The Wooly Blog

News, stories, teaching ideas & occasional ramblings from Jim.

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  • Published on Feb 11, 2018

    Vlog #5: How To Choose a Sr. Wooly Story

    With 25 music videos, it's very easy for newcomers to not know where to start.  What video should you watch first?  What is the appropriate level for your students?

    I encourage you to watch this video blog, in which I help to answer this question.

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  • Published on Sep 12, 2016

    How to Teach with a Graphic Novel

    Many people have told me that, although they're incredibly excited about the new Billy y las Botas graphic novel, they aren't necessarily sure how to teach with one.  And I totally get that.  It's a new medium, one in which the majority of the story is told through visuals, not dialogue.  It's for this reason that I spent the last month creating an 18-part video tutorial series on how to teach with a comic book!

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  • Published on Jun 17, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 1: Introduction!

    Sr. Wooly talks about the need for graphic novels in second language classrooms.  Length: 2:59

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  • Published on Jun 16, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 2: Understanding the Comic!

    Sr. Wooly explains why he wrote the graphic novel with an emphasis on visuals.  Length: 2:11

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  • Published on Jun 15, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 3: Hide This Book!

    Why you need to hold off on letting students read the book.  Length: 1:06

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  • Published on Jun 14, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Pt 4: How I Learned to Let Go of Dialogue and Love the Visual!

    How to pull Spanish out of the visuals instead of relying on the dialogue.  Also, an introduction to the Circling Guide.  Length: 3:47

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  • Published on Jun 13, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 5: Pre-Teaching with Carrie Toth!

    In this tutorial, we finally get into the classroom with Carrie Toth and her students.  Carrie will pre-teach some key phrases and vocabulary that students will need for the activities ahead.  This tutorial is also a primer on teaching with comprehensible input.  Length: 5:40

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  • Published on Jun 11, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 7: Reader's Theater!

    Carrie Toth models how to bring a scene to life through Reader's Theater.  Length: 6:51

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  • Published on Jun 11, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 6: More Pre-Teaching with Carrie Toth!

    An additional video on pre-teaching, this time with a focus on the structure "se pone".  For those experienced in teaching with comprehensible input, you probably don't need to watch this video.  However, if these concepts are new to you, this video will have essential review alongside a handful of new ideas.  Length: 5:24

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  • Published on Jun 10, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 8: Review! Retell!

    Although this activity might look similar to pre-teaching on the surface, there is one big difference.  We're going to ask "WHY?"  Length: 4:54

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  • Published on Jun 09, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 9: Just Read!

    At a certain point, you just have to let students read the graphic novel.  Length: 1:34

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  • Published on Jun 08, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 11: Matamoscas!

    Most likely you have played Matamoscas (or Flyswatter) in one form or another in your classroom.  Here are some practical ideas on how to adapt it for a comic book. Length: 3:24

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  • Published on Jun 08, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 10: Total Physical Response!

    Total Physical Response is one of the easiest activities to implement in the classroom.  Just tell your students to do stuff, and they do it!  Length: 4:38

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  • Published on Jun 07, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 12: Volleyball!

    Volleyball is probably the single most concrete idea in this entire series.  It's easy-to-learn, easy-to-implement, and it's a phenomenal way to ensure that all students understand all of the comic book. Length: 4:29

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  • Published on Jun 06, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 13: Drag and Drop!

    It's one thing to read a comic book.  It's another thing to have students assemble the comic book! Length: 2:35

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  • Published on Jun 05, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 14: Circle the Wagons!

    A low-pressure activity to get students beginning to speak.  Lenth: 3:30

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  • Published on Jun 04, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 15: Fishbowl!

    In Fishbowl, we begin to push our students to give more verbal output. Length: 3:01

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  • Published on Jun 03, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 16: Pechakucha!

    Our final verbal output activity puts students on the hotseat! Length: 3:57

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  • Published on Jun 02, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 17: Dialogue Alley!

    In this quirkly activity, students get to alter the comic book to make new, weird and funny combinations.  Length: 1:24

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  • Published on Jun 01, 2016

    Graphic Novel Training Part 18: Final Words!

    The conclusion to this video tutorial series.  Length: 0:46

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  • Published on Jan 27, 2016

    Behind-the-scenes video for Ya Está Muerto

    This week, I release a fun Behind-the-Scenes video for Ya Está Muerto.  It doesn't have much educational value for Spanish, but it does provide insight into how much work and time goes into these productions.

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  • Published on Jan 19, 2016

    Vlog #4: Sr. Wooly shares a secret about Sr. Wooly PRO

    I have a very important secret to share you guys, but under no circumstances can you tell your students.

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  • Published on Aug 27, 2015

    CONJUGATION: Ir (Presente)

    This song is a simple rhythm combined with a melodic chant that was designed to teach the present tense conjugations of IR (to go).

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  • Published on Aug 27, 2015

    CONJUGATION: Present Tense (AR, ER, IR)

    This song is a simple rhythm combined with a melodic chant that was designed to teach the present tense conjugations of AR, ER, and IR verbs.

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  • Published on Aug 27, 2015

    CONJUGATION: Ir (Pretérito)

    This song is a simple rhythm combined with a melodic chant that was designed to teach the preterit tense conjugations of IR.

