Top 5 of 2023

It is time for my holiday sabbatical from blogging, so as is tradition, I wish to share with you my annual "Top 5 Most Read Blog Posts" from this past year. I certainly do appreciate all of you who read my blog and have been able to glean something from it. I hope that you are able to rest and recuperate during your holidays and will return refreshed in 2024!

1. Variety in a First Read-Through
2. The Necessity for i-1 in Reading
3. Treasure Hunt - Writing
4. CI Summit 2023 Report
5. Voces Digital - My Continued Need for Professional Development

Movie Talk - High Rollers

Just recently I did the following movie talk. This may be a very specific movie talk due to target vocabulary words, but at the same time, if you ever need one with these words, here it is! 

For Latin 2, we are doing a series of readings about chariot races involving two characters Gaius and Scorpius (my colleague Liz Davidson wrote them a few years ago, and I have adapted them to new target words and structures). This particular chapter which we will be reading deals with two other characters betting during the chariot race, so I needed to preview gambling words (which are not very high frequency at all in Latin!). Here were the words which I wanted to target: sponsionem facit (is making a bet), alii...alii (some...other), nummos (coins), and plus (more).

Latin script

English script

Observations

1. I was surprised at how engaged students were when watching this. Not that the plot is not engaging, but I figured that they would figure out the twist very quickly - surprisingly, they did not!
2. I would suggest doing the actual movie talk without the sound first. There is a song which is playing to help convey the plot, and it can be distracting to keep stopping the animated short mid-verse many times.

CI/ADI Summer Conferences 2024

Is it that time of the year to post on my blog about possible 2024 summer virtual or in-person CI/ADI conferences? Summer is not that far off to be making plans!

• Comprehensible Iowa (in person) - Ames, IA  June 7-8, 2024 (I'll be there!)
• Acquisition Academy (in person) - Dallas, TX June 20-22, 2024 (I'll be there!)
• CI Reboot (virtual) - July 8-12, 2024
• Fluency Matters Conference (in person) - Denver, CO July 9-11, 2024 (I'll be there!)
• CI Summit (in-person) - Philadelphia, PA, July 16-19, 2024 (I'll be there!)
• Conference in the Clouds (virtual) - July 22-26, 2024
• Agen Workshop (in-person) - Agen, France - July 22-27, 2024 

Have I missed any? Consider attending one either in person or from the privacy of your own home. I hope you'll consider furthering your knowledge and training in CI/ADI pedagogy next summer!

Milestone - Thank You

As we look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving this week, I want to express my thanks to all of you for a blog milestone: last week I passed over a MILLION page views! I cannot even comprehend that.

Next month will mark the 10th year of this blog. When I first began blogging in December 2013, I primarily thought that there would be probably about 12 people who would read this blog and that they would only be Latin teachers - and I was perfectly fine with that! I have to admit that I am always self-conscious now when I meet people (especially non-Latin teachers) who tell me that they read my blog and use many of the activities which I have on it. Personally, I do not think that I am posting anything special here - if you look at the blog list on the right sidebar, THOSE are the blogs which you should be reading in my opinion! They are the ones who motivate me to become a better teacher.

As I always say, I profusely thank all of you who read my blog on a regular basis and for thinking that I have something of value to say. Thanks to all of you for joining me as I move forward in this CI/ADI journey - I am glad that you are coming along with me!

Weather Story - Embedded Reading

I was cleaning out my Google Drive files, and I came across a story which I had written about 5-6 years ago that was related to weather talk. It was from the first week of school, and since I was introducing weather words as part of calendar talk to my Latin 2 classes, I felt that we needed a reading so that the words had "somewhere to go" and were not randomly introduced - plus, it also served as an easy review reading from the year before but with the new weather words. I also introduced this reading as an embedded reading.

Below is the reading in both Latin and English.

Tier 1
Sol non lucet, et pluit. Rhonda umbrellam non habet. Rhonda dicit, “Ubi est mea Mickey Mouse umbrella? Quis meam Mickeyem Mousem umbrellam habet?” Rhonda est madida (soaking wet). Rhonda est irata, quod pluit, et umbrellam non habet.

The sun is not shining, and it is raining. Rhonda does not have an umbrella. Rhonda says, "Where is my MIckey Mouse umbrella? Who has my Mickey Mouse umbrella?" Rhonda is soaking wet. Rhonda is angry, because it is raining, and she does not have an umbrella

Tier 2

Rhonda est tristis. Sol non lucet, et pluit. Rhonda est in domo. Rhonda umbrellam non habet. Rhonda dicit, “Ubi est mea Mickey Mouse umbrella? Mea Mickey Mouse umbrella non est in meo sacculo! Quis meam Mickeyem Mousem umbrellam habet?”

Pluit, sed Rhonda umbrellam non habet. Rhonda est madida (soaking wet). Quod Rhonda est madida (soaking wet), est irata! 

Rhonda Carolem videt. Carol Mickeyem Mousem umbrellam habet! Rhonda est irata, et dicit, “Carol meam Mickeyem Mousem umbrellam habet! Sol non lucet, et pluit, et madida sum (I am soaking wet)!”

