Not Your Mama's Tasks: Recipes for Communicative Tasks in the CI Classroom

I haven't written about using Tasks in my classroom since I wrote the White Elephant Task post two January's ago. That's not because that's the last time I used a task in my classes--just the contrary--it's just that things got away from me--and I had trouble articulating in a useful way what I've been doing in my classes since then.

I've talked before about my concern over sharing big ideas with you and then not leaving you with any good way to use them in your classes. That's mostly because of my own frustrations with similar experiences. I've had that fear with Tasks. How can I share this idea, which is a big one, and not leave you with a half-baked concept and no real notion of how to use it in your own classes?

But I'm going to dive in! Because I think Tasks are game-changing.

So here goes.

What is a Task?

I'm going to start with a definition. Miriam teases me on our CI podcast (which we share with Bob Patrick) about being predictable, because I believe whole-heartedly that no real intelligent conversation can move forward without clear definitions (it's my debate background).

A Task, for our purposes, is a linguistic activity that has a purpose outside of learning language.

Some non-linguistic purposes could include:

• find these clues to an animal we're going to read about, then use them to create a drawing of what you think the animal might look like.
• read a passage for support and then choose sides and form arguments for a debate.
• survey student opinions on a topic and create a class overview (this is the prototype Task that is generally offered as an example by Bill VanPatten and others he recommends as resources).
• take a Buzzfeed quiz to find out what ___ you are (could be: Hogwarts House, animal, color, dessert, etc.) or to find out if you are more country or city, etc.
• create a character, read stories for clues to prepare you to fight the next enemy, and role-play through a scenario. 
• choose your own adventure stories.
• follow instructions to create something.

Any of these things are tasks.

The point of a Task is to get students using language to accomplish things and effectively immerse themselves, and so forget the fact that they are using the target language while they strive to successfully complete the task.

This leads to another necessity of a task that may not be an explicit part of the definition of a task but falls naturally within the scope of a task: a task must be comprehensible and compelling. 

For a student to forget he or she is using the target language, the language must be comprehensible enough that the student does not interrupt linguistic flow. It also must be compelling enough that students are invested in the activity and care about the purpose they have been given; if they are only completing the activity because they are getting it done for a grade, then they start thinking about the language and not in the language. 

For more on tasks and to follow our own journey of discovery on Tasks, you can listen to our book study on Tasks and Communicating in Language Classrooms or you can listen to back episodes of Tea with BVP for various discussions of Tasks and what they are (here is Episode 24 on the Nature of Tasks to get you started!).

The Types of Tasks
Miriam and I are by no means experts on tasks, but I think we have refined our own use of tasks into a few types or categories of tasks that we generally go to. I have also provided a sample of each task type.

Survey Tasks
These are the first types of tasks that Miriam and I started with when we formally began experimenting with Tasks™.

1. Checklist surveys are a convenient means of pure input. This makes them especially fitting for a Latin I or 2 class. We can fit them to either our own vocabulary or thematic needs (what pleases you, what scares you) and still the students' purpose for taking the survey is informational. We follow the checklists with group tallies and whole-class tallies of the information, which allows for heavily-supported student discussion in the target language.
2. Buzzfeed quizzes are another way to survey students--and they are naturally engaging. Students somehow find esoteric things like what "Skittle flavor are you" fascinating, and while I don't create quizzes on these topics, to paraphrase Field of Dreams, offer to classify them, and they will come. I did create a "Are you more City or Country?" quiz to go with their City Mouse and Country Mouse unit and Miriam has written a quiz that helped students find out "What Animal are You?" Students automatically want to share their results, so this automatically engenders discussion, but I know that both Miriam and I like to make sure that there is directed discussion at the end of the quizzes.

Effort vs Yield: This task takes some work to create and maybe generates 30-40 minutes of input, depending on how long you can extend the discussion. The Buzzfeed style quizzes are actually harder because you have to create a result system. So I think these tasks, while the "prototasks," maybe fittingly for the prototasks, are the highest effort for the lowest yield.

Example Survey Task: Are You Country or City? Written in Buzzfeed style, but followed with survey style steps, so you get the best of both worlds.

Instruction Tasks
I have chosen to divide this category into two types, traditional and scavenger hunts.

