Question from Robert

Robert sent this. I have worked with math teachers on using gesturing to pack formulae, etc. into muscle memory. Maybe someone can address this idea: Hi Ben, Could you post the following note and question for me? Recently the AP Psychology teacher asked me to demonstrate “code switching” for his classes, which I willingly did. Today, he

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Friday Celebration

I got this from Kate just now: Hey Ben, Happy Friday to you! I just had to share this home run moment that I had today. It’s so great to have an outlet to share them with! I walked into my 3rd grade class today intent on spinning another story using the structures “she goes”

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Reading Categories

The reading categories are in four languages – we just started this here about two months ago – and the purpose was to have an “instant cut and paste” option for our own readings based on Matava/Tripp stories. Not many people have sent in readings. But that can be a work in progress. I really like

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jen Schongalla

 “…it made me feel like the language wasn’t just a class. I was adding more to my character.” A barometer student wrote this last June in the end-of-year reflection. It pretty much made my year.  No, it pretty much made my career!!! After 20+ years of teaching, last spring when I jumped into TCI in

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The Quiz Writer

I had never thought of actually giving specific instructions to the Quiz Writer during stories but this morning I got this excellent little set of instructions from Ben Lev (CA) which do exactly that. Thanks Ben. These are going to be useful to a lot of folks. Querido/a Quiz Writer, ¡Gracias por escribir el examen

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Brian on Flying

A repost from 2011: I got the email below from Brian. In it, he talks about the term “flying” that we have been using here lately. It made me think of some old emails from Krashen describing a very similar term to flying – “transparency”. I don’t know if there are similarities between the two

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When It Falls Apart

I need a reminder that I am there to teach the structures, not the story. Sometimes we get to focusing on (more like bowing down at the alter of) the story and those myriad details that we need to do. It becomes overwhelming. We do that because we want the story to work. I was doing that

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Simplicity

This goes under the simplicity banner. Today I: – sent by boss my lesson plans. It took three minutes because they are the same every week. – called Matava for a story because I do that whenever I will be observed that week. – graded some scantron T/F tests from last week and put them

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La's Bio

Hi Ben, This is La from Madison, Wisconsin. Sorry for the procrastination on this and not sending you my bio sooner… Here’s a bit about myself… I am not a “4%,” in fact I was a brat, one of those students that teachers don’t want to see in their classes.  Well, long story short, I

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