But I Have a Textbook...

With CI and TPRS hitting the world language teaching community like a freight train, I have noticed the rise of textbook haters. I am here to stand firm as someone who doesn't have textbooks to defend those with textbooks. I hear your cries and you are not alone! Nor are you as limited as you may think.

Textbooks serve a purpose

For large districts, especially those with transient populations, it is impossible to expect a student to learn a language if every school has multiple teachers teaching at different rates and different topics. Requiring all 35 Spanish 1 teachers to use one curriculum is the best way to serve students. Having identified thematic units with consistent vocabulary and similar grammar pacing, you help those students who are already at a disadvantage from moving so much keep up with their classmates.

I taught in several districts like this. I once had 30 students enrolled in class and only 28 desks; I never had a problem with not having enough desks because of the rotation of students. It was so much easier to accommodate a new student from the high school 9 miles away because I knew what the student would have been exposed to.

Textbooks also have limitations

Many teachers take their textbooks as everything they have to cover. I know there are district wide assessments, standardized test, etc. Those cannot cover every little thing in the books.

Textbooks are also written to expire so you keep buying them. Major and significant cultural events take place that transform cultural norms (the embargo ending with Cuba). The language changes before the new edition comes out. (When I started at my current tiny district the technology section had "floppy disks" in the vocab list.)

When teachers feel bound by a textbook, teachers stop teaching and they start shoving. We shove 45 new vocab words at them per unit, we shove three distinct grammar concepts at them, and we shove outdated cultural references at our students. They can't take all of that, and we know it. Then we shove "how to cram" "study skills" at them and tell them to focus really hard two nights before the quiz. Then we pray it sticks.

Look at all the Facebook teacher-y groups you belong to and read the threads about "the worst vocab section you were required to teach" or "this was on a standard test and I didn't know the answer". They are great for a laugh at the end of a long day.

Textbooks are tools, not a life plan

I would genuinely state that any teacher, no matter the subject, that teaches a textbook front to back isn't doing their job... and is slightly insane. Our math teachers teach units out of order because it works better that way. Our science teachers use YouTube videos to highlight new applications of what is happening with the very concept they are studying. Our English teachers are using modern parallels to draw connections to "classic" literature.

Mixing CI/TPRS with your textbook

Take baby steps

If you or your district isn't 100% on board with CI/TPRS then don't go 100% into it. Slowly start finding supplemental materials and work them in. There is a lot you can do to start going that direction.

Some baby step suggestions:

• Timed write as your bellringer (you can use a picture or set of vocab words from the unit to get them to practice that specific stuff) 
• Story telling or asking instead of "read the selection, answer the questions"
• Key cultural points in the book, find YouTube videos of what they are talking about, use it as a MovieTalk
• Cloze listening activities for key grammar structures or vocabulary are great ways to get in listening practice
• Teach in 90% TL for 90% of your classes

Identify the resource

When I was in the large districts, I was the only one with a book in my classroom. All the other books were stacked inside of file cabinets. I used my teacher guide as a pacing reference, cultural key points, and vocabulary builder. I should also note that my students kept up with the Jones' no problem, and I was their third teacher three months into the school year.

My teacher edition of Realidades had a TPRS story book for me to use; it wasn't bad! It even had mini stories for in class read-alouds.

Once your scope and sequence is identified, the hard part is done!

Identify key grammar points

I know the CI/TPRS is not grammar focused, but your district and textbook are. I suggest starting here. Max out at 3; this means you may actually teach two mini units instead of one big unit. Think: if your students are solid on the first part, adding the second part is easier and they should do better on the district exam.

Knowing you need to incorporate 1)me gusta, 2) te gusta, 3) le gusta is easy when doing PQA or asking a story in general. That will take 2 classes tops before you're ready to add more.

Identify vocabulary

This is the easy part, the list is at the end of the chapter! Genuinely look through the list and get rid of things that are antiquated or seriously not helpful (no one uses "floppy disk" or "armed chair"). I made lists on Quizlet and divided them up by "likeliness to be used in a story together". That way students could study the words in a grouping that touched them emotionally, physically, and differently than rote memorization.

Use the exercises in the book

If you have a district test it should be written like the textbook (makes sense, right?). Give these as your formative assessments, or check-in points.

