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People. It's All About the People

by Jennifer Degenhardt

Forty-three years ago this fall I set foot in my first world language class. French with Madame Pallon. Sixth- grade. (I'm 54 for those of you doing the math.) I still remember the dialogue that we were to memorize that first week:

A: Bonjour, Guy.
B: Bonjour, Michel. Ça va ?
A: Oui, ça va. Et toi ?
B: Pas mal.

Hopefully by now I have drawn you in a little. If so, here is where I will put out a GINORMOUS disclaimer: this post will not have ANYTHING to do with world language teaching as a science. I will not refer to the pyramid or any standard, nor will I go so far as to mention a rubric - my own personal hell. Instead, I will like you to suspend disbelief of all of the things that modern education requires of us as teachers (and all of the stuff that I don't take to well), and think about the purpose of language.

In my formative years of language learning, there was a lot of memorization, a lot of grammar and seemingly, way too many projects. 😂 I was good at memorization and even better with grammar, having grown up in two-teacher household, one of whom was a high school English teacher. Grammar was the rage back then in English AND other-language teaching, so I learned the verb conjugations and tried my best with the du, de la, des, de l', de, d'. But it wasn't until I was an exchange student to Bolivia when I realized the importance of having another language.

Some of you might be thinking, “Isn't Bolivia Spanish-speaking?” Yes. Yes, it is. Still, I was chosen for a scholarship as an exchange student for a year while in high school. Fantastique ! I mean, ¡Fantástico! French was out. Spanish was in. The only issue was, I only knew about five words of Spanish: baño, comida, chico, chica, gracias. Yikes. It was going to make for a long year if I didn't get up to speed with the language…

Yet, wouldn't you know, ALL of the French I had learned in the previous five years came flooding back. I confused the subject pronouns “él” (Spanish) with “elle” (French), and embarrassed myself every time I mistakenly referred to a female acquaintance as “he.” But I still remember how terrific I felt after my first ten days there when I had to get up and introduce myself in front of a group of people, in Spanish.

Hola, me llamo Jennifer.
Tengo 16 años.
Soy de los Estados Unidos.

Sure, I memorized the three lines, but I made myself understood to native speakers. THAT was the best feeling, and it is the recognition I enjoy witnessing with all of my beginning students when they are finally able to create with the language and make themselves understood. (You will never be able to convince me that novice learners are not the very BEST teaching assignment!)

Have you noticed those revelatory reactions from students in your classes when they finally “get it” at some level and are able to spontaneously produce language? There is nothing better, in my opinion. Those smiles and eyes wide with amazement is one of the reasons why I look forward to going back into the classroom year after year. Yet, for a host of reasons, students are led to believe - or already inherently think - that grasping another language is hard, and that they can't do it. And maybe that's because the approach (read: overall idea) to teaching languages can be rethought.

Adding another language to one's repertoire is natural. That's obvious to everyone who has become communicative in at least one. By and large, though, because of the way we structure our educational system, second language-grasping (I'm trying oh-so-hard NOT to use education-as-a-science vocabulary here 😂) educators and students view language learning as a course of study and something to be mastered and perfected, instead of a skill to be acquired for immediate use; you know, like typing. (It's called keyboarding now, but I argue that Typing I with Mr. Williams in 7th grade was the single best class I've ever taken. To wit, I'm using those acquired skills right now!) Imagine creating an environment where students can't wait to try out their new skills…

The purpose of language is to facilitate communication, to transfer and share ideas. And that communication always happens between, and more importantly, among people.

In Bolivia in 1985, my reason for language was need-based and social. If I was going to be able to communicate with my host family and the other students at school, I was going to have to develop the skill to connect with other humans, lest I be standing by myself at recreo (snack time). So, I did the best with what I had and made a go of it, and made many connections that year abroad.

Then I started teaching Spanish. But instead of looking at the big picture of second-language acquisition as I had experienced first-hand in South America, I jumped right into the textbook and interminable lists of vocabulary, following my master teacher's guidance to the letter. I had the speaking down fairly well, but I STILL had to learn the more esoteric grammar points so I could deliver them to the students. It was fun because it was new, but none of us was doing a lot of yakking in Spanish. Just like with my early days of French, my own students were only as good as their last memorized phrase.

Right around the time that public education went all rubric-y, I had an epiphany: the best thing about knowing another language was being able to converse with other people, so I could get to KNOW them. I also realized at the time that students (at least the ones in my charge) were becoming less and less able to connect face-to-face, with the absence of a screen. Furthermore, they were stuck on the idea that learning Spanish was “hard.” And having taught in a very non-diverse community (but whose population was served by many Spanish-speakers), it became important for me then to teach WITH Spanish rather than about it, to create that want for them to connect with others. In doing so, my whole world opened up - and so did my students'. We started to talk about ideas and social issues, history and current events. Were the conversations basic? You bet. Not only was I grateful for that because I can't know everything, but it allowed my students to realize that their primary job is getting their point across, however flawed. The speaker speaks, the listener listens. If the speaker does not accomplish the task of communication, it is the listener's job to request clarification. Rinse and repeat. Really, if it were any harder than that, parents and teachers would have left many of us to the wolves.

Again, language exists to facilitate interaction between and among people.

People, man. It's all about the people.

And that's the biggest WHY behind teaching language: to connect with people, especially those different from us.

Look, we live in a world that is more connected (virtually) than ever before, yet in some senses, we are still so separate and isolated. Instead of seizing the opportunity to truly relate to one another with commonalities, we seem to engage more and more with othering, or creating an “us v. them” mentality. I don't know if you've been keeping up with any news as of late, but this mentality is helping exactly no one, anywhere. Language will serve as the connector, of the bridge, of course, but in delving further into the totality of language, we are given (and provide as teachers) the opportunity to foster empathy of varied life experiences through the mention of history, geography, politics, economics, sociology, demographics, culture, etc. For me as an educator, THAT is the best! Getting to know people and about them is a gift that keeps on giving. I would argue that openness towards other humans and willingness to learn about them is something that each of us can do, not only for ourselves, but for others as well. Learning language may not solve the world's problems, but I think true human connection has a chance…

So, while I'm not out in public busting out my “Bonjour, Guy. Bonjour, Michel. Ça va ?” to every French speaker I meet, I DO try out what French I've got in my back pocket, and have a good laugh with those I meet. It's a great ice breaker, as laughing at yourself usually is, and we go on from there

Imagine cultivating those skills when you venture back into the classroom this year.

Hope it's a good one.

For further illustrations as to the whys behind teaching a world language, check out these two stories, “Just a Phrase Will Do” and “ Another Connection”. Get hooked into the stories, and think about the common denominator in each: people.

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Preparing for the First Week Back to School

by Erica Peplinski-Burge

Back to school is an exciting and stressful time! It is a critical time for community building, and setting expectations for the language journey ahead of us. Over the last 17 years in the classroom, I've had many opportunities to try different ways to start the year. This blog contains my favorite go-to activities, and most are low prep! All are tied to community building, setting expectations, preparing for 90% TL, and of course, having fun! I hope these ideas will make your load lighter and your September full of laughter and language fun!

Either Or Questions

During virtual teaching, I developed a way to start class that had even my quietest students participating. I have kept it up, as my new way to start class each day, and to get students talking in the target language before I say a word. It's how I plan to start this year too. What is this magic trick? An intriguing either-or question. I start the year with questions in English. My first is usually: Would you rather play every instrument in the world or speak every language? This gets students talking and thinking and listening to each other from the minute they walk in the door. As students get to know a little more Spanish, I change my questions to ones that can be answered in the target language. For example, would you rather have green hair or blue hair? Would you rather live on the beach or the mountains? Do you prefer pizza or sushi? I also teach students how to respond in the target language (I prefer, I want, I like, etc) with whatever phrase I want to target. Within a few weeks of class students will be answering and discussing their answers in the target language without the teacher needing to say a word. If you need help coming up with questions, I suggest Googling best either or questions or would you rather questions for kids, and picking questions you think would intrigue your students. You can also have students generate questions for you if you need a quick activity. As the year progresses, your questions and answers can progress in complexity or change to different types of questions (i.e. eliminate one). This activity is guaranteed to intrigue your students all year long! On the odd days when I skipped the question, students were disappointed!

Setting the Stage for Learning

In order to set the stage for an open learning mindset I have a few tricks too. If you have younger students, I highly recommend getting out a map on one of your first classes. A discussion about where they live on the map is highly intriguing. I always like to tell students that we live in a wonderful place, but the world is full of AMAZING places that we are going to get to explore this year. I like to tell younger students that they are going to be like detectives and use their eyes and ears to try to guess what I am saying. I then like to give them some simple words to guess in the target language. I make sure to use words that are easy to guess and words I have puppets for as well (at the start of the year think unicorn, monster, dragon, and bathroom). I hold up the puppets and say the word at the same time. Students are allowed to call out their answers. I air high-five the class for getting the correct answer. This activity is all about showing them that they can learn a second language, and that it will be fun to do it! This set up transitions very smoothly into TPR (Total Physical Response),which I will discuss further later in this post.

To set up the year for my older students, I like to ask them how they learned their first language as a baby. Students usually volunteer one version or another if they learned it from a caretaker speaking to them about things they like. I tell them that they are going to learn their second language in the exact same way. By me using the same language over and over again, while talking about interesting things that they like! I also tell them they will use their eyes and ears to figure out what I am saying. Students are then told they will use their eyes and ears to figure out what I am saying. This activity also transitions nicely into TPR which I will discuss next.

TPR

TPR or Total Physical Response, is just hearing a word, and then making a corresponding movement that symbolizes the word. It helps your brain tie meaning to the word, and often helps students as they first acquire a language. For my younger students I like to take the puppets I just taught them words for (unicorn, dragon, monster, and bathroom). We make a gesture for each word and practice them. Then I put the puppets in different corners of the classroom. I show students where the bathroom is and label it (if you don't have a bathroom in the classroom I would just use a picture of a bathroom and put it by the door or wherever you have students leave when they need to use the bathroom). Teach students what ‘go to' means in the target language (and create a gesture for it) and have kids “go to” the correct place in the room. Kids will learn ‘go to' , giggle a lot, and also learn how to ask for the ‘bathroom' in the TL. For TPR with older students, I practice words that will help us stay in the target language during the school year such as ‘stand up, sit down, walk, grab, jump, run,write, draw, count, etc). You can have them just copy the teacher, or you can have them do silly things like pretend to write on their hand or foot. Another fun variation that a teacher in my department created during COVID is to project 5 to 7 movement GIFs on the board (walk, stand, sit, write, jump, dance, etc), and after practicing the TPR as a class, playing charades with the words. This is a game where one student comes up and completes an action, while the class guesses what action they are completing in the target language. More advanced students can combine different words (for example, they could walk and write at the same time).

Know Your Students

Once all the silliness and community building are done, I like to take a moment to get to know the students more. While I will do this many ways throughout the year, one of the first things I do is a student surrey. On it I ask students to tell me things about themselves, ranging from their favorite book and video game, to their preferred name, and a favorite super power. With my older students I also ask me to tell them about someone that inspires them (shout out to Jon Coward for that idea). I do these surveys in the target language, with lots of modeling. It's a chance for students to do lots of guided reading in the target language. However, even more importantly, these surveys are a gold mine of information about your students. I read them all and save them all year long. Any time a student is down, or having a hard time, I can pull them to find a way to reconnect. Students are always amazed at how much I “remember” about them. The surveys also help me to know what my students are interested in, and what activities I should plan for the year. Plus this leads very nicely into my next class, in which I tell students about things that I like (in the target language of course), and they tell me if they agree or not. I always like to do this after I finish surveys, so some of my students' favorites can find their ways into my slides too.

I hope this blog post gives you a few new low-prep ways to start the year, and that your start of the year is fabulous, just like you!

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Getting Ready for a new School Year with Voces

by Kelsey Lewandowski

Starting a new school year can be exciting, scary, or even overwhelming. With Voces Digital, you can start the school year off right with a fresh start. Below are some tips for resetting your account for a new school year.

Clear your 'requires grading' list:

1. Open the Teacher's Panel, then click "Grading".
2. Click on a class name and scroll to the bottom of the assignments listed
3. Select which activities you want to clear by checking the box next to their name
4. Click 'grade all' to remove those activities from your grading portal

Delete or archive old students/classes:

To delete or archive students or classes you'll need your Voces User ID handy - this is your password and is not the Class ID the students use to log in.

1. Click on the Teacher's Panel
2. Click Class and Student Management
3. Click the name of the class you want to delete or archive
4. Click 'delete' or 'archive' and then enter your User ID!

Usually, you'll need to refresh your browser window to see these changes, and you may need to delete students in all of your levels to see the number reset to 0.

Clear old assignments and folders:

You'll also need your User ID for this step - remember it is your password and is different from your Class ID.

1. Click on the Teacher's Panel and open Settings
2. Scroll down almost to the bottom to find the option to 'delete all assignments and folders'
3. Enter your User ID to confirm the deletion!

Add your students

You would need to either set up self-registration or add your students. If you're using Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, or TEAMS you'll want to start here: LMS Integration with Voces. If not, you can use either the Student Self-Registration or one of our two manual options for adding students.

Schedule a set-up session with us!

Of course, if you have any roadblocks, issues, or questions, your Voces support team is here to help. We offer walkthroughs, set up sessions, and tech support meetings. Click here to schedule a meeting with the team as soon as today!

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Understanding the Student Experience

by Mike Jacobs

Have you ever taken a moment to wonder what your students see on their interface when you assign them projects on the Voces platform? Below, we'll walk you through exactly how each decision you make impacts the student experience so that you can make the most mindful and impactful choices to guide your students on their world language journeys.

Ripple Effects

Teacher decisions have an impact on students. This is an obvious statement, but it is worth writing. Every decision that you make as a teacher has some sort of an effect on how your students learn, or how they experience your class, or how they interact with each other. Some decisions are major, some are minor. Some have effects that can be measured, and some don't. Some have effects that can be felt, and some don't. It would not be possible to count all of the choices that you make throughout the course of a school day, because you are making choices all the time. You might stand at the door as students enter the classroom or you might stay at your desk and finish sending an email to a parent. You make choices involving technology platforms, classroom decorations, student groups, and desk arrangements. Some choices are unanticipated, and you have to be able to just do your best. Other choices are predictable, and they give you an opportunity to intentionally shape your students' experiences.

The Voces platform is incredibly robust, and gives you all sorts of choices to make. If you are new to the platform, you might not know the implications of many of those choices. I want to show you how you can really begin to understand the Voces platform, and how you can be more intentional about some of the decisions you are regularly making.

Log in as both a teacher and a student

The best way to learn a platform is to use it. The best way to learn what it is like to be a student in a Voces class is to jump in and be a student in a Voces class. The good news is that this can be a really easy process, and you already have everything that you need. The two things you need are some fake student login information, and a browser. I recommend either using two different browsers, or using an incognito window (Chrome uses the term “incognito” but Safari and Firefox refer to them as “private browsers”).

Sample Student

Whenever you create a new class in Voces, a fake student is automatically created and enrolled. You can use that student's login information to take homework assignments, check grades, and see teacher feedback. You can see how to find that information in the screenshots below.

1. Go to Teacher's Panel:


2. Class Mgmt:


3. If you do not already have a class, then make a new class. Once you look at the Student IDs, you will see that there is a Sample Student in the class. Just a note to make sure that this fake student does not count as one of your student licenses, so there is no need to delete the sample student.


4. To see the login information, go to ID Cards:


5. Use the Userid and the classid to log into your second browser:

Second Browser or Private Browser

Since you will be moving back and forth between your teacher account and your Sample Student account, I recommend logging in as both simultaneously. You can't do this on the same browser unless you open up a private or incognito window which gives you the ability to be logged in as two different users. Below, you will see some screenshots that help you accomplish this in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. You can also get the same effect by using one browser for your teacher log-in, and a second browser for your student log-in.

Chrome (Incognito Window)

Click on the three vertical dots, and choose New Incognito Window.

Firefox (Private Window)

Click on the three horizontal lines, and choose New Private Window.

Safari (Private Window)

Click on the File dropdown and select New Private Window.

Split Your Screen

I recommend placing the two windows side by side. I think it gives you a good feel for the differences between the two types of users.

Let's Experiment

The previous pages were some technical details for how to get yourself setup to learn the platform. Now it is time for the fun part. You get to experiment. Make some assignments, and assign them to your class. Then go take the assignments as a teacher. Then grade the assignments, and give students feedback. Then go look for that feedback as a student.

Make Some Consequence-Free Decisions

Since this is a Sample Student, none of the decisions that you make are going to affect real students. That should give you the confidence to try some things out. If you are not sure what a button does, then try it out, and see what happens. As Sample Student completes assignments, you will start to understand what students feel like when they are working in the Voces platform. You might start to notice a few things about the student experience which will help you communicate with your students. The screenshots below will point out a few things that you might notice.

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What Is A UI?

A UI is a User Interface. It essentially determines how users interact with technology. We use various user interfaces in our daily life, but we don't always think about them. You can see a few examples of user interfaces that you are likely familiar with.

User Interface

Voces User Interfaces

Have you ever noticed that when you watch Netflix on a different device, the experience is a bit different? That is because the UI is different. The Amazon UI is different on your phone than on your laptop. Google Classroom and Canvas are both Learning Management Systems, but that have quite distinct user interfaces. When you are making decisions about shaping your students' experiences in your class, Voces provides another important decision. We recently developed a simplified user interface. You can choose which interface to use, and that will help you shape the way your students interact with the content. Below is a picture of the two user interface options.

Changing The User Interface

I think that this is a very important decision for you to make as a teacher, and I think that it is important to be intentional about it. I highly recommend that you make the change, and then look and see and feel how it affects the student experience. Do some more assignments using the other user interface. See how each feels, and make your choice after you have learned about the differences.

1. From your teacher account, go to Teacher's Panel | Settings.


2. Click Simplified Voces Interface.


3. You won't see the change on the student screen immediately. You will need to log out and then log back in on the student screen.

Let's Experiment Again

Now is time to repeat some of the things that you already did. Create some new assignments. Assign them to Sample Student. Take the assignments as Sample Student. Then grade them as a teacher and give feedback. Now go look for the grades and the feedback as Sample Student. I truly believe that there is nothing better you could do to learn the platform than to follow the process I have described here. The more you experiment, the more you will understand the content and the platform.

Be Intentional

Teacher decisions have an impact on students. This is obviously true, and it is worth writing again. Understanding the student experience is so valuable, because it will give you the opportunity to be more intentional about the choices that you make, and the ripple effects that those choices have on your students. It will allow you to communicate with them more clearly, and avoid confusion. If you know how a student will see audio feedback on an assignment which you have graded, you can quickly get the students to that feedback. There will be fewer opportunities for miscommunication. You will just know more, and understand more about the platform, so you can make decisions that are right for your students.

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Help! I'm Already Drowning in Grading!

by Allynn Lodge

At this point, we've survived the back-to-school whirlwind. We've got a few lessons under our belts and have learned our students' names. But a harsh new reality is now setting in: we've got papers to grade.

Ungraded work is a common source of stress for most teachers. We know feedback is necessary. Our students need it to improve, but they can only benefit if we give it to them within a reasonable timeframe and in a thoughtful way. If we're lucky, we might have a few tools (like the Voces platform!) with “auto-correct” features that save us time, but still, many assignments require our real, live, human insight—and that takes time.

So how can we avoid sacrificing our precious personal time in order to meet the demands of our jobs? After all, we're only a month or two in, and we still have months to go before the blissful freedom of summer hits. While there's no magic pill for burnout, there are some practices we can employ that can help make grading more manageable. Here are some of my favorites:

Pairwork - Turn 30 projects into 10 or 15 by putting your students into small groups or pairs.

Common Errors - Instead of meticulously grading every student's assignment, scan through your class's submissions and find a few mistakes that jump out at you. As part of your next lesson, compliment your students on their collective work (so that they know you've taken the time to look at it) and point out the “Top Five Mistakes” you noticed. Students can take notes or review their own work as you go over these highlights.

Spot Check - One way to cut down on reviewing lengthy student work is by telling students that you are going to focus on one or two responses only. For instance, instead of listening to every single recording they've made as part of their Interpersonal Speaking task, pick one or two audio tracks to focus on intently. Give your students a heads-up that you'll be approaching their work this way. Your feedback will be focused and your time will be saved.

Catch-Up Day! - This tip is from an article called “20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half” by Jennifer Gonzalez. Gonzalez writes:

You don't have to take a sick day or show movies in class to get caught up. If your administration will allow it, plan a “catch-up day” with your students. Let them know you need some down time to get caught up on grading, and have them organize their binders, sort out the files on their tablets or laptops, catch up on make-up work, do homework, or read or write silently. You can give them a participation grade if that helps keep them quiet!

I've yet to try this piece of advice, but I like it! I appreciate how Gonzalez has centered on helping everyone—students and teachers alike—maintain a healthy work-life balance.

They Grade It - Nothing is worse than spending time grading student work, only to watch students give it a passing glance before shoving it into their bags, or worse, into the recycling bin. Involve your students in the grading process whenever possible, even if they are young. Special correcting pens make the process more fun! I reflect on this idea in “A Teacher's Guide to Our Story,” the newly released how-to manual for teaching world languages through storytelling. It includes practical advice for getting through the year, as well as a few anecdotes from my World Language classroom.

If you're looking for more guidance regarding grading, classroom management, building a healthy classroom culture, or leading daily activities, check out “A Teacher's Guide to Our Story.” This 300-page manual offers a road map for teaching world languages but also encourages teachers to teach in their own way and embrace their own journey. Take a look at the table of contents below and click on the Purchase button in order to buy your copy of this newly released resource!

To buy a copy of A Teacher's Guide to Our Story, click here!

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Understanding How to Effectively Maintain Individual and Class Engagement

By Nikita Mittal

FAs a world language teacher, it can be quite challenging to maintain engagement for the entire class. The new school year excitement wears off and it seems like student interest is already starting to slip. Overcoming this challenge is not easy, but with proper evaluation and execution, you can certainly create a highly collaborative, lively, and reciprocal environment. If you're brainstorming for ways to maintain classroom engagement, we're here to help!. Here are some simple, actionable, and easily implementable tips and techniques for keeping your classroom well-organized.

Observe

The solution to any problem begins with a thorough analysis of the problem. So when your goal is to keep the class organized, your initial course of action should be to observe and identify the main factors disrupting the organization level in the first place.

Is there a learning gap between your students? Perhaps a few are picking up the new language efficiently while many others are lagging.

Are the learners getting bored with the lessons? If the classes become one-sided, students can easily lose interest and focus.

It is only through careful observation that you can determine what exactly is hindering the process of classroom engagement. Observe the behavior and attitude of your students. Take note of the ones who seem to get distracted or uninterested quickly. Introspect your actions and teaching practices. Not every world language teacher faces the same issues and problems regarding classroom engagement. So you must be the judge and analyze the root causes of disorganization, and that can be done through silent vigilance and sharp observation.

Balance between entertainment and discipline

No student enjoys a monotonous, strict learning session, even more so when learning a new language. Keeping the classroom atmosphere fun and entertaining is the key to effectively teaching languages, so a constantly stern attitude will do your students more harm than good. But on the other end of the spectrum, too much fun can lead to a lack of discipline and class etiquette. At the end of the day, you are still the leader of your classroom, and your role is to guide the students in their language learning journey. Establish a clear boundary between enjoyable learning and excessive disruptions.

Build interest right at the start of the class

If lack of interest and student engagement is something you're having difficulty with, try a simple solution – building peak interest at the start of the class. Many language teachers follow a slow build-up strategy where they begin the lesson with a basic overview and introduction, outlining the topics discussed during the class. It's a pretty standard and normal approach, not just for language but for most subjects in general.

But if you can shift the tone and grab your students' attention immediately, you're more likely to maintain their level of interest throughout the class. Start with a fun fact about the language, some interesting historical event, or even a light-hearted joke that will set a positive vibe for the rest of the session. When you give your students something interesting to look forward to, their anticipation will rise, and they'll be eager to learn more.

Interactive activities

Language learning is anything but one-dimensional. It's a two-way process where students must communicate and practice as much as they need to listen. Of course, most world language teachers are already well aware of this. But it still doesn't hurt to emphasize the simple fact that group activities and interactive sessions are the heart and soul of language classes. Encourage every student to speak up, even if they make mistakes. Help them break through the shell of hesitance and shyness and reward them for honest attempts.

A well-engaged language class should not be silent. It should be filled with lively conversations, good laughs, and constant interactions.

Managing time for both one on one learning and group learning

Another recurring issue for world language teachers is balancing group and individual learning. Not every student will pick up a new language at the same pace. Those who learn slowly need more focus and one-on-one guidance, so they don't get left out. But those that learn quickly can also get bored easily if you take things slow to bring everyone on the same page.

This contrast in the learning curve of your students can break the flow of the learning process. The solution to this issue is time management. Allot some time at the end of the class to review how well your students have learned the day's lessons. Spend a few minutes focusing individually on the ones who are going slow, so they can be brought up to speed. And while you're doing so, indulge the quick learners in a small test or activity so they stay involved without getting bored. Managing time for group learning as well as one on one interactions is vital for keeping the class engaged until the very end.

As a world language teacher, your end goal is for all your students to become fluent in the target language eventually, or at the very least, acquire basic conversational skills. The overall environment of your class plays a huge role in achieving that goal and helping your students enjoy the sheer joy and excitement of learning a foreign language.

We're hopeful that these tips will be effective in keeping the classroom atmosphere engaged with a perfect balance of focus, enjoyment, and wholesome interactions.

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4 Simple Tips to Increase Student Engagement

By Fatima Mansoor

When it comes to high-quality language learning, most educationists consider student engagement vital to a good learning experience.

While there is no one way to define what student engagement is, we describe it as the investment and focus a student puts toward their educational experience.

As a language teacher, you might be able to acquire a student's attention during the start of the school year, but you will soon realize that it can often get difficult to maintain student engagement throughout.

So how do you achieve this and help engage your students, especially when there are so many distractions around?

Here are a few tips on how to increase student engagement in your language class:

1: Build a Better Relationship with Your Students

This can help build a great foundation for maintaining student engagement throughout the school year. As a language teacher, it's important to take time within your classroom to help build a strong relationship with the students.

To do so, you can start your day with a fun greeting on a positive note. You can use this time to discuss and share anything interesting with your students.

You can also use this activity to add in some academic content and conduct these sessions in the language that you are teaching. This can lead to some fun learning experiences.

Apart from this, you should set clear expectations for your students. Let them know what is expected of them in the class so that they know what expectations to meet. Be mindful of varying learning paces within the classroom and acknowledge them while planning out your lessons.

Some students are more inclined to learn when they feel you are relatable. Crack a joke with them, share your interests with the class, and so on. This can help break any barrier between you and the students, creating a comfortable environment for all.

By building a better relationship with your students, not only can you eliminate negative behavior but also increase their participation and engagement in the classroom.

2. Provide Choices for Your Students

Don't make learning too rigid for your students. Allowing your students to choose their tasks and assignments can help you increase student engagement. You will be surprised by how beneficial this can be within language learning classrooms.

You can introduce choice boards in your classrooms where you can add a bunch of activities for the day. Your students can pick the activity and complete it by the end of the day.

Make sure that in addition to having knowledge-challenging activities, you add activities that are fun and engaging as well. These activities should be creative and should help the student push their critical thinking. For example, you can create a poster and ask each student to fill a box with their favorite word from the language that you are teaching.

Having such versatility within the classroom allows your students to explore various opportunities. This lets the student find their strengths and weaknesses while keeping them interested in the academic content.

3. Explore Different Learning Styles

You will find various types of learners within the classroom, and it's important to accommodate them all within your lessons. You can make use of different visual and auditory aids to make the lessons more interesting. This fun and engaging way of learning helps students retain information for longer.

Once you find out what your students are interested in, you can incorporate those interests into the activities and assignments you conduct within the classroom. Knowing what your students enjoy can be your biggest strength when it comes to being successful within the classroom.

4. Give Feedback

When it comes to keeping your students engaged, it is important to give them feedback. When you are quick to respond to their discussion emails or queries, the students can put in more effort towards their learning. Always make sure that your feedback is positive or constructive and not overly critical.

You should also provide your students with the opportunity for self-assessment. This makes the students responsible for their learning. You can even conduct peer-to-peer reviews in the classroom which can have students review their fellow students.

While you can not control how a student learns, you can engage them in the learning process. By conducting a range of activities and choosing various teaching styles, you can achieve high student engagement in your language- learning class!

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10 Benefits of Using Videos to Aid in Language Acquisition

By Chantal Manton

It's the 21 st century and videos are becoming a daily part of our lives and the lives of our students. Videos can be a great resource for grabbing students' attention and if used correctly can be fun, engaging and educational. Videos also help students build their vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, listening and speaking skills. It can be extremely beneficial to use a short, engaging video in correspondence with your lesson plan to help learners improve these core language skills.

Here are 10 benefits of using videos to help World Language acquisition:

 1. Videos engage students of all different ages and abilities

Videos have far more advantages than written text because it is instantly engaging and grabs the student's attention. Students of all different ages are attracted to videos. Videos can be used to capture and keep students' attention. As teachers, we know that this is key when teaching a class. Once students are interested in the content, they become more receptive and motivated to learn. Playing videos in the classroom can create a lively atmosphere and might even encourage students to ask questions. Video is therefore a great tool to enhance student engagement.

