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5 ways to use infographics in language class

Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell March 15, 2016 16 Comments
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Visual! Comprehensible (often)!

I’ve often said that infographics are a go-to authentic resource, particularly in novice classes.  They are ready-made materials that help you provide input in the visual ways students are increasingly becoming used to.  They often use bite-sized portions of language and lots of numbers that make them extra comprehensible.  And because they are intended for native speakers’ consumption, they are empowering because they help students realize that learner materials aren’t the only conversation they can partake in.

But what do you do with them?

I got this question twice in the space of two days recently and that’s always a little red flag saying it would make a useful blog post.  So, here are five ways I use infographics when I develop curriculum and lesson plans.  I present them here with examples from the Spanish 1 program I’ve been developing with VIF International using a global inquiry model.  I’ve included the essential question from the greater lesson (which is intended to take 4 to 5 days to complete) so you can see how they fit in the bigger picture.

1. Support for providing comprehensible input

The first way is to use it as ready-made visual support in the earliest stages of the lesson, the ones where you are providing comprehensible input on your way to asking students for active response.

 Lesson Title  4.1 “Working to Live”
 Proficiency Target  Novice Mid
 Essential Question  How can someone improve their community doing what they love to do?
 Infographic  Las profesiones
 Use The teacher uses the infographic to introduce vocabulary of professions by reviewing “do you like?” and “I like” and connecting activity words to a profession, while introducing the new phrase “It interests me.”

Example:

Teacher: “Do you like (to read)?”

Student: “Yes, I like it.”

Teacher: “Does it interest you to be (a teacher)?”

Student: “Yes, it interests me.”

 

2. Venn diagram or other comparison

Because infographics are typically authentic (they are intended for consumption by native speakers), they often contain culture waiting to be used for compare and contrast activities.  Cultural competencies, anyone?

 Lesson Title  1.2 “Between you and me”
 Proficiency Target  Novice Low
 Essential Question  What do I need to know in order to express myself successfully in the context of Spanish class?

(Investigating power distance as a basis for choosing tú or usted, understanding commands and knowing how to introduce places and people in the school to a new Spanish-speaking student)
 Infographic  Presupuesto para el retorno a clases
 Use Students can compare what they bought with what the student in this infographic bought to go back to school, and perhaps, if they are ready, how much was spent on these items.

 

3. Specific questions in/with a graphic organizer

This is my favorite way to use an infographic.  So we’ve gone through my teacher-directed, scaffolded input, but they’re not quite ready to tackle the performance assessment yet.  They’re not ready to do the Can-Do.  They need some more interaction with the targets in order to successfully create something with language.  In the VIF curriculum we call this the investigar piece, and it frequently includes an infographic with a graphic organizer that scaffolds the language and helps students focus on the targets.

 Lesson Title  7.2 “¡Me siento fatal!”
 Proficiency Target  Novice Mid pushing to Novice High
 Essential Question How does culture affect where we go for help with illness and injury?

(Think investigation into topics from the curandera to the concept of a sliding scale.)
 Infographic  ¿Gripe o resfriado?
 Use Students use this graphic organizer to answer specific questions about the content.

 

4. Springboard for polling class opinions

Similar to a compare/contrast exercise, students can also use the infographic to get opinions from their classmates.

 Lesson Title  3.1 “Los hobbies, los pasatiempos y la cultura”
 Proficiency Target  Novice Low pushing to Novice Mid
 Essential Question How can we see culture in the activities a person prefers?

(Think investigation into what teenagers in Spain do for fun and how that compares to my own hobbies and whether I’d rather visit Santiago Bernebéu or Warner Brothers Madrid, for example.)
 Infographic Viva Miraflores
 Use First, students diagram their own opinions, then their classmates’ opinions on the hobbies they recognize in the infographic about activities in Miraflores in Lima, Perú.

Here’s what that diagram can end up looking like in the lesson I’m referencing:

 Actividad Me gusta  Me encanta Detesto
 leer  X
 caminar  X

 

5. Springboard for students to show what they’ve learned

Don’t forget to recycle previous structures and functions (it cements long-term memory!) to ask students to do something with the infographic that was an earlier target.

 Lesson Title  5.6 “Geography and Natural Disasters”
 Proficiency Target  Novice Mid
 Essential Question How can a person be prepared for a natural disaster common to their geographic area?

(Students investigate what disasters are common in various places, identify what is common in their area and what Spanish speakers in their area need to know in the event of that disaster, and develop skills to help communicate that necessary information to them.)
 Infographic La peor inundación
 Use First students answer:1. When did the flooding start?

2. What caused the flooding?

3. What kind of body of water is most of the flooding coming from?

4. Which area has been affected more, Requena or Yarinacocha? How do you know?

Then, students use the target “s/he needs” and feeling phrases to show what they’ve learned:

1. From what you can learn from this infographic, what is the biggest need for the people affected by these floods?

2. What are some Spanish words and phrases that people in this area might use to tell you how they feel?

How have you used infographics to support your students’ proficiency development?

