Comprehensible Input

The decision to transform a classroom toward comprehended input can produce anxiety.  A grammar based syllabus creates the image of structure and linear progress.  Don’t forget, that you decided to journey into comprehension based teaching because you are convinced that acquisition doesn’t happen in a linear fashion and may not even seemed structured at times.  That doesn’t mean you stop planning activities.  Try a few routine activities like Calendar Talk, Self Directed Reading,  Discipulus Illustris or establishing meaning for vocabulary and various other types of activities centered around tasks or reading to create novelty for learners while also allowing structure for students to know what to expect from the next class.

Vocabulary Activities

Pre-Reading Activities

During Reading Activities

Post-Reading Activities

Language Tasks

Below are blogs I frequently visit.  Don’t recreate the wheel for every activity.  A new skill that you will need to work on is how to manage your own energy flow and decision fatigue.  I often hear teachers lamenting that they cannot do CI or TPRS because it takes too much energy.  Although the energy flow is different, I find that careful thought toward routines with a sprinkling of new activities aides the management of energy effectively.  Use these resources as these teachers share a lot of great stuff! 

Magistra Arnold – Resources all in one place!  I’m so thankful for the organization and availability of so many CI resources.

Magister Toda – Find many activities under his CI Reading Strategies page.  Keith also explains his process toward comprehensible input in an authentic way that has helped me as I make the transition.

Magister Patrick – I find myself visiting the Latin Best Practices page to consider big ideas, although there are quite a few posts about specific activities that you can try right now.

Magister Piantaggini – Magister P tackles many of the tough spots of switching to CI.  Grading, management and continued focus on comprehensible input are found throughout his site.

Indwelling Language – Justin Slocum-Bailey offers a mammoth amount of resources.  My favorite are his creative no prep activities to keep the input flowing.

Comprehensible Classics – Andrew Olimpi has published many fantastic novellas.  He also published a year’s worth of lessons.  Notice the routines embedded in his year in F7.

The Comprehensible Classroom – Martina Bex is a Spanish teacher who has a magic hat full of awesome activities.  Some of them take some prep but many can at least be altered to require little prep.

Bryce Hedstrom – Bryce is also a Spanish teacher.  His focus is TPRS.  He offers a lot of routine type activities and free resources, sometimes even translated into Latin.

My Generation of Polygots – I find myself aligned to a lot of Mike Peto’s ideas about Free Volunteer Reading which I call Self Directed Reading in my program.  The site also has some nice videos to demonstrate certain activities, especially with upper level courses.