Get started with Somos
The Somos family of curricula includes Somos, Vamos, and Nous sommes. These proficiency-oriented curricula are designed to promote language acquisition from Day 1, and this page is designed to help you get started with confidence.
Everything you need to get started with confidence.
If you are new to teaching with curriculum from The Comprehensible Classroom, you've landed in the right place. This page is your starting point: a one-stop shop for resources and a curated collection of videos that will help you understand how to use your new curriculum. But don't worry! You don’t need to learn everything at once. Start where you are, and let each video guide you one step closer to confident, joyful teaching.
Don't own the curriculum?
This page is a resource for teachers who already own the curriculum and are looking for support in implementing it. If you don't own the curriculum yet, purchasing it is the best first step!
Step 1: Rethinking what curriculum is
“It’s not what you’d expect… and that’s a good thing.”
Somos isn’t your typical textbook. In this video, we unpack the shift from thinking of curriculum as a list of grammar topics or vocabulary sets to thinking of it as a map to real communication. Learn how Somos invites you to center connection, context, and comprehension— and why that might feel different from what you 're used to.
Step 2: Getting to know the tools
Curriculum from The Comprehensible Classroom is delivered digitally. Each license holder receives a Licensed Access Document that contains a clickable link to the curriculum Drive. Inside the Drive, you will find everything you need to teach each unit! With each unit, you receive:
- Teacher Guide PDF (can be printed; functions like the Teacher Edition of a textbook)
- Student Activity Pages PDF (functions like the Student Edition of a textbook)
- Slideshow (make a copy to edit!)
- Unit Overview (make a copy to edit!)
- Bullet Planner (make a copy to use!)
Learn more about the components of your new curriculum in this HelpDesk article, and watch this video to understand how to find the tools for each unit and how to use them:
Where to begin?
Wondering which Somos or Vamos unit you should teach first in each level? We have a Support Article to help.
Step 3: Understanding the Mindsets
Our goals as language teachers likely include enjoying our job, connecting with our students, and helping our students make forward progress on the path to proficiency and toward becoming positive contributors to the world.
In order to HAVE these results, there are certain things that we must DO: we must connect with our students in class, we must use the target language in class in such a way that our students understand, we must expand their worldview and challenge their thinking.
If we want to DO those things effectively, we must BE in the right frame of mind. Realizing our vision for our classes and our students begins with our MINDSET.
Watch this video to consider key mindsets related to teaching for acquisition:
Step 4: Identifying the Techniques
Students cannot acquire language that they don't understand. As Bill VanPatten stated, "Comprehension does not guarantee acquisition, but acquisition cannot happen if comprehension does not occur."
So, comprehension is critical... but just how deeply must students understand communication in class?
Key techniques for supporting comprehension include:
- Going SLOW!
- Asking processing questions
- Linking meaning
- Point and pause
- Using gestures
Implementation Support
The Comprehensible Classroom hosts a free implementation support group on Facebook. Experienced Curriculum Mentors engage directly with members, helping to answer the most important questions! Other teachers using the curricula share ideas and offer advice and encouragement.
Check out the Curriculum Launchpad!
Our curriculum launchpad is an easy place for teachers to explore the implementation resources available for our curriculum.