Student Manual

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2ND EDITION • INNOVATIVELANGUAGE.COM
1 Getting Started
 Get started by taking your Level
Assessment Test. When you log in,
just go to the My Teacher drop-down
menu at the top of the page and click
on "My Assessment."

Now, we know it can be tempting to

jump ahead. You’re ready to start
practicing, after all... You’ve got 1000
STEP 1 questions... Language is all about
communication, not tests...

Take The ...but, whatever you do, don’t skip this

step!

Assessment Test It’s going to serve as the foundation

for your entire course, and your
teacher will use the information to get
you pointed in the right direction.

In the end, you will save a lot of time.

After you complete the Level
Assesment Test, you will receive
study recommendations by email so
you can get started in the fastest,
most efficient way.
 Next, log in to Premium PLUS My Teacher and write
a self-introduction.

This key exercise will set the stage for every future
relationship you’ll have with speakers of the
STEP 2 language you’re studying.

Log in to Beginners should keep it simple. Just write what

you can, even if it’s just your name and where

Premium PLUS you’re from.

If you have trouble with this, it’s no problem.

My Teacher and Write Just ask! Your teacher is there for you.

a Self-Introduction But this exercise is not just for beginners. Advanced

learners should write their self-introductions, too.

Get Started With the Audio You only have one chance to make a first
and Video Lessons impression, after all. You should curate your
self-introduction as a living document and
continually revisit it throughout the learning process.

After your teacher receives your self-introduction,

he or she will review it, offer feedback and
corrections, and help you make it even stronger.

Refer to Appendix B for additional ideas.

 Writing your self-introduction is an
important step, but how many times
will you introduce yourself in writing?

Probably not as many times as you’ll

need to speak it out loud.

That’s why your next step is to record

your self-introduction.
STEP 3
Few people know this, but this is one

Record Your of the secrets to learning a language.

Practice this a few times until you feel

Self-Introduction comfortable with it. Then send it to

your teacher for his or her feedback.
You can do this directly in Premium
PLUS My Teacher.

Your teacher will help you improve

pronunciation and fluency, but,
more importantly, this activity will
give you confidence to use your
self-introduction in your everyday life.
STEP 4

Set Your
Self-study Schedule
STEP 4: SET YOUR STUDY SCHEDULE
The Weekly Schedule
The Premium PLUS My Teacher method
incorporates various aspects of our audio
and video lessons, vocabulary tools, and
utilizing My Teacher as a supplement to your
studies. Your teacher can offer you an
unlimited amount of flexibility in organizing
your studies. For best results though, you
should set up a customized self-study
schedule which shows the time dedicated to
your studies week-by-week. Not only will you
be more likely to stay motivated with a weekly
routine, your teacher will have an easier time
helping you to develop and maintain the best
plan that works for you.
Generally, we recommend a series of tasks
that students should complete, ideally over
4-6 days per week.
Within those days, we recommend that
students complete each of the following
tasks:
Lesson: Listen to at least one audio or video
lesson
Review: Read the accompanying PDF
Lesson Notes. Repeat key phrases and
grammar points out loud until you feel
comfortable saying them
Vocabulary: Review flashcards for the
lesson, including vocabulary words from your
previously studied lessons.
Practice: Produce original sentences using
these grammar points and vocabulary words.
Feedback: You can submit your sentences to
My Teacher for both writing and speaking
feedback.
MARCH
Based on your weekly availability, please
write down a proposed schedule that
contains at least one of each task above
and submit it to your teacher. You can do
this by writing your schedule directly in My
Teacher or you can handwrite your
schedule, take a picture of it, and upload
the picture to My Teacher.
Please note, these guidelines are a
suggestion based on methods that best
encourage retention and the ability to
reproduce language. However, you are
free to add or repeat tasks during each
week in a way that best suits your studying
needs. Feel free to discuss this with your
teacher.
STEP 4: SET YOUR STUDY SCHEDULE
Weekly Exercises
While you study our various learning paths,
audio, and video lessons, you have the
option to receive a variety of assignments
throughout the week. These assignments will
be able to test key aspects of learning a
language, such as writing or speaking, and
will test your ability to produce language on
your own. These assignments can be
reviewed by your teacher and returned to you
for feedback and evaluation.
In addition to these assignments, at your
request, or based on your proposed Weekly
Schedule, we ask that you submit a weekly
progress report, which includes a summary
of your learning experiences and
achievements for each week, which will be
reviewed by your teacher. This will allow you
to reflect on what you have learned and will
require you to be mindful in reinforcing what
you study.
MARCH
Please note: Premium PLUS is not meant to You’ll also have the ability to send
be a detailed proofing or correction service. messages and files to your teacher by
Overcorrecting the work of learners is as Premium PLUS My Teacher at any point in
counterproductive as not correcting their the week. Use this method to ask
work at all. questions or engage in casual exchanges
using English or the language you are
Instead, teachers will target specific aspects studying (see the Faculty Directory).
of your communication, with the goal of
helping you study efficiently and eliminate Casual exchanges are highly encouraged,
general weaknesses. and you should not hesitate to contact
your teacher at any time.
For writing exercises, you will receive a
corrected text and be prompted to rewrite
portions of the document and/or work on
areas of weakness for your next writing
composition.
For audio recordings, you will receive
feedback on intonation, word linking, vowel
length, syllable stress, and specific sounds.
Custom Lists
Custom Lists
Successful language learners spend time Many students have used Custom Lists as
Search
collecting and organizing vocabulary a kind of portfolio tool to document and
ENG