If you get really good, you could ask a story around questions that already exist and use that as your comprehension quiz. It worked one time for me and it was great (there was a reading about a girl going to school, but I asked a story and they could still answer the book questions).

I also found it fairly easy to find YouTube videos that the questions would also work for. Many times I turned the sound off and had student watch the silent video and then answer questions, that way you are truly assessing their reading. Also think MovieTalk. It's great!

Never feel bad for teaching from a textbook

I cannot stress this enough. Most of us non-native speakers learned our language from a long series of textbooks then studying abroad. This is not something to be ashamed of.

Helping Parents Help Students in a World Language Class

And so it begins. Welcome to the almost 2016-2017 school year. I have been in my classroom more than I want to admit this summer so I have been keeping up with my emails. I already have two from concerned parents about how they can help their students succeed this next school year. As teachers we could get into a long debate about the role of parents in high school students' education paths; over-bearing vs absent, enabler vs absent, too critical vs absent... see a theme? At times I remind myself that I would rather have a parent talking to me rather than not knowing if they exist.

As world language teachers, we also know we have a special breed of parent absentee-ism until grades are due. I have received a wide range of responses from parents (from "teach me" to "how can you expect them to learn a language you grew-up speaking"- which is untrue), so here is what I have done in the past and what I am currently doing to empower parents.

Policy: talking to parents

My advice: Make a policy about talking to parents and never, ever, break it.

My policy is not written any where except a sticky note in my desk drawer; five years later and I still look at it from time to time. My policy is: Email- I never respond to an angry email before 24 hours. I always cc my principal in the response and forewarn if needed. I respond to random, check-in emails as soon as I can. Phone- I only respond to voicemail because of our schedule at school I let all exterior phone calls go to voicemail and return later. I can also be prepared to answer questions and anticipate voice tone. Grades- I discuss grades with students first. I will tell parents what they can see on the online grade book and walk them through it, but I only talk to students about "corrective plans". If the student hasn't come in to see me, I let the parent know and then call the student in during homeroom time.

Routine Communication

I send out email blasts every 2-3 weeks for my lower level students. I copy students in if they need to . Here is a copy and editable format for my parent emails. My upper levels seems to be the week before a big grade is due, if that. They are high school juniors and seniors at this point.

I keep basics on my school webpage. It is sorted by level and I have a "Parents: How to help" section. This has hints and links to resources.

Give them resources

NEVER LEAVE A STUDENT/PARENT POWERLESS. Even if there really isn't much a student can do right now to raise the grade immediately, offer some type of help. Use a Quizlet teacher account (my kids LOVE it), assign or give YoutTube videos leveled for language learners, tell the student to play DuoLingo for fun, and to find some music in the TL they like and share it with you (this can also work as "recoop" points if you allow it).

Get out of jail "free" card

"If you have any more questions or ever wonder what class is like, please come and experience Spanish class."

Always leave that door open, and mean it. I have had irate parents that never "attack" again after that statement, I have had supportive parents say they will stop in, and I had one parent come in for fun. The one parent that came in visited a class that wasn't her student's class and loved it; then told all their friends. The best way to build relationships is to work at it, just like you do with students.

Responding to common comments: conferences

This is a quick look at how I respond to parents, especially at conferences. I try to keep it short and sweet and don't deviate from my written policies (and my mental ones). Most parents are great supporters, some are advocating for their child and are not fun to "deal with". Just remember, we don't know any more about what is causing a reaction than they know what our day to day classroom looks like.

I took (a different language) in high school

This is a great problem to have! Parents are aware that students need to study, that learning another language is hard, and most of them came from rooms where the teacher never spoke in English. Don't forget: ask them what their experiences were like. Build on this by relating what they remember and explain how your classroom works (briefly).

Example
Parent: "I took German in high school and that teacher never spoke in English. I was so overwhelmed by all the worksheets and not understanding that I quit after a year."

Teacher (you): "That is great you tried! It can be overwhelming when teachers move on and you have no clue what is happening. The way I teach, I try very hard not to move on until we are all on-board. That's why I need Johnny to let me know, somehow, if he isn't understanding. If he keeps talking with me, he should have a successful year!"

