Speaking from the Heart

Emerging Output

2011-11-29T03:08:58Z

I am lucky enough to have a sixth class this year. (Contractually, we have 5) It's a first period group of just seven students.   Their schedules just didn't allow them to fit into any of the other classes, so I agreed to have this group as a sixth.

First, let me tell you that they are simply phenomenal young people and an incredibly blessed way to start my day.

They are also a fairly diverse group.   I could attach any number of labels to them, if they would help you to understand them. Some are jocks, some are in theater, some are in a committed relationship, some haven't even considered a boyfriend or girlfriend, some are perfectionists, some are classic "underachievers", some are serious, some are hysterically irreverent.

Most of them have been my students for three years. They are in the high school Level 3 class, which means that they are actually in their fourth year of Spanish because they had a year of Intro to Spanish in grade 8.

What has been so wonderful for me, because this group is so small, is that I can really monitor their level of output. That has been fairly easy to do in writing...but this year I have been able to really pay attention to where each of them is verbally....IN CONVERSATiON, not in a formalized, prepared testing format.

Where are they? At the tipping point ! Some of them...have already clicked in and actually aren't even aware that they are speaking in Spanish to me on a regular basis in class. :o)   Not just when we are in a story, or working with a project, or discussing a "scheduled" topic, but just because they entered the room where Spanish is spoken.

And....speaking with each other in Spanish as well.

I'm not going to draw attention to it. :o) A couple of them are still holding back...waiting for a little more confidence.   so I'm waiting for it.

Don't my level 1 or 2 students do this? Yes...but as students....not as speakers of the language. It's a bit difficult to put into words...but I can see it, as well as hear it, when they come in and start to interact with me in the room.

I'm really looking forward to the next half of the year. :o)

with love,
Laurie

Clarcq 2011

I Think I Need to Start Videotaping...

2011-11-29T02:47:14Z

This year I am teaching Spanish 1, Spanish 3 and Spanish 4....with students of every imaginable level within those three classes. I am having a terrible time trying to pay attention to how well I am doing staying the target language. A simple way would be to have a student tally statements in English. But I need to do something so that I know that I am on the right track.

Clarcq 2011

I Think I Need to Start Videotaping...

2011-11-29T02:45:35Z

A Powerful Example of Acquisition

2011-11-27T22:14:11Z

This weekend a former student, and friend of my son, was at my house visiting. She brought a killer artichoke dip and an even more delicious story. She also gave me permission to share both with you. :o) (I’ll post the recipe at the end!)

Kasie graduated two years ago, and was a Spanish student in grades 8 and 9. It’s been over four years since she has been in a Spanish class. She is a volunteer for a local Ambulance Corps and responded to a call near her home. When she arrived, she found the patient already surrounded by local sheriffs, state police, border patrol and EMT’s. “Do you speak Spanish?”, they asked her. “Well I took a little in high school, but that was years ago.” “That’s more than we have, you have to help!”

It was pandemonium. The victim was an undocumented worker and had been stabbed in the abdomen. Panicked by the appearance of so any law officers, the young man was “freaking out completely, “ according to Kacie. So was Kasie. The officers were ready for action with weapons ready and surrounding the victim. The victim was hysterical and Kacie was worried that the situation would escalate and she would be caught in the middle of it.

That didn’t happen. The credit goes to Kasie, who remained calm and collected on the outside despite her inner panic. How? She is an incredible young woman, full of grit and passion and strength. She was able to talk to the young man, in Spanish, defuse the situation and get the young man the medical attention that he needed. How? She opened her mouth and Spanish fell out. She told me that she didn’t really think she knew what to say, but in the moment, she knew exactly what to say and said it. She didn’t think about what to say or how to say it. It was just there. She related the entire conversation to me and here are some of the phrases that she used to communicate with the patient:

Cálmate. (Calm down)

Necesitas ayuda. (You need help)

Quiero ayudarte. ( I want to help you)

¿Cómo estás? (How are you)

¿Tienes mucho dolor? (Do you have a lot of pain?)

¿No comprendo. (I don’t understand)

Habla más despacio por favor. (Speak more slowly please)

Vamos al hospital. (We’re going to the hospital)

Hay un problema con tu…..ombligo. (There is a problem with your….belly button)

Necesitas un doctor para el problema. (You need a doctor for the problem)

Hay sangre. (There is blood)

Es necesario. (It’s necessary)

Tienes que escucharme. (You have to listen to me)

These are the statements that she used in Spanish to me when relating the story. WITHOUT ERROR!!!!!!!! And under great pressure.

I can tell you that she never once had a thematical unit on illness, injuries or the hospital…only TPRS and other forms of comprehensible input in grades 8 and 9…four years ago.

Nor was Kasie one of those students who soaked up Spanish like a sponge. She was a hard worker, lots of fun and enjoyed class while she was in it. But she wasn’t one that downloaded music, changed the sound track on movies or sent text messages to her friends in the language. She did what she needed to do when she was in class, but her passions and interests were elsewhere outside of class.

That, my friends, is the power of ACQUIRED language.

The most beautiful part? She doesn’t even know how phenomenal it was that she was able to use that language when she, and this victim, needed it. In truth, she was more overwhelmed by the presence of so many armed officers than by her ability to listen to, understand and communicate with the patient.

And she asked me for a list of phrases that she can keep in the ambulance because now that they know that she “speaks” Spanish, she’s pretty sure that they’ll be asking her for more help of that nature.

Kudos to this brave young lady!!! (She’s only 19!) Thank you to TPRS and all of you who helped us to teach her using this approach.

With love,

Laurie

P.S. Kasie’s Awesome Artichoke Dip

8 oz of softened cream cheese

1/4 C. mayonnaise

1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 C. grated Romano cheese

1 clove garlic peeled and minced

1/2 t. dried basil

1/4 t. garlic salt

14 oz can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 C. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1/4 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and lightly grease a small baking dish

2. Mix all ingredients except for mozzarella cheese and place in baking dish.

3. Top with mozzarella cheese.

4. Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly and lightly brown.

Enjoy!!

Clarcq 2011

Susie Gross in New Jersey!!

2011-11-12T01:51:28Z

Susie will be presenting a workshop on Saturday, March 24th in Pennasauken, New Jersey...just across the river from Philadelphia!!

The workshop will be held at Bishop Eustace Prep School and will be focused on Levels 2 -AP. This is a fantastic opportunity for us in the Northeast. Please mail Carol Hill at chill1019@gmail.com for more information.

