In one journaling exercise, I made a list of the unnerving comments that one of my students has been making to get under my skin. Simply writing the comments on paper helped take away a little of the sting and allowed me to reframe rather than react. A few boys have not been making the best of our class time together. In my journaling I examined some of the moments where we have been able to connect, in order to make me more aware of capitalizing on those moments.

I want to build on these positive interactions as much as possible.

Last week I wrote about the easy reading that I have been using as a warm-up. I have also been using the Maravillas presentations. If you have used these presentations in your own classes, you’ll recognize that they are NOT written for the first few weeks of level 1! No worries… we start with a very simple picture talk based on one of the frames of the video from the Maravilla. This is low-prep—I don’t even take a screen shot. I literally open the video and pause it on a random frame. Then I ask in Spanish: WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!!

We then refer to the Sweet 16 verb posters to help us express whatever develops in our imaginations.

The picture talk prior to the Maravilla is designed to frontload some of the vocabulary and concepts so that students create their own really simple introduction to the content. It is, in a way, like an embedded reading that simplifies the more complex language to come. We see the picture and I start with a prompt that I know will include an idea or vocabulary word from the presentation. Then we, as a whole class, use our imaginations to build a vignette around that scene in the picture. Who would dare consider introducing a low-frequency word like “hippopotamus” to a class in their 4^th week of level 1?! Well… me, when our presentation is about the hippos in Colombia.

The videos in the Maravillas are eye-candy that help our students imagine Latin America while we lead simple conversations. This is how I justify using authentic media with my Spanish babies. It is an engagement tool.

After the video, I talk them through the reading that is included in each Maravilla, but those texts were written for students with a bit more language experience than my students. So, I have been extending the picture talk, previewing the reading on my own before class starts and then adding in more of that language in the pre-video picture talk so that students are better prepared. I have found that this way they are also better prepared to contribute to the Write & Discuss afterwards.

However, over the snow days, I started adding something new to the Maravillas. If you log on to the website, you’ll see some new links titled “Download Reading” for each cultural presentation. It looks like this:

Each Maravilla presentation is mostly teacher presentation, even with the extended picture talk (which does have student contributions built into the format). I want to add something to the Maravillas to include more individual accountability. Especially for a few of my students who are looking for ways to coast and tune-out, whenever they can. The exit quizzes are not always enough to keep their attention on me. Once I have them really trained, then a quick “turn and talk” in pairs is a good way to keep them engaged, knowing they’ll have to use the language soon. “Turn and talks” are less-stress, once the class culture is just right that they hold each other accountable for staying in Spanish. But at this point, they aren’t talking too much yet, and that is developmentally appropriate.

They are reading, though.

This new reading option that I have been adding to the Maravillas is designed to be done AFTER the presentation.

However, I am using it to add a little meat to my pre-video picture talk. I read it right before my class starts and, thus, I have a general sense of what I want to include in our picture talk, regardless of what else happens. Then we do the Maravilla like normal: a video, reading the text together, summarize with a quick Write & Discuss. Students are sipping in the input, some eagerly and others less eagerly, but the format is repetitive enough that everyone is ready for what comes next.

The new readings all start with a “fill-in-the-blank” reading section, requiring active reading skills. Anticipating that my students have different reading levels, I have provided a glossary of EVERY word in the margin. Hopefully students are not laboriously hunting for every single word. They are only glancing at the margin for the words they need. This is what makes this text transparent. And, I must add, it is especially transparent because we just spent the last 15-20 minutes doing various CI activities emphasizing this vocabulary.

After the cloze text, there is a series of easy “Yes / No” questions (i.e. more reading!), followed by a few translations. I really care about the cloze text on the first page. The second page is designed to slow down my fast-processing students. Once everyone is done with the first side, we will correct it together as a choral reading.

This is what the downloadable, additional readings look like:

I’m looking forward to using these and adding more to the Maravillas library in the coming week. If you have a subscription to the CI Master Class, here is the direct link to the Maravillas presentations. If you don’t, join us now while the CI Master Class is on sale at 50% discount!

Best wishes,

Mike

Want to read more about my return to the classroom:
120 hours
Imagination Work
Reading & Writing