Curriculum
December 30, 2013
The reaction to my post titled Top 3 Mistakes Teachers of Novices Make startled me to say the least. The ACTFL TOY called it a “must read.” My blog traffic jumped 600% in one day. It’s been accessed twice as much as the next most popular post in the last six months. Something here resonated […]
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December 27, 2013
2013’s second most popular post offers tips for those of us approaching the new world language AP exams. The world of AP World Language teachers is all abuzz with the vast changes made to the exams this year. Six years ago the Spanish language exam changed to what was a more proficiency-based format. Last year […]
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December 18, 2013
2013’s fifth most popular post is about giving up on the idea that you can control what vocabulary students acquire, while engaging students in activities that really deepen their vocabulary. A few months ago, as part of the student choice homework activity, one of my best AP students chose to label ten items in her […]
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December 12, 2013
2103’s seventh most popular post is about one of my soapboxes, my “hills to die on.” I’m convinced that the way most of us approach vocabulary in the world language classroom is almost completely contradictory to brain research. Read on for four classroom habits that enrich student vocabulary where it counts – in their long-term […]
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December 11, 2013
If you’re interested, here’s my final exam for AP Spanish, addressing two themes we have incorporated this semester: religious celebrations, and healthcare challenges. The exam includes a persuasive essay and an audio prompt for a speaking response. In the persuasive essay, students are asked to discuss whether we should try to change other people’s opinions […]
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November 18, 2013
Setting goals
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What do you plan to do next year? Lose weight? Save money? Travel someplace amazing? Start learning a new language? Everyone knows setting goals is important, and language class is no exception. Not terribly long ago someone emailed me or left a comment -I can’t remember which- and asked me to “comment more on setting […]
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November 12, 2013
I’ve been blogging for a long time, longer than most of you have been reading here, and it occurs to me someone might benefit from a repost once in a while. Here’s one from early 2009. I’ve come up with a story that in both Spanish 1 and 2 has worked really well with teaching […]
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November 8, 2013
Caring about the Really Big Deal
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It’s the question on the mind of almost every student sitting in almost every class in American high schools. The way we, and they, answer this question has a lot to do with how, and when, and where our students will be successful in their future: What is the big deal? Who cares about the […]
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October 25, 2013
Assessment has a lot of purposes, the least important of which is to give students a number on a report card. Some that come to mind are: educating students and parents on proficiency helping students identify areas that need improvemen keeping parents informed on their child’s progress, responsibility, etc. showing administration what your class is doing […]
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October 9, 2013
Oh, how I miss teaching novices! I teach next door to the Spanish 1, 2, and 3 teacher, with a divider separating our basement rooms, and every time I hear her with her Spanish 1 students I long to be in there – not because she’s really doing anything wrong, but because I love teaching […]
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September 24, 2013
At a conference a few years ago -I can’t even remember which, I think it was Central States in Indianapolis- I attended a workshop by an AP teacher who gave out a worksheet she used to help students through reading authentic materials. I liked the basis of what she’d done so I took it and […]
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September 17, 2013
Seven keys to a great story
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It’s no secret – I believe the single best way to keep students’ attention, deliver comprehensible input, frame new content, and interact with vocabulary is storytelling. You may not think you are a natural storyteller, but you are. Everyone is. Telling stories is a part of life. You tell your spouse the crazy things your child […]
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