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One Resource, One Activity, Endless Possibilities for Pre-Reading, Reading, and Post-Reading

This episode is exactly what we need at this time of year! With our plates full and creativity hitting a plateau, it’s easy to feel stuck. But what if you could give your go-to activities a fresh twist without starting from scratch? That’s the focus of today’s episode!

If you’re spending way too much time brainstorming new ways to work with texts, check comprehension, or ask open-ended questions—or if you have fantastic resources but want to make them more dynamic and engaging—this episode is for you. 🎧 Click play now!

I’m joined by my friend and the incredible manager of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, Lisa McHargue, as she shares actionable tips and ideas to repurpose your favorite strategies and resources.

Here’s what we’re diving into:
✨ Adapting Personalized Questions (PQAs): Simple tweaks to make them more engaging.
✨ Open-Ended Questions: How to spark deeper thinking and interaction.
✨ Dynamic Reading Activities: Keeping students interested from start to finish.
✨ Matching Activities: Creative spins to maximize comprehension.
✨ True/False and Comprehension Questions: Innovative approaches to make them more interactive.
✨ Opinion Questions: Encouraging thoughtful responses with a twist.
✨ Resource Repurposing: Practical tips to adapt materials for different classes and contexts.

We’ll show you how small adjustments to your existing activities can unlock creativity, increase engagement, and boost learning outcomes. Sometimes all it takes is a little thinking outside the box to transform your classroom into a vibrant, innovative space!

🎉 Plus, don’t miss the tool or activity of the week! This episode features an incredible brain break—the Number Challenge Brain Break—that transitions seamlessly into a powerful comprehension check.

Get ready to simplify, repurpose, and energize your teaching!

Important Links:

Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy Waitlist

Dia de Gracias Reading: http://growingwithproficiency.com/thankyou

Growing With Proficiency Blog

Teachers Pay Teachers Store

Lisa’s Unit Hubs Training: https://lisamch.com/hub

Lisa’s IG: https://instagram.com/lisajmch

Our guest’s Bio:

Lisa McHargue is a former high school Spanish teacher turned online digital organizer. She taught Spanish for ten years, the last seven in a 1:1 school. She's a minimalist living her best life binge-reading fiction and helping teachers and online business owners take control of their digital chaos and create systems to keep it organized. When she's not geeking out about organization or minimalism, she's probably hanging out with her family or pretending to be a contestant on The Great British Baking Show.

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In this final installment of our three-part series, Elevating Intermediate Learners with Comprehensible Input, we’re tackling the questions YOU asked! From authentic resources to grammar instruction, writing support, and feedback, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you simplify and strengthen your classroom practices.

Let’s remember that whatever strategy you’re incorporating in your class, it has to be sustainable—because you deserve strategies that work without burning out.

Episode Highlights

🌎 Authentic Resources: Are authentic resources helping or frustrating your students? Learn how to bridge the gap between cultural authenticity and comprehensible input.

📚 Grammar Instruction: Why teaching grammar for grammar’s sake is pointless. Strategies like P.A.C.E., Pop-up Grammar, and Structured Input Activities that make grammar meaningful.

✍️ Writing Support: The Breathe In/Breathe Out approach: Reading as input, writing as output. Break writing into manageable steps with scaffolds and examples.

💡 Feedback: Shift your mindset: Feedback isn’t about fixing everything—it’s about guiding growth. Strategies to help students listen to feedback while they are working on their product.

🎉 NEW SEGMENT: The Tool or Activity of the Week: Quizzizz!

This segment is sponsored by Mitten CI Language Conference! Register by December 1st to grab your early bird discount and infuse happiness into your teaching!

Resources & Links Mentioned

Free resources:

Scaffold for AP Free Responses

AP Question Guide

📖 Previous Episodes:

Episodes 60–66: Sustainable practices in the language classroom.

Episode 41: Using Structured Input Activities for grammar instruction.

🔎 Edutopia article

🌟 Mitten CI Language Conference: Register now and save: Mitten CI Conference Registration

Join the Conversation

Did this series spark ideas or questions? Share your thoughts!

📧 Email me: claudia@growingwithproficiency.com

💬 DM me on Instagram

Thank you for being part of this series. Don’t forget to revisit parts 1 and 2 to explore how comprehensible input can transform your intermediate learners’ experience. ¡Sí se puede! 🎉

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In Episode 121 of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast, Claudia dives into the second part of her series on intermediate learners, focusing on two major challenges: output and curriculum. Claudia shares actionable strategies on how to support student output meaningfully, reduce the overwhelm of curriculum, and keep learners motivated as they navigate this critical stage.

This episode is packed with insights to help you create a more manageable and motivating classroom experience.

Episode Highlights:

• Supporting Student Output with Purpose:
  • What is the role of output and the importance of meaning when it comes to output.
  • How low-stakes output activities can help reduce stress and increase input opportunities.
  • The role of model texts in guiding students to produce the language and the importance of scaffolding output.
• Dealing with Curriculum Pressures:
  • Strategies for managing a heavy curriculum while keeping the focus on input and maintaining flexibility.
  • How can overlapping themes across units help cover more content without rushing through topics?
• Keeping Intermediate Learners Motivated:
  • Tips on fostering intrinsic motivation through self-evaluation, scaffolded tasks, and regular progress checks.
  • Celebrating comprehension wins and supporting students through the challenge of producing output is important.

Resources and Links Mentioned:

Free Resource:

"Apoyos" for Intermediate Learners and AP Students

Episode 56: Output with Dr. Florencia Henshaw

Episode 119: Elevate Intermediate Learners Part 1

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Get Involved:

Have a question for Claudia about intermediate learners or another topic? Send your questions via:

Instagram DM: @claudiaelliott

Email: claudia@growingwithproficiency.com

Facebook: Growing With CI Facebook Community

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