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14 thoughts on “Importance of Simplicity in the First Two Weeks”
Thank you for this reminder. Of course this year is not even over yet, and I’m already thinking about next year. I am very guilty of trying to cram too much into their brains too quickly, and then I wonder why I feel so terrible at CI instruction. I just made the realization that I’m waterboarding them with language, and then the language never truly gets in!
Hi Ben,
This brings up some questions I have about OWI/CWB. To my thinking, these details are already more language than new learners are ready to hear. Certainly, not to expect them to acquire this much language. Or do you?
I think one reason my attempt at CWB has not usually worked very well is that I don’t get enough details out of them. Yet, I don’t want to go wildly out-of-bounds on them, which further questions would do. But then there’s not so much of interest. How do you avoid that problem? Use English proper nouns? Or do you work on classroom process so much that you aren’t concerned about getting enough reps and staying with only 3 or 4 structures per class period?
…these details are already more language than new learners are ready to hear. Certainly, not to expect them to acquire this much language. Or do you?….
I did for years as I was learning CI. I still do, when I’m not tranquil. It’s my nature. It’s the nature of most of us as four percenters. We can get it fast so why can’t they? But now, most especially in the light of the snowplow discussion and sGI (Sabrina’s Great Insight), I am finally getting how dangerous it is to go too narrow and wide in this business. So, yes, Diane, I DID expect them to acquire as much language as is described on this site of CWB and OWI. Hey, thanks for calling me on it. I’m still learning SLOW. We all are, certainly.
When I remember how I acted, what I said and did, when each of our three children were babies, pre-speaking, I am yanked back to what is too much and what is not enough.
I sat in front of them and made goofy faces with a colorful ball in my hand and talked about the “ball” in dozens of ways. It was all about the ball, pretty ball, ball, want the ball, catch the ball, look at the ball, see the ball, pretty ball, funny ball, watch the ball, like the ball, want the ball, hold the ball, throw the ball.
And then, two weeks later, guess what my bumpkins said: “ball!”. That’s it. And I was beside myself with joy. She said ball! He said ball! Ball, ball, ball! That was all that mattered. All the other words, not even full sentences, were just ways to connect with my babies around one object. WE did this for hours, every day, and I wasn’t really trying to teach them anything. I just wanted to connect. The ball was handy. That’s all.
And this is the kind of thing I wonder about with CWB. You hit one word multiple times using terms that are comprehensible (with pause and point and watching their eyes?) but may not expect them to acquire yet. But you’re aiming for that one or two words/structure and say all kinds of short phrases that use that structure like what Bob is saying above. Then they end up with that one key word, and a general sense for how the language sounds and feels? Does that work?
I’ve not done it that way. I’ve been kind of fixed on only using a handful of words (“plays basketball” “likes animals” “draws” for an example) but there isn’t much interest in it. It’s been flat when I’ve tried it with kids just starting. I’m looking for how to make it work better — staying comprehensible AND compelling even with kids in their first 2 weeks of class.
Yes, that works. In my view, you have it right here:
…they end up with that one key word, and a general sense for how the language sounds and feels….
This is the water beginning to fill up the pool, because we’re going to be swimming in the CI pool all year.
And don’t forget to personalize. Swimming is more fun when the people in the pool know each other and can play and not wonder who the other swimmers are, so we personalize our classrooms, severely limiting the quantity of new words while we set the Classroom Rules (see poster on posters page here) and jGR into place, and let the acquisition of words occur exponentially as happens in real life, so that the line of acquisition is flat until about mid year and then it explodes (level one).
I really like what you said about the kids getting:
…a general sense for how the language sounds and feels….
Having that is far better than having a big vocabulary, and so that is why I personally devised ways of going slower via CWB etc. and personalization strategies in the fall and holding off stories (too intense early on) until November or so.
Yes I have heard from lots of people that CWB can lack spark. There is much written on that problem on this blog, going way back and thus not properly categorized but you could try a search on Circling with Balls. The short answer is that the teacher must do things like these three ideas, for starters:
1. Put on the shelf your desire to grab those three structures and mold them into something. The kids will sense that and resent having to sit there while another controlling adult runs the classroom.
Don’t force them to listen, make them want to listen. How? Make them think that they are in control of the unfolding scenes by reacting with wonder at their suggestions. This is a wondrous world, and people are wonderful, and full of wonder, and so we must let it be wonderful and stop trying to force it to be wonderful in the way we want.
To do this, let go of the idea that you are a teacher and become aware of their greatness. For they are indeed great and funny beyond your knowledge but you won’t find that out unless you really look at them. How? Slow down and see them. Go to them. Then they will come to you. When they are ready. Those who must hide for now, let them.
2. Get silly. Follow their lead and get silly with them. That means your structures of:
plays basketball
likes animals
draws
may not be the ones that are going to work on that day when it feels flat. I personally differ from the greater TPRS/CI community in that I say LEAVE those targets and go to the ones that have energy. Give up the need to control class and the structures, and here I refer to CWB and OWI and not stories, where we must in fact be in full control of our target structures.
Let them contribute. Their minds are racing faster than you have any idea when you are going slowly enough. Give them time, give them your attention, give them your focus. It will come back to you when their eyes unlock and mirth enters the room.
3. Always ask Where? and With whom? and wait until the class kind of leans forward as a group when the right answer happens. Especially where. Where is the best question of all in those CWB and OWI beginning of the year activities. Where rocks.
