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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 174 — Three Low-Stress December Activities That Still Give Students Input
In this episode, we talk about December. I’m sharing three low-stress activities that keep students engaged, help them revisit everything they’ve learned, and still give them meaningful input, even when their energy (and ours) is running low.
These ideas have worked beautifully in my own classroom. My students stay focused, they collaborate, they read, they listen… and I get to step back a little without sacrificing the quality of the lesson.
Top Takeaways
1. Review + Recall + Input
Students list everything they remember about a story or unit, reread the text in groups, and create an illustrated or mapped version.
2. Dictation That Actually Works in December
We combine recall → dictation → comprehension tasks.
3. “Guess Who?” Based on Your Content
A collaborative guessing game using characters, themes, or topics from the semester. Students listen, discuss, negotiate meaning, and celebrate everything they’ve learned.
Free Resource
Want an easy way to keep students moving and collaborating this month?
Download my Stations Template Freebie here:
👉 growingwithproficiency.com/stations
It includes 10 ready-to-use station ideas you can apply to ANY unit — perfect for December when you need structure + movement + input.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Episode 31 — Stations & Rotations
Ten ideas you can use right away, plus the downloadable template.
Episode 125 — More on Stations
A deeper look at creating smooth, purposeful rotations.
Episode 171 — ClipChat with Amy Marshall
Ideal for seasonal commercials and short clips during December.
Episode 173 — My ACTFL Takeaways + Dopamine
Great for managing energy and motivation during this season.
December can feel heavy… but with the right activities, it can also feel joyful, calm, and full of meaningful learning.
I hope this episode gives you simple ideas to celebrate everything your students have learned — and to take care of yourself, too. 💛✨
🎉 FREE RESOURCE FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS!
“10 Ready-to-Use Station Activities to Keep Students Engaged!”
✅ Reading & Easy Tasks – Print & go!
✅ Engaging & Interactive – Keep students focused!
✅ Low-Prep & Time-Saving – Less work!
Perfect for those moments when students seem more distracted than ever.
