Kick off your Beginning Spanish Lessons with an immersive approach that introduces students to greetings, calendar routines, classroom commands, emotions, and cultural elements through interactive activities, visuals, and real-world practice.
Lesson 1
Objectives: Students will work in the interpretive mode. They will learn to understand basic greetings, the calendar, the Pledge of Allegiance, emotions, meeting and greeting, and classroom commands and routines.
1. Greet your class.
2. Take attendance. Here is a great opportunity to teach the words ausente, presente, aquí, no aquí. This is also a good time to assign Spanish names. I like to help them make the associations between their names and the Spanish versions. They could also take a list of Spanish names home and select another one if they don’t like the one you gave them. I also like to use their names, if there is no equivalent.
3. Use the signs and teach muchachos and muchachas.
4. Practice levanténse and siéntense. I show them the signs. We now integrate concepts 1 and 3 by having students stand and sit. After practicing all of the combinations, the students will understand the concept of masculine being for both males and males and females together.
5. Do the pledge/apply their new classroom commands. I put this sign next to my flag. While I like to keep culture as much on target as possible, I think this is a great opportunity to learn a lot of vocabulary.
6. Now, do the calendar. I emphasize a new part of this each day. I taught kindergarten for two years and saw so many applications of this one seemingly simple tool for foreign languages. With making the calendar an important part of your daily routine, you can virtually skip over many of the basic concepts in your textbooks. You have an opportunity to teach numbers, the days, the months, the seasons, and the weather entirely in context. You can then do some culminating projects to apply what they have learned throughout the year. Here are some questions to use with the calendar:
¿Qué día es? ¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?- say and point ¿Cuántos días hay en una semana? Count through the days with them.
¿Cuántos meses hay en un año? ¿Cuáles son los días de la semana? Point to days on your calendar, always giving them choices.
¿Cuáles son los meses del año? Point to months on your calendar, always giving them choices.
¿Cuál es la estación? Point to seasons on your calendar, always giving them choices.
¿Qué tiempo hace? Again, lots of choices.
While the first few weeks they will be silent or not say much, the calendar will turn into a speaking activity.
7. Greetings – show the slideshow.
8. Apply the new knowledge. Use sound effects to acknowledge the time of day. Pretend to turn out lights, sleep, etc. We do both—the kids love it and will quickly ask for the activity in the target language. Google royalty-free soundeffects like roosters to this fun way to learn greetings.
9. Get to know each other a bit. Do this dialogue.
-Hola.
-Hola.
-Soy _______(or) Me llamo _________ ¿Cómo te llamas?
-Soy_______ (or) Me llamo__________
-Encantado/a (or) Mucho gusto. (or) Es un placer. -Igualmente.
Do this with students up and moving around. Give them the handout and have them have the conversation with everyone in class after they have heard you do this with each student.
10. Practice class routines. You have already done levanténse and siéntense. Teach ¿Puedo ir al baño? ¿Puedo tomar aqua? ¿Puedo ir a la clínica?. Put the signs up in your room. The students can act these out, taking turns pretending to be the teacher, students, etc.
11. Now, use a toy football and soccer ball to teach the difference between fútbol/fútbol americano. You can now show them una tarjeta amarilla & una tarjeta roja (in course bundle). There are also some images online.
Have fun with this. Play the student and they play the teacher. Demonstrate some behaviors (not serious infractions), such as talking out of turn, sleeping, etc. They hand me the warning cards. After getting two, they give you the red one. Use a cell phone and pretend to call parents.
12. Now, it is note-taking time. They need to understand that the notes are an essential part of each class—it is the written version of the words and phrases we learned and they will need them for the projects we do throughout the course.
Hola
Buenos días
Buenas tardes
Buenas noches
ausente, presente, aquí, no aquí
muchachos
siéntense
¿Qué día es?
¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?
¿Cuántos días hay en una semana?
¿Cuántos meses hay en un año?
¿Cuáles son los días de la semana?
¿Cuáles son los meses del año?
