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Techniques for Comprehensible Input & Manipulatives

Comprehensible input is the key to language acquisition, according to Dr. Stephen Krashen of the University of Southern California. According to his Input hypothesis, students will acquire language much in the way they did as a child, by hearing messages in which they have a level of high interest. When these messages are delivered in a context that is understandable to the student, acquisition occurs without effort or strain. Manipulatives can help language teachers create the context for comprehensible input in the language-learning classroom.
  1. Eggs in one basket

    • Each team receives a basket of colored eggs. These small manipulatives can aid comprehension in various activities: first of all, learning the names of the colors of each egg and each cup. The cups can be numbered to create more language acquisition activities. With a color wheel and a single die, the teacher can say Huevo azul, 3. The first group to put the blue egg into cup 3 would win.

    Storyboard

    • The teacher or students can create a storyboard about a simple narration they studied in class. The storyboard has six steps or segments. The teacher places a piece of colored tape in each square of the storyboard. The colors match the colors of the six eggs. The students receive six square cards with the action of the story on each one. They reconstruct the story and read aloud the story in the order of the original story. Students read the section that matches their color.

    Four corners

    • The teacher distributes a bag full of small animal figures, one to each member of the class. In each corner of the room is a different setting or environment. The student must go to an environment that would be common for her animal. For example, if the animal were a cow, the corner of the room labeled farm would be the most logical place. The student with camel would go to the corner labeled desert. Once the students arrive at their environment, they introduce themselves as their particular animal and tell the others as much as they can about what they eat, how they sleep and the way they move. Each student has one minute to say as much as he can about his animal.

    Noah's Ark

    • These animals may be used to create a special vocabulary lesson on animals with male and female differences. Bulls are males while cows are females. Roosters are male while hens are female. Students are given an animal and the task of finding their mate on the other side of the room. This is done as a tea-party technique with students walking around introducing themselves to others.

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