Textbook Related Question for the Group

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1. Jeff

   August 25, 2015 at 4:18 pm

   I have taught mostly CI/TPRS for 3 years while being required to teach 9 chapters in a Spanish Textbook. I can’t help you with Discovering French Bleu…but I can offer how I stay above water.
   First, I got Matava Scripts 1 and 2. Then I got my curriculum out and tried to align some of the stories with the chapters. You can always change some of the key structures. For example you can change walks to skips or whatever you have to do to make it work. I bought Tripp’s scripts too, but I haven’t gone through them yet.
   Second, stay true to the super 7 verbs and your kids will get better. Master those first and then start throwing the low-frequency verbs in your stories.
   Third, make them write out the vocabulary lists (for bell work some days) and study them using quizlet daily.
   Fourth and most importantly, I have found that my kids do just as well as the other teachers when I spend 1/4 the time doing textbook stuff as they do. They know how to read, how to answer question word questions, and how to listen for comprehension; they just don’t always know those fringe vocabulary words.
   I have 90 minute blocks every other day.
   Day 1 is a) Bellwork, which has to do with artwork from a previous story (or something from the textbook), b) TPR/Word associations with my word wall from Ben’s new book. You can pick low-frequency words from your chapters instead. I’m going to be doing that soon. c) Then we do a story from Matava’s scripts. It lasts about 45 minutes. Then I allow them to retell it, I quiz it, then we do a 5 minute re-write. d) Any remaining time is devoted to the book. Normally 10-20 minutes.
   Day 2 is a) Bellwork, b) TPR/Word associations, c) the reading of the story with reading option A, d) some experimentation with some other form of CI, and then e) textbook work.
   Day 3 would be a MovieTalk that uses key words from the Textbook or another story to start the cycle over again. I’m not really good at MovieTalk, so they don’t last too long and I’d need to have other fall back plans (which are key because you don’t always know how long you can keep the CI flowing). Later in the year day 3 is novel reading and book work. We can read a novel for at least 45 minutes per chapter.

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