Become a more confident language teacher.
As teachers are trying to decide if a text is a good fit for their learners, they will often ask us the question, “What ACTFL Level is this text?”. Unfortunately, it’s a question that we can’t usually answer, and I want to explain why. ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines do not describe texts; they describe people. Specifically,…
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After a lifetime of not really dating, my brother signed up for a speed dating event. Terrified from the moment he made the decision, I think that he would have considered “survival” a success. Lo and behold, he left with requests for a follow-up date from every person that he speed dated that evening, and…
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Once you have determined that a novel is within reach for a student in a Level 1 class, you must determine whether it is readable for your students, now. Mira Canion and I welcome you to Post #2 in our series to help you confidently choose novels to read with your students in the coming…
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Ah, requisition season. Thousands of teachers around the country are making plans for next year and laying claim to coveted budget dollars to get the resources that they need for next year’s students. Perhaps you find yourself writing a budget proposal for the coming school year. Perhaps your deadline to submit the budget is…FRIDAY! Perhaps…
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If you haven’t heard by now, Wooly’s new graphic novel has made its way into the hands of a few teacher-bloggers scattered around the country. (Thinking about starting a blog? You should do it before Wooly decides to write a third graphic novel so you can get a sneak peek too ;-)). He sent them…
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Isn’t it fun when a great video pops into your newsfeed? I remember seeing The Janitor Story before, but I had forgotten the ending when one of my mom friends shared it over the weekend! Without my ‘real’ computer (my 5yo killed it with a kombucha spill) and unable to work on any ongoing projects,…
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If you’ve seen some of the amazing novels written for language learners that are available but have yet to purchase any, you may be wondering: how do I use these novels in class? When teachers begin to study language acquisition and learn more about Comprehension-based teaching, it quickly becomes apparent that reading has a profound…
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I enjoy coming up with (or discovering) different kinds of questions to ask my students. It must be some sort of a sick teacher thing, because I can’t think of any reason that my students would be excited that a new question type popped up on their most recent assessment. I guess I like finding…
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Whether or not your students are reading Brandon Brown versus Yucatán, I’m sure that you can find a use for this current event! Last week, Justin Bieber visited the ruins in Tulum with his entourage, and they climbed some monuments that are off-limits to tourists. Sound familiar? Brandon Brown, under the influence of his mischievous friend Justin, did…
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