slowly and dramatically with pausing and pointing at the board. Sure, the fast processors probably knew the answer half-way through the question, but by asking this way, slower processors have time to think about what is being asked, and can also answer the questions. When individuals are called on in class, the faster/more advanced students are asked harder questions requiring more language to answer. The students with lower skills are asked simpler questions, in terms of language. NOTE: I'm not saying this means only questions of what or who. They can be higher-order thinking questions, but they will be questions that students have the information and language to answer, possibly reading right off the board, and not necessarily in complete sentences.
- It means more energy and rest for me. I know, I mentioned being tired above. But it doesn't mean exhaustion. There is a difference. Blaine Ray once said that the sort of tired that comes from being active and enthusiastic and in the TPRS zone goes away after a good night's sleep. The kind of tired that comes from student push-back, frustration because you just taught something last week and students aren't using it this week, the desperation of finding another vocabulary or grammar review game...that goes away in June. And while Teach for June is a mantra in the CI crowd, it is about students having until June to develop proficiency in skills. It is NOT about us clinging to the glimmer of hope that June will arrive someday.
- It means easier lesson planning, eventually. When I started using TPRS many years ago, I worked really hard on lesson plans. I would script my story. And every question I was going to ask. It was a lot of work. But as I practiced more, I got to the point that I can do circling on the fly...and you will too! My start-of-the year class interviews require absolutely ZERO prep. I can't prep--it is 100% about what students give as information. We talk about them. I ask lots of questions for information and they provide the material. Since I don't know what they will say, it is impossible to prep that part of the class. What a great way to get rolling in the school year. Now, after using TPRS/CI in some form or another for about 14 years, I'm confident that I could walk into class, pull a couple of structures out of a hat, and run with them. I won't guarantee a home run, lessons that are truly amazing are also truly rare. But I am confident I could make a successful lesson on the fly. So walking into class with 2-3 structures in mind that I've had time to think about how they could relate to each other--no problem. It just takes a lot of training and practice and refining to get to this point.
- It is liberating. I don't have to spend a lot of time and effort talking around certain tenses or forms, or hope kids don't notice that I just used a totally different ending than we've practiced (which they never do anyhow). Our story yesterday in Spanish 3 had Elvis wanting a rich girlfriend in Las Vegas. So of course he went to Toad Suck, Arkansas. Wouldn't you know, we accidentally came up with a perfect use for imperfect subjunctive. Not a structure I planned to teach, but yeah, we learned "It would be logical if he went to Vegas, but he didn't go to Vegas". We didn't drill the whole tense. But "If he went" and "he went" offer a lot of compare/contrast opportunity. And I can just roll with it. It isn't too hard for these kids, and they don't even need to know that it is called "imperfect subjunctive". It is just a vocabulary phrase. I love Donna Tatum-Johns's way of describing pop-up grammar. Treat it like you kid just asked you a sex ed question--just answer the question that was asked and move on. Don't give them any more information than what they asked. "Do babies grow in mommies' bellies?" "Yes they do." The kid didn't ask about the birds and the bees. In a recent workshop, Scott Benedict mentioned that level 1 students in most languages learn some imperfect subjunctive forms without realizing it. "Je voudrais..." in French or "Quisiera..." in Spanish. Kids learn these easily, because they are taught them as vocabulary with meaning, not part of a language pattern.
