A few R and D questions from Polly. Varied comments are welcome so that she can get a variety of opinions. It is very important that we remember that there is no one way to do this stuff:
Ben,
I would like to get your advice and advice from other members as to the best way to “plow” through a novel. I just started teaching TPRS style this semester and want to read Pobre Ana with my Spanish 1 classes and Patricia Va a CA with my level 2 classes (only because I want it easy for their first read) at the end of this quarter. I have read the information about the R and D method, but was just wondering about how long these books should take to “plow” through? Also, what does a day look like reading? Do you allow the kids to read for 15-20 minutes alone in a chapter and then chorally translate the rest of class? I know that you suggest avoiding too much PQA for fear of deviating from the reading. Is this still something you suggest? Do you chorally translate the whole chapter or just parts of it? I guess I would just like to know what a week or 2 week period of “plowing” through one of these Blaine novels might look like? I would plan on giving daily quizzes to keep them on task, but I fear that this method might be very mundane if I don’t allow some partner work or do bits of PQA to give them a break every once in awhile. Also, do you do free writes for novels at all?
Thanks for any advice you can give.
Polly