Comprehensible Input

The decision to transform your classroom toward comprehended input, although exciting, may also cause anxiety.  You ditched the grammar based syllabus, but now what?@?  Keep the focus on the belief that acquisition doesn’t happen in a linear fashion and may not even seem structured at times.  Try a few routine activities like Calendar Talk, Self Directed Reading,  Discipulus Illustris, establishing meaning for vocabulary  centered around tasks or reading to create novelty for learners while also providing structure for students to know what to expect from the next class.

Vocabulary Activities

Pre-Reading Activities

During Reading Activities

Post-Reading Activities

Language Tasks

Below are blogs I frequently visit.  A new skill that you will need to work on is how to manage your own energy flow and decision fatigue.  I often hear teachers lament that they cannot do CI or TPRS because it takes too much energy.  Although the energy flow is different, I find that careful thought toward routines with a sprinkling of new activities aides the management of energy effectively.  Use these resources as these teachers share a lot of great stuff! 

Magistra Arnold – Resources all in one place!  I’m so thankful for the organization and availability of so many CI resources.

Magister Toda – Find many activities under his CI Reading Strategies page.  Keith also explains his process toward comprehensible input in an authentic way that has helped me as I make the transition.

Magister Patrick – A place for big ideas and quite a few posts about specific activities that you can try right now.

Magister Piantaggini – Magister P tackles many of the tough spots of switching to a comprehension based philosophy.  Grading, management and continued focus on comprehensible input are found throughout his site.

Indwelling Language – Justin Slocum-Bailey offers a mammoth amount of resources.  My favorite are his creative no prep activities to keep the input flowing.

Comprehensible Classics – Andrew Olimpi has published many fantastic novellas.  He also published a year’s worth of lessons.  Notice the routines embedded in his year in F7.

The Comprehensible Classroom – Martina Bex is a Spanish teacher who has a magic hat full of awesome activities.  Some of them take some prep but many can at least be altered to require little prep.

Bryce Hedstrom – Bryce is also a Spanish teacher.  His focus is TPRS.  He offers a lot of routine type activities and free resources, sometimes even translated into Latin.

My Generation of Polygots – Mike Peto’s ideas about Free Volunteer Reading which I call Self Directed Reading in my program are a wonderful place to start.  The site also has some nice videos to demonstrate certain activities, especially with upper level courses.