Rhonda Carolem pulsat, et umbrellam capit! Rhonda est laeta, quod habet Mickey Mousem umbrellam! Carol est tristis. Rhonda ridet.

Rhonda is sad. The sun is not shining, and it is raining. Rhonda is in her home. Rhonda does not have an umbrella. Rhonda says, "Where is my MIckey Mouse umbrella? My Mickey Mouse umbrella is not in my bookbag. Who has my Mickey Mouse umbrella?" 

It is raining, and Rhonda does not have an umbrella. Rhonda is soaking wet. Because Rhonda is soaking wet, she is angry.

Rhonda sees Carol. Carol has a Mickey Mouse umbrella! Rhonda is angry, and she says, "Carol has my Mickey Mouse umbrella. The sun is not shining, and it is raining, and I am soaking wet!"

Rhonda punches Carol, and takes the umbrella. Rhonda is happy, because she has her Mickey Mouse umbrella. Carol is sad. Rhonda laughs.

Tier 3

Hodie est primus dies scholae. Rhonda est tristis. Sol non lucet, et pluit. Rhonda est in domo. Rhonda non vult ire ad scholam (to go to school), quod sol non lucet, et pluit. Rhonda umbrellam non habet. Rhonda dicit, “Ubi est mea Mickey Mouse umbrella? Mea Mickey Mouse umbrella non est in meo sacculo! Mea Mickey Mouse umbrella semper est in meo sacculo! Quis meam Mickeyem Mousem umbrellam habet? Sol non lucet, et pluit!”

Rhonda ad scholam ambulat. Pluit, sed Rhonda umbrellam non habet. Rhonda est madida (soaking wet). Quod Rhonda est madida (soaking wet), est irata! Rhonda dicit, “Hodie est primus dies scholae, et madida sum (I am soaking wet!). Sol non lucet, et pluit. Quis meam Mickey Mousem umbrellam habet?!”

Rhonda Carolem videt. Carol Mickeyem Mousem umbrellam habet! Rhonda est irata, et dicit, “Carol meam Mickeyem Mousem umbrellam habet! Sol non lucet, et pluit, et madida sum (I am soaking wet)!”

Rhonda Carolem pulsat, et umbrellam capit! Rhonda est laeta, quod habet Mickey Mousem umbrellam! Carol est tristis, et quod pluit, Carol est madida (soaking wet). Rhonda ridet, quod pluit, et Carol est madida (soaking wet).

Subito, Bob Rhondam videt, et dicit, “O Rhonda, habeo tuam Mickeyem Mousem umbrellam! Quod sol non lucet et pluit, cepi tuam (I took your) umbrellam!” Rhonda est laeta, quod habet DUAS Mickey Mouse umbrellas, sed Carol est irata, quod Rhonda cepit Mickey Mousem umbrellam. Carol displodit (explodes).

Today is the first day of school. Rhonda is sad. The sun is not shining, and it is raining. Rhonda is in her home. Rhonda does not want to go to school, because the sun is not shining, and it is raining. Rhonda does not have an umbrella. Rhonda says, "Where is my MIckey Mouse umbrella? My Mickey Mouse umbrella is not in my bookbag. My Mickey Mouse umbrella is always in my bookbag. Who has my Mickey Mouse umbrella? The sun is not shining, and it is raining!" 

Rhonda walks to school. It is raining, but Rhonda does not have an umbrella. Rhonda is soaking wet. Because Rhonda is soaking wet, she is angry. Rhonda says, "Today is the first day of school, and I am soaking wet! The sun is not shining, and it is raining. Who has my Mickey Mouse umbrella?!"

Rhonda sees Carol. Carol has a Mickey Mouse umbrella! Rhonda is angry, and she says, "Carol has my Mickey Mouse umbrella. The sun is not shining, and it is raining, and I am soaking wet!"

Rhonda punches Carol, and takes the umbrella. Rhonda is happy, because she has her Mickey Mouse umbrella. Carol is sad, and because it is raining, Carol is soaking wet. Rhonda laughs, because it is raining, and Carol is soaking wet.

Suddenly, Bob sees Rhonda, and he says, "O Rhonda, I have your Mickey Mouse umbrella! Because the sun is not shining, and it is raining, I took your umbrella!" Rhonda is happy, because she has TWO Mickey Mouse umbrellas, but Carol is angry, because Rhonda took her Mickey Mouse umbrella. Carol explodes.

Multiple Picture Listening Activity

This is a great post-reading, listening activity which I just recently learned from Andrew Olimpi, and it is very similar to Picture A/B Listening Matching but just with more pictures. This does require that you use pictures/screenshots so there is definitely some prep before.

Pre-Activity

1. Create 8-10 pictures/screenshots which illustrate sentences from a reading.
2. Place 3-4 of them on a Google Slide/Powerpoint.
3. Label each picture with a letter AND then include an additional letter choice as "None of the above"
4. Write sentences or use sentences from the reading which describe what are in the pictures AND write some sentences which do NOT describe the pictures. Six sentences is a good number.
5. Do the same for 2-3 more slides.