 2. Videos motivate students

One of the biggest advantages of using videos to teach is that it can motivate students to absorb the content and learn. Videos can show students how to use language correctly and how to put the content they are learning into action, which gives them plenty of reasons to pay attention. Videos can show students that English is not just a subject at school, but that it is also a skill that can be used in many different ways in the real world. When using videos to teach content, be sure to ask them to reflect on how easy or difficult the video activities are. This will help you to plan future classes and monitor student progress.

 3. Videos can aid in understanding

Unlike reading and writing activities, videos give students strong visual cues, which help them understand what is happening even if the language is hard for them to understand. One example of using videos to teach, which is similar to reading and predicting exercises, is to play the video without the sound and then asking the students to guess what is happening in the video. This tests whether they can use visual cues to predict language or content.

 4. Videos expose students to different cultures

Videos can be used as an opportunity to expose students to different accents and dialects around the world, either in English or even in other languages! Some students are unable to travel and experience different cultures and languages. Therefore it is a good idea to use videos when teaching to expose students to different cultures, accents, languages and traditions. This will help them become aware that there is more than one way to express themselves and it is good to hear English or other languages being spoken in different ways.

 5. Videos can expose students to unfamiliar accents, tones and pronunciation

Globally, more people are learning to speak English as a second language than there are native speakers. It can be said that videos bring the outside world into the classroom, exposing students to different languages, cultures, places and ideas. They provide a way to integrate content and language learning at the same time. This allows students to learn a range of subjects while learning the target language at the same time.

 6. Videos activate two different sensory channels for learning

When students watch videos for educational purposes, they are activating two sensory channels – listening and viewing. When a student watches a video, he or she hears the sound and sees the motion picture at the same time. This helps students to ‘fill in the gap' if there are unknown words or expressions that the student might not be familiar with. The visual element, as well as the speech aspect, helps students to contextualize the language. Research shows that vocabulary is absorbed more effectively when paired with video rather than written or verbal explanations. Students tend to remember the images, voices, objects and a face in the video and this helps them build a mental association with the words that are being taught in the classroom.

 7. Videos can actively encourage speaking skills

Some individuals consider videos to be a passive activity, but in actuality, they are full of content that can be used actively. Videos can be used to provoke a reaction in students and can motivate students to speak aloud or discuss the topics presented in the video. In this way, videos can be a great resource for starting a class discussion or debate. Students are more likely to contribute or participate in a lesson when videos are being used in comparison to simply reading a text. It's a great tool for balancing the learner's experience by encouraging both passive and active student engagement.

 8. Videos can introduce new ideas

Videos can be invaluable in terms of cultural education. By exposing learners to real-world videos, you are helping them learn about the culture and how to understand and accept different people, customs, beliefs, sports, foods, lifestyles and values. The more educated a student becomes in different cultures, the more open-minded they become. In turn, this can help encourage intercultural empathy, which is important in today's globalized world.

 9. Videos can build an emotional connection

Watching videos helps your students to train their listening comprehension skills, as well as encourages them to share their opinions about a topic or speak about their own experiences. Videos can help a student relate to a topic personally and this is important for any language learner. Connecting with students and their opinions, experiences and ideas related to a video can help teachers build great relationships with their students and enhance the entire learning environment. Videos can also be used for creative or artistic expression. It often tells a story which can evoke an emotional connection between the student and the content. Emotion is intimately connected to motivation, inspiration and creative expression. Therefore videos can help to build an emotional connection to the content being taught.

 10. Videos can be used in many ways

We see videos all day online and on social media. It is quickly becoming a normalized medium for communication, information, entertainment, advertising and artistic expression. Videos can be used in a variety of contexts in just about any industry. No matter what your learners' interests are or what content you are wanting to teach, there is most likely a video somewhere that is relevant and that will suit both your needs and your students' needs.

Videos can be an exceptional resource to teach language acquisition to students of all ages. It is engaging and fun! It also motivates students to want to learn the language. When teachers use videos in the classroom, it aids in student understanding, as well as exposing them to different languages, accents, cultures and ideas. Videos actively encourage speaking and listening skills. They also build an emotional connection between the student and the content being taught, providing an opportunity to share personal experiences or opinions. There are so many videos available at the tips of our fingers. No matter what your topic or lesson content is, you are bound to find a video to suit your needs.

Sign up now for your free trial of Voces® Digital to get access to videos to enhance your World Language curriculum and receive more quality content for teachers who want to take control of their curriculum.

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How Social and Emotional Learning Can Change Your Life as a Teacher

By Monica Rodriguez Salvo

When I was finishing my fourth year of secondary school, I decided that I wanted to become an English teacher. I had been inspired by a great teacher, Juliana, and I just wanted to be like her, and speak English as beautifully as she did. There were some challenges ahead, though. At the time I was attending a public secondary school, and my level of English was far from the accepted entrance level at the “Profesorado.” And so, it dawned on me: I needed help, and I needed it fast. I had less than a year to reach the expected level of English to start my career. I asked many different teachers for help, most of them offering answers in the range of “It is not possible,” “Your level is too low, so probably you will have to reconsider your career choice,” etc. It was then that I decided to go back and talk to Juliana. She carefully listened to me, displaying those skills only great teachers show: active listening, a lot of open questions, reflection phrases… Finally, she looked at me and said, “I believe in you. I know you can do this.” And that was the start of my career.

Four years later, I graduated as an English teacher and went on to study at university and then postgraduate studies… but those words touched me forever. Later on, I became truly interested in understanding the dynamics of emotions in relation to the learning process, and how motivation plays a key role in achievement, and thus, in life. I understood that day, when my teacher told me, “I believe in you,” that far from just being sharers of knowledge, teachers also have the possibility to touch lives forever. I understood that day what being an educator is truly about. I connected to the power of inspiration, and I got a deep sense of understanding on the importance of emotions and motivation. I connected to the power of what we know today as Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).

Daniel Goleman (1995), James Comer (Comer, Haynes, Joyner, & Ben-Avie 1996), and Carol Gilligan (1987), among others, tell us why a sustained development of social and emotional skills have a considerable impact on learning results. The skills areas these writers have identified are the fundamentals of human learning, work, creativity, and accomplishment. During the last five years, it has been my mission to shed some light on the practical applications of Social-Emotional Learning in the school setting as a whole. Some people refer to SEL as “soft skills,” but research says that these are ESSENTIAL skills to help students succeed in school, work, and life. In school, SEL reinforces decision-making, emotional regulation, and self-awareness, laying the groundwork for academic success (Weissberg, Durlack, Domitrovich, & Gullota, 2016). Kids who are self-aware and confident try harder and handle failure better (Aronson, 2002; Dweck, Walton & Cohen, 2014). SEL can improve academic ranking by 11 percentage points (Durlak et al, 2011). SEL can also reduce emotional distress and improve self-esteem and personal relationships (Taylor, Oberle, Durlak, & Weissberg, 2017). Today we have compelling evidence of the positive impact of the sustained development of social and emotional skills, and we know through practice that these are essential aspects to navigate the world inside, and outside, the classroom. So, why is it that so little time is devoted in schools to actually teach and develop them? Shouldn't these skills be essential content in our curricula? I am pretty sure they should… but let me share why…

Emotions drive our attention, enrich our memories, and underline our executive functions. At the same time, our brains are as unique as our fingerprints. This variability may feel overwhelming for teachers: How can we possibly design learning experiences that support the full range of our learners and engage their emotions? For some years now, I have helped institutions implement regular programs for social and emotional development. Beyond all academics and research, I have seen the power of SEL in action. I have witnessed how students from kindergarten to secondary school flourish when learning how to communicate assertively, how to express and regulate their emotions for improved relationships, how to be more compassionate and more empathic, how to build effective communication, and how to cope better with stress. One thing is clear though: the development of these skills in Latin American realities is not easy. First, because for all these skills to have real impact, two main principles should apply: changes should be sustained and should be cross-curricular. SEL can be learned and taught, but it needs to be done in a systematic, organized way. And EVERYONE at the educational institutions should be involved, mainly because these skills are learned through OUR modeling.

One of the most recurrent questions I get in my teacher training sessions is: “OK… but how do we do this? And WHEN do we do it? We hardly have time to cover the demands of our curricula… when is SEL development supposed to fit in?” In my experience, SEL teaching and learning should be very realistic. And we need to consider our REAL teaching settings and challenges. We have little time, sometimes extremely limited resources, and in many cases not all authorities can see the importance and value of SEL. True. Now, all of us teachers can make a difference in our students' lives just allocating 15 minutes of our classes a week to SEL: activities, mindfulness games, role plays, reflection circles… short interventions, interwoven with sustained practice, can make a huge difference. Through these short activities, we develop aspects such as self and social awareness, emotional regulation, and relationship-building. But what about us teachers?

Teaching SEL is a DECISION, and all of us educators have the possibility to squeeze in this invaluable content. Truth is, however, that we have not been trained to teach SEL systematically and consistently. Nonetheless, there are many simple things we can do in our classrooms, using the same teaching materials we are using, to give SEL a chance. When we embrace the power of emotions in the learning process, we can find countless opportunities to create our own activities in class, because SEL is basically about life skills. Experience has taught me that these plans are as transformative a journey for students as they are for teachers. In a SEL environment, we constantly develop strategies to strengthen empathy among students. But how empathic are we among teachers and coworkers? To what extent do we “walk the talk” in terms of collaboration and emotional regulation with our peers and students?

I truly believe social and emotional development is not only a missing piece in education, but also the plate where all pieces fit in. As educators, we have a tremendous opportunity to help our students use their minds and their hearts to build a better future.

“I believe in you” were the words of a wise teacher that opened up a world of possibility for me. Today, as an educator and teacher trainer, I care about these words more than ever. My way of channeling that compelling call has been the development of social and emotional competence for teachers and students. Blending hearts and minds may result in outstanding development, both for us and for our students. Character development is slowly, but steadily, becoming a reality in worldwide education. Helping our students, and ourselves, thrive through developing the strengths of the heart, the strengths of the mind, and the strengths of the will is a journey we cannot afford to miss. It's time for a different kind of education. It's time to educate the heart.

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Laugh and Learn with Pocoyo

By Erica Peplinksi-Burge

Are you a Spanish teacher in search of a hilarious, picture rich, relatable, and fun cartoon you can use in class? Pocoyo may be your answer! Pocoyo is a sweet and funny Spanish cartoon show about a 4-year-old boy and his adventures with his friends. Pocoyo, which means Little Me, gets into many sticky situations with his friends, who help him get out in silly and unpredictable ways. This show is sure to hook your students and fill your classroom with giggles!

I first stumbled across Pocoyo many years ago, when looking for something fun to use with my youngest learners. When I began using Pocoyo, I mostly just showed small clips at the end of class, or when I needed to sit for a moment. But my students loved Pocoyo so much, it quickly went from something to use at the end of class to a centerpiece of my lessons. In this post, I will walk you through how I use one of my favorite episodes in class over three separate lessons. I will also give you resources you can use in your classroom, all in the hope that you will be able to enjoy using this resource quickly and easily at your school.

The episode in question is called “La máquina de colorear el mundo” or Color My World (Season 1, episode 50). This episode opens with Pocoyo playing with a few toys by himself, and while playing he discovers a mysterious remote. Upon pushing the buttons on the remote, Pocoyo discovers that it will change the color of whatever object he points at. Pocoyo first changes the color of his toys. Next, Pocoyo ends up changing the color of many different items in his world, even a few friends, who have some big emotions about this change. The episode ends with Pocoyo needing to change his friends back to their correct colors, because they are not happy with the change. If you have not seen the episode yet, I recommend you click on the link above to watch it. This will make the lesson descriptions easier to understand.

In class, I like to do this episode close to the start of the school year. I introduce it after the students have had some practice with emotions, colors, and numbers. I start with a slideshow of screenshots from the episode. The first screenshot shows Pocoyo playing with three toys. We count the toys Pocoyo has, talk about their colors, and talk about how Pocoyo is feeling. I show several more slides in which Pocoyo finds the remote, pushes a button, and sees the toys change colors. We talk about the changes in color and how Pocoyo is feeling. This proceeds for several more slides as Pocoyo changes the color of objects in his environment.

Later in the episode Pocoyo runs into some of his friends. Pocoyo looks at his friends with a mischievous look on his face. At this point I ask students to guess what Pocoyo is going to do. Sometimes a student will guess correctly that Pocoyo is going to use the magic remote on his friends. If a student guesses that he is going to change the color of his friends, I ask students to take a guess as to how they will feel about it. When asking students to make predictions, I sometimes ask them to tell a friend their answer before raising their hand to share their answer with the class. Allowing students to tell a friend their answer before sharing with the class helps ensure that all students feel confident and able to answer. After students make predictions, we watch the entire cartoon from start to finish. I ask students to raise their hand if they hear words they know, and watch to see if their predictions are correct.

Before the next class I print out and laminate mini-remotes that look like Pocoyo's magic remote for students to use in class. You can use the same mini-remotes that I made by clicking on this link. If possible, I lay these remotes out on a counter or table before students enter the class. During class I tell students that we are going to watch the same episode we watched last class, but this time, they get to “be” Pocoyo. As we watch the episode, the kids act like Pocoyo. When Pocoyo grabs a remote, students grab a remote; when Pocoyo pushes buttons, students push buttons. The kids LOVE this activity, and would do it multiple times if allowed. At the end of the episode students complete a worksheet. The worksheet includes the three toys Pocoyo was playing with at the start of the episode, and a “remote” that students can take home. I have students color the buttons on the remote the correct colors, and then choose what color they want to make each toy. Students who are ready to write can label the toys with the colors in Spanish.

Finally, before my third day of class, I print out free Pocoyo coloring pages from this website. I color the same image of Pocoyo in six different colors, which I laminate and hide around the room. When students enter, I tell them Pocoyo is hiding all over the room, and I need them to help me find the correct color Pocoyo. I then ask them (in the target language) to find different colored Pocoyos around the room (i.e. Where is the blue Pocoyo?) until all Pocoyos are found. When students find the correct color, they point at it and say the color. We proceed to find all the hidden Pocoyos around the room (and get a movement break at the same time). Next, students get to pick a Pocoyo coloring page to color, while they enjoy watching other Pocoyos about colors!

The world of Pocoyo is huge, with episodes about almost any topic you can think of. I hope you enjoy jumping in with your students, and creating a little Pocoyo magic of your own!

Access Pocoyo episodes and much more with your Voces® Digital account! For additional resources to help keep your students engaged, sign up for a risk free, 10-day trial of Voces or call or email us anytime for more information.

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Using an Authentic Series in the Classroom: Which One? How? Why? When?

Kara Jacobs

One of my favorite ACTFL World-Readiness Standards in the Lifelong Learning standard in the Communities strand reads: Learners set goals and reflect on their progress in using languages for enjoyment, enrichment, and advancement. Using a target language television or video series in class hits this standard easily! And how lucky are we WL teachers to have the word “enjoyment” in our standards!?!

I have been using series in my classes for eight years and it has been a staple of my curriculum. I even created a UbD (Understanding by Design) document for using a series. Over the years, I have used three different series in class with levels 1–AP® and I have loved them all. I love that students get exposure to an engaging, ongoing authentic resource and I love that my Fridays are easy and enjoyable for me and my students. I have been through a few iterations of what I do with the different series, but I have settled on a few things. In this post, I will share some of my thoughts and strategies.

Which series?

There are a lot of resources out there for three series in particular. Gran Hotel, El Internado, and Go! Vive a tu manera have been the most popular series amongst Spanish teachers and there are Facebook pages, big Google Doc folders with lots of activities, and blog posts for how to use them. I have used both Gran Hotel and El Internado, but as I encountered more students and parents in my world, I realized that some parents, particularly of lower grades, would not want their child watching those series, so I settled on Go! Vive a tu manera as the show we will use consistently in our department for a couple of levels.

I can totally understand how people think the show is super cheesy, but it is the type of show that some students grow to love/hate… and eventually enjoy!

When?

In the past (fall of 2019), I used Go! Vive a tu manera in my Level 1 class, but this year, in my department, we are showing Go! Vive a tu manera in our Level 3 class and our Level 4/5/6 combined. (Note: the 4/5/6 class has a rotating curriculum, so every other year, we will watch a different series.) We show it on Fridays of five-day weeks. In Level 3, we spend a week learning about the characters and watching the first episode. Then we move to watching every Friday.

How?

In the past, I showed the series using Netflix®, but now I use the Voces® platform. I show four- to seven-minute segments with SPANISH subtitles. I pause A LOT while we watch to explain things, ask questions, and translate subtitles. After each segment, we do the input activities on the Voces platform. We use the Novice activities for Spanish 3 and the Intermediate activities for Spanish 4/5/6. The comprehensible input and language acquisition comes from the input activities and teacher-led discussions, NOT from the subtitles! These are the types of input activities that are in Voces:

• Read a summary and fill in blanks
• Match the question to the answer
• Cierto/Falso
• Who said it?/Who did it?
• Who would say it?/Who would do it?
• Match the picture to the descriptions

My colleague and I are the creators of these activities, so I am particularly fond of them! I also love how there is a wide variety of activities for students to do after the segments.

Why?

With the activities shown above, one can see that students are getting different types of input. First, they get trimodal input: audio; reading subtitles; and movement, facial expressions, and action. After that, students do the input-driven activities to really understand what happened; that is the comprehensible input! What I love is that these activities have a purpose… and it is not just to practice language. The purpose is to better understand the authentic resource that they just watched.

Watching a series in class also creates a shared class culture and gives us something light and fun to talk about. Also, in many classes, the proficiency levels of students vary greatly, especially in Spanish 3 and beyond. Using an authentic series and the Voces input activities provides automatic differentiation. Some students are watching, listening, reading subtitles, and comprehending a lot, while others may be comprehending only a small amount. However, all students are learning and improving their listening comprehension and acquiring more language!

Why use the Voces platform for Go! Vive a tu manera?

• All students can access the show anytime. No Netflix or Atresmedia accounts or DVDs necessary!
• Students can slow down the video for easier comprehension.
• The episodes are already chunked into manageable segments.
• The activities are already created and they are at the Novice AND Intermediate levels.
• The activities are auto-graded.
• Students can do the activities alone or with a partner/in groups.
• You don't just have to do the activities online. They can be adapted to be interactive class activities, such as: the marker game, dictations, Slap it!, whiteboard activities, Quick Grid Bingo (a la Martina Bex), Tic Tac Toe, any game on Anne Marie Chase's blog, etc.
• The video/audio can be slowed down for easier comprehension (good for upper levels, who will comprehend some of the authentic audio).
• You can get a teacher subscription for $100/year. That would allow you to show it in class and print all of the activities.

Other benefits

Watching the show and doing the activities is perfect for sub days or remote/snow/blizzard bag days. The show and accompanying activities could be an ongoing “Tarea semanal.” If you are teaching AP, and you have 5-6 weeks after the test, this is a perfect thing to do during that time.

Access Go! Vive a tu manera episodes and much more with your Voces® Digital account! For additional resources to help keep your students engaged, sign up for a risk free, 10-day trial of Voces or call or email us anytime for more information.

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Language Activities to Try This Holiday Season

By Chantal Mansoon

It's almost the holidays and it can be the best time to incorporate fun activities into your World Language classroom to get students in the holiday spirit while improving their language acquisition in engaging ways! Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

Get creative and implement some memorable lesson plans this holiday season! For more engaging activities and cultural materials for your World Language class, start your risk-free 10-day trial of Voces Digital today.

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Achieve Your New Year's Resolutions with Voces Digital!

By Melisa Ferguson

January is an interesting time in education. Though it's not a new school year, the renewed sense of energy after winter break and preparations for a new semester can make it difficult not to subscribe to the “new year, new you” mentality. But without the proper resources in place, even the best-intentioned plans to revitalize one's teaching can fall the way of forgotten New Year's resolutions. This year, let Voces Digital help you take your teacher resolutions from lofty goals to solid reality.

I resolve to make culture a bigger part of my instruction.
There's no denying the intricate link between language and culture. But with novice students especially, it can become difficult to teach complex culture topics without slipping into students' first language.

I resolve to learn something new to try in the classroom.
World language teachers are some of the most passionate about learning and sharing great ideas. But professional development doesn't come easy. From having to sit through irrelevant in-services that only benefit the “core” classes to having to find the ever-scarce substitute teacher for conferences scheduled during the school day to having to use their own money to pay for training due to a tight school budget, world language teachers are often hard-pressed to gain access to quality professional development.
Voces Digital knows the importance of professional growth and is committed to supporting teachers as they refine their craft. When you teach with Voces Digital, you benefit from a wealth of knowledge gleaned from the master teachers of your field. Voces offers personalized district training on both the platform and CI teaching methods, evening webinar series featuring exciting new trends, and an inspiring spring conference… all FREE for Voces Digital teachers! And now, Voces is also proud to sponsor the CI Summit this summer in beautiful Savannah, Georgia!

Voces Digital is here to help you find your tribe. The aforementioned professional development sessions offer great opportunities to meet and build relationships with teachers nationwide. Voces also fosters a close-knit community of world language teachers on the CI Teaching with Our Story by Voces Digital, Language Teaching with Voces Digital, and Storytelling Strategies with Our Storyscape Facebook groups.

With all the support Voces Digital has to offer, now is the perfect time to implement lasting improvements for yourself, your students, and your career. Make this year YOUR year with a risk-free 10-day trial of Voces Digital today!

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The Life of a CI Teacher (as told by The Princess Bride)

By Melisa Ferguson

You can spot a CI teacher as soon as you walk into their classroom. The crazy props, the word posters covering the walls, and the immutable passion they embody make them the kind of teacher you aspire to be. But would you like to know what life is really like as a CI teacher?

Beginning your journey as a CI teacher After asking a story with your students for the first time Creating a character for a story When students suggest a story detail that is oddly specific How your student actors see their job When you're asking your fifth story of the day and confuse a detail When your class story starts to lag Introducing a comprehensible reader to the class Reading free writes When someone asks you how your day was

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For more CI resources and cultural materials for your World Language class, start your risk-free 10-day trial of Voces Digital today.

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Teaching Interculturality Through Comprehensible Input Methods

By Marnina Falk

 Teaching the culture of the communities that speak your target language enriches the language class and also brings the language meaning to life. It is through intentionally learning about the products, practices, and perspectives of a culture that we truly begin to understand and relate to the people that speak the language we are learning. In the “The Cultural Iceberg” model, developed by Gary Weaver (1986), we can see that there are different levels to culture. There are the surface level cultural products, such as food, dance, and music (my three favorites). Just below the surface, there are the cultural practices, such as communication styles and norms. And, as you dig deeper into a culture, you reach the perspectives that drive the practices and products. It is through that process of studying the “three p's” that you begin to understand the WHY of a culture, and go beyond the WHAT or the HOW. It is engaging with a culture and drawing connections to it that makes such learning so impactful and keeps learners excited about the language.

 I would take it even a step beyond the “three p” model and urge us to not only teach about the deep aspects of culture, but to strive for teaching about interculturality. We need to not only understand cultural perspectives, but see ourselves as connected to the culture we learn about. Second language teaching is the most powerful tool for growing empathy and awareness for other communities. It is the process of learning about the people of the world that helps us and our students to see the connections we all have to it. Clementi - Sandrock (WAFLT 2014) defines interculturality as bringing one's culture of origin in relation with a foreign culture (or in second language teaching, the culture of the target language). This is done through teaching cultural sensitivity, drawing connections between another culture and one's own, and developing respect or judgment-free learning about other cultures. In 2017, ACTFL adopted Can Do statements that include performance indicators for teaching interculturality. Here is a wonderful article for how to use these indicators in the classroom. Our students remember and retain information they can relate to, which is well modeled by the use of the indicators.

 With all of that background, I want to explore some of my favorite methods for achieving this in my own classroom. I have the great privilege of teaching at Foreign Language Immersion and Culture Studies in Detroit. I teach fifth to eighth grade Spanish to students who have been learning Spanish since kindergarten and are eager to be immersed in the language and culture I teach. I am also fortunate to be quadrilingual and an eternal language learner myself. I always keep in mind that learning about and experiencing other cultures is what motivates me to learn languages, and that is the same for my students. What really solidified this passion for me was my participation in the Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad to Brazil through the University of Detroit Mercy in 2018. During that experience, I was immersed in Portuguese and the study of Afro-Brazilian culture and resistance. I learned alongside thirteen other educators about Afro-Brazilian identity and history as a lens to understand greater Afro-Latinx identity. Together, we created materials for educators to use across the United States in various disciplines. You can find my unit here alongside all of the other materials we created.

 In my eleven years of teaching languages, I have seen the impact of teaching through Comprehensible Input (CI) and growing proficiency through storytelling. This practice utilizes input, such as stories and messages, to drive language acquisition. Students learn to communicate in my Spanish class as a result of acquiring meaningful language, rather than direct memorization of grammar or vocabulary structures. If you are not familiar with CI, here is a great video by Stephen Krashen that explains it well.

 Whenever I am looking to teach about culture, I try to integrate comprehensible yet authentic cultural resources. My favorites to use are music videos, tweets, infographics, and video clips. I often find them by searching Google Images or searching on social media by hashtag. But there are also several great libraries for such resources already developed for teachers from the Ohio Department of Education, Lisa Shepard, and grahnforlang. I try to find something that has images, cognates, and other scaffolding to make it comprehensible to my students. I sometimes even adapt the resource if it is too advanced for them. I also try to be mindful about uplifting a variety of identities in the materials I use. So I try to showcase different regions, races, ages, etc. as I teach culture throughout the year.

 Once I have my resource, I like to utilize CI techniques for teaching with it. My favorite technique is to utilize TPRS questioning to create meaningful stories. This is based on the PictureTalk or MovieTalk technique (MovieTalks are explained really well by Martina Bex here and PictureTalks are explained by Annabelle Williamson aka La Maestra Loca here). Basically, this technique can be done with images or screenshots from a video. For those unfamiliar with TPRS, I start with establishing the meaning of keywords that may be needed for the images. So if I am doing my favorite conversation about school lunches (based on this article), I start by pre-teaching some of the food words my students may not know yet, and the food groups used to build school meals (I use MyPlate from the US Department of Agriculture to teach about this). I then hook students in with some personalized questions, like what they typically eat for lunch at school, whether they think school lunch is healthy, etc. After that, we talk through one or two of the lunches from the article. I use circling (explained well by Martina Bex right here) to establish meaning and understanding of the lunches. I ask things like, “What foods do they have for lunch in Spain?” “Do they have shrimp or chicken for protein?” “Do they have vegetables?” “Does the lunch look tasty?” “What kind of soup do they have for vegetables?” We then compare the lunch with our cafeteria lunch. We discuss the different perspectives on what is “healthy” and “tasty” and “good” for school lunch. And, as an extension, my students create their own dream school lunches with elements from other countries.

 For another sample lesson, here is an example of a MovieTalk I did about Day of the Dead from this short film. You can also see my thermometer review of the video, and picture grab with screenshots. I use this same technique with music videos. One of my favorite music videos to talk through and work with is “Al final de la vida” by Alexander Abreu y su Havana D'Primera. It is a great music video for teaching about Cuban culture, and also for discussing conflict resolution. You can find my resources and process for this video here.

 I utilize the same TPRS and CI techniques from MovieTalks to teach about dance. I worked with my friend and local dance instructor, Alex Moore, to develop a unit for my students that incorporated CI techniques and interculturality as lenses to do a deep-dive into a variety of Latin dances. In our unit, my students learned about tango, salsa, bachata, merengue, rumba, cumbia, and several other dances. They learned about the rhythms of the dances (products), basic movements and techniques of the dances (practices), and the cultural significance and practices of the dances themselves (perspectives). We started with showing a video of the dance to students to record their own observations (my intermediate students were able to produce observations in Spanish themselves, but you could do your own multiple-choice options for observations). We then shared a story of the history of the dance and the country it is from and utilized comprehension techniques with it, such as CLOZE, re-tells, etc. And we finished off with learning the dance movements together. Students drew comparisons between different dances and compared the dances to the dances in their own cultures. So, for example, when learning about Colombian mapale, students drew comparisons to twerking or break dancing. When learning salsa suelta from Cuba, students compared that to different line dances in the United States. Here is a sample lesson on merengue, one of the most popular social dances in Latin America. You can use this format for teaching about any dance from any culture.

 I also value engaging with the community in the target culture I teach to truly embody intercultural learning. With technology nowadays, it is so easy to bring guest speakers to the classroom from anywhere in the world through Teams, Zoom, Hangouts, or other platforms. I love bringing guest speakers to my students to share about their countries, or to do a bilingual career day where students learn about ways they can use their language learning outside the classroom, or to enhance my unit on immigration by bringing guests to share their immigration stories. During the guest speaker visits, my students just write two to three things they learned about the speaker (or we have scaffolded notes for them to write things like the speaker's name, where they are from, and something they learned about them). I offer incentives for asking the speakers good questions and engaging in the conversation. My students often share how much they enjoyed meeting a new person (even if it is virtually) and are so encouraged by their ability to speak in Spanish with another native speaker. You can even take it a step further and set up e-pals or pen pals for your students to communicate with another native speaker (this is a great opportunity for mutual support with students learning English to create a relationship where they can practice both). Along with guest speakers, I enjoy field trips and volunteer opportunities with our local community. In Detroit, we have the Detroit Institute of Arts, Mexicantown, and various community organizations to engage with. I encourage you to find similar opportunities for your students!

