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En español, por favor: Fostering bilingualism in children

Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell March 26, 2015 14 Comments

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Seeking the future of world language learning at the intersection of comprehensible input, project-based learning, global education, and love.
En español, por favor: Fostering bilingualism in children
Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell March 26, 2015
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This post is primarily for parents wanting to raise bilingual children and educators in elementary immersion programs, but perhaps the rest of you will find something useful here as well.

I have three children that I am trying to raise bilingual in Spanish.  We started out fully committed to the one-parent, one-language method, in which I speak to our children in Spanish, and my husband speaks to them in English (he is about a Novice Mid in Spanish interpersonal, more like Novice High or even IL in interpretive).  I did great with the first one.  I estimate I stayed in Spanish approximately 90% of the time, even translating the storybooks I read to her before bed.

But then another came.

And quickly, another.  (They’re exactly 11 months apart.)

English is my mother tongue and as such it’s my language of frustration and fatigue and frankly, there you have the two Great F’s of young multiple motherhood- we spend a lot of time frustrated and fatigued.  Don’t judge me – if you stayed up til 11:30 just so you could accomplish something and then watch an episode of 24 with your spouse to have some adult time…
and then little guy got up at 6:45, spilled his Cheerios on the floor, then stepped on them, then peed on them…
and then lil gal comes around the corner to ask how to wash pencil off the wall…
Yeah.  So now my Spanish interaction with them is more around the 40%-50% range.

Still, they’re quite proficient.  I can’t give you proficiency levels because acquiring language as a child doesn’t spell out so easily that way.  Zoe can adeptly manipulate multiple time frames in Spanish if she can come up with the vocabulary (you can hear her tell you a little story here).  All three of them (now ages almost 6, almost 3, and almost 2) understand me perfectly when I speak to them in Spanish (developmentally perfectly, of course).  But they are so reluctant to produce it.  Not because they can’t.   Just because they won’t.  And the longer they won’t, the harder it gets, until one day, it will actually be because they can’t.  I really, really don’t want to end up there.  I don’t want to waste all this effort (and it’s a lot of effort) to end up with passive bilinguals who still think it’s just too hard to speak Spanish.

It's a battle sometimes. Tammra McCauley
It’s a battle sometimes.
Tammra McCauley

We have a DVD with a Dora episode where Dora and her amigos are trying to get somewhere and need to pass through King Crab’s sand castle.  But he won’t let them through until they do something, and they have to tell him something in Spanish.  So he sings to them, “En español, por favooooor.”  I feel like that’s the mantra of my relationship with my children: En español, por favor. (Really, I sing it just like him, frequently.)

¿Por favooooooor?

¿PRETTY POR FAVOOOOOR?!?!

In case your amazingly proficient, disturbingly passive learners live among the same societal factors Zoe does, let me share some resources and ideas that have helped us immensely this year.

EVERYONE thinks it’s cool except you, Zoe

I know there are people out there who say stupid stuff about why do kids need to learn Spanish, why do you talk to them like that when I can’t understand what you’re telling them (because my goal in life is for you to be able to eavesdrop, right?), but no one has ever reacted that way to me.  Everyone, without fail, thinks it is so completely awesome that my kids are bilingual.  And I am quick to point it out to her every time we get that reaction, which is like seventeen times a week.

See, Zoe?  EVERYONE thinks it’s cool that you speak Spanish.  YOU ARE SO CHéVERE!

Peer pressure, that’s what it’s all about.

Won’t you be my neighbor?

One of the best gifts in our language journey in the past year has been a blossoming friendship with a Mexican family five doors down the street.  They have a girl just younger than Zoe, and a little guy just younger than Charis.  ¡Hurrá!  The little girl is in school and so she, too, is succumbing to the pressure to speak English (the family’s 12-year-old barely produces Spanish anymore though her parents have very little English), but the mom is there speaking Spanish, and comes over sometimes to chat and get help with writing to her landlord, for example, and the toddler hasn’t gone to school yet so he, too, has very little English.

I understand that this is more difficult in other languages, and in rural areas.  But so many places are more multicultural than we might think.  A few weeks ago, Zoe went to the bank to open her first bank account, and the banker who helped us was… Russian.   Last weekend we went to the park to play with friends, and this whole extended family showed up, and kept showing up, with grandpas and moms and kids of all ages, speaking… Russian.  They’re out there.  And there’s always Skype.
There are all sorts of benefits here.  My girls love to play at the neighbors’ house, which gives them lots more exposure, and they get to hear me helping this family with many things because I speak Spanish, which shows them how much purpose there is in it.  And speaking of more exposure, that shows them that…

This is not a weird thing Mami does

I make a big deal out of every person we meet that speaks Spanish to us.  See, Zoe?  Lots of people speak Spanish!

