Tag / Kelly Ferguson

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,...

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[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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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