 These are just a few of my favorite techniques and lessons that bring culture to life in a comprehensible way. I try to teach about a variety of cultures and uplift a variety of voices and identities in my classroom. My hope is that through my intercultural lessons, my students become excited to learn the language and engage with the community that speaks it. I also hope that these lessons can help you engage your students towards reaching language proficiency with an intercultural mindset. In doing this, we can be a part of developing a generation of leaders who are eager to engage with different communities around the world with empathy and understanding.

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10 Easy Ways to Incorporate Movement in the World Language Classroom (That Aren't the Flyswatter Game)

By Emily Thygesen

 Teachers are increasingly embracing evidence that students need more movement throughout the school day in order to learn and perform at their best. It has long been observed by educators that regular physical activity helps regulate students' energy levels and can improve their concentration during class. If movement can help with classroom management and improve students' focus and retention, it certainly shouldn't be limited to physical education classes.

 What is more, recent studies reveal that increased physical activity during class can improve students' vocabulary acquisition in the World Language classroom. According to the authors of one study who asked language learners to complete target language vocabulary and grammar tasks while exercising on a stationary bike, “learning a foreign vocabulary while performing a concurrent physical activity yields better performance than learning the same vocabulary while being in a static situation.” In other words, it's easier to learn new target language vocabulary while on the move than it is at a desk.

 Happily, for World Language teachers, incorporating physical activity into existing lesson routines could not be easier. Try mixing in a few of these easy, low-prep, movement-based activities into your next unit to get students, even beginners, moving and grooving as they acquire proficiency in the target language.

1. Simon Says. Whenever students seem to need an energy boost, or when there is simply some extra time at the end of class, “Simon Says” gets students to interpret directions in the target language and respond with physical movement. “Simon Says” requires that students be familiar with some terms for parts of the body as well as the verb “to touch.” Language teachers can use Comprehensible Input strategies to build proficiency as the game progresses by teaching additional body parts or by demonstrating new verbs such as “jump,” “move,” “wiggle,” or “spin.”
2. Stand Up If… Sit Down If… This simple activity requires hardly any preparation and maximizes repetition of key structures. First, ensure that your students are familiar with the imperatives for “stand up” and “sit down” in the target language by modeling these actions. For additional scaffolding, lengthen your sentence starter to include a verb after the “if.” (Examples: “Stand up/sit down if you like…,” "Stand/up sit down if you can…," "Stand up/sit down if you believe…”) Then, present students with a variety of sentences beginning with the selected sentence stem. Students will stand up or sit down based on their personal responses to your prompts. To mix in more oral practice, ask students who are standing to make a statement explaining their choice, such as, “I am standing because I like chocolate!”
3. Scoot! This classic classroom game is perfect for reviewing vocabulary and simple grammatical structures. Create a set of numbered task cards (you'll want at least as many as there are students in your largest section) and attach them to surfaces around your classroom. (Depending on the class, you might even post them in silly places such as the undersides of desks.) Provide each student with a numbered answer sheet. When you say, “Go,” (in the target language, of course), students must find a task card and record an answer on their answer sheet. Only one student can work on each task card at a time. Students can't move from their chosen card until you say, “Scoot!” (or your target language equivalent), and once you say, “Scoot,” they have one minute (adjust the timing as needed for your class) to find a new task card to answer. To sit back down, they must answer each task card. This gets fun when students start searching the room for any hard-to-locate cards! Once this activity is complete, students can use their movement-induced period of increased focus to really soak up a review of the correct answers.
4. Find Someone Who... This time-honored icebreaker is much more fun once the ice is already broken and a classroom community has developed. I avoid this activity during the first few weeks of get-to-know-you time and instead use it throughout the year with vocabulary and grammar units, especially when students begin to practice asking formulaic questions such as, “Do you like [insert food]?” or “Do you often play [sport]?” Provide a prize for the first student to fill all the boxes or to have recorded each classmate's name at least once. I recommend a “three strikes, you're out” policy for getting caught communicating outside the target language.
5. Verb World Cup. I love this team-based game that has its roots in the flyswatter game but which avoids uncomfortable attention for students who struggle to remember new vocabulary. For this game, students form teams of two to three and pick a country. (If your target language is spoken worldwide, suggest that they pick a country where the target language is spoken.) Once countries have been selected, draw a single elimination bracket on the board. The first two teams to have a “match” will come to the board as a team and face the class. The teacher writes a verb on the board above each team, and once the teacher says, “Go,” the teams must turn around and conjugate that verb as quickly as possible. Encourage teams to alternate which student has the marker, but also encourage teammates to help each other. Whichever team correctly conjugates their verb first wins the “match” and their country moves forward in the bracket. Students usually get so excited by the final rounds that they're moving around quite a bit, even if they're not the one scrambling to write on the whiteboard. Be prepared: the excitement of Verb World Cup may lead your neighboring teachers to wonder whether a real World Cup match is taking place in your classroom!

6. Onze! (or “Eleven!”) This is a short and sweet beginning or end of class game that helps to build community and mix in some non-seated activity. Ask students to stand up and make a circle. I like to encourage a quick stretching circle before the game begins. Ask students to go around the circle and count to 11 in the target language. Each student can list the next one, two, or three numbers in the sequence, but they must list at least the next consecutive number. Select a random student to begin with “one,” and play moves clockwise. The student who gets stuck with number “11” is eliminated and sits down. Once you've played “onze” through once or twice, ask students to find a new spot in the circle next to two different classmates.
7. Four Corners. This movement-based listening activity works well with adverbs of frequency or statements of agreement and disagreement. Before class, hang signs with adverbs of frequency (“sometimes,” “always,” “never,” etc.) or other topic-appropriate answers in the corners of your classroom. When you're ready to begin the activity, ask students to listen to the statement you read in the target language and to move towards the sign that best describes their answer or opinion. Questions such as, “How often do you brush your teeth?” or “When do you play video games?” work well for this. Once you've tried this as a class a few times, ask your students to write their own target language questions before the game. They can then take turns reading their questions and crafting target language answers based on their classmates' responses.
8. “Go fishing!” This cross between “Find Someone Who…” and “Go Fish!” will get students out of their seats and conversing in the target language. Though it does require some preparation beforehand, the materials you create will last a long time. Create two identical decks of cards that depict words or phrases your students have recently learned. Shuffle the two decks together and distribute the cards evenly among your students. Review how to ask “Do you have…?” questions, then ask students to circle the room, asking their classmates for cards that match the ones in their own hand. Each time a student pair converses, they may ask each other for one card each. If the student doesn't have their partner's requested card, they should respond, “Go fishing!” in the target language. If they do have the requested card, they should turn the card over to their classmate, who earns the chance to ask them another “Do you have…?” question. Play continues until all matching pairs have been made, and the student who has collected the most pairs wins.
9. Magic Game. Born on a day when my lesson plans backfired and I had to improvise a review activity, the magic game has become a personal favorite, largely because it is so flexible and easy to personalize to each class with minimal preparation. Before class, assign a different review activity to each side of a six-sided die. Activities might include recalling a vocabulary word, identifying an error in a sentence, answering a question, vocabulary Pictionary, or vocabulary charades—the options are endless. To make this a movement game, simply choose two to three activities with movement, such as Simon Says, Onze, or Verb World Cup, to assign to certain sides of the die. Assign a point value to each activity. Divide students into equal teams and have them pick a team name in the target language. Each team gets a turn to roll the die and complete the corresponding activity to win points.

10. Dance. Though not all students will willingly embarrass themselves with elaborate charades in front of a class the way language teachers do each day, a surprising majority will happily embrace a simple dance. Start small with your language's version of “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” As students master the movements and the vocabulary, speed up the video to get them moving even faster and increase their heart rates. This works particularly well after lunch or if a group of students seems in need of an energy boost. There are countless videos of simple dances available on YouTube regardless of your target language. Though many are targeted towards native speakers who are young children, they often provide the perfect level of Comprehensible Input for beginning and intermediate learners.

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How to Prevent Burnout as an Educator

By Erica Peplinksi-Burge

Every year, starting in March, I used to find myself in the same place. Exhaustion would set in, with my energy level at about half of what it should be at best. It would start with small things, like not quite being as patient as I should be at school or home, or only wanting to lay on the couch on the weekend. I was tired all the time, never quite able to catch up on my rest. I didn't sleep well, had trouble eating, and enjoyed life less in general.

Burnout, and more specifically educator burnout, is a problem that hurts staff and students alike. It also seemed inevitable to me for many years. I loved my job, as do most teachers, but it also meant I was always adding to my “to-do” list—because there is ALWAYS more I could be doing. However, time has taught me that when we fail to prioritize our own health, we are not doing our students any real favors. Here's why: one of the fascinating things about the human brain is the presence of mirror neurons. In simple terms, neurons are the messengers of the brain, they use electrical impulses and chemical signals to share information between different parts of our brain. They activate when we do, well, anything. What makes mirror neurons special are that they activate when we see someone ELSE doing an activity. They mirror the activity in our brains as if we are doing it too.

Have you ever been so into a sports game that you feel like you are in the game? Or felt yourself wince in sympathy when you see an injury? This is because mirror neurons are at work. When they light up we feel as if we are experiencing what we are viewing. While scientists are still debating the purpose of these amazing neurons, the implications I see for the classroom are that if we are passionate and energized, our students' mirror neurons will help them respond in turn. However, if we are burned out and exhausted, our students feel that too.

Our children need our patience now more than ever, and the more challenging the child is, the more grace and love they need. We cannot give that to them when we are exhausted and burned out. If we are frustrated when we talk to our students, they mirror that back to us too. If you want to give your best self to your students, you first must give yourself the time to be your best self.

Interested in reading more about mirror neurons? Click here for an interesting overview.

HOW DO WE AVOID BURNOUT?

A question I often hear is, “How do you have the energy to teach with Comprehensible Input all day every day?” While the answer to this question is complex, the good news is that there are simple things you can do right away to take back your health, increase your energy, and maintain a sense of calm in the marathon that is the school year. This post focuses on the things that I have done that have made the biggest impact on avoiding burnout and improving my mental and physical health. Please note, although I am a research-focused person, and have discussed all of this with several doctors, I have no medical training. It is always a good idea to discuss any major changes to your life with your health practitioner before beginning.

Sleep does a body good

We will start with a relatively “easy” change: most of us could use more sleep. Both our brains and body need it! When we sleep our brains make connections, categorize and consolidate memories, and get rid of toxins built up during the day. You can read more about that here. Without enough rest our brain feels foggy, and it is hard to concentrate on students or what we are lesson planning.

When we sleep our bodies also regulate hormones, repair tissue, restore energy, and complete other important functions we are only beginning to understand. I know that as teachers it can be hard to turn off the day, and I know that our “to-do” list is constantly growing. However, we owe it to our students and ourselves to make sleep a real priority. Try turning your phone on “Do Not Disturb,” reading before bed, and meditating before bed when possible to help your brain turn off for the day!

Breathe

Which leads me to my next topic: breathing. As a teacher, it is easy to race from one thing to the next trying to get as much done as possible for students. However, as we race around, our heart beats begin to beat faster, and our breathing quickens. These prolonged periods of increased breathing and heart rate put our bodies in a state of stress and makes it hard to slow down. This in turn makes it hard to listen to our students in the ways that we should. It is hard to be in the moment when we are teaching if our body is still racing to finish a worksheet, lesson plan, and run copies. It is also hard to have enough patience to deal with our most challenging students when our body is in a rushed state. Our most challenging kids are the children that need to see understanding, not frustration when they look into our eyes and if we are not in a calm place, we can't do that for them.

Luckily, a big step towards a calmer day is as simple as controlling your breathing. Your brain and body communicate, so if you make the choice to slow down your breathing, your body sends a signal to your brain telling it that it's okay to calm down, which will in turn slow down your heart rate. One simple exercise that I like to use to reset my breathing follows. In class, I've done this with students in Spanish, after a crazy game, or if they have had a hard day and need a moment of calm.

1. Breathe in to a slow count of four through your nose.
2. Hold your breath for a count of seven.
3. Breathe out to the slow count of eight through your lips.

If you have time, try this right now! Or be ready to try it the next time you notice your breathing and heart rate getting faster. See what a few deep breaths can do for you!

The Food

Relatively speaking, the first two changes should help you feel a lot calmer and more refreshed. However, for my family, those lifestyle changes were much easier compared to the changes we made to our diet. Breathing and sleeping right helped us feel better, but changing our diets helped us in ways we never imagined, because we are made of what we eat!

I was compelled to make these changes, because of health problems we had in our family. For almost 15 years, I suffered from severe migraines. I tried both traditional and nontraditional methods to get rid of them, but had no luck. My doctors were ready to put me on disability and I was often stuck taking medication that kept me out of pain, but made me very tired. All of this changed when doing research to help my son with his allergies. I came to realize how intimately our diet and health were tied together. The cells in our body are literally made of the food that we eat. When we eat mostly nutrient dense food, our cells are healthy and we feel good. When we eat food without nutrients, this too makes up our cells, and we don't feel as good.

To improve our health, my family cut dairy, grains, and added sugar from our diet. We also gave up most processed foods. This was hard at first, but the result of cleaning out our diet after 30 days? Our energy levels shot up, we lost weight without feeling hungry, and best of all, the migraine medicine I was filling three times a month was not filled for nine months. I still get occasional migraines, but it's usually when I've been cheating too much on our diet. The migraines I get now are also not as severe as they used to be. My son, who had severe eczema, now has clear skin. The positive changes go on and on. We are made of what we eat, and good food does a body good!

SO, WHAT DO YOU EAT?

To quote one of my favorite authors, Mark Bittman, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” That's it, the whole diet plan. Generally, our meals consist of one portion of healthy protein, sometimes meat, sometimes not, two or three portions of vegetables, and fruit. My husband jokes that the cashiers at the store always give him weird looks because of the high amounts of avocado and banana in his cart. Below are a few shortcuts I recommend that make it easier to fit this diet into a busy schedule.

Breakfast

My family loves eggs, and one trick I've found to make eggs easier during the week is to make “egg muffins” on Sunday and store them in the fridge. Simply throw a variety of meats, vegetables, and herbs into muffin trays, scramble a big bowl of eggs, and pour the eggs on top of the meat, veggies, and herbs. I like to use the silpat muffin tin liners. These can be put in the fridge and reheated each day of the week for about five days. Here are 12 recipes to get you started.

It's also easy to get perfectly done hard boiled eggs by baking them in the oven. Read about that here. Finally, for weeks when you just don't have the time to cook for the next week, cooking scrambled eggs on low in the morning usually only takes about five minutes. Keeping the temperature very low makes it possible to leave the pan (for making all important coffee) without burning the eggs. Dinner leftovers always work too and are a frequent flier on the menu at my house.

Lunch

My children and I use Planet Boxes, which are stainless steel with compartments. These make it easy to pack a protein and a few vegetables and fruits in lunches. Lunch is often dinner leftovers in our house, or a combination of dinner leftovers with some new fruit or vegetables for variety.

My favorite adult lunch is making a salad in a jar. Start by putting dressing on the bottom of a mason jar. Layer in vegetables (tomatoes, celery, carrots, etc.) to get a nice level of tougher vegetables above the dressing level. Add lettuce at the top, and store protein in a separate container. When it's time for lunch, shake the jar to coat your salad and lettuce, pour onto a plate, add your protein, and enjoy a fresh salad. If I make these salad jars on Sunday night, I can make five to last the school week.

Dinner

Dinner usually consists of a protein and two to three different kinds of vegetables. There are a lot of possible variations here, especially as you look at what is available locally. I highly recommend the website NomNom Paleo for easy to follow, kid-friendly recipes. The cookbook is great too!

Fast Food

What about those nights when you just can't cook?? We all have them, but since pizza usually isn't on the menu, we often opt for a pre-cooked chicken at our local grocery store. Combine this with some guacamole, veggies, and fruit, and you can have a quick meal in minutes.

What about cheating?

I've found that I can eat one “non-nutritious” meal plus one dessert a week and still not have any problems with my migraines. More than that and they usually come back. Figuring out what combination keeps me healthy helps me stick to nutritious eating. If you decide to try eating this way, I recommend sticking to nutritious food as cleanly as possible for a month, to evaluate how it makes you feel. If it seems like things are going well, slowly add a few of your favorite items back in each week. Notice how they make you feel, and decide what works best for you based on how your own body reacts. A few of my favorite treats for when I'm trying to be healthy include:

• Banana ice-cream – Better than it sounds, and a great way to use up old bananas.
• Liar Balls – Almost like candy, but not quite.

Diet, sleep, and deep breathing were major steps on my journey towards better health. I hope that this post helps someone else on their journey too!

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Low Prep Classroom Activities for the Days You Just Can't

By Erica Peplinksi-Burge

Teaching a language using Comprehensible Input (CI) is my favorite way to teach, hands down. This way of teaching lights up the way our brains are meant to learn. The classroom becomes a joyous place where intense and meaningful learning and community building takes place. I see it in the bounce in their step when students walk through the door, and I hear it in their voices when they walk by my room at conferences and say in hushed and excited tones, “That's the SPANISH room.” There is a drawback however: teaching this way can both energize and completely exhaust even the most coffee-loving teachers. Some days I am drained and just don't have the energy for a creative story, cultural exploration, or exciting game.

When I get that tired, I have to take a step back—and, if possible, so should you! I know that if I have been up too late grading, or planning, or with a sick kid, then I don't put quite as much energy into my lesson, and I don't have quite as much patience with my students. Science backs up the need not to over-do! If we come into our classrooms without energy and interest for our subject, there are special neurons in our students' brains called mirror neurons that will pick that up; and sensing our lack of enthusiasm they will not be as interested either, therefore learning less, all while giving us a harder time because they are bored. Notice how you feel looking at the pictures of the exhausted people below.

Fear not, dear reader, there are Comprehensible Input-focused activities that do not take every drop of energy available, and I am here to share them with you! Read on for a list of my favorite low-energy, low prep, CI activities!

Repeating Interactive Stories with a Twist (RISTs… I don't think they exist)

Anyone who has children (or who has worked with them closely) knows that when a kid finds a favorite book, they like to hear the same story approximately 1,356 times. There is some research that shows that hearing repeat stories is comforting and helps children learn new words. Which is a bonus when you are helping students acquire a second language. However, we also know that brains crave novelty. How do we take advantage of these two seemingly contradictory pieces of information about how students acquire language and what maintains interest, all without exhausting our energy or spending hours on prep? I tried to combine all of the above and ended up with Repeating Interactive Stories with a Twist.

What are RISTs (a new acronym!!)? Repeating Interactive Stories with a Twist are just what they sound like, stories that repeat, include student interaction for all students, and have a different twist at the end (to keep everyone tuned in). The teacher narrates what is happening during the story to students, but repeats it with very few changes, multiple times in a session. These stories have almost no teacher prep involved, and the entire class is involved at all times, so there is very little room for distractions and less energy spent on redirecting students.

Below are some of my favorite RIST variations. If you have any ideas for a new RIST or have tried this strategy in your classroom, please share in the comments so we can all learn together.

Can I Go to the Bathroom? This is a fun way to ease into RISTs, and a fun way to start the school year. The set up for the story is that one student plays the teacher, and another student comes and asks the “teacher” if they can go to the bathroom. The class watches as they ask, and gives a thumbs up or down (very dramatically, gladiator style) to decide if they think the kid should be allowed to go. The ultimate decision (thus the mini-twist) is with the “teacher,” who says “yes you can” or “no” and passes or denies the bathroom pass accordingly. Whoever played the student asking to go to the bathroom in the first round becomes the teacher in the second round. The story repeats with a new student asking to go to the bathroom, and there is lots of practice with key structures and vocabulary!

If students are not ready to produce the language, they act and move their mouths while I say the words for them. If the students are more advanced, they can add reasons about why they need to go to the bathroom (it is an emergency, my stomach hurts, etc.) to differentiate the language. Depending on the level of your students, you could also describe what the “teacher” is doing (i.e. on the computer, on the phone, drinking coffee, looks mad, looks happy, etc.) as well as the student. This game is fabulous for the start of the year as an icebreaker when establishing classroom routines.

The House The next RIST has a slightly scarier slant. I use it with house vocabulary. While you can include whatever words you like in your RIST, words I include in this activity include sleeping, night, suddenly, a noise, bedroom, walk, window, look, hall, listen, door, open, run, jump, cover, I'm scared, and blanket. Again, feel free to include whatever words work for your class in this or any RIST.

In this story the entire class acts at the same time, and the story works as follows, with the entire story told in the target language, of course:

Teacher: “You are sleeping in your bedroom at night.” (When I say the word sleeping, all students close their eyes, many snore. When I say night, students make night sounds: bugs, wind in the trees, etc. After all the eyes are closed, I make some sort of noise. It may be a snake hissing, a growl, a scratching noise, a sound of hooves, whatever sound I want to connect to the end of the story.)

Teacher: “Suddenly you hear a noise.” (Students sit up.)

Teacher: “You stand up slowly and you walk to your window.” (Students act as I speak, walking slowly to an invisible window and making their arms into a square window shape so they can look through it.)

Teacher: “You see nothing. You walk slowly down the hall, and you listen at the door.” (Students act out tiptoeing down a hall and listening at a door.)

Teacher: “You open the door slowly.” (At this point I have some sort of prop ready that matches the noise I made that “woke them up.” If I made a hissing noise, I have a giant snake; if I made a scratching noise, a monster puppet or a spider; the sound of hooves—a unicorn (that looks nice at first, but turns out to be mean).

Teacher (in a dramatic voice): “There is a (fill in the blank with appropriate creature) at the door!”

Teacher: “Shut the door fast!” (Students slam the door.)

Teacher “Run down the hall, fast!” (Students run in place.)

Teacher: “Jump in your bed, cover yourself with your blanket, and go to sleep!” (Students act accordingly.)

My students LOVE this one and acquire several words from this story very quickly. We could play it over and over for an entire class, but I try to keep it to three or four rounds at a time so it doesn't get old. With enough repetition, fast processors can narrate and low students can also help “choose the story” by secretly selecting whatever will make the noise before you begin your story.

It Hurts Me This next RIST was inspired by my favorite Shel Silverstein poem as a kid: Sick. The premise is that someone is sick (or pretending to be sick) and wants to go home. Words that I focus on include sick, it hurts me, body parts, home, school, go, and action words. The setup for this RIST is very similar to the setup for the “Can I Go to the Bathroom?” story. In it, one student plays the school office professional (OP) or nurse (the gatekeeper to leaving the school). A different student volunteer plays the “sick” kid. Everyone else in the class weighs in (gladiator-style with a thumbs up or thumbs down) on whether or not the “sick” kid gets to go home or has to go back to class.

During the RIST, the “sick student” walks into the office (a third student can play the door to the office if needed) and walks up to the OP/nurse. They greet the OP/nurse and use their best acting skills to convince them that they are sick and need to go home. The audience (rest of the class) recommends they go home (thumbs up) or back to class (thumbs down) based on their performance. The OP/nurse gets to make the ultimate decision and sends them back to class or home. Whoever was the student becomes the OP/nurse. The former OP/nurse rejoins the class audience.

As before, if the student is a fast processor or has acquired the language, I let them speak for themselves and elaborate on their excuses. If the student is a slow processor, they act and move their mouth, and I say the words for them. That way every student can shine in their own way.

Of course, you can make the vocabulary as rich (describe the OP/secretary, describe the student opening the door and their state of health, the weather, etc.) or as basic as you like.

Quick Games with Little to No Prep

The next few mini strategies have the flavor of RISTs but don't quite fit the description above. These are strategies that double as brain breaks, and chances to practice direction words. For this, your only prep is finding a few videos on YouTubeTM (or using the links below). In the video on the left, you see a virtual Wii U Obstacle Course (there are many more on YouTube). Simply push play and students run the course with the mini player on the screen. When the player walks, runs, jumps, falls, waits, dodges, etc., I give those words in the target language (Spanish for me) as the students do them. Inevitably students ask if we are really “running” the obstacle course. I always say of course, even though it is just a video (which most of the kids know anyway). After we do this a few times, the students usually call out the actions in Spanish before I get to them.

The second video is a virtual roller coaster. For this I use words like hands up, hands down, high, fast, scared, left, right, etc. As we “ride” the roller coaster, students put their hands up or down, scream “I am scared” in Spanish, and lean to the left or right appropriately as I say the words.

Both of these activities serve as fun brain breaks, but the movement with the action helps tie the meaning to the movement in their brains (which help them remember the meaning behind the words). The twist comes from varying the rollercoasters and obstacle courses (you can find many of both on YouTube). I've also done this with the luge around the Olympics. A few years ago, the amazing Maestra Loca taught ME a new twist on the obstacle courses above that make them even more fun. On YouTube, you can change the speed of most videos by clicking on the gear in the corner of the video. While I had used this feature in the past to slow down Spanish-speaking videos for my kids, I had never thought of using it to speed things up. Doing the obstacle course or roller coaster at 1.5 or even twice the normal speed is a whole new twist in and of itself. Thanks Annabelle!

I hope you find the above stories low prep, comprehensible input heavy, and loads of fun for yourself and your students. I know that my students ADORE these stories and have acquired lots of new words from them in a fun and easy way that doesn't feel like work. If you have any potential new RIST ideas, please add them in the comments below so we can learn from each other!

Charades, Pictionary, and Other Quick and Easy Games

As I create stories with the class throughout the year, I add sentence strips and key structures/phrases to a bag at the front of my room. When I need to sit for a moment, I have a student or students pull a strip from the bag. If we are playing charades, they act it out; if we are playing Pictionary, they draw the sentence while other students try to shout out or write down the answer. You could also do this by projecting a story onto the board, and letting students pick a sentence to act out or draw.

There are a many other Comprehensible Input games that practically run themselves once you have taught them to the students.

From this page, the best for low energy days are:

• I Spy
• Face Off
• More or Less
• Where is it?
• Go fish
• Mano Nerviosa (Nervous Hand, can be played in other languages)
• Giant Ball
• I like/I don't like
• White Elephant (as described by Justin Slocum Bailey here) is also low prep (though sometimes high energy for me, as elementary kids get very worked up when playing)

What's in the Bag/Backpack/Suitcase?

One more fun but easy game is What's in the Backpack (or suitcase, bag, box, present, etc.—whichever word you need to practice). This game is exactly what it sounds like. Throw some things in your container of choice. Describe them, using words the students know, and have them guess what you have in your backpack. Lots of repetitions for descriptive words, colors, size, has/does not have, etc. Fast processors can take over the game after some practice!

Virtual Games

If you have Gimkit, Blooket, or Textivate, these are great ways to get in extra language practice without being at the head of the class. For Spanish teachers I also recommend GPB Salsa or Pocoyo for the youngest learners, and Dreaming Spanish and Cuéntame with Marta Yedinak for older students. If you don't teach Spanish, see what YouTube has to offer in your language!

PQA/4-Square/Read and Draw/Create a Character

For those days when I don't have the least amount of energy to engage, I have worksheets made up ahead of time that are very generic. The worksheets have students create or describe a character while practicing the you/I forms of Terry Waltz's Super 7 and Michael Peto's Super 16. Students answer the questions in the 4-square (as seen below) and draw a picture to go with each question. Many times these turn into hilarious mini-stories that you can throw into your FVR (Free Voluntary Reading) Library.

I also have blank comic templates that I can quickly write a basic story in, copy, and pass out to students. Students read and draw it. If you want even less prep, you could project the story onto the board and have students write, read, and draw!

Beautifully illustrated stories can also be added to the FVR library. Finally, I have a worksheet that allows students to practice question words and create their own "Invisibles" character (thanks Ben and Tina)! Students love making up their own characters, and “standouts” can become class characters for your stories.

Voces® Users:

If you are a Voces user, we have pre-built tools for teachers on low-energy days! To start, you could have students finish in-chapter assignments in small groups or independently. You could also try setting up a game of Trivia with our new feature, “Trivia Knight,” or playing a Blooket set or any of the other games in our game center. Voces also has interactive video assignments students can complete in groups. You can also find lots of extras in our Teacher Resources located in each chapter; my personal favorites are the blank comic strip templates and the exit tickets!

Giving yourself a chance to not be in the spotlight and recharge while your students still enjoy plenty of CI goodness is a great thing for teachers and students alike! I hope one of these activities will come in handy next time you need a chance to breathe and recharge.

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5 Reasons We Are LUCKY to Be CI Teachers

By Melisa Ferguson

March is an interesting time to be a teacher. Winter break feels like it was ages ago, and most students' minds have already checked out early in anticipation of spring break. With the winter blahs only just starting to clear away, it can sometimes be easy to lose sight of all the things that make teaching with Comprehensible Input so magical.

So in the spirit of making our outlook match the coming sunnier days, here are five reasons why CI teachers are the luckiest of all:

1. We can talk about almost anything and make it a lesson, as long as it's comprehensible and in the target language.

With its emphasis on communication over grammar, teaching with CI provides a unique opportunity for teachers to delve into the topics that interest students most.

From laid-back conversations about hobbies and interests to thought-provoking discussions on weighty matters, students acquire greater amounts of language when they attend to comprehensible messages about topics that they can relate to.

So, go ahead and deviate from your official plan when your students enter the room buzzing about something that's going on in their world. And don't forget to spend some time on students' favorite topic… themselves!

If you teach Spanish with Nuestra historia 1 or Notre histoire 1, be sure to check out the Super 7 Pre-unit for a step-by-step guide on making your students' lives the central focus of your back-to-school lessons!

