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Clip Chat: Compelling Comprehensible Input through Short Films


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Quality PD from Quality Kansas World Language Teachers! Rebecca Werthmann, KSWLA TOY 2026! Rebecca is currently a high school Spanish teacher in USD 352 Goodland, KS. She also is a contractor and publisher for Wayside Publishing, as well as a Curriculum Project Assistant for The Comprehensible Classroom.


Check out her book, El oso peligroso, currently available from Wayside Publishing.


ClipChat: Compelling Comprehensible Input through Short Films

ClipChat is a powerful CI/ADI strategy that can transform classroom input. Here’s a quick overview of how to introduce it in your own classroom!


What Is ClipChat?

ClipChat is a CI/ADI strategy in which the teacher pauses a short video to narrate, describe, and ask questions using target language structures that students can understand.


Why It Works

ClipChat aligns with foundations of language acquisition:

  • ClipChat is aligned with Krashen’s input hypothesis: i+1 input

  • Compelling content lowers students’ affective filter

  • Offers repetition of high-frequency structures in context

  • Visuals (images on screen and teacher gestures) aid comprehension and memory

ClipChat builds listening comprehension while reinforcing structures that later appear in reading and writing tasks.


Key Features of a Successful ClipChat

  • Compelling video (not necessarily funny, but funny works!)

  • Clear storyline without dialogue (or with minimal dialogue)

  • Opportunities for repetition and prediction

  • Supports desired linguistic goals (structures, themes, functions)

The goal is to keep students engaged. Compelling content and being an animated teacher will keep students honed in on the lesson!



Getting Started

Click the images to enlarge.



As an example, the animated short film Wildebeest by Birdbox Studio (available on YouTube) is a great beginner ClipChat video! It can be used in the beginning of Spanish 1 after students are skilled at identifying cognates and are familiar with the following vocabulary structures: there is/are, this is, and says. This video includes no character dialogue, and instead has speech bubbles with images whenever the animals “talk” to each other. A loose script for this ClipChat would include pointing things out (this is…, there is/are…) and what the characters “say” to each other. Most of the actions in the video are really easy to act out in order to support out-of-bounds vocabulary. Remember, grammar does not need to be sheltered, but vocabulary should be! Don’t be afraid to act silly in front of your students -- it increases engagement and helps to lower their affective filter!


During a ClipChat, the teacher should aim to:

  • Narrate simply and clearly

  • Ask yes/no, either/or, and personalized questions about what is on screen

  • Circle core target structures (provide lots of repetition!)

  • Maintain comprehensibility through visuals, gestures, and pacing

Wildebeest is a short, one-minute video, but a ClipChat narration can easily last 30+ minutes of class time with intentional pausing, questioning, and descriptions. It’s all about input and student understanding!



How to Plan Your Own ClipChat

A practical process for choosing successful videos for ClipChats includes the following steps:

  1. Choose a compelling video (1-5 minutes, strong visuals, little to no dialogue)

  2. Identify 2-4 target structures or functions you want to highlight

  3. Preview the clip and choose natural pause points

  4. Lightly script narration to maintain clarity and structure

  5. Pre-teach only essential words (using structures students are familiar with is best!)

  6. Use gestures, drawings, or images to support comprehension

Depending on your classroom goals, a ClipChat can be the basis for many language-rich activities to follow: games, reading/writing activities, communicative activities, etc.


Finding Great ClipChat Videos

There are so many great ways to find videos that are perfect for ClipChat, including (but definitely not limited to):

  • Pixar/Disney Shorts

  • Clips from movies

  • Music videos

  • Videos of cultural events

  • Commercials




Final Takeaways

With a little preparation, confidence, and practice, ClipChat is to implement! The greatest impact comes from selecting compelling stories and staying focused on comprehensibility. When used thoughtfully, ClipChat offers a low-prep, highly-engaging way to flood students with rich, meaningful input.ClipChat is an accessible, powerful tool for any language teacher seeking to deepen students’ comprehension through storytelling.


For teachers who are interested in deeper explanations and to see ClipChat modeled by fellow educators, there are tons of helpful blog posts and demonstration videos available online!

 
 
 

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