I hope that you can make it!!!

with love,
Laurie

Clarcq 2011

Believe in Me

2011-11-03T01:14:30Z

I tried not to, but I have gotten pulled into Oprah’s Life Class on her new network: OWN. It’s become addictive. I haven’t signed on to the website and started my own private journal or tweeted but I find myself looking for the next show so I can learn more. I channel-surfed looking for another channel but landed back on OWN. You see, sometimes the world aligns so that you hear the absolutely perfect message.

It didn’t really start with the Oprah class. It started with the program preceding it: The Rosie Show. Another show that I didn’t really plan to watch. It was a tribute to Phyllis Diller. I was too tired to move and just let it play. Until Phyllis spoke about a comedian who gave her a compliment when she first started her career. She said, ‘For the first time, someone that I believed in, believed in me.” And Rose repeated “Sometimes that is the turning point, when someone you believe in, believes in you.”

Wow.

As adults we have two jobs. In order to be a person that can better the lives of children is to a) Be someone a child can believe in. b) Believe in the child.

That woke me up and tuned me in. And kept me so focused that I stayed awake to watch the next Oprah class…which…as God or the universe…..whichever you prefer….would offer…is about validation.

The last hour has been so aha-producing that here I am writing a post before it is even over. It started with a quote by Toni Morrison. A question actually. She asked, “When a child walks into the room, do your eyes light up? Does that child know that you care that he or she exists?”

Now there is this man talking to his abusive parents (who aren’t there but his wife is standing in to be a person who actually hears him). Listen to the things he says :

“You didn’t have children because you wanted children. You had children because you thought they would make you happy. We can’t and now you punish us every day. We are not people to you. We are just one more thing that you hate and you can punish us for it.”

Oh my. How much of the reason that we do our job is because we love how being good at a language makes us feel? How important is it that our students “respect” us by following our rules (write in black pen, don’t hand in pages ripped out from a spiral notebook, don’t be absent on test day)? How bent out of shape do we get when a pep rally or field trip or Honor Society induction get our perfectly constructed schedule out of whack? How frustrated do we get when they don’t do homework, fail tests or don’t come in for extra help because it destroys everything we’ve tried to do?

Or did we get into teaching because we truly love our students?

Is teaching about us? Or is it about them?

If I’m being honest.

Then I have to ask myself… Do I communicate my joy in my students and in teaching? Or, am I transferring my own frustration about not being seen and heard as an educator to my classroom? Am I, while I am in front of my students, forgetting to put people before points and relationships before data?

I think it can be very easy for our students to become the targets of our own anger, about situations that they have no control over, because they are our captive audience. Sometimes there is a fine line between keeping them informed of how the world works and keeping them informed about how the world works us.

“What I need is for you to teach me how to love. How to show love, how to receive love, how to appreciate love. Show me how to treat other people with respect. Show me how to make other people feel precious. I want to be able to do that but I just don’t have any idea how. All I know is what you show me.”

What if, just what if, I am the only adult that will hear this message from a child? What if, just what if, I am the only adult he or she might be willing to listen to about this kind of learning? Am I there? Am I doing what I need to do?

Do I hear my students asking, “Do you believe in me?”

And what answer do my actions give?

Thanks Ms. Diller. Thanks Rosie. Thanks Ms. Morrison. Thanks Oprah.

With love,

Laurie

Clarcq 2011

It's that Classroom Management time of year.....

2011-10-26T01:39:11Z

On the wonderful bulletin board at www.TPRStalk.com, Susie posted a request for responses to a teacher who had written her with classroom management struggles.   The teacher felt that her best day had been when she brought in candy as a reward.    I started to respond and then it got so long that I went "post"al instead with it.   My heart goes out to anyone struggling with classroom management.   At one time we have all had a group or groups that made us want to tear our hair out.....and praying for the magic formula to make a group 'work"....or at least not be the stuff our nightmares are made of. We try any number of approaches.....including attempts to win them, or at least their behavior with rewards like candy.

Candy works only when it makes a rare occurrence.....and it is presented as a gift.   "I thought about you today and brought this to show you my appreciation of your spirit and willingness to be a part of this class." This is love.

When candy is a reward it can lead to an ever-escalating "Me me !! " situation.   What happens when a teacher can not afford candy, when the principal says no candy, when students start to get angry because it isn't their favorite candy, etc.? In my case it turned into bitter and angry and resentful feelings IN ME!!! because they were ungrateful....when in reality I had set them, and myself, up for it by bribing.

Classroom management is so hard.   It once was governed by clear rules and boundaries, parental and administrative support, and a general respect for the institution and adults.

None of those things are guaranteed today and it truly is about the relationships in the classroom.   The most powerful relationship is between the student and the language.    When that is strong and positive, discipline problems virtually disappear.   But that takes time, and the erasing, for many students, of many years of negative conditioning about school and language "study."   That is why, as Susie so often says, "Success is the best motivator. "

The next most powerful is the relationship between the students themselves.    Again, they come to us with their own histories and we must handle what already exists.    We could try to make them "behave" a certain way because they like us as teachers, but in middle school and high school, the opinion of peers FAR FAR FAR outweighs the opinion of any adult.   What we can do is to establish very clear boundaries about the language, facial expressions, gestures and interactions that we believe will help to create a positive relationship among our students.

The third most important relationship is our relationship with our students.   It is, however, the one area we have the most control over, so it behooves us to invest the most energy here.   It is not a one-step solution.   It is layers and layers and layers of interactions between us and our students, individually and collectively.    With love, with love,with love.

The least important relationship is the one between the teacher and the language.   Sadly, in many rooms around the world this is the strongest relationship in the classroom.   Our passion for the languages and cultures so dear to our hearts is a lovely thing....but it is OURS.   Not our students'.   It should be a tool that we use to help strengthen the relationships above.

How does this help with classroom management? Make a list of what you do as a teacher to "manage" your classes.   Which category do they fall into?   The most energy and effort should go into the first two categories....finding ways to connect students with the language (using CI +P) and helping students to be safe with each other.    By conducting ourselves in the most caring, professional way possible in the relationship with have with our students, and by not letting our own interests in a topic erase our efforts to connect kids with language, with each other and with us ...we can really improve our classes.

In time. In our own way. In small steps. In a way that allows for dignity.   With patience.   With optimism. With appropriate boundaries. With consequences. By being honest. By being appreciative. by being kind. By being responsive.

and never, ever giving up,
with love,
Laurie

Clarcq 2011

The Blessings of a Team: NYSAFLT 2011

2011-10-22T21:02:50Z

What a gift to be able to watch my colleagues present last weekend!!!!!!!!!! I could rave on and on about how fun, intelligent,gifted, creative and powerful they are, but I think that they would protest. J

What I would like to do is share the insights that they gave me through their presentations. Not only ideas and information, but also techniques and personal touches that affected me.

