Tag Archives: Reading

222: 6 Reading and Writing Activities in the CI Classroom

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Do your reading and writing tasks feel like an afterthought or are they building blocks for language proficiency? In this second episode of the CI Toolbox series we focus on reading and writing activities that engage students through movement, visuals, collaboration, and just the right amount of challenge. I’ll share strategies to help students process and produce language in meaningful, low-stress ways.

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French Level 1 Reading, Writing and Speaking Units

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Many beginner activities stop at basic recall or translation, but students need more than that to build proficiency. Without engaging tasks that go beyond the surface, it’s hard to develop true communication skills.

Do you want your level 1 students to actually use the French they’re learning to read with purpose, speak with confidence, and write creatively?  These units give them the support they need to do just that.

French Level 1 Reading, Writing and Speaking Units

 

These 3–4 day units help students grow as communicators through an engaging story and a sequence of scaffolded activities that target reading, speaking, and writing that is designed for novice mid to high learners. Students interact with the story through visuals, partner talk, and creative storytelling, using sentence starters, vocabulary supports, and opportunities to personalize content along the way.

Take a look at all the units HERE.

Students build toward writing their own version of the story, keeping the structure but adding their own invented details, which gives them a sense of authorship, purpose, and real confidence in their French.

What’s Included in Each Unit:

  • A story
  • Pre-reading questions and vocabulary preview
  • Vocabulary list with space for new words
  • Comprehension questions with answer key
  • Visual retell drawing activity
  • Interpersonal speaking questions with sentence frames
  • Creative writing prompts (before, after, new ending) with sketch space
  •  Final story rewrite using invented details
  •  Full teacher notes with scaffolding tips, sentence starters, and pacing suggestions

French Level 1 Reading, Writing and Speaking Units

Students aren’t just doing isolated tasks—they’re building toward something meaningful. By the end, they’ve read, spoken, written, and created with Spanish they understand and can truly use.

Perfect for Spanish Level 1 or novice mid–high learners (ACTFL) / A2 (CEFR). Use as a communicative mini-unit, assessment, or sub-plan that builds proficiency.

Take a look at all the units HERE.

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Spanish Level 1 Reading, Writing & Speaking Units

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Many beginner activities stop at basic recall or translation, but students need more than that to build proficiency. Without engaging tasks that go beyond the surface, it’s hard to develop true communication skills.

Do you want your level 1 students to actually use the Spanish they’re learning to read with purpose, speak with confidence, and write creatively?  These units give them the support they need to do just that.

Spanish Level 1 Reading, Writing & Speaking Units

These 3–4 day units help students grow as communicators through an engaging story and a sequence of scaffolded activities that target reading, speaking, and writing that is designed for novice mid to high learners. Students interact with the story through visuals, partner talk, and creative storytelling, using sentence starters, vocabulary supports, and opportunities to personalize content along the way.

Take a look at all the units HERE.

Students build toward writing their own version of the story, keeping the structure but adding their own invented details, which gives them a sense of authorship, purpose, and real confidence in their Spanish.

What’s Included in Each Unit:

  • A story
  • Pre-reading questions and vocabulary preview
  • Vocabulary list with space for new words
  • Comprehension questions with answer key
  • Visual retell drawing activity
  • Interpersonal speaking questions with sentence frames
  • Creative writing prompts (before, after, new ending) with sketch space
  •  Final story rewrite using invented details
  •  Full teacher notes with scaffolding tips, sentence starters, and pacing suggestions

Spanish Level 1 Reading, Writing & Speaking Units

Students aren’t just doing isolated tasks—they’re building toward something meaningful. By the end, they’ve read, spoken, written, and created with Spanish they understand and can truly use.

Perfect for Spanish Level 1 or novice mid–high learners (ACTFL) / A2 (CEFR). Use as a communicative mini-unit, assessment, or sub-plan that builds proficiency.

Take a look at all the units HERE.

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Quick Win PD for Language Teachers: Engaging Reading Activities

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You assign a reading, but students rush through it looking for the answers to the comprehension questions. You’re left wondering: Did they even understand it? And more importantly… Did it help them grow as language learners?