3-Tiered Assessment
Oh. My. Gosh. You guys, this BLEW MY MIND today during our meeting! I had to share it with you immediately. Forget about my "CI in other subjects" post I said I was going to do. Forget about the post about the awesome Canadian article that is started and sitting in my drafts. This is fantastic. Today at my department chair meeting we were told to bring with us a task. This was to have been a task that we asked students to complete that brings one of our "Lancer 9" Common Core Standards to life. Our building has narrowed the CCSS for Literacy in All Subjects to 9 most critical for our students. The standards we chose, if you are interested, are Reading 1, 2, 10; Writing 1, 9, 10; Speaking & Listening 1; and Language 4 &6. I had a great lesson from my Spanish 4 class that is completely irrelevant to my mind being blown, but since this post is mostly going out to other World Language teachers, I will share that. Skip this paragraph if you're not interested in this mundane drivel. My department, as part of our Educator Effectiveness stuff chose to focus our Student Learning Objective (SLO) this year on Writing 9--Cite evidence from texts when reading to support analysis, reflection, and research. In my Spanish 4 class, we spent a lot of time getting to know each other. These personal interview conversations (PQA) melded into talking about personality, which goes to personal history/family heritage, which then becomes study of immigration and reading the book Esperanza. During this personality part, we read an article from the Spanish-language wikihow website about how to make people love you. Students read this article and marked places that were good ideas, bad ideas, and things that were unclear. For many students this is the first authentic reading they've ever done in Spanish. After reading the article they wrote a journal/reflection about it, using their own opinions and the advice in the article as evidence. I haven't graded them yet, but this is the "pre-assessment" for my SLO this year. Okay, on to the amazing. One of our science teachers brought an example of his 3-Tiered Assessment. In science classes, students take an assessment at the beginning of the year. This is a science pre-test. The brilliant thing is that the assessment has nothing to do with actual science knowledge. Like the ACT, the pre-test is an assessment of students' ability to read scientific materials, and think like a scientist. The test has 3 parts. A graphing section, a reading section, and a writing section. Based on the results of this assessment, students are told they are a Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 in each of the different sections. On the first "real" assessment, which focuses on half-life, all students can begin at Level 1, or their assessed level. When a student achieves a 9 or 10 out of 10 on a section at that level, he/she moves up and must take the next higher test in the future. Level 2 is sort of the benchmark in class. Once a kid is earning an A on the level 2 test, that kid has shown sufficient mastery of the material to earn an A on that test, so moving to the level 3 test is not an academic risk, but has them doing more complex work. When students are able to get an A on the different aspects of Level 3, then the teacher moves on to giving them the actual ACT test (he has amassed enough of a collection of ACT sample questions and past tests to make the test content about the same subject as the material in class. The test has looked at the expectations the ACT exam has for student skills, and formats his tests in the same sort of way. The first question on all of his tests is about reading a graph. For those unfamiliar with the ACT, it doesn't test any specific science knowledge, but tests the skills needed for interpreting graphs, charts, and scientific readings. So his tests are formatted to focus on the same skills: question 1 is about reading the y-axis of a graph in all 3 versions of his test. At the Level 1, a question might be a very straightforward bit of information, right on the graph. At Level 2 it might require a bit more interpretation, but is still about reading the graph. Level 3 will ask students to predict something or otherwise do more complex interpretation. But regardless of the level, the teacher knows that if a student gets the first question wrong, that reading the y-axis of a graph is something that needs reinforcing in class. The teacher based the structure of the test on Costa's levels of questioning:
Image from www.livebinders.com
So am I this stoked about teaching to the test? No. Of course not. I'm not a fan of standardized tests. But my school has done a great job of making lemonade out of the lemons that standardized tests give us. We have analyzed the questions kids tend to do the worst on. We have looked at what those questions really ask students to DO. Our kids struggle with identifying main idea and author's purpose. They struggle with argumentative writing and backing up their claims with evidence. They struggle with interpreting scientific graphs. All of these are not only ACT skills, but things that generally we would hope our students can do. And our science department differentiates their tests while continuously providing scaffolding and support for students to increase in these skills.
What does this mean for World Language teachers? Or other teachers in general? It means a great idea that I've been ruminating on for a couple of days (yeah, this post didn't get done the same day I started it. So sue me.). I love the idea of making a class so self-differentiating. All students get similar tests, and nobody knows which level any other student gets. They all test content, but allow all students to be successful and push themselves to do more. What a great confidence builder! Students don't fear that the test is going to be miles beyond their ability. We talk a lot about standards-based grading, but how many of us truly do standards-based assessment? An assessment that is embedded within, shall we say, proficiency levels. A student with strong reading skills might take the "Intermediate Low" reading assessment, but respond to the "Novice mid" writing prompt. Multi-level classes? Not as big of an issue with multi-level assessments. Heritage speakers put into low level classes because the office doesn't know where else to put them? They can be challenged by assessments too!
Now, how to do this? Not a clue. But this is my new goal to figure out. I will probably begin with a novel, because those are the most defined units I teach. I do know that this science teacher did say it took a LOT of time, and his department built the plane in midair while implementing this assessment strategy. If he didn't have a study hall supervision period, he would have gotten much less work done on making 3 versions of every unit's test. They do 3 per quarter. (Our block schedule means that there are 6 total during a course).
