This intermediate low to intermediate mid-French activity is a perfect lesson to incorporate during the month of October. Using Halloween as a theme, students will practice with the conditional tense using a set of proposed, “Si ___ puis ___” . A slide presentation is included to introduce can-do statements for this activity and to guide the class through the different questions. The activity wraps up with an optional target language video about Halloween in Quebec. If you would like to use this activity during another time of the year, simply change the background of the slide show and omit the optional video.
In this intermediate low to intermediate-high French activity, students will brainstorm useful expressions for agreeing with, disagreeing with, and uncertainty about situations. Students will then practice using these expressions in conversation. All necessary resources are provided including a printable chart that offers a variety of idiomatic expressions that can be used to agree and disagree, printable statement cards and a slide show that guides the teacher and class through the activity. As students work, they will use presentational speaking skills to agree or disagree with target language statements that are provided on the statement cards.
This detailed unit is in English but covers a topic important to all upper-level Spanish courses. After reviewing the provided resources, intermediate-mid and intermediate-high students complete a target language essay in which they compare the United Farm Worker's Movement, the leadership of César Chávez, and the legacy of Dolores Huerta to the records, narratives, and perspectives associated with the civil rights and labor movements led by and for African Americans during the 1950s through the 1970s. The resources included in this unit include videos, news articles, poems, interviews, and museum exhibits.
Many students are familiar with the popular game Taboo. This resource allows novice high to intermediate low Spanish students the opportunity to practice vocabulary while playing this game. The linked cards specifically review vocabulary associated with nationalities and other countries. Students are asked to draw a card and describe the featured nationality or nation posted on the card without using the prohibited words. Each classmate that guesses correctly gets a point. However, if the speaker uses one of the prohibited words then they lose a point.
In this intermediate mid to intermediate high Spanish lesson, students focus on persuasive and formal speaking to apply for a job. Students start by examining examples of employment applications from Argentina and the United States. Students then watch a target language tutorial that teaches them how to make themselves stand out among other applicants by using a strategy known as an elevator pitch. Students then work to prepare pitches of their own and interview each other using the provided interview questions. This formal, interpersonal conversation allows upper level students to simulate conversations that would take place in the real world.
In this novice-high to intermediate-low French activity, students will learn to give and follow commands as they use mass transit maps to get from one place to another. With a partner, they will choose from the provided city maps and figure out how to get from point A to point B using the best option for public transportation (bus, metro, train, ferry, walk). Students will then take turns presenting their routes and following the routes created by others showing that they can both give and follow directions/commands in the target language and simulate interactions that are likely to happen in the target language.
This intermediate mid to intermediate high Spanish activity encourages students to create a storyline of their own that could be turned into a television series. A google slideshow includes warm-up and post activity questions to assist in starting and ending the activity with a classroom discussion. For the key activity, students are asked to draw specific vocabulary words and then incorporate these words into the storyline for a new television series. Each student in the group has a specific role to ensure that a creative story is developed. Once finished they can pitch their show idea to their classmates. As an extension, they can create a commercial to share with their classmates. Teachers can easily connect this to any current thematic unit by changing the words students must choose from to reflect the vocabulary they are focusing on in class.
This intermediate low to intermediate mid Spanish activity focuses on enhancing conversational skills while using city/town vocabulary. A provided slide show starts off by introducing the can do statements for this activity. Students then play a game of chutes and ladders in pairs. A link to a printable game board is included. When a student lands on a blank space, he or she must grab a prompt card and answer the question or do the prompt. If a student lands on a space with a star, he or she must answer one of the trivia questions. Each of the questions references vocabulary needed to describe things around town. The provided questions use multiple tenses but teachers can adjust the questions for lower level learners if needed.
This intermediate low to intermediate mid-Chinese activity allows students to reinforce their weather vocabulary. Students start by reviewing weather terms through a game of charades. A set of full-colored labeled weather cards are included so that students can draw a card and then act out the card they selected. After reviewing vocabulary, students use a prepared weather report worksheet to look up the weather for a target language city of their choice. Students then take turns presenting their findings by simulating weather reporters. An included PowerPoint highlights the can-do statements for this activity.