Activity

1. Project the first slide.
2. Read the first sentence and tell students that they are to write down which picture has been described. Let them know that "None of the above" is an option.
3. Continue reading sentences and have students write down their choices.
4. After the first slide is finished, review answers.
5. Continue the same with the second and third slide

Example from Latin 2 last week:

Sentences (with answers)

1. Gaius ad templum Iovis advenit ad implorandam victoriam in Circo Maximo. C
2. In templo Iovis erat magna statua dei. A
3. Noster parentes semper ad hoc templum advenerunt ad imprecāndam victorīam Romanam contra hostes. D
4. Cum Gaius vidisset statuam Iovis, exclamavit A
5. Cum noster parentes essent victorīōsi in pugnando bello contra hostes, advenerunt ad hoc templo ad honorandum te. B
6. In muris, Romani scribunt, “Scorpius est optimus!” et picturas Scorpi pingunt. D

Observations

1. This activity actually went very quickly, and I was able to do three slides of six sentences each (18 total) in about 10 minutes. 
2. I like the "None of the above" option, because students had to listen carefully and to look at the pictures closely to see if that was the answer.
3. Students need to be somewhat familiar with the pictures beforehand so that they know what the pictures are communicating, I had used these pictures the day before in a digital Picture/Sentence Matching assignment.
4. I used this as a practice for the next day's Picture A/Picture B Listening Assessment. (formative). Because students were very familiar with listening/picture matching aspect and had practiced the sentences earlier but in a different way, they did quite well.

Thanks, Andrew, for this activity!

The Necessity for i-1 in Reading

(Unbeknownst to either of us, Eric Richards has recently posted something very similiar on his blog about this topic - "Why Level-Appropriate Reading?" Take some to read it - very good and has research to back it up!)

If you are familiar with Krashen's theories related to Comprehensible Input, you should know the concept of "i+1 (input plus one)" - according to this hypothesis, Krashen states that while comprehensible and understandable input (i) is 100% necessary for language acqusistion, the "+1" represents the next level of understanding which is needed for a learner to progress in the language. Without oversimplifying this concept, our goal should then be to deliver messages and content which are completely comprehensible for students but also slightly (key word is slightly) challenge their current level of understanding in order for them to progress.

In this blog post, however, I am going to argue the absolute vital necessity for the opposite: i-1 (input MINUS one) when it comes to reading, especially Free Voluntary Reading (FVR).

Krashen is a HUGE advocate of reading and firmly believes that this is a major component  of language acquisition:

"Our reading ability, our ability to write in an acceptable writing style, our spelling ability, vocabulary knowledge, and our ability to handle complex syntax is the result of reading."

"The ability to speak is the result of listening [and] the result of reading." 

I have heard many CI/ADI teachers say that when we have students read L2, our goal for them should be that those messages translate into "moving pictures in their heads," i.e., that these messages should go beyond just words to them. While I am fully on board with this goal, I will also argue though that as novice language learners, our brains will automatically translate L2 messages into L1 (whether we like it or not), because our brains are trying to create mental representations of that L2. In order for our brains to transform L2 messages into "moving pictures in our heads," those messages then need to be BELOW our current level of reading proficiency so that these messages immediately "translate into images."

When novice language learners read messages in L2, numerous brain functions are occurring simultaneously:

• what does this individual word mean? (meaning)
• what does the form of the word tell me? (grammar and syntax)
• what do I do with this word? How do I put all of these words together to create overall meaning? (translation)

As a result, reading can be very overwhelming for novice language learners (and they may already struggle with reading in their L1) if too much is going on in their brains. When students encounter unknown vocabulary and forms, this can impede reading flow, because they are forced to stop to establish meaning. While some students are meta enough to persist in establishing meaning, most will not. 

When a reading is targeted at i-1, although the reading is targeted at a level below students' current reading proficiency, students are receiving repetitions and robust exposure to language with which they are already familiar, thus refnforcing the subconscious nature of the language acquisition process. When learners have constant robust exposure to vocabulary, the words can move from just being words to now "images in their heads." 

So when it comes to FVR (Free Voluntary Reading), although we want students to read for pleasure to reinforce language acquisition, the messages which they are reading need to be 100% understandable. In your own experiences, do you tend to read for pleasure messages which are above your current reading profciency? I would argue that most people do not. For the record, People Magazine is written at an 8th grade reading level.

Here is an example from my own experience. I HATE reading research articles; to me, these articles are written at a i+100 level!! If you want to torture me, forget waterboarding - force me to read academic articles! Whenever I read research articles, I can definitely tell you that there are NO MOVING PICTURES IN MY HEAD! Honestly, I am doing everything which I can to stay afloat in comprehension when it comes to reading scholarly material, because it is so above my reading proficiency level. To me, reading academic material is like translating one of Cicero's Latin speeches into English (Latin folks, you will understand that reference).

I would love to hear your take on "i-1 in reading" in the comments!