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Seeking the future of world language learning at the intersection of comprehensible input, project-based learning, global education, and love.
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It’s time for them to use their time

Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell February 11, 2011 45 Comments
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There are a lot of problems with current world language teaching in the U.S. I think the biggest problem is that we’re trying to teach it the way we teach everything else, when language used for communication is not learned or stored the way other subjects are, and the answer is to look back at the way this happened the first time. Don’t agree? That’s okay. But I’m looking back at 100 years of failed language teaching in the U.S. and at a profession full of teachers who don’t believe in what they do – because if you ask a language teacher where to learn to speak a language, they won’t tell you to take a class. They’ll tell you to put yourself in an immersion situation. We know that immersion is the only thing that works, but we won’t do it in class. Why? Lots of reasons. We’re not trained. Students are conditioned to think school should happen a certain way and when it doesn’t, they revolt. Our expectations are too high. Our assessments are completely invalid.

And the biggest complaint I hear is this: we don’t have the time. Young children are flooded with massive amounts of input from the moment they’re born, and we have them for mere minutes a day. What about that?

One answer is that the minutes we have them add up over years to a whole lot of time, so one solution is to figure out how to motivate students to continue into advanced levels of language learning. Another solution is to impress upon students that if they’re really going to succeed, they can’t rely on language class to keep this up. At some point, they have to take ownership of this language journey in their own lives and not let it be just something a teacher is making them do, because if that’s all it is, they won’t keep learning after they leave us, and it will be a waste of time. One way I’ve tried to do this is to assign my students to do a “fluency activity.” Once a week, my fourth-year students have to do something outside of class to show me that they can find ways to interact in the language. They have to tell me on a card 1) what they did 2) one thing they learned and 3) what they need to improve on. @SraSpanglish asked me to publish the options I give them, so here they are. Keep in mind that I teach in a private faith-based school, so several of these options are faith-related. One premise there is that the vocabulary used will be very familiar to my students, which primes their brains for higher comprehension. You might have other ideas for how to do that also – please share them in comments!

  1. Listen to Spanish-language radio for one hour (music) or 30 minutes (talk).
  2. Watch television in Spanish for 30 minutes.
  3. Change your facebook language to Spanish and play on Facebook for an hour.
  4. Read a Spanish-language newspaper for 30 minutes (may be online).
  5. Play on one or more corporate Spanish-language websites for 45 minutes.
  6. Read a book in Spanish for 30 minutes (may get one from Sra. Cottrell, may not be Ciudad de las bestias)
  7. Read 3 familiar chapters of the Bible in Spanish.
  8. Change your cell phone or mp3 player’s language to Spanish for an entire week.
  9. Read the directions in Spanish of four items in your house (e.g. detergent).
  10. Read the last 50 tweets using a Twitter hashtag for a Latin-American country or city.
  11. Read the last 30 Spanish-language tweets by one or more Spanish-speaking artists or politicians on Twitter
  12. Read an article about a famous Latino musician or politician in Spanish on Wikipedia.
  13. Watch 3 videoclips on sports and 3 videoclips on current news on Univision.com.
  14. Compile a list of 30 words involving the profession you hope to have, on 3×5 cards for your review.
  15. Explore the Spanish-language section of a bookstore (music, kids’ books, and/or adult books) for 30 minutes and find two things you would like to own.
  16. Listen to a sermon (at least 20 minutes) in Spanish (see oneplace.com).
  17. Conversar (o ‘chatear’) en español con alguien por 30 minutos
  18. Asistir a un Spanish Group
  19. Asistir el servicio de una iglesia

Added recently:

  1. Find a recipe on a site like Mi Cocina Latina or Qué Rica Vida and prepare it.
  2. Listen to at least 5 clips at least B1 or higher on Audio Lingua.
  3. Watch at least 5 clips Intermediate B or higher from UT proficiency site.
  4. Play around on the iTunes Latino store and find 2 albums or 5 songs you would like to own.
AP Spanish assessment choice communicative activities homework motivation SLA twitter
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Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell
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45 Comments

  1. Sra. Spanglish says:
    February 11, 2011 at 3:57 pm

    Times like this, I wish you had a "LOVE" option to check. This is exactly what I need!

    Things I wonder:
    Is it a good idea to have a "witness" sign off on the cards too? I'm worried about falsifying.

    Could doing more than 1 in a week be a good way to get extra credit?

    "To improve" sounds weird to me, for lack of a better word, but could it be rephrased another way? Because it's not just "to get help with" and maybe not just "to practice more," but maybe "to investigate further"?

    Also, since I only teach Spanish 1 and 2, what kind of changes would you recommend to possibilities? Should the amount of time be the same at these levels? Should I just make sure I provide simple (picture?) books in Spanish?

    Reply
  2. Marcy says:
    February 11, 2011 at 6:35 pm

    How do you hold the students accountable, i.e. validating that they actually did what they say they did?

    Reply
  3. Susan Lynn says:
    February 11, 2011 at 7:31 pm

    We had a program like this called Spanish Outside the Classroom. We gave different activities different points, depending on the difficulty and time required. We assigned 50 pts per semester. For each activity, students knees to bring "proof" in the form of an artifact, receipt, reflection sheet, signature or presentation in class. Find a song in Spanish, play it in class and give a brief bio of the singer-10 pts. Turn on the Spanish soundtrack of your favorite movie and learn 10 new words-10 pts. Research recipes from a Spanish speaking country and make a meal with at least 3 authentic dishes-20 pts. It was fun, but hard to get all the kids to do what was required.

