World Language Classroom

• Teach Students the Skill of Listening

  #226Have you ever played an audio or clip for your class, only to see blank stares and puzzled expressions? It’s not that your students aren’t listening—it’s that they need tools to know how to listen. In this episode, we’ll explore three essential strategies: prediction, summarizing, and focus tasks. These make listening more intentional, more engaging, and more effective. Whether your learners are novices or advanced, these techniques will help them process language with purpose and confidence.Topics in this Episode:Listening isn’t passive, it’s active.When students predict what they might hear, listen with a specific purpose, and summarize afterward, they aren’t just hearing language they’re processing it in real time. This builds comprehension, retention, and confidence, no matter the proficiency level. We are supporting the skill in ways that won’t happen in real situations, but students are learning the skill of listening in our classrooms (with our support) that they will transfer to realistic situations where they will draw on these skills and have the confidence.Classroom Strategies:Prediction Before ListeningFocus Tasks During ListeningSummarizing After ListeningReady For Tomorrow Quick Win PD Course: Build Strong Listening SkillsA Few Ways We Can Work Together:Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual TeachersOn-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language DepartmentsSelf-Paced Program for For Language DepartmentsConnect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:Website: wlclassrom.comInstagram:  @wlclassroomFacebook Group: World Language ClassroomFacebook:  /wlclassroomLinkedIn: Joshua CabralBluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.sociaX (Twitter):  @wlclassroomThreads: @wlclassroomSend me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

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• ACTFL 2025, Where Languages & Cultures Connect

  #225There’s something special about ACTFL. The energy, the connection, the spark that comes from being in a space filled with teachers who care deeply about students, language, culture, and each other. Whether you are listening to reflect on your conference experience, shared your own voice in this episode or were  would like a window into what it's like to be part of this incredible community…this episode is for you.A huge thank you to Klett World Languages. They invited me to set up a podcast table at their booth in the ACTFL exhibit hall, and without that collaboration, none of these conversations would have happened. It truly opened the door to gathering these voices, these reflections, and this sense of community that you’re about to hear.Topics in this Episode:Hear from teachers about their personal experiences, collaborations and takeaways from ACTFL 2025 in New Orleans.ACTFL Teacher of the Year Nathan CampbellNavigating the many optionsTeaching ideasRepresentationElementary teaching Making connectionsInspirationA Few Ways We Can Work Together:Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual TeachersOn-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language DepartmentsSelf-Paced Program for For Language DepartmentsConnect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:Website: wlclassrom.comInstagram:  @wlclassroomFacebook Group: World Language ClassroomFacebook:  /wlclassroomLinkedIn: Joshua CabralBluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.sociaX (Twitter):  @wlclassroomThreads: @wlclassroomSend me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

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• Teaching Language in a Block Schedule with Marlyn Pichardo

  #224How long are your classes? Do you see your students 2,3, 4 maybe 5 times a week? We all have different schedules in our schools and learn to adapt to the time that we have. Block schedules, extended class periods that meet fewer times in a given week, are becoming more common in many schools and districts. In this episode, we are talking about teaching in this format.  Marilyn Pichardo, a Spanish teacher in New Jersey, joins me to talk about teaching in a block schedule for over 2 decades.  Lots to learn about planning and class pacing whether you have 20, 40, 60 or even 85 minute classes. Topics in this Episode:opportunities that block schedules open up for world language teachers that might be harder to achieve in a traditional schedulesustaining student focus in language classes with longer blocks.  strategies or lesson structures that keep students engaged and actively using the target language for the full periodbalancing pace, repetition, and variety so that students continue to build proficiency in a block schedule without feeling overwhelmed or burnt outConnect with Marilyn Pichardo:Instagram:@perfectspanishplansbyMarilynTikTok: @perfectspanishplansbyMarilynChat Mat MembershipA Few Ways We Can Work Together:Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual TeachersOn-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language DepartmentsSelf-Paced Program for For Language DepartmentsConnect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:Website: wlclassrom.comInstagram:  @wlclassroomFacebook Group: World Language ClassroomFacebook:  /wlclassroomLinkedIn: Joshua CabralBluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.sociaX (Twitter):  @wlclassroomThreads: @wlclassroomSend me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

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• First Steps in Teaching Grammar in Context

  #223Have you ever taught a grammar concept and then watched your students completely forget it during a speaking or writing task? It can be frustrating. In this episode, we’re looking at why that disconnect happens and how to bridge it by teaching grammar in context. I’ll share manageable, beginner-friendly steps you can take to make grammar more meaningful, communicative, and effective without rewriting your whole curriculum. Topics in this Episode:Teaching grammar in context makes sense in theory, but putting it into practice often feels messy. We’ll look at some practical first steps and scaffolds that make grammar instruction more natural and effective so students build accuracy while staying focused on communication.Grammar instruction should be anchored in communication, not separated from it.When students learn grammar in the context of meaningful input and purposeful output, it becomes more than just rules. It becomes a tool. A tool they use to understand and to be understood.Classroom Strategies:The “Grammar-First” Pathway: Use an authentic or teacher-created resource where the structure occurs naturally. The “Text-First” Pathway: Choose a reading, listening, or viewing resource and highlight structures that are crucial for making sense of the text.Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD Course: First Steps in Teaching Grammar in Context.A Few Ways We Can Work Together:Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual TeachersOn-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language DepartmentsSelf-Paced Program for For Language DepartmentsConnect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:Website: wlclassrom.comInstagram:  @wlclassroomFacebook Group: World Language ClassroomFacebook:  /wlclassroomLinkedIn: Joshua CabralBluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.sociaX (Twitter):  @wlclassroomThreads: @wlclassroomSend me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

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• 6 Reading and Writing Activities in the CI Classroom

  #222Do 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.Topics in this Episode:Reading and writing should feel interactive, connected to input, and in line with students' proficiency level.In this episode, we’re looking at six activities from my “CI Toolbox” that focus on reading and writing and are adaptable for many levels, with support for engagement and growth.One Word at a TimeEmbedded ReadingVolleyball ReadingDraw the SentenceRunning DictationDictation with a TwistEpisode 218: 6 Activities for Interaction and Discussion in the Language ClassroomGet the PDF with all of the CI Toolbox Activities: A Few Ways We Can Work Together:Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual TeachersOn-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language DepartmentsSelf-Paced Program for For Language DepartmentsConnect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:Website: wlclassrom.comInstagram:  @wlclassroomFacebook Group: World Language ClassroomFacebook:  /wlclassroomLinkedIn: Joshua CabralBluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.sociaX (Twitter):  @wlclassroomThreads: @wlclassroomSend me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

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