terms that are meaningful to their own record areas of learning and cultural
situation, interests, and lives. interaction.

To better enable you to perform this In particular, students have found it useful
key activity, we’ve developed the in starting impromptu interactions and My Lists Discover Lists

Custom Lists tool. conversations with other speakers of their

language of study, especially when
Custom Lists has been designed so you traveling abroad.
can collect useful terms and local What’s New My Profile
expressions from your environment, and Your teacher may ask that you use it
then have them checked by one of frequently as part of your routine. Help Guide E-Mail Support

Innovative Language’s native speakers.

See this page for more information
on how to use it.
PR E MI UM P LU S
My Teacher Is Your Direct Link To Your Teacher
My Teacher
KATRIN

Welcome to 1-on-1 instruction via chat.

Congratulations on your Premium Plus
We know that the most effective language learning often takes place in casual exchanges with Katrin
subscription, you’re Othe road to your
now on
native speakers. Premium PLUS My Teacher is your online space to practice just this, while German learning goals.

allowing you to submit assignments and ask any questions you might have while you study our
My name is Katrin, I will be your private tutor.
extensive audio and video lesson archives. Premium PLUS My Teacher acts as an effective Get started by writing me a short self
supplement to your studies with our audio and video lessons, where you can direct your questions introduction in German (around 250-500
charcters is ideal.)
and converse with a native speaker.
JACK JOHNSON

With Premium PLUS My Teacher, your teacher can give you formatted feedback on a variety of Hallo Katrin,
assignments that can evaluate your language production. You can also send and receive audio
Ich bin ein Amerikaner. Mein name ist Jack.
recordings directly to and from your teacher with voice recordings as well as other multimedia
Ich komme aus Philadelphia, aber wohne in
tools. Doven en Amerika.

Here is my Linked in proifile, I am trying to

You can access Premium PLUS My Teacher from any device and browser at
translate it in to German right now:
myteacher.innovativelanguage.com. If you are on the go, Premium PLUS My Teacher is available Type your message.
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=1016
on the Innovative Language 101 App for the Android, iPhone, iPad, and Kindle Fire.
SEND
The Innovative Language 101 App is the recommended way to use My Teacher on a mobile
device, and it offers a lot of other great features to keep you learning when you’re on the go.
PR EM I UM P LUS

Badges
As you complete assignments in My Teacher, you'll have the
opportunity to earn badges. Badges recognize exceptional New List

Favourite
1 Entry

Snacks
4 Entries

Media
21 Entries
Add to...

Verbs

work, and you can collect them on the "My Report" page under
Kickboxing
7 Entries

Fish Dishes
28 Entries

"My Account."

Badge Name Achievement

First Steps Get started with My Teacher

Correspondent Introduce yourself in writing

Personal Emcee Introduce yourself by sending an audio

or video file on My Teacher

Scribe Complete weekly writing assignments

Orator Complete weekly speaking assignments

Word Patron Share Custom Lists with your teacher

Photographer Send your teacher an image file on My Teacher

Auteur Send your teacher a video file on My Teacher

Dean’s Date
Every trimester, there is one key date that you need
to be aware of: Dean’s Date.

The First Tuesday

Dean’s Date falls on the first Tuesday of April, August,
and December. On this date, you will need to submit
a Language Portfolio which will verify your ability to
understand and produce language at a selected level.

Your Language Portfolio will consist of 4 assignments;

of April, August,
each representing a main component of learning
a language. Those components are reading, writing, and December
speaking, and listening.

