The Castro Code: Cultivating Fluency

The Art of Comprehensible Language Instruction

  • Resources and Materials
  • February 18, 2024

    2 Engaging Low-Prep Vocabulary Spelling Games

    Are you looking for fun and interactive ways to reinforce vocabulary and spelling skills in your language classroom? Look no further! Here are two exciting low-prep games for your students to participate while learning. I use these activities on Mondays or after a three-day weekend. Also, as part of my bag of tricks when story-asking…

  • February 6, 2024

    Engagement Through Gamification: Jeopardy edition!

    Games, games, and more games! When nothing else works, a classic game students are familiar with is Jeopardy! This traditional game show format has proven to be a dynamic tool for increasing engagement, encouraging participation, and promoting a deeper understanding of the material. The game’s competitive nature captures students’ interest and motivates them to actively…

  • January 25, 2024

    Using Biographical Texts to Engage Students

    I love using biographical texts in my language classes. A powerful yet often overlooked tool to engage our students. These stories, centered around real individuals, offer a captivating story-like appeal that makes language learning enjoyable. By immersing students in the lives of historical figures, athletes, celebrities, and cultural icons, these texts effortlessly weave high-frequency vocabulary…

  • January 17, 2024

    A GIF-tastic Journey to writing

    OUTPUT BECOMES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE INPUT My students get anxious about writing in the target language, even if they have done this several times this semester. They asked to review /practice before the final. I developed this easy output that becomes more of an input activity using GIFs to put them at ease Students…

  • December 15, 2023

    Scattegories with a twist- A Fun End-of-the-Semester Vocabulary Review Game

    As we’re approaching the end of the semester, I noticed that students are tired and ready for winter break. We have learned a lot of vocabulary through stories, clipchats, books, special person interviews, weekend chat, and calendar chat. Because I don’t follow a textbook and I don’t teach using traditional vocabulary lists, I wanted my…

  • December 3, 2023

    WEEKEND CHAT WITH A TWIST

    Teachers, do you want to make weekend chat more interactive? Do you need a fun activitiy to engage our students in language learning? Recently, I stumbled upon a game-changing strategy that not only made weekend chat sessions more exciting for my level 2 and 3 classes but also made the entire experience more sustainable for…

  • October 2, 2016

    JA, JA, JA, JUEVES COMPREHENSIBLE JOKES

    Ja, Ja, ja jueves! My students look forward to Thursdays. I am now under the impression that Thursday is their favorite day of the week. Why? Because it’s ja,Ja, Ja, jueves (ha, ha, ha Thursdays) and it’s so contagious that When I say jueves students correct me and say no senora it’s ja, ja, ja…

  • April 9, 2016

    Switching from textbook based teaching to TCI

    Here is a helpful infographic that will give you some information and steps to follow during the transition. The transition process could be overwhelming so try to practice one skill at a time. Start with the basics, like the art of circling and then add more advanced activities to your repertoire.My personal advice is to start with…

  • March 27, 2016

    INFOGRAPHICS

    What are infographics?  Infographics are a visual representation of  complex data and information. Think of it as pie chart on steroids. What’s so great about infographics?  Infographics are very  engaging and help deliver comprehensible messages. Additionally, they  are a great tool for visual learners. How can infographics be used in world language classes? They can be…

  • March 27, 2016

    The Power of Storytelling

    I don’t tell stories in my class but rather, I story ASK.That means that I co-create engaging and fun stories with input from my students by asking a series of patterned questions. Story-asking is a powerful tool that elicits second language acquisition. Even the business sector has recolonized the power of storytelling as a mean…

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