2. The internet is teeming with free teaching resources for our classrooms that are just there for the taking.

Similar to how any topic can serve as fodder for a great comprehensible lesson, so too can virtually any content published on the internet. Authentic resources present snippets of the target language and culture in attention-catching ways that your students will love.

Open up a popular song on YouTube and clipchat the video. Interpret a cool social media post from a target-language figure or company that you follow. Or picture talk a compelling image from a recent news article. And don't be afraid to sprinkle in a few relevant memes to give your lessons extra flavor!

Your subscription to Our Story is loaded with engaging authentic resources for your students to explore. Log in today to get started!

3. We have WAY more excuses to throw a class party.

World language teaching is nothing without culture, and what is culture without celebrations? Students thrive on discovering the motivations and perspectives behind the most iconic (and often misunderstood) traditions from the target culture.

Give your students a deeper understanding of what makes the target-language world go ‘round with insightful lessons that uncover the beliefs surrounding important traditions and what they mean to the people celebrating them.

And when you're done, go ahead and throw a tasteful, culturally-sensitive celebration of your own. With all the demands being placed on students, a little lighthearted fun in the classroom can go a long way in alleviating stress and restoring vigor.

Spanish and French teachers: Check out the Exploración Cultural and Découverte Culturelle sections included in your Our Story titles for detailed explanations of celebrations you can share with your students.

4. Our PD is more fun than your PD.

Is there any better professional development than a CI demo? Teachers get to take on the roles of students as they engage in story-asking, clip chats, special person interviews, total physical response, and more!

Think about it: when was the last time you saw a group of math teachers acting out a story problem or science teachers using fun gestures to help remember new vocabulary?

CI teachers really do get to have all the fun. And with so many engaging strategies, both new and experienced CI teachers invariably emerge from CI training bursting with great ideas they can't wait to try with their students.

Want to see for yourself? Check out Eric Richard's immensely popular session “Demo and Discuss: Teaching with CI” from the Voces® Digital's Summer 2022 virtual conference in our conference library. Then sign up for our all-new, in-person CI Summit this year in Savannah, Georgia!

5. We get to teach with a comprehensive, supportive curriculum like Our Story.

Teaching with Comprehensible Input isn't for the faint of heart. Starting out with CI often involves a complete shift in the paradigm of what you think world language teaching should be. And continuing to teach with CI means keeping up with new and emerging trends in teaching strategies.

Fortunately, Our Story gives you all the tools you need to create a memorable language-learning experience for your students. Take advantage of engaging story asking scripts, compelling short stories, and eye-opening cultural explorations–all with detailed teacher notes for maximum facilitation in your classroom.

With all the Our Story curriculum has to offer, you can make Our Story YOUR Story today!

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So take heart, fellow CI teacher. Even during the longest, most tedious stretches of the school year, you are fortunate enough to enjoy groundbreaking teaching strategies that allow you to connect with your students in ways that all teachers dream of.

And the luckiest thing of all? Voces Digital has your back every step of the way.

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Utilizing Practice Logs to Encourage Independence and Lifelong Learning

By Marnina Falk

As educators, we are preparing students to succeed even far beyond our classroom. In my favorite TedTalk, Sir Ken Robinson discusses the topic of “Do schools kill creativity?” In his talk, he states that, “Our task is to educate their (our students) whole being so they can face the future. We may not see the future, but they will and our job is to help them make something of it.” If our job is to prepare students for a world we do not know, we must teach them to be independent learners and give them the skills and resources to continue succeeding even when they leave our class. As language teachers, this means teaching students how to seek out their own learning and how to utilize their second language outside of our class. As Noam Chomsky stated, “Education is really aimed at helping students get to the point where they can learn on their own.”

I would take this notion of independence a step further. As language teachers, we also want to motivate our students to continue to utilize and retain the language they learn even after graduation. We want to give them an excitement for it, and to see the purpose of learning it. That means we need to make learning engaging, personalized, and relevant. Sir Ken Robinson stated that, “Part of education is learning. And what drives learning is curiosity and collaboration.”

As a teacher, I find homework to be a key resource to help students become more organized and independent in their learning. In Edutopia, Youki Terada published a great article about “What's the Right Amount of Homework?” The article includes what research has shown us about whether or not homework is effective or productive for students. A small amount of homework can help students retain what they learn, boost levels of understanding, and build study and organization skills. However, the main challenge is that when students spend too much time on homework, it actually has detrimental results. As a middle school Spanish teacher, I know that my students have many classes besides mine. While I teach at a Foreign Language Immersion School, I still know that Spanish is not a core content course and is not tied to the pressures of test scores and grade level advancement. So I know that my homework should be limited. But homework is a required part of their grade and my coursework. As such, I choose to leverage homework as an opportunity to build language skills and to provide students with resources available to them outside of class. And I try to keep homework minimal and engaging. I want students to have time for life outside of school, and to ensure that my homework is not adding stress to their already busy lives.

The solution I have found is to create weekly practice logs for my students. The practice logs provide them with ways to practice Spanish that week, but with enough choice to enable students to engage in learning that interests them. They also provide opportunities for finding ways to integrate Spanish into their daily routines and activities, and for engaging with family and friends in Spanish outside of class. Practice logs are also assignments students can work on if they finish classwork early. During the first semester, I rotate skills to focus on each week and usually only assign a log three of the four weeks each month to give them breaks as well. Here is how they practice each skill:

1. Choice practice: students choose a way to practice Spanish for 10-15 minutes a day (1 hour total for the week). I provide students with a list of ideas, such as using Duolingo, Señor Wooly, watching a show on Netflix®, other game websites like 123teachme and FreeRice, and fun podcasts and YouTube channels for learning. They can choose to practice however they want, and they just fill out a daily log of how they practiced. The log looks like this:

2. Reading and listening practice: students choose a way to practice reading or listening for 10-15 minutes a day (1 hour total for the week), be it through reading Twitter posts in the target language, reading an online children's story, news in Spanish, reading and following a Spanish recipe to make something delicious, listening to music in Spanish to try to pick out familiar words or guess the theme of the song, watching a TV show in Spanish or with Spanish subtitles, or other ideas they have. I give a list of resources to choose from and encourage them to focus on something they are interested in, or to build Spanish into what they already do (like listen to Spanish music on the way home from school, or watch a show on Netflix in Spanish when they are decompressing and watching TV anyway. Students fill out a log like this (of course, for listening the summary would be about what they listened to instead of what they read):

3. Writing practice: I give students a list of around ten prompts to write about. They choose a prompt that interests them to write about each day. The prompts focus on content they have already learned (my students are all Novice Mid to Intermediate High, so they have the ability to do this. If you are teaching Novice Low learners, you may want to skip this skill and wait until later in the year for it).
4. Speaking practice: I give students a list of around ten different speaking activities to choose from (my students are all Novice Mid to Intermediate High, so they have the ability to do this. If you are teaching Novice Low learners, you may want to skip this skill and wait until later in the year for it). Tasks include watching the TV on mute for 10 minutes and narrating what is happening in Spanish, tutoring a family member or other students and teaching them something they are learning in Spanish, creating a “how to” video, recording a voice memo about what they did today, and other prompts like describe your family or yourself. They complete one task a day and fill out this chart (if they have a day without time to practice, they can do two tasks the next day to make up for it). I also encourage students to submit their voice memos or videos for feedback.

During the second semester, my students have been in my class for a while and have built a routine of the resources they enjoy. They have become familiar with a plethora of ways to practice on their own and have built a foundation for independent learning. As such, I try to give them even more autonomy with their own practice. I have them set a goal for the week and choose practice to help them in improving on their goal. I do not prescribe specific skill focuses or tasks, but I give them a list of resources and ideas for practicing each skill (from the resources on the first semester practice logs). Students are able to set goals based on their own feedback and reflections on their progress in class. In my class, I frequently model how to reflect on strengths and areas of improvement, how to set goals, and how to see if you are improving. So when it comes to setting goals on homework, they are familiar with what to do. Here is the second semester log format:

I want to end with a few tips about these practice logs. I deliberately choose to model trust in my classroom. I do not require parent signatures on the logs, or question if students are being honest. I do this because I think it is essential to build students' autonomy through showing that I trust them and focus on what they are showing me they can do, rather than questioning their integrity. I find that in doing so, my students often rise to the expectations I set for them. And they are at the very least showing a weekly thought process about how they plan to practice on their own. Additionally, I grade on completion, and try to focus on overall effort. My feedback to them is more about ensuring that they are reflecting on their own learning and utilizing resources that are appropriate for them, rather than the accuracy of their writing. The objective is to build proficiency and language skills, not to memorize vocabulary or grammar rules.

I have been utilizing practice logs in my class for three years now. I have seen that they motivate my students to be excited about finding ways to practice Spanish. They often find new resources for me to add to our class resource list and are excited to share the new language they are learning. I find that my homework emphasizes enjoyment and does not become too burdensome. And, as an added bonus, I have found the students' families are engaged in learning and utilizing Spanish resources as well. These logs are my way of moving my students toward being lifelong learners who can seek their own resources for improvement. I encourage you to try integrating practice logs however they fit in your class and adapt them for the proficiency level and needs of your learners!

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¡Cuéntame! Podcast: An Inside Look

By Marta Yedinak

Language acquisition takes place through comprehensible input, and when the topics are interesting and compelling to the learner, it happens almost without awareness. I had been looking for a podcast to help my students develop their listening skills, but I didn't find what I needed—there are plenty of podcasts to learn different languages, but the issue is that they are either too advanced, too long, or very much grammar-based.

What I needed for my classes was a resource that addressed novice and intermediate-low learners, and offering resources that are way over their level can lead to frustration. Since I didn't find that resource, I decided to create ¡Cuéntame!, a podcast for Spanish acquisition tailored to the regular novice and intermediate Spanish learner. The episodes of ¡Cuéntame! average 4-5 minutes long—this makes it practical and easy to incorporate into any lesson plan in any scheduling scenario. Topics vary from cultural events and traditions to everyday situations that pertain to anybody, as well as current events and even some stories!

The key is to keep it comprehensible and compelling to anybody, and for that purpose, it is broken into two versions. The first one addresses novice learners—I speak at a slower pace, carefully enunciating each word for listeners to 'visualize' it. In addition to that, I provide some extra scaffolding by translating certain keywords that are crucial for the episode, or that have been previously chosen as targets. These words are meant to be repeated throughout the episode for reinforcement. Immediately after the first version comes the last one, where I speak at normal speed and don't include any English words. These two versions can be used together or independently, depending on the objective of the lesson. Finally, there is a free transcript available that can be used in a variety of instructional ways!

To learn more about the ¡Cuéntame! Podcast, as well as additional resources World Language educators can use over the summer, join me Wednesday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Voces Digital Summer Kickoff event! I hope you join me in the webinar to expand on these ideas and answer any questions you may have. Click here to register now.

To access more resources for your language classroom, including games, stories, and activities, start your free 10-day trial of Voces Digital today.

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Fresh FUN for Spring!

By La Maestra Loca

We made it to May!

Just a matter of weeks til we can enjoy our SUMMER! Now, I know that for some of us here in the US, summer vacation starts at the beginning of June, while others it doesn't begin until July, regardless, ALL of us could use some novel and engaging activities to inspire us to push through til the end, and hopefully find some moments of JOY with our students along the way!

Here are some ideas for you! If you try any of them out, be sure to let me know about it! Send me an email at annabelle@lamaestraloca.com or let me know when you see me this summer at CI Summit! I am SO excited for Savannah!

Gallery “Walk it out” 🎶

For the first, try doing a gallery walk, but take it outside! It doesn't have to be anywhere fancy! Here is a picture of my students doing this last year, on a random fence in one of the outdoor spaces on the campus where I used to work. I didn't always have a lot of options because most of the spaces were used for recess so I made random places work to my advantage!

There's a few different ways you can do this “gallery walk”. You can make it “input” focused OR “output” focused, depending on what you're looking for.

Input-focused

If you've spent a couple of days telling a story, chatting about a current or cultural event, or doing a clip chat, you can create a reading activity to review that content, and add extra meat to the story to level up or make it more juicy. Tape chunks of the story up around the outdoor space, and give each chunk a “letter”. Make sure you don't tape it up in order.

Next, and have students walk around with a simple piece of paper that has numbers on one side. They read the segments and work to put them all in order. Then on the back, you could have them write 4 different sentences and illustrate them, in four different drawings to demonstrate comprehension.

Alternatively, you can tape up images from the story/clip/current event that you have been talking about. Label each image with a letter. Students walk around with a clipboard and piece of paper that has chunks of text that align with each of the images. Their goal is to match each image to each chunk of text by writing the letter of the picture next to the corresponding text!

When you're finished, sit in a big old circle and discuss the answers, taking the opportunity to repeat the input AGAIN in the target language!

Output-focused

Tape up different images of a recent story, clip, cultural/current event you've talked about in class and label each with a letter. You could also put up random images of stories/clips/songs that you've taught all year. Have students rotate with clipboards and write 3-5 sentences about each image that they walk around.

If there's extra time, gather everyone's papers and read some of the sentences out loud and have students move to the photos to guess which they were referencing. (Don't forget to assign “points” to activities like this to incentivize students and make it exciting! What are the points worth??! Nothing! They just make everything more interesting and engaging because it releases dopamine to kids' brains! YAY for engagement!)

You could also have students stationed at a random cartoon image and they'll write about that image for a set amount of time til they hear you say rotate, then they move to the next image and take up where the last person left off! (Pro tip #1- make sure your students are advanced enough for this so that you don't have novices trying to read other novices work) (Pro tip#2- make extra copies of paper to hang below the image just in case anything inappropriate is written…. be intentional about giving students different colored pens or markers to work with paying close attention to the more mischievous students' colors that you hand out…Again, just in case you need to have a gentle reminder of expectations and redirections, and you can replace that paper real quick!)

“Chalk it up” to you!

I wrote a blog several years ago about taking my students outside and playing with Chalk. I am HUNGRY to do this again with my current students but outdoor space is REALLY hard to come by at my elementary school!

Get some regular sidewalk chalk, and if you don't have any, ask a colleague who has young children, or ask the art teacher if they have any extra they can give you.

Head outside, and give everyone a chunk of text. In the video below I gave everyone a lyric from a song. It was either from a song of the month that we'd covered that year or a Señor Wooly Song. Students had a short amount of time to draw the text without writing words of any kind. Then we walked as a class from drawing to drawing trying to identify what song was which. Bonus points if they could identify the specific lyric of the song.

If I could do this activity again tomorrow, I would add…. POINTS! I would team students up and assign points for guessing correctly, for teamwork and for creativity.

“Fast Finds, Chill Minds”

The second most popular blog I ever wrote was one on an Easter Egg Coloring Scavenger Hunt. It was wildly popular because of the novelty of getting outside. I recently redesigned that and wrote a new blog last year so that it was less Easter focused as I was no longer at a school where I had to highlight one religion over any others.

Hide random review questions all over your room. They can be about literally ANYTHING. For example, last week I hid 25 questions around my room and some were about special person interviews we did recently, others were about our one word images, others were personalized questions asking students about their pets (real or dream) and favorite foods.

Scatter these questions around your room or around the outdoor space you're in. You don't have to make them all obvious. I always scatter way more questions than they need answers for. Not just to keep them hunting but because I need enough questions for the amount of kids I have in my room. They wander around looking for clues. They write down the answer to the clues and then re-hide the question where they found it.

Next, they come check their answers with you (every few questions or after they have 10 answers (you decide how many you want them to answer) then you give them random colors to use to complete their color by number on the back of their page. You can make them think there's an answer key and color that corresponds to every answer or just do it randomly. Whatever feels easiest for you to manage, but kids LOVE the opportunity to just chill and color, plus, you get some time outside and you get to rest your voice! (I had laryngitis last week when I used this activity!)

Check out the video of students doing the activity and my blog by clicking on this image:

Well, there you have it! Some activities to motivate you, and hopefully your students, as you wind your way to the end of the school year! These make great “filler” activities for those days or afternoons after state testing where you need something fun but still “productive!”

I am VERY excited to see many of you in Savannah for the CI Summit! I'm doing a pre-conference workshop that I've NEVER had the opportunity to do ANYWHERE and I'm ecstatic! Also thrilled to be doing another elementary language lab! It is going to be a blast! Don't forget to email me if you try any of these activities! I can't wait to hear how they go for you!

Joyfully,

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The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) and How Your Language Department Can Benefit

By Voces Digital

The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund is a crucial measure taken by the U.S. government to provide support to schools amid the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

Initiated in March 2020 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the ESSER Fund was allocated $13 billion. Subsequently, in the same year, an additional $55.4 billion was granted for ESSER (ESSER Ⅱ Fund), and Congress added over $122 billion for ESSER (ESSER Ⅲ Fund) in March of the following year.

The funds are initially transferred to state education agencies (SEAs), which then award subgrants to local education agencies (LEAs). The LEAs have autonomy in determining how to allocate the funds to each district. These funds are accessible to K-12 institutions, including public schools, charter schools, and "not-for-profit" private schools. Each fund has its own deadline for utilization, ranging from September 30, 2022, to 2024. Any unawarded funds are returned to the U.S. Department of Education.

The ESSER Funds offer a variety of uses, such as:

Supporting Staff, Substitutes, and Employees: Additional funding enables schools to provide training for teachers and staff to enhance their teaching and student support. Resources like textbooks and computers can be acquired to improve the learning experience. Moreover, funds can be used to hire more substitute teachers, librarians, technology specialists, etc., to prevent staff burnout and facilitate digital learning.

Boosting Health and Wellness: Given the health risks associated with schools reopening post-COVID-19, the ESSER Fund can aid in equipping nurse's offices with necessary supplies for COVID-19 and flu testing and basic treatment. School nurses can receive training to recognize common conditions and illnesses prevalent in schools, ensuring a safer environment.

Promoting or Creating Recreational and After-School Activities: Schools can utilize the funds to support existing clubs and after-school programs or even establish new ones. These activities help keep students engaged, facilitate learning, and encourage skill development.

Providing Schools with Proper Post-Pandemic Essentials: The ESSER Funds can be used to equip schools with sanitary essentials for students and staff, such as hand sanitizers, antibacterial soaps, cleaning products, and masks. This ensures the prevention of potential illnesses and the containment of bacteria and viruses.

Additionally, the ESSER Funds can be used to pay teachers' salaries, enabling schools to retain and hire new educators to address learning loss from the past few years. The funds can also be utilized for music and art programs, physical education classes, and technology to enhance and expand learning processes.

Voces® Digital Aligns with ESSER Funding
ESSER Funds can also be allocated to implement technology-based solutions—such as Voces Digital—under certain criteria. Here's how you can use ESSER funding to directly support your World Language department:

• Educational technology for students that aids in regular and substantive interactions with their classroom instructors
  Voces' online platform is your solution to increased communication and positive interactions with your students. Teachers can blast messages to the entire class or send individual messages and notes to students to answer any questions they may have and provide detailed feedback on their progress.


• Planning for and coordinating during long-term closures, including how to provide technology for online learning to all students
  ESSER funding can be used to invest in digital infrastructure including computers, tablets, and other digital devices. These devices can be provided to students to avoid any additional learning loss due to unexpected closures or unforeseen circumstances. Voces' digital curricula have the ability to adapt to any teaching setting. Whether it's in person, hybrid, or fully remote, Voces' online platform and digital learning tools eliminate any disruption to the classroom based on setting.


• Address learning loss by improving academic instruction including:
  
  • Administering assessments
  • Implementing evidence-based activities
  • Helping parents support students in distance learning
  • Improving student engagement in distance education
  
  All of Voces' digital curricula are designed to increase student engagement. Each title is filled with captivating stories, fun activities, and a game center that allows students to absorb the target language in an engaging way. Each Voces Digital textbook also includes can-do statements and integrated performance assessments (IPAs) in each unit, to allow students to self-assess their knowledge and teachers to conveniently track student progress through the gradebook.


• Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in local educational agencies
  ESSER Funds can also be allocated towards professional development opportunities, including Comprehensible Input (CI) training. Voces Digital provides CI training for individual teachers and World Language departments, and it can all be covered with these government funds.

For additional information on how you can use your ESSER Funds to invest in Voces Digital for your World Language department, please call 1-800-848-0256 or email info@vocesdigital.com. To explore Voces' digital platform, start your free 10-day trial today.

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Finding Your Rhythm Through Routines, Respect, and Relationships

By Gary DiBianca

With just a few days of the new school year completed—as I continue to plan my lessons for my high school Spanish I, II, and IV classes—I know that the first month of school must be about setting up my students for success. As much as I want to jump into the plethora of diverse topics I teach, I know that, for now, my “curriculum” must be my students and getting to know them (and, of course, mostly in Spanish). In my mind, the 3 Rs—Routines, Respect, and Relationships—are the foundation for creating a safe classroom environment so that students feel that they can both grow and fail with me, and if they fail, that I'll be there by their side to pick them up and help them continue on their journey towards language proficiency. In fact, this is true in all of my classes, whether I am working with novice or intermediate students. All of my policies and procedures work to support this philosophy.

It is no secret that I am a teacher who uses Comprehensible Input, TPRS Storytelling, story-asking, and a multitude of other content-based approaches in order to help students acquire Spanish. As I have often stated, my 22 years in the classroom have helped create my Mosaic of World Language Teaching, and the end product, or my mosaic, is the big picture and what I hope to accomplish in my classes and Spanish program (it is also the namesake of my blog at www.garydibianca.com).

At the start of a new school year, we ask: how do we prepare students for what they will experience in our classes? First of all, as teachers, we must define our non-negotiables. What can you tolerate in your classroom environment? What angers or triggers you? Defining these and articulating them to students is the best piece of advice I have read in most recent years. You know “you” and you know your school climates. Are you able to define the behaviors that drive you crazy and can you express what you feel students should do while they are in your class acquiring language? I know, as a younger teacher, I would say things like “I have three rules: ‘Respect others, be safe, and have fun.'” But truthfully those rules did not define enough of what I expected from my students. Now, in my high school classes, I have a daily engagement/participation rubric that I use that articulates how a student can successfully acquire language in my classroom environment. Respect still remains a fundamental aspect of my class culture and I emphasize it from day one. I demand that students respect one another, respect all things in the classroom, and I show the same respect. I think about what I must do to respect my students, as the adult in the space, but I also know that respecting young people means setting boundaries and adhering to those boundaries. With all of this comes classroom routines and the need for consistency (which, to tell you the truth, sometimes can be a great challenge). For this reason, the engagement rubric is the key to helping keep me accountable too.

In my classroom, there are routines for most classroom occurrences: how to begin and end class, where to turn in papers, how to respond when I say certain expressions, how to follow my gestures when I want an all-class response vs. an individual response, and the appropriate way for students to let me know they are confused and not understanding my spoken Spanish. It has taken me years to define these aspects that make up my classroom culture, and they are aspects that must be taught often throughout the first quarter, that must be expected, and that you will have to reteach throughout the whole year again and again. To help me, I create visuals and posters of classroom routines and mantras, and as I already mentioned, I also display my daily rubrics, and all of these help us remember what I have defined to help my students be successful.

My engagement rubric clearly states what students should not be focused on, including expectations for electronics. Using electronic devices when I am providing carefully crafted target language that I hope is comprehended by students is just distracting them and not helping them acquire language. I am not anti-technology; I believe there are many appropriate times to use it while in class, like for games like Blooket and Quizlet Live, using Word Reference, and for good fact checking and learning. But being engrossed in an endless group chat, watching TikTok, or seeing the latest on SnapChat is not helping students acquire language in class. I honestly do not think most non-teachers realize what we are dealing with in regard to the endless notifications and addictive tendencies that the handy smartphones have caused.

This being said, I love social media and it has enhanced my personal and professional relationships over the past 15 years. Since my 13-18 year-old students do not really know life without it, it has certainly changed the relationships that they have with others. In fact, we know that we must think about today's generation's social-emotional needs, and we know positive relationships with adults can help students learn and grow.

Rounding out the three Rs is the third—relationships. I work to cultivate real relationships with students. Joining with the continued necessity of setting and reviewing routines and expectations and always leading with respect—this trifecta of Rs all work together to help create a safe environment where real learning can occur. In fostering relationships with my students, they complete surveys about themselves, they have the opportunity to share what they would like about themselves with me and others during class discussions, and they know what I want them to do to be successful. My classroom environment, lessons, target language usage (again to be comprehended by all), English (common language) usage, reading materials, interactive activities, and work have all been modified to support students and help them along their way. I make sure my students hear this often, and over time, I must continue to build their trust by showing them that I have their best interest in mind as we build these relationships. This can be challenging to accomplish with all students, but I continue to work at it all year.

During the first week of school, I work hard to memorize each student's first names and pronouns and call them by name often. I greet them daily at the door when they are saying the weekly password to me. I try to keep a positive and upbeat energy each day in class, but I do not shy away from being my authentic self—meaning if there is a problem or concern, I am going to address it in the appropriate way and not just smile through it. In my relationship with my students, they too need to know my “real” me, just as I want to know their “real” them, too. Of course, I have limits and, as teachers, we need limits. If we berate students, criticize them, publicly shame them, or are overly critical, why would anyone want to learn from us? This is not the relationship that most students need. Don't get me wrong—sometimes I address recurring issues and have heart-to-hearts where I hold up a mirror for them, but I do so in a way that is private and respectful.

Some teachers might read this and say, “this is not me as a teacher.” I know we might all be different in terms of our teaching styles, but I think these three Rs are quite essential for creating any productive learning environment:
-Students need boundaries and routines that are defined by the teacher or created through a community-agreement approach (but, regardless, they are still defined and upheld in some way).
-If a teacher sets up a class environment in which students cannot be successful or there is no attempt in developing a relationship with them, then why would a student want to be there?
-Respect must be felt and required by all folks in order to create a truly safe learning environment.

As a World Language teacher, I must constantly work to make a comfortable atmosphere for students to be at ease to acquire language and to just want to be there. In just five short days, I have already incorporated so many CI strategies that can be found at the new Voces Training Hub (which is free for all teachers). This collection of videos and guidance are the strategies that I am using each day in order to build the community I need for language acquisition to occur. Just like the Hub videos show, I am using the target language strategies and activities while introducing and reinforcing my expectations and hopes for creating an ideal community for language acquisition to occur. Of course, not all days are perfect and there are many bumps while on the journey, but these three Rs remain an important constant so that all of those other aspects of curriculum, content, and assessments can occur.

For more resources to help you spring into the new school year with success, start your free 10-day trial of Voces Digital today.

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Gary DiBianca is a Spanish teacher, world language trainer, consultant, coach, and AP® reader. He has presented nationally on acquisition and brain-based strategies in the World Language classroom, big picture planning and unit design, pre-AP® vertical alignment and the 21st Century World Language Standards, the inclusion of topics of diversity in curriculum, and teaching with Comprehensible Input and storytelling. As a World Language trainer and coach, he works with teachers at several national conferences. Gary's current projects include sharing his thoughts on his blog: My Mosaic of World Language Teaching and working as a consultant and writer for the online digital series Nuestra Historia and as a lead contributor to the digital text: Nuestra Historia AP: Aprender y Preparar. Gary spent twelve years working as a teacher, chair, and director at an independent school, has taught Spanish at the university level, and is currently starting his tenth year at a public school in northeast Ohio.

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What Is Comprehensible Input?

By Eric Richards

As language educators, we come across a multitude of terms, definitions, and acronyms. Some of these may be familiar to us, while others may not be. Moreover, as we find ourselves talking about SLA (Second Language Acquisition), we may also realize that others have a different idea about what a term or concept means. That is why it is important that language educators share a general understanding about the terms, concepts, and definitions that we come across and use in our field.

With that in mind, let's define and unpack one of the most common terms and concepts that we hear about in the language education field—Comprehensible Input (CI).

In this blog post, we will address the following questions:

• What is Comprehensible Input?
• What are the key principles of CI?
• How is CI effective in language acquisition? (What are the benefits?)
• How do you incorporate CI into language acquisition?

What Is Comprehensible Input (CI)?

Comprehensible Input, often abbreviated as CI, is a concept in language learning that refers to language input. It is a language teaching and learning approach that centers around the idea that language learners acquire a new language most effectively when they are exposed to input that is slightly beyond their current proficiency level, but still understandable. In other words, learners are exposed to language content that is just challenging enough for a learner to understand—generally with the help of context clues and comprehension aids—yet not so difficult that they become anxious, overwhelmed, or frustrated.

The concept was first introduced in the 1980s by linguist and professor Dr. Stephen Krashen, who developed the “Input Hypothesis” as part of his comprehensive theory on second language acquisition. Krashen's theory posits that language acquisition occurs when individuals are exposed to language input that is both meaningful and comprehensible and just beyond their current proficiency level. According to Krashen, we do not acquire language by memorizing grammar rules and vocabulary lists, but rather by understanding messages that contain structures and vocabulary that are slightly above our language proficiency level. He also contends that Comprehensible Input is essential for language acquisition.

What Are the Key Principles of CI?

1. Meaningful Context: CI is contextualized, and it emphasizes the importance of providing language input in a context that is meaningful and relevant to the learner's interests and experiences. When learners can connect the language to their own lives, it becomes more memorable and easier to retain.

2. Engagement and Interaction: CI promotes active engagement and interaction with the language. Instead of passively memorizing vocabulary lists or conjugation rules, learners are encouraged to engage in conversations, discussions, and activities that require them to use the language (in real-life situations).

