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Continue reading →: Assessments in the Communicative and Comprehension-based classroomThis series of posts breaks down the ginormous and complex topic of Assessment into manageable chunks. Note: I strive to strike a balance between district/school/department requirements, principles of second language acquisition, and ACTFL guidelines. This series reflects where I am at the time with these sometimes conflicting forces. I hope…
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Continue reading →: Getting ready to assessThis is the first installment in a series of posts on Assessments in the Communicative and Comprehension based classroom. This post covers considerations for setting-up the grade book and for selecting an assessments, and the three types of assessments available to us. 1. Considerations for setting-up my grade book I…
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Continue reading →: Why I still mostly love Integrated Performance AssessmentsThis is the fifth installment in a series of posts on Assessments in the Communicative and Comprehension based classroom. This post covers reasons why I love and don’t love Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) and how I am using them in my classes. At the time of this writing, this is…
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Continue reading →: Introducing “Khadra”, the second installment of the “Alice” seriesFOR FREE RESOURCES PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST. After I published my first novel Alice, a lot of teachers contacted me to ask if there was going to be a sequel. I was humbled to hear many students had connected with Alice and her friends Bilal,…
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Continue reading →: Let’s be inclusive this Noël Commercial Madness season“Noël commercial madness” is a wonderful opportunity to provide input during the holiday season: created by the über-creative Dustin Williamson, the idea is to use Christmas commercials to provide input by doing Movie Talks, Personalized Questions and Answers, Games, Storytelling, etc. Oh, and your students get to vote for their…
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Continue reading →: Why you should read “Maria Maria” by Jennifer DegenhardtI like most of Jennifer Degenhardt‘s language readers. They are often inspired by real events, big or small and when you read her books, you are transported to places where people live their everyday life. Jennifer often tells the story from the standpoint of the local people, not the tourist…
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Continue reading →: Get your heart ready to leadWhen the Tennessee Foreign Language Teacher Association (TFLTA) issued the theme for their yearly language conference, I was excited about the phrase “Lead with heart”. Our society’s collective happiness and sense of fulfillment depend on us, teachers, leading with heart. What does this mean? To me, it means connecting, honestly…
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Continue reading →: Teachers as librarians: six browsing strategies to help your students become independent readersAbout three years ago, I attended a Story Listening workshop where Dr. Mason, the creator of Story Listening, said something that really stuck with me: “Teachers must become librarians”. I had never considered my role as a teacher in that light. I promised myself to investigate. Meanwhile there had been…
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Continue reading →: Introducing “Alicia”, a Spanish reader about a girl who kicks…FOR FREE RESOURCES, SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST. I am thrilled to present my first novel: Alicia (also available in French). SYNOPSIS “When Alicia, a girl who lives in the town of Liberia, Costa Rica, finds out she and her family are moving to San José in…
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Continue reading →: Five reminders for when I feel insecureDo you know how I feel each time I watch a teacher on YouTube? I feel like a crappy teacher. They make it look so easy, so natural. And look at the students ! They are so well behaved, they respond to verbal and non verbal cues, they rarely have…
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