1. Traditional instruction tasks. To be honest, this idea itself is not new. Giving kids instructions in a target language and having them follow those instructions is as old as teaching language; keeping the instructions comprehensible and compelling so they can forget they are learning a language is the trick here (maybe--I don't want to invent wheels). I was privileged to do an entire unit of instructional tasks (among other things) when I taught a Roman food unit last semester to my fours, and it was an amazing mix of live moment-to-moment TL instruction and handing over recipes with some wandering guidance from me. This can be done at lower levels as well. We are teaching Minerva and Arachne to the Latin I students and I have been considering a very simple instructional task where I help them create a cardboard shuttle and loom and weave a bit of yard using a technique I learned from Miriam years ago!
2. Scavenger Hunts and QR Code Hunts. These are tasks that ask students to follow clues to find something--in the case of my Harrius Potter unit, students had a scavenger hunt to find their Hogwarts school supplies (with some false leads if they did not follow the list in their acceptance letters). QR Code Hunts are similar, except students find QR codes with a Latin sentence to write down and a clue to the next code. The sentences usually add up to a story or are clues to a creature or a mystery needing solving. Miriam and I have presented over QR Code Hunts several times and posted over them here and here.

Effort vs Yield: I'll start with QR Code Hunts. Medium effort, though it can be more the first time you make them, but the yield is high. Students stay engaged, stay focused on the purpose of the clues, not language, and, as a bonus, it's a low effort day for you, so if you need a down day, I recommend it. Traditional instruction tasks are also medium effort and high yield, but you will be just as engaged as the kids the entire time, so high energy for them and you.

Example Instruction Task: Caseus Recipe. This is a recipe I used to lead the class as a whole through making cheese. The posted instructions are simple and allowed me to expand as needed aloud. 

Games
There is no easy way to discuss this without touching on my obsessiveness with games, so I had to divide this into two categories. I'm starting with the less strenuous party games, however.

1. Party Games. I am going to start this section by saying you can bring simple games into your class and they can be really worth it. Think of party games that are conversationally focused and create a strong lexicon for support. I recently created a version of "Never Have I Ever" (also known as "Ten Fingers") to accompany my unit on the House of Atreus to review events we have read and to preview potential upcoming events. It generated a lot of TL discussion, with the purpose of finding out more about other students or getting them out of the game, as well as a lot of laughter, and was something I wrote fairly quickly in the exhausted haze of the Sunday after I got home from State Convention.
2. Gamer Games. [Surgeon General's Warning: I love games and identify as a gamer. So I am willing to sacrifice health and sanity to bring gaming into my classroom. So if that is definitely not you, feel free to skip this portion, or read it, shaking your head and tsking at me, like my husband does (and he is a gamer too).] Some gaming influences Miriam and I have brought into our classes are: 1) choose your adventures, which require intense planning, because that's a much more involved story to write. Miriam started these last year--it feels longer--and I have started playing with them this year. 2) Breakout rooms, again requiring intense planning! I did my first one in October based in Harrius Potter, after discovering Breakout.edu at a presentation at AWLA last year. Miriam just completed hers over Roman medicine. They are SO cool! But they require weeks of planning. 3) Miriam and I have also done a strategy/Risk-esque game when teaching students about Hannibal in Latin II. Miriam's version took my beginning of an idea and developed it into a much better system that helped students use the target language more than mine did. 4) These last two years I have had role-play games in Latin III and IV, one in which students played major historical figures from Caesar's Civil War and, this year, a more traditional D&D style game in which students created heroes, fought monsters, and saved the world (I will be doing a write up about that one in about a month). These games give students a purpose outside language--kill an enemy, make a deal with Caesar, outmaneuver Hannibal--and that purpose is so much more engaging than anything else I could create that it's worth the exhaustion and, yes, sometimes tears, in my opinion.

Effort vs Yield: Traditional games have low effort for medium to high yield. They only take a small adjustment to prepare, students know how to play them, and they are easy to personalize to your needs. Gamer games are high to intense effort for high yield. The yield length can very between short-lived (choose-your-own adventure and Breakout rooms) and extended (role-play games).

Example Party Game: Never Have I Ever. This has an extensive lexical guide so students aren't left trying to produce Latin they may not be ready to produce (instead it's actually Comprehensible Input disguised as output!), but it does leave room for students to produce if they're ready. One of my favorite spontaneous moments was by a student who used his unique vision against his group: "Numquam umquam colores vidi." ("Never have I ever seen colors.")

