You know comprehensible input matters. You've heard about input-driven learning. But when you sit down to find materials, you run into the same problems: textbook dialogues that feel hollow, graded readers with boring plots, news articles that are too advanced or too dry, and students with wildly different interests you can't possibly curate for individually.

In this episode, LJ tackles one of the most common implementation challenges for input-driven teaching: how to find or create input that's both comprehensible and compelling. Using The Three Filters framework (Accessible, Authentic, and Aligned), LJ shows teachers how to evaluate and curate input that actually connects with students' identities, interests, and goals. The episode then shifts to teaching students to curate input for themselves — building autonomy and making input engagement a sustainable, student-driven practice.

This is for teachers who believe in meaningful input but need practical strategies for making it work in real teaching contexts.

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Resources Mentioned

The Lesson Plans & Worksheet Library

A subscription resource with pre-curated lesson plan arcs, worksheets designed around student voice and identity, conversation frameworks, and curated resource lists organized by theme and level.

Available at: www.theimmersionstudio.com

Input Sources Mentioned in Episode:

• Graded content publishers (Extensive Reading Central, language-specific series)
• Slow-speed podcasts (News in Slow Spanish, Easy German, etc.)
• YouTube channels in target languages
• Streaming platforms with target language subtitles
• Language-specific social media accounts, blogs, and forums

The Three Filters Framework

Filter 1: Accessible

Students can engage with the material with appropriate scaffolding. Use the 80/20 rule: students should understand about 80% and be able to figure out the other 20%.

Filter 2: Authentic

The content reflects how people actually use the language in real life — real cultural context, emotional range, natural language use.

Filter 3: Aligned

The content connects to who students are and what they care about — their identity, interests, and goals.

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Action Step

This week, try one of these approaches: use the Three Filters to evaluate your next input assignment, ask students what they're actually interested in, or assign them to find their own content and reflect on it. Just one. And see what happens.

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Connect

Website: www.theimmersionstudio.com

Instagram: @theimmersion.studio

For educators interested in The Fluent Framework approach and teaching resources, visit the site to explore lesson plans, worksheets, and subscribe to updates.