My generation of polyglots | mpeto | Activity https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/members/mpeto/activity/ Activity feed for mpeto. Sat, 02 May 2026 06:30:39 -0700 https://buddypress.org/?v= en-US 30 hourly 2 994b9b94f006c51c153dd78f65e2f708 mpeto commented on the post, More! More! Sequel to the Big Book of Tiny Daily Readings in Spanish https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/more-more-sequel-to-the-big-book-of-tiny-daily-readings-in-spanish/comment-page-1/#comment-19037 Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:27:39 -0700 Yes, the texts have the same span of complexity as the first book. I am using them alternating years in my level 2 classes.

]]> 5b07f113b84e173de1574ef4c20ebada mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=31925 Sun, 11 Jan 2026 21:53:23 -0800 More! More! Sequel to the Big Book of Tiny Daily Readings in Spanish My classes need short, daily readings with activities embedded into the texts so that we can turn to them as a learning break when they stop […]

]]> 654ae5c3b9e1a7df4b1bddef9761787f mpeto commented on the post, Experiences teaching Tierra Incógnita https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/experiences-teaching-tierra-incognita/comment-page-1/#comment-18755 Fri, 09 Jan 2026 17:07:31 -0800 Yes, we have 90 minutes together every day for one semester. There is an illusion that we have a lot of time together!

]]> d38ca43aef1f8c972bf7b5bfe5cb5079 mpeto commented on the post, Experiences teaching Tierra Incógnita https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/experiences-teaching-tierra-incognita/comment-page-1/#comment-18754 Fri, 09 Jan 2026 17:05:27 -0800 After episode 2 we rarely completed readings about the show. Instead, most of the “tiny” readings came from this book: We finished reading (almost) the entire book, so I wrote a sequel for next semester: While […]

]]> c09de9ecd66f60d1557879e717295ce9 mpeto commented on the post, Experiences teaching Tierra Incógnita https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/experiences-teaching-tierra-incognita/comment-page-1/#comment-18753 Fri, 09 Jan 2026 17:00:54 -0800 In the past I used Spanish audio w Spanish subtitles, discussed in Spanish, but this time that fell apart. I felt bad, wondered if I was failing them, but in the end something good happened. I’m not arguing that […]

]]> 658af580fcd462360ab2250f5ecb4c3c mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=31909 Fri, 09 Jan 2026 16:21:35 -0800 Experiences teaching Tierra Incógnita We spent the first semester watching a few minutes of Tierra Incógnita each day in my level 1 classes, available on Disney+. During the […]

]]> 23af858b0634d16fc8760f73a002c4e7 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=31504 Mon, 10 Nov 2025 16:09:27 -0800 Reading is my superpower My colleagues are reporting that kids just don’t read like they used to. Normally I would shrug off those complaints that I have heard t […]

]]> 48a8838cf20c2869a22b096b416094d4 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=31347 Sun, 26 Oct 2025 22:39:48 -0700 Presenting Wonderful People I really enjoy presenting stories of Latin Americans who have imagined creative solutions to the problems facing their communities. My […]

]]> bbd25dc20c5e64985bf0b040b8790e12 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=31237 Mon, 13 Oct 2025 22:17:34 -0700 Emotional investment I was reading another teacher’s account about how important it is to get her students emotionally invested in the story being told in class. […]

]]> 881fe2bbcc95e5157408ea8c614e5b98 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=31202 Sun, 12 Oct 2025 15:09:53 -0700 French Big Book of Tiny Daily Readings My classes needed short, daily readings with activities embedded into the texts. These texts are short. They take no more than 10 minutes to […]

]]> c43362c4b73772d32f3a8dbc0c501a76 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=31076 Sat, 04 Oct 2025 19:40:34 -0700 Eight scenes, endless stories Last week I filled my classes with lessons inspired by the Story Listening movement. I told my novice classes the story The Kingdom of […]

]]> 7947501e102370890e63b7360ac9380a mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=30915 Sat, 20 Sep 2025 22:28:41 -0700 What happens next Today I want to write about how I plan the creative writing sessions we do in class for maximum enjoyment… my enjoyment, of course.I d […]

]]> 49464962cdba2e0c6aec1354e1e74245 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=30773 Sat, 06 Sep 2025 17:05:42 -0700 The Cheshire Cat (first days of school) Oh, what a fool I was with those songs of the day! In my last post, I thought I had cleverly found a way to give painless repetitions of […]

]]> b6560b2bc697a57f47337de1ea42ac64 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=30652 Sun, 31 Aug 2025 21:16:46 -0700 Rebuilding a Spanish Program from the Ground Up Last semester I stepped into a new role: the only Spanish teacher in a small coastal town in North Carolina. After 25 years in urban and […]

