Author Archives: bryankandel

Let’s lose them

Posted on March 14, 2014 by bryankandel

Have you ever been lost in a book?  Of course you have; we all have.  Have your students ever been lost in a story in class or a reading?  Do they get so caught up in the humor or the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading, Reflections, Writing | 3 Comments

Gotitas de Amor (an embedded reading unit)

Posted on March 12, 2014 by bryankandel

Here’s a Spanish embedded reading unit based on the song “Gotitas de Amor” by Jesse y Joy.  I created a source sheet to which all documents/presentations/activities are linked.  I will also paste the information below.  I was very pleased with … Continue reading →

Posted in Embedded Reading | 2 Comments

Closers

Posted on March 10, 2014 by bryankandel

What happens when students finish an assessment and there are 10 minutes remaining in class?  Or when the internet goes out, or for some other reason, you cannot do what you had planned in class?  Or your first activity took … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom activities, Games | 1 Comment

Mad Libs – CI style

Posted on March 3, 2014 by bryankandel

Here’s a slight variation on storytelling if you feel you need a change-up in the routine.  In a “Mad-Libs” style, students provide the details for a story without knowing how they will fit until the story comes together.  You can … Continue reading →

Posted in Stories/Storytelling, Story activities | 2 Comments

A few new twists on an old favorite

Posted on February 27, 2014 by bryankandel

We’ve been working with “El abrigo anaranjado“, which is an embedded reading I created based on Julio Cortázar’s “Continuidad de los parques”.   I’ve taught this reading a few times in the past, and I really enjoy it.  This time, … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Classroom activities, Communicative Activities, Embedded Reading | 1 Comment

Don’t you dare . . .

Posted on February 24, 2014 by bryankandel

As I prepare for an upcoming workshop presentation, I thought I’d share a few notes here regarding the incredible opportunity we have as language teachers.  This is probably not a new idea for anyone reading this page, but it may … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | 2 Comments

La tienda de mascotas (Story Script, Reading, Movie Talk)

Posted on February 13, 2014 by bryankandel

  A story, a reading and slides for Movie Talk based on a pet store, annoying talking animals and big ears.  Materials are in Spanish. Un mascota nueva: This story script can be “asked” in class.  The story involves a … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Talk, Reading, Stories/Storytelling, Story Scripts | 4 Comments

Story Game

Posted on February 11, 2014 by bryankandel

Here’s a game I tried last week.  I’ll explain the rules and how we “played” it for the first time.  Then, I’ll share some of my reflections for how it could be improved or adapted.  I would be very interested … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom activities, Communicative Activities, Games | 8 Comments

El hombre inocente: an embedded reading

Posted on January 31, 2014 by bryankandel

Here’s an embedded reading in Spanish about an innocent man in prison and his attempt to escape.  I started with the following presentation of new terms and the base version of the reading: El hombre inocente – vocabulary and base version … Continue reading →

Posted in Embedded Reading, Reading | 3 Comments

Reading Homework

Posted on January 27, 2014 by bryankandel

Here’s an activity I assigned recently to be completed out of class.  I wanted to utilize the many stories I had created from past years that would otherwise go unused.  I chose and printed about 30 readings from my TPRS Readings Database. … Continue reading →

Posted in Homework, Reading | 8 Comments