Too often, reading is treated as a standalone task with a check for comprehension, then we move on. Without intentional support, students miss out on the full power of reading as a springboard for communication, culture, and proficiency. How can we approach reading more effectively?

Quick Win PD for Language Teachers: Engaging Reading Activities; French, Spanish

This 30-minute PD course will show you, for the small price of $10, how to design engaging,  communicative reading tasks that go far beyond basic comprehension. You’ll learn how to:

  • Understand the role of reading in building interpretive and productive language skills.
  • Design effective pre-, during-, and post-reading tasks aligned to proficiency levels.
  • Use reading texts as input sources that lead to communication and acquisition, not just comprehension.
  • Create engaging activities that make reading relevant and motivating for students.

This is a practical, no-fluff course led by me, Joshua Cabral, host of the World Language Classroom Podcast. I will help you turn any reading into a rich language learning experience.

By the end of this course, you’ll be equipped with a flexible framework and a toolbox of strategies to transform reading into one of the most impactful parts of your instruction. Your students will not only comprehend, but they’ll also with the text connect.

What’s Included in This Quick Win, 30-Minute Course for only $10?

  • Audio to Listen to All Material – perfect for on-the-go listening
  • Detailed Note Sheet to follow along and refer back to
  • Reflection Activity to deepen your understanding
  • Examples at the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels
  • Planning Template to design your own engaging reading activities
  • Additional Resources to go further with the topic
  • Personalized Certificate of course completion

If you’re ready to move beyond “read and answer the questions” and make reading a powerful, communicative part of your language classroom this course is for you.

Click Here to Get Started

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Spanish Reading Activities for Novice Level Learners

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One of the most effective ways to build confidence in novice-level language learners is through engaging, scaffolded reading practice. When students feel successful reading in the target language, it boosts their motivation and reinforces the structures and vocabulary they’ve been acquiring. These Spanih reading resources are designed specifically for ACTFL Novice High or CEFR A2 learners.

These reading passages introduce students to young people from a variety of cultural backgrounds, helping learners connect language to real-world contexts. As students read about their peers’ lives, interests, and traditions, they’re not just practicing vocabulary and grammar—they’re also gaining a deeper appreciation for the richness of the cultures where the language is spoken. This aligns well with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages and the goal of building intercultural competence.

What makes these Spanish reading activities particularly effective is the scaffolding. Each reading is supported by five engaging and effective activities that guide students step-by-step:

Pre-Reading Vocabulary – Activates prior knowledge and sets the stage for comprehension.

True/False Questions – Encourages quick processing and builds confidence.

Multiple-Choice Questions – Promotes careful reading and deeper understanding.

Comprehension Questions in English and the Target Language – Offers flexible access and allows for differentiated instruction.

Answer Key Included – A major time-saver for teachers and a great support for self-assessment.

Whether you use these readings for sub plans, homework, early finishers, or as a core part of your Spanish interpretive reading instruction, the format is versatile and easy to implement. Best of all, your students will feel empowered as they successfully read authentic-feeling texts and gain cultural insights.

As language teachers, we know that reading is a powerful input tool—and when paired with meaningful follow-up activities, it becomes even more effective. These scaffolded French reading resources are a great way to support comprehension, build cultural connections, and boost your students’ confidence as communicators.

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French Reading Activities for Novice Level Learners

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One of the most effective ways to build confidence in novice-level language learners is through engaging, scaffolded reading practice. When students feel successful reading in the target language, it boosts their motivation and reinforces the structures and vocabulary they’ve been acquiring. These French reading resources are designed specifically for ACTFL Novice High or CEFR A2 learners.

These reading passages introduce students to young people from a variety of cultural backgrounds, helping learners connect language to real-world contexts. As students read about their peers’ lives, interests, and traditions, they’re not just practicing vocabulary and grammar—they’re also gaining a deeper appreciation for the richness of the cultures where the language is spoken. This aligns well with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages and the goal of building intercultural competence.

What makes these French reading activities particularly effective is the scaffolding. Each reading is supported by five engaging and effective activities that guide students step-by-step:

Pre-Reading Vocabulary – Activates prior knowledge and sets the stage for comprehension.