]]> 69ce0613927c111462b24f1a6c8f89ac mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=30576 Mon, 25 Aug 2025 00:47:27 -0700 First Day Student Questionnaire Central to a student-centered classroom are activities that draw real information from students. The student questionnaire that I give on the […]

]]> 10a1f1df90a065f09d1ff02721137620 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=30583 Mon, 25 Aug 2025 00:33:33 -0700 The Power of the Weird Little Drawing A Low-Prep, High-Impact Strategy to reclaim the class story For years Ben Slavic has told me that his very best lessons emerge from […]

]]> 9e52bed2934f1f06eb0ab1d5602387da mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=30573 Sun, 24 Aug 2025 23:08:09 -0700 Tiny Daily Readings Throughout last semester my classes needed short, daily readings with activities embedded into the texts. We tried many formats to develop […]

]]> 1bade6a44f60c00039994e449d09fcc7 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=28197 Mon, 24 Mar 2025 00:24:19 -0700 Future Tense Language teachers often ask me how to effectively introduce advanced tenses—for example, something like the future tense—without ove […]

]]> bea66015992cf7d60ca9955a37a6a826 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=27504 Sat, 01 Feb 2025 20:37:03 -0800 120 hours I am back in the classroom. Last Monday I started a new job; after eight years of giving workshops and developing CI Master Class resources, […]

]]> ee21fc3a0ec3794c0acc1d4ea03d6c2c mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=24455 Sat, 13 Jul 2024 19:12:09 -0700 Graphic Novel prequel to Superburguesas released! Hamburguesas normales (paperback) $14.99 FRENCH EDITION PUBLISHED!! Follow this link!!37% discount on class sets of 25 or more copies. Follow […]

]]> 9353d003021ad02228761fd271f00fb5 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/79/#acomment-80 Fri, 12 Jul 2024 02:13:37 -0700 Those boxes are just .jpg images, so for some reason your computer is not downloading them. Has that been happening for the past two weeks, or is this new? If this was the first time, then it sounds like it may have been internet issues.

In reply to - Michelle Jolley posted an update My computer is not showing the text in the songs. Just blank squares. Is there a setting I can change? ]]> fbc25ffc79e81b0916d593166aa9f1db mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/69/#acomment-74 Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:51:34 -0700 My exit quizzes are on paper and graded. But they are easy. The idea is to give an incentive to engage with class, but don’t make it so difficult that students get anxious about memorizing everything said in class. Hopefully during the first week or two of classes students will learn that as long as they listen & watch to understand, then they’ll…Read more

In reply to - Colleen Meltz posted an update Special student interview questions: I haven’t had success yet and see that in the past I used way too many questions per person. How often do you have the interviews? Is the exit […] ]]> 2ef9479500c28f4653839dbb50e7e5a4 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/69/#acomment-73 Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:48:14 -0700 In class I often don’t even finish the 5 questions I have planned. I have a student timekeeper who only allows 10 minutes of questioning (this prevents students from checking out), so I often only finish 3 questions even if the student is quiet. One skill that I think is important is asking follow-up questions. When done well, the follow-up…Read more

In reply to - Colleen Meltz posted an update Special student interview questions: I haven’t had success yet and see that in the past I used way too many questions per person. How often do you have the interviews? Is the exit […] ]]> 25942b717d38660788a523cf7d1d5cd8 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/67/#acomment-72 Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:42:13 -0700 I’ve liked Mika in the past, so I’ll definitely check out this song when I have a moment. I’ve added both songs to my French to-do playlist… no saying when it might get done, but it is in the queue. Thank you!

In reply to - Karin Trouyet posted an update Hi Mike, This past year I used these two songs in my High school classes and the kids loved them. Even students not in my languge classes started popping into my classroom to learn […] ]]> 4da65eceb07d894cf9413ec32f0cea5d mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/61/#acomment-71 Tue, 09 Jul 2024 17:01:48 -0700 I agree with Lake that, since I’ve spent the time getting to understand Textivate, I don’t find Text Activities to be more user friendly. With Text Activities, all of the users have to sign-in to use it, which I find annoying and tends to burn class time. For that reason alone, I prefer Textivate!

