Reading in Spanish Made Easy: The Magic of Comprehensible Input and TPRS

Are you looking for effective methods to teach reading in Spanish class?  Comprehensible input and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) are two approaches that can help your students acquire the necessary reading skills and knowledge to succeed in the target language.

Let’s explore how to use these methods to create a rich and immersive language learning experience for your students, as well as how to identify cognates and familiar words to support understanding.

Just want a reading cheat sheet for planning?  Click here.

Comprehensible Input

What is CI?

Comprehensible Input (CI) is a teaching method that focuses on providing learners with meaningful and understandable language that they can easily comprehend and process.  The idea behind this approach is that learners acquire a second language more naturally and effectively when they are able to understand the language that they are being exposed to.

One of the key principles of comprehensible input is that the language used in the classroom should be at a slightly higher level than the learner’s current level of proficiency.  This is because learners need to be challenged in order to make progress, but they should not be overwhelmed by language that is too difficult for them to understand.  Scaffolding is an absolute key here – check out this post about Differentiation 101 for more scaffolding support.

How to Teach with CI

One way to provide comprehensible input in a Spanish language classroom is through the use of authentic materials, such as authentic news articles, songs, and movies.  These materials can provide learners with a rich and authentic language experience that is both engaging and meaningful.

See more about Authentic Materials: How to Make Authentic Materials Accessible in Middle School and High School

Another effective way to provide comprehensible input is through the use of visual aids and gestures.  Using pictures, videos, and other visual aids can help learners understand the meaning of new words and concepts, even if they do not yet have the necessary vocabulary or grammar to express them in the target language.

Connect this with Reading

I know, I know.  It sounds like you’re doing all the work.  But here’s the reality, profe.  You help students understand the story so they can read and follow along.  By telling the story using comprehensible input (images on the screen, acting things out, etc.), students are acquiring vocabulary to help them read the text.  Usually I’ll tell the story first using comprehensible materials, then I’ll have students read a written form of the text to support reading comprehension.

Need more CI support?

6 Resources to Master CI

Tackle Comprehensible Input in a Secondary Classroom

TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling):

What is TPRS?

TPRS is a teaching method that combines storytelling with reading comprehension activities in order to improve learners’ proficiency in a second language.  The goal of TPRS is to provide learners with a rich and immersive language experience that is both engaging and meaningful.

One of the key principles of TPRS is that the stories used in the classroom should be tailored to the learners’ interests and level of proficiency.  This means that the stories should be simple and easy to understand, but should still provide learners with enough challenge to keep them engaged and motivated.

One of my favorite ways to implement TPRS in a Spanish language classroom is through the use of storyboards. Storyboards are visual representations of stories that include pictures and a limited amount of text.  They can be used to introduce new vocabulary and grammatical structures, as well as to provide learners with a visual representation of the story that they are reading.  I usually either put my storyboard on the screen, or I have students fold a paper into six boxes, then draw events in each box.  Later, they can write about the events using vocabulary they learned.

TPRS and CI go Hand-in-Hand

I honestly think you can’t have one without the other.  Teaching reading is so much easier when I use comprehensible input and rely on TPRS strategies, like storyboards and circling questions.

Reading Strategy: Cognates and Familiar Words

Identifying Cognates and Familiar Words:

One way to support understanding and facilitate the reading process for your Spanish language learners is by helping them identify cognates and familiar words. Cognates are words that are similar in form and meaning in two different languages, such as “television” in English and “televisión” in Spanish. These words can be especially helpful for learners because they are often easier to recognize and remember, which can help to build confidence and improve reading comprehension.

In addition to cognates, there may also be familiar words that your students encounter in their reading that they are able to understand due to their prior knowledge or exposure to the language.  For example, a learner who has studied French in the past may recognize the word “foca” in a Spanish text because it is similar to the French word for “seal.”  By helping your learners identify these familiar words, you can support their understanding and encourage them to make connections between what they are reading and what they already know.

Comprehensible Input and TPRS are two effective methods for teaching reading in a Spanish language classroom.  By using authentic materials, visual aids, and storytelling techniques, teachers can create a rich and immersive language learning experience that is both engaging and meaningful for their students.  By helping learners to identify cognates and familiar words and providing opportunities for practice and interaction, teachers can support their students’ reading skills and knowledge, and help them succeed in the target language.

Do you have any tips or tricks for teaching reading in Spanish class?  Share them in the comments below!