¿Cuál es la estación?
¿Qué tiempo hace?
Hola.
Soy _______
Me llamo_________
¿Cómo te llamas?
Encantado/a
Mucho gusto
Es un placer
Igualmente
¿Puedo ir al baño?
¿Puedo tomar aqua? ¿Puedo ir a la clínica?
fútbol
fútbol americano
una tarjeta
amarilla una
tarjeta roja
Take leave with Adiós
Notes:
Lesson 2
Objective: Students will work in the interpretive mode. They will continue to learn to understand basic greetings, the calendar, the Pledge of Allegiance, emotions, meeting and greeting, and classroom commands and routines. Students will also learn about the Spanish-speaking world.
1. Take attendance, emphasizing new words from the last class (ausente, presente, aquí, no aquí).
2. Do the Juramento. Put in Mano en el corazón to demonstrate.
3. Greet students appropriately. At this point, greet each one individually and teach ¿Cómo estás?, bien, gracias, así, así , muy bien, gracias.
4. Calendar: select one area of emphasis each day. Do the months on this day. I know a genius teacher who did a Macarena dance (twelve movements) as they said the months of the year.
Do the daily questions
¿Qué día es?
¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?
¿Cuántos días hay en una semana?
¿Cuántos meses hay en un año?
¿Cuáles son los días de la semana?
¿Cuáles son los meses del año?
¿Cuál es la estación?
¿Qué tiempo hace?
5. We now revisit the class routines.
¿Puedo ir al baño?
¿Puedo tomar aqua?
¿Puedo ir a la clínica?
Introduce profesor/profesora, el/la estudiante and point out who is who. Add ¿Puedo usar el sacapuntas?
Labeling your room is a great way to set up your environment for CI.
6. Revisit meeting and greeting.
Hola
Hola
Soy _______(or) Me llamo _________
¿Cómo te llamas?
Soy_______ (or) Me llamo__________
Encantado/a (or) Mucho gusto. (or) Es un placer -Igualmente.
Have students either get in dos líneas or dos círculos. Put on target culture music. Students must change partners when we pause the music and say Cambiemos.
7. Now, teach them a little about where Spanish is spoken. Print out the blank maps (in course) and hand them out to students. There are several options.
Also, you can set up stations in your room where students work together on one area of the world at a time using their textbook or the internet. This provides some movement.
Now, go over the maps with students. Use a digital board and have them approach to fill in the capitals and countries.
Next, show this Power Point if time permits.
8. Notes: most of the notes are the maps, but have them put these new words and phrases in their notebooks:
Mano en el corazón
¿Cómo estás?, Bien, gracias, así, así , Muy bien, gracias.
Dos líneas Cambiemos profesor/profesora el/la
Estudiante ¿Puedo usar el sacapuntas? Adiós
Take leave with Adiós
Notes:
Lesson 3
Objectives: Students will work in the interpretive mode. They will continue to learn to understand basic greetings, the calendar, the Pledge of Allegiance, emotions, meeting and greeting, and classroom commands and routines. Students will also learn about the capitals of the Spanish-speaking world.
1. Take attendance, emphasizing new words from the last class (ausente, presente, aquí, no aquí).
2. Do the Juramento.
3. Greet students appropriately. Greet each one individually and teach ¿Cómo estás?, bien, gracias, así, así , muy bien, gracias. Work in cansado/cansada. Don’t explain anything about endings—just immerse them until they get the pattern.
4. Now show them the following category of pictures.
Go through and “ask” the photos either “¿Cómo estás tú? or ¿Cómo está Usted? and answer yourself appropriately (Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? or ¿Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y Usted?). The students will chime in after hearing it a couple of times.
5. Now, put a chair (preferably one that can turn) in front of the room. I ask for student volunteers, who sit in the seat. Turn the seat around (or have students close their eyes). Give them something from the family basket (glasses, a cane, a baby bib, a stuffed animal, etc.) and the class says tú or Usted.