3. Listening and Reading: Listening and reading are considered crucial components of Comprehensible Input. Exposure to spoken and written language allows learners to develop a sense and understanding of the language's patterns, grammar, structures, and sounds.

4. Focus on Comprehension: The primary goal of CI is to focus on understanding the meaning of the language rather than grammatical accuracy. Learners are encouraged to focus on the overall message and context, which leads to more language acquisition.

5. Implicit Learning: CI is communicative and conveys meaning, in a way that is slightly above the learner's current level. It is also not grammatically simplified. CI gives learners the opportunity to acquire new grammar and vocabulary implicitly, through meaning and context, rather than by explicitly studying the rules.

How Is CI Effective in Language Acquisition? (What Are the Benefits?)

1. Reduced Anxiety: Comprehensible Input creates a low-pressure learning environment, as learners are encouraged to focus on understanding rather than worrying about making mistakes. This can help reduce language learning anxiety and boost learners' confidence.

2. Faster Acquisition: Comprehensible Input stimulates and sustains the acquisition process by exposing learners to language input that is just slightly above their current proficiency level. When learners are appropriately challenged, it stimulates and leads to accelerated language acquisition. Furthermore, when learners understand messages in the new language, they subconsciously work to detect patterns, make connections, and absorb the language. This leads to a faster and sustained language acquisition process.

3. Enhanced Retention: CI's emphasis on meaningful context and engagement enhances memory retention. Learners are more likely to remember new vocabulary and structures when they are encountered in relatable, relevant contexts and the learner is actively engaged.

4. Natural Language Use (Implicit Learning): CI encourages learners to focus on meaning and communication rather than rigid grammar rules. It promotes more natural, implicit, and authentic language use. This contributes to fluency and effective communication.

5. Inclusive and Adaptive: Comprehensible Input is adaptable to learners of various ages, backgrounds, and learning styles. CI is easily accessible to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners and both extroverted and introverted learners. It accommodates different paces of learning, and it can be implemented using a wide variety of content that reflects the cultural and linguistic diversity of learners.

How Do You Incorporate CI into Language Acquisition?

1. Make the Language Comprehensible: Incorporate visuals, gestures, and contextual clues that make language input more comprehensible. Associating words with images and gestures can help learners understand meanings and make connections intuitively. You can also help comprehension by incorporating activities, e.g., PQA's (Personalized Questions and Answers) before listening, reading, or storytelling/asking. Previewing target vocabulary and concepts will help with understanding.

   Tip: Allow time for the learner to process! Speak slowly! Pause when you are speaking! Point at structures with their respective translations! Repeat what you said and/or say it in another (simplified) way if it is not comprehensible to the learner! Also, slow down or replay audio, and reread texts! Repetition is key!

2. Use Level-Appropriate Materials: Choose level-appropriate materials. Use texts, audio, video, and conversations that are at the learner's current level. Don't forget to focus on topics of personal interest for the learners. Also, don't forget to draw on the learner's prior knowledge. Prior knowledge makes input more comprehensible!

   Tip: Make sure the learner is reading level-appropriate material all along their language journey! The importance of reading cannot be overstated!

3. Incorporate Cognates and Shared Vocabulary: : Leveraging cognates (words that are similar in both languages) and shared vocabulary between languages can accelerate comprehension and vocabulary acquisition.

   Tip: Incorporating cognates reduces the processing load for the learner. Incorporate them where you can!

4. Scaffolded Input: Controls new vocabulary! Ensure that the learner knows most vocabulary being used before introducing new words and structures. Gradually increasing the complexity of language input, known as scaffolding, allows learners to build their language proficiency step by step. Teachers can start with basic language and gradually introduce new structures and vocabulary as learners progress.

   Tip: To start, try focusing on just three structures and build from there!

5. Engage the Learner: Engage learners in interactive conversations that focus on comprehension rather than perfection. Participating in exchanges where learners negotiate meaning and comprehend the input will produce and encourage them to use the language in a natural, authentic way.

   Tip: Make sure learners have a way of signaling (to you) if they do not understand something or start to feel anxious or frustrated! That will be your sign to slow down, repeat, and do what is necessary so the language is comprehensible to the learners.

Lastly, we cannot forget about the research and studies on CI. Research and studies have consistently demonstrated the power of Comprehensible Input for language acquisition. Studies show that learners receiving ample comprehensible/comprehended input outperform learners focusing only on grammar drills or repetition of vocabulary lists. Moreover, the research underscores its effectiveness in promoting natural language acquisition, faster language development, reduced anxiety, improved retention, enhanced listening and speaking skills, increased motivation, and adaptability to diverse learners.

In short, CI's emphasis on meaningful context, engagement, and authentic communication gives learners the opportunity to acquire new language, grammar, and vocabulary implicitly, rather than by explicitly studying the rules—all while making the language learning process natural, enjoyable, and effective.

I hope this blog post helps answer questions pertaining to Comprehensible Input and helps clarify conceptions of what CI is. I also hope that it helps you and all fellow language educators establish a general, shared understanding of Comprehensible Input (CI).

For additional CI resources, start your free 10-day trial of Voces Digital today.

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Hey Grammar-Based Teachers…This One Is for You!

By Allyn Lodge

This blog post goes out to anyone working in a hybrid situation—not the crazy in-person, remote, simultaneous mayhem we found ourselves in a few years ago. Let's leave that madness back in 2020, shall we? Rather, I'm talking about a common scenario that many World Language teachers face: having one foot in the world of CI-based instruction and another foot in the realm of grammar-based instruction.

I'm in this situation myself. My school has adopted a CI-based text (the Our Story series by Voces® Digital), but our overarching curriculum is still tied to traditional grammar points. For example, a comprehensive study of the subjunctive mood is a core unit for Level III students at my school; however, neither Notre histoire III nor Nuestra historia III present the information in this way. Afterall, they're not designed to be grammar-based titles (although they do still contain a general grammar sequence). So what's a teacher to do if she wants to teach for acquisition but is bound to grammar-based instruction in some way? Is there a way to blend these disparate methodologies?

The wonderful thing about teaching with stories is that language is always surrounded by context. Grammar “rules” are naturally embedded within every story. And the discussion that happens before, during, or after working with a story opens the door to additional exploration of grammar:

• Making predictions about what will happen to a character = Future tense
• Asking students if they've experienced something similar = Present perfect tense
• Reacting to things in a story = Subjunctive mood
• Giving advice to characters = Commands
• Discussing hypothetical scenarios = Conditional tense
• And on and on

Likewise, grammar-based tests don't have to look like, “Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb.” Assessments can challenge students to discuss a story by using specific structures. Even when I had to teach “If clauses” as a major topic, I stuck with stories. I taught “hypotheticals” by delving into Go! Vive a tu manera, a Netflix® show about a school for the musically gifted that's embedded into every title of Nuestra historia. We watched segments and discussed hypothetical scenarios regarding the show's ridiculous plotline. It's the type of program that's so bad it's good—it certainly made the grammar content I was teaching more palatable to my standard-level students. When it came time to test them, I gave them this prompt:

If a person from Go! came to our school for a day, who would it be and what would happen? Consider:

• Would they speak English well? If not, what would you do?
• If you visited two teachers/classes with this person, what would happen? What would everyone say or do?
• If they participated in a sport or activity, what would it be? What would happen?
• Do you think they would be your friend forever? Why or why not?

Prompts that ask students to relate to stories they've studied while also utilizing specific target grammar can blend the worlds of CI-based instruction and grammar-based teaching. Students can have some fun with the creative process, while also gaining mastery due to the amount of times they see or use certain structures. And what's more, they end up using structures that they need rather than being forced to memorize random verbs that happen to be irregular (caber, anyone?)

Finally, if you're a subscriber to the Our Story curriculum, then working in this hybrid scenario means you're in luck. You've got a bonus tool in your arsenal: the pencil icon, otherwise known as the Editor tool. This easy-to-use button is located at the bottom of every page on Voces' digital platform. It lets you alter whatever text you see to your liking. When I was teaching “The Subjunctive,” I tweaked sentences in Nuestra historia to start with subjunctive triggers like, “He wants that…,” “It's possible that…,” and “He doesn't believe that…” I also changed the font color of these sentences to blue so that they would stand out. The stories were there and already written out for me—all I had to do was make a couple quick edits in order to draw my students' attention to uses of the subjunctive mood. Afterwards, I asked students to practice these structures in a variety of ways. You might consider:

• Asking students to translate your blue sentences as part of homework or in class using mini-whiteboards
• Having students create T/F questions based on the sentences and playing a game afterward
• Doing a running dictation (a la Martina Bex) with these sentences

It's a balancing act to teach for acquisition while also integrating grammar exercises into daily lessons and tests. You might question whether you're leaning too much—or not enough—into one method, especially if you're working in a department that is shifting its approach to teaching or assessment. But using engaging stories with students and having them discuss and rework things that happened (both in spoken and written format) can help students move beyond just memorizing grammatical rules to developing a felt sense of language patterns. Exposing students to stories—whether it's the details of their own lives or the plot points in a fictional story—will always give them something to talk about and plenty of grammar to explore.

For more CI resources, start your free 10-day trial of Voces Digital today!

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The C.A.R. That Drives Motivation in the Classroom

By Dr. Liam Printer

I have this one student and they are just so demotivated. They have literally zero desire or motivation to learn the language.

This is probably something we have all been guilty of saying at one time or another (even those of us with a podcast and Doctorate on motivation!). In reality though, everyone is motivated by something. It is also true that some things do not motivate everyone. While we may witness the demotivated, moody, and perhaps even antagonistic behaviours of that teenager in our French class... watch them on the basketball court or energetically talking to their friends about unlocking the next level of Minecraft. It now looks like a completely different child. Adolescents, children, and adults, regardless of their age, gender, or cultural background, are motivated by the satisfaction of the same three basic psychological needs as their teachers:

Students want to feel competent.
Students want to feel autonomous.
Students want to feel connected.

These are the three psychological drivers at the heart of self-determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000) of intrinsic motivation. Competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness. The C.A.R. that drives the learning forward. When these three motivational buttons are pressed, people feel energized, engaged, interested, and excited about what they are doing. In the past 25 years, hundreds of thousands of research studies have tested and confirmed this hypothesis across a huge range of domains such as medicine, coaching, teaching, business, and... language learning.

Competence is when we help students to believe they can achieve success in our classroom. This need is satisfied when we reduce the amount of errors we correct, when we highlight what they can already do, and, most importantly, when we have a class that is rich in understandable inputs where the student feels they are able to follow everything that is going on.

Autonomy is concerned with meaningful choice—a sense of ownership and direction over the learning and by providing opportunities for students to share their own opinions and feelings about topics. Autonomy is amplified when pressure and coercion are minimized and when creativity is encouraged.

Relatedness is satisfied in our students when they can build bonds and connections to each other, to you as the teacher, and to the content. We boost a sense of relatedness when we allow students to connect their own cultures and backgrounds to that of the classroom, and when we use humour alongside warm and caring language.

So what does this look like in practice? It is often remarkably painless to plan for these three psychological needs by making some simple tweaks to our current units. Let's say you are told you have to do a unit focusing on the future tense and it should also cover vocabulary of sports and hobbies. You could do grammar worksheets, role-plays, and lists of vocabulary followed by tests, but these rarely hit any of the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Even if learning by heart or doing well on a test helps some students feel competent, it certainly will not do that for everyone. In fact it may decrease their levels of competence. As for relatedness and autonomy, well, these are left wanting entirely. Even the most well-planned role-plays are typically perceived as boring to most teenagers as there is no creativity or connection building. There is no autonomy nor competence.

Instead, we could plan the unit around that C.A.R. of motivation. As a class, we are going to co-create a suite of three entirely new sports that will go forward for selection for the next Olympic games. We start with some ground rules: the three sports must be different and must appeal to very different body types, as with other Olympic sports. Only one can have a ball element to it. One should be a team sport. One must be water-based and no animals can be involved in any of the sports. At this stage, students are already leaning in. Their creativity and autonomy is fired up. They're listening and hanging on every word you are saying (in the target language). You could now separate them into groups to come up with ideas for each one or you could do this collectively. This really depends on their level. You provide a (short) list of attributes and possible materials (pole vault, balance beam, hurdle, etc.) they can choose from. They have to name the sport, come up with basic rules, and then present it to the class. You give them an example, using lots of comprehensible language in the future tense and images to aid their understanding.

Of course, this is a hypothetical sport (for now at least!), so they will need structures like “it will have, there will be, we will use, a goal will be scored when,” etc. Once they present, we vote as a class for the winning sport. We can end with an individual written piece where we pitch the winning sport to the Olympic council and try to convince them to include it in the next Olympic games. This can also be adapted so you provide more inputs: they give you the basics for each one, you lead a ”write and discuss” around each of the three sports and then you, the teacher, present each sport in the next class and they vote for the winner. Even those students with no interest in sports will find it entertaining and interesting as their creativity is allowed to flourish. So, we have now turned a narrow, potentially boring, unit into one full of interesting inputs, creativity, and engagement. Remember that language is acquired naturally and implicitly when you focus on input that is interesting and comprehensible. By making it more interesting and engaging, you are aiding their natural acquisition of the language without them even knowing it.

Students want to feel competent: They can understand when you speak about the sport; you give them scaffolds and translations for a short set of key words and terms. They can describe and write about the sport in detail using the future tense.

Students want to feel autonomous: They have a say in what the sport would look like; their creativity is allowed to run wild. They don't have the pressure of learning lists by heart. They feel ownership over the sport they create and they get to vote on the winner.

Students want to feel connected: We are co-creating these sports together as a class. We are all building the final version together. We are collaborating in little groups to discuss the rules and materials needed. We are laughing, smiling, and learning together.

Now, let's go back to that demotivated student from the introduction. We can see now that they are indeed motivated, just not by their current learning experience. Yes, there are many external factors at play. Yes, language learning aptitude is a real phenomenon and not everyone will pick it up as easily as someone else. Maybe they will never be that super- eager, hand up, keen participant you long for, and that's ok. But by planning our language lessons for the needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness, we can at least help them to enjoy the experience and they may even learn something too!

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Breaking the paradigm of world language lessons with UDL

By Liliana Vidal

Being a language educator for more than twenty years has made me wonder many times why some of my students could not follow the pace of my classes and I started losing them throughout the year.

After reflecting and researching, I concluded that “I was not being inclusive and universal.” My classes were prepared for the average students, and I did not consider the variability of all learners. I used to craft the instruction plans for the entire classroom and to have rigid rules in the way the material was taught.

On my way to redesigning my classes, I came across Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and fell in love with it. UDL is a framework that inspires the development of environments and experiences that are flexible, responsive, and relevant to all students (Meyer, Rose & Gordon, 2014; Posey & Noval, 2020; Ralabate, 2016; Rose, 2001; Rose Meyer, 2002). It is based on brain science and evidence-based practices. It is divided into three main principles, and it allows the development of lessons that align with grade-level academic standards while considering the needs of all learners and promoting high expectations for all. Its main aim is that all students become expert learners.

In every lesson, the teacher must provide students with:

• multiple means of engagement
• multiple means of representation
• multiple means of action and expression

These three principles are linked to different brain networks. The first principle is connected to “affective,” the second to “recognition,” and the last one to the “strategic.”

UDL framework has a set of guidelines* for integrating ductile choices into curriculum and instruction. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful and challenging learning opportunities.

For me, UDL is a change of paradigm. It means re-signifying your practices, opening your mind and your heart to know your students, personalizing your teaching, promoting diversity in the classroom, and mainly making your students thrive as they are.

By embracing UDL guidelines during the lesson planning process, teachers can:

• reduce barriers* and build in flexible lanes from the very beginning
• mesh elements that address the variability and the needs of all the students
• make sure that their classes are comprehensible and engaging for all

UDL can be implemented in the four lesson components: goals, assessments, methods, and materials.

UDL can be implemented in the four lesson components: goals, assessments, methods, and materials.

This diagram illustrates the steps of the process of unwrapping standards (contents) and designing UDL-based lessons. UDL = Universal Design for Learning

Step 1. Goals: Define clear goal statements accessible for all students. Consider possible barriers that learners may encounter and hinder the possibility of reaching their goals.

Step 2. Assessments: They should be tied to instructional goals. They can be either formative or summative.

Step 3. Methods: Teachers can choose the instructional strategies they may consider useful. They must answer the following question: "What supports and scaffolds can be used as part of the instruction that can be helpful for my students to acquire the content and demonstrate what they are learning?"

Step 4. Materials: Teachers can provide a wide range of flexible materials which can support the learning process. These materials can be "low-tech tools" or "high-tech tools." The latter appears to be very convenient for creating flexible environments.

Example:

Lesson components	Skills	Concepts	UDL guidelines addressed
Unwrap the standard	*Writing narratives *Develop experiences or events	*Effective techniques *Descriptive details *Clear event sequences
Step 1: Goals	*Students will create narratives in written, oral or multimedia formats (chosen by the student)	*Students will understand the elements of effective technique in narratives (how to include details and sequence events in a clear way)	Guideline 5: Provide options for expression and communication. 5.1 Use multiple media for communication. 5.2 Use multiple tools for construction and communication. Guideline 7: provide options for recruiting interest. 7.1 Optimize individual choice and autonomy
Step 2: Assessment	Summative *The teacher will evaluate students' knowledge with a wide variety of ways such as: presentations videos drama plays written narrative *The teacher can also provide rubrics for the elements that should be presented in the narrative.	Formative *The teacher will evaluate students' creations like: storyboards graphic organizers sequencing cards *The teacher and the peers will provide feedback.	Guideline 5: Provide options for expression and communication. 5.1 Use multiple media for communication. 5.2 Use multiple tools for construction and communication. Guideline 6: provide options for executive function. 6.1 Guide appropriate goal setting 6.4 Enhance capacity for monitoring progress. Guideline 8: provide options for sustaining effort and persistence. 8.4 Increase mastery-oriented feedback. Guideline 9. Provide options for self-regulation. 9.1 Promote expectations and beliefs that optimize motivation. 9.3 Develop self-assessment and reflection
Step 3: Methods	*Students will be allowed to choose the format of the presentation. *The teacher will provide students with the necessary scaffolding to develop the components of the narrative. *Students will have the chance of rehearsing components skills.	*Group work activities: together with the teacher, students will analyze essential elements of good narrative. In order to increase relevance and authenticity, students will have to use artifacts that are meaningful to them (personal photos, objects, etc.) in their descriptions. *Peer work: in small groups to discuss their productions.	Guideline 2: Provide options for language, mathematical expressions and symbols. 2.1 Clarify vocabulary and symbols. 2.2. Clarify syntax and structure. 2.4 Promote understanding across languages. 2.5 Illustrate through multiple media. Guideline 3: Provide options for comprehension.3.1 Activate or supply background knowledge. 3.2 Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships. 3.3 Guide information processing, visualization, and manipulation.
Step 4: Materials (provide students with flexible material)	*Provide material that supports students' selected formats	Audible books Graphic organizers (digital or paper-based) Storyboard sheet/digital-storyboard maker or Storyboard That, among other apps. Recording tools (e.g., Loom screen recorder/ online voice recorder)	Guideline 1: Provide option for perception. 1.2 Offer alternatives for auditory for visual information Guideline 4: Provide options for physical action. 4.1 Vary the methods for response and navigation. 4.2 Optimize access. Guideline 5: Provide options for expression and communication. 5.2 Use multiple tools for construction and communication.

Organizing lessons around UDL guidelines can provide instructors with an incredible scaffolding to reduce barriers that exist in curricula, increase opportunities that allow all students to reach their goals, and keep high standards for all of them. Inequities expand far and wide in our language classes and UDL gives teachers the possibility of creating inclusive and universal lessons not leaving aside any pupil—just the opposite—having all of them in mind.

Assuming that barriers are in the design of the environment and not in the student allows educators to deliver classes in which all learners can participate, progress, and belong. These inclusive strategies have significantly helped me as an English teacher. However, they can also permit any other language educators who wish to favour true inclusion in their classes to make their lessons even better for all students.

* https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

*Barriers can be cultural, methodological, motivational, etc.

References:

Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., Gordon, D. (2014), “Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice”. Wakefield, MA. Enter for Applied Special Technology. Retrieved from http://udltheory-practice.cast.org/login.

Kavita Rao and Grace Meo (2016), "Using Universal Design for learning to Design Standards-based lessons”. Special Issue. Sage Open. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2158244016680688.

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Five Ways to Bring the Fun of April Fools' Day to Your World Language Classroom

By the Voces Staff

“Hello, class. Today we are going to celebrate your language acquisition with some pranks and tricks.” Starting your class with this statement just might prompt your students to wonder if you're playing an April Fools' joke on them… or if you've completely lost your mind. But it's no joke: Harnessing good-natured humor can be a great way to further your students' language acquisition. Here are five great ways that you can bring the fun of April Fools' Day to your world language classroom.

1. Start the class with humor. When it comes to world languages, less is definitely more. The more meaning you can convey with fewer words, the more impactful those words will be. This is especially true when students can associate those words with an emotional response, such as humor. Memes and short jokes in the target language can pack the perfect punch to start class on a positive note and kickstart students' engagement.

   To find memes, simply type a target word or phrase from your class into an internet image search bar and find the one that works best for you. Note that you might have to sift through some less-than-desirable examples before finding the right one, but the effort is sure to pay off! Spanish teachers can check out longtime Voces contributor Bryan Kandel's book, 300 Chistes, for a treasure trove of ready-to-use, classroom-appropriate, comprehensible jokes.

   

2. Play Two Truths and a Fib. Make honesty not the best policy by engaging students in a fun game that tests their lie detection radars. To play Two Truths and a Fib, have your students write just that: two statements that reveal actual facts about themselves and one statement that is made up. Students then read their statements to their classmates to see which super sleuths can uncover the untruth.

   Two Truths and a Fib can be as open-ended or as curriculum-focused as you want it to be. To tie it into a current lesson, prompt students to use one or more of their current vocabulary words somewhere in their statements. To keep it light, allow students to write about whatever they wish, drawing from their growing base of acquired vocabulary. You can play up to the spirit of trickery by incentivizing students to come up with the most believable fib and rewarding the student who stumps the largest number of their classmates (all the while keeping students mindful of the fact that untruths are acceptable only for this activity and not recommended for typical interactions). You'll be amazed at what your students can dream up with a little bit of language and a lot of imagination!

   

3. Read a story about an epic prank. You and your students may not be able to play pranks on one another, but that doesn't mean the characters you meet in class can't! Spark a lively discussion about the consequences of pranks—both good and bad—as you read about how a little good-natured humor and lessons learned from pranks gone wrong can help cement relationships. Voces Digital offers great stories, such as “Alima et la nouvelle fille” in Notre histoire 1, “La máquina de Dex” in Nuestra historia: Primaria 2, and “Las excusas” in Nuestra historia: Puentes, or you might feel inspired to create your own with your class!

   

4. Clip Chat a prank video. YouTube abounds with staged prank videos that are delightfully terrible. Find a video of a prank that is obviously staged (and clearly not meant to hurt), and narrate the action to your students. Stop at key moments to engage your students in discussion about the prank: What is the prankster doing now? How does the “prankee” react? Do the actors in this video make the prank look believable? Do you think someone would fall for the prank in real life? How do you think someone in your life would react if you played this prank on them?

   

5. Teach about similar days in the target culture. Humor is universal, so let your students explore how jokesters get their day in other countries. If your students haven't yet heard about el día de los inocentes or le poisson d'avril, now is the perfect time to set your routine aside and learn about pranksters all over the world.

   

When it comes to language acquisition, comedy is no joke. Try one or more of these suggestions this April Fools' Day, and see how your students' unique senses of humor shine!

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Incorporating Culture in the World Language Class

By Adriana Ramírez

Culture is an important part of our language programs. In our classes, our students not only learn the language, they also learn about the target culture. But this is not an easy task. How can we approach the teaching of culture in a respectful way? How can we avoid perpetuating stereotypes while giving our students an authentic sense of the target cultures? Can we really teach culture?

For many of our students, our classes are their first exposure, their first contact with these specific target cultures. So, we have a great responsibility in the way we approach it. It is a historical, social, and human responsibility.

From a culturally responsive perspective, we must first understand that when we approach a particular culture, we should not learn about them, but learn from them. This respectful approach means to learn from their voices, their people, their experiences. To learn from the inside out. That gives us an authentic approach to the culture. So, we want to learn from Mexico, not about Mexico. We want to learn from Colombia, not about Colombia. We want to learn from Venezuela, not about Venezuela. In this way, our students can have an authentic and respectful cultural experience within the walls of our classroom.

When learning about different countries and peoples in my Spanish classes, I make sure to use literature written by Own Voices authors: authors from those countries and cultures who share their authentic experiences and stories with us. In this way, we learn not only from the story, but also from their way of telling stories, of narrating themselves. This is important. This is also culture.

I also use videos where we can experience these authentic voices. Even though they are sometimes faster than what my students can understand, I scaffold the listening part by pre- loading words, phrases, and expressions so that they can have a better understanding of what they are saying. Or I just do the narration and we use the video as a tool for a video talk.

The other important part of incorporating culture into our teaching is assessment. How do we assess culture in a culturally responsive way? Do we assess how much the student has learned about the target culture? How do we measure that?

To assess culture, we need to think about interculturality. Let's talk about it.

What is interculturality?
According to Walter Mignolo, interculturality means that two different cosmologies are at work on the same level. All subjective understandings are part of the system. There is co- construction, not just recognition. There are no borders and centers, there are multiple centers and no borders. Interculturality leads to a pluricultural system in which there is more than one valid cosmology.

Many people confuse multiculturalism with interculturalism.

What does multiculturality mean?
Mignolo explains that from a multicultural perspective, the hegemonic principles of knowledge, education, concept of society, morality, etc. are controlled by the status quo, and as long as the status quo is not challenged, people have the freedom to “go with their cultures.”

Interculturality is not convenient for the status quo.

How does this translate into a language classroom?
When I read my book El camino del café with my IB students, they have to show their understanding of the book through an analysis of their own culture. It is very powerful to see how they can explore and reflect on their own roots and heritage while learning respectfully from another culture.

Students prepare an oral presentation about a traditional drink from their country, a drink that is part of their culture, just as coffee is part of Colombian culture. In this presentation, they approach the drink using the book as an example. For example, in the book, the story explains how coffee comes to Colombia, it talks about coffee farms, it talks about how and when we drink it, and it also talks about how so many families live from it. These would be the guidelines that the students would use to talk about their traditional drink. So, we end up learning about chai from India, green tea from China, and so many other beverages from the different cultures that my students come from.

If all of your students come from the same culture/country, you can ask them to talk to their parents and research a little bit about their heritage, their ancestors, or share with their classmates different drinks from their country.

This way, students learn from each other and those who present are proud to share a little bit about themselves and who they are.

For the written test, I have them compare and contrast what they learned from the book with their culture, or how the book made them think about their culture.

Everyone does well. Everyone has something to share. Everyone acquires new language.

So, when incorporating culture into the language classroom, remember to first use authentic resources by bringing Own Voices literature into the classroom. Second, when assessing cultural components, do so from an intercultural approach. The story, novel, or film you use in class is a way to learn more about themselves and others.

Every classroom has a cultural fabric, and when we learn about each other through stories from other countries, we make that cultural fabric stronger and more powerful.

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Synopsis:
This blog post highlights the importance of integrating culture into the language classroom in a respectful and authentic way. It suggests learning from other cultures, not just about them, by using literature and media from Own Voices authors. Assessment of cultural understanding should be done through an intercultural lens, recognizing multiple valid perspectives. Practical examples include incorporating students' own cultural backgrounds into learning and assessment. Overall, the goal is to strengthen cultural understanding and connections among students in the language classroom.

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Story-Based Activities to Help Students Relax, Move, and Focus

By Emily Meador

My elementary students stay focused throughout Spanish class when my lesson plan includes relaxing activities as well as activities that allow for movement. This may be a no-brainer for most teachers, but the importance of including both types of activities in each lesson plan did not become crystal clear to me until a few years into my teaching. In the beginning, I assumed that my younger students needed almost constant movement and that my older students would be fine sitting in the same position throughout class. After my fair share of unfocused and wiggly students, I saw the light as the result of some informative PD sessions, observations of fellow teachers, and online blogs. Now in my thirteenth year of teaching, it is very clear to me that all ages need some of each. My kinders love downtime when they can just listen to me speaking and let the words and sounds enter their brains. And my fifth graders are thrilled to play games where they mix and move around the room and have to think on their feet. I know now that including both types of activities in each lesson plan is my best bet for ensuring my kiddos are soaking up as much Spanish as they possibly can!

Relaxing Read Alouds

Some of my favorite memories from elementary school are of my teachers reading aloud to me and my classmates, losing ourselves in the worlds of books like “The Witches” and “The Phantom Tollbooth.” There is just something so calming and nurturing about sitting quietly and listening to the voice of your teacher read a good book to you aloud. I'd always thought that this pleasurable activity was firmly within the realm of homeroom teachers, but I learned through PD sessions and online teacher chats that there are hundreds of leveled readers that have been written in comprehensible Spanish specifically for students who are learning the language. I started reading books to my 3rd-5th grade students regularly, and some of their favorites are the “Brandon Brown” series, Marcos y los Reyes Magos, Isabela captura un congo, and La perezosa impaciente.

