I mentioned in the last post that I only stop working with a verb when it feels “saturated”. Here are some more thoughts on that important topic: I only add a verb to the list on the upper walls when I feel that roughly 90% of the students in each of my classes “is familiar” […]
First Class – 6 – When to Add a Verb to the Verb Wall? Read More »
Since many of us are in or about to begin lots of meetings in our buildings that connect to SBGR, etc. I suggest that we all at least read and become familiar with the vocabulary Lance P. uses here. This is good stuff right here: A New Grading System: The last one you’ll ever need
We may be working from a list of verbs provided for us by our district WL leadership. Or not. It doesn’t matter. Another point, and one bound to irritate some people: in my view the order of teaching the verbs to our students doesn’t matter. If a verb is high frequency it will occur a
From Nathaniel: Hi Ben, I just found this. Interesting. http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/articles/2015_notes_on_tprs-_contributions,_controversies,_problems,_and_new___frontiers.pdf
Jen just sent me two photos of her new classroom: It struck me that the space is so inviting and expressive of the time now of starting again, of the possibilities. But then I realized that desks would soon be in there, changing the space completely. I am thinking that as nice as the space
I received an email from a PLC member who really sees the big picture about what we do: I’m looking forward to my new gig and also was sobered a bit by some stats I learned in a mental health first aid course I just took at my new school. Off the chart levels of
This question is from Joe Eye: Hi Ben – I hope all is well. I have a scenario/question for the PLC and you. Scenario: New school has a Spanish program that they want taught exclusively with TPRS. However; the students coming in are at many different proficiency levels. They are even at various proficiency levels
So, having tried to stress the importance of teaching verbs, verbs and verbs in our CI classes, let’s get started with our suggested sequence, our train tracks, for getting through our first class with our students in a safe and happy and pleasant and engaging way, by focusing only on two verbs: “looks for” and
First Class – 4 – Our Goal is to Complete Just One Sentence Read More »
A second metaphor, a heavier one, that illustrates the importance of verbs in our work can be found in the image of dump trucks. Each truck is a verb that is loaded up with all the other parts of speech that make up the anguage. The truck goes to the job site, gets loaded up
First Class – 3 – Importance of Verbs – Dump Truck Image Read More »
All the other words that comprise the rest of the language besides the verbs need reps, of course, but we get them on the backs of verbs. It is the verbs that should sparkle and jump into the minds of the students even if the rest of the sentence doesn’t. The verbs are the princess
First Class – 2 – Importance of Verbs – Image of a Princess Read More »
Mary Beth asked in a comment here last week about a possible actual first class scenario. The following series of posts provide one possibility. There are a lot of background posts before we even get to the description of what a first class should look like, but I don’t want to leave anything out and
Well, Landen and I got here to New Delhi all right after a relatively calm but exhausting journey through with a week long stopover in Paris. Although we didn’t stop in Iceland, I wish now that we had. Who would not want to visit a country where social justice seems to be a way of