There is no such thing as too slow or too repetitive in a beginning level language class. Ever.

I don’t know Hawaiian and I don’t know Czech and I NEEDED the extremely slow and repeated process. Even then, I frequently felt “lost”…..and believe me, they couldn’t have gone much slower!!!!!!!

A student needs the speaker to pause in order to have “processing time.” I don’t need it for my second language, Spanish, unless I am in a conversation with native speakers whose speed blisters my brain. I still need it for French, and I have had hours of French instruction.

It isn’t that I just need a slow pace in the delivery of the language….I needed a pause between chunks of the language so that my brain could make the leap from “yes I know that” to “yes I know what that MEANS.”

During the Hawaiian and Czech demos that pause saved me completely.

Susie’s encouragement to “Teach To The Eyes” is probably the most important thing that a teacher can take from a CI/TPRS® workshop.

There is always a better way to do everything. Gary and Michelle Kindt’s template for circling was amazing and helpful and a true TOOL for teachers.

Teachers need differentiation too. As wonderful as that template was, there were still teachers that needed a script rather than a template in order to begin the circling process.

Facial expression and vocal variety are the difference between an interesting interaction and a compelling interaction. Much of what makes this group of presenters stellar is their ability to reach outside of their “personal” box and step up onto their “teacher” box. Up there on that box, a smile, a wink, raised eyebrows, a dropped jaw add drama and passion to the endless repetitions.

Varying which words in a sentence receive the stress is an easy way to add variety.

“I” know which one is right.

I “know” which one is right.

I know “which” one is right.

I know which “one” is right.

I know which one “is” right.

I know which one is “right.”

Students can sense our level of peace, tranquility, patience…I saw that over and over again….and so I assume that they can probably sense our lack of those things as well.

No one is perfect….and in those moments when we misspeak, or forget something…we become totally human, totally real….and a role model for our students.

Each time the teacher used a complete sentence in the target language, and I understood it, I felt like Einstein. (and thank you Rochelle for showing us how to refer to our students as Einstein #1, Einstein #2 etc…that was priceless!!)

Training students to use the “I don’t understand” signal is AMAZINGLY AMAZINGLY AMAZINGLY POWERFUL.

ANYTHING can be the topic of conversation or lead us to a story. Even a necktie like Gary’s. J

It’s never too early to introduce characters in literature or the stories from literature, even if the literature itself is still out of reach.

Some things must be experienced to be believed. Practice before standing up in front of kids is so important.

Checking for understanding is like breathing…..we must do it often to stay alive in the classroom. (Gary and Michelle added it to the Circling Template!!!! Positive, Either/Or, Negative, Question Word, Check for Understanding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brilliant!!)

Getting to know the culture of our students is priceless. How can we know what they need if we don’t understand what they already have and where they get it from? Not only can it help us to make input compelling, it can give us the knowledge to act as mentors and role models and to avoid being duped or manipulated by any students.

Character Ed can be an integral part of a CI classroom.

The students in the class are THE most interesting main characters in a story.

Sigh….and that is only a glimpse of the wonderful things I was blessed enough to see last weekend….Thanks to you all!

With love,

Laurie

Clarcq 2011

We Are Here To Help

2011-10-22T20:11:18Z

Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to be part of the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers’ Annual Conference. Under the inspiration and encouragement of Lizette Liebold, a group of us presented a “strand” of Comprehensible Input/TPRS workshops and coaching sessions. From Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon, participants had the opportunity to attend workshops on Embedded Reading, A TPRS demo in Hawaiian, An explanation of the three steps using Czech, The skill of circling via Spanish, and the skill of Personalization using French. On Sunday morning we offered two coaching and Q and A sessions back to back (almost 4 hours!!!!) .

This weekend reminded me how much a CI-based program offers….especially in terms of teacher support and collaboration….offerings that I guess I had taken for granted until I watched folks new to the process try to wrap their heads around all of the help and support being offered to them.

First, the presenters were a team. I’ve never been to any workshop where this occurred and I LOVED BEING PART OF IT!!! The group included Terry Thatcher Waltz, Teri Weichart, Rochelle Barry, Gary DiBianca, Lizette and myself. Whenever possible, all of the presenters were in each workshop. We acted as host(esses), secretaries, Vanna White’s, gofers and cheerleaders. Because of this…

We were all getting to know the participants. While some folks floated in and out, a core group of attendees developed, and we were able to get to know them over the course of the weekend.
We could refer back to any of the presentations during our presentation, making connections for the participants.
We could see each other in action. I’ll save all of my excitement about this for the next post! :o)
Participants saw us support each other, encourage each other, and care about each other…..even though we came from school districts hundreds of miles apart.

The amount of resources available to teachers is really staggering:

Local coaching groups
NTPRS
Workshops offered through Blaine Ray TPRS®, TPRStorytelling, BER, Susie Gross, Teach for June etc.
Webinars offered by the above.
The invitations to go to observe schools where TPRS is used.
CICS Coaching help www.cicoaches.com
The moretprs listserv via Yahoo groups and www.TPRStalk.com
Blogs by Ben Slavic, Michele Whaley, myself and others (see bottom right of this page!!)
Materials to use with students
DVD’s with teachers using TPRS
Offers to Skype

I could tell that the teachers were skeptical about the support being offered. What is this collaborative spirit thing? I had forgotten that outside of the CI world that there is a very competitive and protective out there. Even in a venue DESIGNED for sharing such as the NYSAFLT conference, there was a different level of cooperation and support being offered through this strand.

It wasn’t until late in the day on Saturday, and during the coaching/Q and A sessions on Sunday that I saw teachers really accept the idea that we are all in this together. Not only did they open up to how to incorporate these ideas into their own classrooms, but they started to really connect with each other, teaming up by language or level, exchanging emails and planning activities. So cool to see!!!

With love,

Laurie

Clarcq 2011

FVR Experiment in Levels 3 and 4

2011-10-22T02:13:36Z

I still utilize the “Book Circle” with my Level 3 and Level students, but I really wanted to up the ante with them and get them reading the short novels on their own. By the time they are in Level 3 they have read between 3 and 5 novels ( ie Pobre Ana, Casi Se Muere, El Primer Trabajo de Roberto, Viva el Toro!,El Viaje de Su Vida) in class. But they have done very little novel reading independently….only an occasional exercise in class.

