Tag Archives: short text

98: From a Short Text to a Full Lesson with Sarah Barrientos Svatos


How do you find a text, or any kind of reading that you use with your students?  Does it have to be a long piece of text to make sure that students really get something out of it or that you can use as a way for students to engage with the language? Today, Sarah Barrientos Svatos, a Spanish teacher in Spain, joins me to discuss how we can take a short text and turn it into a full lesson that touches on all of the communication modes. She has lots of tips to share so that you can get started right away.

Topics in this Episode:

  • what we mean by a “short text”
  • the benefits of using a short text
  • are short texts only effective at novice level or also effective at higher proficiency levels?
  • how to set students up for success by preparing them to engage with the text (pre-reading activities)
  • how to support students while they engage with the text (during-reading activities)
  • how to check for understanding of the text and set students up to produce output  (post-reading activities)
  • Download Sarah’s Paella Activity

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