I took (this language) and don't remember anything

This is harder to address on a personal level. My suggestion is to look forward and stay focused on the current student. The easy way "out" is to respond with a playful "Hopefully Susie will have a different experience!"

Example
Parent: "I took Spanish in high school for four years and remember random things. I won't be much help."


Teacher: "I bet you will remember more if Kyle starts retelling you the stories from class. Since we don't have textbooks, a great way for Kyle to practice at home is to retell you some of the fun things that happened and then you can try to translate them. He can help if you get stuck."

You don't have a book, how can s/he study at home?

This is a valid question, especially if you don't have a textbook and their student's grade is lower than expected. I designed my class so there is a component they can prepare for outside of class. This gives both the student and the parent feeling like they can control the grade somehow. My "control" or easy points are their vocabulary quizzes (They take 25 words at a time from the top 100 words list with the ability to retake as needed until the next list. They know what list to study for and I have seen an improvement in reading speed with accuracy during novels).

I also believe that as CI/TPRS teacher I do need to provide work to recover grades (if that is your policy) that doesn't require me retelling a whole story or a ton of work on my part. I am already stretched thin, this may change as I become happier with my curricula and reuse it from year to year and as my tech in my room actually starts to work.

Example
Parent: "Lacy's grade is much lower than what is acceptable at home. I never see homework here and she doesn't know how to bring her grade up. What does she need to turn in?" There are landmine sentences in this.

Teacher: "Because of the way I teach, they have very little homework. I don't want any student to form a bad habit by practicing something incorrectly and make it harder in the long run. I am looking at her grades and she is missing a couple in-class assignments that she needs to check her binder for. She also needs to come talk to me so we can work something out and I can learn exactly where she is struggling."

Grade Like You Mean It 2: Organizing the grade book

Thanks to many great conversations through Facebook feeds and personal messages, I have had time to reflect and think about the organization process of transitioning my grading style. I had it worked out in my head, but nothing formally written down; a crucial step in goal setting. So this is my post about what this change means for me as a classroom Spanish teacher.

Setting-up my grade book

Paper copy

My paper copy of my grade book won't change much. Yes, I still keep a paper copy because my trust in our online grade book has yet to be established (I did randomly lose an entire quarter of grades for two classes last year, win 1 for the paper back-up). My paper copy makes it easy for me to look at a student's behavior patterns (magically sick every time a project is due, never retakes a vocabulary quiz, etc.). I can also see if there are a lot of pink highlights in one assignment, I need to stop, reteach, and reassess. It is also easy to pick-up and go to IEP or intervention team meetings. This is also where my love for color coordination comes in. (I will post a picture of my book from last year)

I use high lighters and written symbols to track things like absences (A in corner, highlighted in blue), missing assignments (highlighted in yellow, also circled if due to an absence), failed assignments (highlighted in pink; if they retake I write the new score in pen over the old score and highlight), behavior concerns (bx in corner in pen), and days I contacted parents (p in corner). Sounds like a lot, but it just works for me.

Online grade book

With the online grade book, we have very limited features and it vaguely resembles Windows cerca 1990's. We can't add commentary to an assignment (e.g. "0 points due to cheating/absence/not-submitted) and there is no highlighting or otherwise linking assignments together. The teacher side is also less organized looking than parent/student side.

Categories
May teachers set up their grading categories by type of assignment: quizzes, projects, homework, participation, etc. Other options are by unit which is very helpful if you use a textbook: Unit 1, Gustar Unit, Realidades 2.6, etc. The standards-based school I was at used skill sets: Culture, Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.

Proficiency-based: I am using the proficiency guidelines set-up by IWLA (discussed in previous post here). Therefore my grade book will use the three modes of communication as my grading categories: Interpersonal Communication, Interpretive Communication, and Persentational Communication.

