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* "In the typical TPRS classroom, instructors identify high-frequency vocabulary and grammatical structures and teach them through class conversation, storytelling and reading. Grammar explanations are typically very short and content is narrowed to the most useful phrases and structures for real communication. A low-anxiety

environment is maintained by keeping the target language understandable."

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* Article stresses the importance of contextualized examples of the target language, especially through listening.

* Good examples of reading assessments for students in the future.

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* "Traditional instruction focuses on teaching grammar rules and teaching basic vocabulary in a particular order, based on a progression from simple to complex."

* "In the typical TPRS classroom, the focus is on storytelling, reading and the personalization of class topics to the members of the class. Grammar explanations are typically very short and content is narrowed to the most useful phrases and structures for real communication."

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* Study looks at the performance of students in a comprehensible input-based class versus a traditional foreign language classroom.

* Interesting use/incorporation of SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) on a weekly basis.

* Look into Blaine Ray's book of stories - Look I Can Talk.

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* "The use of English subtitles does not encourage learners to use their previously acquired listening skills."

* "Just as it is accepted almost without exception that the target language should be used as much as possible in language classes in order to maximize exposure to comprehensible input, it follows that exposure to closed-captioning in the target language is more desirable for foreign language learners than English subtitles."

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* Study compares and analyzes teacher practices and student final exam results in a TPRS versus a Traditional Foreign Language classroom.

* There is a major difference (increase) in the amount of questions asked (by the teacher) in the TPRS classroom versus the traditional classroom.

* Results of the study show that TPRS students outperformed the traditional students on both the final and oral examinations.

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* “A number of studies have shown that students in

comprehension-based methods typically outperform traditional students on measures of communication and do as well or better on tests of grammar."

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*  “One essential skill of TPRS is the idea that it is the teacher's story. Without this idea firmly entrenched in the mind of the teacher, much of the magic of TPRS can't happen.”
* “Blaine Ray thought that language structure is acquired through repetitive exposure to ample comprehensible input. Rules of grammar can be learned, but it cannot help students achieve fluency."

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* Provides a great history of TPRS and its initial success and practice in the Spanish classroom. * Discusses and clarifies the three main steps of TPRS.

Introduction of TPRS and Its Implications for Chinese College English Teaching

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* "Ken, said he taught in Spanish to show students that he had confidence in them; speaking English would imply that he did not think his students were smart enough to understand him." (p. 4)

* "A student accustomed to engaging in purposeful communication in the target language might lose interest in language study when transferring to a new instructor who speaks English." (p. 5)

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* Interesting article about increased target language use through closed-captions in the target language (versus English).

* Results showed an increase of 75% for students that viewed films with subtitles, versus without, but a decrease in the students that viewed films with English, versus target language, subtitles.

Gains to Language Learners from Viewing Target Language Closed-Captioned Films

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* Study looked at the use of English in beginning level Spanish courses at the collegiate level and analyzed the reasons why professors spoke in English or used switch-coding.

* Ideas for classroom management strategies of when/how to use English.

Instructor's Use of English in the Modern Language Classroom

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* Study looks at the frequency and reasons of primary language use and code-switches in the foreign language classroom.

* Study found that teacher code-switches were the largest factor of the language students chose to use.

* As a result, students used a higher percentage of primary language in the classroom.

Language Use in the Foreign Language Classroom

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* "Proponents argue that exposing learners to extensive periods of comprehensible TL input will ensure mastery of the target language.” (p.  22)

* "D irect and positive correlation between learner achievement and teacher use of the target language.” (p. 22)

* “Together with best pedagogical practices, maximizing the TL in the classroom will ensure a lively and engaging language experience that can approximate authentic

language use and make language learning meaningful to learners.” (p. 35)

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* Study looks at the use of TL by student teachers in an ESL program.

* Helpful documents for research project.

* Interesting discussion of the view of parents and students about the need (or lack of) for English in a French-speaking community (in Canada).

* Importance of visual aids, miming, gestures, and step-by-step directions on the board in TL.

Maximizing Target Language Use in a Pre-service Practicum

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Keeping it in the Target Language

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1179&context=teachlearnfacpub

* helpful list of key principle for keeping it in the the target language

* Rules of the Community

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* "Using English needs to be a conscious decision considered during the planning of the lesson.” (p. 26)

* “An emphasis on Standards-based learning that places proficiency above grammatical precision.” (p. 23)

* “The basics: pairing the target language with visual support and gestures; slowing down, simplifying, and repeating key terms; using cognates when possible; checking often for understanding; and engaging students with real world-like situations that allow them to function at their particular proficiency level.” (p. 24)

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* Do I overestimate the time I currently spend in the target language?

* When I use English in the class, what is the purpose - clarification, save time, classroom management, etc.?

* Do I have the time to develop the necessary materials for TPRS?

* How will I collect data and measure improvement?

