If, like me, you are on a big roll of not targeting any pre-planned structures, you may have heard something like this from someone :
“Oh if you don’t target structures you’ll go out of bounds.”
Poppycock. The way to not go out of bounds when you have no targets is to strenuously limit any words/structures that are new to the kids during the story. It’s simple! If you are in Northeastern Iowa and hunting a deer, then don’t go after every little rabbit that crosses your path. Keep thinking about the deer/story and only use words that the kids already know plus a few extra. Be in the forest and don’t be afraid. That means that if, in your untargeted story, you feel like a new structure is needed, you make the snap decision, one that we all have to make in stories all the time, of whether to include it or not.
If you decide to include it (you base your decision on your gut in those instances, and by asking yourself the question, “Will this further the story?”), go to the board and write it down in both languages. Now you have a structure that emerged, was invited into, the story.
(In targeted stories the story serves to teach the structure because we have some agenda. In targetless stories any new structures that make their way into the story serve to teach the language.)
When new targets are brought into the story, treat them with respect. Give them some time and attention. Circle them if that works for you, just ask the next question if, like me, doing that works for you, but just make sure you get lots of reps on it so that the kids stay clear about what is going on.
Three emergent targets is plenty for one crisp 30′ story. One is great. Two is all right. Three is getting a bit busy.
Thus, by getting sufficient reps on a very limited amount of unexpected new structures that pop into the story, and by going slowly and by just parking on the new structure, you’ll never go out of bounds if you aren’t using targets.
If there are more than five new words or structures on the board at the end of the story, then you have let in too many structures and all you will have succeeded in doing that day will have been to confuse the kids.
So just don’t go out of bounds when you are targetless.