Author: senoracmt

You’ve probably heard (or even said) it. “I am having so much trouble with my classes since I tried CI. I am going to stop doing it.” Or maybe it was “CI is like a cult, I would never consider it.”

The problem is that CI means comprehensible input. Our options are: be comprehensible or be incomprehensible. What we mean in our frustration is that we aren’t finding success in techniques that we’ve learned and the textbook or curriculum we used in the past is looking really, really good.

The textbook for me, was a map. Honestly, and this is dating me, it is like a map I printed from MapQuest in 1999. It gave me one route to my destination and it did not account for any issues that might arise along the way. I sat in traffic many times because I didn’t know any other way to get somewhere.

Then came GPS. It was a fancy MapQuest. It read off the directions to you but still took you along one set route.

But GPS continued to evolve (like we do in our classroom practice) and now it is intuitive. When I put on Waze before I leave home, I choose my route but if there is a traffic jam or some other unforeseen circumstance, it re-routes me. Waze gets me where I need to go in the most efficient way.

CI can be story-telling, story asking, movie talks, authentic resources, readers for learners, units with targeted structures, units without targeted structures, units that reinforce a grammar point, units with music… You get it. If we can make the input comprehensible for our students, we are using CI.

Using a variety of input and not being trapped within the one or none map in the textbook helps us become Waze for our students. When the pieces aren’t fitting for them or they hit a road bump, we can come at the topic from another way. If they aren’t strong on a certain structure, we can put it on the back burner and return to it later when they’ve had some time to simmer in the language.

Often the route one group of students takes to acquiring language is completely different than the route of the class that follows them. Paying close attention to the cues coming from that internal GPS we have can help them stay on the path to becoming lifelong language learners.

Warm up your winter with the unit the doctor ordered! Medicina o cura. From the free reading on essential oils to the backward designed unit that provides exposure to the subjunctive in context and some basic medical information for students going into the healthcare field.

We started with the Unit Hook today in class! Meet “Francine”, “Karen”, and “Marshell” (And the back up egg that got broken on the way to school… Her name is Mala suerte)

Shop the sale tomorrow (Feb 4) and Wednesday! Use the code FEBSALE to get 25% off!

Whether you’re new to Somewhere to Share materials or an old friend, I hope that this February’s sale will help get you excited about planning for the rest of the year!

Everything is on sale! From my CI packed Rutina diaria unit to the best selling Mar de plástico and Comer para vivir! Each unit is designed with the end in mind using Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design as a foundation.

Help your students gain proficiency as they learn about real world issues and their role in the solution!

SDG Super Duper Bundle

Rutina diaria

Comer para vivir

Mar de plástico

Basura cero

Energía renovable

Medicina o cura

Viaja conmigo

El agua es vida

Educarse para superarse

Christmas break has given me some much needed time to relax! I can’t travel over my holiday breaks because when I get down time, I need it to be real DOWN time. I wear pajamas all day, I read a lot, I drink a TON of coffee…

Now that I feel recharged, my mind is moving toward the new year and my goals in the new year. I always like to have that “one word” to help me not over-do. With this on my mind, one of the points in my preacher’s sermon on Sunday really jumped out. He was talking about how we will not (in fact, can not) always be happy… but that we can have a spirit of joy.

In his sermon, he shared an analogy with us. Happiness is like a thermometer. It changes. It moves up and down. We can (and will) at times be very comfortable or very uncomfortable!

Joy is different. If we are really joyful in what we do, even in times when happiness is lacking, we will be able to go to work and truly feel like we are where we are supposed to be. Joy is like the thermostat. It sets the comfortable temp and helps maintain your comfort zone!

I am not going to be happy every minute at work. I am a real human. My students are real humans. I will get frustrated. They will get frustrated. But if I can let joy set the climate in my classroom, I won’t dwell on the hard times. If I let joy set the climate in my classroom, I will celebrate the great things they CAN do instead of looking for ways they don’t measure up. Heck, if I can let joy set the climate in my classroom, that joy will trickle out to my home and my social interactions!

Happy new decade to you! I hope that this decade brings you much success and many wonderful memories both with your students and with your family. Travel a ton, eat delicious things, get lots of rest, and set your thermostat for a joyful new year!

We are headed into the coldest and darkest months of the year. This is the time of year when I try to lean on my favorite units to help keep me excited to be in the classroom even when it’s cold outside! As TPT hosts the Cyber Monday (and TUESDAY) sale this year, I hope you will find things that help you power through the winter… at the best prices of the year! Bundle Up for even bigger savings!

Looking for music to put a little pep in your step? Try this musical magic bundle. Read more here.

