Comprehensible Input for Spanish
“We acquire language in only one way. When we understand what people say and when we understand what we read. If you do that, all the grammar and vocabulary you're ready to acquire is there, and little by little, it's absorbed. The ability to speak is the result of listening, the result of reading.”
–Steven Krashen
The only way to acquire a language is through listening and reading (input). Tedious drilling of vocabulary and grammar and forced speaking and writng (output) are not necessary to acquire a language. See supporting research here.
For input to be effective, the language needs to be presented in a way that the student can grasp the overall meaning of what is being said, even if they don't understand every single word. This is called Comprehensible Input.
What is Comprehensible Input (CI)?
Instructional technique in which teachers provide speech or writing in the target language in a way that allows students to understand most, but not necessarily all, of the language.
Understanding, especially at early-beginner and beginner stages of acquisition, is facilitated with images, gestures, music, and cognates–anything that helps the student get a sense of what is said or written.
Language should be slightly above the student’s current level, but not so high that the student can’t follow.
It is not necessary to force students to produce (speak or write) in Spanish. The most important thing is that they actively receive (listen or read) the language and make an effort to understand.
Speaking will emerge on its own as the student develops a relationship with the language.
The concept comes from linguist Dr. Stephen Krashen.
Many activities fit under the concept of comprehensible input. Below, I’ve assembled a list of types of activities with links to YouTube videos that introduce and demonstrate the approach or videos that you and your child can watch for practice.
Activities and Methods for Elementary Students
Songs
Listening to songs is a great way to practice Spanish. It’s important not to force production, so allow your child to sing along if they choose but it's not necessary. This activity can also be combined with TPR (see activity 3 below). Feel free to repeat videos daily or move on, whatever keeps your child interested.
Resource:
Super Simple Español
*This source does a great job of using images and movements to communicate the message. The “¿Te gusta?” videos have been popular with students.
Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS):
This is a method that involves teaching language using stories.
Resources:
Aprendices Visuales
Children's books with pictograms.
Spanish Book Reading
Spanish After Hours is more of a resource for middle school to adults, but some of her activities work well with children. This reading of a children’s book is a good example.
BookBox Spanish
The level 1 stories would work well for elementary. This is a link to the YouTube channel, it’s also a free app that can be downloaded.
Serie Leamos: Reading for pleasure from the beginning:
Level 1 might be too complicated for new Spanish. But a good resource as the student’s Spanish develops
This is a collection of online books with drawings that aid comprehension. It was created by the World Languages and Cultures department at Georgia State University. The stories were written and animated through a collaboration between graduate students in Spanish and students in the art department.
Once your child is able to read, Free Voluntary Reading, reading for pleasure, is the best way to acquire a language. This is also true for developing advanced vocabulary, writing ability, and storytelling in the child’s primary language.
Total Physical Response (TPR):
This method involves having students perform gestures with words. It was originally taught using commands but it works for any words. It can also be used along with songs and stories.
TPR with vocabulary:
https://youtube.com/shorts/OdjHr4mpbnc?si=tlfJMuHtTT3QVppl
TPR with class commands:
https://youtu.be/KmfnrYerYbY?si=lQ3ke2zta3sB_aQz
TPR with a song:
https://youtube.com/shorts/wKRutQ3_12Y?si=RyACCbUPZdUUU98A
TPR Storytelling, also called TPR Storytelling, or also TPRS:
https://youtu.be/-_ZRMEYf-Wo?si=yWCyScT4lkYU2ML5https://youtu.be/-_ZRMEYf-Wo?si=yWCyScT4lkYU2ML5
Movie Talk
This technique involves putting on a movie and pausing it and describing what is going on in the scene.
Resource:
https://youtu.be/2ue7iPOIDwQ?si=xPpx38_CKz0fKf7A
Picture Talk
In this method, you describe a picture in Spanish and ask questions.
Resource:
How to describe an image in Spanish
Listen and Draw
Guide the students in a drawing with directions and discriptions in Spanish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=DXnXVqhV7dw
Guess a celebrity:
Look up a picture of a celebrity or someone you know on your phone and have the student ask questions, e.g. “¿Tiene pelo rubio?”, and answer yes or no. The student should draw the person as you go along so they remember the things they guessed right and reinforce their learning of new words with the act of drawing. Once they guess the celebrity, you can then share the photo on your phone and compare it to their drawing. This is also good for introducing vocabulary for different professions, e.g. “es actriz, es cantante, etc.”
Resource:
How to describe people in Spanish: The physical appearance
The images with Spanish words make it easy to describe people. Your child can also use it for reference as they draw.
Activities and Methods for Middle and High School Students
Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS):
This is a method that involves teaching language using stories.
Resources:
Spanish Comic Book Reading
Spanish After Hours is a great resource for middle school to adults. Her videos are organized by level.
Serie Leamos: Reading for pleasure from the beginning:
This is a collection of online books with drawings that aid comprehension. It was created by the World Languages and Cultures department at Georgia State University. The stories were written and animated through a collaboration between graduate students in Spanish and students in the art department.
Once your child is able to read, Free Voluntary Reading, reading for pleasure, is the best way to acquire a language. This is also true for developing advanced vocabulary, writing ability, and storytelling in the child’s primary language.
Songs
Listening to songs is a great way to practice Spanish. It’s important not to force production, so allow your child to sing along if they choose but it's not necessary. Two things help make this activity the most beneficial: 1. Select a song that’s at the right level–Student should be able to mostly understand using context clues. Music videos could help with this–and 2. Student should read the lyrics while listening.
Resource:
Lyric mix-up: cut out the song lyrics, mix them up, and have student place them in order while listening to the song.
https://sarahbreckley.com/lyric-mix-up-robarte-un-beso/
10 Great Songs for Learning Spanish
https://youtu.be/zUcdCnQ8Tjs?feature=shared
Total Physical Response (TPR):
This method involves having students perform gestures with words. It was originally taught using commands but it works for any words. It can also be used along with songs and stories.
TPR with vocabulary:
https://youtu.be/RdzI_DsN6rk?feature=shared
TPR with class commands:
https://youtu.be/KmfnrYerYbY?si=lQ3ke2zta3sB_aQz
TPR with a song:
https://youtube.com/shorts/wKRutQ3_12Y?si=RyACCbUPZdUUU98A
TPR Storytelling, also called TPR Storytelling, or also TPRS:
https://youtu.be/-_ZRMEYf-Wo?si=yWCyScT4lkYU2ML5https://youtu.be/-_ZRMEYf-Wo?si=yWCyScT4lkYU2ML5
Movie Talk
This technique involves putting on a movie and pausing it and describing what is going on in the scene.
Resource:
https://youtu.be/2ue7iPOIDwQ?si=xPpx38_CKz0fKf7A
Picture Talk
In this method, you describe a picture in Spanish and ask questions.
Resource:
How to describe an image in Spanish
Listen and Draw
You can use this activity to describe any object and have them draw it. In class, I described a celebrity (without showing the photo), had the students create a drawing based on my descriptions, and then I revealed (showed the photo) the celebrity and had students compare their drawings to the photo.
Resource:
How to describe people in Spanish: The physical appearance
The images with Spanish words make it easy to describe people. You can use this as a cheat sheet as you provide your description. Your child can also use it for reference as they draw.