    Reply
  4. Talia says:
    February 11, 2011 at 10:46 pm

    Great reminder of what I always eNt to accomplish – cultural Awareness, language learning, fun! Thanks for the reminder!

    Reply
  5. Sra Cottrell says:
    February 12, 2011 at 2:01 pm

    Hmm, what I mean by 'improve' is specifically that I want them to reflect on what their biggest struggle was, and perhaps what they could do to keep understanding more in that area. "get help with" certainly implies another person and the intent of this activity is purely self-motivation, and "investigate further" emphasizes too much the cultural aspect and not enough language… let me know if you think of something better! 🙂

    At levels 1 and 2, when the class is required, and in other situations, it's a good idea to investigate ways to keep students from lying about it. Did they choose wikipedia? Print it, highlight favorite parts, and comment in at least 2 places. 30 minutes of music? Name (#) of artists and/or songs, phrases and words you heard, where you found the music. Conversation? With whom – someone in the class? Topic? Vocab? Medium? Place? Adjust the level for the students on some is a good idea – simpler books (picture books are good), website and audio ideas – check my Delicious 'elementary' tag. Several of my Delicious 'corporate' tags are sites like Disney or Warner Bros. And you just have to keep reminding them that you know they're teenagers, you promise they can be teenagers in math and science and every other class, but when it comes to language acquisition, they're children – and throw in a bit of Ricky Martin. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Sra Cottrell says:
    February 12, 2011 at 2:07 pm

    Oh, so my comment about students lying – I'm not terribly concerned about it because in my small fourth-year class my students have been with me so long they're reluctant to lie to me at this point so I can give them some leeway. But I'd definitely be wary in a required lower level.

    One more thing, the students aren't allowed to repeat an option in a nine-week period. Otherwise they'd do facebook and their cellphone all year. 😉

    Reply
  7. Miriam says:
    February 18, 2011 at 5:04 am

    Thanks for sharing this list with us. Great ideas I will share them with my students.
    Miriam Ramos-Warth

    Reply
  8. Sra. Spanglish says:
    February 22, 2011 at 11:07 am

    I thought of a new idea! (I'm in the process of formalizing and introducing the assignment.)

    Explore iTunes Latino store and iTunes essentials for 30 minutes & find 2 albums or 5 songs you would like to own

    Reply
  9. Talia says:
    February 24, 2011 at 6:20 pm

    These are awesome! I do something similar, but more for extra credit. The kids get a matrix with 60 ideas and each has a point value (5, 10, 15). They can do as many activities as they want up to 30 points. Each time they do an activity, they have to record it, show evidence of doing it and receive my signature. The activities for 5 points are easier and the 10 and 15 points follow the same idea, but are more difficult. I give the same sheet to 6th-8th grade – they just pick the ones they feel they can do and do them at their level.

    Thanks for the list to get us started – it's easy to forget that class doesn't necessarily end when the bell rings!!

    Reply
  10. Sra. Spanglish says:
    February 24, 2011 at 6:32 pm

    My kids had a few more ideas, though I remain unsure of their validity:

    Switch their XBoxes or video games to Spanish for a week? I'm afraid they might learn unsavory language from shooter games and don't know a lot about it.

    One wanted to start a Facebook group page for conversing–would that be any different than the 30 minute chat, except online?

    Reply
  11. Jennifer Maughan says:
    February 26, 2011 at 11:13 am

    I found an idea similar to this that I have implemented this year in my High School Spanish classes. Each Thursday the students have to complete assignments from a homework grid-or in otherwords I have a document set up that kind of looks like a calendar. Each box has a suggested activity and guidelines for use. My basic one had 5 columns titled VOcabulary, Technology, Culture, Listening, and Writing. Under each column they had to choose two of each activity for the quarter (10 weeks in a quarter) and then choose two additional activities to complete at any time. As the year has progressed I have narrowed the sheet down to 12 slots-they have to complete an activity on their own in each slot-they still follow the 5 columns (2 from each) but there are more instructions as to how to make it a better learning experience and how to better practice your Spanish. For the additional two assignments that they can complete at any time-this quarter they have to teach the class a lesson on Spanish and inclue an activity that they have created to help their class review and learn the information. Many of the activities are very similar to the fluency activities. I have seen some kids really use this activity to enhance what we are learning in class-and some of them just do it because it is the assignment-and others who don't do it because they forget because it is not something I remind them of everyweek-just once at the beginning of the quarter and only if I see that they are not doing the activities.
    As far as keeping track of the "truthfulness" of what they are doing-I have a writeup sheet that must accompany some of their activities-it has a place from parental signature (or mine if they happen to do it with me around), a slot for resources sited, and a large response area where they are to write 10 complete sentences about their experience including what they learned, how they felt it was beneficial, and how much they enjoyed it. It is really hard for kids to BS for 10 sentences and it is fairly easy for them to proove to you that they have done the work…if there is a doubt-I conference with them and ask them more detailed information-and make sure it all checks out. My first year students are forging ahead quite quickly…and I think in a large part it is due to this homework project-it leaves more time in class for fluency practice with me, and it gives them the chance to show me what they are learning. Besides that, I HATE grading boring grammar worksheets and stuff-these assignments are so much easier to grade-they are interesting and you really get to know your students and their iniciative. I will send the information I have on file for this homework assignment if anyone would like a copy, or if you would like to post it on your blog-I don't mind sharing.