I'd love to hear from you...are you as blown away by the potential of this as I am? Am I just nuts? Both? What are your thoughts?
How I started the year
One of the most common issues teachers new to TPRS/CI have is how to start. The neat thing is, that there are ways to start that make it very comfortable (What?! It isn't awkward to just jump right into Spanish?!) and to help build relationships with our students. Remember, it is in these first days that students make their initial assessment about liking this class or disliking it. Sure, those impressions can change, but why not get off to a good start in ALL ways at once. My beginning of the year is something that, like all ideas, I stole from colleagues (namely Ben Slavic and Scott Benedict, among others). Before students arrive I prepare card stock that will become their name tents. I use the same template in all levels I teach, and construct the same activities in all classes, regardless of level. In Spanish 1 I give students the instructions in English. In 3 and 4, the instructions are in Spanish. But it's all the same. The great thing is that I can do this with virtually ZERO prep. Which lets me NOT be super stressed as the year begins. #winning! The template looks like this:
Students write their names nice and big, and then draw a response to a level-appropriate prompt. At level 1, I usually have them draw an activity they do. This year at level 3 they drew something they fear, and level 4 we did the first thing they would buy if they had $1,000,000. Here is an example:
Clearly, Nate would buy a house. I haven't discussed him yet in class, so I don't know the details.
On the board I put "if I had...", "if I could...", "would buy...", "would have...", "would be..." in both Spanish and English. I did later end up writing in the "you" form.
Then, using circling techniques, I pick a student and ask for details. Maddie drew several cats on her card.
Maddie, if you had $1,000,000, what would you buy?
Cats.
One cat or many cats?
Many cats.
How many? 2? 10? 1000?
1000.
Oooh, class, if Maddie had $1,000,000, she would buy a thousand cats.
Class, would Profe buy 1000 cats?
No, class, if Profe had $1m, she wouldn't buy 1000 cats. Who would buy 1000 cats?
Maddie.
And the discussion went on. She would buy cats of every color, except orange. And tigers are her favorite animal. But she wouldn't buy tigers. Because she is crazy. She is the crazy cat lady. It would cost $4 total to buy the 1000 cats. Maddie has $4 now at home, but she doesn't buy 1000 cats now, because of the cost of food. Cat food costs $5/cat/day. So it costs her total of $5000/day to feed the cats. That means with $1m, she can feed the cats for about 180 days. So she doesn't buy cats now. 500 of the cats would be named Phil, and the other 500 would be named Ellie.
And Ally also would buy cats if she had $1m. But Ally would only buy 2 black cats named Spike and Reggie. See, 4 is the limit to be normal with cats. 5 cats or more, you're crazy. (Maddie is 20x crazy!) So Ally is normal. She will just have 2 cats.
In a normal class period, this would have finished the period. I teach on a 90-minute block. BRAIN BREAK TIME!! We got up, stretched and had a 37-second total break from class to talk, look at phones, etc.
So now what? I could have easily gone into more interviews, but wanted to change it up totally. So thanks to Carrie Toth, I used a lesson designed by a colleague to do movie talk, embedded reading, and a cloze activity on this commercial for a bank.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mJz8bpZlnS8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
And, without even stretching at all, we were able to have some of the things from class come up in the video! How much WOULD that many marshmallows cost?!
It was great. And I noticed that I have one gal (Ellie) who drew ONE dog, and another (Avery) drew several. So on day 2, you KNOW that we also talked about what it takes to be a crazy dog lady. Apparently, the same limit. Avery will buy 10 labradors, 1 named Maddie and the rest named Ellie. And Ellie will have 1 white chihuahua named Willa. Labradors cost $1200, so IF Avery WANTED, she COULD buy 1197 dogs, but she WOULD only buy 10. White chihuahuas cost $837.22, and Ellie only WOULD BUY one.
So much fun!