Debate and Analysis Tasks

These are the headier tasks and I am having a harder time describing them. They are Miriam's strength more than mine--she is fantastic at building these. One example from her Jason and Medea unit is when she built a task that had us divide students (by their choice) into teams to argue as either Jason or Medea's divorce attorneys. Students reread through the novella to gather evidence, as well as using some additional evidence: a visual, a letter, a legal document. Their purpose was to gather evidence and build a case, then argue it. Miriam has also had students analyze dreams, and, recently, in their medical unit, they have had to look at symptoms and assign Roman cures. This is a task type I am hoping to personally improve in--I'm just not there yet. My analysis activities often end up linguistically-focused as well as thematic, automatically making them not tasks.

Effort vs Yield: Debate and Analysis tasks can take high effort to prepare but they also offer high yield; not only do they provide rich opportunity for input, but the depth of discussion is significant, and students find themselves thinking in the language at a level that they simply do not when they are not guided to do so. These tasks take students to that depth without the fear of drowning, so they are more willing to engage and forget about the fact that this heavier discussion is not happening in their first language.

Example Analysis Task: Dream Analysis. Students roll up a dream and then proceed to analyze it using a dream guide. Students then discussed their analyses and what their dreams meant to them and about them. This was part of a larger unit on games and fortune telling. All of their reading in this task is for the purpose of understanding the imagery they have been given in their dreams.

So what now?
Hopefully you try your hand at any of these types of tasks, or you come up with your own, completely other kind of task. The thing about tasks is, as long as you have students interacting with language in a way that is comprehensible, compelling, and caring (which is a given, if you've created something like this for them), and for a purpose outside of language learning, then the sky's the limit. That's really all there is to it. And if you make some, please share them in the comments below! I'd love to see what you write and learn from you.

That said, if you want even more examples and resources, plus six presentations organized around various topics over tasks that Miriam and I found important to help focus this discussion (including two 45 min long live sessions), and to hear the word "purpose" more times than you can count, we did a webinar over the topic on steppingintoci.com as part of our paid subscription. We are now past the time of live feedback for your tasks as you write them, but the videos and all written materials remain available.

Movie Talks and Novellas: CI Articles in Teaching Classical Languages

Movie Talks
I am excited to share with you that I had an article published in Teaching Classical Languages, CAMWS's peer-reviewed journal. I presented over the usefulness of Movie Talks and how to prepare and deliver Movie Talks a couple of years ago at ACL Institute, and was approached by John Gruber-Miller to write an article, so I am really pleased that I got this opportunity to publish my article.

My article begins with Comprehensible Input theory and a little discussion of Second Language Acquisition, and it is really the place where, at least to myself, I first articulated the three C's of CI: Comprehensible, Compelling, and Caring. Since then, we (Keith, Miriam, Bob, and myself) have spent a lot of time supporting that triple structure because I think it resonates with all of us, but it was in writing this article that I was able to simplify the concepts into those three words.

After that, the article clarifies how Movie Talks apply CI theory to concrete teaching practice and gets to work describing them and how to write and deliver them effectively in the classroom. I provided examples, all linked in the article, which is why I haven't written about them here--I didn't want to post anything I had already promised to the article.

If you want to read more, you can find the article here:
The MovieTalk: A Practical Application of Comprehensible Input Theory

Novellas
In addition, John Piazza, another awesome CI Latin teacher had an article published in this issue of Teaching Classical Languages. His article discusses the recent rise of Latin novellas and their potential uses in the Latin classroom. When explaining why the novellas had been written, I especially appreciated Piazza's emphasis on the difference between extensive (a lot of Latin with repetitive, sheltered vocabulary) and intensive (varied vocabulary and emphasis on close interpretation of grammar, etc.) readings, and the lack of extensive reading provided by current textbooks.

Piazza then describes ways to use novellas in class. He points out that one of the strengths of using a novella that allows all students to comprehend the story is (158)

that the successful reading of a chapter or a passage, or the entire novel itself, is not the end, but rather the beginning or midpoint of a process whose outcome is the interpersonal and creative use of the language as communication. Once basic understanding has been achieved, students are encouraged to use the text as a means to demonstrate a broader form of creative proficiency that is not limited to the book or the text or the vocabulary specific to that book.