    Reply
    1. Melinda Dyke says:
      August 19, 2013 at 9:37 pm

      Yes, please. mcrum_99@yahoo.com

      Reply
    2. ohsenorita13 says:
      October 26, 2013 at 10:48 pm

      Please send it to me. I love these ideas and i am ready to switch to the new marking period. Thorntona@pasd.k12.pa.us

      Reply
    3. kaleigh says:
      May 15, 2014 at 9:54 am

      please send your chart if possible! srtabasinger@gmail.com

      Reply
      1. kaleigh says:
        May 15, 2014 at 9:55 am

        omgosh wrong email. senoritabasinger@gmail.com it has been a long week!

        Reply
        1. Kali says:
          May 27, 2014 at 10:20 am

          I would love your chart as well! 🙂

          Reply
    4. laurie says:
      June 21, 2014 at 8:54 am

      Oh yes, please send me your chart too! Thanks!

      Reply
    5. Enid says:
      June 22, 2014 at 8:16 am

      Please send me a copy enidlopezreed@hotmail.com

      Reply
    6. Laura Overstreet says:
      July 9, 2014 at 3:06 pm

      I would love to have a copy of this if I’m not too late in asking…sobrecalle@hotmail.com

      Reply
      1. Laura Overstreet says:
        July 9, 2014 at 3:07 pm

        Of course, that is sobrecalle@hotmail.com

        Reply
    7. Vicki says:
      July 23, 2014 at 12:50 pm

      I’d love whatever you have to send!

      Reply
    8. Lorraine says:
      May 19, 2015 at 12:54 pm

      I would love a copy of this, if you are still willing to send it! lorraine.starks@wacoisd.org

      Reply
    9. Anna says:
      November 26, 2015 at 10:25 pm

      Hello Jennifer Maughan,
      Can you please send me the homework assignment? I can’t wait to introduce it to students!!

      Reply
      1. Anna says:
        November 26, 2015 at 10:27 pm

        Oh! Jennifer, my email address is dimeglio@smcsmail.com. Thanks

        Reply
  12. Sarita says:
    June 9, 2011 at 9:33 am

    @SraSpanglish I love the iTunes idea and the facebook one sounds neat too. I'm also unsure of the Xbox one – but I suppose it uses as much language as the cell phone one. Maybe if it was Xbox Live, that would give them great opportunities for interpersonal communication with real people. I'd jump on that.

    @Talia & @Jennifer your ideas sound great! Jennifer I would LOVE to see your document and post it here. Do you have it on a Google doc? My email is cottrellse at gmail dot com. 🙂

    Reply
  13. Tracy Brady says:
    June 24, 2011 at 9:08 pm

    What a fabulous post — and great comments as well. I will definitely be incorporating some of these ideas into my classes next year. Gracias.

    Reply
  14. Sra. Jacobs says:
    August 17, 2011 at 8:27 am

    Just found your site via elmundodebirch. What a great resource!! I am going to use this weekly activity in my classes. Muchas gracias,

    Reply
  15. Sra Cottrell says:
    August 19, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    Thanks so much! Feel free to add any gems you find/come up with too!

    Reply
  16. France2Bama says:
    December 16, 2011 at 4:25 pm

    I love those suggestions!! I teach college level, and have been trying to find ideas for my students to do outside of class and these are perfect!!!
    Thank you so much!!

    Reply
  17. Rebecca Brooking says:
    December 30, 2011 at 1:41 pm

    Sra. Cottrell, I recently discovered your blog through Calico Spanish,and I am really enjoying perusing your blog entries! With your permission I plan to adapt your beyond-the-classroom activities for my own classes. Thanks!

    Reply
  18. Musicuentos – Prezi: The Choice is Theirs (KWLA 2012) says:
    September 22, 2012 at 10:01 am

    […] more information, see the original post It’s time for them to use their time, as well as Design your own final exam and the Google doc of my class’s weekly activity […]

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  19. Musicuentos – More student choice in homework says:
    September 23, 2012 at 3:50 pm

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  21. Musicuentos – I choose béisbol: sample “homework” report says:
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    […] of my top two most widely-used ideas ever is abandoning homework in favor of a weekly “fluency” activity involving a whole lot of student choice. [Incidentally, the other is the YouTube commercial cloze […]

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  22. Musicuentos – Websites for creating online magazines says:
    June 16, 2013 at 9:36 am

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  23. Musicuentos – Choice in homework, updated says:
    August 18, 2013 at 4:40 pm

    […] idea ever (it’s a toss-up between that and the YouTube commercials quizzes).  Read about the original idea and browse lots of updates using the choice […]

    Reply
  24. ohsenorita13 says:
    August 22, 2013 at 4:15 pm

    please send a copy to thorntona@pasd.k12.pa.us. Thanks so much!!!

    Reply
  25. IWLA Idea Share #2 | La Clase de la Señora Dentlinger says:
    October 18, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    […] experienced anything outside of class.  (Similar idea to the Real World Examples like those by Musicuentos) Examples were seeing science at the back of the science book or hearing Spanish on TV show.  This […]

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  26. Musicuentos – Best of 2013: #3 – Choice in homework, updated says:
    December 30, 2013 at 12:14 pm

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  27. #InstagramELE challenge! | Professor Munday's Blog says:
    January 24, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    […] your own homework” type of activities (like the ones described by Sarah Cotrell in this post or Kara Jacobs in this list for students). For example, students can do it for a week to get […]

    Reply
  28. Gisela Cordero-Cinko says:
    March 15, 2015 at 7:03 pm

    Can we stay in touch! I absolutely love this!I am planning on using these ideas next school year!

