Adapting TPRS to Meet Your Classroom Needs

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Adapting TPRS to Meet Your Classroom Needs
Pamela Adlersmith and Shelley Schieffelin Mohawk
Trail Regional HS Shelburne Falls, MA October 29,
2004
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In this session we will

• look at research that supports the use of TPRS in
  the classroom,
• discuss how we have adapted TPRS to be aligned
  with the culture strand of the National
  Standards and
• 3 collaboratively design a TPRS unit based on
  the Day of the Dead

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Part 1 Research that supports the use of TPRS

• 1.) Dr. James Asher Originator of TPR
• 2.) Dr. Stephen Krashen Second language
  Acquisition Theory
• 3.) Dr. Thomas Armstrong and Denise Bertagni The
  Eight Intelligences and How They Relate to TPRS
• 4.) Dr. Renate Nummela Caine and Geoffrey Caine,
  LL.M. Brain/Mind Learning

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Dr.James Asher The Originator of Total Physical
Response

• TPR is based on the premise that the human
  brain has a biological program for acquiring any
  natural language on earth - including the sign
  language of the deaf. The process is visible when
  we observe how infants internalize their first
  language.

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Dr.Stephen Krashens Five Central Hypotheses of
Second Language Acquisition Theory

• There is an important distinction between
  learning and acquisition of a language.
• Learning refers to the conscious process of
  learning about a language. Acquiring a language
  is the unconscious process of getting a feel
  for a language and being able to use it fluently.

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Dr.Stephen Krashens Five Central Hypotheses of
Second Language Acquisition Theory

• 2. The Input Hypothesis
• The single most important factor in acquiring
  language is receiving plenty of comprehensible
  input - accurate, meaningful language that is
  understandable to the student.

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Dr.Stephen Krashens Five Central Hypotheses of
Second Language Acquisition Theory

• 3. The Monitor Hypothesis
• To be a competent, fluent communicator one must
  have acquired a good deal of language. But when
  time allows, such as with writing or planned
  speech, the monitor can aid in accuracy.

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Dr.Stephen Krashens Five Central Hypotheses of
Second Language Acquisition Theory

• 4. The Natural Order Hypothesis
• Learners acquire grammatical structures in a
  certain predictable order. This natural order
  is not the same as the supposedly
  simple-to-complex order of grammar presented in
  most language texts.

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Dr.Stephen Krashens Five Central Hypotheses of
Second Language Acquisition Theory

• 5. The Affective Filter Hypothesis
• It is only possible to acquire language when
  the student is emotionally prepared to do so if
  s/he is anxious, unselfconfident or contending
  with other negative emotions, the acquisition
  will not take place.

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Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D.and Denise BertagniThe
Eight Intelligences and how they relate to TPRS

• 1.) Linguistic-storytelling (listening), reading,
  writing, and speaking
• 2.) Logical/Mathematical-use numbers in stories
  and grammatical patterns (verb-endings, direct
  object placement)

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Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D.and Denise BertagniThe
Eight Intelligences and how they relate to TPRS

• 3.) Spatial- use visualization to teach
  vocabulary, all stories told in class have
  spatial orientation
• 4.) Bodily/Kinesthetic-TPR involves learning hand
  motions for each word, the students also act out
  the stories in plays

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Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D.and Denise BertagniThe
Eight Intelligences and how they relate to TPRS

• 5.)  Musical-songs are an excellent source of
  comprehensible input and easily remembered, a
  good reinforcement for vocabulary
• 6.) Interpersonal-students act out the stories,
  students tell stories to partners, students
  retell story to class

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Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D.and Denise BertagniThe
Eight Intelligences and how they relate to TPRS

• 7.) Intrapersonal-the stories are etched in the
  students memories and involve student
  personalities and current events from their lives
• 8.) Naturalistic-the stories are about people and
  animals and take place in unusual settings

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Renate and Geoffrey CaineHow the Brain and Mind
Learn Best

• "The development of language is almost totally
  dependent on hearing others speak first and
  joining in with ever more appropriate sounds and
  movements.

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Part 2 Adapting TPRS to fit into Culture strand
of the 5 Cs

• Communication
• Comparisons
• Connections
• Communities
• Cultures

per the National Standards for Foreign Language
Education
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Examples of ways to infuse culture into TPRS

• culturally relevant children's picture books,
• classic literature and films and
• holidays

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Children's Picture BooksCuadros de Familia

• Spanish 3curriculum
• Big book format provides excellent visual
  support.
• Bilingual vignettes provide scaffolding for
  vocabulary acquisition and comprehension of
  stories.

Image used with permission from Childrens Book
Press.
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Classic Literature and FilmDon Quixote de la
Mancha

• Spanish 2 curriculum
• Students watch English version of the film.
• Film divided and adapted into three sections in
  Spanish for reading and speaking activities.

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Part 3 Designing a TPRS Cultural Unit for the
Day of the Dead

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Day of the Dead at Mohawk
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Design a TPRS Cultural Unit about Day of the Dead
that includes

• an adaptation of our TPRS mini-cuento that lends
  itself to being acted out (include 2or 3
  characters, 2or 3 places and a lot of action.),
• a variety of activities that provide students
  with opportunities for comprehensible input and
  repetition and
• an assessment tool

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Future TPRS Cultural units at MTRSH include

• Three Kings Day

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Bibliography

• TPR http//www.tpr-world.com/what.html
• Theory of Second Language Acquisition
  http//www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html
• TPRS and the Eight Intelligences
  http//www.msu.edu/sandinkr/tprs8intelligences.ht
  m
• Brain/Mind Learning http//www.cainelearning.com/

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Bibliography

• Family Pictures/Cuadros de Familia (book) by
  Carmen Lomas Garza-http//www.childrensbookpress.o
  rg/
• Cada Niño/Every Child (CD) by Tish Hinojosa
  http//www.mundotish.com/
• Don Quixote (VHS video)directed by Peter Yates-
  amazon.com
• MohawkResources available on the Web
  http//www.mohawk.mtrsd.k12.ma.us/site/dept/wld/in
  dex.htm

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Presenters
Pam Adlersmith padlersmith_at_mohawk.mtrsd.k12.ma.us
Shelley Schieffelin shschief_at_mohawk.mtrsd.k12.ma.u
s
Mohawk Trail Regional High School Shelburne
Falls, MA 01370 413 625 9811 http//www.mohawk.mt
rsd.k12.ma.us