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What if every student in your world language classroom was actively engaged, supported, and confident in using the target language?

In this practical and inspiring conversation, Sally Barnes shares the powerful framework behind the 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive World Language Classroom. Rooted in research on comprehensible input, student engagement, and low-stress output, Sally offers clear routines and strategies that work across levels, languages, and curricula—so teachers can build sustainable, proficiency-driven classrooms where everyone is doing everything.

🎯 Why This Matters for Language Teachers:

The 7 Steps provide a roadmap for transforming participation, comprehension, and confidence in any world language classroom:

Replace “I Don’t Know” with Supportive Language:
Teach students how to ask for help, request time, and stay engaged instead of opting out.

Use Total Response Signals for Full Participation:
Move beyond calling on one student at a time and create low-stress, non-verbal ways for everyone to show understanding.

Strengthen Comprehensible Input with Visuals and Vocabulary:
Leverage gestures, images, annotations, and word supports to stay in the target language and lower the affective filter.

Build Structured Conversations Across Levels:
Use sentence stems, scaffolds, and clear expectations so students can speak meaningfully—from Level 1 to AP.

Design Reading, Writing, and Listening with Proactive Scaffolds:
Plan for diverse proficiency levels in the same classroom and support authentic language production with confidence.

This episode will help you increase engagement, sustain target-language use, and create an interactive classroom culture where students feel successful and motivated to communicate. Ready? Click to play!

Resources & Links:

🔗 Connect with Sally Barnes on Instagram 👉🏽 @sallybarnesTX
💻 Growing With Proficiency Blog 👉🏽 growingwithproficiency.com
📚 Growing With Proficiency TPT Store

Sally Barnes Bio

Sally is a former Spanish teacher and current trainer/coach with Seidlitz Education. She began her world language journey in 7th grade when she decided to become a Spanish teacher and never looked back! With 12+ years of experience in the classroom, she was named Texas Teacher of the Year by TFLA in 2018 and an Alumni of the Year by her alma mater, Northern Arizona University in 2023. In 2024, she co-authored a book entitled "7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive World Language Classroom" and strives to support language teachers all over the country with strategies and resources for all languages at any level.

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Nothing works if our students aren't truly listening, and I mean truly listening.

Do you have that one class that pushes all your buttons? The chatty class where students talk over you, chat in English, and seem to tune out no matter what you try? I listened to this original episode again last week while dealing with my own challenging class, and it reminded me why this message matters so much.

Here's the truth: We design compelling input, stay in the target language, and plan engaging activities, but if students aren't listening with intention, language acquisition simply cannot happen.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• 3 things I don't know anymore about managing chatty classes (this honest reflection will shift your perspective)
• 5 practical, classroom-tested strategies to transform your chatty class into focused listeners without sacrificing comprehensible input or a positive classroom culture
• Real talk about imperfect classes, imperfect teachers, and imperfect students because your classroom doesn't need to be perfect to be effective
• Why traditional "quiet down" techniques fail in CI classrooms and what actually works

This is an old episode, but it's worth listening to again. Whether you're struggling with classroom management right now or just need a reminder that you're not alone in this challenge, these strategies work.

Resources mentioned:

Jon Cowart

Dictation template by Meredith White

Christina Margiore

Grant Boulanger

Bertha Delgadillo’s sitting transcription templates inspired by the Comprehensible Classroom post

GWP Spanish Teacher Academy Waiting List

Click here to download 5 comprehensible legends in Spanish: Leyendas Latinoamericanas

Let's connect:

Facebook community Growing With CI

Instagram

Blog for more resources

TPT Store for ready-to-use Spanish class materials

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Planear clases no debería sentirse agotador. Muchas veces el problema no es la falta de ideas, sino no tener una estructura clara que podamos repetir.

En este episodio comparto un ciclo de instrucción del input al output que puedes usar con cualquier texto, tema o nivel. Un ciclo que te permite dejar de improvisar todos los días y empezar a enseñar con más intención.

Hablo de:

• qué necesitan tus estudiantes para entender un tema o texto
• qué lengua y qué conocimiento previo necesitan
• cómo preparar el input para que sea comprensible
• cómo hacer el input guiado
• qué hacer para extender el input
• y cómo acompañar el output sin forzarlo

Uso ejemplos concretos como artículos de Panorama Cultural y eventos culturales actuales como el Super Bowl, para que puedas ver cómo este ciclo se adapta a distintos contextos.

Si sientes que planear te cansa más de lo normal, este episodio es una invitación a simplificar y elegir mejor.

🔗 Recursos mencionados en el episodio

• 🛒 Tienda de TPT – Growing With Proficiency
  Recursos como Panorama Cultural y Calendar Talk
• 🎧 Episodio del podcast con Anne Marie Chase sobre assessment
  Una conversación clave para repensar cómo evaluamos en clases de idiomas
  
• 📄 Freebie: Character Autopsy (Autopsia del personaje)
  Plantilla para analizar personajes de cualquier texto