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      March 16, 2015 at 5:52 pm

      Absolutely – email me anytime via the contact page or at secottrell@musicuentos.com. And definitely check out all the updates to this project, especially the sample systems post!

      Reply
  29. Gisela Cordero-Cinko says:
    March 16, 2015 at 6:29 pm

    Thank you! I will!

    Reply
  30. sraallen says:
    August 3, 2015 at 10:46 pm

    Please send merced3291@aol.com

    Reply
  31. Summer Planning and Getting Back in the Game | senorfernie says:
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      • Scaffolded reading: Novice Mid #authres "Places to Plans"
      • NEW Summer PD: Brave Little Tailor CI strategies workshop
      • Dear Everychild: Learn a language
      • I am (Shakespeare): A practical, fun TL transition/brain break
      • Extra, extra! Special guest at (Base)Camp Musicuentos
      • Guest Post: What is "unconscious" acquisition in the classroom? (Justin Slocum Bailey)
      • I'll never use authentic resources again
    •  March (6)
      • Primacy/Recency Lesson Plan Template
      • Better acquisition by altering (not eliminating) translation
      • 5 ways to use infographics in language class
      • Armed for incomprehensible input (CSCTFL '16)
      • Effective Storytelling with Consistency, Cartooning, and Cool Content (CSCTFL)
      • The Best Laid Plans (CSCTFL '16)
    •  February (3)
      • It's TIME! Register for Camp Musicuentos 2016
      • The word to fear in lesson planning
      • Culture, description, family: Novice #authres this week!
    •  January (6)
      • Quick tech to start your year: One-Click Timer
      • Quick Tech to start your year: Video DownloadHelper
      • Quick tech to start your year: Screencastify
      • Chameleons and bears and early language class, oh my!
      • Blogs to Watch 2016
      • Resolve for 2016: Walk free, and pay it forward
  •  2015 (78)
    •  December (11)
      • Top post of the year: The 2015 updated rubric
      • Book Club 2015: Make It Stick
      • Best of 2015 #2: The five things I must have in my syllabus
      • Book Club 2015: All the etc. in one post
      • Best of 2015 #3: How important is task completion?
      • Semester 1 assessment: Elementary edition
      • Too much choice = a self-defeating tyranny?
      • Best of 2015 #4: My homework choices for very early novices
      • Best of 2015 #5: Using the song El perdón
      • Ending the year with Best of & Book Club
      • How about an elementary rubric?
    •  November (4)
      • Couch conversations from ACTFL: A conference in sound bytes
      • Teach me to say what I need to say: Overview of TBLT (Black Box)
      • See you at ACTFL '15?
      • A checklist: Adapt, Incorporate, or Ditch a textbook activity?
    •  October (7)
      • 7 Brain Breaks for World Language Teachers
      • Give & take #authres activities: Let's collaborate!
      • Collaborating via Google Drive step-by-step
      • Correcting all those errors? Step away from the red pen. (BlackBox)
      • Twitter Lingo for World Language Teachers
      • More resources for very early circumlocution
      • More TL in class is tough. Let's do it anyway. (BlackBox)
    •  September (6)
      • A conference in sound bytes: 6 quotes from KWLA '15
      • The Best Laid Plans (KWLA '15)
      • Cultura y Comunicación con Comerciales (KWLA '15)
      • Novice description with a deep cultural AP twist
      • See you this year? Conferences & Camp Musicuentos 2016
      • The taco/sushi talk - visualized!
    •  August (9)
      • These are a few of my favorite things
      • ANNOUNCING: The 2015 updated performance assessment rubric
      • Let me tell you about tacos... I mean crêpes!
      • You can't possibly teach it. But you can do this. (Black Box)
      • Homework choice for elementary students (and my syllabus)
      • BTS: The Taco Talk for Intermediates
      • Finally: My homework choices for very early novices
      • The five things I must have in my syllabus
      • If I learn it, can I use it? The interface debate (Black Box)
    •  July (6)
      • Back-to-school time! Upcoming posts, resources on sale
      • Starting my interactive notebook
      • I can do more with you than I can alone (Black Box)
      • This is design-based learning: A disaster relief team
      • No dog with my iced tea, please
      • All they need is accurate input... right? Wrong. (Black Box)
    •  June (4)
      • The new required school supply: Find your own audience
      • Grammar drills aren't all in your head... or in your head at all (BlackBox)
      • The one-word key to teaching culture
      • Why your method doesn't matter: Black Box videocast
    •  May (4)
      • Embedded listening
      • Rubrics: How important is task completion?
      • Add this to your Novice AND Intermediate HW choice options NOW
      • What a design-based WL program looks like
    •  April (6)
      • "Three Before Me" poster in German and French
      • Three before me
      • Why interpersonal isn't interpretive
      • How can a transition empower your class?
      • How can I help you put research to practice?
      • Forced to adopt a textbook: Now what?
    •  March (7)
      • New song: El perdón for two levels
      • En español, por favor: Fostering bilingualism in children
      • It's not about the I in IPA, or the vocab list
      • Armed for a world of incomprehensible input: Circumlocution training
      • Timely repost: the "I don't understand!" signal
      • Poll: what conference proposals?
      • Anatomy of a novice question
    •  February (7)
      • I see a... great chance to practice prepositions
      • Speaking of motivation: Guest interview on Paulino Brener's EPC Show
      • It's TIME! Open registration for Camp Musicuentos '15
      • The M that trumps your method, materials, & madness