So, with the goal of developing successful independent “novel” readers, I experimented with a new “free reading” time in my Level 3 and Level 4 classes. Here is an explanation:

I created a “pile” of books to choose from: 5-8 copies of each of the following:

Berto y sus Buenas Ideas , Pobre Ana Bailó Tango, El Viaje Perdido (Blaine Ray)

Las Aventuras de Miguelito, Cartas a Susana, Roberto Cumple Diez y Seis, El Sueño de Linda (Teacher’s Discovery)

I have others, but I kept them aside to use later in the year!!!

Then, I explained how reading would make acquiring language so much easier and faster (citing Krashen) and I asked students to look through them and pick one that they felt that they could read without assistance. I gave each student an index card and asked them to record their name, the title and author of the book. Then they had 10 minutes, in silence, to read.

At the end of the 10 minutes, I asked them record the following on the card: 3 sentences in Spanish summarizing from the book, copying straight from the book if desired, the page where they stopped and the last sentence read. Then I asked them to write one, just one, word or phrase that they wished that they had known.

Finally, if they wanted to continue reading that book that they should circle the title. If not, draw a line with through the title and give me a quick reason why: boring/easy/hard etc. I collected the cards in an envelope and they piled up the books.

It was quick and easy to glance over the cards and write in the meanings of words they requested. If they requested a change of books, I offered a suggestion.

The next day the students picked up their cards, looked them over, and made their book choice for the day. They read for 10 minutes; this timefor 5 minutes in silence and 5 minutes with music playing (a new song I wanted to do with them later in the period.) When time was up they again recorded the page and line where they ended. I asked for two sentences summarizing new developments in the story, in Spanish. I asked them to answer two questions: 1. Was it easier to read in silence or with music? 2. Was the reading easier or harder today?

Today, we used another 10 minutes. Again, I used 5 minutes in silence and 5 minutes with music. I was ASTONISHED at how quickly and easily they fell back into reading their novels!!!! At the end of the reading I asked them to again record where they had stopped and to list three characters in the story…and one adjective/noun to identify or describe that character.

My observations:

THE MOST POPULAR BOOK WAS THE EASIEST BOOK. By far, Berto was the book of choice and it is listed as a middle school reading on Blaine’s site. It is about a soccer-playing mouse. Those reading it, loved it. Those who didn’t, wanted it. One senior boy came back in later in the day to borrow it to read during senior study hall!!! It was a huge confidence builder. Even some of my brightest, fastest readers chose it. Of course, they finished all 21 pages and then went on to another more challenging book. But I am convinced that the 20 minutes they invested in that “too easy” reader were exactly what they needed.
Re-reading was very helpful. I did not give the questions for the cards until AFTER the 10 minute readings were completed. I did not want them reading for the answers. This way, they all went back and re-read in order to answer the questions. Two for one!!! Whooo hooo!!!!
This was the right time to start. My Level 3’s were not ready last year and my Level 4’s had the skills last year but not the confidence.
They needed to make their own choices. I cringed at first when my best readers grabbed up the easiest reader, on purpose. But as I said, it was a good choice. Other students chose books that I would have labeled as far above their reading level…..but they loved the challenge.
They feel so empowered to be able to read and comprehend these novels on their own.
Some liked music playing, others didn’t. Some only liked it if it was music they didn’t know so that they didn’t get distracted by the song.
It was important to begin with three days in a row so that they could get used to the idea. Next week we’ll read for 10-15 minutes every other day.
They were eating up the new verb patterns that they came across.

My 9^th period class has about 5 really reluctant readers. The first day was not much of a success with this group of kids. The second day was better. I also added some of our embedded reading packets as a reading choice and that helped. Today I offered them a different option. I played the songs via music video on the smartboard, using videos that showed only the lyrics (not scenes or pictures). Students could choose to read a novel and face away from the screen, or read the lyrics on the screen. Lyric readers had to write 5 known and 5 unknown words/phrases for each songs. I played four songs, alternating songs they knew with songs that they didn’t know. ONLY my reluctant readers chose the lyric reading. …and they really attended well. Not the same level of independent reading, but it was a start.

With love,

Laurie

Clarcq 2011

FVR in My Level 1 Classes

2011-10-22T01:15:23Z

First, let me clarify that my Level 1 classes are actually in their second year of instruction. They have spent one wonderful year with my colleague Nancy in 8^th grade. When they come to my room they are Year Two students in what we call High School Level 1. These are heterogeneously grouped classes and this year I am team-teaching one wonderful class. (Another wonderful colleague teaches the other Level 1 classes this year) The class that I am team-teaching has 22 students. Eight of them are receiving some sort of resource room help or have IEPs. Two have had no Spanish but are excellent French students (non TPRS), one has had no Spanish but is a former German student in another district. One was studying Spanish in another district (also non TPRS) . Three of them could probably jump up to a Spanish 2 class and still excel. The other nine fall somewhere in between. The class consists of two seniors, one junior, two sophomores and seventeen freshmen. A very diverse group. :o)

Each time we do a reading activity it is a real challenge. They are all over the board in ability and interest. Embedded Readings have been a big help, but it is wonderful to have two teachers in the room so that we can work in smaller groups from time to time.

This group of students is new to me, and we are only eight weeks into the school year. We have worked hard to get a community atmosphere in here and clarify our expectations, systems and interactions.

Now it’s time to add a little FVR to our mix. Generally in Level 1 I start FVR at a time when the students are already in a quiet place…..during a quiz. :o)

Thursdays are quiz days and by now they are used to that routine. We have also been working to get them familiar with how we give and use quizzes (to plan for the following week-in the grade book only if 80% of the class gets an 80% or above),the “Háblame” section at the end (we pose a question about their world and accept answers in English, Spanglish or Spanish ), how we collect quizzes (always face down) etc.

Starting this week, students will start quiz day by heading to the table in the back where we’ll have the FVR books and magazines out (children’s books, comics, magazines, newspapers, Embedded Readings that have been typed up, instructional manuals, etc in dishpans from the Dollar Store). Each student will pick 2-3 items to bring back to their desk for after the quiz. As soon as s/he finishes the quiz and turns it face down on the desk,s/he can open up any one of the reading materials and enjoy.

When everyone has finished, and the last person done with the quiz has had 3 minutes or so to read, we collect the quizzes and give them a few minutes to share with classmates the books that they were reading.

I really don’t care which reading materials they choose and often the most popular ones are children’s pop-up books. :o) I can walk around, help out with quizzes, see how students are doing, answer a question about vocab in a book and “sub in” a book I think a student would like.

