Backward Planning in the CI Classroom: Start with Success in Mind

Planning for a new school year can feel daunting, especially when you're striving to create an acquisition-focused classroom. The beauty of backward planning is that it allows you to design your lessons with the end goals in mind, ensuring your students acquire language through rich, meaningful, and comprehensible input. Using the backward planning template, you can break down your language goals into manageable steps while maintaining focus on high-frequency language and acquisition-friendly strategies.

What is Backward Planning?

Backward planning begins with the desired outcomes and works backward to determine the steps needed to reach those goals. In a Comprehensible Input (CI) classroom, this means deciding what language structures, vocabulary, and cultural themes you want your students to internalise and then scaffolding your activities and materials to provide repeated exposure to these elements.

Using the Backward Planning Template

The template provided is a roadmap to align TPR (Total Physical Response), TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling), and other high-impact strategies with the core components of your curriculum. Here's how each section of the template can guide your planning:

1. TPR for Total Physical Response and Gestures

Begin with question words, and conjunctions. These are foundational elements that help students understand and respond to input. For example:

• Question Words: Teach "who," "what," "where," "when," and "why" with simple gestures.
  
• Conjunctions: Introduce connectors like "and," "but," and "because" through short, repetitive sentences in context.

2. TPR Verbs

Identify verbs you want students to master through gestures and context. For many CI classrooms, this will include the "Super 7" verbs—is, has, want, like, go, do/play. These high-frequency verbs are the building blocks of communication and can be introduced through corresponding gestures and acting out in context. 

3. TPRS Target Structures in Stories

Once students are familiar with gestures and high-frequency verbs, integrate these into stories. Target structures should be embedded naturally in comprehensible narratives that repeat language in engaging ways. Ask personalised questions (PQA) and expand on student responses to provide meaningful repetition.

4. Cognates and High-Frequency Vocabulary

Don’t underestimate the power of cognates—words that look or sound similar across languages. These can help students feel successful early on. Additionally, focus on high-frequency vocabulary that they’ll encounter often, ensuring repeated exposure through varied contexts like stories, games, and conversations.

5. Other/Low-Frequency Words

Lastly, sprinkle in low-frequency vocabulary as needed to add richness and depth to your lessons. While not the main focus, these words provide opportunities for differentiation and cultural exploration.

Why Backward Planning Works for CI

Backward planning aligns perfectly with CI principles because it ensures input is intentional and focused on acquisition. Instead of rushing to cover content, backward planning helps you prioritise what matters most: giving students ample opportunities to hear and process language naturally.

This approach also empowers teachers to:

• Simplify and streamline their curriculum.
• Stay student-centered by meeting learners where they are.
• Incorporate cultural elements naturally into the classroom.

Bringing It All Together

Backward planning transforms the chaos of the unknown into a clear, achievable pathway for your students' success. By starting with high-frequency language and scaffolding exposure through gestures, storytelling, and input-rich activities, you can create a classroom environment where acquisition thrives.

Want to see how this process works in action? Join the JapanEasyReads Community where we explore practical ways to implement more CI into your classrooms.