* Students should not be counting on me to translate for them. - "If students haven't studied, they are confused because they don't know the answer, but then I givethem the answer in English, so why should they study? They count on me to translate." – Instructor’s Use – Wilkerson

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Fluency Through TPR Storytelling: Achieving Real Language Acquisition in School by Blaine Ray & Contee Seely

* both big names in the development of TPRS

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Benefits, challenges, and strategies for increasing target language use.

http://www.educ.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.bilash/best%20of%20bilash/targetlanguage.html

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Firstly, the use of the TL in the classroom greatly increases the students' exposure to the target language. This is very important, especially in foreign language classrooms where the TL is not heard outside of the classroom context.

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TPRS Spanish Story Scripts

http://martinabex.com/category/story-scripts/

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Posts about Story Scripts written by Martina Bex

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TPRS Tips - What is it? Why use it? How to use it?

http://www.fluentu.com/spanish/educator/blog/spanish-tprs/

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When was the last time you had a lesson that went completely wrong?

The kind of lesson in which even you got bored.

And it's not that you planned it that way. In your mind everything was going to run smoothly, it was going to be really successful and extremely rewarding, but...it just didn't feel right.

If you want to stop this from ever happening again, then you need to try TPRS and give your lessons a twist.

It can make class feel like something feel like something out of a storybook!

What Is TPRS and Why Is It Successful?

TPRS is a teaching method based on storytelling, and the main idea behind it is that students acquire languages by listening to them. It makes sense, right? When we grow up, we learn our own language by hearing people around us talking and talking. We have exposure to this language for months and years, in a wide range of situations.

The basis of TPRS is very similar: students need to be exposed to the language orally during long periods of time to start learning it in a successful way.

So, how can we engage our pupils in long sessions of listening to Spanish? The answer is, of course, storytelling.

Storytelling is the way things get glued into our long term memory. The proof of this can be found in your own classroom. Ask your students to tell you about something Spanish-related that they remember well. They won't explain the grammar or the exercise in the book, but will instead give a detailed explanation in the form of a story, including things like when it happened, what they did, how easy or hard they found it and so on.

But TPRS is not just about coming into your lesson and telling a story. It requires planning and structure, and a successful lesson will need some consideration beforehand.

So, what are the stages of TPRS?

Well, first of all, identify what you want to teach.

Don't focus on too many things, as this will have a negative effect. The majority of your students will just memorize a small amount of details. Choose three key structures for your story and let the rest be random, spontaneous vocabulary.

To take one of my recent lessons as an example, I have been teaching my beginners all about family, so I choseand as our key concepts for our TPRS lesson.

Teach the structures orally and physically.

Give pupils plenty of opportunities to listen to the structures in different sentences and situations. Get your students out in class and ask them to play different roles. Get them to answer questions to apply the language.

In my lesson, I got a couple of volunteers and we recreated an interview, focusing on asking and answering questions about their brothers and sisters. I don't just ask these pupils, though. I will then ask the other students to answer questions about both themselves and the volunteers.

The two keys are to model the language before asking your students to answer questions, and to have fun with it -do silly voices, pretend you are famous people, exaggerate ("I have twenty sisters") and turn yourself into a bit of a comedian.

If you have time, turn the vocabulary and structures into a live story.

To keep your students engaged, make them act out different characters and turn some of your pupils into the protagonists of your tale. Ensure that they are following the story by asking them to translate certain key words, which will allow everyone to understand the plot.

Quick tip: Ask your students key questions about the story to make them personalize the tale. For example, in my tale about family, I encouraged my class to decide on the number of brothers and sisters and their names. Pose easy questions in Spanish and then model the answers for them.

Revise everything you have done orally by giving your students a reading exercise to complete.

A good idea would be to use the story that you have just done with them, although it will lack the personalized details your class has provided. However, this activity can be part of a second lesson, which would give you enough time to incorporate the original aspects your class has introduced. Doing so will make the reading activity much more engaging!

Quick tip: Reading is always easier if you know what you are looking for, so make sure you use things in the text that have already been introduced in class orally. You can even go back to the same characters in different stories and return to previous story lines to revise vocabulary and structures from other lessons!

You can give them support to help them with this, and even organize your pupils in groups to develop a story together.

Quick tip: Make the writing activity an extension of the reading task. That way, your students will have a model to help them develop their written work.

When executed well, TPRS is a fantastic technique to teach Spanish. I discovered it last year and have been trying it with different classes, and the impact is shocking. Not only my students are much more engaged when learning Spanish, but I am also a lot more excited about planning and teaching these lessons.

Teaching with TPRS allows your students to transform the learning. I absolutely love all their crazy ideas and have a lot of fun during our sessions, and my relationship with the classes has improved drastically. Similarly, my pupils are more enthusiastic about Spanish, and their confidence has been significantly developed. Before, they were reluctant to use the language, whereas now they are eager to have a say on what happens during Spanish class.

