In a world where televsion dominates our lives, we have become accustomed to "commercial breaks." Watching television as a kid I can remember RUNNING to the bathroom during a commercial break and feeling a sense of accompllshment when I got back to my favorite cartoon before the commercials were over. Back then it was a rare thing. Today, we can bake cookies in the time it takes for a television show to return from a commercial break and the breaks are more frequent (good for those with prostate problems, I guess). But the point is, this has affected our attention span. I've seen it in the classroom of high school students and I see it in our college students as well. To adapt to this cultural phenomenon I apply the television commmerical break philosophy to my lessons. It's the 10:2 rule. For every ten minutes of me talking (the show) I take a 2 minute interaction break (the commercial) to allow students to process what was just taught. It may be a "talk to your partner" or an "create a question about..." It's just something to keep their attention in the fashion that students are used to, one scene at a time. And of course, we do take a bathroom break and allow them plenty of time to return before the show begins again!