TPRS levels 1,2 and AP

One of the most popular CI strategies out there is TPRS. I’ve used TPRS for years in all levels, and find that in high energy classes (hyper, lots of talkative kids), TPRS is a loaded gun – it can be a great way for chatty kids to channel their energy, or it can be a chaotic nightmare. Here’s my thoughts on how to successfully implement TPRS and still manage a classroom:

1. Make your actors very interesting.
2. Don’t pre-script too much. Let the story be organic, and let students genuinely decide what happens in the story.
3. Chunk your teaching – have some pencil to paper activities ready such as “stop and jots” followed by “turn and talks”. I also do Write and Discuss as we go, stopping after 5-7 minutes of a story, sitting everyone down, and prompting them to copy down what I write. (We write about the facts of the story so far).
4. Ask QUESTIONS. Don’t just talk about what’s happening. Ask questions every 5-7 seconds. Pretend like you forgot what’s happened and make a bunch of false statements. (So class …. the boy wants money? <NOOO, he wants a girlfriend..>)
5. Have an “escape valve”. If the kids “just can’t” that day (too wild, won’t stop talking, etc.), have a reading ready to go that is pencil to paper and a “calmer” activity.

Videos of TPRS in all levels