Once we have done that for several weeks, I’ll give them a few Mondays with”The Book Circle.” We sit in a circle with the desks and I ‘randomly” hand out 2-3 reading materials to each student. I’ll start a song and that is the signal for silence and reading. At the end of the song, the students get about one minute to share/talk about the book. Then they must pass one or two books to the right. They can pass the one that they were reading, or, if they want to stay with it,pass the ones that they receive from the student to their left! It allows students who need change to change, and those who want to continue to continue. Then I start up another song and off we go. I’ll start with 3 short 2-3 minute songs and build to 4- or 5 longer songs. Once they are familiar with the format we’ll do it once a month or so.

I’ll let you know how this year’s group responds!!

With love,

Laurie

Clarcq 2011

For Carol...

2011-10-11T01:50:14Z

Here is an abbreviated version of Carol's post:

Hi Laurie,

.. I have a question regarding my situation that may be similar to other teachers. ..

...I'm teaching ESL in High School for the first time. (I have already taught ESL in JHS using tprs for 2 years.) But my HS students have had 7-8 years of English. The level of my best class is B2-C1 in Europe, I guess Intermediate High or even Advanced Low.

I want to continue using tprs. I am finding some things fairly easy to adjust like circling .... Free writes work splendidly well, as well as class stories but I need to up the level....

Reading, however, is more difficult for me.... IN JHS, I used your embedded reading techniques and it's fantastic. But I'm finding it too time consuming since the readings MUCH longer... plus I have 6 new preps this year. I've been teaching backwards, finding vocab and having them use it first. But it's not falling into place like it should, there's no 'ahha' feeling. They are reading and understanding but it's flat....

Dear Carol,

First I want you to take a minute and focus on what is working well!

You are in a new school with new students and they are responding !!!! Many teachers in this situation end up “treading water” for a long time. It takes a while for students to settle in and to trust us. It takes even longer at the high school level!! I can also imagine that your students have had several ESL teachers so their walls are up and functioning big time!!! The fact that you are winning them over is a fantastic and amazingly wonderful thing!!!!
You wrote, “They are reading and understanding.” YES!!!!!
You wrote, “I am finding some things fairly easy to adjust like circling (I repeat back what they say and what I say, and 'or' works well especially if done with silly funny things) “
“Free writes work splendidly well, as well as class stories”

These are great accomplishments in a short period of time and with High School kids!!! Enjoy that a bit. Let your students know that these are successes and that you are impressed.

Next, there is a giant emotional chasm between the responses of middle school students and high school students. Middle schoolers are responsive, enthusiastic, energetic and passionate. High schoolers are (when in the presence of adults in authority) reserved, condescending, critical, apathetic and way too cool for school. (when they are only with their peers they are often vastly different than they are in class). It takes months to get them to commit to the “working together” concept, even with a teacher that they like. Truthfully, the good “meshing” doesn’t start until February…and in some classes I’ve seen it take until May. And sometimes the chemistry of the group doesn’t allow it to happen at all.

Third, their language abilities are much more advanced. You only need circling on structures that are new or that give them trouble and you can go deeper and “up the level” as your instincts suggest.

You were able to use the Embedded Readings successfully with the junior high kids because you knew them well and had readings that connected with their interests and their reading level. That is your goal now with the high schoolers. Also, in JH, your goal was comprehension….in HS we want to move it up Bloom’s Taxonomy: prediction, compare/contrast, prediction etc.

Lastly, your HS kids are ready to do more output. It’s time for discussions, debates, presentations, writing story books etc. Incorporating output with input at this level will get you more of that “aha” interaction that you are looking for.

What materials are you using? Is it all created from student/class stories? At this level, my suggestion is to use materials that you find on the internet. Find an article just above their comfortable reading level. Copy and paste it into Word. That is your final reading. Copy and paste it again….and take out words and phrases…about ¼-1/3 of them. Do that 2 more times and you have an embedded reading. Copy and paste and reduce….much easier than write and add for you when preparing for your more advanced readers!

Another time saver which is a language builder is to have a story that they adapt. Not all stories work well with this but many do. For example, we read The Aztec Legend of the Corn in Level 2 and then they adapted it to create their own Marcus Whitman (our district)’s Legend of the Corn. It required them to not only read and understand, but to read again, carefully, to determine which lines needed to stay, which needed to go and which needed to be changed.

Tie into music whenever you can. It's great input for high school kids. Duke's site has TONS of songs already worked for you and your kids here: www.escuelaschool.com

Be patient. Be positive!!! Good things are happening. You will learn to read this age group and to connect with their interests as the year progresses. Their "aha" moments don't always shine in their eyes and in their smiles like their younger counterparts...but in many ways their "aha" moments shine deep, deep inside...and for the rest of their lives.

with love,

Laurie

Clarcq 2011

Great Questions Part 2

2011-08-14T19:26:50Z

Laura also wrote:

We live in the reality of having to produce a grade. How do you grade your students?
What does your grade represent?

First, grading has to fulfill the district, building and departmental requirements...especially in larger districts.

In my program, we have a few requirements that are outside of my control ie how much each marking period is weighed, whether or not to give midterms and finals and how those exams are weighed.     I worry about what I do have control over.

1. I give a quiz every Thursday.   I do NOT tell students what is on the quiz. The purpose of the quiz is for me to evaluate where students are so that I can plan for the following week.   IF 80 % of the students achieve an 80 % or higher, I put the grades in the gradebook.   If not, I don't. The quiz may take 10 minutes or 40, depending on how much information I require. (they usually average 15...I hate to give up interaction time!)

This gives me between 6-10 quiz grades per marking period. I vary the quizzes so that at least three skills: Reading, Writing and Listening are evaluated at least once per marking period. Speaking evals are included in Levels 3 and 4.

2.   I collect at least two assignments per week...FROM WORK WE HAVE DONE IN CLASS. This could be adding details to a story, a written translation, a picture drawn from a reading, a poem written from lines of a song or any number of different activities.

3.    I usually have 1 homework assignment per week that I collect and mark as a 0, 50, 75 or 100.

4. Once each marking period, especially in the upper levels, students have a short "project" to complete: The requirements are broker down into steps and credit is given for each step completed.   Students have enough class time to complete the project with a passing grade. Students who want a higher grade will work outside of class.    It may have an output component but always involved some form of input as well. (I'll try to post some of these later ....)

This actually gives me at least 20 "grades" in the book for each student per marking period. I have tried all kinds of weighting systems only to find that none of them really makes a difference.   I simply total them all (they are out of 100) and divide by the number of grades.   If a "project" was really involved I will simply put it in twice.   j

I put as little emphasis on grades as possible.   I don't go over tests/quizzes/homework in class. Ever.   I will discuss things with students after school.   My quizzes often involve choice: Here are 15 sentences,...illustrate or translate any 10.   If I have planned well, conducted classes well, written quizzes well and designed projects well...it all leads to acquisition.