      • Shake things up: Vary your seating - every day
      • #Teach2Teach 3: A coach who failed me, and a coach who didn't
      • Pronunciation gold: Forvo.com
    •  January (7)
      • It's a myth, #11: Assessing communication without communication
      • My favorite authentic resource combining culture & calendar
      • #Teach2Teach Question 1: The Great Balancing Act
      • All new resource: Battleship for es / está
      • 2015 Resolution #3, Expand your learning network: New blogs to watch
      • 2015 Resolutions #2: Act like we're on the same team
      • 2015 resolution #1: Stop being so hard on yourself
  •  2014 (96)
    •  December (22)
      • Book Club '14: George Müller & Bruchko
      • Best of 2014 #1: Every language teacher's biggest mistake
      • Best of 2014 #6: Carol Gaab's rebuttal to my TPRS critique
      • Book Club '14: Creating Innovators
      • Best of 2014 #2: Where I depart from classic TPRS
      • Book Club '14: Stella Bain, Gemma Hardy, & a bittersweet hotel
      • Best of 2014 #7: What I love about TPRS
      • Book Club '14: Monuments Men, With the Old Breed, In Pharaoh's Army
      • Book Club '14: The Kite Runner
      • Best of 2014 #3: Sample homework choice systems
      • Book Club '14: Crazy Busy
      • Book Club '14: The Hobbit & The Scarlet Pimpernel
      • Best of 2014 #5: How I use verb charts
      • Book Club 2014: Amazing Grace (Kozol)
      • Book Club '14: A Step of Faith & Walking on Water (The Walk series)
      • Best of 2014 #4 & #8: Curriculum planning outside the textbook
      • Book Club '14: Five Days at Memorial & Men We Reaped
      • Best of 2014 #9: Genius hour isn't a great idea for novice classes
      • Book Club '14: The Painted Veil & Life After Life
      • Best of 2014 #10: The new JCPS curriculum documents
      • Happy Cyber Week! Resource sale Dec. 1-3
      • Musicuentos Book Club 2014
    •  November (4)
      • Lessons from ACTFL '14: if they have all the answers, they're trying to sell you something
      • What's ahead: ACTFL, best of '14, and the book club
      • Linguacafé: The idea that rocked my interpersonal world
      • What we learned at IFLTA '14: Everyone struggles, Culture leads
    •  October (5)
      • Communicative teaching in the shadow of [grammar-focused] common assessment
      • More multi-tasking children's lit
      • Next on my PD list: New proficiency videos
      • What we learned at KWLA: share, think, respect
      • The game-changing authentic resource guide for Spanish 3+: it's here!
    •  September (4)
      • Three days and then...
      • The technology that's making us irrelevant...and more relevant
      • Thank you, reflective teachers
      • See you this year? Conferences & Camp Musicuentos
    •  August (6)
      • How I teach La ciudad de las bestias
      • Putting homework in their hands: Sample systems
      • The First Day Story: Empowering with CI
      • Keeping games communicative
      • Let's talk tacos: Informing parents & students on proficiency
      • Regreso a clases! Ciudad on sale
    •  July (2)
      • Oso de Mantequilla: A tribute
      • It's coming!
    •  June (7)
      • What we learned at Camp Musicuentos
      • Lesson plan: Indirect objects and celebrations (template too)
      • New Podcast: What kind of corrective feedback works?
      • New resource: Educating parents and students on proficiency
      • Another resource: JCPS new curriculum documents (K-12)
      • Introducing the past tenses together
      • Time for you to get feedback?
    •  May (9)
      • Upcoming workshop (IN): Proficiency-based lesson planning
      • Stop calling this easy & fast
      • Revisiting Photopeach for the AP Final
      • Stop stressing: It's wrong to do the best you can
      • Three tasks for crafting an effective message: Black Box Podcast episode 4
      • A Year in a Day: Camp Musicuentos 2014
      • Taking care of business: Summer collaboration for a successful year
      • 4 ways to tweak the exit ticket
      • Black Box Podcast episode 3: To Sell Is Human, part 1
    •  April (9)
      • Top 25 Spanish novels
      • Let's play
      • New activity resource: Tweetfest!
      • Black Box Podcast episode 2: Circumlocution
      • An impromptu "langcamp"
      • See you at ACTFL '14
      • 4 ways to keep curriculum relevant
      • Tutorial on the best free PD you'll find in your own home
      • The Musicuentos Black Box Podcast: IT'S HERE!
    •  March (11)
      • Authentic visual illustrations of proficiency (Spanish)
      • Curriculum planning outside the textbook, Part 2
      • A week or more of working with Vivir mi vida
      • Resource release: Complete verb pack
      • Curriculum planning outside the textbook: Part 1
      • Corrections to simple verb pack
      • Musicuentos is on Pinterest!
      • Is this the best we can do?
      • Writing a restaurant review: Activity from Bethanie Drew
      • Putting a number grade on proficiency-based assessment
      • Resource release: Simple verb pack
    •  February (7)
      • My favorite source for restaurant (and other) reviews
      • Guest post: A TPRS rebuttal by Carol Gaab
      • TPRS strategies I don't put in my toolbox
      • What I love about TPRS
      • Repost: Valentine's #authres from Twitter
      • How I use verb charts
      • Guest post: What students need- A leader (David Seibel)
    •  January (10)
      • Every language teacher's biggest mistake
      • My new favorite digital storytelling app
      • Why Genius Hour can't work in a novice classroom
      • Website review: Geoguessr
      • 2014 resolutions #5: Use more authentic sources.
      • 2014 Resolutions #4: Take a step outside the textbook
      • Reviewing 2013: Five blogs to watch
      • 2014 Resolutions #3: Survey your students.
      • 2014 Resolutions #2: Collaborate with someone