Calendar: select one area of emphasis each day. Do the days on this day. Use the calendar, point, count through. Have them repeat the days after going through them a couple of times.
Do the daily questions, answering yourself if necessary.
¿Qué día es?
¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?
¿Cuántos días hay en una semana?
¿Cuántos meses hay en un año?
¿Cuáles son los días de la semana?
¿Cuáles son los meses del año?
¿Cuál es la estación?
¿Qué tiempo hace?
5. Revisit the Spanish-speaking world. If time ran out last class, show the presentation el mundo hispanohablante. Also do a communicative activity and have the students ask and answer the question ¿Cuál es la capital de…?
6. Now show the presentation ¿De dónde eres?. This idea came from another genius teacher who I don’t know, so I can’t personally give them credit. This is my own version.
7. Now, you can play exchange students. Print out the presentation on the Spanish-speaking world and make them into cards or use Maletas (great idea from Deborah Blaz’s Foreign Language Teacher’s Guide to Active Learning).
Each student selects one of the cards with the capital and country on it. They speak to each student in the room. They change students when you change the music. They must do the following: greet, ask and exchange names, ask and exchange information on where they are from. Give this as a graded dialogue after this practice and walk around and grade as they do the real one.
Notes:
cansado/cansada
¿Cómo estás tú?
¿Cómo está Usted?
Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?
Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y Usted?)
¿Cuál es la capital de…?
¿De dónde eres? Yo soy de…
Take leave with Adiós
Notes:
Lesson 4
Objectives: Students will work in the interpretive mode. They will learn to understand basic greetings, the calendar, the Pledge of Allegiance, emotions, meeting and greeting, and classroom commands and routines. They will also learn how to say where other people are from and more about people from the Spanish-speaking world.
1. Take attendance, emphasizing new words from the last class (ausente, presente, aquí, no aquí).
2. Do the Juramento.
3. Greet students appropriately. At this point, greet each one individually and teach ¿Cómo estás?, bien, gracias, así, así , muy bien, gracias. Revisit cansado/cansada, and add aburrido/aburrida if they have picked up the pattern. Also revisit tú and Usted.
4. Calendar: Select one area of emphasis each day. Emphasize the seasons, asking them what the season is with choices.
Do the daily questions
¿Qué día es?
¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?
¿Cuántos días hay en una semana?
¿Cuántos meses hay en un año?
¿Cuáles son los días de la semana?
¿Cuáles son los meses del año?
¿Cuál es la estación?
¿Qué tiempo hace?
5. Introduce ¿Cómo se llama él/ella? Pointing and asking about each student in the class.
6. Show the presentation ¿De dónde es? .
7. Play Maletas
You can make your own if you’d like. Use photos and postcards from different places and have included some papers to glue and make your own. Place the photo on half of a piece of paper and write the location on the other to make the suitcases. Glue it to construction paper and have it laminated. After popping on a Velcro closure, you have a
“suitcase.” Make a few more every year and throw them in a bag. The students could even make them as an assignment. The students then pick the suitcases out of the bag. Ask ¿De dónde es? and model the first few responses of Él/Ella es de…
You may want to give one of the quizzes on the Spanish-speaking world.
Student notes: Aburrido/Aburrida
¿Cómo se llama él/ella?
¿De dónde es?
Él/Ella es de… él ella
Take leave with ¡Hasta la vista!
If you have time, have them practice their vocabulary in two circles. They can use their notes and say ¿Cómo se dice…?
Notes:
Lesson 5
Objectives: Students will work in the interpretive mode. They will learn to understand basic greetings, the calendar, the Pledge of Allegiance, emotions, meeting and greeting, and classroom commands and routines. They will also learn how to say where other people are from, more about people from the Spanish-speaking world, and be introduced to common vocabulary to talk about school.
1. Take attendance, emphasizing new words from the last class (ausente, presente, aquí, no aquí).
2. Do the Juramento.
3. Greet students appropriately. At this point, greet each one individually and teach ¿Cómo estás? bien, gracias, así, así , muy bien, gracias. Introduce cansados/cansadas.