Weights
The math department uses weights with their categories to calculate final course grades: 60% Tests and Quizzes, 40% Homework. When I was at the standards-based school, all five of our categories were weighted equally at 20% each (reasoning that all skills are equally important to language learning). Pros: This can keep "fluff" points from skewing final grades (e.g. homework, participation). Students have to preform well on their summative assessments if it is a project or test. Cons: The weights may not reflect what happens in the learning process. I taught 6 sections of Spanish 1 at the high school level when all five of our categories were worth 20% each. The problem I ran into, that the Spanish 4 teacher did not have, was that may Spanish 1 students weren't speaking as much so they had less grades entered into that category (we could only enter summative assessments for grades). The first quarter of the year, three grades made-up their entire Speaking category while the other categories had 10 assignments each. That meant that three assignment grades made up 20% of their final quarter grade. Not fair.

Points
For the last few years I have used total points for my grading system, no weights to any category. I still used categories to keep my grade book organized, but none were "valued" more than the others. Pros: Their grade reflects their overall work and mastery of the language in a very raw form. This also makes it easier for me to keep a consistent grade book between all four levels of Spanish. Cons: Grades can become easily diluted by "fluff" grades. If you give 5 points a week for participation and 5 points for every homework assignment; you can be giving out anywhere from 10-20 points a week in "effort" points. By the end of a quarter, that's 90-180 points. That is now worth more than the four 25 point vocabulary quizzes you gave and possibly worth more than your unit test.



Proficiency-based: I am going to continue to use points. I am very careful about what I take the time to grade versus look-over and use for my feedback. I want their grades to clearly reflect their mastery of Spanish, not how many papers they can hand-in on time.

They have 100 points worth of vocabulary quizzes per quarter. They typically have a mid-term and quarter test at 100 points each. Homework and participation points never total more than 40 points per quarter. Their comprehension quizzes from class stories etc. are about 10 points each and I don't use the grade for every quiz in the grade book. They normally have one smaller project about 50-100 points each quarter and a bigger project about 100-150 points at the semester.

I give homework points based on completion, and homework and participation points are very few, maybe up to 5 points at a time. (I also have a different idea about what homework looks like in my TPRS/CI classroom.) These points are never daily, maybe weekly. This gives enough "padding" to their grades to allow for a bad test day. *My Spanish 3 and 4 classes don't have homework or participation points.

Assembled grade book

I anticipate all three categories to be close to even by the end of each quarter. Spanish 2-4 should be just about 33% each. I think Spanish 1 will have a Presentational Communication category closer to 25-30% of their final quarter grades to allow for their comfort levels and their development in the language. Also remember that Presentational Communication looks very different at Spanish 1 versus Spanish 4 per the "I can statements".

My grading categories are in bold. The scores underneath each category are exactly what I type in the "assignment description" box in our online system. The points are in parenthesis and go in the "points possible" box in our online system. If you are standards-based using a 1-4 or 1-5 etc. scale, this is where your scores go.

I hope to include a picture soon (whenever the online system is up and running), but here is essentially what my grade book will look like after the introductory unit in Spanish 1.

Interpersonal: (totaling 29 points)
      HW- greeting dialogue arrangement (2pts)
      P- polite exchange game (2pts)
      Q- Greeting questions (10pts)
      Pjt- Hanging out with the new kid (15pts)

Interpretive: (totaling 24 points)
      HW- comprehension questions reading story Miguel (2pts)
      P- Active involvement class story Dracula (2pts)
      Q- listening comprehension quiz Sara (5pts)
      Pjt- Hanging out with the new kid (15pts)

Presentational: (totaling 22 points)
      P- skit practice howtnk (2pts)
      Q- grocery store checkout line responses (10pts)
      Pjt- Hanging out with the new kid (10pts)

You can see for this unit- the final project was 40 points, quizzes were 25 points, and homework/participation are 10 points. As the year goes on, they receive less possible participation points, in the beginning it helps them be accountable for being involved in class. 

The "Hanging out with the new kid" is a skit that each small group prepares using basic introductions and simple phrases. They record these and I grade them privately; following up with each group about their grade. It was only one assignment but it hits on all three categories based on the assignment requirements.

I also labeled the stories by character name so I can find which story it is for absentee students

Grade Like You Mean It: Implementing Proficiency Based Grading

I am pretty lucky in my small school district; I have no set grading categories or requirements outside of the standard 10% grading scale (90-100% is an A). I have been in larger districts with set grading policies, even down to the structure of the grade book. I have worked with standards based grading (which I like... more later on that), weighted grading and grading by points. This post will document why I am changing my grade book and what it will look like as a TPRS/CI teacher.

