CALL FOR HELP: Personalized Final IPA Videos

I was very happy with the personalized Genius Hour IPA last year, but I was more than a little discouraged by the overall listening performance. I know they could do better than Novice Mid! So if their abilities weren’t the problem, then what was it?

It was the videos. The videos were to blame.

I have made a very conscious effort to make this semester’s listening IPAs more novice friendly, and even so my young ones feel the listening IPAs are significantly harder than the reading ones. I started with BASIC stuff and me mixed in with native speakers, and they were still overwhelmed! I mean, it wasn’t shut-down-and-skip-listening-entirely like some did on last year’s Genius Hour final, but it tells me it’s worth deviating from the personalized Authentic Text video pins.

This is where you come in, amigos.

I want my students to succeed and to feel successful while succeeding (affective filter and all that, you know). I want something that is not just maybe-kinda-partially within their grasp, but a good solid 2 minutes of i+1 input, you know? These kids I’ve got, they were barely missing a beat when I went full speed on the last IPA interview. Sure, the questions themselves were sort of noviced down structure and vocabulary wise, but their ability to keep up? A sight to behold! I mean, the vast–VAST–majority of their aural input has been from me, so it really makes more sense to assess them using something created for them.

So, my Spanish-speaking amigos, I need your help.

I want to make a brief video–say, two minutes–for each of their passion topics for them to interpret. I’ll ask you some questions using some simple–but naturalish vocabulary–and you’ll respond, maybe ask me a couple if you’re so moved.

Basically it’d just be you and me, say in a Google Hangout this weekend, talking about one of the general topics that all of their passions fall under:

• Música
• Comida
• Belleza (maquillaje, pelo)
• Arte (artistas, técnicas)
• Deportes
• Videojuegos
• Vehículos
• Libros (ciencia ficción)
• Superhéroes
• Televisión (Supernatural, Metastasis/Breaking Bad)

• High School Musical
• Armas
• Plantas

So.

If you have a little free time over the next few days–preferably this weekend–just to record a little two-minute video of you and me speaking the Spanish to each other, I will praise your name to the skies–and first period, and second period, and the blogosphere at large. And I’ll publish the videos to a YouTube playlist in case YOU need some interpretive listening ammo!

If you would just select a topic and include your contact info and availability in this spreadsheet, we’ll set up our Hangout on Air and personalize some interpretive experiences!

PS Super big thanks for the famous author who sent me a video for my girls whose passion was reading–and her book! Sra. Placido, you are the coolest!