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Inductive Grammar Lessons

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Introduce "Ser vs. Estar" Inductively

You can use this lesson to introduce "ser vs. estar" to students inductively. Traditionally, most grammar topics have been taught deductively, which means that a teacher directly explains grammar rules to students while often providing students with examples from the target language that support the rule being taught. An inductive approach, however, presents students with language extracts that feature or show trends while encouraging students to examine the language, identify the trends, and f

Integrated Performance Assessments

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Lessons to Get Kids Speaking

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"¿Qué clases te gustan?" -- Converse about classes you like/dislike in Spanish

Use this lesson to get your beginner level students walking around the room and conversing which each other about what classes at school they like and dislike in Spanish. The lesson includes a warm-up game, brief presentation, teacher conversational models, a student-to-student conversational activity, and an exit activity. • (1) Word document that includes the conversation "logger" and exit exercise.
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"¿A Qué Hora?" -- Practice conversing about TV program start times in Spanish

This is a great activity to get your level 1 students asking for and stating at what time events begin in Spanish. The lesson includes a warm-up, brief presentation of new information, teacher-fronted conversation models, an info-gap conversational activity, and exit slip. The lesson is built around the info-gap activity, for which students will work in pairs (A + B). Student A will have a schedule with shows and start times for channel 3, but not channel 2. Student B will have a schedule with
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"La Tabla de Salidas" -- Learn to Discuss Airport Departure Board in Spanish

These files are for a two part/day lesson that you can use to prepare your students to navigate a real-life scenario in Spanish--Asking and talking about an airport board (flight numbers, destinations, boarding times, and departure times) in Spanish. Here is a brief summary of the two parts/lessons: Part 1: Present an airport departure board to students, question them about it (At what time...? What number...? To where...?), get them responding at least with simple replies, and challenge them
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"¿Qué hora es en...?" -- Talk about the time in cities around the world in Spanish

Use this activity to get your level 1 students asking for and stating the time in Spanish. Here is the context: There are 24 time zones around the world, so the time everywhere is different. Plus, clocks are not perfect--Some a few minutes ahead, others a few minutes behind. So, the time in cities around the world will vary depending on who you ask. This activity begins by having students identify on a map the 20 cities around the world that will feature in this lesson so that they can be fami
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"El Tiempo: ¿Regular o Irregular?" -- Spanish Convo Activity about Weather

This info-gap activity provides a great way to get your level 1 Spanish students conversing with each other about the weather. It includes a geographical component, too (cities from around the Spanish speaking world). The idea is that we pretend (or not pretend nowadays...) that there is a mixture of normal and abnormal weather patterns in cities around the world. Students will work in pairs. Student A will know the weather in cities #1-10, but not #11-20. Student B will know the weather in cit
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"¿Cómo es la Familia?" -- Speaking Activity for "Ser + Adjectives" in Spanish

This lesson is great to get your level 1 students speaking and describing the characteristics of people using the verb ser and adjectives. Here is a summary of the lesson: • Warm-up: Students will describe the characteristics of TV family characters by writing Spanish. • Teacher-fronted model: The teacher will ask students to speak out and describe the characters in Spanish, which also shows how the student-to-student speaking activity next will occur. • Student-to-student info-gap activity: An
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"¿Cuánto es la cuenta?" -- Learn to ask for and state prices in Spanish

Use these files to teach your students how to state and comprehend the prices of items in Spanish before having them engage in a conversational activity that involves asking for and stating the quantity of restaurant checks/bills in Spanish. I used these activities in a restaurant-themed chapter, but you can use it to help your students practice talking about prices, or monetary amounts in any context--Shopping for clothes, buying bus or train tickets, etc. The zip file attached to this post i

Lessons Rooted in Music

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"Tuyo" -- Learn Spanish through this song by Rodrigo Amarante

Use this file to teach your students about the Spanish language, including null-subject language, syntax, synalepha, verb conjugation, and more, through the song Tuyo by Rodrigo Amarante. Here is a summary of the activities included in this file: • Warm-up: Listen to the song with and without lyrics • Learn new vocabulary: Use Quizlet to learn and study vocabulary words of this song. • Review the rules of first person verb conjugation. • Listen to the song while reading the lyrics and trying to

Conversation Analysis

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Spanish Conversation Analysis: Vacation + DOP's

This zip file contains (4) files that you can use for two activities to help students learn about DOP's (direct object pronouns) in Spanish by listening to, reading, and analyzing the language of conversations related to vacationing at the beach. • (1) PDF with conversation scripts and important notes to aid comprehension I recommend breaking this lesson into two parts: • Read and listen to the conversations. • Read and listen to the conversations again. • Take the language analysis survey by r
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Spanish Conversation Analysis: In the Restaurant + Double Object Pronouns

