Mrs. Carter http://rockridgeschools.org/wpsites/jcarter Todo lo que necesitas saber sobre el espanol 3 y 4 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:04:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 en hourly 1 Mrs. Carter is banished to the dungeon! http://rockridgeschools.org/wpsites/jcarter/2008/08/06/mrs-carter-is-banished-to-the-dungeon/ http://rockridgeschools.org/wpsites/jcarter/2008/08/06/mrs-carter-is-banished-to-the-dungeon/#comments Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:22:44 +0000 jcarter http://rockridgeschools.org/wpsites/jcarter/?p=5 Sad to say, my friends, but Mrs. Bishoff and I have been moved to the old conference room next to the cafeteria.  It has no window and is much smaller, but we’ll make the best of it.  It seems Mr. Adolphson needed to occupy our previous room (grrrr).  We do have a ceiling fan, though, and most importantly–lots of love!!  This way we can be closer and cozier! (and probably smellier). 

Despite this setback, we are much closer to bathrooms, water fountains, and the cafeteria which means no one can ever have an excuse for being tardy or needing to go to the bathroom 2 minutes after entering the classroom!  (Right, girls?  You know who you are!) 

See you soon!

]]> http://rockridgeschools.org/wpsites/jcarter/2008/08/06/mrs-carter-is-banished-to-the-dungeon/feed/ TPRS–An exciting and effective methodology http://rockridgeschools.org/wpsites/jcarter/2008/08/06/tprs-an-exciting-and-effective-methodology/ http://rockridgeschools.org/wpsites/jcarter/2008/08/06/tprs-an-exciting-and-effective-methodology/#comments Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:16:42 +0000 jcarter http://rockridgeschools.org/wpsites/jcarter/?p=4 What is TPRS?  It stands for “Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling”.  After decades of foreign language being taught through tedious grammar exercises where no one leaves speaking the language (sound familiar?), TPRS has emerged as a very effective way of teaching a foreign language.  It includes storytelling, personalized questions and answers, and reading, all in the target language.  The idea is that the most effective way for students to learn a language  is the way we learned our native languages as children–through constantly hearing, and then later seeing, the language.  We must absorb the language before being able to use it.  This is why trying to teach the language only through practicing it via speaking and writing (and grammar exercises!) is so ineffective. 

I started using this methodology last year after attending a TPRS conference, and I immediately saw results.  So, this year we will tell stories in Spanish and act them out, discuss the students’ interests in the target language, read Spanish children’s books, and read two novels completely in the target language (among other things).  These things should greatly increase student retention, as well as replace boredom with interest.  (Maybe even excitement!) 

This methodology is well-researched and documented.  I intend to post more information on the research in an upcoming post.  Please stay tuned!

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