This unique resource is a tool to assist intermediate-mid and intermediate-high Spanish students as they organize written essays. Each box of the graphic organizer features a target language question and space to write key information gathered from any type of resource (Audio or Written). Students are asked to identify the author's primary message then analyze the resource for organizational structure, functions, audience, and tone. Next students identify key people, places, and times referenced in the resource. Finally, they identify more details regarding people addressed in the resource. (This last step can be left off or adapted if the chosen article does not emphasize characteristics of specific people.)
This intermediate low to intermediate mid-Spanish writing assignment requires students to write a 10-15 sentence paragraph using the subjunctive mood. This assignment guides students through the writing process, making it a perfect assignment for students who have just started learning to use the subjunctive mood. The topic of the writing assignment requires students to use space and technology vocabulary to write about an experience in space. However, this assignment can easily be adjusted to work with any vocabulary topic.
This resource offers a list of 180 questions that cover a variety of Spanish proficiency from novice mid to intermediate mid. This diverse list of questions can be used at the start of class as a bellringer to practice presentational writing or speaking skills. If the class focus is writing, students should take no more than 5 minutes to write freely about the assigned topic. If the class focus is speaking, students should take 2 minutes to gather their thoughts then use an online recorder to record their response. Responses should be adjusted in length based on level. Finally, allow students one minute to reflect on their work. If the class focus is on interpersonal speaking then students should work in pairs to discuss the assigned topic for no more than 5 minutes.
This activity is useful for intermediate Spanish learners but can be very beneficial to heritage language learners as well. The poem presented in the lesson is a bridge between two languages. Students whose native language is Spanish and who are English language learners will be able to experience the languages together in one poem. Students whose native language is not Spanish but is other than English will experience a model for writing from their own complex identities in two languages. The activity includes a detailed explanation of the lesson preparation as well as step-by-step instructions for guiding students through the activities and optional extensions. Students begin by writing about someone or something they miss. Intermediate-level Spanish students should write in Spanish. Students will then read and listen to the poem before participating in a group discussion that ties the poem to their original work.
This intermediate low to intermediate-high Spanish language activity centers around El Corte Inglés, one of the most popular department stores in Spain. This activity includes a series of target language articles for students to read as well as comprehension questions to check their understanding of the articles. Students are then given links to several commercials produced by Cortes Inglés and they are asked to identify items in the videos and discuss how the commercials have changed over time. Several extension activities are also included: One asks students to examine a timeline and describe events using the preterit and imperfect. Another introduces students to Pipol in da house - a series of 2-3 minute episodes produced by Corte Inglés featuring a college-aged cast wearing outfits from the store.
This novice high to intermediate low Spanish activity introduces students to foods from Spain. Students start by reading a target language article and answering a series of multiple-choice comprehension questions to check for comprehension. Afterward, students are asked to watch a series of target language videos, each introducing students to a dish that is unique to Spain. Students are asked to select one dish to focus on as they create a presentation for the class. During the presentation, they introduce the dish, where in Spain it is from, the ingredients, and how to prepare the dish. If students are familiar with commands then this activity would allow them to review this grammar topic while using commands in context to explain how to prepare the chosen dish.
This intermediate mid to intermediate-high Spanish lesson introduces students to the idea of ecoturismo, specifically focusing on Costa Rica. Students start by watching two short videos that overview the topic (in the target language) and then students respond to a series of multiple-choice comprehension questions to see how well they understood the videos. Students are then asked to work in groups as they research various eco-tours offered throughout Costa Rica and report back to their classmates.
This high school-aged activity shows students how artists can use their work to inspire change for the good of individuals and their communities. In this activity, students examine two different posters designed by Puerto Rican artists to convey a positive message. After examining these pieces of art students work in groups to brainstorm a list of issues that affect their school or community. Then, they select one to focus on to share with the class. Working as a group, students create a public service announcement for a bilingual audience. They will then creatively present their PSA. To meet community standards, students can share their bilingual PSAs with the school and/or community. This activity is provided in both English and Spanish. Intermediate Mid and High students should use presentational speaking skills to complete these activities in the target language. Novice students should complete their PSAs in both Spanish and English.