      • 2014 Resolutions #1: Read a book
  •  2013 (110)
    •  December (13)
      • The #1 Musicuentos post of 2013 (and the six years before that)
      • Best of 2013: #2 - Tips for the new AP
      • Best of 2013: #3 - Choice in homework, updated
      • Best of 2013: #4 - Novice song for Spanish Class Idol
      • Best of 2013: #5 - Can you control vocabulary?
      • Best of 2013: #6 - Is your lesson plan out of whack?
      • Best of 2013: #7 - Four habits that enrich vocabulary
      • AP Spanish final exam: Controversia navideña y Vacunas para niños
      • Best of 2013: #8 - Novice high vs. Intermediate low
      • Best of 2013: #9 - Using assessment to inform your teaching
      • Best of 2013: #10 - Spot-checking conversations
      • First-ever Musicuentos ebook: Reader's Guide to Ciudad de las bestias
      • Happy December!
    •  November (8)
      • AP Spanish essay - Obamacare
      • Vote: Musicuentos proposal for ACTFL '14
      • Setting goals
      • Don't go to ACTFL '13 without TELLing
      • Repost: A story for demonstratives
      • Listen to some Grammy music
      • Caring about the Really Big Deal
      • Calm before the excitement!
    •  October (4)
      • Using assessment to inform your teaching
      • Just some fluff: Makeup for busy mom teachers
      • Top 3 mistakes teachers of novices make
      • Book review: Teach Like A Pirate
    •  September (7)
      • Interacting with authentic materials: a guide
      • Using audio-lingua
      • Seven keys to a great story
      • Stations: Exploring music
      • It's a myth: Equipping students to communicate with... themselves
      • Turn a Novice Song into "Spanish Class Idol"
      • Is your lesson plan out of whack?
    •  August (12)
      • Children's literature for the world language class (Helena Curtain)
      • App review & Giveaway! High School Spanish
      • Choice in homework, updated
      • Back to school: Proficiency posts
      • App Review: Storykit (bonus - meet my family!)
      • Back to school: Evaluate traditions
      • Back to school: Blogs with great ideas
      • App review & giveaway: Word Magic dictionary and thesaurus
      • My authorized AP syllabus
      • Back to school: Musicuentos "first days" posts
      • Back to school: Give them signals
      • Going back to school with Musicuentos
    •  July (6)
      • Tips for the New AP
      • Don't be fooled! What the AP does and doesn't measure
      • Illustrating proficiency with a laugh
      • Snag some free apps while you can!
      • Stop asking for unnatural language
      • Fun video: Animals, present, feelings
    •  June (9)
      • Targeting problems with a pop quiz
      • Song, irregular present, part 4: Tengo tu love
      • It's my birthday - check out our presents!
      • A meaningful approach to grammar
      • Websites for creating online magazines
      • A world with no magazines
      • Guest post: Coaching with choice
      • Screencast: Photopeach
      • Communicative grading made easier
    •  May (10)
      • Health infographic: Novice - Intermediate Activity
      • A lesson in finding authentic sources easily
      • Tips and songs for past participles
      • Foster higher-level thinking from the beginning
      • Summer: Language for the fun of it
      • Novice high vs. intermediate low
      • E-magazines with learner appeal
      • Step outside the textbook: Tell a story
      • Repost: Novice description with Jengibre and Pin Pon
      • Interpersonal communication by choice
    •  April (11)
      • Novice speaking: Describing self with Sie7e
      • Can you control vocabulary?
      • Activities from authentic resources: Future tense
      • Why I love mistakes
      • Maternity leave!
      • Lots of your class gone? Pick up a book.
      • Abandon the multiple-choice question
      • Songs for future tense
      • I choose béisbol: sample "homework" report
      • 300 times thank you
      • Reporting like kindergarten
    •  March (11)
      • Training in circumlocution: Ban the dictionary
      • Fun activity #9: A leer
      • Last tips on avoiding burnout
      • Cortometraje for narration
      • Make developing curriculum even easier
      • Even more tips on avoiding burnout
      • Authentic resource: trivia games
      • Still more tips on avoiding burnout
      • Two more ways to ease into developing curriculum
      • Song, irregular present, part 3: Carmelina
      • More tips on avoiding burnout
    •  February (10)
      • Intermediate news activity for all three modes
      • Easing into developing curriculum
      • If you don't pay attention to comprehensibility...
      • Burning out or burning bright?
      • Keeping the class engaged: Change activities
      • Fun activity #8: A cantar
      • Twitter/relationships activity, just in time for Valentine's
      • Tech tools gone wrong
      • Grading regular free-topic writing
      • Add more music to homework choices
    •  January (9)
      • Spot-checking conversations
      • Song, irregular present, part 2: Hace tiempo
      • Four habits that enrich vocabulary
      • Paragraph form
      • Myths 8 & 9: I don't do it because they can't handle it.
      • Assigning homework
      • Song, irregular present, part 1: Sigo con ella
      • More choice every day
      • A novice cross-curricular activity from authentic materials
  •  2012 (39)
    •  December (2)
      • 5 New Year's resolutions for every WL teacher
      • It pays to have a focus
    •  October (2)
      • Best and worst games I've seen
      • Example: authentic text for novices
    •  September (7)
      • Success with Stations
      • More student choice in homework
      • Prezi: The Choice is Theirs (KWLA 2012)
      • Prezi: Kick the Vocab Quiz (KWLA 2012)
      • Take the leap to standards-based assessment
      • Fun activity #7: Conecta cuatro