Identifying and Defining "Proficiency"

For new teachers, ACTFL is the "governing body" of world language teaching. ACTFL does not actually govern, but supports us like the government is supposed to. They provide an array of resources, and the most applicable part to our job as classroom teachers; standards.

Here in Iowa, we have no standards on a state level for world languages. All school districts are required to offer four consecutive years of one world language for high school credit. Great for job security, but lacking in the support and funding that other subjects receive (there is good and bad to all of it). However, we have a great local language association (IWLA) that is working to promote not only unity among world language teachers, but also on language standards and the seal of biliteracy.

The standards adopted by the IWLA are based on the ACTFL standards but paired down and easier to apply in the classroom without being over whelmed (in my opinion). These are teacher-friendly and student-friendly with handy "I can" statements.

Purpose Behind Change

I am on the standards-based grading train; grades should communicate mastery of skill and competency.

Previously, my grade book  was point-based. It naturally weighted quizzes and tests higher. However, if I had a few lazy kids that missed multiple 5 point assignments but mastered the skills on the test, sometimes they had a D and couldn't continue on to the next semester of Spanish. I also looked at the grade book from the student view and it was all a list; no clear focus on what the struggle points were. That limited student self-reflection on their progress in class.

At a previous district, they weighted the 5 C's (ACTFL) equally at 20% of the final grade. That didn't work well in lower levels because they may only have a few oral exercises and that could seriously impact their grade; even if they were really mastering reading and listening as many TPRS classrooms look like in the first year.

I want my students to see their grades, and know it represents their progress in Spanish language. I want them to know where their strengths are and what they can work on.

My New Grade Book

This year I will break my grade book up into three sections based on the IWLA standards: Interpersonal Communication, Interpretive Communication, and Presentational Communication.

I am going to still operate in a points system that varies based on the level. Caution: When using a points-based system, you have to be careful to not "dilute" their grades with fluff and practice. If their grade is mostly made up of mini formative assessments (homework, in-class assignments, participation), then their grades can't communicate master of content, only how must "doing" they did. Yes, turning things in on time, following directions, and being engaged are life skills, but at 13 should failure to do homework really sink their grades if they are consistently hitting high marks on summative assessments? That is a personal question you have to balance for yourself or do what the district tells you to.

Student/Parent View

I learned this last year that the student/parent view of the online grade book doesn't look too different from the teacher side. I will be dividing my grades by the three categories above. Within each category, I will label the grade by type (homework, participation, quiz, project, or test) and then give points earned.

Assigning Points

My homework used to be 5 points, all or nothing. This year it will be 2 points; done and one time 2, done and late 1, not submitted 0. This will not significantly impact their grades, but will show them and their parents if they are completing all the available learning opportunities; which sometimes clarifies why they are not progressing in class. I should clarify that "homework" is typically in-class work they may need to finish outside of class if they did not finish. We have block scheduling and a "seminar" study period, so I am okay with students needing to continue or put finishing touches on work outside of class. I very rarely ever assign content to be completed outside of class; 1) they cheat, 2) I don't want them to form bad habits if doing something incorrectly, and 3) they cheat.  I do give choice work at a rate of 2 per quarter and 25 points each. This helps cushion their grade a bit and demonstrates clear connections between class and the real world.

Participation really only shows up when they start to disengage. Usually 1 or 5 points. They receive credit for staying in Spanish during centers, or really going for it during Muevete Miercoles, or answering enthusiastically during coral responses.

Quizzes are around 25 points in my class. They take the 100 Most Commonly Used Spanish words 25 words at a time. They can study for this outside of class and I have seen that it has helped when reading novels; they fill in the "little" words quickly. Reading quizzes are about 10 points each and frequent in the beginning so I can catch kids that are falling behind quickly (and adjust my pace).

Tests are typically around worth 100 points and normally have 105 points possible. I expect them to make mistakes at this point so it gives them wiggle room without fear of "retribution". I don't know why, but their scores go up compared to classes without the extra 5 points but still the same test.

Projects are long-term and normally between 150-200 points. This includes check point scores. I give a 10% deduction from credit earned, per day, for late projects.