Looking for quick and easy sub plans or blizzard bag activities? Try this cultural corner bundle!

Need movie talks? These Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3/4/AP bundles may be just what you need!

Need some games to keep their blood pumping when the room gets cold? Try this review game bundle!

There is NO better time that now to get a full semester of content built around the sustainable development goals than during the sale! Try the Sustainable Development Goal Super Duper Bundle!

Not ready to Bundle Up? Here are three recommendations for individual lessons.

No matter the age of your students, I can’t recommend this Lily and the Snowman movie talk enough. It is part of the level 1 bundle but is very easy to adapt to use with upper levels!

If you’ve tried Mar de plástico (or even if you haven’t), I recommend trying Basura cero. This engaging unit encourages students to examine the amount of waste they produce and challenges them to reduce their footprint!

Need new songs of the week? These new two were huge hits with my Spanish 2-4 students! Invencible by ChocQuibTown and Vas a quedarte by Aitana.

As we roll into a new year, I hope that Somewhere to Share can make your planning a little easier. I thank you so much for supporting my passion for content based in sustainability!

Keep up with contests and new products by following @somewhere.2.share on Instagram and on TPT and by liking Somewhere to Share page on Facebook!

My VERY first product on Teachers Pay Teachers was Reading Club. I had been working with a Spanish 3 class and my comprehension-based reader, La hija del sastre. I created a free product upload that contained the survey that I gave the students to group them, suggested follow-up activities, and and welcome notes that lay out the rules of the group.

It had been quite a while since I had updated the document and the process has morphed in my classroom over the years. As I made the document look nicer, I wanted to make the document more useful to teachers who were using other readers and even those doing literature circles.

Check out the new product to find a sample choice novel grouping sheet, a choice novel daily report sheet, a whole-class novel grouping survey and welcome to the group letters, and several follow up activities to accompany the study!

For lots of additional ways to follow up your daily reading check out these items in my store:

Reading Follow-ups in Spanish/English for any language

Reading Follow-ups in French

More Reading Follow-ups in Spanish/English for any language

More Reading Follow-ups in French

Discussion Thursday (Any Language)

Yellow Brick Road Retell

As a first year teacher in 1994, I struggled: my language skills were still new and still very much intermediate, I had no formal training in second language acquisition, and the only planning I knew how to do was to move from page to page in the textbook as I covered new material. First year teaching is kind of like a reality show… you just hope you are still standing at the end and don’t get voted off the island.

The problem began when, in year two, I took out the same plan book and copied the lessons I’d done the year before into the new cells. If it had only been 2 years, that would have been less of a failure but I went on like this for 6 years.

My first principal was an easy evaluator. When you had your very first evaluation, you received a needs improvement, the second and third were good and at the end of your second year, when it was time to give you tenure, you received an excellent. And excellent you stayed… Until he retired.

When the new principal came in 1998, he was full of big ideas. By the time he evaluated me in 2000, I was a 7th year teacher. I mean… I was a pro, right? I had SO MUCH EXPERIENCE NOW. I went in for my post evaluation conference expecting the usual “great job, you’re so excellent”. That’s not what I got.

Mr. Fritchtnicht said: “You’re not bad… but… Have you ever considered trying some new things in the classroom? There are a lot of language teachers who are using pod seating, using centers, engaging the students with methods like TPRS… The textbook doesn’t have to be your only tool.”

Internally I said: “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, MR. HOTSHOT NEW PRINCIPAL??? I AM AN EXPERIENCED LANGUAGE TEACHER.” Externally, I said: “The things I do in my classroom are the things that I was trained to do in college. They are effective.”

But the problem was, they weren’t. Not at all. I had 80 Spanish 1 students, 55 Spanish 2 students, and 4 Spanish 3 students. Kids were not engaged, did not see value in language study, and were gaining zero proficiency. But I was not growth minded. Rather than deal with the reality of what he saw in my room, I ran away. I took another job and tried to bury my head in the sand.

The funny thing is, Mr. Fritchtnicht’s evaluation was like the grain of sand in an oyster. The more I tried to soothe myself by saying he didn’t know what he was talking about, the more I tried these new tricks in the classroom.

In 2005, when I did not pass the National Board process I was forced to really reflect on where things were going wrong. It was a turning point for me. I started teaching kids over content and teaching for mastery over teaching for coverage. That little grain of sand stopped being irritating because it was turning into the pearl of a language program bursting at the seams!

It is HARD to hear critical feedback. It is hard to grow when you’re comfortable in a rut. I tried to run away but the truth always finds you! Honestly, I’m so glad it did. I am SO happy in my classroom today. I’m completely free to teach the students I have in front of me.

