Step Two: Establishing the Location and "Reality" of the Character

You want to make the character seem "real" even though it is imaginary and you are just pretending that it is there.

Move into L2 (French and Spanish for me) and establish the reality of the object:  You want the students to “buy in” to the fact that there “really is” an object there. 

Watch this short clip to see how "real" an imaginary character can seem to the students, as shown by their reactions when their teachers sit on them or knock them over. 

Indicate the location of the image there in front of with your hands, somewhere on the floor in front of the room. Be careful to keep it there and return to this same spot so it can begin to seem real. 

Say, “Class, look at the (object), and think about (the object)."

Really make them do this, so you are not the only crazy person who thinks there is an invisible talking shoe in the classroom. 

Below, you will find a video of Kaitlin and me teaching, which models establishing the location of the character and asking students to look at it and think about it.

Here is a video of Jodi's beginner class making a One Word Image using her Google slides to support the activity.  Click the link to skip to the part of her lesson in which she is having her class look at the object to establish that it is "really there.":

  1. Jodi has the class look at the invisible coconut to make it seem more real.

Complete and Continue