June Teacher Feature: KRISTIN ARCHAMBAULT Kristin Archambault has been a French and Spanish educator for over twenty years. Her emphasis for fourteen of those years has been on teaching through TPRS strategies and encouraging other teachers to do the same. She first learned about TPRS at a workshop conducted by Blaine Ray in 2006 – even going so far as to joke that she has been ‘Blaine-washed.’ TPRS now features prominently in her teaching because, as far as she is concerned, it is the best approach teachers can use to help students develop language proficiency. As Vice President of the Rhode Island Foreign Language Association, Kristin often arranges and conducts professional development for Rhode Island teachers. Her hope is that those same teachers will seek out more information on TPRS, start using TPRS techniques with their students, and see the same amazing results in their classrooms as she has seen in hers. She also regularly attends workshops and conferences herself, such as the NTPRS conference in 2018, where she won a free day of training from Blaine Ray at her school in Mansfield, Connecticut. On the day Blaine visited, Kristin opened her classroom to other language teachers, who came to […]

At TPRS Books, teachers often ask the question, “What level is this book?” While we understand the question, we would like to dispel the myth at this time that Bart wants a cat, while written in a very simple way, is not JUST for level 1. In addition, other readers might have a level you would want to start using them, but you can still use them in more advanced classes. The simplest story can actually be used in an advanced class. “How is that?” you might ask. Well, check out this sample for how to use a novel like Bart quiere un gato in upper levels through questions. Examples in English. Level 2 ideas: 1) Ask questions in the past tense based on the vocabulary needs of your students such as the following: Where did Bart go? Who attacked Bart? What animal did Bart finally choose? Did Bart get a cat? What did Bart turn into? Did Bart talk to the mysterious man? 2) Have students rewrite the storyline they chose or draw what they read and retell to partner/class/instructor in the past tense. 3) Use longer sentences to lead class discussion: Who thinks that Bart should __?  Why? […]

CAN A DRESS SAVE THE WORLD? This is the question Bess Hayles asks her students each December. As a high school teacher in the Kansas City area, Hayles heard about Dressember in 2018 and decided to try it out. The idea is simple, women commit to wearing dresses every day (men wear ties) in December to raise awareness and money to fight against human trafficking. Knowing that the winter break from school meant lots of pajamas and laziness, Bess decided to wear the same dress every school day in December instead of committing to every calendar day. Each school day in December, she started class by sharing the story of a child saved from trafficking thanks to the groups that Dressember gives to. She found it was a great way to talk about geography, hope, and determination in French. She raised funds through Facebook and Twitter posts. Every day, the students were excited to see how much her friends and family had donated to the cause. This year, the students even started handing her their leftover lunch money because they were inspired by the survivors’ stories. All told, the students and Madame Hayles raised $894.82 for Dressember2019. The money goes […]