World Language Classroom | Teaching Ideas, Activities and Strategies

#192

How much flexibility or autonomy do you have over your curriculum? Are you able to integrate CI techniques and procedures? This can be a bit challenging if our curriculum is aligned with chapters in a textbook or prescribed units.  Today I speak with Ashley Mikkelsen, a Spanish teacher in North Dakota.  Ashley talks us through her personal journey and experience integrating CI activities into her textbook-aligned curriculum that also includes common assessments.  And these assessments are not always proficiency-based. Is this possible? Ashley shows us how with her quintessential realistic lens. 

Topics in this Episode:

• Challenges teachers face when trying to incorporate Comprehensible Input (CI) within a textbook-driven curriculum
• strategies and techniques for blending CI with the requirements of a textbook curriculum
• specific examples of successfully integrating CI into a textbook lesson
• how teachers can make sure that their use of CI aligns with the learning objectives and assessments outlined in the textbook
• recommendations for teachers who are new to CI but are required to follow a textbook curriculum
• Ep 86: Lots of Activities for Any Reading with Ashley Mikkelsen

Connect with Ashley Mikkelsen:

• Instagram: @srta_spanish
• TikTok: @srta_spanish
• X/Twitter:@afulks2013
• Website: srtaspanish.com

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#191

Do you have effective routines that support your students’ language proficiency and communication skills?  We often think of the communication modes, proficiency levels and 90+% target language as the routines that we foster in the classroom. In this episode you’ll hear about another type of routine, student-created graphic organizers.  These are visual tools that offer a unique pathway for students to comprehend and engage with the target language.

Blog post with visuals to see examples of student-created graphic organizers.

Topics in this Episode:

• effective learning routines
• student-created graphic organizers (Thinking Maps, Brains Frames)
• benefits of students creating their own graphic organizers
• when to use student-created graphic organizers (pre-speaking, pre-writing)
• 5 useful types of student-created graphic organizers
  • linear details
  • cause and effect
  • brainstorming
  • compare and contrast
  • categorizing

Blog post with visuals to see examples of student-created graphic organizers.

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#190

A few weeks back I posted on LinkIn and Andrea Caulfield left a comment. Andrea is the World Language Curriculum Specialist in Denver Public Schools.  She commented that she uses podcast episodes as a way of bringing professional development and coaching to the 100+ teachers in her district. I was intrigued to learn more about how she managed this logistically and wanted you to hear it as well in case you are interested in doing something similar. Andrea explains how she chooses and recommends episodes, works with teachers to engage with the topics and, of course, the logistics.

Topics in this Episode:

• why Andrea started using podcast episodes as professional development in her language department
• how she structure discussions and activities around podcast episodes to ensure meaningful professional growth for teachers
• specific benefits Andrea has seen in her department since incorporating podcasts into her PD model
• choosing which podcast episodes to use
• advice for language department leaders who want to implement podcast-based professional development but aren’t sure where to start
• Andrea's podcast episode database.
• Andrea's reflection questions:
  • What confirmed or challenged your beliefs in the episode(s) you listened to?
  • What were your biggest takeaways?
  • What is one change you are committed to making in your own practice based on your learning, and what steps do you need to take to make that change?
  • What barriers to successful implementation do you foresee? How might you avoid them?
  • How will you measure success for the change you plan to implement?
  • What questions are you left with?

Connect with Andrea Caulfield:

• Bluesky: @AndreaCaulfield.bsky.social
• email: a[email protected]

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#189

We are all well aware of the importance of comprehensible input in our classrooms, and to support this many of us use stories as the way to do it.  Do you use short stories, novels or graphic novels or comprehensible (CI) readers with your students? I’m excited to see that many teachers are using and leveraging texts with their students. I want to take this a step further in this episode and tell you about a project that engages students creatively with story details and newly acquired vocabulary and structures. 

Blog post about the "unpack the book" project with examples and templates.

Topics in this Episode:

• the "unpack the book" project
• preparing to read
• keep track of details while reading
  • characters
  • chapter summaries
  • hashtags
• the project book pages
  • cover
  • vocabulary
  • hashtags
  • characters
  • events
  • quotes
  • culture

Blog post about the "unpack the book" project with examples and templates.

 Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#188

We are always taking on new vocabulary themes and language structures in our language classroom. How do you make sure that your students are engaging with these new topics, particularly when it comes to speaking? In this episode, I speak with Jessica Hall, AKA Miss Señorita, who is a Spanish teacher in Connecticut. Jessica shares 3 speaking activities that are easily modified for various levels and languages. You can use them right away with any vocabulary topic or language structure, and Jessica even provides the templates.