This zip file contains files that you can use to help students better understand double object pronouns by reading, listening to, and analyzing conversations about going out to and eating in a restaurant. The following files are included: • (1) PDF that includes an explanation of context in English, conversation scripts in Spanish, and pictures • (1) mp4 audio file with narrations of the conversations
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Spanish Convo Analysis: Vacation + Plural Perspectives #3 (En el Taxi)

You can use these files to help your students improve their understanding of changes that occur in the Spanish language when conversing in plural points of view (nosotros/as, vosotros/as, ustedes, ellos/as), such as , etc. For these activities, students will listen to, read, and respond to questions about a conversation between a taxi driver and two passengers as he brings them from the airport to their hotel. When speaking in the plural second person, the characters use the ustedess form. • (1
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Spanish Convo Analysis: Vacation + Plural Perspectives #2 (En la Aduana)

You can use these files to help your students improve their understanding of changes that occur in the Spanish language when conversing in plural points of view (nosotros/as, vosotros/as, ustedes, ellos/as), such as , etc. For these activities, students will listen to, read, and respond to questions about a conversation between an airport customs agent and a family who have just arrived in the country. When speaking in the plural second person, the characters use the vosotros form. My one mist
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Spanish Convo Analysis: Vacation Plans + Plural Perspectives #1 (Entre Amigas)

You can use these files to help your students improve their understanding of changes that occur in the Spanish language that occur when conversing in plural points of view (nosotros/as, vosotros/as, ustedes, ellos/as), such as etc. For these activities, students will listen to, read, and respond to questions about a conversation between two friends who are discussing one's plans for an upcoming vacation. When speaking in the plural second person, the characters use the ustedes form. • (1) PDF t

Lessons Rooted in Video

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Practice "ser vs. estar" by taking a virtual tour through Ponferrada, Spain

You can use these files to help your students improve their understanding of "ser vs. estar" by watching and analyzing a "slow Spanish" video episode called Un Paseo Por Mi Ciudad. The episode is from the NEEM (Nuevo Español en Marcha) series. In it, the main character, Eva, takes us on a tour through her city (Ponferrada, España). Here is the YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvMh0OrcttM
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Practice Spanish pres. prog. & imm. future tenses using video episode

This PDF contains a brief lesson plan and survey questions and answers that you can use with a slow Spanish video episode called "Un Chico Simpático" to help your students practice hearing, reading, and analyzing the present progressive (estar + participle) and immediate future (ir + a + infinitive) tenses in Spanish. The episode is part of the NEEM (Nuevo Español en Marcha) series. Here is the YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zs8cFSs6Wk
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¿Qué Hiciste Ayer? - Mini-Unit w/ Authentic Input + Student Output in Preterite

This (3)-part mini-unit involves watching a slow Spanish video episode and doing an extension activity. It is great for providing your students with authentic, comprehensible input in the target language, as well as prompting them to produce their own output. The grammatical focus is the preterite tense. The cultural focus is hanging and going out with friends in Spain. Prepare your students to watch and comprehend a slow Spanish video episode by having them reflect on their own life practices,

Reading & Language Analysis Lessons

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Present Progressive Reading & Language Analysis Practice

This zip file contains (3) files for (2) activities that you can use these files to help your students practice reading and analyzing the grammatical/spelling features of present progressive expressions in Spanish. The activities are set up according to this context: There are 24 time zones around the world. Read about what different people around the world are doing at this very moment in Spanish. Then, answer questions to show that you understand. Finally, respond to questions that attempt to
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El Hombre Prehistórico: Practice affirmative & negative commands + (1) pronoun

This zip file contains (1) lesson plan summary (.pdf) + (1) five-page document (.docx) with exercises for practicing affirmative and negative commands + (1) pronoun in Spanish. The idea is that a prehistoric man has arrived in the 21st century and is doing everything wrong. The students need to tell him what and what not to do in Spanish. There are parts devoted to word-image association, translation, reading, and writing.
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La Historia de Mary: A Story to Practice Reading & Listening in Preterite Tense

This activity is great to get your students reading and listening to the preterite tense of Spanish shortly after learning it for the first time. The story is written with simple sentences. It includes mostly regular verbs. There are three irregular verbs (two stem-changers + estuvo). The zip file includes the following: • (1) PDF with an introduction, brief review of the preterite tense, the story sentences, pictures to provide context, and important notes to aid comprehension • (1) mp4 file
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"El Hotel Imaginario" -- Reading Comprehension + Drawing in Spanish

This is a Spanish reading comprehension lesson for which students demonstrate their understanding of the material by drawing! The content is related to a hotel, so the activity will fit in well to a chapter or unit about travel. Here is how it works: You will tell the students that they are to draw a hotel to prove their comprehension of the material in the lesson. You can explain to them that they will draw a 10-story hotel so that you can see what is happening on each floor as if the wall of

Content Based Instruction

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"¿Adónde Van de Compras?" -- Reading + Math + Shopping in Spanish

This activity involves reading and using math to solve a puzzle in Spanish. You will purchase a Microsoft Word document that includes (3) files: Students have the task of reading the "situation list" and identifying the store where each shopper will go shopping based on his/her needs, budget, and time of day. This activity fits well in a chapter/unit devoted to clothing/style/shopping. In my experience, students have really enjoyed this activity. Most students embrace the challenge of solving
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Do Math with M&M's in Spanish!

