So many of the characters in stories and PQA are right off the walls. For example, in Picasso’s painting The Old Guitarist, of which I have a copy hanging in the room, the skinny white-haired guy is called ‘Jesus Stefanopolis’ by one of my classes. Just the other day he proposed to one of my students, well actually two of them. The wedding will be taking place soon! Just another intriguing context to flood students with CI, and to target a couple if I choose.
I was reminded by Nathan Black and Ben of the amazing power of pictures in the language class (see comments under blog “Dirk in Portland”). I find this most helpful with people pictures. Lately I have been using songs in the classroom as backward planning guides. Interest has increased since putting up a simple 9X12 color photo of the artist whose song we are learning. Not only that, but like Jesus Stefanopolis, they become the antagonists (or less often the protagonists) in our stories.
(OT: Is it just me, or is Chuck Norris the best antagonist ever in H.S. TPRS classes?)
Ok, back to the wallflowers. Why is Diego Torres so sad (direct attention to sad look on handsome singer’s face)? Someone broke up with him (sympathetic “ahhh!”). Yeah, Becky broke up with him… because he chews with his mouth open!
And we’re off…
[ed. note: I have to comment. Is it possible that without working from visual images all along, except the kid standing there in the story, is it possible that we may have been missing a holy grail in sources of CI? Just thinking out loud here. Duke is all about this, by the way. I could see him shaking his head in Mexico over these observations by Jim]