It does take some students (and parents) time to adjust to not knowing their own personal "point value" at every given moment. If it is extremely stressful for an individual, I will encourage him/her to meet with me after school and we go to Quia or another online format that fills that need for evaluation and quantitative feedback    By the end of the first marking period however, they see that their grades are high and that they have really acquired a great deal of language and success.

It works for me. Keep asking questions about what is not clear...

with love,
Laurie

Clarcq 2011

Great Questions

2011-08-14T18:51:09Z

aura asked a number of great questions on the last post. I will try to address some of them here.

How do you get there? Which system do you have that replaces participation points that works? How do you deal with discipline (attitude, absences, English). Which is the social contract you have with your students and parents? How did you reach this social contract?How do you enforce the rules that make daily living (la convivencia) possible?

Below is the contract that I created to address these issues. When I have an administration that requires a signature, I'll collect that. Our Dean of Students and Principal have a copy. A copy is on my website and a copy is sent home to parents.

The key to this, however, is taking time the first week of school to address each point below:

Sus Derechos y Sus Responsibilidades

Your Rights and Responsibilities

1. You have a right to be treated as an individual who interesting, capable, and

important.

You have a responsibility to treat others the same way.

2. You have the right to a positive learning environment every day.

You have the responsibility to learn and accomplish something positive every day.

3. You have the right to be informed about the academic and personal goals of this course and your progress towards those goals.

You have the responsibility to complete the class work and homework designed

to help you achieve these goals and to monitor your progress.

4. You have the right to communicate with me in a respectful and appropriate manner about issues that affect you in class or in this building.

You have the responsibility to communicate with me whenever you have a

problem, question, or concern about issues in this class, or your achievement in this

class.

You have the responsibility to communicate if you, or anyone else, is in danger of

physical or emotional harm.

These are posted in the room and referred to as necessary. We address them as "new information", one per day the first week...IN ENGLISH...along with any number of team-building and get-to-know-you activities in Spanish.

I address infractions to the above immediately and directly...although not always publicly. A one-to-one conversation often goes a long way. The first two are the most important. As the teacher, I have the final say if there is disagreement on what kind of behavior falls "outside of the lines". I briefly mention and discuss "boundaries" so that students understand that there is a need to have lines drawn for appropriate/inappropriate behavior.

The most effective way that I have found, thus far, to address "out of bounds" behavior is to quietly use the following statement. "You now have the opportunity to make the choice to ___________ (pass back the papers, let the lesson continue, apologize, refocus, get to work, pick up that paper etc. etc. etc.) I do not offer another option. I do not state the consequence if s/he does not comply. I offer a calm, small smile. 90 % of the time the student does the right thing. Most of the time, the student either was carried up in the moment and wasn't thinking, or, wanted to see if I was paying attention. The distracted ones just get back on track. The ones who needed to see if I was paying attention found out that I was and get back to doing the right thing. Students absolutely know what is appropriate behavior and what is not....by WHAT WE ALLOW TO HAPPEN.

What we allow, we encourage.

The first few weeks with a new teacher, it is the students' job to find out exactly what that teacher will allow. For example: talking when the teacher is talking, writing on other students and/or their belongings/desks etc., arriving late to class, not engaging in class activities, pretending to not know anything, sarcasm, mean remarks, making fun of others, inappropriate clothing, not doing homework, passing notes, texting, eating and drinking in class...............................................

I don't take it personally when students test the boundaries. As adolescents, that is what they are wired to do. They want to know how I will handle trouble when it comes. They need to know that they can trust me to keep the classroom a safe place. Ironically, it is the "troublemakers" that need to know this the most. Many of them are extremely bright and knowing where the boundaries are is how they function. Many of them have learned survival skills outside of the classroom and want to know from the beginning which of those skills they will need to survive this venue. Some of them have a reputation to uphold. If I am consistent about the rules, their classmates will not look to them to act up. If I am NOT consistent, then it becomes their role to see what I'll be like today. They learn by watching adults....and each other. Adults who are inconsistent become playthings and entertainment. I let them know up front that we have other things to do.

So...Step 1: The Rules and Responsibilities

Step 2: Identify the Boundaries and Stand Firm

Step 3: Offer the Better Option....Calmly.

Step 4: "Conduct" the Class

I tell students that this class is much like a band/chorus/orchestra and I'm the Maestro. I literally "conduct" the class. They need to follow my words, facial expressions, gesture etc. and respond appropriately. The first piece we learn is the "Signal" (check out the post below_

http://blog.heartsforteaching.com/2009/09/10/u-is-for-unexpected.aspx

I take my job as Maestro seriously and choose my activities (pieces) carefully based upon the strengths, interests and abilities of the students. From Day 1, I make it clear that I have chosen everything for THEM. Not because it is next in the book, what the other classes are doing, I think it's cool, it makes me look good or another group liked it. For THEM. I choose activities which I know that my students will enjoy and will be successful at.

As we do activities we keep the 4 Rights and Responsibilities in mind. Another part of the first week : Desk Drills.

http://blog.heartsforteaching.com/2010/08/29/desk-drills.aspx

I don't actually "need" desk drills as much as I did back in the day....but it gives me a wonderful opportunity for a brain break and some straight talk about how to treat others.

Like many other teachers, I also get my students involved in classroom responsibilities from the beginning. I ask them to pass out papers (never pass back papers with grades...that's my job), answer the phone, put up articles about the school on the Noticias bulletin board, be the class artist for the day, organize the highlighters....whatever might need to be done. I try to ask a wide, wide variety of students to help....often starting with the "rule-breakers." These students most need a "role" in class and are happy to be offered something other than class clown or trouble-maker.

When necessary, I follow all of the steps outlined in my school's disciplinary procedure. this too is very very important. That system is there for a reason. The students need to know that if nothing else works, the system will eventually address the issue.

Last...but definitely not least...

In the last 5 years I have required less and less homework...and instead grade all in-class assigments. Inspired by research and exhausted by the battles which always seem to accompany homework, I have chosen to actively and clearly offer as little as possible. When I give homework (usually one day per week if it is a 5 day week) I make sure that it is accessible from the Internet and easy to do without help.

My students have NOT learned nor acquired any less. In fact, they spend MORE time outside of class using Spanish. They actively listen to music and watch programs in Spanish or read online in Spanish because it interests them. Yes...even in my little rural district. Parents often report siblings speaking to each other in Spanish at home.

By de-emphasizing homework I have eliminated several things:

a) an ENORMOUS battleground where no one ever won a battle nor a war.

b) frustration over who did it and who didn't.

d) students entering class a failure before class even starts.