Clear Communication is in the Label

Clearly labeling the type of assignment and what the assignment is will help you with absentees and over vigilant parents. Labeling "Quiz: class story 1" is not helpful. Labeling "Quiz: In-class Victoria gustar" is very helpful. You know the student missed the story the class developed about Victoria that focused on the "gustar" structures. You know what Johnny needs to work on to build that skill or make-up the 10 point comprehension quiz.

I also put large assignments in ahead of time, no point value until later. This lets parents and students know that they need to be working. "Novella Title: Final Project in 2 weeks" is a great space label.

Pobre Ana (as my textbook)

 *Disclosure: I have put links to other sites in here. I am not paid or other wise encouraged to select these resources over any others or to promote them. This is genuinely how I choose to teach my classroom with my selected materials.*

 

A dear friend of mine has been teaching for a while and she likes the idea of using a novel but likes the structure and variety of exercises her textbook offers. So we talked and I explained that I treat my novels (especially in Spanish 1 and the first novel of the year in 2, 3, and 4) as textbooks. I was talking to her and she thought this was very helpful for her and decided to pass it on. Then she called with questions, 6 times. I promised to write this, in hopes to help others see into my crazy brain and help in any way to encourage people to transition to TPRS methods (that I am self-admittedly not an expert at).

I am a classroom set of my novels (I own most of mine and the school bought some...). Ideally I would like each student have a book. You can buy many leveled readers from many sites (Amazon, Teacher's Discovery, TPRSBooks). Here I will focus on just Pobre Ana, I think it is the easiest to start with since there are an abundance of resources.

Pobre Ana... or Students?

There is a lot of hate surrounding the repetitiveness of this novel: "read the word problema 900 times". 1) That's an exaggeration, 2) I have yet to have one high school student complain about the book. I teach high school. My students are pumped when I remind them that they just read a novel in Spanish AND rocked it. I have parents telling me their students voluntarily tell them they can read in Spanish 2 months into school.

Yes, it is repetitive and semi obnoxious for us teachers, that's because we know what we're doing in the language. I don't know about you, but my Spanish 1 kids don't know the language (no exploratory classes and no Heritage Speakers in level 1).

We read this book early in the year, normally starting before Halloween, and we read faster as we go through the novel. If your kids are bored with the book, change your approach, speed-up, and offer variety. Have just a handful that are bored, let them finish the reading ahead of the class in a small group in the back and give them an extention activity where they are starting to produce (output)*. *At this level, this early, this should not be for a grade, only positive and purposeful.

A Novel as a Textbook?

Many teachers talk about using a novel as part of the "rotation" (PQA, Story Asking, Story Telling, etc.). Reading the novel is reading separately to check for comprehension. I use chapters as themes or units.

There is a teacher packet you can buy to accompany the Pobre Ana novel, created by the book writers. I purchased it I found this to be too much like a textbook workbook for my liking. It is a great resource for those recently transitioning teaching styles. I found it as a great reference for what I need to focus on during the novel. Sometimes it is difficult to remember how basic the language it (think back to your Level 1 class in middle/high school... remember much?). I used key points, comprehension ideas, and grammar highlights to lead my instructions and supplement during reading. Essentially I used this as the teacher guide. I also use some of the comprehension questions as reading "quizzes".

I created my own student packet, it is shorter (less paper "waste" according to the district), I print it in sections as we go through the novel, and it includes their projects, note pages, and directions. If you want to look at it, I will load it on my TPT next to the Pobre Ana Manzanas a Manzanas game.

Steps to Forming Units

I will update with my specifics about Pobre Ana when I get to school. Here is an example of how I did this.

I read the book for story line first and then several more times to identify new and crucial vocabulary or grammar structures. Then I thought about the essence of each chapter (I knew my Philosophy degree would come in handy some day!); what is the activity or plan?  Then, how does this line-up into a unit?

That sounds like a lot of work, but it goes by pretty quickly. My honest suggestion, and what I still do, is to buy the teacher guide with the novel. If there isn't one from the publisher, check TPT. It may not be perfect for you, but it helps you navigate the novel the first time and figure out what your style and the students' needs are.

