See it Say it! Many learners we teach rely on visuals to help them interpret and process information. Today, I am going to share a resource for images and how I use them as a springboard for speaking activities in the world language classroom. The site is supported by the University of Pittsburgh. This[…]
If your institution uses Schoology, we’ve got great news! You can now integrate Extempore assessments into Schoology directly. What does that mean? This integration allows you to connect an Extempore Assessment to a Schoology Assignment and send grades from Extempore to your Schoology Gradebook. Additionally, your students are now able to complete Extempore assessments directly from[…]
The Collaborative Language Program In May, Extempore was invited to present at a workshop organized by the Collaborative Language Program at the University of Wisconsin System. The Collaborative Language Program (CLP) is a cutting edge way for UW System to staff and support language programs at schools that would otherwise not be able to[…]
Triangle Talk/Triángulo de Tertulia This is not only a great speaking activity for world languages, but also a student-led activity. The first time I did it this year, the students were scared, but they grew to love it and it became almost a weekly occurrence in the classroom. By the end of the year, students[…]
The Extempore team has been busy over the summer. As we do every year, we use the break to push updates to the platform. Some of these updates are major new features (teaser: a BIG one is coming in late July!) but many others are small tweaks, performance and usability improvements that are reported to[…]
If your students were dropped into the target language environment by themselves right at this second, what could they do? Could they survive with more than just primitive hand signals? “Freewrite” and “freetalk” assignments give you those answers. These tasks allow students to show what they can do in the target language with no (okay,[...]
Posted on 2021-01-04 by Grant Castner
So simple yet often overlooked, reading out loud (‘oral reading’ in academic parlance) carries countless benefits for learners of second languages.
Posted on 2020-12-14 by Grant Castner
Part I – Overview Extempore, The Speaking Practice App, that’s us. On Extempore, flexible features can help you craft immaculate assessments and extra speaking opportunities for your students. It’s also a solution for a plethora of needs in the language class, including real-world tasks, simple end of class exit tickets, as well as graded summative[...]
Posted on 2020-12-04 by Grant Castner
