Teachers That Teach Podcast

In this week's episode, Louisa discusses how she incorporates "Movie Talk"™ into her classroom. "Movie Talk"™ is another way to keep the classroom engaged in a novel way. Louisa breaks down what an average Movie Talk™ day looks like for her, using just a simple 3-minute Darth Vader Volkswagen commercial.   Key Takeaways: [0:30] This week's podcast is all about "Movie Talk" ™! [0:40] How does Louisa incorporate movies into her classroom? [1:05] Louisa loves to use a commercial with Darth Vader in it. [1:35] The goal with this activity is to talk to the students, not to get to the end of the movie. [3:20] Louisa reestablishes meaning for the words the classroom has already worked on days prior before putting on the movie. [4:00] Louisa breaks down step-by-step how she uses the movie to help the students comprehend the input. [10:05] After about 20 minutes of describing what's in the movie and how it relates to the students, Louisa stops the movie before it gets to the end. [10:50] She uses the movie as a j

Louisa invites Mike Peto on the show to discuss how to incorporate free voluntary reading into the classroom. The point of this particular activity is for children to actively choose their own books and enjoy the act of reading. Each week, Mike allows the children to either switch their book for a new one or continue reading their current book. Mike finds that when children have an invested interest in their books, they tend to enjoy reading a lot more and they usually have an easier time understanding the book's materials.   Key Takeaways: [0:35] For this week's episode, Mike will be talking to us about free voluntary reading. [1:10] What is free voluntary reading about? [1:45] The key is that this should not be an activity where you're quieting the kids down. [2:14] Where do we get these books? [3:00] How can you and your students get started in free voluntary reading? [5:45] What does a typical day look like in Mike's classroom? [6:40] You want your students to be intrigued by the book they're reading

Louisa discusses the types of educational videos she uses during the first two weeks of school. These videos help immerse the students in the language and it allows them to comprehend the language a lot more fluidly. She also incorporates fun games to help keep things fresh for them.   Key Takeaways: [0:35] What kind of videos does Louisa use for the first two weeks of school? [1:25] When Louisa plays the Lunes is Monday video, she gets the kids to stand up and dance. [2:15] How does Louisa keep things fresh with this video for the students? [2:30] With Señor Wooly's video, Louisa uses what he says in the video as a password in order for the students to get in the door. [3:50] These videos are really quick to get through and they're a great way to begin the day. [4:00] With the Mochila Roja video, Louisa plays eye spy with the class. [5:10] Louisa usually doesn't open the textbook in class. If a student is absent that day, then they will study from the textbook at home. [5:20] Everything the students do

Louisa invites Annabelle "La Maestra Loca" Allen on to the show to help us better understand how to properly introduce and use brain breaks in the classroom. Speaking a foreign language for long periods of time can be very rigorous, no matter what age you are. So, it's important to include frequent breaks to keep your class engaged and excited throughout the day.   Key Takeaways: [0:25] What are brain breaks?  [1:20] How does Annabelle know when the students need a break? [1:45] Annabelle gives frequent brain breaks to help her classroom keep engaged. [2:10] What does a typical brain break look like? [2:50] The brain break can last 30 seconds. They don't have to be very long breaks. [4:15] Would giving the students too many breaks distract them from the actual material? [6:00] Brain breaks are incredibly necessary in breaking up the rigor of an intense class.  [6:25] Annabelle shares a fun rock–paper–scissors game for the children to do. [8:00] How does Annabelle handle a student who is relucta

Today's quick episode dives right in on how to setup the proper expectation in the classroom by using rules. Although Louisa is a Spanish teacher, her rules are listed on a poster in English so that every student is well aware of what is expected of them.   Key Takeaways: [1:00] Let's talk on how to setup rules in the classroom. [2:10] Louisa is at the door every single day greeting her students. [2:35] There's a poster in the room that lists the rules in the classroom. Louisa talks to her students about each rule. [3:25] Although Louisa teaches in Spanish, the rules are listed in English. [3:50] Louisa's first rule is to listen with the intent to understand. What does she mean by this? [6:15] The rules set the tone for the classroom. [10:00] Louisa doesn't want any confusion at all with her students. She makes her classroom more welcoming for questions through the listed rules. [11:50] What does Louisa mean by 'do your 50%'? [13:15] Louisa used some of Ben Slavic's rules and adapted them to her classroo

Keith Toda is a Latin teacher and discusses some of the techniques he uses in his classroom. Although some might believe Latin is a dead language, it really isn't! Keith teaches around 35 students in his classroom and will soon be transferring to another school that has 5 Latin teaches in it. Listen in for more!   Key Takeaways: [0:55] What does the first day of school look like in Keith's classroom? [1:15] How do you create a community in your classroom? [1:35] Keith talks about the techniques he uses with his students. [3:00] The goal with Ben Slavic's technique is to establish relationships with children in the class room. [4:10] Keith's target language is Latin.  [4:50] Keith usually has about 35 students in his class. [5:25] There is a growing interest in Latin. [5:55] When you're teaching grammar-translation, you're only appealing to a certain type of kid. [6:35] Students can take up to four years of Latin. [7:25] Keith talks about his blog and why he started it.   Mentioned in This Episo

Welcome to the first episode of Teachers That Teach! Today, our host Louisa introduces herself and this podcast. You can expect 10 minute episodes each week from Louisa on the subject of how to teach your students using comprehensive input (CI) techniques. For many teachers, they were not taught how to use these methods, but Louisa swears you'll end up enjoying your classes much more as you learn how to use CI effectively. Tune in next week for some great new lessons!   Key Takeaways: [1:10] This podcast is for teachers who are using CI in their classes right now or for those who want to use it. [1:35] Who is Louisa and how did she get introduced to CI? [3:30] What is TRP Storytelling? [4:10] Louisa hasn't used a textbook in her class for probably 5 years. [4:40] It's been a struggle. [5:40] What's happening in Louisa's classroom today? [6:10] There are many ways you can teach using CI. There is no 'one' right way to do this. [6:40] By using CI methods in Louisa's classroom, it has made her class so much