A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Carrie Toth. Carrie teaches Spanish 2–4 at a public high school, primarily to eleventh and twelfth graders. This is her 27th year of teaching, and she has about eight years to retirement. Carrie also writes books in Spanish for language learners.
Here is the interview with Carrie’s answers paraphrased.
Compelling Input Productions: How did you learn Spanish? Do you speak other languages besides English and Spanish?
Carrie: I started learning Spanish in high school. Dad was a minister and had a friend who worked in El Paso at Colegio Bíblico training pastors, so I had early exposure to the language. My father was a casual Spanish speaker. He died when I was in 8th grade, and I wanted to honor him by learning Spanish. I also wanted to be a doctor, but in pre-med I had an accident at the start of the semester and had to withdraw from the program. Then I took a Spanish class … and the rest is history. I can read French and level one German readers, but I don’t speak any other languages.
CIP: You teach using Comprehension-based Communicative Language Teaching principles, strategies, and practices. How long have you taught using this ‘method,’ for want of a better term?
Carrie: In 2005, I failed National Board Certification; that was pretty traumatic because my score indicated I was a pretty bad teacher. In 2006, I discovered Dr. Stephen Krashen and his Comprehensible Input Hypothesis. Then in 2009, I attended a presentation by Susan Gross, and it just ‘clicked.’
… my career with CCLT took off as I built units to fit my students and myself.
CIP: How did you first hear about Comprehension-based Communicative Language Teaching, although it wasn’t called that at the time?
Carrie: At Susan’s workshop. I learned how students benefit from stories. I tried using the textbook’s vocabulary. We did three days of stories and 2 days of textbook work. After going to workshops by Blaine Ray and Carol Gaab workshops, I transitioned from the textbook and used Look I can Talk and Cuentame. Then I discovered readers, and my career with CCLT took off as I built units to fit my students and myself.
CIP: What drew you to this way of teaching?
Carrie: I was like a general marching along but losing troops along the way. Using Comprehensible Input (CI) kept them with me; everyone could keep marching all the way to Spanish 4. Enthusiasm grew. Students engaged. They talked about Spanish outside class. They spoke Spanish outside class. I had fewer discipline problems. We created a community. Students experienced success.
CIP: How would you compare your teaching and student learning before and after adopting CCLT?
Carrie: Before, I lived inside the covers of a textbook — the bookends of my teaching life. The goal was to get from point A to point B. Now everything is open; we can follow students’ interest. I have the confidence to pursue my students’ interests
CIP: You also write books in Spanish for language learners. How did you get started writing, and do you write other things?
Carrie: When I attended the NTPRS conference in 2010, I was finishing my MA and taking a course on the Spanish Civil War and a course on Understanding By Design. I wanted to create a unit and needed to write a book for it. I met Kristy Placido, who introduced me to Carol Gaab from Fluency Matters. I had done creative writing in the past and dreamed of writing and getting published. Carol Gaab was extremely helpful in seeing that happen..
CIP: What do you like most about writing books for language learners?
Carrie: It gives me something to use in my own classroom. I enjoy knowing others use it and students benefit. Getting to write stories and work with other people are other benefits.
CIP: What do you like least or find the least rewarding?
Carrie: The editing process. It’s super important, but I’m not as good at it as I would like to be. I always need help because I have trouble getting the vocabulary narrow and deep.
failure can be a good thing
CIP: What advice would you give your younger self just starting out?
Carrie: Don’t beat yourself up about failures; failure can be a good thing — you learn things from failure that you will never learn from success.
CIP: What are some books you have written? Give us a title and a one- or two-sentence summary.
Carrie:
La Hija del Sastre: It takes place during the Spanish Civil War and incorporates what I had learned in my university course. I’m very pleased that a university professor uses this reader in the 200 courses
Bananas: In 2019, I went on a tour of Costa Rica. Talking to the guide, I became aware of the inequities and injustices perpetrated by the United Fruit Company and wrote the book to address those.
La Calaca Alegre: The book is based on a dream I had and is in the magical realism genre.
Blancanieves y los siete toritos: This story is set in the world of bullfighting. The daughter of the torero‘El Juli’ learns that bulls are not the greatest threat her father faces.
CIP: Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for a book?
Carrie: From dreams, tours, and courses. I might follow an interest, for example, the Galapagos. Or I might find a story online. Stories are all around us.
CIP: How do you decide the level for which the book is appropriate?
Carrie: [laughs] I’m a bit of a nerd; and always go too deep for level one. I’ve never successfully been able to write a level-one book. Because I teach level 3-4, I naturally think that way, so I write for the level I’m most accustomed to.
CIP: Are your books intended for a teacher-led classroom or independent reading?
Carrie: They can be read either way. The stories are stand-alone enough for students to enjoy. The advantage of teacher-led classroom reading is the ability to explore cultural and historical elements in greater depth.
CIP: How do you incorporate CCLT principles into your writing?
Carrie: I’m getting better at this; it’s an acquired skill. My earlier readers weren’t narrow enough and lacked focus. I want to write a great story but have certain structures that students should acquire through reading. They need to see those structures repeatedly in context. I pick out a few words for students to acquire and emphasize them at first but then cycle them throughout book. For example, I might choose lograr and use it several times in the first chapter. It will then pop up in later chapters as well.
My goal is to have a book that is 10 chapters long. It’s doable in 3 weeks, while longer books take longer to read and discuss. Shorter books, of course, take less time.
CIP: Do you have any books ‘in the works’ or planning stage? Would you care to tell me about them?
Carrie: I just finished writing a book with the working title Sostenible. It consists of six vignettes pertaining to the UN sustainability project
Huellas is my Spanish 3-4-AP curriculum
Somewhere to Share
CIP: Where can someone go to find your curriculum and other writing?
Carrie: Somewhere to Share: https://somewheretoshare.com is my website. You can also order my readers from Fluency Matters and other distributors.
CIP: If someone wants to start writing books for language learners, what would you tell them? What pitfalls might they encounter? What unexpected benefits might they see?
Carrie: Some stories are not fit for the light of day; have thick skin; throw them away;
Story is super important; don’t focus on the vocabulary
Have fun; be brave
CIP: Where could a new writer go to find other people who are writing books and get help and encouragement?
Carrie: Mike Peto, Karen Rowan writing groups. Ask someone you know for advice. Submit your idea or proposal to Fluency Matters. Work on making it a great story.
CIP: What else would you like to say about writing books for language learners?
Carrie: Books are an extremely valuable piece of instruction because literacy/reading is important for acquisition.
Teachers should read in other languages as well. It will help them learn and is a great reality check for their own teaching. They will have a better idea of what is going on with their students.
Footnotes and a glossary break the flow of reading. Target what students know.
CIP: That’s great advice. Thank you very much for your time. And thank you for your contribution as a teacher and writer to the world of second-language acquisition. Have a great rest of the day.
Carrie: Thank you. It’s been a pleasure.
I hope you enjoyed and learned from Carrie’s comments. This is the first of a series. I plan to interview comprehension-based writers about once a month and publish the interviews here. We need more reading material for language learners in all languages, and I hope this will inspire you to begin your own writing journey. You have a story that learners need to read.