TPRS 2.0 and what sets it apart from TPRS 1.0

Ok, so maybe we should define terms... pretty much all of this blog before this year (2026) chronicled my experiences with using TPRS (and other tools via the lens of TPRS) in my classes.

I was incredibly excited about it. In fact, I was so excited, when TPRS Books offered me a job, I jumped at it to work with the company that transformed my teaching trajectory! 

But what I was using back then was referred to as TPRS 1.0.

What is TPRS 1.0?

I'm glad you asked. TPRS 1.0 is a method of instruction that utilizes stories to aid in language acquisition. It relies heavily on translation to ensure comprehensibility and works to provide students with repetitive, high-frequency input via engaging stories. 

The steps are:

1. Establish meaning (have target phrases on the board with translation)
2. Ask a story to students*
• reinforce new language with circling (asking repetitive questions that highlight the language  in the target phrases)
• this might take 1-2 days. It would often take me 3 days.
3. Do a follow-up reading of the same story or a similar story
• ask comprehension questions about sentences, paragraphs, etc. 
• personalize information from the reading to students' lives
• this would often take me a day or less
4. Repeat

*This feels a lot like a mad-lib where you have variables and allow students some level of control over the story.

In 2010 when I first learned this, it was better than anything I had ever seen. My students were speaking in Spanish more than they ever had with a textbook. So I was hooked. And I continued to experiment with things like interviewing my characters in the story, reading novels, adding in movie-talks, etc. But all of it revolved around a lot of communication and also reinforcing this with reading.

TPRS 1.0 ask-a-story target structures

See example of old TPRS story target structures to the right.

In TPRS 1.0, it's also important to note that it heavily followed Dr. Stephen Krashen's teachings and the role of input being critical, while not forcing output from students until they are ready. This is referred to as the silent period. 

TPRS 1.0 also involved an entire story that was told over the course of 1-2 days. Students were expected to remember that information. I, however, was afraid to call on my students to retell the entire story, because it felt like a lot of information to remember. I once cold-called on a student and she cried, leaving me to think I was a failure and I needed to honor the silent period.

What is TPRS 2.0?

Example of slide for days 1-3

In essence, TPRS 2.0 takes the best of TPRS 1.0 and adds to it. This is heavily done with Google Slides available at portal.tprsbooks.com. And there is a free version you can try before you pay anything.

1. Establish a new detail
2. Circle 
• ask a variety of questions about that detail to the class
• Yes/No
• Who/What/Where/When/How
• Negative Answer
• allow one word answers
3. Triangle
• ask a variety of questions to students as the character
• Yes/No
• Who/What/Where/When/How
• Negative Answer
• students must answer in a complete sentence
• teacher will recast the information to the student in perspective
• Ex: 
• Teacher asks, "Who are you?"
• Student says, "I am George."
• Teacher says, "Yes. You are George!"
4. Add more details about the main character (on slide or from imagination)
5. Add more details about a parallel character 
6. Describe the Situation
• retell the information students should understand (in perspective)
• Ex: There is a boy. I am the boy. I am George.
• students will listen and then rate their comprehension on one hand 1,2,3,4,5 (see poster below on right)
• then students will retell to their hand as the character
• teacher will ask for volunteers to retell
• Ex:
• Student says, "There is a boy. I am the boy. I am George."
• teacher will recast to those volunteers in perspective
• Ex:
• Teacher says, There is a boy. You are the boy. You are George."
7. Start next class with a daily reading of information.

All of this is done to create a manageable chunk that the students can do. We don't want to add too much to the chunk so that students are not able to have confidence speaking. While we used to only worry about their understanding the information, this aspect has really slowed me down. By wanting to make sure students can say the information, I realize I can't go as fast. 

Finger check poster

Which of course flies in the face of what we previously practiced with the silent period. But having used this method now for over half a school year, I can say that we aren't forcing output in the sense that we are forcing students to go beyond their level. We are pushing them into the pool but they still have a life-jacket on. And it's amazing. I can't believe what students are able to do with the language by retelling the stories. I have students in their speaking snapshots talk in Spanish for over 5 minutes (easily for many of them). Some even try to speak for 10 minutes! It's unprecedented in my teaching! 

So I now believe where TPRS 2.0 teachers told me that they were getting their students to intermediate fluency in under 100 hours. I am at around 60 hours and my students are sooo good and I can't wait to see how much better they get by the end of the year! 

Go TPRS 2.0!