      • A song for feelings
    •  August (11)
      • Screencast: Edmodo
      • Myth #7: Spanish Mike is a taco.
      • A study in motivation, part 2: Self-assessing abilities
      • It's my blogiversary - but you get the gift
      • Menus
      • Reading guides: Cajas de cartón & Esperanza renace
      • A re-post for your first days back: Abecedario
      • Screencast: Finding authentic sources for prompts
      • Maintaining personal proficiency
      • Ideas for the first days of school
      • AP redesign: Units & EQ's
    •  July (9)
      • A study in motivation
      • Advice for teachers in training
      • More uses for Amor de mi tierra
      • Book review: The Talent Code
      • Songs for 'duele'
      • The Case for Commands
      • Got idioms?
      • Like Musicuentos? Like it on Facebook.
      • Very short times with very young kids
    •  June (1)
      • 5...4...3...2...1... LAUNCH!
    •  March (4)
      • Another change: Survey says...
      • Design your own final exam
      • What I'm changing this week
      • Repost for CSC12: Increasing target language
    •  February (1)
      • A storytelling success story
    •  January (2)
      • Not going to ACTFL again, but for the best reason ever
      • Free Ebook for WL educators
  •  2011 (57)
    •  November (1)
      • Dear novice-learner teacher - love, an AP teacher
    •  October (3)
      • Learning from #langchat
      • Not your average health unit
      • Presentation: Target Language: Expect More, Say Less
    •  September (6)
      • Spanish 3 assessment documents
      • For KWLA 2011: Media from Reel to Real
      • Accuracy vs. proficiency: an illustration
      • Fun activity #6: A escribir
      • App review: Tour Wrist
      • Myth #6: Memorizing vocabulary
    •  August (5)
      • Trending topic = authentic comprehensible input
      • Got the rubric!
      • New year, new units, new assessments
      • Jumping on the Animoto bandwagon
      • Rethinking "late" work
    •  July (1)
      • A song made for early Spanish 1
    •  June (9)
      • Proficiency & tacos
      • Proficiency levels shouldn't be a secret
      • Flipbook illustration
      • Ethics in the language class - we aren't their parents
      • Activity #5: Gira la botella
      • Symbol Illustration
      • Connecting your classroom
      • Myth #5: The textbook is all I need
      • Taking paperless to the blog
    •  May (2)
      • Combat the 'este tiempo' monster
      • Children's DVD giveaway!
    •  April (6)
      • Activity #4: Drama Inmóvil
      • Myth #4: The Time Whine
      • Have you used PhotoPeach?
      • The myths aren't going to ACTFL
      • Fun activity #3: ¡Arriésgate!
      • Fun activity #2: A conversar
    •  March (3)
      • Dismantling Myths 2 and 3: Learning about language and its cousin, Grammatical Terms
      • Activity 1: Cuento poco a poco
      • (Trying to) Make learning fun
    •  February (10)
      • Two new options for out-of-class fluency
      • Great resource from la Sra. Birch
      • Dismantling Myth #1: What's a qualified teacher?
      • Keep singing: 189 pages of Spanish lyrics
      • #Charlando para aprender
      • Vote for this week's #langchat topic
      • It's time for them to use their time
      • For tonight's #langchat: A game for description
      • Short listening activity tailor-made for beginners
      • Ciudad de las bestias: Guides public & streamlined
    •  January (11)
      • Instead of the vocab quiz
      • Best songs for stem changing irreg. present
      • Do something drastic - kick the vocab quiz
      • Topic for #LangChat 1/27
      • Topic for the first #LangChat 1/20
      • Low-level learners can't understand authentic media, what?
      • They can't speak, and it's our fault: Dismantling the myths
      • Don't teach a health unit without this song
      • New: A language teachers' weekly chat on Twitter - choose our first topic!
      • Since I stopped teaching to the [AP] test
      • Faith and Culture: help me decide our AP topic
  •  2010 (38)
    •  December (4)
      • 9 ways to increase students' TL use
      • I love collaboration
      • The problem with translation (from a student)
      • Why music is more powerful than anything (& how to use it)
    •  November (2)
      • iPad giveaway!
      • A collaborative project for our Spanish-teacher PLN
    •  October (2)
      • And the winner is...
      • In the spirit of open source: Ciudad de las bestias
    •  September (10)
      • Books recommended as 'easy'
      • Pure present tense & at least 22 repetitions of 'ya no'
      • For a conference attendee: resources in math
      • Searching BBC Mundo
      • Prompts with Power: writing/speaking prompts
      • Prompts with Power: Prezi
      • Prompts with Power: German & French resources
      • Prompts with Power: Dating in high school
      • KWLA Presentation: PLN-ology
      • Tweet with double objects
    •  August (6)
      • Interactive comic creator using Maya & Miguel
      • Ads of the World | Creative Advertising Archive & Community
      • Added some great new links
      • First 12 days of Spanish 1
      • My supply list
      • Scope & sequence, word list for Spanish 1
    •  July (4)
      • 5 tips for increasing (your own) target language use
      • A warm-up from @samocamila: por vs. para
      • Camila's all on board! (well, on Twitter)
      • Getting vocabulary from a tweet
    •  April (3)
      • Huge toy giveaway from SpanglishBaby
      • A case for avoiding "pet" grammar
      • Authentic audio with future tense
    •  March (2)
      • Interesting blog post about iPod as language lab
      • News article: appeal + subjunctive for influence
    •  January (5)
      • A high-interest exercise for imperfect/pasado continuo
      • A song with 17 verbs in past subjunctive
      • My corporate Spanish links, all in one place