In addition to discussing use of novellas as whole-class readings, Piazza describes Free Voluntary Reading and how he has organized it in his classes, and even provides an overview of Latin novellas that have been published. Piazza intersperses all with links to activities for using these novellas in classrooms, how he has used them in his own classes, how others have used them, and a page that he keeps up-to-date concerning Latin novellas.

To read the full article, you can find it here:
Beginner Latin Novels, a General Overview

Definitely an article worth reading!

An Open Letter: to myself

Dear Miriam,

I can't help but notice that, right at this time, you are feeling down and stressed. You've spent this semester working with brand new authors, teaching things you've never taught before and are uncomfortable with, attending conferences (and presenting), and working with three clubs. And so, here you are. You are tired, frustrated, and angry -- mostly with yourself. Why? A few thoughts come to mind.

• You aren't getting enough sleep and it makes you grumpy.
• You have over extended yourself in some areas and are struggling to meet deadlines. 
• You have explained things 20+ times and yet, people still ask the same questions. 
• If others don't meet their deadlines, you can't meet yours. 
• You are working with brand new material - just WHAT have you gotten yourself into? (hint: upcoming blog post alert!)
• Given all the above, and the fact you are dedicated to your job, you find yourself missing time at home with loved ones. 

Why do you blame yourself for all these things, especially when most are not your own doing? Because you care. I get it. But... also allow me to remind you of a few things:

1. Sleep is good. So is coffee. Don't feel badly about that second cup, or sleeping in on the weekend. 
2. Okay, so you are a "yes" person. There isn't anything wrong with that, in that it allows you to show your skill, grow professionally, and feel productive. 
3. Look at you go. You are finding news ways to communicate with all kinds of people. :)
4. There is always a way. Kids are kids, even when they are nearing 18. Don't feel badly for making changes and accommodations you would appreciate yourself. It doesn't make you a bad person or teacher. 
5. WOW.... you are working with brand new material, that you've never read before. 
6. You are a dedicated person. You can apply that same love and passion to your loved ones and relationships as you do work. 

Are there areas for growth? Sure, but before I get to those, remember this:

There is an ebb and flow to life. Remember those days when you wished and hoped for something to do, well here they are. They will come again. There is always a busy season and, yes, sometimes they overlap. The key to it all is: balance. Sometimes we say "yes" to too many things. The question is no longer, "how do I say 'no'?", but, "how do I honour my commitments and honour myself?" That is how you handle this - by moving forward, one step at a time: one plan, one moment, one day. So, Miriam, tired teacher.... A few points to work on:

1. Make a morning routine and stick to it. On the weekends, say "yes" to that extra hour and "heck yes" to that nap. This too shall pass. 
2. In the future, you must learn to say "no" - with gusto. You have made so much progress, but there is still more to do. Saying "no" to someone else means saying "yes" to yourself.
3. Remember: you love these kiddos. Their brains are not fully formed yet and they need extra guidance sometimes. 
4. See above. 
5. Be proud of the work you do, no matter how messy it is. You are growing as a teacher, and student. You are becoming an avid reader of Latin. 
6. If your loved ones are asking for you, make the time. Say no to someone else. Do it. 

And... a few life reminders:

• Say yes to water. 
• Say yes to a movie. 
• Say yes to extra kitten and puppy snuggles. 
• Say yes to self care.

Remember: you are a good teacher and this moment of self doubt, stress, and general busy-ness will pass. 

Love, 

Miriam

How I Use Frequency Lists

This post is in partnership with our latest podcast (will post before 9:00 pm TONIGHT) which you can check out over at steppingintoci.com. In our podcast, we were discussing Bob Patrick's idea of Collective Memory which we all use in a variety of ways at our school. What came from this is the ultimate question of how we choose vocabulary to focus on and why.

I will do my best to link to all my resources as well as others that I know of at the bottom of the post. If you can think of others (for any language), link to them below!

What kind of frequency list do you have? What kind of frequency list should I have?

