Here is a possible plan for getting our students to easily do what I consider to be the real work at the upper levels – reading and discussing authentic texts with no effort.
Because they have heard so much comprehensible input in the first two levels – massive amounts of it – the kids can read increasingly challenging authentic texts in levels 3 and 4 effortlessly using the unconscious part of their minds, as it should be. Therefore I am suggesting that we consider (can’t say it will work bc haven’t tested it) this plan (percentages might vary):
Year 1: 80% non-targeted CI/Invisibles, 20% Story Listening, with zero forced output. Writing and speaking emerge organically at different time for different kids. I would give the kids free writes and dictees but mainly CI in the form of reading and listening.
Year 2: 35% non-targeted CI/Invisibles, 65% Story Listening.
Years 3 and 4: Increasingly challenging levels of reading of authentic texts, with discussions in the TL, which they can do because of all the non-targeted CI and SL that they enjoyed in the first two years.
The reader may want to check with Beniko about using Story Listening because I understand that she is doing some kind of certification program – not clear on this – in order to use Story Listening.