I can also frequently remind students that when we use class time well, I can continue to keep homework to a minimum.

Now, before TPRS, this really didn't seem possible. What progress students made, they made because of the 'memorization' that took place via those assignments. Homework really appeared to make the biggest difference in gains.

With TPRS, those output activities are just a little decorative icing on the cake. A little goes a long way.

The final piece of the puzzle is to continually focus on my students as people who are acquiring language, not students fulfilling requirements under my watch. I do not need to know all of the personal details of their lives, but I do try to remember that they have lives. In a few short years, they will be out in the world working with my future grandchildren, helping my generation to pay for retirement, defending our country, earning a living and each of them already affects a world of folks around them.

I try to remember to ....

Treat each student as if he or she has the potential to change the world.

Because they all do.

I'm not sure that that answers all of Laura's questions, or yours...so keep in touch.

with love,
Laurie

Clarcq 2011

Coaches Do It.

2011-08-13T13:50:46Z

Each of us works in a unique community. If your community and your kids are highly "reward-motivated", not grading participation is a different challenge. However, if your heart tells you that this is the way you'd like to go, I offer you this .....

Coaches do it.

One thing that really convinced me that kids will do this was watching my son
and his athletic coaches. There are no grades in sports. Especially in
practice!! The only benefit is being part of the team and playing with the
team. And trust me, my son was the kind of kid who rarely did anything for
nothing. He used to try to get paid to get out of bed!!! Yet day after day he
showed up for practice and worked really hard.

I am not a coach. I wasn't an athlete. So I have tried to do some observing to
see what makes that "click." And many of the things that I see in a great coach
are qualities / behaviors that benefit a teacher...especially a CI teacher:

* emphasizing the "team" and inspiring pride in" the "team."
* encouraging individual gifts in team members...and encouraging the team to
value them.
* having a sense of humor
* using nicknames (REALLY REALLY REALLY POWERFUL)
* the simple magic of the word "coach"...I think that "Profe" or "Sra. C" can
work the same way
* inside "jokes"
* sharing strategy...coaches tell the team what they are prepping for and why
* celebration of accomplishments
* personal/individual conversations or "conferences"
* setting goals for the team and for individuals
* the simple message: you are part of this team and YOU MATTER.

Now, obviously, there are things that coaches do that don't work in the classroom. But I'm talking about looking at a good coach with a judicious eye and asking yourself: What would work?

These are things that good coaches aren't "taught". They may or may not do them consciously. They are things that they do from the heart and because another great coach modeled them and they "borrowed" the idea and adapted it for their own team. Sound familiar?

It isn't just coaches. Watch a great marching band director, theater advisor,
etc. They all recruit, inspire and maintain numbers of student for activities
that ARE NOT GRADED.

And it isn't always because they have a "booster club" of parents. They manage to recruit, inspire and keep kids who are often not successful anywhere else. I'm convinced that it is because of the relationship between coach and team...coach and player. We can learn a lot from them.

with love,
and thanks to the friend who encouraged me to write about this,
Laurie

Clarcq 2011

Stephen Krashen: Compelling

2011-08-12T14:29:07Z

Sharing with permission:

The Compelling (not just interesting) Hypothesis
Stephen Krashen
The English Connection (KOTESOL) in press

It is by now well-established that input must be comprehensible to have an effect on
language acquisition and literacy development. To make sure that language acquirers pay
attention to the input, it should be interesting. But interest may be not enough for optimal
language acquisition. It may be the case that input needs to be not just interesting but
compelling.
Compelling means that the input is so interesting you forget that it is in another language.
It means you are in a state of "flow" (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). In flow, the concerns of
everyday life and even the sense of self disappear - our sense of time is altered and
nothing but the activity itself seems to matter. Flow occurs during reading when readers
are "lost in the book" (Nell, 1988) or in the "Reading Zone" (Atwell, 2007).
Compelling input appears to eliminate the need for motivation, a conscious desire to
improve. When you get compelling input, you acquire whether you are interested in
improving or not.
The evidence for the Compelling Input Hypothesis includes improvement as an
unexpected result, the many cases of those who had no conscious intention of improving
in another language or increasing their literacy, but simply got very interested in reading.
In fact, they were sometimes surprised that they had improved.
I included several cases like this in The Power of Reading (Krashen, 2004, pp. 22-24):
Both students and teachers were surprised by the students' startling improvement in
English after they became avid readers in English.
More recently, Lao (Lao and Krashen, 2009) described the case of Daniel, a 12-year-old
boy who came to the US at age eight from China. Daniel's Mandarin proficiency was
clearly declining, despite his parents' efforts: They sent Daniel to a Chinese heritage
language school but it was clear that Daniel was not interested in Mandarin. He was also
not an enthusiastic participant in a summer heritage language program supervised by Dr.
Lao, even though it included free reading.
Then Dr. Lao gave Daniel a few books written in Chinese to take home. One was an
illustrated chapter book, "The Stories of A Fan Ti." Daniel loved it. The book was a bit
beyond his level, but thanks to the illustrations and his ability to understand some of the
text, Daniel was very interested in the story, and begged his mother to read it to him.
When Dr. Lao learned of this, she loaned Daniel more books from the "A Fan Ti" series,
in comic book format. Daniel begged his mother to read more, from two to five stories
everyday. Daniel liked the books so much that he would do the dishes while his mother
read to him. Both Daniel and his mother were quite happy with this arrangement. Daniel's
Mandarin was clearly improving, but he wasn't aware of it, nor was he particularly
interested. He was only interested in the stories.
The Compelling Input Hypothesis also explains why self-selected reading is typically
more effective than assigned reading (e.g. S.Y. Lee, 2007).
An important conjecture is that listening to or reading compelling stories, watching
compelling movies and having conversations with truly fascinating people is not simply
another route, another option. It is possible that compelling input is not just optimal: It
may be only way we truly acquire language.
References
Atwell, Nancy. 2007. The Reading Zone. New York: Scholastic.
Csikszentmihalyi , M. 1990. Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York:
Harper Perennial.
Krashen, S. 2004. The Power of Reading. Second edition. Portsmouth: Heinemann and
Westport: Libraries Unlimited
Lao, C. and Krashen, S. 2008. Heritage language development: Exhortation or good
stories? International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching 4 (2): 17-18.
Lee, S. Y. 2007. Revelations from Three Consecutive Studies on Extensive Reading.
Regional Language Center (RELC) Journal , 38 (2), 150-170.
Nell, V. 1988. Lost in a Book. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press.