Topics in this Episode:

• importance and benefits of incorporating speaking activities into world language classrooms
• examples of speaking activities that can be adapted to different grammar and vocabulary themes
• ensuring that these speaking activities are engaging and effective for students of varying proficiency levels
• specific speaking activities that are particularly beneficial for students
• practical steps and strategies to implement these speaking activities in your classrooms to maximize student participation and learning 
• Jessica's templates

Connect with Jessica Hall :

• Instagram: @MissSenoritaTpT

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#187

What do your grades look like? Do the grades that your students earn reflect their mastery and what they can do with and in the target language? In this episode, I speak with Jude Krushnowski, the Director of the World Language Teacher Education Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He walks us through a framework for competency-based grading in our proficiency-based classrooms. Lots of tips, insights and suggestions for making this transition to assessments authentically reflecting our students’ competency. 

Topics in this Episode:

• what standards-based grading is and how it differs from traditional grading methods
• how standards-based grading aligns with proficiency-based instruction and why is it more beneficial for assessments
• examples where standards-based grading significantly enhanced learning and proficiency growth
• what gets assessed and what does not; what goes into the grade
• what it looks like in practice, particularly gradebook categories, retakes, rubrics vs. points and percentages
• challenges teachers might face when transitioning to standards-based grading

Connect with Jude :

• Twitter/X: @ProfeKrush

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#186

How do we ensure our students know exactly what they’re working toward in their language learning journey? In this episode, we’re diving into Writing Can Do Statements—how to make them concrete, student-friendly, and aligned with proficiency levels and ACTFL’s communication modes. We’ll explore both yearly and unit-specific Can Do Statements, their role in guiding instruction and assessment, and practical strategies for crafting effective statements that support student growth.

Get the Bloom's Taxonomy verb list to use in your Can Do Statements

Topics in this Episode:

• understanding exactly what Can Do Statements are and how to use them effectively in the classroom
• using Success Criteria to write Can Do Statements
• using Bloom's Taxonomy to write Can Do Statements
• yearly Can Do Statements
• unit-specific Can Do Statements
• examples of effective Can Do Statements
• tips for writing effective Can Do Statements

Get the Bloom's Taxonomy verb list to use in your Can Do Statements

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#185

What have you learned about your teaching throughout your years of experience? Do you take time to look introspectively at what works well for you and why so that you can replicate it? In this episode, Carmen Scoggins, a Spanish teacher in North Carolina, joins me to talk us through her 5 universal truths about teaching. Though our personal experiences and truths may be a little different, hearing how Carmen frames her universal truths provides an effective framework for articulating our own, and the benefits of doing it.  

Topics in this Episode:

• what Carmen means by "Universal Truths about Teaching" and how she discovered them
• the key universal truths Carmen believes are essential for teachers to understand and embrace
• how these universal truths apply specifically to the context of world language teaching
• examples of how these truths have influenced Carmen's own teaching practices and student outcomes
• why and how teachers can incorporate these universal truths into their teaching philosophy and practice

Connect with Carmen Scoggins:

• Instagram:@srtascoggdawg
• Twitter/X: @carmenscoggins
• Facebook: /carmen.scoggins

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#184

Are you always on the lookout for new and inventive ideas to bring to our classrooms. I have one simple, yet powerful, tool.  A mini-folding book is a compact, 8-page book made from a single sheet of paper. They are easy to create and can be customized for a wide range of classroom activities.  In this episode I’ll tell you how to create the book and then I’ll share 10 Ways to use Mini-Folding Books.

Blog post with instructions for folding the paper and the 10 ideas for using mini-folding books.

Topics in this Episode:

• what mini-bolding books are
• how to create a mini-folding book
• 10 ways to use mini-folding books in the classroom
  1. Personal Information Books
  2. Vocabulary Books
  3. Story Books
  4. Cultural Books
  5. Grammar Practice Books
  6. Dialogue Books
  7. Travel Guide Books
  8. Recipe Books
  9. Pen Pal Introductions
  10. Review Books

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#183

Are you getting more comfortable with AI tools? Are you finding ways to use them to enhance your teaching? Last year, Noemi Rodriguez joined me on episode 116 when AI felt so new and emerging. Noemi is back to talk through advances in AI, new resources for language teachers and getting over some common hurdles.  We specifically focus on leveraging AI tools to support students, particularly around providing feedback and differentiating lessons and activities. 

Topics in this Episode:

•  how AI tools can be used to support students in world language classes
• how AI tools enhance language learning and make it more engaging for students
• specific AI tools and applications that are particularly effective for supporting students, differentiating and providing feedback
• examples of AI tools being used to support students that enhance or improve students' language proficiency
• practical steps and strategies teachers can take to effectively implement AI tools to support students

Connect with Noemi Rodriguez:

• Instagram: @team_lologramos 
• Website:  www.lologramosconsulting.com

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

•  wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter):  @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram:  @wlclassroom
• Facebook:  /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district?  Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get  tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode  on the podcast.  

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.