True/False Questions – Encourages quick processing and builds confidence.

Multiple-Choice Questions – Promotes careful reading and deeper understanding.

Comprehension Questions in English and the Target Language – Offers flexible access and allows for differentiated instruction.

Answer Key Included – A major time-saver for teachers and a great support for self-assessment.

Whether you use these readings for sub plans, homework, early finishers, or as a core part of your French interpretive reading instruction, the format is versatile and easy to implement. Best of all, your students will feel empowered as they successfully read authentic-feeling texts and gain cultural insights.

As language teachers, we know that reading is a powerful input tool—and when paired with meaningful follow-up activities, it becomes even more effective. These scaffolded French reading resources are a great way to support comprehension, build cultural connections, and boost your students’ confidence as communicators.

 

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189: Project That Engages Students in Story Details

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We are all well aware of the importance of comprehensible input in our classrooms, and to support this many of us use stories as the way to do it.  Do you use short stories, novels or graphic novels or comprehensible (CI) readers with your students? I’m excited to see that many teachers are using and leveraging texts with their students. I want to take this a step further in this episode and tell you about a project that engages students creatively with story details and newly acquired vocabulary and structures. 

Blog post about the “unpack the book” project with examples and templates.

Topics in this Episode:

  • the “unpack the book” project
  • preparing to read
  • keep track of details while reading
    • characters
    • chapter summaries
    • hashtags
  • the project book pages
    • cover
    • vocabulary
    • hashtags
    • characters
    • events
    • quotes
    • culture

Blog post about the “unpack the book” project with examples and templates.

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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175: Getting the Most out of a Comprehensible Novel with Jennifer Degenhardt and Theresa Marrama

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Do students read in your classroom? What do they do with the reading? In this episode I speak with Jennifer Degenhardt and Theresa Marrama. They are both authors of CI Novels that I have personally used in my French and Spanish classrooms. I thought I’d go right to the source when thinking about the many ways that we can engage our students in target language reading. Jennifer and Theresa share their writing process, inspiration for their stories, and  ideas for getting the most out of comprehensible novels.

Topics in this Episode:

  •  what comprehensible novels are and why they are valuable tools in world language classrooms
  • What inspired Jennifer Degenhardt and Theresa Marrama to write comprehensible novels, and how thet decide on the themes and content for their books
  • how teachers can effectively integrate comprehensible novels into their curriculum to maximize student engagement and language acquisition
  • examples where using comprehensible novels made a significant impact on students’ language learning
  • practical strategies implementing comprehensible novels 

Connect with Jennifer Degenhardt and Theresa Marrama:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me as a guest on the podcast.

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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86: Lots of Activities for Any Reading with Ashley Mikkelsen

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Do you use reading as a source of comprehensible input in your language classroom? In this episode, we dive into the topic of reading with Ashley Mikkelsen, a Spanish teacher in North Dakota, who shares suggestions and ideas for engaging reading activities that you can do right away in your classroom. Ashley has a true passion for making reading fun and interactive for students. So, grab your notebook and pen, and get ready to add lots of pre, during, and post reading activities to your next lesson.

Topics in this Episode:

  • Ashley’s journey with literacy
  • the benefits of reading in the language acquisition process
  • simply reading or truly engaging with a text
  • activities for any reading:
    • pre-reading
    • during reading
    • after reading and leveraging the content

Connect with Ashley Mikkelsen:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

Teachers want to hear from you and what you are proud of in your classroom.
Join me on the podcast.
We record conversations remotely, so you can be anywhere.

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34: Technology to Support Language Students with Joe Dale (Part 1)

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This is the first of a two-part episode on using technology in language learning.  Joe Dale joins me to talk about technology tools and resources to support students in the language classroom. Joe Dale is a language consultant from the UK who works with a range of organizations such as Network for Languages, the BBC, Skype, Microsoft and The Guardian. He is a regular conference speaker and recognized expert on technology and language learning. He has spoken at conferences and run training courses in Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia.

Joe Speaks about…

  • how technology enhances opportunities to engage language learning
  • ways to use technology to practice interpersonal, reading and writing skills

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Resources that Joe mentions:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

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