I initially assumed that reading chapter books to my younger students would not engage them, but one year when I had a challenging/wiggly/talkative second grade class, I grabbed a copy of Emily Ibrahim's Edi el elefante off my shelf (purchased at ACTFL after I'd seen her session), and it worked like a charm! For the next eight classes, I knew that I could at least spend a portion of each class reading aloud a chapter of Edi el elefante to my second-grade students and that they would not be rambunctious or chatty while I read. I have also had success and absolute engagement from my second graders with La piñata de Renata. The pictures and scenes are so amusing and outlandish. I now teach Edi el elefante at the end of my students' first-grade year and Brandon Brown quiere un perro at the end of second grade. I found myself wishing there were more compelling leveled readers for this first- and second-grade level. Thus, a few years ago I decided to write the novice-level reader Nico el ñeque, which has been a wonderful addition to my second-grade curriculum. The students have loved learning about the special relationship between a large rodent (the ñeque) and Panama's black palm tree, and they are captivated by the beautiful pictures drawn by my outstanding illustrator Oxana Cerra!

When I read aloud to my students, I either buy the digital version of the book so it can be projected on the screen for everyone to see, or I put my hardcopy under my projector. The students can simply sit quietly and listen to the book as I read it. I do some comprehension checks as I read, but they require little effort from the students to ensure they do not take away from the relaxing experience of listening to their teacher read to them. For example, if I read a sentence that I suspect some of the students did not understand, I will ask a volunteer to translate it. Or if there is a new word that repeats a few times in a chapter (like “despacito” or “de repente”), we will sing it aloud each time I get to it, or they will say what it means in a chorus. On that note, I try to pick novels that are at just the right level for my students so that they understand most of what we are reading the first time they hear it. I want the experience to feel relaxing, easy, and very low stress for my students. I even let them lie down (a treat! Especially in those post-lunchtime classes!) as long as they can see the book and they are paying attention.

More Relaxing Storytelling

There are other relaxing ways I tell stories in my classroom, such as through Story Listening and clip chats, and descriptions of these unique and engaging methods can be found with a quick search of their names plus the letters “CI” (Comprehensible Input). All of these methods allow for students to sit back, listen, and let the Spanish language seep into their heads. A teacher can choose to target specific vocabulary words or phrases from these stories or not. By “targeting,” I mean pulling out certain words or phrases from the stories and doing activities that emphasize these words/phrases in an effort for students to become very familiar with them. In my classroom, I tend not to target any words when I do Story Listening, I sometimes target words when I read a book to my students, and I almost always target words when I do a clip chat. I think this decision comes down to personal preference, teaching philosophy, and what feels right with a particular group of students.

Movement Activities

There are so many fun movement activities that can be played to complement a story. I'm going to describe one activity that targets specific words/phrases from the story, one that is based on story comprehension, and one that allows students to become very familiar with a text. Movement activities can be competitive and/or team building, and if they are compelling and fun, they will lead to very intense focus! Here are a few of my students' and my favorites.

Movement with “El líder”

For targeting specific words/phrases, my hands-down favorite game is “El líder.” I was observing my dear colleague and drama teacher Aimee Zivin years ago and saw her play a version of this game with her students. Aimee's version did not include speaking—only hand movements—and as I watched, I thought of how I could modify this game for Spanish class. In my version, one student (the guesser) leaves the room, and the rest of the students sit in a circle. The teacher appoints a leader (“El líder”), and all of the students know who this leader is, with the exception of the student who has left the room. I project several target words/phrases from our latest story on the board, and the leader begins to do the TPR sign for one of the words. (Google TPR Spanish if you do not know what TPR means. In short, it stands for “Total Physical Response,” and pairs up words with hand symbols. It's incredibly effective for helping students to recall words!) The other students in the circle follow along, repeating the same word and hand symbol over and over. I call out “¡Entra!” to the student outside the classroom, and that student returns to the classroom and starts watching the entire class. The leader then sneakily changes up the hand symbol and word, and all of the students follow suit. The guesser has three attempts to try to guess the leader. With my older students, I have them guess by saying, “¿Cómo te llamas?” If the person they guess is the leader, they say “Me llamo el líder.” If they are not the leader, they say, “Me llamo ____ (their name),” and the whole class says in chorus, “¡Qué lástima!” I always let the leader (whether they are discovered or not) be the next student to leave the classroom. That way they do not feel too upset if they are discovered because they are automatically sent to another fun role.

I can't go on enough about how much of a success this game is! My students get hundreds of repetitions of key target words from our stories, and the TPR movements and words are seared into their minds. They are so incredibly focused when we play this game that I almost never have any classroom management issues. All ages of my students love this game, and I almost always include it in a Spanish Open House or Grandparents Day lesson plan because it's fun to watch and the students shine!

Here is a slide I project when my students are playing “El líder” with words from my book “Nico el ñeque.”

Movement with “Cucharas”

A movement game that targets reading comprehension is “Cucharas” (“Spoons”). It's super easy to prep and my students love it. Before my students arrive, I come up with 10-15 sentences about the story we have been reading. Some are false and some are true. When the students arrive, I do not have this list displayed, but I am holding a copy of them—either on paper or my phone. I put the students into groups of three, four, or five (it does not matter if some groups have more than others), and I give each group one fewer spoon than there are students in the group. If there are four students in a group, that group gets three spoons. The students sit in a circle and set the spoons in the middle, evenly reachable by all students. They must all agree on a spot where to place their hands while they wait for me to read a sentence—their heads, their knees, wherever, as long as everyone in their group uses the same spot.

I tell them that if I state a TRUE sentence, they must grab a spoon as quickly as possible. If I say a FALSE sentence, they must not grab or even touch a spoon. If they grab a spoon on a true sentence, they get a point. If they grab or touch a spoon on a false sentence, they get minus a point. If two students grab a spoon at the same time on a true sentence, both students can get the point. There is no arguing when two students grab the same spoon; each student gets a point and we move on quickly to the next sentence. I used to have a scorekeeper use a white board to keep track of scores, but that was time consuming and argument inducing, so now each student simply keeps track of their own score in their minds. After a round during which I state a FALSE sentence, I allow one student the opportunity to correct the sentence to gain a bonus point. I am always wowed by how enthusiastic they are to produce true sentences and take advantage of this extra bonus point! After I have read aloud all my sentences, the student in each group with the most points is the winner.

Here are a few of the sentences I use when playing “Cucharas” with my novel “Nico el ñeque.”

Movement with “¡No interrumpas!”

This last game I call “¡No interrumpas!” (“Don't interrupt!”). In this game, for a class of 18 students, I type out 18 sentences from our latest chapter in their correct order and print out a copy for each student. The students stand in a circle, each holding a sheet of paper. Their goal, as a class, is for each student to read aloud a sentence without interrupting anyone else. One student must start with the first sentence, then another student should read the second sentence, and so on and so forth until they have read all 18 sentences. After a student has read a sentence, they must sit down to indicate they have read a sentence. Here's the kicker: the students are not allowed to communicate with each other AT ALL (no glances, no nods, and no going in alphabetical order) to determine the order in which they read. If they do, they must start over. And if there are any interruptions—even if two students speak over each other for just a split second—they must all start over.

This game is kind of a wild card as you never know exactly how long it will take a class to complete this task (I once had a class do it on their 3rd try—oops! I need a back-up activity! and I've had classes attempt it repeatedly over several classes and never accomplish the task.). And sometimes (OK… often…) the same students try to say the first few sentences over and over again and continue to interrupt each other, and the other students get very frustrated and annoyed. But, oh my goodness, when a class has attempted this several times and finally finishes all 18 sentences without any interruptions, the cheer that goes up amongst them is absolutely euphoric! It reminds me of a ropes course task that a group completes together after much focus and effort. They are all so proud of each other and of themselves, they feel closer as a class, and… they have read and re-read, and re-re-read those sentences to the point where they could almost recite them.

Relaxing Activities + Movement Activities = FOCUS and FUN!

These are just a few of the activities I incorporate in my lesson plans to create the perfect mix of relaxation and movement. I hope some of these ideas are helpful to keeping your students engaged and loving la clase de español!

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Emily Meador is an elementary Spanish teacher at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Austin, TX. She teaches primarily using comprehensible input and loves chatting about language acquisition with anyone who is interested! She published her first book, Nico el ñeque, in 2023. She has a double major in Sociology and Hispanic Studies from Boston College, and a JD from UT-Austin. When she is not teaching, she loves coaching her daughters' volleyball teams, playing pickleball, traveling to Mexico, and cooking foods from Spanish-speaking countries at her mom's fabulous summer camp for girls, Camp Amigas. You can find her and her daughters acting out stories in Spanish on her YouTube channel: youtube.com/@laschicascuentancuentos.

Synopsis:
This blog post highlights the importance of incorporating both movement and relaxation in the Spanish classroom to keep elementary students focused and engaged. The author shares personal experience and effective strategies, including read alouds and interactive games, which help students absorb Spanish more effectively.

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What's Saving My Life Right Now: The CI Teacher Edition

By Grace V. Sotomayor Mantri

Every day on my way to work, I tune in to a podcast about holistic decision making in life. The host of this show poses a wonderful question that she addresses on a quarterly, special edition episode: “What's saving my life right now?”

This can be anything, from new, useful technology gadgets, to limited options for easier decision making, helpful routines, and even people or networks that are empowering you to stay the course you're on. This concept begs the question I have for myself and even for you, dear reader. What IS saving my life? As I retransition back into the world of high school academia after being in elementary school these past three years, I offer you this curated list, hoping to spark ideas that'll make your job more enjoyable, no matter what age group you teach.

My Free Voluntary Reading Library

This is a timeless CI class routine that has numerous blogs floating around on the internet, describing the heaps of benefits this practice provides. While some of my students might joke that it's not really voluntary to read, they do get to choose whichever book calls to them, and for the first five minutes of class, they simply chill and get robust exposure to the target language through these books.

Many of my students are considered Novice Low to Novice Mid, so their reading isn't necessarily there yet. Now, the sages of CI would argue to not ask anything of the students during FVR, since it's supposed to be reading for pleasure. However, it only took me two classes to see that my students' eyes were wandering elsewhere, they were falling asleep, or they repeatedly asked me what else they could do. So, I switched things up. I began giving them guided activities to use while they are still building enough proficiency to read. This kept them engaged and even lead to interesting questions about the book they had chosen.

What did I do specifically? First, I trained them to be investigators. We went over examples of cognates before they started reading. Then, I set the timer for two minutes and asked them to jot down as many cognates as they could find in the book they had chosen. We made it into a fun competition to see who could jot down the most. And then who had the most unique cognates. This grew their confidence as they understood that it's not about what they don't understand, it's about what they do understand.

The following day, I had them search for new words that interested them in the glossary.

Finally, I snuck the interrogative words, or as they know them, question words, into our daily FVR discussion.

1. ¿Cuál (Which) es el *título de tu libro?
2. ¿Quién (Who) es el/la *protagonista de tu libro?
3. ¿Cuántas (How many) *páginas hay en tu libro?
4. ¿Dónde (Where) *ocurre la *historia de tu libro?
5. ¿Qué (What) quiere el/la protagonista de tu libro?
6. ¿Por qué (Why) te gusta el libro?

Some might argue that at Novice Low, it's too early in the school year to teach interrogative words. But the beauty of CI is that you can introduce any word or tense at any time if (and that's an important “if”) you teach it with intentionality, committed to repeating it like a relentless parrot until you see your students catching on.

In the list above, you'll also see some underlined verbs. They are considered part of The Super 7 verbs that Teri Walz pioneered back in 2013. This means that these seven verbs are the most commonly used verbs in just about any World Language. I integrate them to ease into another CI activity that fosters community building, known as The Special Person, courtesy of Bryce Hedstrom.

Lastly, you'll notice words with asterisks. These are cognates that easily enable my little investigators to understand the questions.

My students now know this daily rhythm of ours. They come into a classroom with dimmed lights, soft music in the background, and an invitation to decompress, skimming through their chosen book for the week.

HOW IT'S SAVING MY LIFE: This also helps me have a peaceful moment! I take a sip from my warm mug, check off attendance, and call up any student that I need to quickly catch up with about any important details pertaining to them. If time allows, I also take out a book to set an example for them. Once the first few minutes are up, I ask the same questions listed above and it becomes easier for them to discuss their book. For Novice Low students, the goal is that they understand me in Spanish, even if they can only respond in English or “Spanglish” at this stage. For my higher levels, I constantly volunteer to discuss my book first as a way of providing input that encourages natural output for students who are ready for it.

Everybody wins. They choose a book they like, I gather my thoughts, we all enter into a moment of tranquility, and we share a moment of classroom community.

I order all of my FVR books from www.vocesunplugged.com.

A Calendar Talk Routine We Can Actually Get Excited About

This week marks the second full week of school for me. This is usually about the time I start incorporating calendar talk as a classroom routine. Most teachers would agree that there is nothing more yawn-worthy than the unit on the calendar and weather.

But the only way CI really works is if it's compelling to both you and your students!

Coincidentally, as I write this, it's also the week leading up to my birthday. So I decided we were going to implement a calendar in the spirit of March Madness that uses my birthday as an excuse to get the kids looking forward to our special activity for each weekday.

This can be for a special theme or every day!

Like most teachers, I like alliteration, so I found something that works for the target language I teach, which is Spanish. Mine goes something like this:

Lunes/Monday: Lunes de lotería (Bingo Monday)

Martes/Tuesday: Martes de música (Music Tuesday)

Miércoles/Wednesday: Miércoles de memes (Meme Wednesday)

Jueves/Thursday: Jueves de juegos (Game Thursday)

Viernes/Friday: Viernes de videos (Video Friday)

And since there's no school on the weekend, I make suggestions on how to spend the weekend.

Sábado/Saturday: Sábado de siesta (Nap Saturday)

Domingo/Sunday: Domingo de _____

*Note: I teach at a private Christian school. So for Sunday, I would put something along the lines of God or church. But you do what makes sense to you in your school context! The point is that it's easier for them to remember if it's catchy in the target language.*

HOW IT'S SAVING MY LIFE: I am reinforcing calendar vocabulary while eliminating the decision fatigue of how I'll engage my students today. They love having something to look forward to. It keeps me accountable, making it harder for me to fall into the rut of boring input or lesson reviews. It's also an easy way to embed culture by bringing in music from the target culture, video chats, Picture Talks via funny memes, and so forth.

When you choose to commit to the same routine over and over again, you get better at what it is you're repeating, not re-creating the wheel, thus preventing burn out.

I'm already having so much fun with this birthday calendar talk, I'm keeping it!

A Teacher and Class Account with Voces Digital

I know what you're thinking. This is an ad. But really, it's not.

When I was first introduced to Voces Digital back in 2021, I wasn't sold. Mainly because as somewhat of a loyalist, I had already found my curriculum that I'd been using for years as a CI teacher.

But then, our language department and school grew overnight. Half the department loved CI, the other half wasn't sure what it was or what to do with it. After trying for nearly three years to implement a CI-only curriculum, our teachers hit a wall. With too many demands coming from Admin and the unexpected effects of a school growth spurt, we needed a compromise of CI with more traditional language teaching standards to ease the pressure of mastering different approaches each teacher was hesitant about.

Lo and behold, as I began a hunt for a resource that could deliver fast solutions to our weary department, I was reintroduced to Voces Digital at their annual CI Summit.

Our teachers like that we have access to all the different digital textbook titles. Within this menu of different titles, there are also different approaches. The series of Our Story in several languages is CI based and goes all the way up to Level 4, preparing students for AP® standards, if that's a desire.

There are also titles with more traditional approaches, such as the Voces Around the World series. Due to my department standards, this is the one my students have access to. And that's okay. Because even though I am forever a CI teacher at heart, I can appreciate the well-designed curriculum this series has, allowing for a nice blend of CI thanks to the access that I as a teacher have to their CI curriculum, Our Story. I use their CI material in class by projecting it on my smart board or printing copies of useful text and CI activities for my students, even if they can't access that particular title like I can. However, if your Admin or department is on board with your students primarily having access to the CI series, that is another great option!

My colleagues who want textbooks can also have them printed on demand with Voces.

Not to mention Admin found the prices to be much more attractive than any other digital or actual textbook out there.

HOW IT'S SAVING MY LIFE: Whenever I have to be out and there is a sub who does not speak the target language, I can assign tasks that provide either immediate feedback or limitless retakes to my students to continue to practice and interact with the target language. I can send home enrichment tasks for those who feel they need more practice without the added pressure of it being graded. I also have a plethora of resources to choose from within that platform. And thanks to the handy dandy search engine bar, I can search within the title they are using and beyond to meet my students' needs. There's also a space for teacher community within the platform where you can share resources and ask questions. I LOVE IT.

So, What's Saving Your Life as a CI Teacher This Year?

Written by Grace V. Sotomayor Mantri, author of the new Spanish 1 novel, El pelo incontrolable.

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BIO: Grace V. Sotomayor Mantri is an educator with 10+ years of experience teaching the Spanish language to Pre-K through 12th grade. Born in Puerto Rico and raised stateside, Grace's experiences of in-betweenness and multi-faceted diversity within her own family have shaped not only her identity, but also her pedagogy, as she gives a window to her students of a world often different from their own. She is the author of the new Spanish 1 novel, El pelo incontrolable, TEDx Creative Coast 2019 speaker, a curriculum designer, and Cultural Competence & Empathy director of her school community. Apart from being a heritage speaker, Grace went on to study and acquire French at university as well as Polish while living abroad in Łódź (pronounced “Wooj”), Poland. Grace's next challenge is to learn Bengali, the native language of her favorite human, also known as her husband DJ, of Indian nationality. She values family, community, her faith, and humanity. Grace is passionate about equipping each teacher she meets with the confidence to teach using Acquisition Driven Instruction.

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Crafting My Voice

By Esmeralda Mora Román

Cultural responsiveness and representation are paramount in today's classrooms. When selecting reading materials, educators must consider their student population—their reading levels, interests, and the importance of cultural competence. In writing El Cucuy and Adelita, I hoped to add to the options available for students to learn about authentic Mexican culture and for those students who love my heritage to see the culture valued and celebrated from my perspective.

My writing journey began with short stories, poetry, and academic work, but I soon felt drawn to explore themes and narratives connected to my family. The boogeyman of Mexican folklore, El Cucuy, fascinated me, and I set out to reimagine him for a modern audience. I wanted to explore the psychological and cultural significance of this figure while creating a suspenseful narrative.

One key aspect I wanted to highlight was the complex relationship between fear and resilience. El Cucuy became a symbol of both darkness and empowerment in my novel, reflecting the challenges we face and the strength we possess to overcome them. The Day of the Dead provided a poignant setting for this exploration, contrasting its themes of grief and joy with Halloween's embrace of fear.

The positive response from readers, particularly Latinx readers who appreciated seeing their culture represented, was incredibly rewarding. Following El Cucuy's success, I wrote Adelita, a historical fiction novel inspired by the women of the Mexican Revolution. Balancing historical accuracy with creative license was a challenge, but extensive research and conversations with relatives helped bring Adelita's story to life.

Throughout this journey, I've learned many valuable lessons about the craft of writing, the importance of perseverance, and the power of storytelling to connect with others and make a difference in the world. I've also come to appreciate the importance of community and collaboration, recognizing that the writing process is often enriched by the support and feedback of fellow writers, editors, and readers.

My Advice for Teachers

• Prioritize Comprehensible Input: Choose classroom books that align with students' proficiency levels, ensuring they can readily understand the majority of the content without feeling overwhelmed or discouraged. Language Learner Literature, or graded readers, are particularly useful as they are specifically designed for different language proficiency levels.
• Foster Cultural Competency: Select books that authentically represent the target culture, exposing students to its nuances, perspectives, and practices. This enhances their understanding of the broader context in which the language is used and promotes cultural appreciation.
• Cater to Diverse Learning Interests: Incorporate a variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels, to cater to different preferences. Utilize vibrant images and audio to enhance comprehension.
• Read Widely to Create a Rich Literacy Environment: Teachers should actively engage with a wide variety of books to become better equipped to create a rich and dynamic literacy environment that supports and nurtures every student's learning journey. This broader understanding allows them to provide informed recommendations, tailor their selections to students' specific needs and interests, and ensure they are offering a diverse and engaging selection of materials. For additional insights and recommendations, teachers can always consult book reviews at wearelllab.org.

Author Bio

Esmeralda Mora Román was born in Apetlanca, Guerrero, Mexico. She started teaching the Spanish language in 2010 and has a Master's in Latin American Literature and Cultures and an EdD in Curriculum focusing on language learner literature. Furthermore, Esmeralda is the founding director of the Language Learner Literature Advisory Board (LLLAB) and has presented at numerous national and international conferences, such as ACTFL and IFLT. When she is not writing or teaching, the author is busy being a mother, wife, and volunteer to local non-profit organizations in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Being an immigrant from an Indigenous community, language professional, and lifelong student makes her work a great asset to classroom libraries.

For more information please visit: www.esmeraldamora.com

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With Mindfulness, I Have Become a Much Wiser and More Empathetic Teacher

By Haiyun Lu

Standing in front of the chapel where our all-school gathering takes place, I was waiting for my Global Scholar Diploma (GSD) students to arrive. Today was a big day for them to put their research into practice: they were hosting a mock high school symposium for all sophomores. The topic was “Global Population: Fertility, Mortality, and Migration.” My GSD students had been working on this for three weeks. They were going to host two panel discussions and then lead small group discussions with the underclassmen.

I noticed Angel seemed irritated, so I asked her, “Are you okay?” She immediately shook her head and launched into a rapid-fire response: “I don't know what is going on with my group. I sent them the Google Slides and gave them my notes on the questions, but nobody replied. This panel is going to fail.”

I'd heard Angel get extremely upset before when she was overly stressed. Now, catastrophic thinking was swirling in her head. I knew instantly that if I didn't help bring her reactivity level down, the symposium could go in a very different direction than we had planned.

I put a hand on her arm and said, “Hey, listen. This is a panel discussion, not a presentation. You're all supposed to do your own research so you can have individual answers to the questions. You're not supposed to share notes. Let's take a deep breath together.”

She looked at me in disbelief, took a few steps aside, and hunched over as if she was going to throw up. I quickly waved everyone inside to give her some space because we were about to start in seven minutes. I waited for a moment. She straightened her back and walked over. “My talk is all based on the slides. Without the presentation, I don't think I can do it,” she said.

I placed my hand on her arm again and said, “Let's take a few deep breaths together.” Reluctantly, she did. Slowly, she calmed down a little. Then I said, “You can bring your laptop with you on stage. I always take my notes with me when I speak. You've done thorough research—I know that about you. I believe that when you get on stage, you'll be able to articulate your response intelligently. I trust your ability to shine.” Eventually, she nodded. We went inside with no time to spare. As you're reading this, you might think, “Wow, she's a really good teacher.” Honestly, it's more than a decade of mindfulness practice that has brought me to a place where I can check in with my own reactivity, quickly diminish it, and focus on offering a constructive response.

“What if…” is the worst fear-driven scenario in one's mind, quickly leading to catastrophic thinking and irrational reactions. Of course I noticed fear creeping in initially, but by acknowledging it, reminding myself to feel my feet on the ground, and directing my attention to empathy and problem-solving, a potential setback was diffused.

Yes, the first benefit of mindfulness is self-regulation and emotional regulation. In today's world, children are growing up surrounded by constant stimulation and have become accustomed to instant gratification. It's more important than ever to create space and time to teach them how to regulate their emotions and themselves.

I started practicing mindfulness when my son was 15 months old. As a new mom working full time without any family support, I quickly realized that the stress of raising a child mostly on my own, while working full time, could easily break me or turn me into a monster if I didn't take action. That's how I got into meditation.

Initially, I ran into many hurdles establishing the practice: there wasn't enough time, I was too tired, too busy, my son was crying or making noise—nothing seemed ideal. Eventually, I realized that a myth about mindfulness had been preventing me from engaging in the practice: that you must have a big chunk of time and a quiet place to meditate.

Back then, I had no idea mindfulness could be quick and easy: simply stop what you're doing, let your body become still, or walk to a window, stand still, and gaze outside for a while. Count your steps back and forth inside the classroom for two minutes. Gaze at a candle flame for however long your attention can hold. Sip a cup of coffee without browsing social media or listening to music. Tune into the sounds around you. Take five deep breaths. Make the exhale longer than the inhale. At first, I didn't notice the benefits of practicing mindfulness. After two years in, I began to notice that if I missed a practice, my day wouldn't go as smoothly as on the days I practiced. I became more disciplined and devoted and truly became a mindfulness practitioner. My view of my students also changed. I used to think my students' sole responsibility was to be students. The moment they walked through the door, they should be 100% ready to learn. No matter what, they should get their work done on time. “Excuses are excuses,” I used to think, forming opinionated judgments. Unconsciously, I thought that once they were in school, they were free from any personal, societal, or family problems.

Now, I no longer view my students in that way. Each of them is a fully-fledged human being whose upbringing and background form who they are and what they carry on their shoulders and in their minds. The best I can do is meet them where they are, and together, we move forward one step at a time. As a result, my classroom has become a safer, kinder, and friendlier space. Hence, the second benefit of practicing mindfulness: being in the present moment without judgment. Currently, we live in an increasingly politically divided world. Bipartisan thinking has been replaced by an “us vs. them” mentality. We judge people instantly and relentlessly. As a result, the world has become less tolerant, less harmonious, and, frankly, more dangerous for our children. It feels like we're on a bullet train speeding toward disaster, with the brakes no longer functioning. You might think one person's effort is too small to make a difference, but collectively, we can create change. Through mindfulness practice, we—and those under our care—can learn to pause, listen carefully, and build the stamina needed to engage in meaningful discussions with differing opinions. The mock symposium was well-received. By the time we got to the small group discussions, a smile had returned to Angel's face. Her eyes caught mine, and I nodded at her. Her smile brightened. Later that week in class, during check-in, I noticed more than half of the students were complaining about how tired they were. I asked them to wrap their arms around their shoulders and give themselves a gentle squeeze, then to keep massaging from their shoulders to their fingers. After three rounds, I asked them to keep hugging themselves while shouting, “I love myself! I love myself! I love myself!” They giggled hard. “Better?” I asked. They all smiled, and then I began the class. That was less than two minutes of mindfulness practice. Indeed, it was powerful enough to change the energy in the classroom. When it comes to mindfulness, people often have some misconceptions: for example, thinking you need to sit a certain way, hold your body or hands in specific postures, or do lots of breathing exercises. In fact, being mindful is about tuning into the here and now, and rising to meet whatever the moment calls for.

Last summer, I taught an outdoor mindfulness class. The curriculum centered around the five senses in nature. You could never imagine how tasting a wild herb could generate so much “noticing,” “awareness,” and “discovery.” Listening to the buzz of bees could be so wholesome, soothing, and musical—once the initial fear of being stung was acknowledged. Mindfulness practice is not a rigid formula. The moment you notice is the moment of awakening. I often say that there is no master of mindfulness—only practitioners. So, the third benefit of mindfulness practice is enhanced awareness. Awareness brings empathy and compassion. The same applies to the classroom practice: you can implement it in the beginning of a class, intertwine it throughout your lesson, or use it to wrap up your class. It can be mindful movement, mindful listening, mindful eating, mindful touching, or quiet sitting meditation. The truth is, whether you prefer a 40-day silent retreat in the Sierra Desert, meditating in a cave in the Himalayas, doing a body scan in your own bed, sipping a Mai Tai mindfully on a Hawaiian beach, running up and down a zigzag mountain trail in the Rockies, or walking through a noisy market with full awareness in New York City, all you need to do is tap into your own way of meditating. Then the force will guide you. The force will also expand your practice into your classroom. The world will inevitably become a better place once you become a practitioner.

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Synopsis: In this article, the author reflects on how mindfulness has transformed her approach to teaching: from judgmental to empathetic, from reactive to responsive, and from rigid to flexible. The article highlights three main benefits of mindfulness in teaching: self and emotional regulation, staying in the present moment, and heightened awareness. The author describes how, over time, mindfulness allowed them to see students as individuals with unique backgrounds and challenges, creating a more supportive classroom environment. Additionally, mindfulness aids in overcoming modern societal pressures, like divisive thinking, by fostering openness and understanding.

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Driving Engagement in the World Language Classroom

by Tiasha J. Garcia

Engagement is a teaching buzzword that often comes up in conversations about education. But what is engagement? How is engagement created, especially in a World Language classroom?

First of all, engagement is participation combined with enthusiasm. Engagement is what drives the World Language classroom because it creates incentive. Students want to be a part of the activities that go into language acquisition because they are engaged in the lesson.

Great! So… how do we do that?

Here are a few absolutely free, no-gimmick, no-subscription-needed ways to create engagement in your classroom.

Classroom Rules & Procedures

The importance of routines and classroom norms to create a learning environment in which students feel safe cannot be stressed enough. This can be established by having a few “umbrella” rules, rather than a rule for every occasion. Remember, upper grade students attend several different classes a day where expectations can vary dramatically. This can create stress and confusion in situations where the rules are unclear, or if there is a very long list of them.

Here are three simple guidelines that can be used or adapted for any classroom:

1. Be prepared. (Do you have a pencil? Are you awake?)
2. Be polite. (You do not have to like everyone, but everyone does have to get along. We are all in this together.)
3. Play nice. (Good sportsmanship is valued in the classroom as much as on the field. Losing at Blooket is not the end of the world.)

There are a lot of conversations about building relationships with students, and this is how those relationships are built and maintained. When students can trust that they will be safe in the classroom, then they can participate. It is especially important to protect this trust. For example, when teaching a new phrase or word, openly criticizing students' pronunciation can lead to embarrassment and sometimes even hostile resentment. If a student struggles, repeat the word or phrase correctly and immediately move on.

