Someone wrote me about the absolute hell they are in being in a new school and trying to introduce CI to kids who were taught in the old way. I wrote back: But do keep in mind that the more you back down right now, the better it will be. That sounds like a contradiction, […]

Bob Patrick, one of five national finalists for ACTFL Teacher of the Year in 2014, shares: Recently, I tried something with my Latin 4 and Latin 3 students that seems to work really well. I will describe the process below, but I want to say that already I am seeing more than one way to

We talked about the term “comprehended” a year ago here. Here is part of that discussion as a review: Mark Knowles’ term of comprehended input was referred to by skip a few days ago and supported by others. So I sent Krashen this email about it a few nites ago: A few people on my

This Christmas script is from Anne Matava’s Volume 1 script collection: wait have to go to the bathroom you’ll get 3-year-old Billy and his mother go to the mall to see Santa. They wait for 3 hours. Billy says, “I have to go to the bathroom.” Mom says, “Can’t you wait?” Billy can’t wait. He

This is a draft only, an attempt to create a short document for the Primers section that we can print out lest any of our colleagues claim to be doing CI when they are not. (There are a more than a few out there doing that which I think is more than dangerous to future

Jim Tripp has shared with us a Power Point presentation that he says we are all welcome to use and thank you Jim, it’s a good one! – Start the Year Off Strong in TL (I added this to the Primers page as well.)

wants to cut down a Christmas tree nothing happens (In this story, a student plays the tree.) Mattie goes into the forest. She wants to cut down a big Christmas tree. She takes a little ax. She hits the tree 54 times but nothing happens. She calls Lumberjacks R Us. Fonzie, a big bruising lumberjack,

The link below, shared by Diana Noonan and others, are from the October/November edition of the Language Educator and discuss CI. http://www.actfl.org/publications/the-language-educator/octobernovember-2014

This is from Bob Patrick: ACTFL has just sent out an email with the link to a survey on the ACTFL 2014 convention.  It has places for free response.  I would urge all who went to mention Comprehensible Input as the kind of thing you might like to see more of and as the kinds

Diane Neubauer shares with us two excellent possible definitions of the term comprehensible input: General Definition: Comprehensible input is delivering understandable messages, both heard and read. (credit: Dr. Robert Patrick) Definition in School Settings: In a language classroom, comprehensible input is the delivery and development of understandable messages with our students.      

This is from James: Hi Ben – If others are like me they are looking for a way to fill up these days before Christmas with something useful. Here is a script I’ll be running the next couple of weeks. I thought others might find some use for it. I made it to get at

James teaches Latin in the Kansas City area and has been a most important member of our group for some time now. I certainly don’t need to say that, though, to anyone who reads here regularly. He is a powerhouse, teaching eight classes a day and should be Teacher of the Month for that reason