You can have a rolling unit where you break-up the chapter and use it in pieces to teach grammar etc. I recommend always doing a faster once over at the end.

You can also front-load the chapter, pre teach major vocab and structures and do a pre-read project.

You can also read the chapter and work on skills upon completion. I suggest for units that didn't need much vocab building (like chapter 1).

Pobre Ana Units

*I promise to update completely tomorrow when I am at school*

The unit where Ana discusses her likes with her new friend: gustar w/ infinitives and things (specifically looking at using correctly, expanding to te and le).

When Ana tours the town: I do a whole front-load unit on directions, drawing maps, learning town vocabulary. Students do a scavenger hunt, lead a blindfolded partner through obstacles, and build their own town on paper.

When Ana first arrives, we talk about transportation and pause at the end to talk about food and using manners. We do a "gracias" "me gustaria" "por favor" exchange with secret candy.




If this was helpful, I will continue to post more of novels I have completed and how I do this at the upper levels as well.

Welcome Back Spanish 3 & 4

School is back in session. It's pretty easy to start levels 1 & 2 with greeting and basic warm-ups; but what to do with those advanced kids?! Here I will share my go-to "project" for Spanish 3 & 4. Not only this, but I will also share how I use this to build a super-easy end of semester project.

Challenge and Expect from Day 1

Setting the tone (90%+ TL) in-class the first few days is crucial to avoid push-back later on (at least for me, this is very true).

I give my Spanish 3 and 4 classes very little "warm-up" time. By day two I am requiring output in some form. I also have them working intentionally from day one on a medium-large group project (depending on my kids).

Diversify

As my previous post discusses, I teach in a block schedule which is challenging during the first week with my lower levels. My upper levels love it. We work from day 1 in the TL in varying formats so class feels more like centers from kindergarten than a full language/grammar-focused class.

The first day, we do introductions (in a very small school, where they know everyone). I can watch their relief of, "Oh, I can do this. Okay." This is graded (very low point value, maybe 5 points) so everyone earns 100%. This is so inspiring for them, and it doesn't really effect their grades in the long term.

Then I read them a story in the TL. They sit around me, I sit in a chair, and we look like an over-sized kindergarten class; they LOVE it. Then they make a deviation of the story with a partner. This structured out-put and they feel good about it.

Then we do a 5 minute recap of a "random" grammar point (eg. identifying errors in me gusta(n), adjective placement and agreement).

Then comes the assignment. Then they work.

Re-cap assignment

I have both Spanish 3 and 4 create a news station to report the school's going-on's. They review  summer camps and baseball, talk about the new student council members, the weather, and what homecoming will look like. Here is a link to this rubric and guide I give the students.

Once the project is assigned, they typically work for the last 20-25 minutes of each class for three weeks (7 classes). Then they have one full day to work on editing and creating their newscast.

Recycle with a Purpose

I recycle these newscasts. As students create various video projects (Spanish 1-4), I save them in order and create a TV channel. I play this the last class period before end of semester tests. This leaves me with time to catch kids with missing assessments and to 1:1 conference with each kid about his/her progress.

Teaching with TPR/TPRS in the Block

Many of the existing materials for TPR/TPRS are written for classrooms that see their students 5 days a week (i.e. vocab preview, story-telling, story-asking, embedded readings, writing day and novels). This can be more difficult to apply in the block, not to mention exhausting. Here is the overview of how I survive in the block.

My block set-up

My current school is set-up on an A B day block schedule where each class is an hour and twenty-five minutes. Each level of Spanish is one year (requiring passing at semester to continue).

I have taught in a 4x4 block, each class is an hour and a half (4 classes per day) and I saw them every day. A full year of language was done in one semester.

CI: Comprehensible Input

This is pedagogy. Students acquire language through meaningful input that they can understand. By keeping things within a clear frame of reference, students truly internalize meaning instead of rote memorization and rapid deterioration of vocabulary.

TPRS: Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling

This is methodology. This uses the idea of CI by labeling vocabulary “in-bounds” and using lots of repetitions to increase exposure and create true acquisition. This is done through readings, telling stories, reading novels, asking stories, and personalizing content to make it engaging for students.

