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Growing With Proficiency The Podcast
Welcome to Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast! Are you a World Language teacher who is looking for ideas, strategies, activities, and inspiration to create a World Language class where you and your students enjoy using the language to learn about the world and each other? Do you want to transform your class into an acquisition-driven instruction space where you intentionally provide a ton of comprehensible input?
If you are, you're in the right place.
Let's start this journey together. Head over to IG, and send me a DM @claudiamelliott to let me know what topics you would like me to cover in an upcoming episode.Join my free Facebook community, Growing With C. Also, check out my blog to start discovering some of these ideas and strategies at growingwithproficiency.com
Growing With Proficiency The Podcast
Episode 167: Rethinking Intermediate Classes with Comprehensible Input: A Conversation with Gary DiBianca
Does comprehensible input still matter at the intermediate level? Absolutely. In this conversation with Gary DiBianca, he shares how he “levels up” intermediate classes by centering CI, intentionally modeling structures students can recycle (time frames, connectors, question stems), and layering authentic resources that stretch comprehension without overwhelming learners.
You’ll hear:
- What changes—and what doesn’t—at intermediate: same CI foundation, deeper themes, tighter recycling, and clear routines.
- Goals that motivate growth: build confidence, boost spontaneous output, and move toward Intermediate High targets while honoring each student’s starting point.
- Planning that works: start with an anchor text/story written for learners, then layer authentic materials (infographics, short news videos, songs, podcast clips) and guided discussion.
- Intentional structures > grammar dumps: model multiple time frames (present, past, future, would), connectors/transition words, and question formation inside meaningful input; zoom in on form only when it serves comprehension.
- Keep it fun: why story-asking and playful tasks still matter at upper levels.
- From input to output: scaffolded discussion days, visible vocabulary, sentence starters, and rubrics that cue learners to agree/disagree, ask follow-ups, give examples, and actually move the conversation.
Try tomorrow: run a Cultural Picture Talk for Intermediates. Model the language you want to hear later—then watch output grow.
Resources mentioned:
Socratic Seminar: Gary DiBianca
More resources:
- Join the waitlist for Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy → growingwithproficiency.com/academy
- Follow me on Instagram @claudiamelliott
- 📑 Discover culturally rich, month-specific resources for Spanish classes in my TPT Store: Growing With Proficiency.
