I’m starting to see a possible yearly plan. The static idea of doing stories all the time and throwing in some novels at different points of the year is a bit too vague, in my opinion. A general yearly plan would reflect the academic and emotional needs of the kids as they emerge throughout the year in an organic way.
Thus, the beginning of the year, roughly from August to November, with the tremendous emotional energy that comes with it, is best used in talking about the kids in the target language, norming the class, just hanging out in PQA, plowing the ground, setting the rules, and getting lots of practice and giving ourselves lots of practice in the habit of staying in the TL 90% of the time.
After two or three months of that, stories can begin, if desired. They cannot be done earlier year for two reasons:
– the students need to be trained up to stories. In the early part of the year they don’t know enough language.
– the students need to be taught in no uncertain terms how to behave in our classrooms before stories are attempted.
Therefore, I prefer to work, from November to February, in strict adherence to this schedule:
https://benslavic.com/blog/2012/01/19/suggested-weekly-schedule/
And stories need not be done at all. They are overated in comprehension based instruction. Even a few months is plenty for stories, because students often tire of them and because they are extremely challenging for the teacher. It is most important to be clear that a strong comprehension/Krashen based program can easily be done witout the doing stories at all.
What I really like about this mid year schedule, if stories are done, is that it gives fully 50% of the time to stories and 50% of the time to readings created from the stories, and not novels. This gives about 1/6th of the academic year to actual stories, which is enough.
As spring brings about the uncanny unraveling of school buildings and everyone in them, it is a good time to bring in the peaceful and ordered kind of comprehensible input that only novels can bring.
So, in a nutshell, a possible yearly plan in a comprehension based classroom could be:
First 1/3 of the year: PQA and rule setting.
Second 1/3 of the year: stories, if desired. The middle arc of the year is when the hardest work is most easily accomplished.
Third 1/3 of the year:
Reading novels, Reader’s Theatre, lots of dictation, lots of FVR, etc. When the energy of the year wanes, and as student energy begins to waver under the tremendous undiscussed psychological burden that weighs so heavily on the shoulders of both students and teachers alike at this time of year, novels are the way to go. Movie reading and the fake classes schedule alone can rescue classes from chaos at this time of year, as per:
https://benslavic.com/blog/2012/03/16/fake-classes/
https://benslavic.com/blog/2012/03/21/using-fake-classes-to-refuel-and-train-up-for-next-year/