Linda Li shared the ACTFL statement about 90% target language (TL) use. Together we analyzed it and noticed that it states that students AND teachers are supposed to be using TL almost exclusively, beyond the classroom and in all levels! TL use is one of...
Kara Jacobs and I presented about the power of triple input in film. However as I viewed Kristy Placido and Donna Tatum-Johns' session on delivering CI with a TV series I realized there were a lot of similarities! Both are building Intercultural Communicative Competence. ACTFL...
What an enjoyable afternoon I spent with Carrie Toth. She shared a ton of ideas that I can directly apply to my classroom. I went to her session called Blooming Language: Building Proficiency with Bloom’s Taxonomy. We observed ways in which she has moved WAY...
August 6 - The Name of the Game is Comprehensible Input by Cindy Hitz, 7:00 p.m. EDT Games serve as an interactive and fun way to teach for proficiency and provide additional CI of structures and vocabulary found in novels, class stories, and MovieTalks. In this...
I was able to see pieces of two of my FAVORITE teacher authors, Kristy Placido and Carrie Toth. Each session had elements of Content Based CI that I would love to share. I find that my intermediate students truly enjoy these types of units. Kristy...
One of the most powerful experiences of conferences like iFLT is that you get to observe master teachers teaching. It is particularly powerful if you observe someone of a language that you don’t speak because you are essentially a student and can appreciate how slow...
“There wasn’t much session variety.” “No one explained anything.” “But, what does that look like?” “I don’t know where to find the presenter’s resources.” “The coaches and presenters weren’t accessible.” In capturing what makes iFLT such a special event, I reflect on the aforementioned statements that (spoiler alert!) were not overheard at iFLT 2018 in Cincinnati. So,...
Welcome back, CI Peek followers! After a brief summer hiatus, we are back in full-force! You are in for a real treat as we begin a new series: "FOMO CI Peek Blog Series" by Arianne Dowd! We will sail into the new school year with...
Whew! Wow! What a great week it was! We had so much fun with all of the #iFLT18 participants, coaches, presenters, and students! Our new cohort format was well-received and we are looking forward to reading everyone's feedback and planning to make #iFLT19 EVEN BETTER! We...
The iFLT team is so excited to see everyone in just a couple short days! We are making a big push this year to get everyone on social media sharing their learning with the teachers who are unable to attend! So, we are going to...
For those of you going to iFLT next month in Cincinnati, we are SO excited to see all of you as we learn and grow together! We know that some of you were unable to attend, and sadly, many of you were left feeling disappointed...
I love using readers in my class but feel it is so important to provide students with opportunities for movement and interaction with the material. At the end of the school year we read Bianca Nieves y los 7 toritos in my high school level...
Most teachers who use any form of storytelling in their classrooms will tell you that props can make a huge difference in the level of fun and engagement of their lessons! Whether you are StoryAsking with actors, or using Reader’s Theater following a chapter of...
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]PARADISE VALLEY CHRISTIAN PREPARATORY in AZ is looking for a Spanish Teacher PVCP is looking for a Spanish teacher who is a dedicated Christian and CI teacher. We have small classes, an extremely supportive administration and parent group, and...
Many of us are now enjoying a much-deserved summer break and the rest of us are in that home stretch! Summer can bring on a wide range of feelings and emotions for teachers, from relief, to anxiety, to pure joy, to dread. We also have...
You've been pouring your heart into providing your students with a comprehensible input-rich acquisition environment all year long, and now you're wondering how much of that effort will still be evident by September! Summer homework, unless students are heading into an AP class in the...
This past week, Dr. Stephen Krashen published a blog post entitled “90% fever: Should we require that the teacher use the target language 90% of the time in class?” Being the researcher he is, he expressed his misgivings about ACTFL’s statement about 90% Target Language,...
There was recently a lively discussion on the iFLT/NTPRS/CI Teaching Facebook Group about how TPRS novels / Comprehension-based readers are assigned a level. The discussion made me realize that there is currently no uniform (or even remotely similar) formula or system among the various publishers/authors...
Last month at the OFLA Conference in Cleveland, Dr. Paul Toth gave a keynote address and a 3-hour workshop entitled 'How Can They Communicate If They Don't Know the Grammar?'. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to hear either presentation, but as luck would...
At iFLT 2017, I presented a session called “Digging out of the Reading Rut.” In this session, we explored ways to read chapters of a text differently and activities to follow up those chapter readings. Because many Fluency Matters comprehension-based readers have 10 chapters let’s...
At iFLT 2017, I presented a session called “Digging out of the Reading Rut.” In this session, we explored ways to read chapters of a text differently and activities to follow up those chapter readings. Because many Fluency Matters Comprehension-based readers have 10 chapters let’s...
4th quarter has arrived and both students and teachers find themselves looking toward the end of the school year. The last 9 weeks can be both exciting (our students are able to do things they couldn’t in August) and tiring (seniors have senioritis and so...
Most of us are three-quarters of the way through the school year. Some of you may have spent some time during Spring break, a snow day, or a recent weekend considering how your classes have gone so far this school year and are fine tuning...
This is a continuation of an article that began last week. To read part 1, click here! Being lost in a comprehensible, compelling book creates an optimal condition for acquiring language. The more compelling the story, the more likely learners are to tolerate a bit ‘noise’...
Hands-down reading is one of the most powerful tools for facilitating acquisition of vocabulary–whether it is vocabulary from your first, second or third language. Most educators acknowledge the power of reading to enhance one’s first (already-established) language (i.e.: expand vocabulary, develop writing skills and improve...
In my school, we have 2 tracks for Spanish 2: College Prep and Regular. Since Michigan has a graduation requirement of the successful completion of 2 consecutive years of the study of a world language, my Spanish 2 students are coming to my classroom needing...
A common question I get asked is “What level is this reader for?” Another question I get asked is “Which readers do you use in level ___?” I have even recently seen a teacher create an online poll asking other teachers to VOTE for the...
Remember that READING is just a tool for providing a comprehensible platform to facilitate various interpersonal exchanges. For students to acquire language, you have to be in the language, and to sustain interaction, you need an interesting topic and comprehensible language. That’s what Fluency Matters...
The Power of Stories by Emily Ibrahim When I first began teaching elementary school Spanish, getting my students to remember vocabulary in Spanish was like pulling teeth. I only saw them once a week for forty minutes (can any other elementary school language teachers relate?!) and they...
Last week, I was given the opportunity to attend The Joint National Committee for Languages/The National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS) Language Advocacy Day in Washington D.C. as a representative of the Illinois Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ICTFL). Although I saw many familiar...