4. Calendar: select one area of emphasis each day.
Do the daily questions:
¿Qué día es?
¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?
¿Cuántos días hay en una semana?
¿Cuántos meses hay en un año?
¿Cuáles son los días de la semana?
¿Cuáles son los meses del año?
¿Cuál es la estación?
¿Qué tiempo hace?
5. Revisit ¿Cómo se llama él/ella?
6. Show the presentation ¿De dónde son ellos?
7. Play Suitcases, letting students who have selected the same countries be your Ellos/Ellas son de…
8. Show the presentation Materiales Escolares
9. Notes: for this lesson, there is a lot of vocabulary, so don’t have them copy down the words. Copy a notes page for each student and have index cards ready for each student. As their homework, they should cut out each slide and make a flash card. It is important to point out
that they should not cut the cards in any way and that they should glue them a certain way. This is important, as the cards will be used for several games and must look the same.
Take leave with ¡Hasta la proximal!
Notes:
Lesson 6
Objectives: Students will work mainly in the interpretive mode. They will learn to understand basic greetings, the calendar, the Pledge of Allegiance, emotions, meeting and greeting, and classroom commands and routines. They will also learn how to say where other people are from, more about people from the Spanish-speaking world, and be introduced to common vocabulary to talk about school.
1. Take attendance, emphasizing new words from the last class (ausente, presente, aquí, no aquí).
2. Do the Juramento.
3. Greet students appropriately. At this point, greet each one individually and teach ¿Cómo estás?, bien, gracias, así, así , muy bien, gracias. Introduce triste/tristes.
4. Calendar: select one area of emphasis each day.
Do the daily questions
¿Qué día es?
¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?
¿Cuántos días hay en una semana?
¿Cuántos meses hay en un año?
¿Cuáles son los días de la semana?
¿Cuáles son los meses del año?
¿Cuál es la estación?
¿Qué tiempo hace?
5. Revisit ¿Cómo se llama él/ella?
6. Play suitcases again, emphasizing the subject pronouns in context.
7. Revisit school vocabulary. Have the students do ¿Cómo se dice..?, Vocabulary lines, Go Fish with the cards, Concentration, or Flyswatter. Sí/No.
8. Hand out a blank Bingo card or use the ready-made game (markers not included). The students make their own cards to play the following class.
Notes:
Lesson 7
Objectives: Students will work mainly in the interpretive mode. They will learn to understand basic greetings, the calendar, the Pledge of Allegiance, emotions, meeting and greeting, and classroom commands and routines. They will also learn how to say where other people are from, more about people from the Spanish-speaking world and be introduced to common vocabulary to talk about school.
1. Take attendance, emphasizing new words from the last class (ausente, presente, aquí, no aquí).
2. Do the Juramento.
3. Greet students appropriately. At this point, greet each one individually and teach ¿Cómo estás?, bien, gracias, así, así , muy bien, gracias. Introduce triste/tristes
4. Calendar: select one area of emphasis each day.
Do the daily questions
¿Qué día es?
¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?
¿Cuántos días hay en una semana?
¿Cuántos meses hay en un año?
¿Cuáles son los días de la semana?
¿Cuáles son los meses del año?
¿Cuál es la estación?
¿Qué tiempo hace?
5. Revisit ¿Cómo se llama él/ella?
6. Play school Bingo. Start as the caller the first few times. As the students are more immersed, let them be the callers. Do this (to start) in groups of two or three as callers. That way, they can help one another with pronunciation. It is also a good opportunity to teach other vocabulary (Cuatro rincones, juego nuevo, X).
7. Homework: School dictionary. They should create a one-page visual dictionary of ten things you find in a classroom.
Notes:
Lesson 8
Objectives: Students will work mainly in the interpretive mode. They will learn to understand basic greetings, the calendar, the Pledge of Allegiance, emotions, meeting and greeting, and classroom commands and routines. They will also learn how to say where other people are from, more about people from the Spanish-speaking world, and be introduced to common vocabulary to talk about school.