There are a lot of frequency lists out there. They all serve different purposes and have different origins. So, the tempting answer is, "ALL OF THEM!" Of course, this isn't practical and I certainly do not look into each frequency list when I create or adapt material. Rather, I look into some favourites depending on my purpose and what I'm creating. That being said, there are many types of frequency lists and we should know about them:

1. Teacher Created - This can be any kind of frequency list that teachers have had a hand in creating. Latin has the 50 Most Important Verbs and many languages have "super seven" or "fab five" sets of verbs that are fairly common.
2. District/Locally Created - This may be a list of words that you must look at when teaching/preparing a lesson. They may be agreed upon at a variety of levels. 
3. Literature Based - This is the vast majority of frequency lists. They are based in frequency of words in certain types of literature. Here are a few types within the Latin language
1. Classical Literature - There are a good number of lists like this. They often take their frequency numbers from a given number of authors within the Classical Canon. 
2. Medieval Literature - There are some lists like this that, unlike the previous, focus on literature solely from the Medieval period. 
3. Mixed Literature - There are a growing number of lists that use authors from both the Classical and Medieval period. These are the lists I prefer. 
4. Author Based - These lists are ones based solely on a singular author. They tend to take into account an author's entire body of work (if available) to create frequency lists. 
5. Novella Based - Often these lists make use of other frequency lists and are more a vocabulary list than a frequency list. However, slowly, we are beginning to see requests for and examples of frequency lists within novellas. They are based solely on a single book and its uses of various words. 

So... Which ones do you use and when?

Ultimately it boils down to what I am doing/creating, but I do have a few tried and true frequency lists that I really like:

• Essential Latin Vocabulary by Mark A. E. Williams - I use this one for almost every project. I like the way it is divided up by frequency, alphabet, and in categories. It did have a learning curve to using it, but once I got that down, it was very easy to use. I often pair this up with Lewis and Short's dictionary. I like the combination because I can check both the frequency and uses of a word to ensure it is the right word that I'd like. I also use it when working with authors. I can check the frequency of the words they use to determine if I need to adapt a piece of writing. 
• 50 Most Important Verbs - This was created with much discussion by a group of Latin teachers. It is a really good list of words that most often come up within classroom discussions. It is not based on frequency of text/literature, but what we find kids most often wanted to use in our rooms and what we needed to communicate with them. I like this list when I am beginning with a new group of kids or when we are discussing things we've done, like to do, etc. 
• Dickinson's Core Vocabulary - This list is quite long, and I have not explored all its uses, but I do like to use it when I'm looking for a particularly frequent word from Classical Literature. 

Okay, well, how do you use them, especially together?

When I use a frequency list it is to: adapt a piece of literature, write a novella, or create a vocabulary list for a unit. Here is a quick rundown of how I might use these resources in each of the instances. 

Adaptation of Literature

1. Read the literature as is, with a translation next to it (make your own). 
2. Make notes on the words your students already know. 
3. With the remaining words, check frequency and categorise them: words to target, icing words, words to change
1. Words to target become your vocabulary words. They are high frequency and/or key to understanding the unit as a whole. 
2. Icing words are words that are key to the literature, but have little/no use outside of it for your students. They are fine to acquire, but not required. 
3. Words to change are words that are not high frequency and have an alternative word that is high frequency. You will want to check the dictionary for these changes to ensure your new words mean the same thing (i.e. is the word used in the same way? is it used with similar words?) 

Writing a Novella

1. In this instance, I'll start with the 50 MIV. I usually start here because I know it is a list that many teachers reference and many students will already know/be learning. 
2. If I need a verb/word not on the list, I will usually go to the vocabulary lists my students already have. 
3. When considering other words, my first stop is the Essential Latin Vocabulary to check for frequency and see other words that might work and then I go to Lewis and Short to look at its uses and other synonyms. 

Preparing a Unit for Students

This process is a little more free for me. When it comes to conversation, we'll use what words we need and want. I am not too picky about frequency, unless...

• I know what literature is coming up. 
• I know already that a word is high frequency.

Either way, I almost always, if I'm not sure, check the dictionary for uses of the word to help make sure I'm using it correctly. 