Say it in a song

Nena #2, Charis, has been a lot slower to produce Spanish than Zoe was.  She’s very verbal in English, and comprehends Spanish well, but produces almost exclusively English (except her morning drink- she comes out asking for her leche, or lately, her lech-lech).  So I started singing the words for her to say.  I sing puedo, she says “puedo”; I sing tener, she says “tener”; and now we’ve done it so much sometimes she’ll finish by herself: “mi leche, por favor“.

So, if they won’t even repeat the Spanish words you say, there’s a chance they’ll repeat the Spanish words you sing.

Sorry, it’s Wednesday, no English

It has helped us to pick a day in which everyone, even Papi, tries to speak Spanish.  We try to make school happen in Spanish as much as possible, and include mostly Spanish in our reading.  Then it occurred to me recently that we should switch all screen time to Spanish on that day, as well.  That was genius.  Elsa sings Libre soy, Pooh eats his miel, Flashcard Fiesta’s on the iPad.  Next I need to copy all their Spanish lullabies into a strictly Spanish lullaby playlist so they even go to bed with 100% Spanish!  And speaking of screen time…

Thank you, YouTube for TV

We don’t have cable because we’re not going to pay money for more time-wasting entertainment to come into our house.  But we do have a DVD player that also connects to our internet and offers connections to our Amazon Prime video and a new app that showed up – YouTube for TV.  There aren’t a lot of Spanish options at all on Amazon (shame on you, Amazon!) but hey, YouTube?  We discovered Mickey Mouse clubhouse clips with several episodes one after the other from Spain – that’s a hit – and Dora in Spanish and their new favorite, Peppa Pig.  Both girls are absolutely glued to Peppa Pig en español.  Last night Zoe was singing at bathtime and I realized she was singing to the tune of Wheels on the Bus, but it was in Spanish! Voluntarily!  She was singing, “El tren del abuelo hace chu, chu, chu… todo el día.”  I said, “Where’d you get that song?”  She said, “Peppa pig!”

 

Someone else tell her a silly story, please

Zoe is a very imaginative person who wants very imaginative parents.  It’s so tiring to be imaginative all the time.  Her mantra for the past THREE YEARS has been,

Will you tell me a silly story?

Okay, so this has been really good for my Spanish, because I have to practice narrating all the time.  But it wears me out.  Just wears my imagination down to a nub.  Last night on the way home from our church small group she asked again.  And my husband and I looked at each other like, “Your turn.”  And then I had a thought.  What if I could find a podcast that had a story?  So I found something I’d stumbled onto a long time ago, Storynory.  (It’s awesome.  Your kids will love them.)  We listened to two storynories and then I thought Wait. It’s Wednesday. Could I find one in Spanish?

Yes, I could.  I found the podcast CuentoAventuras and started playing El lobito bueno.  The girls were drawn in immediately and after we stopped the car and turned off the audio, Charis was telling us back some of the story! In Spanish. VOLUNTARILY! So get someone else to tell them a story.

She loves to read - and one thing leads to another!
She loves to read – and one thing leads to another!

Literacy matters

Zoe’s a super advanced reader.  She’s reading Judy Moody, Ramona, The Secret Garden, and Magic Tree House.  She loves Magic Tree House.  She will read two in a single day.  So of course when I saw a copy of one in Spanish at the local Barnes & Noble I had to snatch it up.

That was at least six months ago.  It’s sat on her shelf ever since.  But something about that Peppa Pig… and that podcast… and first thing this morning, guess what she had in her hand when she came out of her bedroom?  That book.  She wanted me to help her read it.

Cue: Hallelujah chorus.

She’s not exactly biliterate; she soars in English reading but I haven’t really asked her to be literate in Spanish, or even been able to expose her to as much literature in Spanish as she’s seen in English.  But now?  Now we can work on a new skill.  Because she wants to.

 

 

 

Photo Angry Toddler License CC-BY

bilingual baby bilingualism elementary
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Previous It’s not about the I in IPA, or the vocab list
Next New song: El perdón for two levels
Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell
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14 Comments

  1. Allison says:
    March 26, 2015 at 10:57 pm

    Thank you so much for this! I am trying my best to stay in Spanish with my 14 month old, but I hear you, it is hard! My husband is at the “I took 2 years of Spanish in high school” level, so it is pretty much a solo effort. Except once in a while I find my husband reading a book in Spanish, which is pretty awesome. Please keep sharing your bilingual kid resources!

    Reply
  2. Melanie says:
    March 27, 2015 at 6:52 am

    Sounds like you’ve found some, dare I say it…motivation for them!

    Reply
  3. Emily says:
    March 27, 2015 at 9:17 am

    Yes! This is fantastic! I have a 21 month old and another on the way this summer. As a former Spanish teacher turned (mostly) stay-at-home-mom I have been trying to speak as much Spanish to her as I can. It’s surprising how much research I had to do on baby/toddler-related vocabulary! Like you mentioned, it’s very difficult not to use your native language when tired, frustrated, or in a hurry, so I appreciate these very realistic approaches to including Spanish in your day.