      • "Adora la Exploradora"-the week we didn't feel like a boring past-tense review
      • My level 1 and 2 stories (for Bethanie, and whomever else)
  •  2009 (80)
    •  December (2)
      • A song with 37 repetitions of "más que"
      • Switch to a communicative set-up
    •  November (10)
      • Print & audio sources for AP synthesis essay re: efficient energy
      • Two songs for voy + a + infinitive
      • A case for free-topic blogging
      • It's 19 de noviembre!
      • Camila's new single: "Mientes" (release date 11/24!)
      • A case for pleasure reading
      • Noviembre - a popular month for songs
      • Zachary Jones's "Clozeline"
      • Two songs + resources for Ojalá + subjunctive
      • A song just for @mamitati
    •  October (13)
      • You can't buy this in a textbook
      • Cultural connections: Four songs to explore using Google Earth
      • David Bisbal's YouTube channel
      • Correction on Pin Pon in Shrek
      • Four songs for contrasting que & lo que
      • Nominados en la 10a entrega de los Latin Grammy
      • Story and songs for subjunctive: indefinite/negative antecedent
      • AP sythesis essay sources: Los indocumentados y el sistema de salud
      • Blog that does what I do, only better
      • My October playlist
      • We must not ignore the Paz Sin Fronteras (video)
      • Build your perfect tenis (en español)
      • Video with por, haber, past participles, commands, from Coca Cola
    •  September (10)
      • Latin Grammy website gets a cool makeover... and nominations!
      • Songs for the elusive 3rd pers. sing. preterite
      • I just made my first Yodio
      • KWLA Fall 09 Conference presentation
      • Found Juanes on Twitter
      • For you French teachers
      • Bilingual toy giveaway, gracias a @mamitati
      • Keeping your eyes open for gold nuggets
      • CNN launches Latino in America
      • Bob Esponja on Mundonick
    •  August (4)
      • A correction on the correction of La Frase Tonta
      • I am in technology heaven
      • An AP oral presentation, with past tense: "Consecuencias"
      • I love crossover songs
    •  July (2)
      • Raimundo, the bilingual Latin American snail
      • A song for object/refl pronoun 'te'
    •  June (6)
      • A song for your hip-hop fans
      • Developing world citizens
      • Follow me on Twitter
      • Aquí Estoy Yo: video oficial
      • A new group on my radar
      • Two months later, back to the blogosphere (with a companion)
    •  April (5)
      • A most fantastic performance at Premio Lo Nuestro
      • The heroes speak Español
      • A brilliant pair of songs contrasting por/para
      • Useless grammar I used to teach
      • Adding some links--check 'em out
    •  March (7)
      • Negative commands + culture
      • Winds of change
      • Our students aren't the only ones who have speaking problems!
      • Activity: News interaction (present perfect)
      • A new smash hit with a subjunctive benefit
      • A shout out for Jacob & Joshua
      • El campesino y la princesa (a Spanish 3 story test, with a bit of subjunctive)
    •  February (15)
      • More interactive websites, courtesy of my students
      • A product I love
      • Good stories for commands
      • a story for imperf. vs. pret. and subjunctive influence
      • Interactive websites: practicing house/location/color vocab
      • Subjunctive for doubt: Story, song, activity
      • A good story for 'tiene'
      • A song for subjunctive/nosotros commands
      • A story for demonstratives
      • Rules in a communicative class
      • Cause and effect
      • Relating everything to English
      • A correction on La Frase Tonta
      • Equipping and informing, for free
      • A project based on motivation
    •  January (6)
      • "How much is estuvo de pie?"
      • One more song for subjunctive
      • A couple more subjunctive songs
      • An example of vocab
      • Internet scavenger hunts
      • A Spanish 2 story test
  •  2008 (51)
    •  December (7)
      • Videos from Jesús Adrian Romero
      • Alex Campos's YouTube channel
      • A story test
      • A video for Navidad
      • Great new song for subjunctive
      • ¡Nueva música!
      • A fantastic blog post
    •  November (14)
      • Ever heard of Patito feo?
      • Two groups you just can't go wrong with
      • Things to be thankful for
      • Grammar learning vs. acquisition
      • Forced to give grammar tests?
      • High aptitude is a beautiful thing
      • Another Spanish 1 reading
      • New media list!
      • At the ACSI conference in Dayton
      • Story success: Huevos verdes con jamón
      • Another story source!
      • Words we don't use
      • Song success: Hace tiempo
      • El carro de sus sueños
    •  October (12)
      • Overgeneralizing, again
      • Spanish 2 Story: La llama se llama...
      • Song success: Me voy
      • Not posting lately
      • overgeneralizing
      • The outcome of Pin Pon
      • Pin Pon in Shrek?
      • Best practices
      • Reading in Spanish 3
      • SCORE!
      • My media list
      • Awesome YouTube video
    •  September (18)
      • KWLA '08: Assessing comprehension without English
      • Song success: La llave de mi corazón
      • Spanish 1 Story: Insectos grises para el almuerzo
      • Finding stories
      • How do I find the music?
      • Modeling the billingual lexicon
      • Summaries of some classroom SLA articles
      • Love/Hate Krashen
      • Another article that rocked my world
      • More sunshine
      • When it's not all coming up roses
      • What on earth is going on here?
      • So, what are the cuentos?
      • The verdict on pop test 1
      • People I love
      • A pop test
      • Some assumptions
      • Starting to share my journey

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