Yesterday, for the first time in 19 years, I saw Mr. Fritchtnicht. I was attending a local conference and saw his name on the presenter list. He’s a superintendent now. I went to his session and told him that for the last few years, his ears had probably been burning as I told the story of his evaluation and my eventual transformation. I was so glad to have the opportunity to thank him for challenging me.

It’s probably evaluation time in your district too. Just know that the things that sting can sometimes be the very thing you needed to hear… even if you aren’t ready to hear it at the time.

Jeff, if you happen to see this, thank you for your impact.

ACTFL is such a rush. There are so many people. The exhibit hall is so huge. There are more sessions than you could go to in a year of PD hours. It is a bucket list conference for sure. Are you going? Is it your first time? Are you on the fence?

This year the ACTFL site is our nation’s capital! If you’ve been thinking of going and just haven’t made the final arrangements, it’s time! So many things in DC are free, you can get a ton of great PD and slip in some visits to national monuments in your free time!

I’m presenting a whopping FIVE TIMES this year!

On Thursday, I am presenting an ACTFL full day pre-conference workshop on how to find all the input! Teaching with 90% TL is the goal but we have to have a whole arsenal of input based weapons to make that happen! From sustainable development goals to reading to short films and music, we’ll dig out the language from all kinds of resources!

On Friday morning, I am presenting with Jim Wooldridge. A couple of years ago we did a series of video tutorials about how to teach with a graphic novel. In this workshop we’ll be deepening that discussion and sharing the best practices as you bring this powerful medium to your class reading!

On Friday afternoon, I am presenting on assessment! There are so many ways to assess in a world language classroom!

On Saturday morning, I am presenting with Jim again. This time we want to share how to cook up powerful learning with senorwooly.com and the input packed ‘nugget’ curriculum!

On Saturday afternoon, I am presenting with Kristy Placido and Carol Gaab about the powerful acquisition students experience through Fluency Matters readers! We want to help you dive deep into planning for proficiency! Come take the plunge with us!

Mine are just a handful of the sessions you can attend at ACTFL in DC. If you haven’t signed up yet, visit actfl.org and do it today! Pre-conference workshops are $185 through 10/30 and $210 after!

Hope to see you there! It is DEFINITELY somewhere to share.

They listen while they study. They have in earbuds in the halls between classes. They listen in the car. Our students love music. It’s an artistic medium with something for everyone! And it’s an artistic medium we can use to build engagement in our classrooms.

I don’t force my students to listen to music at home, they tell me all about their Spotify play lists full of songs we have heard in class. I don’t give them “song homework” yet they come back with the words memorized. I tell them on Monday “DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO! We are watching it in class on Friday.” and they tattle on each other for watching ahead.

Music has universal appeal! Not every song hits with every student but if we incorporate a lot of great styles, we can find something that sticks with almost everyone.

Here are some of my favorite ways to use music with links to songs that use the same activities:

1. Surely you Gesture: Some songs just FEEL like movement. I listen the first time and I know that it is one my students will have fun gesturing. I got the idea from Cindy Hitz and started incorporating it in my own classroom. At first, I thought they’d be embarrassed but they are NOT. As they get more familiar with the gestures, they get more and more engaged in doing them. PLUS, it’s a great brain break! Yesterday, Jesse and Joy released the song Tanto in collaboration for Luis Fonsi. I listened once and fell in love! Not just in love, in gesture love. I knew it was a song my students would love gesturing to. Monday, Spanish 3 is going to give it the first try! Spanish 2 is also diving into a gesture heavy song. It’s a couple of years old but I still love it every time I hear it.  The video for Suena el dembow is not classroom appropriate but the lyric video is a good substitute! Their hands are busy with the gestures anyway!
2. Part of a Unit: At the end of the school year, Sebastián Yatra released En guerra. I loved it and have blogged about it here. This is a great example of a song that carries such a heavy meaning, it is better within a unit of study. Using the song as a catalyst, students become engaged in using their developing language to discuss deep topics. One of my favorites from a few years ago is Morat’s song Aprender a quererte! I used it as part of a unit on education. A song inspired me to address one of the SDGs before I even knew about the SDGs!
3. Focus on the Artist: Sometimes its the body of work that is important! I’m a big fan of Lin Manuel Miranda and I wanted to introduce my students to his music in class. His music is in English (for the most part) but his roots are in Puerto Rico. Consider using music, bios, video clips, images, and quotes at the beginning and end of class to bookend the lesson for the week. In my unit, students have a warm up and wrap up each day that teaches them little bite-sized chunks about LMM.
4. Focus on a Grammatical Feature: Our upper level students are great at using the language they’ve acquired and are ready to start polishing up their output a little! Sometimes I use a song to highlight something grammatical in context. When I heard the David Bisbal song A partir de hoy for the first time, I knew I wanted to use it in conjunction with talking about student plans after graduation! What a great expression to learn! (The video is not school appropriate but there is a great lyric video)
5. Reading and Listening Skills: I use Cloze activities with music frequently but I also love having them listen for other things as well. Consider handing out the lyrics of the song as a “Move or Keep” activity. I copy the song lyrics, add 10-12 lines in front of different lines of the song. I choose 4-6 of these to switch places with each other. As my students listen, when they come to one of the lines, they have to write a K if they want to keep what is written or an M if they think it’s one of the lines I moved. If you’d like to try the activity, I included it in with Álvaro Soler’s Bajo el mismo sol. It is also great listening practice to have them try “Antes o después”. Give them a pair of lyrics and ask them if they heard lyric A before or after lyric B. I try to keep the two lyrics very close to one another in the song so they don’t forget if they heard it or not! Try it out with Luis Fonsi’s Sola.