Challenges

Using TPRS in a block can be exhausting. To keep students engaged for a whole block is innately a challenge. When you then take into account that TPRS pretty much requires you to be on point and turn into the crazy charades lady… I’ve never been called that (lie).

It is also hard to keep up a 5 cycle rotation when that takes two weeks, minimum, in your planning time (assuming no breaks or PD days, yay).

My Tips

I try to never let one focus in class last more than 25 minutes. Then we brain break, move seats, play a round of BANCO! (see post on time fillers here), something that shakes it up and gets their blood moving. *Exception: if we are MovieTalk-ing, story asking or telling and they are engaged and into it, we keep the momentum going. I had a handful of classes where the story asking lasted for the whole period and the bell rang at the very climatic ending. My quiet kid yelled  “Qué lástima” in protest. 

Read and write every day in some capacity; even if it is student work being peer-reviewed or read. This helps you transition and prepare for the next lesson or activity. Have them write a review of what just happened. Sometimes you need a break to get water to wet your whistle, or you need to find that class set of copies you made this morning and then set down over there, maybe?

Monthly self-talk is important, especially for the 1^st and 4^th years. Have students write themselves a note and file it away. Pass the notes back out at the end of the year. They can clearly reflect on their own progress. It is fun watching them become language snobs.

Don’t forget to make lesson plans. I know many teachers say things like “this seriously but down my planning time and paperwork”, “one day predicts the next”. I found that in the block, this is true to an extent. If I don’t have a plan, it is easy to feel “done” and let the last 20 minutes of class not be as impactful as they could be. Write those plans in a very short summary on the board to keep you on track. Here is a link to the free sample pages for my lesson planner I created to help me (there is a fully assembled version that runs August-June).

Set a timer or give a student the job of the clock watcher. They will help you remember to transition to the next thing (going from story-telling to writing to reading to oral summaries with a partner). If we need 5 or 10 minutes more, I just hold up one hand or two to my clock watcher and they know it is like hitting snooze.

Have back-up plans ready at all times. We all have that class that seems like a karmatic result of a wrong-doing from a past life. They drain you. Or, maybe you have a sick kid at home and you were so tired you left your coffee next to your lunch on the kitchen counter. If you practice certain activities or skills with your students, sometimes you can get them to self-direct a little better. Also having plans like this keep you from dipping into your sub-plans. 

Have themed days. These days are not related to a sequence of instructions, but rather to the “incentive break” of the day. If kids have you on Tuesday and Thursday of that week they can look forward to cloze listening or sometime of music and then game time.

Here are my theme days for my classroom. I love a good alliteration, it that is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

locura en lunes-We tend to play large-group games like BANCO!, board races, Simon Dice, Navegando, Spanish Partner Programming, Pasa el Bolo, and various others. Here is my post about whole class games that work for me. 

música martes- We do cloze listening activities (I keep a running doc folder with popular songs and lyrics pre-saved. This way I can blank-out vocabulary that related to our current stories, key words, or the frequent flyers and then print them as needed). I also let my upper levels, generally better relationship and I know if I can trust them, explore new music and report back (they draw a genre or country they have to look for).

muévete miércoles- I have always tried to find various dances to use as brain breaks but never thought to organize it. THEN, I went to the fantastic IWLA conference in 2014 where Allison Weinhold presented about baile viernes. I decided to jump in her conga line and organize mine midweek (it fits nicely with our early out days etc). If you are hesitant or worry about “wasting class time”, poohy. My kiddos haven’t noticed my dirty little secret: we start class with the dance, Zumba, or workout series (in Spanish) and then I never leave the TL and/or focus on difficult concepts (stressing grammar, addressing explicit grammar in English, pushing old vocabulary words, and requiring responses). They love it.

juego jueves- Depending on what the day looks like, they get 15-20 minutes to play games, in Spanish, with each other. Uno is super popular, my homemade Manzanas a Manzanas, conversation Jenga, Guess Who (I used one games and replaced the pictures with photos of other teachers), and Scrabble. They stay in Spanish; I expect it so they do it. If they veer off track, the time ends and we go back to normal class.

video viernes- Movie Talks are popular more frequently on these days. I also try to make their project work days fall on here. We have done music video analysis (pointing out landmarks, comparing the English version to the Spanish version, other cultural key points).