List of resources

1. 50 Most Important Verbs
2. Essential Latin Vocabulary
3. Dickinson's Frequency List
4. Dickinson's Vergil Frequency List
5. Super Seven (listed in many languages)

What other frequency lists do you know about? Share them below or on social media with the hashtag #steppingintoci

Brain Dump Round Up - Miriam's list of activities

This morning I came to work knowing, in great detail, the things I wanted to work with, but at a complete blank of how to do it. The normal things I tend towards would not meet the purpose of what I wanted. So, after having a much needed cup of coffee, I started on a search on my favourite blogs to find an activity I could use. What I found were a few new activities and one that I am using today. Additionally, Rachel and I were speaking about some alternatives to the things we use for review/brain break vocabulary activities. I thought I'd take this information and round it all up for you all. So, without further ado, here is my list of favourite and newly discovered activities broken up into categories (and in no particular order). I want to honour what has been said, so I will only present 1-2 sentences where needed to clarify my thoughts or provide review.

Activities with Readings

1. Fan N Pick discussed by Martina Bex - I found this activity this morning and I cannot wait to give it a try! 
2. Story Tower discussed by Martina Bex - Also found this morning, this is the activity I ultimately decided to use. Look at my twitter for some pics later today! 
3. Story Wars discussed by Miriam Patrick, original from Diane Neubauer - I love this activity to spice up a reading! 
4. Picture Relay Races discussed by Rachel Ash 
5. Seek and Find discussed by Rachel Ash - I love the variations on this! 

Activities with Vocabulary

1. Draw, Discuss, and Read discussed by Miriam Patrick
2. In my hat described by Miriam Patrick - We haven't discussed this original activity as it is. There is a variation on this, the white elephant activity, which is linked below. 
3. White Elephant described by Rachel Ash and Justin Slocum Bailey
4. TPR in the First ten discussed by Miriam Patrick with resources from Latin Best Practices
5. One Sentences Stories discussed by Miriam Patrick and Two Sentence Horror Stories discussed by Rachel - both of these ideas were snagged from other places. My idea came from ideas for English/Literature classes and Rachel's idea came from a Reddit thread. 
6. One Word Picture discussed by Keith Toda
7. Movie Talks/Movie Shorts discussed by Miriam Patrick (secondary post)

Activities with Personalisation (PQA and untargeted types)

1. Discipulus Illustris (student interviews)  discussed by Miriam Patrick with links to Bryce Hedstrom's original ideas and other follow up posts. 
2. Free Voluntary Reading discussed by Miriam Patrick (expect an update post later this year)
3. Roll A Write discussed by Miriam Patrick

This list is by no means exhaustive and I am always searching for new ideas. Share them in the comments below! 

Draw, Discuss, and Read

"This is my best timed write ever!"

"Can we have five more minutes to write, please?"

---

I think these are examples of my dream feedback from kids. At the very least, they go right along side things like, "I dreamt in Latin last night", and "I think I want to be a Latin teacher".

I heard these things yesterday in class after three days of the lesson plan I am sharing today. I have done this style once before and knew that it was a fan favourite, but only at the lower level. Doing it at a higher level is more of the same, and yet completely different.

The Plan

I used this plan to introduce a new unit and, particularly, a certain set of "themed" (if you will) vocabulary. In Latin I, we did this with natural elements and pictures of scenes from nature and sci-fi. In Latin III, we did this with medical/body vocabulary and urban legends. 

1. First, I went over new words. Theses words stayed projected for #2.
2. Secondly, we did a picture description. I read the passage three times. 
1. I read, they listen
2. I read, they draw
3. I read, they draw
3. Thirdly, I displayed the picture and we discussed. We discussed a variety of things.
1. What they put in their own images  1&3
2. What colour things are 1&3
3. How many of things are 1&3
4. What they think things are (if they don't know the name) 1&3
5. What qualities they think things show 3
6. Where they think things are 1&3
4. Fourthly, I displayed a story I wrote. In Latin I they were based solely on the picture. In Latin III they were based on the mythology and legend I researched. We discussed
1. Areas of misunderstanding (what does it mean) 1&3
2. Content of the story 1&3
3. Where they think things are going 3
4. Comparisons to previous stories 3
5. Lastly, after the three days, we did a timed write. 
1. Latin I (after 5 days) - I showed a new picture and asked them to do a timed write and create a story around the image. Latin I was given, if I recall ~8 minutes
2. Latin III (after 3 days) - I gave them copies of the picture descriptions and the stories and asked them to write about a monster and give a description and write a story. Latin III was given 12-15 minutes because we spent more time discussing than I anticipated. They could:
1. Choose a monster from a favourite book, movie, game, etc. 
2. Choose a monster from their own or a favourite culture/heritage
3. Create a monster from scratch

The Differences

I've noted a few differences between Latin I and III. Latin III is fresh on my mind, so, if you'll allow me, I'll focus on those interactions. 

