Somewhat Simple??

The last several months I've overhauled the way my stories are scripted. There is a bit to say about the What and Why of these changes, but I'll save that for a future post.

Right now I want to put a light on a great question posed by Marc about my newest script The Concert. The question is specifically about the most complex version I offer of the script, the "Somewhat Simple" version. I suspect there are others with this same thought.

Marc says:

"I am looking at the "somewhat" simple and see it not so: I have level 1 and 2 (really pretty low 2's coming from non-TPRS/CI teachers) and see a lot of rich vocabulary and structures: "all of a sudden/gets off the stage/ approaches/stops singing/picture of himself"...and more. I would have to pre-teach ALL of these. How much of this "somewhat simple" script do you have to pre-teach?"

My Response:

"You're right, the "somewhat simple" script could certainly be viewed as "NOT simple" to a person talking with levels 1 or 2. It depends on the teacher and what kind of language your students know. I wouldn't use all of the language in that version of the script with my own level 2's right now. So I think you've got it right. Either use one of the simpler versions, or go ahead and pre-teach as much or as little of the language as you want. I provide three versions for those who want the structure of embedding more language into a story. I don't want teachers to feel obligated to get to other versions of the script or to try and include all the language I suggest. Start with the basic (the "super simple") and take whatever else feels manageable for you and your students and leave what doesn't."