No matter how you use a song, music is sure to make acquisition magic happen in your classroom. I’ve had such an interesting time watching my son Nick this year. Nick has been interested in music in Spanish since he was in 4th grade and saw his older sister singing songs she’d learned in my class. Over the last 5 years, he’s memorized around 40 songs in Spanish but has no idea what he has been singing. Now that he is a freshman and enrolled in Spanish 1, he comes home regularly and says… So if quiero means “I want” then when Sie7e says “quiero tu love” he is saying “I want your love”, right?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I want learning language in my classroom to feel like the zucchini in my meatloaf. Invisible to the naked eye but secretly forcing everyone to have something good for them whether they like it or not.

Follow my new somewhere.to.share Instagram page! You’ll find a chance to win one of 3 gift certificates to my Somewhere to Share TPT store! Grand Prize: $100   First Prize: $50  Second Prize: $25

Buy all the above at a discounted bundle price: Musical Magic Bundle

I hate it, you hate it… We all HATE assessment. It is so hard to find the right way to let our students show what they know. How do we address the proficiency guidelines, accept students who develop at different paces, please the evil souls who demand RIGOR and PAIN in assessment, and give a point value to something that is not equal from one child to another… Well, friends. I’m going to say it. We can’t. We are never going to end up with the perfect assessment. But we keep trying!

My Spanish 4 this year is predominantly male and is prone to English blurts. Taking a page from my friend, Kristy Placido, they have to earn their Friday Internado by speaking Spanish during the week. They are doing it, but they don’t find it as exciting as last year’s group did. (I know, never compare your children.)

We just finished reading Kristy’s Frida Kahlo reader. It is so good and yesterday they had an AMAZING Discussion Thursday (on Wednesday) . Today they did the written part of their final assessment.

I am really excited about how the assessment turned out! I gave them choices (which I do frequently) but also made sure those choices stretched the language they would have to produce to higher levels. Check out what I did Writing assessment choices.

I have students in my level 4 ranging from just reaching novice high to “earned the state seal of biliteracy after Spanish 3″… It’s a wide swath but they are ALL still here and they are all able to communicate in TL at their own level! For this writing, I gave them the topics, we looked at the rubric, I gave them 5 minutes to plan their writing, and then 30 minutes to write. I’ll share the topics and some examples below.

Level 1 was a maximum B+ because they would be writing within their comfort zone instead of flexing their language muscles. Its target was a comfy Intermediate Low type of language… Paragraphs and known topics. This topic was simple, tell me all about Frida’s life.

Level 2 was a maximum of A because they would have to begin drawing comparisons. A few of the kids chose this one. I feel like it was a comfortable topic for even the ones with slower development of performance toward proficiency! In this topic they had to compare Frida’s life with their own… being sure to give evidence of the similarities and differences.

Level 3 allowed students the opportunity to earn an A+. These students had to compare Frida’s life with that of another famous person live or dead. This meant that they had to show what they knew from a broader range of topics and bring that into their Spanish presentational writing. Many chose this path! I love that this student used her SSR book as the point of comparison! I had everything from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Van Gogh to Amy Winehouse!!

Something I always do to encourage strong transitions is to share my Enriquécete words. I keep them in a basket and students pull out the ones they might want to use as they write. The cool thing is they eventually have to look really hard because “they already know them all”. 🙂 Such a problem!

I think this assessment STYLE will work for a lot of units and I’m going to try adapting it to my 2s and 3s and their tasks as well!

For more info about how I assess in class, check out this video.