In reply to - Lake Mathison posted an update Here’s a Textivate question, more logistics than pedagogy, for Mike and anyone else who uses it. How do you juggle naming and keeping track of all the texts created for each class? […] ]]> 1df0d72363982adf4e348742e3a62b56 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/55/#acomment-65 Tue, 09 Jul 2024 14:11:50 -0700 My exit questions are not multi-level. If you want, sure you can try to make this a challenging assessment. But what I do with the exit quizzes is different: I use them so that students have a reason to engage in the class discussion. If the quizzes are hard, that will up the affective filter because students will be anxious. Instead, I want them…Read more

In reply to - Cathern Tucker posted an update Just needed to refresh and log in! This is Therese – thanks for trouble shooting at the end of class! 🙂 Dois coisas / perguntas. 1. I really need some modeling on coming up wi […] ]]> 8abe8116ee1dde8b6ab23576562537d3 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/56/#acomment-64 Tue, 09 Jul 2024 14:03:44 -0700 Yeah, the struggle is real. I’ll just say that there are easier programs out there, but this is the best. If you are going to spend any time learning how a program works, this is the one. And then stick with it. Currently I use Textivate for every class I teach, but it doesn’t mean you should. Take photos of your W&D activities and then, over the…Read more

In reply to - Rebecca Reneau posted an update Re: Textivate Having visited the Textivate website’s user guides page, Textivate looks like it would be a time-consuming process to learn how to use it. Any advice on reducing the […] ]]> c46d17b3846e2429780a3fbdaee903b2 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/61/#acomment-63 Tue, 09 Jul 2024 13:57:47 -0700 I only save the really good ones, otherwise after a few days I erase them. Each one is titled by section and date, so a typical title would be “Period 1 – Oct 31 2023”. That way if I am pulling one up two months later for a transition activity, I know it’s a good one (because I saved it) but I’m not even aware of which words were used. This is a…Read more

In reply to - Lake Mathison posted an update Here’s a Textivate question, more logistics than pedagogy, for Mike and anyone else who uses it. How do you juggle naming and keeping track of all the texts created for each class? […] ]]> 2b6979ffa3cf10944fc20199fff65a66 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/48/#acomment-54 Fri, 05 Jul 2024 16:28:29 -0700 I always had a student artist & his/her helper sitting towards the front of the class working on an easel tilted so that I could see their work, but the class could not until I turned the easel around. Teens like to test boundaries, and more than once I stopped the artist before the big reveal because they were drawing something not appropriate…Read more

In reply to - Karin Trouyet posted an update Hi Mike, Wonderful One word image yesterday, loved it! When you do this activity with your High School students, is there an illustrator or do they illustrate the story […] ]]> 0652b43f292e6b283da8849c75209dc2 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/10/#acomment-44 Wed, 03 Jul 2024 23:38:49 -0700 Yes 100%. When I said “letting the rest pass”, I meant “don’t fight that battle, just let (the fight) pass”. I’ve learned that when I forced athletes to make up work missed due to athletics then (in my school) I made enemies among the staff. It’s silly, but looking back I think it would have been better for my place in the school, for my ability…Read more

In reply to - mpeto posted an update Janet question #3: How do you deal with students who miss class due to school activities/athletics/health? How do they make up the daily quiz/how do they get caught up on the listening and […] ]]> c65d1c4ce536ccd2d06f156ea2afe414 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/7/#acomment-43 Wed, 03 Jul 2024 23:32:45 -0700 It really depends on the unique class culture… some students will groan regardless. I try to stay positive and clap enthusiastically. In fact we have a joking sort of routine of all clapping when someone is called up, and anyone who doesn’t clap runs the risk of getting called up. So if I call up one of my groaners and then, as they are trudging…Read more

In reply to - mpeto posted an update Janet sent me a few questions via email that I am going to answer here, one at a time: a) Do you have students open their computers/tablets to do just a short comprehension activity in […] ]]> 0d4beb4ff38afd9ab9d5ecfba2ba45a3 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/36/#acomment-42 Wed, 03 Jul 2024 21:55:24 -0700 Yes, at this point I caption every video that I play in class because it just adds so much comprehension. I started doing that when we watched Internado (Netflix provided captions in Spanish), but now I use a free program called Shotcut to add captions. There is a learning curve with Shotcut, but powerful once you’ve got it. The is a way to use…Read more

In reply to - Karin Trouyet posted an update Hi Mike, On your Vimeo songs, do you add the lyrics yourself? ]]> 18a784cf362e93a3ebdb5bfeec52c3a6 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/7/#acomment-24 Wed, 03 Jul 2024 14:39:35 -0700 True!

In reply to - mpeto posted an update Janet sent me a few questions via email that I am going to answer here, one at a time: a) Do you have students open their computers/tablets to do just a short comprehension activity in […] ]]> 3036d5802feb04b3da027354d7b91893 mpeto posted a new activity comment https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/8/#acomment-13 Wed, 03 Jul 2024 01:04:54 -0700 “Right click” on the “Continue reading…” link and then choose “Open link in new tab”. Otherwise I wasn’t able to get the link to open.

