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What does cybersecurity have to do with a world language educator? Let me explain. When I first graduated from college, I started in computers and networking. There was definitely a learning curve, but I enjoyed computers and technology – and…
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I first came across the idea of “soundscapes” at the Comprehenisble Iowa conference. At the conference, I had the pleasure of seeing Diane Neubauer present on this activity (and other interactive listening strategies.) It was a great presentation and it…
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The following post is courtesy of Keith Toda. You can find the original post by Keith Toda’s here. It is re-posted here with his permission. Note: I also saw Keith give a presentation about this topic at the Comprehensible Iowa…
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Recently, Pat Brown and I had a featured article in the Spring 2024 issue of ACTFL’s of ‘The Language Educator’. I know that some do not have access to the article, so I wanted to share a summary of the…
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I have recently put out some posts on my X (Twitter) handle – @e_r_richards – about contributions that German-Americans have made to the candy industry in America. Below you will find a more cohesive list of Germans, German-speaking immigrants, and…
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I will once again begin gearing up to take my students abroad this summer to Germany. Although we will only be in Germany this trip abroad, our previous travels have taken us to other German-speaking countries, including: Austria, Switzerland and…
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I wanted to run this by German language educators and learners and get your thoughts. (See below.) As I was looking for a Eselsbrücke (donkey bridge), to help German students with present tense, regular verb conjugation. Despite receiving a healthy…
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This an simple, low prep activity that students really enjoy. It is similar to 20 questions, but you can vary it to help keep it feeling new for students. (Find that link below!) Here is the basic set up: 1.…
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Note: Please read the post “What’s in the Bag?” before reading this post: As I wrote in the original “What’s in the Bag?” post, my students really enjoy this activity and they always ask to play it. However, as with…
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Note: Please read the following blog posts before this one: Keywords (and Pictures) This activity is a simple variation to “Keywords (and Pictures) & Read, Draw, and Discuss / Listen, Draw, and Discuss” . However, instead of using drawings during the activity, students…
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This activity is similar to “Picture Talk”. If you are are not familiar with Picture Talk, you find out more here: How do I do a Picture Talk Picture Talk 101 This is most likely not the newest, most groundbreaking…
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Note: Please read the following two blog posts before this one: This activity is a simple variation to “Read, Draw, and Discuss” and “Listen, Draw, and Discuss“. The short of it is, instead of using drawings during the activity, students…
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This activity is an excellent way to personalize a text/story and give students ownership of it. In this activity, students are not only supported in their engagement with the language, but they also get the benefits of repetition of the…
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This activity is similar to Read, Draw and Discuss, however it has a twist. You’ll notice that it is “Listen” and not “Read” in the title. It is an excellent way to scaffold support for listening comprehension with students. In…
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The following post is courtesy of Keith Toda. He teaches Latin at Parkview High School, a public school in Lilburn, GA. He teaches with four other Latin teachers in one of the largest Latin programs in the nation (USA). I…
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A recently posted on an activity called “Read, Draw, and Discuss“. After incorporating this activity, I started incorporating whiteboards and drawing more often in my classes at all levels. (I will post more on how I incorporated them later. So,…
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As language educators, we know that reading in the target language is crucial for language development (both in the L1 and L2). We also know that we have choices about what we choose to read in the classroom. This includes,…
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Exciting news! My new Level 1 / A1 reader is now available at Voces Digital – both in Spanish and German! Check it out here: “El documento” / “Das Dokument” About The Document:Enrique’s encounter with his cousin Karla at a café takes…
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I recently had the honor of reviewing Lynne Breen’s latest book – Freedom at Niagara – before it was published. It is truly a fascinating book and you’ll undoubtedly walk away from this book having learned something new. Here is…
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The following post is courtesy of Keith Toda. He teaches Latin at Parkview High School, a public school in Lilburn, GA. He teaches with four other Latin teachers in one of the largest Latin programs in the nation (USA). I…
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Pat Brown and I recently had our article “Exploring Before Explaining in World Languages” published in Edutopia – George Lucas Educational Foundation. https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-patterns-teach-world-languages Our article introduces the concept of “explore-before-explain” teaching in world language classrooms, aiming to redefine the roles…
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We will wrap up our series on “SLA-Speak” by looking at “Comprehensible Input”. Note: This is the fifth and (possibly) final post in the series. What is “Comprehensible Input”? Comprehensible Input (CI) is a concept in language learning that refers…
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Continuing our series on “SLA-Speak”, we’ll now look at the “Affective Filter”. Note: This is the fourth post in the series. What is the “Affective filter”? The Affective Filter is a concept in language learning. It is like a mental…
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Continuing our series on “SLA-Speak”, we’ll now look at “Fluency” vs. “Accuracy”. Note: This is the third post in the series. Fluency and accuracy are two important aspects of language proficiency. Let’s take a look at the difference between them:…
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Continuing our series on “SLA-Speak”, we’ll now look at “Acquisition vs. Learning”. Note: This is the second post in the series. Acquisition and Learning are two distinct processes involved in Second Language Acquisition (SLA), as proposed by linguist Stephen Krashen.…
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As a language educator, I find myself talking to others about SLA (Second Language Acquisition). I also find that I use terms, definitions, and acronyms that are unfamiliar to the other person, or perhaps the other person has a different…
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Here is the link to my presentation: CI Summit: Writing Strategies for the ADI Classroom. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 I hope it fills a need and you find it helpful! If you have any questions, please contact me…
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Here is the link to my presentation: VOCES: Focusing on Short Stories in Our Story Part 1 Part 2 I hope it fills a need and you find it helpful! If you have any questions, please contact me directly at:…
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Dr. Pat Brown and I continue to collaborate on ideas to how to improve education and student learning. I always enjoy working with Pat, because we bring together overlaps from the science and world language classrooms. We always look at…
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What is Texas German? Any guesses? Is it simply Germans, who live in Texas? Or is people who speak German with a bit of a Texas accent? No! There is more to it than that. Texas German is more than…
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