Let’s celebrate success!

https://goo.gl/photos/ZvJ23xgZM28AiXo58

Today as we enter the month of September and we slowly start to wave goodbye to summer, let the sun shine and let me share a success story using TPRS and comprehensible input online!

Back in April an ex Spanish student of mine contacted me because he wanted to learn French.

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acquire50 acquisition65 advanced course1 answer1 answering11 celebrate26 celebration20 ci145 circling5 comprehend52 comprehensible100 comprehension250 customized2 edmodo3 Education20 fluency107 fluent57 free writing37 immerse2 immersion93 improve19 input47 languages13 listen283 listening52 Martina Bex11 online38 personalized16 PQA8 proficiency12 proficient9 progress101 ressources40 share17 Skype6 story46 storyasking15 storytelling39 success17 successful2 teaching42 understand67 understanding22

How can a children’s book be for everyone?

I am always on the look for interesting funny stories and at the same time stories which are comprehensible to my learners. A few months ago when I was busy breastfeeding, I was reading the TPRS bible “Fluency through TPR storytelling” by Blaine Ray and Contee Steel and one chapter entitled “Kindergarten Day”

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acquiring18 acquisition65 activities5 animal sounds1 animals97 bedtime3 children28 ci145 circle3 circling5 comprehensible100 comprehension250 connection105 engaging10 exercises1 fun413 funny256 high frequency217 home practice3 input47 interesting23 kindergarten day1 listening52 own pace2 parallel story3 practice33 present tense435 repetition42 repetitive22 story46 storytelling39 teacherspayteachers11 TPRS71 verb forms3 video350 vocabulary256

French story and poem: un amour qui finit mal !

My French students are now learning the passé composé in class and I am looking for ways to help them acquire this new tense without doing the traditional grammar approach.

The first text which came to my mind was Le déjeuner du matin which is actually a poem widely taught in French classes because the language is quite simple and repetitive.

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acquire50 acquisition65 breakfast13 comprehensible100 comprehension250 cultural10 culture246 déjeuner du matin1 Education20 food154 French41 guidelines2 literature92 love81 Martina Bex11 meal10 miming1 MovieTalk14 passé-composé227 perfect tense4 poem71 poet16 Prévert4 questions74 repetition42 script201 story46 storytelling39 target language12 target structure20 teacherspayteachers11 TPRS71 youtube67

Reading activity for French learners (beginner level).

Yeah!!! I am back to blogging! I had a very good excuse though for not posting for such a while: I had my fourth boy on the 24th of September. His name is Antoine and he is a lovely baby boy doing well 🙂

Whilst recovering from the birth and taking care of my precious little boy,

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acquire50 acquisition65 beginner318 blog7 Blogging1 ci145 comprehensible100 comprehension250 confidence92 confident8 content6 creative13 Education20 engaging10 French41 grammar66 input47 key structures8 languages13 Martina Bex11 meaning17 meaningful15 parallel story3 practice33 prepare6 printable1 story46 storytelling39 teacherspayteachers11 TPRS71 vocabulary256 worksheet2 writing55

Resources for English learners: shopping and the issue of being a shopaholic.

Last week, I was writing about my new “job” which is to teach online private lessons to Spanish students who want to improve their English. (via Google hangout or Skype). For now, it is going very well and I am receiving positive feedback from my students which is always good!

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acquire50 acquisition65 activity13 answers24 article46 communicate9 communication10 communicative7 compelling39 comprehend52 comprehensible100 comprehension250 conversation311 culture246 debate11 edmodo3 Education20 esl2 fluency107 input47 interesting23 language45 learner217 learning15 meaning17 meaningful15 personal13 personalized16 practise2 questions74 teacherspayteachers11 theme3 topic24

Resources for English learners: superstitions.

Although I am taking a break from my school and “formal” teaching, I have not really quit and I have now started to teach online (via Google hangout or Skype) private lessons to Spanish students who want to improve their English. It is actually very different from teaching a whole class and my students have a good level of English but they are not confident enough.

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activity13 comprehensible100 comprehension250 conversation311 culture246 Education20 engage150 fluency107 fluent57 language45 learning15 personal13 practice33 questions74 teacherspayteachers11

Reflection on Comprehensible Input

I haven’t updated my blog for a while now, and as I am taking a break due to my fourth baby coming at the end of September, I wanted to reflect on my last school year. I was teaching Spanish from grade 6 to 12 and I decided to turn to comprehensible input and TPRS since I was never fully satisfied with the traditional way to teach languages.

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6th graders2 acquisition65 comments3 comprehensible100 Education20 encourage2 feedback41 fluency107 fluent57 grade 108 grade 74 grade 85 grade 98 IGCSE12 input47 inspire13 languages13 listening52 Martina Bex11 middle school3 motivate151 motivation201 personalized16 review26 song29 Spanish33 story46 story asking15 storytelling39 TPRS71