For example:
“Jane, ¿cuántos años tienes?” asks the teacher. (“How old are you?)

“Estoy catorce años,” responds the student. (Estoy is the incorrect verb for this construction.)

“Tengo catorce años,” the teacher replies. “OK, Johnny, ¿cuántos años tienes?”

In this example, the teacher repeats the correct present tense form of “I have 14 years” rather than converting it to the “you” form, as in, “Tú tienes catorce años,” or, “You have 14 years.” This is modeling what Jane the student should be saying without confusing the issue by using a different tense. When the teacher immediately calls on the next student, Jane feels seen without being singled out. She heard the difference between what she said and what the teacher said, but there is no criticism in this exchange. Now the next student, Johnny, will not feel afraid to participate. There is no pressure to be perfect. In this way, everyone can continue to be fully engaged in the lesson.

Incorporate Movement

The American school model has students sitting down for the majority of the day. However, with over 700 muscles and 360 joints, the human body was not designed to sit still all day. This is especially difficult for children! Incorporating movement is a great way to drive engagement in the classroom because it provides students with something they want. They want to move around! We were all literally built for it.

Let's take warm-ups as an example. If you begin class with “How are you?”, “What did you do yesterday?”, or any kind of conversation practice, it is easy to incorporate movement into this activity. Students begin addressing the partner nearest to them, often called their “elbow partner.” Before beginning the next practice of the same activity, the teacher calls on a student and asks them to choose between two words, such as “tall” or “short,” or “more” or “less.”

Say the student chooses the word “tall.” “OK, so the partner who is taller is going to get up and move,” instructs the teacher. And suddenly half the class is moving around and finding a new partner, sitting down at a different desk, and then repeating the same activity. It is good practice to use the same options, such as tall/short, for a week or so. Writing these words on the board is also very helpful for novice learners, and the instructor can point to each one as it is said aloud.

With this approach, the teacher has created not only engagement by incorporating movement and student choice but also collaborative learning and the opportunity to build community. As students practice with a new partner, they can learn a little bit about each other as the lesson progresses.

When learning this skill, some timid students may simply stand in one place. In this case it is the teacher's job to look around, spot the person without a partner, and direct the shy student to the available seat.

Just like other skills, movement in the classroom must be practiced. Students who do not follow classroom rules do not get to move around. For upper grades, I use the term “desk detention.” The student must stay at their desk for the remainder of the period instead of moving around like their classmates. This is a simple and immediate consequence.

And yes—of course all of this is happening in the target language!

In Practice

The late bell has rung, attendance has been attended to, and the teacher has discussed the agenda and learning targets for the day. Today Spanish 1 students are practicing “¿Cuántos años tienes?” (How old are you?) as the warm-up.

“Primero, practica con tu compañero o compañera,” says the teacher. “Pregunta y responde.” (“First, practice with your partner. Ask the question and respond.”) After 20-30 seconds during which students completed the initial practice, the instructor calls on random students to answer. It is recommended to call on stronger students during the first round in order to establish a good model.

Next, it is time to move students around, so that they can practice with a new partner.

“Stephanie, ¿alto o bajo?” asks the teacher. (“Stephanie, tall or short?”)

“Alto,” Stephanie responds. (“Tall.”)

“La persona que es más alta se mueve,” says the teacher, stretching a hand high up to demonstrate the word “tall” and then sweeping the hand around the room to indicate moving to a new location. (“The person that is taller moves.”)

Instantly students stand up to measure themselves against their partner—who is taller? And the “winners” move quickly, because they want to ensure that their preferred partner isn't already taken.

For fairness, after the second round of practice, the teacher says, “Anyone who didn't move last round can move this round.” And now those students are moving around the room and selecting a new partner.

During the third round of practice, one student pushed another student out of the way. The teacher called out to that student that they must return to their “homebase” seat now, because that is not appropriate behavior. (Homebase is where their backpack stays.) That student is now on “desk detention” for the remainder of the period.

In just the first six to seven minutes of class, incorporating movement has created investment in classroom procedures because students are incentivized to follow the rules by being rewarded with choice and collaboration opportunities. This simple technique can be used not only for warm-ups but for any kind of speaking practice.

Visuals & Videos

Another excellent tool for driving engagement is to incorporate visuals and videos into everyday instruction. While there are many subscription sites available, YouTube™ is free and hosts a wide variety of novice to advanced options. Especially on low-energy days, beginning class with a simple song is a quick and easy way to jump-start engagement in the lesson. In addition, many videos also feature subtitles or embed the lyrics onscreen, which benefits listening comprehension. Songs that feature an easy refrain for students to repeat helps them build confidence and creates a great segue into conversation practice.

Again, all aspects of classroom culture must be taught. Remind students that in math they must do calculations, in English they must write essays, but in World Language they get to sing! By phrasing this as a positive, students are more inclined to participate.

Finally, adding visuals to your preferred delivery method will increase student engagement. Popular social media is almost entirely a visual experience, and the human brain processes visuals much, much faster than text. Therefore, whether you present Google Slides on a screen or write on a whiteboard, including visuals will provide context and interest to your students.

Learning a new language introduces students to a greater world experience. By creating opportunities for engagement in the classroom, students are more likely to not only be successful in their language acquisition journey but also to retain their new knowledge for years to come.

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Reading Rescue: 5 Powerful Strategies to Transform Struggling Language Learners

by Margarita Pérez García

Reading challenges can feel overwhelming for both learners and educators, especially when students lack fluency or fail to comprehend written material. Yet addressing these struggles effectively is possible with the right strategies. In this post, you'll learn about:

• The three major groups of reading difficulties you will see in your students.
• How to identify these difficulties by observing your students when they read silently, when they read aloud, and after reading.
• Five practical strategies that help students:
1. Recall familiar words
2. Become familiar with unknown words
3. Gain extra support while reading
4. Engage more meaningfully during reading
5. Match more effectively with the words and sounds of the text through audiobooks

Why Do Some Students Struggle to Read in a New Language?

Reading in a new language can be challenging for many reasons. Some students have diagnosed reading or auditory processing difficulties, others experience attention or behavioral issues, and still others face neurological conditions or emotional adjustment problems. Migrant learners may be acquiring a third or fourth language, or even learning two languages at the same time, adding yet another layer of complexity. Despite these varied backgrounds, reading difficulties typically fall into three categories:

• The Poor Decoders, or those with Specific Word-Reading Difficulties, struggle to access written words. Their reading becomes an arduous, deciphering process—slow, laborious, and frustrating. This challenge is especially significant if the target language's writing system is completely different from the one the student knows.
• The Poor Comprehenders, or those with Specific Reading Comprehension Difficulties, can decode words but struggle to extract meaning from the text, despite having average or even above-average word-reading skills.
• The Non-Fluent Readers, or those with Mixed Reading Difficulties, have weaknesses in both word decoding and content comprehension, resulting in a lack of reading fluency. They struggle to read accurately, maintain an appropriate pace, and convey expression—ultimately hampering their ability to fully understand what they read.

Even before meeting your students, you might already suspect some will struggle based on their academic history or perhaps an Individualized Education Program (IEP) indicating a gap between their reading age and their actual age. You may even receive a heads-up from the learning support specialist. However, many more go undiagnosed until their difficulties surface in the World Language classroom. As students learn to read in a new context, it becomes easier to spot when they're struggling, even without a formal diagnosis. By paying attention to your students as they read, you can support them and transform their reading experience.

How Do I Know That My Students Are Struggling?

Let's talk about recognizing the signs that a student struggles—or is unable—to read. Some students find reading particularly challenging, and it can be obvious from the way they behave when they pick up a text. Other times, those difficulties only become apparent when they're asked to read aloud or work with written material. The best way to spot a reading difficulty is to closely observe your students when they are reading. Let's watch out for these Red Flags! Below are three key areas to pay attention to:

1. During Silent Reading

Some students try to engage with the text but quickly lose their place, moving their eyes around the page or relying on a reading ruler, their finger, or a small piece of paper to track each line. More often, they resort to avoidance tactics. Many who find reading difficult attempt to dodge it altogether—some claim they've finished in under a minute, yet haven't actually read anything; “I'm done!” is their go-to phrase. Others pretend to read but end up gazing around the room, fiddling with objects on their desk, or distracting classmates. Some even come up with excuses to leave class—like a sudden trip to the bathroom or school nurse—whenever reading is required.

You may also notice signs of stress or anxiety, such as fidgeting, hand-wringing, or other physical indicators that they're uncomfortable. These behaviors often reflect a desire to escape a task they find both frustrating and intimidating.

2. After Reading

Even once the reading is done, comprehension problems may become apparent. Some learners struggle with vocabulary they've seen before, unable to remember the meaning of words they just asked about. They cannot answer comprehension questions or locate information in the text. They cannot recall details, and they struggle with higher-level tasks such as summarizing, identifying key points, drawing conclusions, or making inferences. These gaps reveal deeper comprehension challenges.

3. When Reading Aloud

During oral reading, you may hear a choppy, disjointed flow that doesn't make sense. Some students have trouble sounding out words, pausing frequently. For others, reading is painfully slow and laborious—an uphill battle at every word. Some may manage to decode, but they read with little to no expression, like robots. This usually indicates that they're focusing on decoding each word rather than understanding the overall meaning of the text.

Making Reading Accessible for All: Five Practical Strategies

“It is a democratic right that all people have access to culture, literature, and information—and in a comprehensible form.”
— International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions

Now, let's take a look at five practical strategies that support every student—especially those who struggle—without putting anyone on the spot. Acquiring a second language relies on engaging with comprehensible input, which can be both auditory and textual. By making sure that texts are truly accessible, we ensure every student can engage in our class. It's also crucial for students to develop strong reading skills because everyone has the right to understand the information that affects their lives. Transforming our students' reading experience in one language will often strengthen their abilities in others as well.

1. Facilitate the Identification of Familiar Words

Giving students a chance to recognize or revisit key vocabulary before diving into a text boosts their comprehension and confidence. This helps them focus on understanding rather than getting stuck on unfamiliar words.

Reading Principles:

1. Grouping words helps students remember them.
2. Spotting unknown words before reading builds vocabulary skills.
3. Leveraging what they know fosters confidence.

Try This: Word Clouds!
Use a tool like WordArt to show the words of the text—including relevant collocations. Stick to meaningful, content-based words, using a clear, sans serif font and spaced-out horizontal layout that is easy to read. Have students race each other and circle cognates they recognize. Or match heard words to the cloud, reinforcing sound-symbol connections. There are many activities you can do with a Word Cloud, maybe for another blogpost!

Or Try This: The Three-Bucket Organizer Ask students to sort words into 1) Words similar to their first language, 2) Words they've seen before, and 3) Words that are brand new. By quickly classifying vocabulary, students build familiarity, stay engaged, and enter the reading with more confidence.

2. Facilitate the Identification of New Words

Listening can be a bridge to facilitate reading and you can use Story-Listening and PictureTalk to give your students exposure to unfamiliar words. Story-Listening, an input-based instructed second language acquisition method that provides an extensive amount of comprehensible input, can help your students become more familiar with the words they don't know. (You can learn more in my Story-Listening in School Masterclass.)

Reading Principles

• Considering the meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases develops reading ability.
• Picture scenes helps students to better remember and understand the meaning of the reading.

Try this: Story-Listening! Make a prompter with the words from the text. Tell the story using a whiteboard, providing verbal and nonverbal comprehension-aiding supplementation as you go. Ensure you “hit” every word that appears in the text before students read it. By doing this, you make decoding much easier for your students and free up more class time to “milk the text”—that is, to engage in deeper comprehension activities once they've moved on to reading.

Or try this: PictureTalk! You can do the same with a PictureTalk activity: project a photo, discuss it, and interact with your students using the new words they'll find in the text.

3. Provide Support Around the Text

Paratextual support includes all the elements you provide alongside the text to make it easier for students to understand. While preparing these may seem time-consuming, AI can streamline your reading rescue efforts! Let's focus on two effective and manageable forms of paratextual support: background information and glossaries.

Background Information

Providing background information as a supplementary reading before introducing the target text gives students a chance to review vocabulary, understand key concepts, and build confidence before engaging with the main text. It also gives them an extra reading opportunity to reinforce comprehension.

Principle: Having background information is crucial for understanding a text, as it provides context and enhances comprehension.

Try this prompt with AI:

Glossaries

Having a glossary on hand gives your students the support they need, exactly when they need it. It's a simple yet powerful tool that you can easily document in your lesson plans or administrative records. This is especially helpful for students with IEPs or those who may require extra support—whether they have a formal diagnosis or not.

Principle: Providing a glossary with definitions for all necessary words enhances comprehension by offering immediate context and clarification for unfamiliar terms.

Try this prompt with AI:

You can make things even easier by using resources specifically designed with an Easy-to-Read approach. My books for beginning language learners are written with fewer than 100 unique words, introducing new vocabulary gradually—just three to six words per chapter. They include clear, concise glossaries and definitions tailored to your students' reading age, providing context in simple English. Each book also features full glossaries with collocations and has been carefully piloted with students who struggle with reading.

4. Encourage Smart Annotations

By using annotations, they can identify what's important, surprising, or challenging, making the reading process more active and meaningful. This simple strategy supports comprehension and retention, while also helping students reflect on their understanding.

Principle: Evaluating information as they read helps students focus and engage more deeply with the text.

Try this! Have students start by reading the text silently to familiarize themselves with it. On a second read, they use simple annotation symbols to evaluate and reflect on the text: ⭐ for important information, ❗ for surprising details, ❓ for confusing areas or questions, ◯ for difficult words or phrases, ✅ for passages they understood, and ❤️ for favorite parts. Encourage students to write any additional thoughts in the margins to keep the text clean and easily revisitable. As they work, walk around to observe their progress, identifying those who may struggle—such as students marking many difficult words or questions—and provide targeted support as needed.

5. Help Them Listen to the Text

Even with support, some students may still struggle to access what is written. Providing an audio version of the text allows them to follow along and connect spoken words with the written text, building comprehension and fluency.

Principle: Listening to a text while reading supports comprehension by helping students match sounds to words, reinforce vocabulary, and better understand sentence structure. It also provides an accessible alternative for students who struggle with decoding or fluency.

Try This:
Record your texts in a clear, slow voice to guide students as they read. Alternatively, use tools like NaturalReaders or other text-to-speech apps to quickly create audio versions of your materials. You can also choose books that include audiobooks, giving students a dual reading and listening experience.

Congratulations! You've made it to the end of this post! Visit my website to access professionally recorded audiobooks for free. Happy reading!
Margarita x

Looking for Low-Prep Ways to Engage Your Students with Novels?

Also from Margarita: Teach Reading? Try This!, 2024 VOCES Spring Conference
Beginners can find joy in exploring novels with accessible language at their level, making reading an enjoyable and attainable adventure. In this workshop, we will explore 10 low-prep strategies designed to engage students more deeply and creatively with Easy-to-Read novels while developing students' reading comprehension skills.

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Voces Digital Is Proud to Sponsor the 21st Annual Cuentistas Contest Hosted by the Spanish Education Office

Voces Digital is thrilled to sponsor the 21st edition of the Cuentistas contest, an annual event held by the Spain Education Office in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. For the second consecutive year, we have had the honor of supporting this meaningful initiative by providing books as prizes for the contest winners and their teachers. This collaboration underscores our commitment to fostering Spanish language proficiency and cultural appreciation among students.

The Cuentistas contest has a longstanding history, originating in Utah in the early 2000s and expanding to include Colorado and Wyoming in 2023. Its primary goal is to encourage K-12 students to write in Spanish while deepening their understanding of Spain's vibrant culture. Maria Vazquez, the Spain Education Advisor for these three states, shared insights into the contest's evolution and purpose:

"This year, it will be the 21st edition of the contest. The contest is for K-12 students of Spanish, but the categories have varied over the years. It first started just for the state of Utah and has expanded to Colorado and Wyoming since 2023. The goal of the contest is to promote writing in Spanish and, more particularly, knowledge about the culture of Spain."

The Cuentistas Contest: A Celebration of Culture and Creativity

The Cuentistas contest encourages students to showcase their narrative and drawing skills while contributing to an annual celebration of language and culture.

Teachers introduce the contest's theme to their students, often centered on an aspect of Spanish culture such as traditions, celebrations, cuisine, or heritage. After learning about the topic, students craft their entries, which are submitted to the Spanish Resource Center in Provo for judging. This creative process not only hones their Spanish writing skills but also enriches their cultural knowledge.

This year's contest includes four categories to ensure inclusivity and recognize the diverse linguistic backgrounds of participants:

• Elementary students with Spanish as a native language
• Elementary students with Spanish as a second language
• Secondary students with Spanish as a native language
• Secondary students with Spanish as a second language

For this edition, participants will write under the theme "An Adventure in Spain." Their stories can be fictitious, partially or fully invented, or based on personal experiences. Creativity will be rewarded, with judges focusing on originality, the ability to engage readers, and the inclusion of an attractive illustration related to the story's plot. The contest runs from February 1 to March 31, 2025, inviting students to fly with their imagination to Spain.

Maria Vazquez emphasized the cultural impact of the contest:

"Every year we choose a topic that is rooted in the culture of Spain, so that the contest can be an excuse for teachers to teach about different aspects of the culture of Spain. Students learn about Spanish traditions, popular celebrations, cuisine, cultural heritage; and that is, to me, the biggest impact."

The Impact of the Visiting Teachers from Spain Program

Integral to the contest's success is the Visiting Teachers from Spain Program, a cultural exchange initiative established in 1986 by the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain. This program brings hundreds of teachers from Spain to the U.S. annually, with more than a hundred currently teaching in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. These educators play a crucial role in fostering their students' participation in the contest, often integrating the competition's theme into their classroom activities.

Good Luck to All Contestants!

As a proud sponsor of the Cuentistas contest, Voces Digital is honored to contribute to this inspiring celebration of language and culture. To encourage and reward the creativity of this year's participants, we have provided the following books as prizes for the winners:

• Nuestro mundo: Edición primaria 1 by Melisa Ferguson
• Nuestro mundo: Edición primaria 2 by Melisa Ferguson
• Zoe y Zack: Una aventura increíble by Jonathan Bowles
• Nuestro mundo: Level 2 Short Story Collection
• Nuestro mundo: Level 4 Short Story Collection
• Inspiración en la lomita by Bryan Kandel
• El carterista de Pamplona by Bryan Kandel

We believe in the power of storytelling to connect students with Spanish heritage and foster a lifelong appreciation for language learning. Here's to another successful year of creativity and cultural exploration in the Spanish-speaking community!

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Communication and Movement in the Classroom

by Eric Richards

As language educators, we must consider the role of communication in the classroom, how we deliver content, and how we engage with our students. As we give thought to this, we sometimes realize that we need to not only adjust the way we communicate with our students, but also how we approach activities in the class. We also need to consider what communication is and how we can become more purposeful in our communication and have better engagement with our students.

What is communication?

Bill VanPatten defines communication as “the expression, interpretation, and sometimes negotiation of meaning in a given context. What is more, communication is also purposeful.”

Also, according to Bill VanPatten, “Language use without purpose is not communication.” That is, we may be using the language, but without purpose, communication may not be happening—and we surely want communication to happen in our classrooms!

That begs the question, how do we communicate with purpose?

We need to communicate in a way that allows us and our students to:

• learn about each other and ourselves (build our relationships through language)
• learn about the world around us (learning information)
• entertain/create with language in fun, engaging ways (language play)

With that in mind, we can adjust our lesson plans to better meet that goal. (I have the feeling that many of us are doing this already, despite perhaps not being familiar with the definition of purposeful communication.)

One simple activity to help foster more purposeful communication is PQAs. (Personalized Questions and Answers)

• Note: Personalized Questions and Answers (PQAs) refers to asking students questions about themselves and their lives in the target language. These questions can then lead to a discussion—or even more questions—about their answers.
• Plus, a great part about PQAs is that even students with little functional language can answer comprehended questions with yes/no or one-word answers!

Movement in the Classroom

Now, as we consider how to meet our communication goals, we also need to ask ourselves if there are other approaches that could help us meet our communication goals and strengthen engagement with our students. The answer is “yes” and that is by incorporating more movement with the activities!

Let's quickly review a few reasons why movement in the classroom is beneficial (for both students and teachers):

• Increased Focus and Attention: Short movement breaks or incorporating physical activity helps students refresh their minds, improving focus and concentration.
• Enhanced Learning and Memory: Movement activates multiple areas of the brain, which enhances learning, memory retention, and cognitive function.
• Improved Behavior and Reduced Disruptions: Regular movement opportunities help reduce restlessness and behavioral issues. (Plus it supports kinesthetic learning.)
• Increased Engagement and Enjoyment: Incorporating movement makes learning more engaging, which can help increase student interest.

So, with that in mind, let's look at a simple activity with PQAs where we can incorporate more movement.

• Note: There are many ways and activities to incorporate movement into the classroom. The following activity is just one example of how to incorporate movement into the classroom simply, quickly, and effectively.
• Also, the examples are in German, but they can be done in any language.

How to Incorporate Movement with PQAs

1. If you can, make a quadrant in the middle of the room. (See picture for example.)
   1. Note: If you can't make a quadrant in the middle of the room, you can simply label four corners/areas in your classroom to substitute the quadrant.

2. Project—or write on the board—the questions. (See examples below.)
3. After the students are familiar with the questions, the students move to the quadrant/area that best answers the question as it relates to them.
4. Lastly, engage with the students in the target language at an appropriate language level.

Examples

Below are three examples of activities, questions, and engagement that incorporate movement.

Example 1

• Note: I use the first example on the second day of German I. We are focusing on the words/structures (very) good / (very) bad.

After the students move to the appropriate quadrant, I count slowly in German. I do this so they can begin hearing the language and getting repetitive input of numbers. (I do not expect them to produce any language. I just make sure the input is comprehensible.)

As this is the second day of German I, it also gives me the opportunity to begin building relationships with students. After the students move, I take a couple of minutes and ask the students what made the first day good or bad. We do this in their L1, but it is a powerful way to connect with students at the beginning of the year when they have little to no functional language in the L2.

Example 2

The following is another activity using PQAs and movement from the first week of German I.

Once your students are comfortable with a structure, e.g., “Can you play ____?”, you can incorporate a new vocabulary word using both text and pictures:

I have multiple slides with different sports, both with the word and picture (to make them comprehensible). The students move at each new slide.

As they move, I simply state—in the target language—some students who play that sport. For example, I would say in German, “Class! This is great! Five students play soccer! John plays soccer. Shayla plays soccer. And Tim and Kenya play soccer!”

Note: I count and speak slowly and deliberately. I make sure I am comprehensible. (I also use gestures to help, e.g., a gesture for play/plays.)

Then I will repeat the same process with different sports and students.

Later in the week, I also incorporate slides with different topics. These include instruments, video games, and board/card games. I repeat the same process as above, but simply adjust it to fit the topic. For example: “Wow! This is fantastic! Four students play the violin! Matthew plays the violin. Evie plays the violin. And Stephanie and Jaylin play the violin. Awesome!”

Tip: Don't reinvent the wheel! Use what you have and simply build on it! In the following example, I simply added “good (well)” to an already familiar structure. It allows you to build in new vocabulary while also changing the “feel” of the question.

Example 3

Below is another example of how you can level PQAs and movement in an activity. In this pizza topping activity, I have them sort the toppings on their note sheets (paper) according to how each student likes—or dislikes—a topping. Then they get up and move accordingly (in the quadrant) as we have a discussion. Again, I repeat: Don't reinvent the wheel! Take what you have and level it up and down where you can!

As this was in German II, I led the discussion and questions at a more appropriate level. Obviously, they know “good” and “bad,” so I incorporated vocabulary like “majority” and “minority,” e.g. After they moved, I would say, “Oh. The majority of the class likes pepperoni on their pizza.” This scenario also gives you the chance to level up and introduce a structure like, “Would you eat ….”, e.g., “Would you eat a pizza with broccoli on it?”

Note: With this activity, there are some low-frequency vocabulary terms. That is okay, because I am not expecting my students to produce them. I am using them to lead discussions and facilitate purposeful communication. However, sometimes a low-frequency word “sticks” with students, because it is important to them.

Not only does this activity provide a chance for students to see others' responses, but it also provides a chance for oral input. Students must listen to which topping I say and what questions I ask. It also gives the chance for students to respond and answer “why,” e.g., “I don't like onions. They taste bad.”

Tip: Don't forget to include yourself. After you ask your students, reveal your own personal answer to the question. Students want to hear your opinion and perhaps learn a little about you, too!

Observations

Let me share some observations from my own classroom and experiences.

This is a simple, effective, and well-received activity. The students enjoy it, and they appreciate the opportunity to get up and move around. In fact, when we do different activities that don't involve movement, they ask if they can get up and do something similar. (And when I say “no,” I see plenty of frowns.)

Also, using a quadrant for movement is simple to incorporate into existing activities; in other words, it is low prep! It can easily be used to implement question and answer responses. Plus, you can adjust the level of the questions to fit the appropriate level of target language. That means you can use the same activity for different levels!

Lastly, incorporating a quadrant or different corners/areas and movement into your lesson gives students the chance to learn about others and use the language in an enjoyable, engaging way—both non-verbally and verbally. In other words, they are (literally) moving with purposeful communication.

Lastly, I will give you a couple of things to consider. Students will sometimes move to quadrants where their friends are, even if it isn't their true answer. This can lead to side chatter (not in the target language) between peers and cause distractions. It also can bring about a lack of attention to the oral input that you are giving (in the target language). To help with this, you need to model the activity. You need to work with students and set expectations from the beginning—and stick to them! Don't forget to explain to them that you are trying to make this enjoyable and effective for everyone!

Tip: It is okay to make them sit back down and get back up and do the same activity again until they meet expectations.

Also, some students can be hesitant to get up and move. They are sometimes tired, “not in the mood,” etc. In this case, you'll need to decide if you want to encourage them to participate or let them sit this one out. You just need to find the balance that works for you (while also not abandoning your expectations!).

Note: You can incorporate movement activities in the beginning of class or in the middle or end of class. They are flexible! It just depends on what fits your needs!

I encourage you to incorporate movement-based activities into your classroom and see the positive impact they can have on student engagement and communication. These activities not only make the class more interactive and enjoyable, but they also help facilitate language acquisition and purposeful communication. They also help build stronger connections and relationships between students (and the teacher!) through the target language.

I hope you find the same success and excitement in your classroom as you create an environment where purposeful communication and movement work together to support language acquisition. Give it a try—you and your students will love it!

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Synopsis: Communication and Movement in the Classroom

This post highlights the importance of purposeful communication and movement in language classrooms to enhance student engagement, comprehension, participation, and language acquisition.

It introduces Personalized Questions and Answers (PQAs) as a technique to engage students in meaningful discussions, even at beginner levels.

It shows that incorporating movement-based activities enhances focus, memory, and engagement.

The reader will also find practical examples to show how to facilitate PQAs and how students can physically respond to questions, reinforcing language comprehension.

The post concludes with insights into managing classroom dynamics and to help create and maintain participation, interaction, and an effective learning environment.

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The Forgotten Voices: Teaching About Afro-Latinos in Southern South America

by Jenniffer Whyte

When we think of Afro-Latino heritage, countries like Cuba and the Dominican Republic often dominate the conversation. However, the Afro-descendant communities in South America—specifically in countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela—have a rich cultural legacy that remains largely forgotten or overlooked. As educators, it's crucial to shine a light on these often-hidden stories to provide students with a more complete and inclusive understanding of Latin American history and identity. In this blog post, we'll explore the Afro-Latino experience across South America and offer resources and teaching strategies for integrating this important topic into your classroom.

Why Focus on Southern South America?

South America has often been left out of discussions surrounding Afro-Latino culture, yet it holds a vibrant and important history that deserves recognition. In countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, Afro-descendants have contributed to the cultural, political, and social development of the region, despite being historically marginalized. By bringing attention to these overlooked histories, we help students appreciate the complex diversity of Latin America and foster a more inclusive learning environment.

Check out my YouTube™ video with this presentation

The Legacy of Enslaved Africans

The arrival of enslaved Africans in South America began through ports like Montevideo in Uruguay and Buenos Aires in Argentina, where they were brought to work in urban labor, domestic service, agriculture, and port activities. Over time, they and their descendants played a crucial role in shaping the cultural, political, and social landscapes of these countries.

Photo Credit: CNN en Español

In Argentina, María Remedios del Valle, an Afro-Argentine heroine, played a significant role in the Argentine War of Independence. Known as “La Madre de la Patria” (Mother of the Fatherland), her story is a testament to the resilience and bravery of Afro-descendants in the fight for freedom.

In Bolivia, Afro-Bolivians have preserved cultural traditions such as Saya music and dance, which remain a vital part of the country's heritage.

Brazil has the largest population of African descendants outside of Africa, and Quilombos—communities of escaped enslaved people—remain symbols of resistance and cultural preservation.

In Chile, enslaved Africans were brought through the port of Valparaíso and contributed to the development of cities and agriculture. Despite their erasure in official narratives, their cultural influence is evident in local traditions and music.

In Colombia, Afro-descendants have had a significant impact on cultural practices such as cumbia music and Palenque de San Basilio, the first free town for escaped enslaved people in the Americas, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In Ecuador, Afro-Ecuadorians in Esmeraldas and Valle del Chota are known for their vibrant music, marimba traditions, and rich cultural contributions.

