TCI By The Lake

Helping you deliver more comprehensible input <br> to live that better language teacher life

El Internado Subjunctive Practice

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Many traditional Spanish programs include the present tense subjunctive mood in their scope and sequence in year three, which is also when many teachers start using El Internado. Whether or not you are required to explicitly teach the subjunctive, your students should be hearing these constructions when you discuss the show. I selected 10 scenes from each episode of the … [Read more...] about El Internado Subjunctive Practice

A Look Back on my First Semester Without Phones

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Over the Christmas break, I made a list of things that I plan to do differently with my new students when we return from vacation to help run class more efficiently, increase engagement, build community, and reinforce our habits of mind. I'm specifically evaluating practices that I implemented for the first time back in August now that they have had several months to prove … [Read more...] about A Look Back on my First Semester Without Phones

Spanish Machu Picchu Game

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Do you have a deskless classroom and kids who like to/need to move? Do you want your students to be able to understand and answer questions in Spanish with more automaticity? Here's a fun, no-prep game they will beg you to play. Think of it as a communicative form of musical chairs. Why I Love This Activity Students can output some language in a safe and fun setting. Even … [Read more...] about Spanish Machu Picchu Game

Higher Than/Lower Than Brain Break

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Here's an extended brain break that you can use starting from the first week of a level-one class. It's perfect for getting reps on the first-person form of the verb "I believe that..." or "I think that...", making comparisons (higher than/lower than), and reviewing numbers 1-10. There are plenty of times where you can naturally insert rejoinders when someone gets eliminated, … [Read more...] about Higher Than/Lower Than Brain Break