Is this methodology suitable for everybody?
Absolutely! The narrative format approach follows the steps of learning the mother tongue. It has proven to be effective with teachers who didn’t already know the language they would be teaching to the children (see the book “The magic teacher” by Traute Taeschner, Cilt 2005) with immigrant teenagers learning Italian (see research Project “Immigrant kids” , with older people and with learning disabilities. The cartoons and the characters of Hocus and Lotus are aimed at children aged 0-12! If you want to know more about the narrative format approach, visit the "Teaching Method"page.


What product should I buy first to sensitize my child to the new language?
The DVD with the cartoons! You will also find more products in our catalogue!


I’ve seen the catalogue and you also sell T-shirts. Why do you wear a magic T-shirt?
Is it just a nice accessory or has it a meaning for learning a language
The magic t-shirt is a tool to enter in the magic (imaginary) world of Hocus and Lotus, the little dinocrocs who teach languages to children, where you experience fantastic adventures in the new language! In fact, since the Magic Teacher wears the Magic T-shirt, she/he no longer understands the local language. As the children put on their T-shirts they are capturing its magic so they can speak the new language of the teacher they love!


What is the meaning of the LEVELS?
Does the language go from “easy” to “difficult”?
Could I start teaching from level 3 if my pupils already know a little of the new language?
The vocabulary and language of “The adventures of Hocus and Lotus” is narrative - a spoken vocabulary - and therefore it contains all the grammatical forms of the new language. The narrative format approach follows the rules of learning the mother tongue and therefore there is not a grammatical progression in the levels or formats, but a lexical progression. The answer is yes, you can start from level 3 even if your pupils are beginners!  Every story is simple and the topics reflect the daily lives of children.


I didn’t find an answer to my questions, what shall I do?
Just write to info@hocus-lotus.edu and we will try to give you an answer as soon as possible!