You have read everything about TPRS and it sounds great. I have managed to persuade you to try it out, right? Great! Now let's have a look at some ideas to ensure that your first TPRS experience is a complete success.
1. Introduce vocabulary effectively at the beginning.
Make sure your students are aware of the grammar structures that will be used during the lesson and have access to them at all times. Have them on the board and refer back to them as many times as you need, until your students feel comfortable with them.
2. Mastery comes from repetition.
Repeat, repeat and repeat both questions and structures. Give students enough opportunities to listen to the language and apply it themselves.
3. Use actions, pictures and props to help your students understand the language.
Acting everything out is a fantastic way to ensure that your students follow the story, and props are especially great at keeping them engaged. Are you telling a story based on the topic of clothes? Bring in a Mexican sombrero for your students to wear!
4. Use a number of narrators to explore different grammatical structures.
Don't only talk about a fictional character, but introduce elements about your own personal life to use the " I form," and ask students questions to model the " you form. "
5. Plan and explore the use of cognates.
When telling a story, cognates are the best way to ensure comprehension, especially for your lower ability students. Plan the cognates ahead of time by making a list of the best ones for the topic, and have them in mind at all times. If your students feel lost throughout the tale, hearing a familiar word will help them get back on the right track and will build their confidence.
6. Ask key questions.
The questions will both enable lower ability students to follow the story and encourage your class to personalize everything. Good questioning will clarify certain bits of the vocabulary, and it is also a great way to prompt your students into adapting and offering details to make the tale fun and original.
7. Get your students to be creative.
There are many great ways to do this, depending on their ages and skills. With my seven-year-olds, I like to give them booklets where they can write simple sentences to make a story and illustrate it. With some more experienced Spanish learners, you can ask them to develop their own fiction with the same characters, or pose a "what if?" scenario for them to think and write about.

TPRS Resources to Get Your Spanish Class Started

I'm sure by this point you are eager to give TPRS a chance and you are wondering, where is the best place to start? If you are willing to try it out, my advice is to first use some ready made lesson plans and resources that will help you deliver interesting and fun TPRS sessions without out spending hours planning.

Have a look at the suggestions below! Using these materials will help you learn the keys to creating successful and engaging content for your TPRS lessons.

Dear Zoo: This is the first TPRS story I tried with my primary school students. Introducing TPRS with younger students is the best way to build on the technique, as they will naturally be interested in any sort of storytelling you bring into class. Dear Zoo is an amazing resource that provides great scope for acting out and getting students involved, and the Power Point comes with pictures to allow your students to follow the story more effectively. You can also adapt it to your needs and change some of the structures to others that your pupils already know.

TPRS Handouts: This is a collection of TPRS materials for you to read through and explore. There are many articles and ideas if you want to research TPRS in greater depth, as well as lesson plans and lists of stories and songs that can be used as TPRS resources.

My generation of polyglots: Check out this great blog. It has some ready to go TPRS lessons for different levels, with videos, Power Points, reading materials and writing resources for you to use.

Teaching languages is all about innovation and experimenting, about having fun and being able to apply what you learn in real life situations. If you want your lessons to go from boring to fun, try TPRS.

You won't go back to your textbook again!

Oh, and One More Thing...

If you already love the idea of teaching with bite-sized snippets of authentic Spanish content, another option is to use FluentU. We feature tons of clips-the modern, audio-visual equivalent of short stories, if you will.

How can video clips aid Spanish teachers in class? FluentU takes real-world videos-like music videos, cartoons, documentaries and more-and turns them into personalized language learning lessons for you and your students.

We've got a tremendous collection of authentic Spanish videos that people in the Spanish-speaking world actually watch on the regular. There are tons of great choices here when you're looking for material for in-class activities or homework. Plus, all the videos are sorted by skill level and are carefully annotated for students.

Each video has interactive subtitles. If a student comes across a word they're unfamiliar with, they can hover their cursor over the subtitled word. That word's definition, pronunciation and in-context usage examples will all pop up on-screen instantly. This is what your students will get after they click "watch" on a video. Clicking "learn" opens up a whole new learning experience for them.

In learn mode, all the vocabulary and grammar from the video is taught and reinforced through varied repetition (practicing the same concepts in different forms and contexts). They'll play with flashcards, games, word matches and exercises like "fill in the blank."

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that they're learning, and it recommends examples and videos based on what they've already learned. Every student has a truly personalized experience, even if they're learning the same video.

You can get them started by signing yourself up for a FluentU Pro account (designed just for teachers!) and creating lesson plans with videos. Just take a look at this quick start guide!
Bring Spanish immersion to your classroom!
Use FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU App for iPad and iPhone from the iTunes store. The Android App is coming soon!

If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to teach Spanish with real-world videos.

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7 Top TPRS Tips That'll Change Your Spanish Class Forever

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When was the last time you had a lesson that went completely wrong?The kind of lesson in which even you got bored.And it's not that you planned it that way.

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The Basics of TPRS:

http://www.brycehedstrom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/UNDERSTANDING-TPRS2.pdf

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* for most students, I am the only contact/experience they have with the Spanish language in their daily lives

* use of TPR Storytelling

* classroom environment and strong relationships with students

* strategies provided for ways to keep students in the target language

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Increase the use of the target language in the classroom, for both teacher and student, through TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling.

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Students and teacher spend too much time in the primary language (English) in the Spanish classroom.