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Previous Armed for incomprehensible input (CSCTFL ’16)
Next Better acquisition by altering (not eliminating) translation
Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell
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16 Comments

  1. Musicuentos – 4 ways to use infographics in language class – Cymraeg Cyfrwng Saesneg says:
    March 15, 2016 at 5:40 pm

    […] via Musicuentos – 4 ways to use infographics in language class. […]

    Reply
  2. Thomas Sauer says:
    March 15, 2016 at 11:02 pm

    May I add a sixth way of using that I discovered at NECTFL earlier this year and that has me rethinking how we use Infographics completely. WHAT IF instead of changing the tasks for different learners, we keep the task the same and change the infographic to allow learners at different levels to be exposed to language that better meets their reading abilities? Take a look at this amazing wiki space, where teachers have already curated multiple series of infographics around several themes (and in several languages). The task is the same and they even include the task, but the input is different from student to student. I JUST LOVE THIS! For me, this could be a game changer for using Infographics.

    http://wlrecipe4rigor.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+Tiered+Assignments+in+World+Languages

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      March 16, 2016 at 9:26 am

      That is a fantastic bank of input + activities and a great way to show how authentic input can be found appropriate for any level. I’m not sure I could call it a game changer, though, because I can hear one major challenge from the teacher voices in my head: finding multiple infographics that fit the exact same task can’t be easy (I frequently have a hard time finding just one that’s level-appropriate for what I need) and why would I do that work if I don’t address the topic across levels? Or if the topic is addressed across levels (increasingly common, though not what I would call common yet), I’ve increased the level of language I expect, so don’t I actually need to change the task in order to push them? I’m also hearing this: What happened to the mantra “change the task, not the text,” isn’t this quite the opposite? Just playing devil’s advocate with the teacher voices in my head – the themes in this bank (description, food, etc.) are so common they’ll be very useful and it’s awesome someone has done this work for us – you can bet I tagged it.

      Reply
      1. Thomas Sauer says:
        March 16, 2016 at 9:40 am

        That’s why we have to work together more right? Leslie Grahn, the genius behind this wiki also has a fantastic pinterest page for infographics you might enjoy as well.

        French: https://www.pinterest.com/grahnforlang/infographics-for-world-languages-french/
        German: https://www.pinterest.com/grahnforlang/infographics-for-world-languages-german/
        Italian: https://www.pinterest.com/grahnforlang/infographics-for-world-languages-italian/
        Spanish: https://www.pinterest.com/grahnforlang/infographics-for-world-languages-spanish/

        For me it’s a game changer because I know that the “change the task, not the text” mantra is even more difficult for teachers and the idea of leveling the input via infographics seems much more doable. (Especially in multi-level classes.)

        Reply
        1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
          March 16, 2016 at 10:39 am

          Ah, multi-level classes…. yes, THAT makes me call it a game changer. Time to ruminate.

          Reply
  3. Talia Block says:
    March 16, 2016 at 6:30 am

    Great ideas and resources! I use them to introduce vocabulary to my novice mid students and as ways to gather info for use later in class for a presentational or interpersonal.

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      March 16, 2016 at 9:28 am

      You’re right, introducing vocabulary is a great use of infographics! I just thought of another way I use them from your “gather info” comment: we mine them for culture. For example, last week as part of their at-home activities I asked my younger class to simply look at an infographic about corn in Mexico and count how many varieties are native to Mexico and guess how many they think they’ve tried.

      Reply
  4. Colleen says:
    March 16, 2016 at 11:20 am

    Great post Sara-Elizabeth! I have been using them more and more myself. Just did the “Venn” diagram assignment myself last month with my Yr4’s looking at daily media use in Canada/Japan. I’ve used them for holidays/celebrations as interpretive reading as well. I also like to use infographics as a way to ‘extend’ an activity – asking students to take information acquired in the TL and creating their own infographics. My students just did amazing ones on Sumo and it helped them that we had used many in class prior to that (info on that here: http://bit.ly/1RkTpha). Thanks again for sharing new ideas for me to use!

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      March 16, 2016 at 3:45 pm

      I love to see infographics students create -especially if there’s a way for them to put them out there for a real audience. Have yours done that?

      Reply
  5. On their own path this week (03/19/16) | Path 2 Proficiency says:
    March 19, 2016 at 12:01 pm

    […] 5 ways to use infographics in language class […]

    Reply
  6. Catherine Ousselin says:
    March 19, 2016 at 3:33 pm

    These 5 activites are well-explained and give progressive confidence building to the students who don’t feel ready to have full conversations. Many thanks for providing multiple approaches! Thank you to Thomas as well for the additional blog. I will be sharing this post and WL Recipe for Rigor blog on WAFLT/AATF sites Collaboration begets so much learning!
    I curate the AATF Pinterest page with AP/Thematic boards for French teachers. https://www.pinterest.com/aatfrench/boards/

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      March 22, 2016 at 1:02 pm

      Merci Catherine!!

      Reply
  7. 5 ways to use infographics in language class | ... says:
    March 27, 2016 at 6:38 pm

    […] "Here are five ways I use infographics when I develop curriculum and lesson plans."  […]

    Reply
  8. Musicuentos – 5 ways to use infographics ... says:
    March 28, 2016 at 2:47 am

    […]   […]

    Reply
  9. Cynthia H. says:
    March 28, 2016 at 8:02 am

    What a great list of ideas! I enjoy infographs but often forget to include them in my plans.

    Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  10. Best of 2016, #3: 5 ways to use infographics in language class | Musicuentos says:
    December 21, 2016 at 1:53 pm

    […] Five ways to use infographics in language class […]

    Reply

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      • 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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