Sorry about all the random posts but when group members have questions for the group that directly bears on a situation going on in their classrooms, I try to bump them to the front of the queue, which creates an overload on the postings here. However, it’s necessary bc many questions need immediate responses and it […]

I got this question from Chris Minkoff: Hi Ben, I’ve been following the blog and enjoying immensely. I’ve come across one item recently that has really gotten my attention, namely parallel novels. I see the last post being December of 2011, but I hope to start running my Spanish 3 students on parallel novels. I

Chris has a unique question. Here’s hoping someone has experience with this or at least some ideas: Hi Ben, I hope things are going well in Colorado.  I just found out today that next 9 weeks I”m going to have a student (7th grade) who is blind and has to use braille to read.  What

I think now is a good time to repost some articles from last spring on PQA. Just to get the creative juices flowing since most of us are doing heavy duty PQA right now, much more than we will be doing once the stories start. There are five of these articles and I will post one per

Latinist David Maust reports in from the West Coast. The jobs that David refers to are described on the “tprs resources” page of this website: I’ve done two days so far, and CWB is going well – although I’ve allowed myself to stop some right at first and talk in English about the rules, assign

A repost: Language is by nature chaotic. It is big and bad and random. Just about any word can follow the one in front of it, creating real or phantasmagorical images, and limitless possibilities of combinations of words. I remember when I didn’t respect that fact. I used to teach with a plan to tame

Guy sent this: Hi Ben, I started my first story the day before yesterday. This is after 3 weeks of solid, fun PQA in my Spanish 2 class. It’s half filled with Native Speakers who did not “make the cut” for our Native Speaker classes. They (and my non natives) are great kids. Seriously, half

Here’s Jim’s level 2 syllabus, nice and uncomplicated: Course Syllabus – Spanish II Spring Grove High School Jim Tripp 2012-13  IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ            In Spanish Two students will be immersed in comprehensible language so that the brain has the opportunity to unconsciously acquire, or “pick up”, what it can when it is ready. Students

Charlotte asked for some examples of syllabi for CI instruction. Jim’s Spanish syllabi (level 2 to follow) are simple and direct. Thanks for sending them in, Jim. It helps all of us to be able to see the variety of syllabi available. Send in Pacing Guides and Lesson Plans as well. We’ll have a party! Course Syllabus

Ben Lev asks: I’m in my second week and I’ve given 2-3 listening comprehension quizzes per class. I have super stars writing the quizzes based on the PQA they hear as we circle props and activities. I take the quiz they write and modify it as I read it aloud. I’m giving 10 items quizzes,

Along with the surge tonite about classroom discipline, we have another question that is most likely a pain in the rear for most of us but that in my opinion requires immediate attention. I would love to get some solid responses/samples in response to Charlotte, who just joined our group today, and who asks: Hi

Here is the second email about classroom discipline. This one is a LOT like the Pigs situation I endured last year and am still not sure I have fully recovered from. (I haven’t.) My answers are in italics but we need everybody to kick in here. It is TIME where if we don’t act and give good