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  • Published on Aug 27, 2015

    CONJUGATION: Poner (Presente)

    This song is a simple rhythm combined with a melodic chant that was designed to teach the present tense conjugations of PONER.

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  • Published on Aug 27, 2015

    SONG: La Salvavidas

    La Salvavidas is a song from my first album, Billy la Bufanda y Amigos.    It's a catchy little song about a boy who falls in love with a lifeguard.  It was very much inspired The Sandlot, a great little movie that I've seen far more times that I'd like to admit.

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  • Published on Aug 27, 2015

    CONJUGATION: Hacer (Presente)

    This song is a simple rhythm combined with a melodic chant that was designed to teach the present tense conjugations of HACER.

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  • Published on Aug 27, 2015

    VIDEO: La Casa del Sr. Wooly

    La Casa del Sr. Wooly was the very first video I ever made for my Spanish classes.

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  • Published on Aug 27, 2015

    VIDEO: Class Rules

    In 2005, I created this short video to introduce my class expectations in a fun way. It was one of the first videos I ever created, and it is still one of my favorites.

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  • Published on Aug 27, 2015

    CONJUGATION: Ser (Presente)

    This song is a simple rhythm combined with a melodic chant that was designed to teach the present tense conjugations of SER (to be)

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  • Published on Aug 26, 2015

    CONJUGATION: Hacer (Pretérito)

    This song is a simple rhythm combined with a melodic chant that was designed to teach the preterit tense conjugations of hacer.

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  • Published on Aug 20, 2015

    SONG: Odio la clase de español

    Odio la clase de español is a song from my second album, Billy la Bufanda Presenta Más Amigos.  It's a silly little song about a kid in Spanish class that, well, hates Spanish class.

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  • Published on Aug 20, 2015

    SONG: ¿Dónde queda el museo?

    ¿Dónde queda el museo? is a song from my first album, Billy la Bufanda y Amigos.  It's a simple rhythmic song to teach prepositional phrases.

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  • Published on Feb 03, 2015

    Video Tutorial #9: ¡ARRIBA!

    This new video tutorial will teach you a fantastic activity for reviewing numbers called ¡ARRIBA!.

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  • Published on Oct 22, 2014

    Vlog #3: In Defense of Simplicity

    Reviews of my music video, ¡Es Una Ganga! are all across the map. Some teachers have told me me that their students have never responded so positively to one of my videos, and others are telling me that it’s the worst thing I have ever made.

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  • Published on Nov 20, 2013

    Video Tutorial #8: Una Ganga

    This new video tutorial will teach students a fantastic conversational activity called Una Ganga.

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  • Published on Apr 23, 2013

    Video Tutorial #7: El Rompecabezas

    Sr. Wooly’s seventh activity is a unique take on the jigsaw puzzle. Unlike other activities in this series, this one requires very little explanation. Although there is nothing particularly ground-breaking about this puzzle, I think you’ll find that it’s simple, easy-to-administer, and valuable. I hope you like it.

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  • Published on Jan 21, 2013

    Video Tutorial #6: Noventa y Nueve

    Today I'll show you a game called Noventa y Nueve. It’s a really fun, addictive little card game that’s great for reviewing numbers.

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  • Published on Jan 08, 2013

    Video Tutorial #5: Tres Acciones

    Today’s video tutorial is the first, all-out competitive game that I have presented in this video series. And, for that reason, it absolutely will not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, in my opinion, it is ridiculously fun for both teacher and student.

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  • Published on Dec 04, 2012

    Video Tutorial #4: Teléfono por lápiz

    What if I told you that there was an activity that you could easily implement with any age group, deeply engage all students for an extended period of time, and guarantee a much-needed tranquil classroom environment on that crazy Friday afternoon?

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  • Published on Dec 01, 2012

    Video Tutorial #3: En Mi Opinión

    This activity is adapted from an old theater game.  It's extremely easy to implement, it’s also applicable to any age group and level of study. Quite simply, this is a fun and structured way to allow students to share their opinions.

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  • Published on Nov 27, 2012

    Video Tutorial #2: Concentrémonos

    This week’s activity teaches a concentration activity that is perfect for reinforcing any type of sequential vocabulary such as numbers, days of the week, etc. It’s a great supplementary activity to the video Las Excusas, since as you’ll see in the video below, it’s perfect for teaching ordinal numbers.

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  • Published on Nov 03, 2012

    Video Tutorial #1: The Verbal Cloze

    Assuming you are willing to sing in front of your students a little, this is a great activity that requires no preparation, no materials, and very little instruction. It’s also a phenomenal way to start the class.

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  • Published on May 02, 2012

    Vlog #2: Sr. Wooly’s Brilliant 4-Year Old Teaches Valuable Lessons on Language Acquisition!!!

    Although SenorWooly.com has only been around for a couple of years, I have actually been making educational music since 2006. However, over these 6 years, my ideas on how to write my stuff have changed quite a bit.

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  • Published on Jan 22, 2012

    Vlog #1: Sr. Wooly VS. Native Speakers!

    Putting aside the ridiculous, attention-getting title of this post, there is of course no doubt that exposing students to authentic, native speaker materials is essential in any student’s Spanish education.

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