In reply to - mpeto posted an update Janet question #2: With the daily end-of-class listening quiz, do the students write out their answers to turn in? In a large class, how can you ensure that they aren’t just copying their […] ]]> b9adb0e184edc971f3fe1568434f792f mpeto posted an update: Janet question #4: In a Write and Discuss, on a next day […] https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/11/ Wed, 03 Jul 2024 00:57:47 -0700 Janet question #4:
In a Write and Discuss, on a next day re-read, would you highlight and annotate it in English, as you did on Day 2 of Portuguese class?
.
I would if it made the text comprehensible. 2nd day of class, definitely. But I would do that in the moment… not preparing before class. I would have taken a picture of our previous days…Read more

]]> 0 e9870fa0e8162f6d416e87925a73f834 mpeto posted an update: Janet question #3: How do you deal with students who miss […] https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/10/ Wed, 03 Jul 2024 00:52:29 -0700 Janet question #3:

How do you deal with students who miss class due to school activities/athletics/health? How do they make up the daily quiz/how do they get caught up on the listening and reading practice they missed from the active class?

Honestly, unless the student is missing A LOT of classes, a daily exit quiz generates enough data…Read more

]]> 2 9e867df1f5fa6be9e9dbff035ef13acc mpeto posted an update: Janet question #2: With the daily end-of-class listening […] https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/8/ Wed, 03 Jul 2024 00:44:09 -0700 Janet question #2:
With the daily end-of-class listening quiz, do the students write out their answers to turn in? In a large class, how can you ensure that they aren’t just copying their answers off of a friend?

You have to read this essay called “Prevent students from EVER falling between the cracks”:

]]> 1 5c6691d1f9ac02f147d677f3fc0ed511 mpeto posted an update: Janet sent me a few questions via email that I am going to […] https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/7/ Wed, 03 Jul 2024 00:39:39 -0700 Janet sent me a few questions via email that I am going to answer here, one at a time:

a) Do you have students open their computers/tablets to do just a short comprehension activity in class, such as the music comprehension? In my class that would be an absolute time-waster; they always have problems with logons and not having brought their…Read more

]]> 4 961ef72b963330057800c28c39a055a5 mpeto posted an update: First comment thread: Teachers always ask about how I create […] https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/activity/p/5/ Wed, 03 Jul 2024 00:11:58 -0700 First comment thread: Teachers always ask about how I create the music activities. Here is a break down to help you problem solve if you want to make your own music activities (but you can always use mine in the CI Master CLass: https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/10837-2/#voices (Scroll down to #11)

1- You’ll need a program to download music v…Read more

]]> 0 a74ec3d7a55b3fd92fcf2d13c86cddc8 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=23424 Mon, 15 Apr 2024 20:03:28 -0700 Brazilian Portuguese – Summer 2024 Update: live class full, but you can still see the video recordings inside the CI Master Class I will be teaching a beginning Portuguese […]

]]> f8357747801ac8e5f3d76af258945af2 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=22893 Thu, 22 Feb 2024 03:23:24 -0800 Enjoyable new comics in German, French, Spanish and Japanese A Cat Can Be a Hat is a comic that has now been translated into four languages. This book of comics is a text that will enchant beginners […]

]]> 7a9115fe00c75878e05c024bb6da6152 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=21654 Tue, 26 Sep 2023 17:25:54 -0700 New graphic novel for BEGINNERS Available in French, German & Spanish, these graphic novels are designed specifically for beginners. Each novel features simplified, core […]

]]> 03a2f9cdd127f469f9c60c7dd993b0c8 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=16033 Mon, 14 Feb 2022 19:51:48 -0800 Add 100s of pages of comprehensible comics to your class library Graphic novels draw reluctant readers and pleasure readers into your classroom library. I am releasing a series of six comic books in […]

]]> 4632d46daf5b7a207563a17b5cf9792b mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=6411 Mon, 05 Nov 2018 00:59:05 -0800 Complete instructions to making OWIs and the stories they inspire What is an OWI? The creation of a One Word Image (OWI) is a central technique to my approach to language acquisition. Invented by Ben Slavic, […]

]]> a97c4cf375ad241757674dd9634ef076 mpeto wrote a new post https://mygenerationofpolyglots.com/?p=5072 Sun, 25 Feb 2018 20:58:41 -0800 Write & Discuss example Write & Discuss (W & D) is the activity that I recommend any CI teacher end their class with, regardless of what was being done in class. It […]

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