This intermediate mid to intermediate Spanish activity allows students to gather information from an authentic resource, specifically focusing on informal commands. Students start this activity by participating in an interpersonal conversation about their grandparents. Then they use interpretive skills to gather information as a native speaker describes their grandparents and the advice that their grandparents would give. Finally, students work in groups to present a list of affirmative and negative informal commands that grandparents would give to their grandchildren.
This intermediate low to intermediate mid Spanish activity focuses on identifying a person or object that most influenced them in their childhood. Students start by looking at a photo of a mural and participate in an interpersonal conversation about influences in their life. Second, students listen to the provided interview to gather information about what most influenced the speaker's life. Finally, students complete a quick presentational writing activity in which they share the most influential thing in their life. Optional extension activities are also provided.
This intermediate low to intermediate mid German activity introduces students to the punk rock band Die Ärzte. Students listen to their song "Westerland." Throughout the song, students are asked to used interpretive listening skills to gather information provided on the attached activity sheet. Next, they are asked to read the provided German lyrics and use their comprehension skills to answer a set of questions. A list of useful vocabulary is provided to assist with more difficult phrases. Finally, students are asked to present information about their favorite location, following the model presented in the song. The entire student handout is prepared in the target language.
Intermediate low to Intermediate mid-Spanish students are asked to create a digital advertisement for a product of their choice using a mix of formal commands and impersonal subjunctive expressions. To complete this presentational writing assignment, a set of slides with instructions and a project example is included. The link also provides a planning checklist for students and a grading rubric.
This intermediate-low French activity encourages students to talk about daily routines using reflexive vocabulary. A Google slide presentation guides the teacher and students through a warm-up, main activity, and wrap-up. In the warm-up, students observe a series of photos and describe the actions that appear in one of the photos. Classmates then use interpretive listening skills to determine which photo is being described. The main activity is a game in which students roll dice to determine which questions they will need to answer. The question sheet is included but teachers will need to provide 2 dice - one with numbers and one with colors.
This intermediate-mid to intermediate-high French lesson focuses on describing plazas and giving directions. A Google slide presentation guides the teacher and students through the lesson. First students are provided a map and asked to work in pairs to describe how to get from one place to another. (The map can easily be changed to reflect your own hometown.) Afterward, students are provided one of six plaza cards depicting photos of popular plazas in France, Belgium, Morocco, and Canada. Using guiding questions students, discuss various aspects of each plaza and compare them with locations found within their own culture.
This intermediate-low to intermediate-high Spanish activity examines audio and written examples of autobiographies, a concept also covered in other disciplines. Students will interpret auditory and written resources as they listen to the song ¨Autobiografía¨ by Luis Enrique on YouTube and read a written autobiography about his life. This lesson relies heavily on past tenses as students examine Luis Enrique's life and compare the two resources before preparing their own autobiography. By introducing students to authentic musical resources, students are encouraged to continue exploring the artist outside the classroom. All printed resources required for this activity are included on the link.
This Spanish unit provides activities to go along with the TPRS book Esperanza by Carol Gaab. The unit resources are available free but the book must be purchased. This linked unit includes a pre- and post-assessment that measures how well students feel they can meet the Can Do Statements associated with the unit. Activities in this unit include KWL using Padlet, Smashboards (with rubrics) to illustrate each chapter and an interactive choice board that provides a variety of differentiated assessment options. The unit also includes a project using Thinglink in which students research places in Guatemala and present their findings in a formal presentation. Throughout the unit, students will participate in interpersonal conversations, presentational writing, presentational speaking, grammar explorations, cultural explorations of products, practices, and perspectives, and connect with other classes as they explore topics like the Civil War in Guatemala, immigration, amnesty, and civil rights.