Engaging Students from the Start
Although it is not the first thing my students will see, my syllabus is the first thing I prep for the new school year. This year I followed the amazing lead of Dustin Williamson and made my class syllabi on Canva. Canva is a poster/publishing/infographic-making program. So I have definitely got the prettiest syllabi this year that I've ever had. Check 'em out! You can download a PDF of my Español 4 Syllabus 2015 here. You can download a PDF of my Español 3 Syllabus 2015 here. What's the deal with making a collection of posters as your syllabus? I know that having a pretty syllabus doesn't make a Compelling class, but I think handing out a text-filled white page doesn't do much to hook students into the course. Which got me thinking about the engagement we strive for in our classes. It's been a long time since I've sat in a classroom as a student. But looking back at most of my classes, even those I enjoyed or teachers I really liked, there didn't seem to be much emphasis on engagement. In 7th grade, my math teacher left an indelible mark on my soul, thanks to a couple small and one large incident that I considered bullying and abusive. While he didn't cross the line legally, to this day I remember the unfair treatment I received, his snap judgement of me, and the tears I shed as I was kicked out of his class. Me! A good kid! It was traumatic--the incident is still clear in my mind to this day. As a student who always struggled with numbers, these scars took quite a while to heal. My 8th grade math teacher was a sweet but strict woman, but I was still reeling from my experiences to fully engage in her class. My freshman algebra teacher, Mr. Lee Harth (God rest his soul), spent most of the class period sitting at his overhead projector at the front of the room, working through problems and formulas with us. But it was obvious to me that Mr. Harth was a good guy. He cared about students. I felt comfortable asking for help. But was the class compelling? No. It was the opposite of that. Sure, he would make up entertaining story problems to illustrate the formulas we used. I liked Mr. Harth. I did not feel engaged or compelled in algebra. Another teacher, Mr. Jeff Elmer, came along my junior year. He was one of the younger teachers in our building, teaching physics. He was engaging. Our physics class was filled with active participation, goofy videos, and life examples. One of our first lessons had him showing the stability of a brick by balancing it on it's flat side, long side, and end, standing on it. And falling off of it! We saw how centripetal acceleration worked by spinning ourselves on a turntable. We could SEE the impact of the formulas and concepts we were studying. Often our story problems made fun of him ("Uncle Elmer") and the author of our textbook (Paul Hewitt) who was a goofy guy that appeared in the ancillary videos for the book. Seriously, who remembers the name of their high school physics textbook author about 25 years later ?! His class was compelling. It was inspiring. Although it was very difficult, I chose to take Physics 2. I did NOT have talent for this class, but Mr. Elmer made it COMPELLING. I had lots of good experiences in school. I enjoyed learning. I really liked a lot of my teachers, but there were very few teachers throughout my career who went all the way to "compelling" in their instruction. So what makes a course compelling and engaging? For me it was teachers who put themselves out there. Those who weren't afraid of being silly or goofy in class to forward their goals. They cared more about their students than they did about their image. They would be "uncool" for their kids. They would put effort into making the class connect with students. And they would get to know the people behind the young, sometimes not-so-eager faces in front of them. And that is the best part of CI teaching. As I have attended workshops and conferences, I have been impressed by the language development that students can have in a relatively short period of time. But what is even more impressive is the "Teach to the Eyes", "We teach students, not curriculum", PQA-centered instruction that goes such a long way to making our CI activities COMPELLING for our students. I feel blessed to be a part of such a caring, student-centered community.
Start of the School Year
This year, as my classes begin, I am already amazed at the power of Compelling Instruction. Only two days into my Spanish I classes and already students are understanding a good chunk of 30+ minutes of only Spanish. By making language comprehensible (writing translations on the board) and compelling (by making it about the students) they are interested in what we're doing and they are acquiring language. I have been using Comprehensible Input as a basis for instruction for several years. But it has taken me several years and many different incarnations of lessons, methods, and styles to stumble upon the Compelling Questions that have made all the difference in my teaching. Dr. Stephen Krashen has said that for language acquisition to happen the language needs to be comprehensible and compelling. What is more compelling in the mind of a teenager than talking about himself or herself? In anyone's mind really? So spending the first two weeks of class doing nothing but discussing what the students like to do, what they did over the summer, where they go, what they think, and so on, I am able to focus narrowly on the most compelling subjects there are--the kids themselves! As an added bonus, this compelling instruction also makes kids feel important. Kids believe they really matter in class. When we spend fifteen or twenty minutes discussing how Nora rides horses or how Steven likes to skate, that shows the students that their lives, their hobbies, are important in class. These students really do matter. This strengthening of student-adult relationships in the classroom is something that I consider the greatest blessing of teaching World Languages. While it may seem out of context to get into long personal discussions about what they did last weekend in a math class, in my classroom it fits perfectly into the curriculum. I think we are truly lucky that we can get to know our students on such a deep level. Which makes this instruction compelling for me too.