Thank you very much, Ben! This is helpful. Another question: the kids drew pictures of their favorite activities (or things) and that’s where I got the 3 structures from. Good or how else to do it?
I’ve never changed the format in ten years now – on the card there is the picture they draw of a hobby or something they do, or a sport (middle school is almost all sports) and their real name in English. On the back is the Questionnaire Anne designed, but I don’t use it much compared to her.
So yes, the structures originate from there but my point above was to go with the ones that have “pop” to them, that have energy, and so you have Billie who plays tennis on the moon with [some celebrity] and you milk that and see where it goes and if it goes splat that is fine – at least you talked about the kid and so personalized a bit more. Some kids won’t even let us talk about them much anyway because they are still hiding.
So taking something like that from every kid and having it all become magic and fun is easy. It is really hard and some years I abandon CWB really early, like in a few weeks.
Remember the real purpose is to lay down the rules and personalize, not teach the language.
Other times, like with skip, CWB goes on for months and months. Depends on the year and the teacher. The thing is that we have an arsenal of many other things like CWB that together would fuel five years of CI so it’s not like we have to worry if a thing loses energy and we have to go to some other strategy.
I like to follow and expand on things at this time of year. When the energy wanes, I start stories. Hope that helps make it clearer and remember this is just my way of doing it.
I made the mistake this year of not keeping it simple. I got personal information about the students on the first day— brothers, sisters, pets, what they like to do, and I used that information to lead into a story, sort of starring that student. Sometimes we really made up a story as we went along and sometimes I put the student into one of the story scripts I found on this wonderful site.
The trouble was that I see my seventh graders just once a week, and I ran out of time to give each student equal time. At the beginning of the year we would talk about somebody for one, two or three class times and then have the story written for a reading. In March I tried to squeeze more kids into my stories so I could talk about everybody.
I saw the class for the last time of the year this week, and one girl complained bitterly that it was not fair that we never really talked about her. She had been in a story once, but it wasn’t about her own information. I hadn’t thought it would have been so important to her, but that is my insensitivity. Next year I will keep it simple as you suggest Ben.
I only did that same thing for twelve years before I figured it out, Susan. The drawbacks of staying on one kid for too long are you go way wide on vocab and, worse, they get to feeling left out. I had the same thing happen.
Once in April or May of one year a kid complained about never having had his card done but “I did everybody else’s” card. Actually I never seem to get past about half the cards before stopping CWB for stories. Next year I’ll try to remember this.
Actually I never seem to get past about half the cards before stopping CWB for stories. Next year I’ll try to remember this.
Me too.
Me too. The same thing happens to me with “weekend chat” on Mondays. Sabrina posted recently her list of structures that she uses every week. It was short and simple. I want to remember this for next year not only because of the reps but more importantly to make sure each student gets “air time.” There is nothing quite like the feeling of being left out / feeling invisible. Even though there are those kids who don’t really want the spotlight, it is important to show them through our daily practices that we have something to learn from everyone and that everyone really does matter. Right now I am feeling the effects of NOT having done this well, so these are the little reminders to myself for next year.
Jen,
Thank you for saying this:
“There is nothing quite like the feeling of being left out / feeling invisible. Even though there are those kids who don’t really want the spotlight, it is important to show them through our daily practices that we have something to learn from everyone and that everyone really does matter.”
Beautiful mantra Jen. I tend to give the kids wo want to be silent/invisible that right as an innate right. But after reading your comment, I think I will challenge that assumption. They DO ALL MATTER! And perhaps some of them need to get out of their comfort zone.
As far as the cards are concerned, I am guilty also. This year I may have done 10 in each class if that many.
I make a point of working the card when I have a new student pop up in the middle of the year though. Happens a lot where I teach.
Like last week when they put a new student from Yemen in my class. 37 kids jam-packed in my classroom. And again I needed a desk for her, but that is another topic I want to stay away from or I ‘ll get worked up again…..
Any way working the card with her/him allows me to model in the target language how class is conducted, and adressing the norms. Its a good refresher for the other kids as well, and it creates a rapport with this new kid right away, who is probaly just so overwhelmed anyway.
Ben often reminds us how those first weeks are not meant to teach the language but to address discipline matters and norm the class and that language is secondary.
These cards are a great way to have those norms and rules be reiterated once in a while.
I am in Miami right now visiting my mom and dad after a three day IB workshop, and when I return on Monday I won’t have seen my kids for a week, so this conversation comes at such a perfect time! May be I’ll grab a couple of these cards to renorm my classes as I am sure it’ll be needed!
I also have the token kid each year who “complains” about not getting “talked about” or “put in a story”. I sympathize with that, as I also like attention. I appreciate the reminders from these gentle, honest kids.
But even if we stop CWB and move on to stories, we can still incorporate each kid’s personal info and make them the star of a story. Actually, I try to use the CWB cards for stories later on, and if needed, use some info from the questionnaire also (I still think the questionnaire is worth doing).
I got some good news yesterday… I’ll be presenting a session at MCTLC called “Starting the year off strong… in the target language” or something like that. I will certainly make a point of this. And I will probably have the “Spanish ONE” concept front and center (one student, one structure, one day) as I move forward with the planning of it. Thanks Ben for your groundbreaking CWB!!