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Join host Claudia Elliott in this insightful episode of 'Growing with Proficiency, the podcast,' as she delves into the importance of listening comprehension and skills in world language education with special guest, Marta Yedinek.

Discover innovative strategies and the story behind the renowned podcast 'Cuéntame,' designed to aid Spanish learners. Claudia and Marta discuss methods to prepare students before, during, and after listening activities, offering practical advice for language teachers to implement in their classrooms.

Learn about Marta’s hands-on experience in adapting her podcast to meet the varying needs of her students and takeaway actionable tips to enhance your teaching approach. Don't miss out on this engaging conversation that promises to inspire and support language educators in cultivating proficient and culturally competent learners.

00:00 Introduction to Growing with Proficiency

01:09 Meet Your Host: Claudia Elliott

01:45 Special Guest: Martha Yedinek

01:50 The Importance of Listening Skills

03:11 Creating the Cuéntame Podcast

05:46 Strategies for Effective Listening

08:05 Using Podcasts in the Classroom

11:21 Practical Tips for Teachers

13:16 Engaging Students with Listening Activities

23:16 Reflection and Continuous Improvement

30:09 Final Thoughts and Resources

Meet our guest:

Marta Ruiz Yedinak is a National Board Certified Spanish teacher, Kohl Fellow, and a WAFLT New Teacher Award recipient. She is a passionate provider of comprehensible input and a firm believer of teaching students, not curriculum. She loves sharing with other teachers by presenting at various language conferences such as ACTFL, WAFLT, CSCTFL, FLAND, MittenCI, iFLT, and CIMW, a conference that she co-directs. Marta works for the Ripon Area School District. She is the author of “La princesa y el guerrero”, published by Wayside, and the producer of ¡Cuéntame!, a podcast for Spanish acquisition.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

Cuéntame Podcast

List of all the episodes of Cuéntame

Facebook community of Cuéntame

More resources:
Back to School Bundle for Spanish Classes
GWP Spanish Teacher Academy Waiting List
Growing With CI FB Community
Blog
Teacher Pay Teachers Store

I’m excited to share that the 2024 Klett World Languages Back 2 School Conference is now open, and the best part? It’s asynchronous, so you can dive in at your own pace! I’ll be there as one of the keynote speakers alongside the amazing Joe Dale, and we’re joined by an incredible lineup of experts.
Use code CLAUDIA for 30% off. Click here to get your ticket.

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In this episode, Claudia sits down with Nelly Andrade-Hughes, an outstanding Spanish teacher and author of many comprehensible readers and educational materials for Spanish classes, to dive into the art of creating comprehensible texts for language learners. If you're looking to improve your students' engagement and comprehension, this episode is for you!

Key Takeaways:

• Why comprehensibility matters: Learn why students must be able to understand 98% of the text for true language acquisition.
• Strategies for writing effective texts: Nelly shares how to use high-frequency verbs, proper nouns, and cognates to build compelling stories.
• The importance of repetition: Discover how to ‘park’ key information to ensure students acquire vocabulary without overwhelming them.
• Adapting content for different levels: From novice to intermediate, find out how to adjust sentence structure, vocabulary, and context to match your students’ abilities.
• Balancing simplicity and engagement: Tips for keeping your text both comprehensible and compelling for middle and high school students.
  
  Books by Nelly Andrade-Hughes:
• Click here to access some of Nelly’s books

More resources:
Back to School Bundle for Spanish Classes
GWP Spanish Teacher Academy Waiting List
Growing With CI FB Community
Blog
Teacher Pay Teachers Store

I’m excited to share that the 2024 Klett World Languages Back 2 School Conference is now open, and the best part? It’s asynchronous, so you can dive in at your own pace! I’ll be there as one of the keynote speakers alongside the amazing Joe Dale, and we’re joined by an incredible lineup of experts.
Use code CLAUDIA for 30% off. Click here to get your ticket.

Send us a text

En este episodio de "Growing With Proficiency, The Podcast", hablamos sobre cómo apoyar a los estudiantes de herencia en clases de español regulares. Discutimos estrategias para evaluar su competencia lingüística, fomentar el orgullo cultural y adaptarnos a sus necesidades en el aula. Además, exploramos cómo utilizar contenido relevante y actividades interactivas que promuevan su participación sin aislarlos ni sobrecargarlos.

Principales puntos del episodio:

1. Evaluar la competencia individual en habilidades interpretativas y comunicativas.
2. Promover una mentalidad positiva hacia los estudiantes de herencia, destacando su riqueza cultural.
3. Implementar estrategias para ofrecer contenido enriquecedor y actividades que fomenten su orgullo lingüístico y cultural.
4. Cómo integrar el input escrito en niveles bajos y medios para estudiantes de herencia.

Recursos mencionados:

• Episodio con la Dr. Alberta Gatti, donde se explora la importancia de la identidad lingüística en el aprendizaje.
• Episodio sobre contenido basado en narrativas, con estrategias para aplicar storytelling en el aula.
• Episodio del "Estudiante Estrella", sobre cómo involucrar activamente a los estudiantes de herencia en clases regulares.
• Episodio sobre el calendario y cómo organizar el año escolar utilizando eventos culturales como herramientas de aprendizaje.

Invitación: Si quieres conocer más sobre nuestra comunidad de Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy, te invito a nuestro tour privado de la academia el 10 de septiembre a las 7:30 PM ET, regístrate en growingwithproficiency.com/tour.