This month, Classroom Voces and Teacher’s Discovery are spotlighting authors who’ve turned their real classroom experience into comprehensible readers for World Language classrooms. These are stories born from real teaching experience—written to engage students, build language skills, and deliver results in the classroom.
Meet: Rebecca Moulton
Spanish teacher for 30 years, presenter at CI Summit, FM/IFLT, MIWLA, and MittenCI
Author of Calendar Talk in the World Language Classroom
1. Why Calendar Talk?
I love doing Calendar Talk in all levels in my high school classes. It is a great way to start the class in the target language with authentic communication. There are many ways to support comprehension, so I can vary the questions and conversations to meet students where they are. Our conversations build class community as well.
2. What difference did calendar talk make in your classroom?
A challenging Spanish 1 class unexpectedly came together during Calendar Talk. I started holding up a sign that read “Noticias buenas” and said in Spanish, “Who has good news today?” A student shared in English that he’d bought a used car. I asked him questions and made statements using Spanish vocabulary that the class knew plus some words I defined on the board. Then he turned to his friends and urged them to respond, too. After that, we always checked in about his car and the class started feeling more connected.
3. What inspired you to write Calendar Talk for the World Language Classroom?
My goal with this resource was to make it as clear-cut, practical, and supportive as possible for teachers who are brand new to Calendar Talk. It has been part of my class routine for a long time so I included tweaks that worked for me and my students. Teachers who have used Calendar Talk before will also discover fresh ideas to refine and reenergize their practice.
4. What do you hope teachers get out of reading this book?
Throughout the book, I have shared ideas and practical advice that evolved from putting my ongoing professional learning into practice. I hope these insights support teachers as they explore, build their confidence, and bring new ideas into their classroom.
You can learn more about Calendar Talk in the World Language Classroom by clicking here.
