Ben Slavic

I felt like reposting this from last year. I think it is important as we begin the year: https://benslavic.com/blog/2011/03/31/then-god-bless-you/

A pack of greyhounds on wheels. That’s what they were today at the US Pro Cycling Challenge, with Cadel Evans, the Schleck brothers, Levi Leipheimer flying past Bryce and me and thousands of other cycling fans at the top of Lookout Mountain. One guy had a bike change right in front of us and when

I got this question from a blog member: I didn’t do Circling with Balls last year because I had NO clue what I was doing when I first started, but it is AWESOME. You get huge student buy-in and connection – the other day I arm-wrestled two jocks (and got my ass handed to me

From Bryce: I am attaching a couple of documents that may be helpful to us as World Language teachers this school year. #1: Standards Poster One is a mini classroom poster of the Colorado Model Content Standards for World Languages to hang up in our classrooms.  It would be unprofessional (not to mention embarrassing) if

Kristy wrote: I had a meeting with my principal yesterday and naturally, she wants my syllabus complete with grading policy and all of that good stuff. Mine is not done yet, Kristy. Anyone else willing to share please send to me at benslavic@yahoo.com and I will put it here if you give permission under either

This is for level 1 classes who are doing Circling with Balls right now: The quick quizzes on that information should never be complex. If, for example, during PQA, you and the students decide together via the (slow and bizarre) personalized questioning process that …Obed plays football in Wonderland in a hole next to a

There is a false impression about Circling in the minds of many who practice TPRS. They think that Circling is about following a pattern in order to get repetitions on a word/structure so that the student can, by hearing the word/structure repeated in that way, acquire it. This is false. That repetitive order of questioning

More Circling with Balls but only one new card today. Too busy reviewing and limiting to set up the first quiz on Monday, the quiz that we have gone over so many times (Jenna plays soccer in Wonderland – the yes/no stuff that is so easy) so that the kids will all EXPERIENCE SUCCESS on the

The constant use of English to explain how the class works should stop now, after about a week. We have had all the time we get for explaining how our class works – about a week. Close the doors to the English. Again – I have used all the English to explain the rules and

Today as we start to roll with Circling with Balls, I really got into chanting. It just felt right because the energy in the school on the fifth day of students dipped a bit as one might expect after the first few days of excitement. When I feel the energy dip, I sing or chant.

Don’t assume for one second that your students know how to interact with a teacher in a lighthearted and cooperative way with plenty of eye contact. It doesn’t seem to be the time in history for that. It is more of a dark time, when people of different races and ages and beliefs eye each

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/programs/elc/program