We often forget to build our stories around the target structures, focusing on the story instead. It is a mistake to think that it’s about the story when it’s about the structures. I recently finished editing one of the videos from when Krashen visited with Diana and Beniko Mason and I talk about this same idea in them. So here is the one that is finished and, below them, a description from Robert of a class he did last week, all in support of focusing on the structures and what is happening in the room at the time, being present with the kids, and not bowing down to the story so much, if that makes sense. Gayle Trager was there for Robert’s class. I’ll post the other two Krashen videos later.
Krashen video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbGxVMckr8k
Robert’s class:
Tuesday Gayle Trager and a new teacher came to observe me. She wanted him to see a TCI classroom. We were doing a story with “can sing beautifully”, “combs his/her hair” and “looks at” in preparation for reading about the Loreley. The gesture for “can sing beautifully” was to strike a pose and sing “La”. In one class I have about five students who are in choir. They sang their “La” in harmony – so when we were done I gave them gummy bears. My actor was having coughing fits, so naturally he “can cough beautifully”. One of my students insisted that he brushes his hair, so the class picked up that phrase along the way. My principal stopped by just as our main actor “was going very fast” from Israel to Africa in search of someone who can sing beautifully. All in all a good morning. Four people were absent from fifth period on Tuesday (including grape soda boy), and the class was much different. He will not be in German next year.
Robert added:
…I like EERP; it’s one of the few things I’ve seen that doesn’t assume that “good teaching” and “interesting lessons” will solve all discipline problems….