Clarcq 2011

Participation: The Hornet's Nest

2011-08-12T12:40:05Z

(This is a repost, by request, from a message sent to the moretprs listerv. )

If you can and do use a participation grading or rewards system that works for you ...that is great. I am not trying to criticize you or your methods. This is not about you. This is about me, my biases and my relationship with my students.

Grading participation goes against everything I believe in as a teacher and as a human being.

It is impossible to teach well and pay attention to participation points at the same time.

Participation grades and rewards discriminate against a large number of students.

Participation systems reward playing the game, not true involvement.

The only students that were motivated by and rewarded by a system in my class were the ones that didn't need it or the ones that manipulated it to their own benefit.

My students never learned more Spanish because I had a participation system.

Students who didn't participate did not participate for other reasons...NOT because I didn't have a good system...and the system was not going to change that.

It is possible to teach, and for students to participate, without participation grades and/or points.

So, one day I just decided not to evaluate participation. (Note: I did not say "not pay attention to it.")

What I have observed is that students participate when ....

* they are feeling well enough physically and mentally to participate.
* when they trust me to treat them well.
* a variety of ways to participate are offered and honored.
* when they trust their classmates to treat them well.
* when they believe that they are capable of acquiring language.
* when the activities we do actually produce results.
* when the activities are interesting, personalized and comprehensible.

So I focus on achieving the above...whenever possible. NOT having a participation rewards system has freed up an enormous amount of time and energy to do that.

NON-participation is a classroom management/behavioral issue...not an academic issue and I treat it as such.

It does take a little time for some students to adjust...but it is almost always the "point-chasers" not the "slackers" who have trouble.

There are a number of kids who use most of their intellectual energy figuring out how to beat the system rather than do the work. When I take away the system, they actually do refocus on what we are doing, not how to get out of it.

Classroom management is really about the relationships I create with my students, not the system I have for manipulating their behavior.

Removing the "participation evaluation" framework takes a leap of faith. It also requires replacing it with concerted efforts to connect with students in and out of class ...as human beings. Doing so has definitely changed my teaching and my classroom for the better.

with love,
Laurie

PS. It was also illuminating. I put a lot of time, energy, creativity and money into "fun" participation pieces and rewards systems. I was kind of proud of them. In hindsight, my system was really a way to highlight my strengths. My students had that figured out long before I did and many of them didn't respect that, or me, because of it. The ones who did were, well, students like me. It was a "legitimized" form of favoritism. It has been very humbling to have to get to know, and love, my students for their strengths, rather than for how they have supported mine.

Clarcq 2011

Sharing the Journey

2011-08-07T21:36:47Z

As many of you know, TPRS is really a grass-roots "movement".    Back in the day (before folks were connected by the Internet!!!) teachers working with TPRS used to call each other on the phone and talk....for hours....    Then a group of future-minded folks started the moretprs listserve.   This listserve...still strong after over a decade became a life-line for people working with Comprehensible Input.   In order to have a better place to store ideas and information, a bulletin board, www.TPRStalk.com was created.   It has provided yet another place for people to ask questions and get advice and inspiration.    I encourage anyone on the CI journey to be a part of these venues.    TPRS is constantly evolving...and these are the places where our growth as teachers becomes the ideas that change the lives of others across the globe.

In the last three years (or so), a number of people have started to "blog" their teaching journeys.   There is a (not-yet complete) list of these here.   If you would like your blog on this list, please let me know. I'm slow, but I will get it there eventually. :o)

I'd like to bring your attention to several people who have been blogging their journeys as "newbies" to the TPRS/CI journey.   There is so much to be learned from these gems.   If you have a little personal or professional time, these blogs are a wonderful place to go.   I've met (almost) all of these teachers and they are as real as it gets.     They want the best for their students.   They want to be the best teachers that they can be. They want to feel hope and strength in today's educational climate.   They want to learn from their struggles.   I encourage you to stop in at their blogs, to learn from them, to encourage them.   That is what family does.

Bess                                      http://mmehayles.blogspot.com/

Haiyun                                   http://tprsforchinese.blogspot.com/

Kristin                                    http://tprs.missduncan.com/

Martina                                  http://martinabex.wordpress.com/

Melissa                               http://proframartinka.blogspot.com/

Señor Jordan                       profesoranonimo.blogspot.com/p/my-introduction-to-tprs.html

style="font-size: 16px;">I'll share others as I come across them.   Reading these has me anticipating my return to my 29th year of teaching!!!

with love,
Laurie

Clarcq 2011

Choosing Structures C: Action -- Reaction Revisited

2011-08-03T14:13:13Z

Earlier, we took a target structure and then brainstormed natural reactions to it. We can also reverse the process. Above we STARTED with “I need to tell you something.” and looked for the reaction. What if “I need to tell you something” WAS THE REACTION?!

What could have happened that caused Earl to say. “I need to tell you something.” ?

Earl’s teacher forgot to wear pants….so
Earl found a million dollars….so
Earl decided to leave his job…..so
Earl crashed his father’s car…so
Earl asked two girls to the dance…..so
(all actions ..DO)

Earl said ” I need to tell you something.” (SAY)

Look how beautifully and naturally a structure about FEELing would fit into any of the scenarios above: is embarrassed, is afraid, is nervous etc.

“wants to eat” works the same way. What has to happen so that “wants to eat” is a natural reaction?

Earl sees a McDonald’s commercial…so
Mary has a huge bag of candy….and
Earl’s mom makes liver for dinner, but
Earl just got braces …and

Earl “wants to eat”______________.

with love,
Laurie

Clarcq 2011

Choosing Structures B: THINK, FEEL, SAY, DO

2011-08-03T14:10:39Z

Another thought: In a story characters will THINK, FEEL, SAY AND DO things. The first structure is something that Earl SAYS, “I need to tell you something.” The beauty of it is that it immediately implies a feeling. Earl NEEDS to. AND a future action: TELL. This is a seriously powerful structure.

Not all structures are this powerful…especially in the lower levels. For example, I choose the structure “wants to eat”. That is what Earl FEELS. It will help things flow if my next structure is not about feeling. So I could choose….

Earl wants to eat.
If I need to park on “wants to” I can stay there for a long long time…but if I want to move on (for any number of reasons) I need to pick another structure.

THINK Earl thinks about his favorite food………….or
FEEL Earl is really hungry………..or
DO Earl goes to SuperWalmart……….

ALL of which are now connected to the first structure and make sense. Trutfully, teadching beginning students is such a challenge. Their language pool is pretty shallow...it's hard to dive in deep!! Using the THINK, FEEL, SAY, DO model really helps.

with love,

Laurie

Clarcq 2011