Comprehensible Input
According to Krashen’s Input Hypothesis, comprehensible input suggests that students should be able to understand vocabulary, content, and all of what is being said or presented to them in the classroom. In order to make content comprehensible, the teacher must go beyond vocabulary and focus on the presentation of background and context, clarification and paraphrasing of unclear content, and the use of effective techniques such as graphic organizers, scaffolding, and frontloading. Additionally, comprehensible input allows teachers to implement Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) to ensure that students are reaching their full potential. Watch the following video that provides a great example of how a teacher utilizes Krashen’s ideas of comprehensible input into one of her lessons: Component 3: Comprehensible Input. (