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      March 27, 2015 at 1:53 pm

      Oh yes, I have probably learned more vocabulary in the last 5 years than in the 10 years before that! Pacifier, carseat, stroller, bottle, burp – burp cloth?!

      Reply
  4. Kathy Griffith says:
    March 27, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    I felt guilt and wonder upon reading this; guilt at how quickly I gave up with my children as I kept on birthing them (4 in 5 years) and wonder at your tenacity and accomplishment.

    You are a great encourager with your words.

    Reply
  5. Molly says:
    March 27, 2015 at 2:51 pm

    Really, really liked this article. Trying to use Spanish with my toddler and it’s validating to hear you say that sometimes you don’t although you set out to, because of English being your language of frustration and fatigue – yes! Good resources and thoughts. Thank you.

    Reply
  6. Natalia says:
    March 29, 2015 at 9:33 pm

    I find your post so true even in my case. I am a Russian native, lived almost 17 years in the United States surrounded by anglophones to the point that English became my first go-to language in times of fatigue and frustration. Besides, who swears in your own language, that’s just gross! 🙂

    My major mistake was my first child: young and inexperienced, I thought speaking Russian may interfere with her language development. Needless to say, after lots of research devoted to language acquisition and raising bilingual children, I did not hesitate to start Russian with my second child at birth and it paid off – he often spontaneously speaks it without prompting or bribing. My oldest is at the point now that she realizes that in order to maintain the language, she needs to speak it. Not always, not even often, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel…

    I have to admit, that the problem at this time is ME: as I currently don’t have personal contact with any Russian speakers except for the ones living on another side of the world, my own active vocabulary has suffered and so did my ease and persistence at staying in Russian when I REALLY need to make sure my kids understand my message. That’s why we all eagerly anticipate our bi-annual summer immersion experience with my family and friends after which I return language-rejuvenated and kids make enormous leaps in acquisition.

    Your message for me is clear: in order to maintain MY native language, I need to make an effort and find ways to listen, read, and reach out to communicate to several local Russians that I know live in the area. By doing this, I will remain more fluent and dedicated to help my children grow bilingual through own example. Thank you for reminding me of this. Now, onto figuring out how to plan it in my daily routine…

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      March 30, 2015 at 4:15 pm

      Hmm, do I see a guest blog post coming, Natalia? 🙂

      Reply
  7. Amanda says:
    January 8, 2017 at 7:38 am

    How young did you start working with your kids? My 14 month old only says a few things in English. Should we start now or after he learns some English? How do you keep them from mixing up the languages? I remember one of my professors taught her kids Spanish early and they called fish “fishcado”. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      January 9, 2017 at 8:22 am

      Hi Amanda, thanks for stopping by! I started the bilingual journey with my children immediately – in the hospital at birth! I spoke to them in Spanish from the moment they were born. For all of them, a Spanish word was their first word. So, I recommend starting right away.

      Children growing up multilingual naturally mix their languages, and it’s not something to be worried about. They end up differentiating quite well, and from what I’ve heard, though they may seem delayed in their language skills in either given language, by around age 5 they have caught up to that kindergarten level in both languages. My oldest 2, both girls, have been verbally advanced in both languages as toddlers, but my son was delayed in his verbal development (too focused on jumping off of things, I guess). One of my favorite blogs used to be one called “Wanna Jugar With Migo?” – named after something one of the author’s children said to another one day.

      I recommend exploring Bilingual Monkeys, too. Have a great journey!

      Reply
      1. Amanda says:
        January 16, 2017 at 11:00 am

        Thank you!!!!

        Reply
  8. Legacy, or how my father’s spirit lives on in my bilingual child | Musicuentos says:
    February 28, 2019 at 6:12 am

    […] forward many years, and I got married, and had some kids and a crazy bilingual family journey (listen to my daughter at 4 1/2 tell a story with DoodleCast), and then my father […]

    Reply
  9. Kristi says:
    March 1, 2019 at 9:00 pm

    Hi Sara-Elizabeth! Reading this post after today’s pingback, and checked out CuentoAventuras. It’s great! Would you happen to know of any apps that could slow down the speed of the story for my students with less listening proficiency? Thanks for any tips!

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      March 4, 2019 at 10:19 am

      Yes – the iTunes app slows it to half speed (tap the 1X in the bottom corner a few times), and if they do it, I’m sure other apps do as well!

      Reply

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      • No dog with my iced tea, please
      • All they need is accurate input... right? Wrong. (Black Box)
    •  June (5)
      • The new required school supply: Find your own audience
      • Grammar drills aren't all in your head... or in your head at all (BlackBox)
      • Product Launch: Calico Home Learning Series Level B
      • 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 (97)
    •  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 (8)
      • 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?
      • Product launch: Calico Spanish homeschool learning series
    •  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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