You’ll receive a template and guidelines to follow when SAVE THE DATES
Refer to appendix C for more information.
the date is approaching. The components of the
Language Portfolio will be scored on a pass/ fail basis,
where a passing grade will earn you a Portfolio
Certificate. These certificates will be available for you
to use as evidence of your abilities.

Our levels are aligned with the Common European

Framework of Reference for Languages. For more
information about these levels, please see Appendix C.
2 Faculty Directory
Zani, Afrikaans Nora, Arabic Radwa, Arabic Tzvetelina, Bulgarian Olivia, Cantonese Han, Chinese

Dehua, Chinese Weiwei, Chinese Xiaojing, Chinese Hanka, Czech Amalie, Danish Jacob, Dutch

Brittney, English Peyton, English Remy, English Jun, English Shayna, English Betsey, Filipino

* We have new teachers joining our team all the time. You may have a different teacher than the one pictured.
Päivi, Finnish Tuure, Finnish Marie Alice, French Emilia, French Yasmine, French Alisa, German

Jennifer, German Katrin, German Samantha, German Anne, German Eleni, Greek Stefania, Greek

Lenny, Hebrew Neha, Hindi Udita, Hindi Csaba, Hungarian Dorottya, Hungarian Gergo, Hungarian

* We have new teachers joining our team all the time. You may have a different teacher than the one pictured.
Dipta, Indonesian Fira, Indonesian Chiara, Italian Ofelia, Italian Sara, Italian Nana, Japanese

Sayaka, Japanese Yuki, Japanese Claire, Korean Jaehwi, Korean Kyejin, Korean Bryce, Norwegian

Hanne, Norwegian Ida, Norwegian Christine, Persian Mehrnaz, Persian Katarzyna, Polish Piotr, Polish

* We have new teachers joining our team all the time. You may have a different teacher than the one pictured.
Paloma, Portuguese Mika, Romanian Raluca, Romanian Oksana, Russian Anna, Spanish Carla, Spanish

Laura, Spanish Carmen, Spanish Medina, Swahili Joshua, Swahili Engla, Swedish Vicky, Swedish

Parisa, Thai Elif, Turkish Feyza, Turkish İçten, Turkish Hamza, Urdu Giang, Vietnamese

* We have new teachers joining our team all the time. You may have a different teacher than the one pictured.
Huyen, Vietnamese

* We have new teachers joining our team all the time. You may have a different teacher than the one pictured.
3 Academic Policies
Participation
We encourage you to approach this
coursework with the same urgency
that a face-to-face language course
would demand.
Because we understand that each
student's needs and goals for
language acquisition are unique,
we strive to offer a balanced course
that is both flexible and effective.
Online and app-based learning is
indeed convenient, but requires
student-driven commitment to
staying on track and completing
assignments. Teachers will provide
support based on the learning
schedule that you choose, but
ultimately, your level of participation
is a choice.
Due Dates and Late
Work Policy
Coursework submitted within 10
days (for the Dean's Date learning
portfolio) of the posted due date will
be accepted and eligible to receive
feedback. If you wish to receive
feedback on assignments
submitted after that time frame,
please contact your teacher directly
to make arrangements. It is not
guaranteed that late work will be
accepted beyond the 10 day
(Dean's Date) grace period.
At the moment, we make efforts
to accept late work on weekly
assignments, but cannot guarantee
that it will evaluated.
Academic Integrity
A student’s academic work
should be of his/her own making.
It is important that each student
remain accountable for his/her own
work, whether it be work individual
or group assignments or tests.
We recognize that the vast majority
of students maintain highly ethical
work standards; however, failure to
abide by this standard of conduct is
considered to be academic
dishonesty.
4 Appendices
Appendix A: Technical Support
The multimedia supported by Premium PLUS My Teacher includes
JPG, PNG, MP3, MP4, and M4A. It does not support Word documents
or PDF uploads at this time.
For written text, Premium PLUS My Teacher can support up to 750
characters per message, with no message limit. If you prefer to send a
long text in one piece, we recommend pasting the link to a shared
online document in My Teacher.
Uploading Multimedia: Web or Mobile Browsers
To record and upload multimedia files (including audio, video,
and image files)
1. Click on the paperclip icon at the bottom right hand corner of the chat window.
2. Select which type of file you wish to upload:
A) Regarding audio files, if you wish to record your voice using our
recording tool, select “Record Audio.” You can record files up to 2
minutes long using this tool.
You can send as many audio files as you wish per day.
B) If you wish to record a long audio file in one piece, record your
voice using a separate recording application, save it as an MP3, and
upload the file to My Teacher using the “Choose Audio” option.
Uploading Multimedia: Innovative Language 101 App on iOS
To record and upload a multimedia file:
1. See process for recording on a web browser
Please note: The Innovative Language 101 app for Android and Kindle
Fire does not currently support uploading multimedia files. You can
access Premium PLUS My Teacher on
myteacher.innovativelanguage.com on either a desktop or any mobile
device.
Appendix B: Augmenting Your Self-Introduction
Building up your Self-Introduction with the Pyramid Approach.
No matter how long you study a language, you will find it useful to
constantly revisit and revise your self-introduction.
Any time you meet someone new, whether at a party, a business
meeting, a job interview, or a date, you'll need to use at least
some part of this script to talk about who you are and where
you're coming from.
And, as you become a more sophisticated user of a language,
your self-introduction should become more sophisticated, too.
To help you develop your self introduction, think about these
categories as you grow and improve as a language user.
A. Identifying yourself — stating your name, age, and
nationality/native country
B. Placing yourself in society — stating your major and/or
profession, as well as information about your family
(how many members, etc)
C. Sharing personal details — describing hobbies, pets
D. Highlighting your strong points — discussing abilities
E. Elaborating on your interests — talking about goals
and passions
F. Giving your background — talking about past experiences
G. Expressing your opinions — giving a position on political,
religious, and/or environmental matters

