Blog

It’s a widely accepted truth at this point: children need less screen time.  This is a challenge, though, because not all screen time is created equal.  For example, I feel fairly safe saying there’s not a square inch of social media that a child needs to occupy.  In fact, as children get older, more screen time is linked […]

Across the world language teaching profession, teachers are eagerly looking for more and better ways to provide comprehensible (or better yet, comprehended) input to their learners.  They know that acquisition only happens when learners assign meaning to words and structures, and that requires comprehension.  This topic inspired the November 23 #langchat.  Let’s see what teachers […]

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages – ACTFL – held its annual Convention and Expo in November of 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.  Although thousands of teachers attended the conference, many more, of course, were not able to.  On #langchat before the conference, teachers gathered to discuss their expectations for the event, and […]

We recently told you about Pañuelito, a culturally authentic game for reviewing vocabulary in Spanish class.  Here we share Doña Ana. We incorporated this game into Calico Spanish Stories Level C (“I Live Here”), together with the song that inspired it. – Follow us on Twitter – – Like Calico Spanish on Facebook – The […]

In this discussion, #langchat teachers proposed many ways to make the beginning and ending of world language classes more engaging and effective. Participants also shared their transition techniques that allow them to optimize learning during their class times. – Follow the blog on Bloglovin – Using the Beginning of Class to Spark Learner Enthusiasm #Langchat […]

This #langchat conversation looked at how to best assess interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes in a World Language Classroom. In the course of the discussion, participants also offered ideas on when to design assessments for each mode and worked to identify the important elements in a performance rubric. – Follow the blog on Bloglovin – […]

How can a teacher learn from last semester and it’s failures and successes in the world language classroom? Guest #langchat moderator Heidi Trude (@htrude07) invited teachers to reflect on that question in a recent chat. After all, the #langchat community exists to be a place where world language teachers can collaborate and encourage each other […]

It’s no secret: young children love games.  (And really, don’t most of us?)  It can be challenging, though, to find a game for the early Spanish language classroom that is fun, useful, and authentic.  Pañuelito fits that bill perfectly. – Follow us on Twitter – How to play the game Pañuelito, also often called el juego del pañuelo, is  […]

This langchat discussion focused on the benefits of teaching without a textbook. Although it may seem challenging to some, many #langchat teachers believe teaching without a textbook increases student engagement and allows proficiency in the target language to become more attainable. – Follow the blog on Bloglovin – How to Begin to Transition Away from […]

Some call it “20% Time,” a concept borrowed from Google in which people spend one-fifth of their work time on a project of their choosing.  Others may call it “genius hour,” still referring to one hour out of five per week that students spend pursuing their own interests in learning.  Another term, “passion project,” is […]