In Paraguay, although smaller in population, Afro-Paraguayans have contributed to the cultural fabric through music and dance, particularly in the areas surrounding Asunción.

In Peru, Afro-Peruvians have deeply influenced the country's music, including the creation of iconic instruments like the cajón. The Afro-Peruvian dance tradition of festejo is celebrated nationally.

In Uruguay, Afro-Uruguayans are credited with creating that has become a cornerstone of the country's cultural identity.

In Venezuela, Afro-Venezuelan communities in the coastal regions have preserved traditional drum music and festivals, such as the Fiesta de San Juan, which are deeply rooted in African heritage.

Cultural Contributions: Music & Dance

One of the most prominent contributions of Afro-descendants in South America is in the world of music and dance.

Candombe in Uruguay
Candombe is a traditional Afro-Uruguayan music and dance form rooted in African rhythms. It emerged during the colonial period as a way for Afro-Uruguayans to retain their cultural identity and resist the erasure of their heritage. The rhythmic beats of the candombe drum have become a symbol of Afro-Uruguayan identity and are an integral part of Montevideo's Carnival celebrations.

Afro-Argentine Tango
Tango is widely associated with Argentina, but its origins are deeply tied to the African diaspora. The rhythm and style of tango were shaped by Afro-descendants, particularly in Buenos Aires' working-class neighborhoods. Despite this, the contributions of Afro-Argentines to tango are often overlooked in mainstream narratives. Teaching students about these Afro-Argentine roots can help them appreciate the rich, multicultural history behind tango.

Saya in Bolivia
The Afro-Bolivian community has preserved saya, a traditional music and dance genre that blends African rhythms with Andean influences. It's a vibrant expression of Afro-Bolivian identity, often performed during festivals and cultural celebrations. Showing videos of saya performances can inspire discussions about cultural resilience and adaptation.

Samba in Brazil
Brazil's samba, internationally recognized as a symbol of Brazilian culture, has its roots in the African diaspora. Samba was born in Afro-Brazilian communities and remains a celebration of African heritage, particularly during Brazil's world-famous Carnival. Assign students to explore samba instruments or even learn basic samba dance moves.

Cueca in Chile
While often regarded as Chile's national dance, cueca has Afro-descendant roots, particularly in coastal regions where African rhythms influenced its development. Discussing the lesser-known Afro-Chilean history behind cueca can help students challenge dominant narratives.

Cumbia in Colombia
Cumbia, one of Colombia's most iconic musical genres, is a fusion of African, Indigenous, and European influences. The African contribution is evident in its drum rhythms, which are central to its sound. Encourage students to listen to cumbia and identify the African musical elements.

Marimba in Ecuador
The Afro-Ecuadorian community, particularly in Esmeraldas, has preserved the use of the marimba, a traditional African instrument, in their music. The marimba is central to Afro-Ecuadorian celebrations and festivals, symbolizing joy and resilience. Students can learn about the marimba's origins and its role in Afro-Ecuadorian culture.

Polka paraguaya in Paraguay
Afro-Paraguayan influences can be found in the polka paraguaya and other traditional music genres. Exploring these Afro-descendant contributions allows students to see the interconnectedness of cultures in Paraguay.

Festejo in Peru
The Afro-Peruvian festejo is a vibrant music and dance tradition that celebrates freedom and resilience. Instruments like the cajón were created by Afro-Peruvians and remain a hallmark of Peruvian music. Have students explore the festejo as part of Afro-Peruvian culture and even try simple rhythms on a cajón or similar percussion instrument.

Tambor in Venezuela
Afro-Venezuelan communities have preserved tambor, a drum-based music and dance tradition that is central to festivals like the Fiesta de San Juan. It's a powerful celebration of African heritage in Venezuela. Teachers can introduce tambor rhythms in class and explore its cultural significance.

By exploring these musical and dance traditions, educators can showcase the immense contributions of Afro-descendants across South America and inspire students to recognize and celebrate the diversity within Latin American cultures.

Literature & Oral Traditions

The Afro-Latino experience in Southern South America is also preserved through literature and oral traditions.

Luz Argentina Chiriboga is an Afro-Ecuadorian writer who was one of the first writers to address the duality of African and Hispanic cultures. In her poetry and novels, she writes about women in ways that challenge preconceived stereotypes.

Afro-Colombian Literature

• Manuel Zapata Olivella (Colombia): Known as the "father of Afro-Colombian literature," Zapata Olivella's works explore Afro-Colombian identity, history, and mythology.
• Palenquero Oral Traditions: The Afro-descendant community of San Basilio de Palenque preserves oral histories, proverbs, and storytelling in the Palenquero Creole language.

Afro-Brazilian Literature

• Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (Brazil): A major literary figure, Machado de Assis, was of Afro-Brazilian descent. His works, such as Dom Casmurro, are considered masterpieces of Brazilian literature.

Classroom Activities

To help students connect with the material, here are a few classroom activities you can incorporate:

Evolution of emigration intensity from African countries (emigrants per 1000 people born in each country). Source: Global Bilateral Migration Database

1. Tracing African Migration Patterns: Using historical maps, have students trace the migration and settlement patterns of African communities in southern South America. Discuss how these patterns contributed to the cultural landscape of countries like Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile.
2. Celebrating Afro-Argentine Icons: Have students research and create a mini-biography or poster presentation on María Remedios del Valle. This project will help them understand her historical significance and learn about the contributions of Afro-descendants to Argentina's independence.

Addressing Erasure and Invisibility

Despite their significant contributions, Afro-descendants in southern South America are often invisible in mainstream culture. In countries like Argentina and Uruguay, the Afro-descendant population is undercounted in censuses, and their historical and cultural presence is frequently ignored or erased.

As educators, we have the opportunity to amplify these voices and challenge stereotypes by integrating Afro-Latino history and culture into our teaching. By doing so, we help students see the rich diversity of the Latin American experience and promote a more inclusive and accurate understanding of history.

Bringing It All Together: Cross-Curricular Opportunities

Teaching about Afro-Latinos in southern South America offers cross-curricular opportunities that integrate music, history, literature, and geography. You can create lessons that explore the African roots of tango, analyze poetry by Afro-Argentine writers, or examine migration patterns using historical maps. These lessons help students see the connections between different subject areas and deepen their understanding of Afro-Latino culture.

Sample Lesson Plan: A three-day mini-unit could include:

• Day 1: Introduction to Candombe and its cultural significance in Uruguay.
• Day 2: Analyze a poem and discuss themes of identity and invisibility.
• Day 3: Learn about María Remedios del Valle and create a mini-biography or poster presentation.

Conclusion: Amplifying Forgotten Voices

The Afro-Latino voices of southern South America have been silenced for too long. By integrating these stories into our classrooms, we not only honor the contributions of Afro-descendants but also promote a more inclusive and accurate understanding of Latin American history. Together, we can ensure that these forgotten voices are no longer overlooked but celebrated for their rich cultural heritage.

For more resources on Afro-Latino culture, check out my website and join my private group . Let's continue to share, learn, and celebrate the African roots that have shaped southern South America.

Fun facts

Complete list of countries in South America and one fun fact:

• Argentina: Afro-Argentines played a significant role in shaping the tango, one of Argentina's most iconic cultural symbols, yet their contributions are often overlooked.
• Bolivia: The Afro-Bolivian community maintains its own form of traditional Andean music, called saya, blending African rhythms with Indigenous influences.
• Brazil: Brazil has the largest Afro-descendant population outside of Africa, and Afro-Brazilian culture is deeply embedded in samba, capoeira, and the Carnival celebrations.
• Chile: Afro-Chileans in the Arica region have preserved their cultural heritage through dances like the tumbe, which reflects African roots and influences.
• Colombia: Afro-Colombians are credited with creating champeta, a vibrant music and dance style that fuses African rhythms with Caribbean sounds.
• Ecuador: The Afro-Ecuadorian community in Esmeraldas is known for marimba music, a UNESCO-recognized cultural tradition that originated from enslaved Africans.
• French Guiana: The Afro-descendant Creole culture of French Guiana is celebrated through music, dance, and the famous Touloulou costumes during Carnival.
• Guyana: Afro-Guyanese have significantly influenced Guyana's national dish, pepperpot, which has roots in African culinary traditions.
• Paraguay: Afro-Paraguayans, though small in number, have a rich history, particularly in Kamba Kua, where they celebrate African cultural traditions through music and dance.
• Peru: Afro-Peruvian culture is renowned for its traditional music, particularly the use of the cajón, a percussion instrument with African origins.
• Suriname: The Afro-Surinamese Maroon communities, descendants of escaped enslaved people, have preserved African traditions in their unique languages, music, and crafts.
• Uruguay: Candombe, a vibrant Afro-Uruguayan music and dance style, is a cornerstone of Montevideo's Carnival celebrations and Afro-Uruguayan identity.
• Venezuela: Afro-Venezuelans in the Barlovento region celebrate African traditions through their lively tambor music and dances, which are central to many religious festivals.

For your classroom - Datos curiosos sobre los afrodescendientes de Sudamérica

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Jenniffer Whyte is an experienced Spanish educator passionate about integrating Afro-Latino culture into language learning. She is the founder of “Afro Latina Teacher” and enjoys teaching through creative and inclusive approaches. Learn more at jennifferwhyte.com.

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JJ's Top Classroom Picks: Must-Have Resources to Wrap Up the Year

by JJ Morgan

Spring has officially sprung—and as usual, the weather has my head spinning! One day it's warm, sunny, and 70°, the next it's a chilly 50° and raining. While the constant changes feel like whiplash to me, I know it's even more disorienting for students and teachers alike.

This time of year, student engagement and focus often take a hit. To keep my students locked in on Spanish during the final stretch, I introduce something fresh: reading a whole-class novel! I love showing students just how much language they have acquired throughout the year.

Nothing says rigor like reading and analyzing entirely in a second language. Whether students are in Level 1 or Level 4, we spend the final 4–6 weeks on a novel reader—and they always surprise themselves with how much they can understand and express.

One of my favorite topics for this unit? Frida Kahlo.

Even if students don't know her by name, her image is iconic and instantly recognizable. Frida's story—marked by creativity, resilience, and overcoming physical and emotional pain—resonates deeply with teens. If you need a refresher on her life and art, these leveled readers are a fantastic place to start:

• Level 1: Soy Frida
  Written in present-tense, novice-level Spanish, this book introduces students to Frida's life and her most famous paintings. It's perfect for drawing personal connections and exploring how life experiences can fuel creativity.
• Level 2: Frida: Soy quien soy
  This reader brings Frida's inner world to life, exploring how her experiences inspired her artwork. Students gain insight into her motivations and beliefs, deepening both language skills and cultural understanding.
• Levels 3–4: Frida: Soy complicada
  This more advanced reader shows Frida not as the icon we know today, but as a complex human being. Students get a peek into her thoughts—often in her own words—and discover the intricacies of her relationships, passions, and legacy.

To bring their learning full circle, try incorporating the PikTok poster set into your unit. Modeled after the look and feel of students' favorite social media app, these blank posters offer endless opportunities for creative expression. Students can:

• Create a timeline of events from the novel
• “Tag” key characters and places
• Show who's “following” whom
• Summarize key moments through visuals and captions

The set includes everything you need: teacher instructions, extension ideas, and key vocabulary to introduce the activities in Spanish. I love watching my students light up with creativity while reinforcing what they learned—and I think you'll love it too!

As spring tests our stamina, bringing something fresh and meaningful into the classroom can make all the difference. A class novel like Soy Frida or Frida: Soy complicada, paired with creative tools like the PikTok posters, reminds students of how far they've come in their language journey—and reignites their curiosity when they need it most. So shake up your routine, embrace a little Frida flair, and finish the school year strong!

TD readers: books also available on Flangoo TM

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If World Language Teachers Had Super Powers

by The Voces Digital Team

World Language teachers are some of the unsung heroes of the modern world. They champion curiosity and creativity in a world dominated by standards and tests. They defend their programs against the ever-present threats of budget cuts and virtual learning. They vanquish negative mindsets and inspire students to discover more about the world—and themselves.

The tasks that World Language teachers pull off in a day really are nothing short of heroic. Now imagine if World Language teachers had real superpowers: the stuff of comic books and action figures. Here are some of the larger-than-life things World Language teachers would do if they had superpowers.

Time Travel
World Language teachers scour the world over, keeping every little menu, flyer, and memento they can glean from their trips as a way to bring the culture to the classroom. To the World Language teacher, even the most pithy item is an invaluable authentic resource.

With the ability to travel back in time, World Language teachers would have the coolest authentic resources imaginable. No longer bound by what they can gather during modern travels, teachers would collect a treasure trove of resources throughout the target culture's history. What language teacher wouldn't love a classroom adorned with memorabilia from the target culture's most iconic eras or an exclusive interview with history's most celebrated figures?

Super Speed
Teachers know that giving relevant and timely feedback on their students' work is essential to their success, but the time that grading takes often cuts deeply into planning time—not to mention teachers' personal lives. Add in staying on top of recent trends in Acquisition-Driven Instruction through great opportunities like the CI Summit, and it's no wonder World Language teachers feel like they're never quite caught up.

With super speed, World Language teachers could get all this done, and then some! With all the daily administrative tasks taken care of in the blink of an eye, teachers could dedicate even more time to creativity and relationship building, giving their students an even better learning environment.

Invisibility
World Language teachers already glide through their classrooms like ninjas, listening in on students' discussion activities to provide help and give feedback as students put their language acquisition to work. But even with the strongest relationships, students sometimes alter their speech to be “on” when they know the teacher is present, hoping to say what they think the teacher wants to hear.

With the superpower of invisibility, teachers could get past those walls that students put up and hear the true, unfiltered thoughts they express in the target language. Nothing is more gratifying to World Language teachers than to see their students' personalities shine forth, and hearing them do so in the target language would be doubly so.

Mind Reading
While every class is filled with unique personalities, sometimes a hive mentality can take over students and create an overall group vibe. Teachers have the uncanny ability to sense this happening in the first moments of class and assess whether they're in for a great class period... or a troublesome one. This is especially daunting when a sense of negativity pervades the classroom, taking the air out of even a teacher's best-planned lessons.

Teachers with the ability to read minds would be able to pick up on low moods long before students even enter the classroom. Knowing their students' dispositions for the day, teachers could adjust their lesson plans to match the group's energy and be prepared to meet students exactly where they are.

Teleportation
Every World Language teacher dreams of taking their students abroad and immersing them in the target culture. And many of them do—after months of planning, fundraising, and red tape. After all that hard work to travel with students, teachers need a vacation!

World Language teachers with the ability of teleportation could take their students on the most unbelievable field trips without any of the hoops to jump through. Every lesson could be a springboard for students to see and feel the culture for themselves. What better way to follow up a reading about Machu Picchu than to zip students over there and let them explore until the bell rings!

You might not ever be able to get real superpowers, but with a Voces Digital subscription, you have access to easy grading options, carefully curated authentic resources, and lessons and activities created by expert teacher contributors that will take your teaching to the next level. Check out your free trial today to get even closer to the superhero teacher you're meant to be!

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Celebrate: It's the Little Things

by Nicole Hartung

I teach Spanish to grades 6–8, and one of the ways we celebrate their learning is with a giant game board three times a school year–just before winter break, before spring break, and the end of the year. This game board is a labyrinth made of tarp and duct tape, and you would think that I was giving out prizes made of gold based on the excitement level of my students surrounding this review event. Students rush to class, quickly remove their shoes (socks are a must!), and swiftly write their team on the whiteboard to determine the order. It's a celebration, and a fairly significant one. Students work with a partner to show what they know and can do in Spanish. They become giant game pieces and answer questions in order to move themselves through the labyrinth path towards the center. More on this later.

I have three overarching goals as a language educator. They are to set my students up for success in language acquisition and global citizenship, to help them see and celebrate their successes, and to show them that I care about each of them as a person, not just as a Spanish student. If language acquisition is a process, or a journey, then I need to be my students' trail guide. It's my job to shine light on the path, point out the mile markers, and help students avoid pitfalls to the best of my ability. In and through all of those responsibilities, I also consider it my job to celebrate their progress. We celebrate not just at the end of a unit or semester, but all along the path. These celebrations provide them with the strength to forge ahead and reach their goals.

In order to celebrate goals, we have to set them first. I encourage students to make their goals simple and connected to what they are working on in class. In each weekly plan, I lay out two to four learning goals, get student feedback on how challenging or doable they will be to reach, and share the questions, conversations, stories, and activities that will guide them toward those goals. I want students to know that everything we do in Spanish class has a purpose, and that we can tie every lesson, story, and activity back to our goals for the week. I often utilize the Can-Do Statements from the Voces title we are using to lay the groundwork for our goals. For my students, these Can-Do Statements are short, sweet, and attainable through our in-class work.

Sometimes our goal can be to simply have fun with the vocabulary and phrases we have been using. A goal could be to play with the language through a trivia game, the Voces Game Center, or ball toss partner activity.

Short term goals like these provide many opportunities to celebrate within a class or a week. Longer-term goals could be about the ability to speak with a partner for more than two minutes during the question of the day or to write an essay that is at least three paragraphs long about a theme from our class novel.

Other times I encourage them to set goals for what they are doing outside of class to further their language acquisition. I ask them to track their own progress, and I survey them from time to time. The survey serves two purposes. The first is so I can see what they are doing outside of class and encourage them with language that is specific to their unique situation. The second is so they can take a moment to reflect and make adjustments as needed.

Once class goals, individual student goals, and teacher goals are set, we can be intentional about celebrating growth and achievement.

Why Celebrate?

• Develop positive relationships
• Make positive memories
• Show them their progress as individuals and as a group, rather than plowing ahead without ever looking back to see how far they've progressed
• Motivate them to keep going, even when the path becomes more challenging

How to Celebrate
Celebrating with students throughout the day and week helps me to walk away with a renewed/calming satisfaction. What am I satisfied with exactly? That I am setting them up for success in language acquisition, encouraging some who may not be receiving encouragement elsewhere, modeling encouragement and teaching them more than the Spanish language!

Some days I have to pause and say to myself: I haven't been encouraging and celebrating much lately, or these kids have been going through some tough stuff lately, or just one student has had a difficult time of it, and I am going to commit to celebrating them and what they do today. I will:

• Offer fist bumps
• Say affirming words on their way out
• Ask them what they are proud of on their way out
• Take my time and ask follow up questions during greetings and check-ins
• Show them an example of how much their skills have grown
• I invite an administrator or teacher in to “oooh” and “aaah” over their efforts
• Send happy notes home
• Share a personal victory and how I am celebrating my own little victories with friends, family, or on my own

Mini-celebrations have become an important part of my classroom culture, and I will never go back to simply moving from class to class without stopping for a moment to show students that they have accomplished something meaningful and worthwhile. Here are some of my favorite ways to celebrate progress with my students.

In the Moment:

1. Fun sounds, fist bumps, head nods, encouraging words
2. Stickers, prizes
3. Virtual gold stars for answering extra challenging questions
4. In upper-level classes, keep track of those virtual gold stars for a class reward once so many have been collected.
5. Keep a digital count, collect marbles, or build a Lego tower, etc.

1:1 Check-Ins:

1. "Look how far you've progressed this semester in your writing skills!"
2. "You are so close to reaching your speaking goal."
3. "Which in-class and outside of class activities have been helping you reach your reading goal? How would you like to celebrate once you reach it?"

End of Class:

1. Exit tickets: "What did you learn today?" (Even if it's only one word)
2. Songs or video clips
3. Trivia game

End of Unit/Novel:

1. Field trip
2. Café Day
3. Language partners: pen pals, video exchange, or group travel

End of Year:

1. Award certificates for Cultural Ambassador, Speaking Coach, Geography Expert, and others, recognizing their efforts and curiosity about the Spanish-speaking world.
2. Reflection journal writing - after viewing portfolios
3. Photo slideshow of class memories or projects
4. Give back! Could your students offer a bilingual storytime for children at a local library or bookstore? This is a wonderful opportunity to pass the trail guide walking stick to students. It is their turn to celebrate the language successes of others.

Impact on Students
Whether with words of encouragement that I offer to my students in the moment: reading a chapter of our class novel outside; a favorite song, cheer, or video clip–all are ways to celebrate what they know and what they can do with their language and culture skills. What I have found is that when I work toward a celebratory environment in my classes, the students are more likely to celebrate each other as well. When one student answers a challenging question, three others nearby, plus one on the other side of the room, snap their fingers or clap in celebration of what their classmate did. I verbally acknowledged that it is good to celebrate each others' effort and achievements, so they hear that and know next time they have full permission to celebrate in a safe and respectful manner.

¡Olé!
Most of the time, I initiate celebrations; other times, students initiate or request some kind of celebration for their efforts and progress. Students have asked me for years to take them to Spain. As I write this, I am preparing to take a student group to Spain at the end of the school year. This is super exciting and a huge way to celebrate their skills as we continue to make lasting memories. However, trips and large events make up a small part of the celebration success map. It's the little things: the daily smiles, nods, and virtual gold stars for doing the tough work that pave the way for a celebratory environment that invites step after step throughout the year.

For some students, those little celebrations are what keep them on the path towards language acquisition year after year. They need our help to see how much language they have acquired and how they are growing in their skills. If we don't show them, they will simply move forward to the next unit, semester, or year without realizing their own language gains. The last thing I want is for my students to go home or reach the next level language class and say, “I didn't really learn much.”

This brings me back to the giant game board. This review game is fun, but don't let the cheerful buzz on their way into the Spanish classroom fool you. The competition is fierce and the focus is as intense as it is for a Jeopardy contestant when it's time for any team's question. Students communicate in the target language according to my prompt, then roll giant foam dice and walk to their designated space on the game board. All desks and chairs have been removed and the blue tarp takes up 85% of my classroom to allow for this celebration. Prizes are awarded to teams in the order that they arrive in the center of the labyrinth. There is much rejoicing, but it's not the for prizes (that are made of paper, plastic and sometimes chocolate). They are celebrating what they know and can do and how good it is! Teamwork, problem-solving, language risk-taking–none of these would show up in a big way if we didn't celebrate the little victories all year long. It's the little things.

Celebrate Our Progress as Educators - When I have a moment, a class, a day, or a week when I have a strong sense that I have reached one or more of my overarching goals, I am compelled to celebrate it. I tell a family member or colleague. I walk to get a coffee. I visit my favorite bookstore or other happy place. I grab my reading for fun book and lose myself in an adventure for a while or I plan an actual adventure for the future. I have been known to share my little celebrations with students in the target language, which often includes a funny occurrence, an encounter with a random person, or a spilled coffee that gives them the chance to see their teacher laugh at herself. Upon reflection, I'm happy to model a little bit of personal celebration for them. If they comprehend the quick story and laugh during these moments, that's a bonus!

Confession–I am still working on revisiting the weekly goals at the end of a class or week. I don't do this enough. I am still working on providing time in class for student reflection and tracking their progress. I don't have this celebratory environment mastered yet. I would welcome your stories of how you are celebrating with your students and for yourself.

Reflection
In which area would you like to create more of an intentional plan for celebration–in the everyday or at the end of the quarter, semester, or school year? What would your students say if asked, “How do you and your teacher celebrate your learning and language acquisition?” What are the milestones or mile markers along the journey that you can help your students to celebrate? What would help you foster more of a celebratory class culture? In what ways will you take the time to celebrate throughout the next school year when you reach your own teaching goals and take a moment to recognize how dedicated to student growth you are?

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Culture: The Heart of Our Curriculum
How to Center Culture in the Language Classroom

by Adriana Ramírez

Culture—such an important yet often misunderstood topic. We talk about it constantly in language education, but what does it really mean to “teach culture”? Can we actually teach it? And if so, how do we do it in a way that is meaningful, authentic, and respectful?

As language teachers, we are the entrance door to the cultures we represent in our classrooms. Through us, our students step into new worlds, many for the very first time. But that's the thing: They're stepping into those worlds through our lens. And unless we're intentional, many of our students will continue to see these new worlds through the same stereotypical filters that have shaped public perception for decades, or even centuries.

Culture should be at the forefront of what we teach—not as an afterthought or a “Fun Friday” activity, but as the center of our curriculum. However, centering culture doesn't mean teaching it however we want. It's not about stringing together a few activities about food, music, or holidays and calling it a day. Reading a book about Colombia written by someone who has never lived there or doesn't come from that culture doesn't “cover” culture. Because this isn't about checking boxes.

Teaching culture in the language classroom is about respectfully and thoughtfully engaging with cultural perspectives from an intercultural lens. That's where we need to start.

From Learning About to Learning From

Interculturality means that all voices at the table have the same weight, the same value, and the same right to be heard. If students are learning about a culture through the voice of someone who doesn't belong to that culture—someone who doesn't speak from the land, the history, the lived experience—then interculturality is not happening. Instead, we're often reinforcing old systems of power and silencing the very voices we're supposed to be uplifting.

So, here's the first key shift: We move from learning about a culture to learning from it.

That means we need to be mindful of whose voices are present in our curriculum. Check the authors of the books you bring into your classroom. Are they writing from within the culture, or simply about it? Choose texts written by own-voices authors—those who write from their own cultural identity and lived experiences. That is the foundation. Now, let's explore how to incorporate these powerful stories into your teaching.

Novels As Cultural Windows

The most powerful way to center culture in your class is through novels. Stories allow students to connect deeply with people, places, values, struggles, and joys that they might not otherwise encounter. When students fall into a good book, they don't just learn, they feel.

Choose two novels per course. These books should be appropriate for your students' language level, so you need to pick books written specifically for that level. Not every student will be at the same place linguistically, and that's okay. Through scaffolding—before, during, and after reading—you'll support their growth and comprehension.

For example, for Level 2 students, I highly recommend starting with Arepas, ¿de dónde son? by Adriana Ramírez (me) and ending the course with Arepa vs. Arepa by Margarita Pérez García. These books are part of the Amor de Arepas collection.

Teaching Through the Novels

You don't have to wait until the end of the course to begin. You can introduce the first book after a couple of months, once your students are comfortable with basic reading.

Before each chapter, prepare your students. If using the Amor de Arepas books, you can use the teacher's guide (both books come with a TG and an audiobook), but you can also implement your own strategies:

• Give a preview of what the chapter is about.
• Draw key scenes or concepts on the board.
• Introduce characters and settings before students encounter them in the text.
• Talk about the potential conflicts and cultural themes ahead of time.

Then, read with your students. Read aloud, pause often, ask questions, and co-construct meaning. After each chapter, summarize the story together and retell the events with student input.

If you're using the Amor de Arepas books' teacher's guides, you'll also find comprehension and personalized questions that spark deeper understanding and discussion. Both books are rich with cultural elements. And since one prepares the students for the other, they flow beautifully. At the end of the course, you can even plan a culminating cooking project where students make arepas together—a true celebration of learning and culture.

Interculturality: A Two-Way Street

As students read and engage with the stories, make space for them to connect what they're learning with their own cultures. That's what interculturality is all about. It's not just about exploring the target culture—it's also about validating and uplifting your students' own cultural identities.

Encourage students to draw comparisons between their culture and the one in the book. Ask questions like:

Does your family have a food that represents your culture like arepas do in Venezuela and Colombia?

What traditions or foods bring your family together?

What do you think are the stories behind those foods?

This opens space for them to dive into their own identities, share with classmates, and feel proud of who they are—while also learning to respect and appreciate something new. In this way, culture becomes a living, breathing presence in your classroom, rather than a distant concept.

Why Novels Work

Why do I recommend centering culture through novels? Because when you open an own-voices book, you are opening a door to that culture. You are inviting students into a world that speaks for itself—not through stereotypes, but through voices that belong.

Once students are immersed in a story, it becomes easier to go deeper. For instance, with the Arepas books, students don't just learn about a food item. They learn about identity, belonging, history, pride, and community. Each TG includes a song performed by artists from the region and relevant to the book's theme. That's another layer of culture. Because culture is music. Culture is language. Culture is the way we tell our stories, the way we see the world.

These books let you bring all of that into your classroom. Students will explore the origins of arepas, how they are made, and why they matter. And then—they'll make them. They'll smell them. They'll eat them. They'll connect all their senses to the cultural learning that has been slowly building over time.

Then, offer them a chance to reflect and share about a food that's important in their own culture. What stories does that food hold? What does it represent for them? Could they bring it in and share it with the class?

Now culture is no longer an abstract concept—it's something we can touch, taste, remember, and respect.

We have a big responsibility. We are the first point of contact for our students when it comes to the cultures of the language we teach. So, let's ask ourselves:

Are we perpetuating stereotypes, or are we opening doors?

Are we playing into simplified narratives, or are we helping our students see the full, complex, beautiful picture?

Let's slow down. Let's read together—one chapter at a time. Let's read with them. Let's pause, discuss, and ask questions. Let's sing songs from the culture. Let's draw connections between their worlds and the ones we're introducing. Let's cook. Let's taste. Let's celebrate.

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Adriana Ramírez is a Colombian author, Spanish teacher, and teacher trainer. She teaches all levels of Spanish, from beginners to IB students, using comprehensible input methodologies. She regularly coaches other teachers and presents workshops in Canada, the United States, and Europe. She also has a double major in Psychology, a degree in Clinical Psychology, and a master's in education. She has a great passion for sharing the beauty of her country and her people with the world; you can see this love in all of her published novels. You can find her on IG at @veganadri, at adrianaramirez.ca, and at her YouTube channel: Teaching Spanish with Comprehensible Input.