1. Take attendance, emphasizing new words from the last class (ausente, presente, aquí, no aquí).
2. Do the Juramento.
3. Greet students appropriately. At this point, greet each one individually and teach ¿Cómo estás?, bien, gracias, así, así , muy bien, gracias. I introduce enojado/enojada/enojados/enojadas
4. Calendar: select one area of emphasis each day.
Do the daily questions
¿Qué día es?
¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?
¿Cuántos días hay en una semana?
¿Cuántos meses hay en un año?
¿Cuáles son los días de la semana?
¿Cuáles son los meses del año?
¿Cuál es la estación?
5. Play Bingo. Again, try to have students work in teams as callers.
6. Vocabulary immersion: the students love Flyswatter. Play reverse Pictionary. They each have a marker, small white board, and eraser. They draw what you say. This is also an opportunity to teach commands to have the students pass out these items (i.e., Tres voluntarios, por favor. Reparte los borradores, Reparte los marcadores. Reparte las pizarritas.).
7. HW: study school flash cards.
Notes:
Lesson 9
Objectives: Students will work mainly in the interpretive mode. They will learn to understand basic greetings, the calendar, the Pledge of Allegiance, emotions, meeting and greeting, and classroom commands and routines. They will also learn how to say where other people are from, more about people from the Spanish-speaking world, and be introduced to common vocabulary to talk about school.
1. Take attendance, emphasizing new words from the last class (ausente, presente, aquí, no aquí).
2. Do the Juramento.
3. Greet students appropriately. At this point, greet each one individually and teach ¿Cómo estás?, bien, gracias, así, así , muy bien, gracias. I introduce enojado/enojada/enojados/enojadas
4. Calendar: select one area of emphasis each day.
Do the daily questions
¿Qué día es?
¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?
¿Cuántos días hay en una semana?
¿Cuántos meses hay en un año?
¿Cuáles son los días de la semana?
¿Cuáles son los meses del año?
¿Cuál es la estación?
5. Play Bingo. Again, try to have students work in teams as callers.
6. Vocabulary practice: Play Musical Words or Hot Potato. Teach the phrase ¿Qué es?
7. Have students play Go Fish by putting them in groups and putting two sets of cards together.
8. Vocabulary quiz: give several different quizzes. One is where they draw what I say (TPR). Sometimes they are more traditional. Draw ten pictures and they write the word. Be sure to give out blank Post Its and they label the room. This could even be the quiz.
Notes:
Lesson 10
Objectives: Continue to understand basic Spanish for communicating in a classroom.
1. Take attendance, emphasizing new words from the last class (ausente, presente, aquí, no aquí).
2. Do the Juramento.
3. Greet students appropriately. At this point, greet each one individually and teach ¿Cómo estás?, bien, gracias, así, así , muy bien, gracias. Introduce enojado/enojada/enojados/enojadas
4. Calendar: select one area of emphasis each day.
5. Hula Hoops – use two pink and two blue. You can use the cards from the handout or bingo and have them place them in the right hoop (one is masculine singular, one is feminine singular, one is plural masculine, and the other is plural feminine).
6. Play suitcases. This time, emphasize the subject pronouns nosotros/nosotras and the phrase Nosotros/as somas de… to refer to pairs/groups of students who have drawn the same country/suitcases.
7. Play Bingo. Again, try to have students work in teams as callers.
8. Write down (or project) the following verbs to describe activities in a school: hablar, leer, escribir, estudiar, dibujar, escuchar, jugar, enseñar, tomar apuntes, pensar. Using gestures, demonstrate the meaning of each word. Do this a few times—make a game out of it. Get some enthusiastic volunteers who like to demonstrate the new words.
9. Now, pass out a Me gusta sign and a No me gusta sign (In bundle). Sing the two phrases as they are passed out. The kids chime in soon.
10. Go through the activities, doing a class survey about what they like and what they don’t like.
11. Do the project Me gusta…
Notes:
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