At the bottom of the pyramid are the more basic things you can
say about yourself. As you become a more advanced user, try to G

move up the pyramid and incorporate other aspects of yourself F

into the self-introduction. E

D
C
B
A

The Pyramid Approach

Expanding on Your Self-Introduction with the Top 25 Questions
Getting to know people doesn't end with your self-introduction, of course.
Conversations usually take the form of a give-and-take involving the exchange of
questions.

Because of this, we recommend that all students, whether beginner or advanced,

study the Top 25 Questions You Need to Know audio series, which you'll find under
the Absolute Beginner category.

Beginners will have a chance to learn extremely useful words, sentences, and
phrases, and even advanced users (who may want to simply review the curriculum),
will find a helpful reminder of the questions they can use every day.
Appendix C: The Language Portfolio and the Language Passport
Language Portfolio
As Dean's Date approaches, check My Teacher. You will
receive guidelines for preparing your Portfolio there. Contact your
teacher on My Teacher if you have any questions.
Language Passport
Every Dean's Date, you'll be also asked to fill out the Language
Passport. This is a useful self-evaluation tool, and it can even serve as
a form of self-certification. Some people even use these kinds of
documents as part of their resume or CV when they apply to jobs.
You will receive a template in My Teacher, but here are some guides
for filling out your level for each language.
UNDERSTANDING
LISTENING
How well can you understand the language when you hear it?
LEVEL 1 – A1 I can recognize familiar words and very basic phrases
(Introduction to Absolute Beginner Level)
LEVEL 2 – A2 I can recognize and understand the highest-frequency
words and phrases of immediate personal relevance. I can catch the
main point of short clear announcements (Beginner)
LEVEL 3 – B1 I can follow the main points of clear standard speech on
familiar matters regularly encountered in school, work, leisure, etc. I
understand the main points of TV and radio programs on familiar
matters. I can follow simple arguments. (Intermediate)
LEVEL 4 – B2 I can follow and understand even extended speech and
lectures or follow a complex line of arguments if the topic is
reasonably familiar. I understand most of TV and radio programmes
including news. (Upper Intermediate)
LEVEL 5 – C1 I can follow and understand extended speech even if it
is not clearly structured and when the relationships between things
are only implied. I can understand movies and TV programs.
(Advanced)
READING
How well can you understand the language when you read it?
LEVEL 1 – A1 I can recognize familiar words, names and simple
sentences. I recognize familiar words on posters, etc. (Introduction to
Absolute Beginner Level)
LEVEL 2 – A2 I can read very short simple texts and sometimes find
specific information in everyday materials, like menus or timetables. I can
read and understand short personal letters. (Beginner)
LEVEL 3 – B1 I can follow and understand a text consisting of mostly
high-frequency everyday and job related words. I can follow a description
of feelings, wishes and events. (Intermediate)
LEVEL 4 – B2 I can read articles and news about contemporary
problems where the author expresses his or her opinion or point of view.
(Upper Intermediate)
LEVEL 5 – C1 I can read and understand long and complicated text
while appreciating the distinction of styles. I can follow specialized
articles and other technical instructions even from outside of
my field. (Advanced)
PRODUCTION
SPEAKING (Interaction)
How well can you understand the language when you speak it with
someone?
LEVEL 1 – A1 I can interact in a very simple way, using set phrases,
provided that the other person is willing to speak slowly, rephrase things
and help me formulate simple sentences. (Introduction to Absolute
Beginner Level)
LEVEL 2 – A2 I can communicate in simple and routine tasks — like
shopping or eating out — requiring a simple exchange of information
on familiar topics. I can handle very short social exchanges, even though
I cannot usually understand enough
to keep the conversation going for a longer time. (Beginner)
LEVEL 3 – B1 I deal with most of situations likely to arise when travelling