• Today, a student interrupted me repeatedly, in the target language, to ask if what we were doing was similar to some other monster from some other culture. Another proceeded to "quiz" me on what mythology it may be from. This is something my ones (and most of my twos) NEVER did. They took what I said as fact. This debate totally got me off track, but was worth every minute. 
• Along the same vein, kids argued with me, in Latin. If they didn't think I'd described something correctly or that it was a different monster than I said, they spoke up. They used the language to express their opinions. In Latin I, that rarely, if ever, happened. 
• By today, students had started to identify with these legends. We did a "Would you rather" brain break. I asked them which ones they'd rather face and which ones they'd rather be. You'd have thought the monsters were in the room the way the kids got into it and moved. 
• In both years, by the end, students knew I was going to ask what was in the image and started shouting them out to the point that I was play catch up. In Latin III, however, they were whole thoughts and ideas. They were complex. In Latin I, they were single words or simple phrases. 
• In Latin I, kids wrote, but were done when they were done. In Latin III, kids asked for extra time and were excited for a timed write... A TIMED WRITE. 

Final Thoughts

There is a lot of discussion about targeted CI and untargeted CI. Personally, I am of the mind that we can use both. This CI was targeted, in my plans, but the discussions that came out of it were untargeted. The freedom that the kids took to talk about what they wanted (their fears, interests, opinions, disagreements, excitement) was amazing. The freedom kids had in their timed writes (and the freedoms they took) were amazing. 

I plan to do this again and it is now firmly planted in my box of goodies. I really like that it is a linked set of lessons that use vocabulary in a variety of ways to help kids become comfortable and acquire the language. Sometimes I feel like some of the things we do are so unrelated... I didn't feel this way this time. So, for me... this was a win. 

March "Madness": 30 Day Challenge

Hi all!

In the spirit of getting through this long and "holiday-less" month (AKA longest day without a break), I thought I'd challenge us all to a 30 day "share" challenge (which means you get 1 "flub" day). I'm going to participate as well and share my own challenge on the PBP Facebook page and Twitter. :) Reply with your own photos and experiences!

I hope we build community, have some fun, and really see how similar we all are :)

1. Find and snap a picture of one item in your classroom you think not many people have. 
2. Find and share a blog post about your favourite activity. 
3. Find and share a favourite reading (class created or "authentic" - however you define it-)
4. Find and share a favourite podcast episode. 
5. Try a new activity and share 3-5 sentences about the experience. 
6. Share a recipe for a favourite snack/mid week meal. 
7. Snap a picture of your favourite stuffed animal to use in class.
8. Snap a picture of a stuffed animal you use that you doubt anyone else has. 
9. Share you favourite morning beverage details that get you going each day
10. Share a brief story of how your particular language reaches into the depth of your personal life. :)
11. Share 10 facts about your target language.
12. Give a shoutout to a colleague who has helped you, lifted your spirits, gifted you a lesson, etc.
13. Share a favourite teaching app or website. 
14. Share a favourite image from your: textbook, classroom, reading, etc. 
15. Share your ideal classroom layout.
16. Share a teaching dream you have.
17. Share a joy from your classroom. 
18. Share something you do to reset/unwind. 
19. Snap a picture of your desk --- NO MATTER ITS CONDITION :)
20. Snap a picture of your lunch
21. Snap a picture of your classroom at the end of the day -- even if you haven't cleaned it :)
22. Share a reading/novella that you love and want to recommend to others (especially if it isn't part of the accepted canon)!
23. Give a shoutout to a favourite teacher/professor/program/school that you had/attended.
24. School Pride! Give a shoutout to your team! (ANY team counts :) )
25. Share something you'd like more information on/would like to see more resources on.
26. Share your teaching "elevator speech".
27. Share your favourite non-language related movie/show that EVERYONE should see. 
28. Share a tip/trick that you swear by. 
29. Share your to do list for the day. 
30. Share your favourite/the worst "mess up" you see in regards to your language/history and popular media. 

Now, let's have some fun!