This is a great activity to get your level 1 Spanish students sorting M&M's by color, counting, graphing, and performing other types of mathematic challenges in Spanish. The most important file of this post is the Word Document. This is the file that you will print and hand out to your students. It contains the charts, graphs, and equations that students will complete during the class period. The PowerPoint presentation just contains screenshots of the worksheet in case you want to use it to mo

Cool Ideas for Traditional Concepts

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Play Baseball to Practice Conjugating Verbs in Spanish

Use these files to play "Verb Baseball," a fun, board game-style way of memorizing and practicing conjugating verbs in any tense of Spanish! First, teach your students the verbs and the conjugation patterns that you want them to learn. I recommend that you have them "log" this info (a list of the verbs in English and Spanish plus a few examples of conjugations that show the patterns applied) somewhere. Not only will this resource be nice to have in their notes/folders, but it will also serve as
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Play Chutes & Ladders to Practice Conjugating -AR Verbs in Spanish

Use these files to play the classic board game Chutes & Ladders as a fun way of memorizing and practicing conjugating -AR verbs verbs (e:ie, e:i, o:ue) in Spanish! You can use this game to practice conjugating verbs in almost any tense of Spanish (present, preterite, imperfect, future, etc.) First, teach your students the -AR verbs and the conjugation pattern that you want them to learn. I recommend that you have them "log" this info (a list of the verbs in English and Spanish plus a few examp
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Play Chutes & Ladders to Practice Conjugating Stem-Changing Verbs in Spanish

Use these files to play the classic board game Chutes & Ladders as a fun way of memorizing and practicing conjugating stem-changing verbs (e:ie, e:i, o:ue) in the simple present tense of Spanish! First, teach your students the stem-changing verbs that you want them to learn. I included in this product a verb conjugation charts template that you can give to your students where they can conjugate all the stem-changing verbs that you give them. Not only will this be a nice resource for them to hav

Culture

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"Margarita Vallejo en Ecuador" -- Reading w/ ER/IR verbs + Cultural Comparison

Use these free resources for a series of lessons designed to get your students reading a story in Spanish that emphasizes -ER/-IR verbs in the present tense, while comparing and contrasting typical days of University students in Ecuador and their own, home country. I made these files to enhance the educational experience of reading a story that was published by someone else on the Internet here: https://personal.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/presente_er_ir.html My files include the following:
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"Celia Castillo en Cuba" -- Reading w/ -AR Verbs + Cultural Comparison

Use these free resources for a series of lessons designed to get your students reading a story in Spanish that emphasizes -AR verbs in the present tense, while comparing and contrasting typical days of grade school students in Cuba and their own, home country. I made these files to enhance the educational experience of reading a story that was published by someone else on the Internet here: https://personal.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/presente_ar.html My files include the following:
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Seven-Day "Día de Muertos" Spanish Class "Ofrenda" Presentation Project

Use these files to lead your Spanish class in a 7-day project that culminates in students presenting ofrendas (altars with offerings) that they have created to honor a deceased person in the target language to celebrate the Day of the Dead. The following files are included in my zip file: • (1) weekly plan that will give you a timeline of my project and help you conceptualize how you may implement it • (1) student worksheet packet that students will use to complete various tasks and exercises t

Teach Students to Write

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Gustar + Classes + Justifications -- Spanish Writing Activity

Use these files to get your level 1 Spanish students writing at the paragraph level about classes they like and dislike at school using the verb gustar, as well as justifying their feelings using "ser + adjectives." The writing activity is based around a Microsoft Word document that includes graphic organizers, writing guides, and rough and final draft templates. There is a PowerPoint presentation included in the zip file with slides that will enhance the lesson and help you as a teacher unders

Presentations

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Presentation & Reading Practice: Affirmative, Tú Form Commands in Spanish

The PowerPoint presentation for this reading activity is nice because it presents both moments/contexts when students will likely encounter commands in Spanish in real life, as well as pictures of authentic, real-life examples from each context. They should read the presentation while completing a reading check survey that consists of open-ended questions. In the zip file, in addition to the presentation, there is a PDF with both survey questions and an answer key.

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