in the country where the language is spoken, such as checking in,
complaining, booking, buying things and bargaining. I can enter
unprepared and sustain a conversation on familiar matters, such as
current news, work, school, hobbies. (Intermediate)
LEVEL 4 – B2 I can interact spontaneously and at the degree of fluency
which will make a normal conversation with a native speaker possible.
(Upper Intermediate)
LEVEL 5 – C1 I can use language precisely and effectively for both
private and business purposes. I can precisely formulate ideas and
opinions without hurting the other person's feelings. (Advanced)
PRODUCTION: SPEAKING
How well can you understand the language when you speak it?
LEVEL 1 – A1 I can use simple sentences and set phrases to describe
my surroundings — where I live and people around me.
(Introduction to Absolute Beginner Level)
LEVEL 2 – A2 I can use simple sentences to describe my living
conditions, my educational background, my family, other people and
current or recent job. (Beginner)
LEVEL 3 – B1 I can connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe
experiences, dreams, hopes, ambitions or events. I can give reasons
and explanations for opinions and plans. I can narrate the story of a
book or movie and describe my reactions.
(Intermediate)
LEVEL 4 – B2 I can present clear and detailed descriptions on a
relatively wide range of subjects related to my field or interests. I can
explain my viewpoint and give advantages and disadvantages of various
options. (Upper Intermediate)
LEVEL 5 – C1 I can present a clear, detailed description with
sub-themes, developing particular points and giving an appropriate
conclusion. (Advanced)
WRITING
How well can you understand the language when you write it?
LEVEL 1 – A1 I can write a short, simple postcard or fill in basic forms,
involving information such as my name, address, phone.
(Introduction to Absolute Beginner Level)
LEVEL 2 – A2 I can write short, simple messages that could fit on a
post-it note. I can write a short and simple personal letter, such as for
the purpose of thanking someone for something. (Beginner)
LEVEL 3 – B1 I can write simple connected text on topics which are
familiar or of personal interest. I can write personal letters or emails
describing impressions or experience. (Intermediate)
LEVEL 4 – B2 I can write clear, long texts on a wide range of subjects
related to my areas of interest. I can write an essay or a report stating
my point of view, giving reasons to support it. (Upper Intermediate)
LEVEL 5 – C1 I can write a complicated text — an essay, report or article
— selecting the appropriate language to the reader in mind.
(Advanced)
Appendix D: Tips on Practicing Specific Skills

Listening Writing

- Focus on the study process, not outcomes. Developing a solid
process for listening practice will lead to steady improvement.
- Choose a bottom up or a top down strategy. Decide if you will
focus on specific words or grammar patterns to build meaning,
or whether you mainly try to practice the key ideas.
- Use headphones. They can give you extra clarity, especially
when beginning.
- Use videos. Facial movements and other cues can help you
catch difficult sounds.
- Listen to a sample 1-3 times.
Speaking
- Writing is about accuracy, but don't focus too much on it.
It's better to keep writing than try to get it 100 percent right.
- Teachers also are trained NOT to correct everything. Instead,
their goal is to help you create thoughtful output.
Reading
- Read as much as possible. You can't read too much.
- Read with multiple purposes. For example, read to learn
something in detail. At other times, simply try to catch the
main ideas.
- Don't worry about understanding everything all the time.

- Focus on these three skills separately

1) the mechanics of language and pronunciation;
2) the functions of speech;
3) how speaking works in the target culture (when to take turns,
when to interrupt).
- Follow this three stage process with your teacher on My Teacher:
- Stage 1: Master the Terms Needed to Talk about Language in
the Language
- Stage 2: Learn how to use language to stall, to get clarification
and use checking language
- Stage 3: Learn How to Formulate a ‘Minimal Response’ and
How to Recognize Scripts in Other Speakers
Student Manual
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