Practical Spanish for Elementary/Middle School Teachers

SIX WEEK EXPLORATORY SPANISH COURSE

      The primary goal of this 6 week exploratory Spanish course is to help students develop skills in four areas: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. While focusing on this skill development it also aims to increase the students’ appreciation for and knowledge of the diverse cultures of the countries whose language they are about to learn.

      The main emphasis of this course is on communication. The approach used is based on communicative interaction of young people….. to create, inform, inquire, exclaim as well as express emotions and opinions. A conversation is built by drawing questions and answers from daily lesson content, promoting both acquisition and practical application of the language. The updated conversation is then rehearsed with a partner each day at the beginning of class and also at the end of the class period. The entire conversation is memorized by the 4^th week and recited to the instructor with a partner as  part of the student evaluation process. Daily repetition and rehearsal enables students to gain confidence in their speaking ability, diminishing the risk of failure, while increasing the chances for experiencing success when conversing in Spanish.

      There is no textbook. Students create their own textbooks with the notes scripted from overheads as well as from handouts issued pertaining to daily lessons consisting of a variety of topics. In this manner, students are regularly given class time to practice their writing skills as they transfer information from the overheads into their notes. These notes will be organized into sections: Conversation, Numbers, Verbs, Days of the Week and Months of the Year, Adjectives, Weather, Food and Drink, Family Members, Pronouns, and General Vocabulary. Each student starts with a clean notebook or stack of 20 pieces of theme paper. Categories are created as the sequence of topics unfold. Not only does documenting information in this manner give students valuable writing time, but it also deters the cost of purchasing a textbook.  

Topic of lessons are as follows:

Introductions

Numbers

Telling Time

Adding and Subtracting

Vocabulary

Verb tener

Sentence writing

Days of the week

Months of the year

Weather conditions

Colors

Ar verb conjugation

Favorite foods/drinks

Ver ser

Adjectives

Family members

Pronouns

Letter writing

Commands

Parts of the body

Letter translation

Er, Ir verb conjugation

    There is no homework. Students are expected to complete all work in class under the guidance of a teacher. It is recommended that a place be designated for each student to keep his/her materials if the course is taught as a related art course. 

    All assignments are done in class. There are 100 assignment points available, each assignment is worth either 10 or 20 points. This translates to 1 or 2 assignments per week for the first 5 weeks. The last week is spent in review, conversation, recital, and test taking. Suggested point values for each assignment are given in the daily lesson plan.

     There are cultural lessons included to be used weekly or excluded when time constraints prevent one from covering the regular lessons. In this way the curriculum is adaptable to holidays, snow days, or any existing curricular timetables within the middle school concept setting. There are 24 lessons in all and a variety of cultural activities, games and activities to complete a 6 week (30 day) course schedule.

    Other cultural lessons could include videos on Mexico and other Latin American countries, computer games, math games, verb bingo, making a piñata, reading Que tal? and/or Oye! Scholastic magazines, singing Spanish songs, learning about the Dia de lost Muertos or cinco de mayo……Although song lesson supplements are included, this by no means covers the creative possibilities available to supplement the regular curriculum with cultural enrichment. Teachers are encouraged to research and explore the vast pool of information already available then invent a cultural activity which enables them to integrate their personality into a classroom event.

    This six week exploratory Spanish course needs to be fun for the student and teacher. Just learning a foreign language in itself is exciting for elementary and middle school students because it is different and allows the students to speak to their peers….not be quiet. It is important for the teacher to be aware at all times and never be too obvious about correcting a mispronounced word, but always be quick with praise for trying. It is this philosophy which serves as the undercurrent and driving force attributed to the success of each student, regardless of academic ability, and consequently of the course.

HAVE FUN WITH IT!

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