Around the World
Thematic Unit
Preschool
Lesson #1
1. Introduction to Spanish class
# Minutes: 3-4 minutes
Activity Objectives:
1. Students will understand what to expect from Spanish class, what the rules are as well as
behavior expectations.
2. Students will understand that teachers will be speaking mainly in Spanish.
3. Students will learn strategies to gain comprehension when they don’t understand the target
language, such as using context, using words that they do understand and reading gestures.
4. Students will understand that Spanish class is a time to have fun and enjoy while learning
another language.
5. Students will discuss with teacher the reasons why learning another language is important.
Core Vocabulary: None, the use of English in this introductory activity is appropriate.
Suggested Activities:
-
Have children sit in a circle on the floor or on their chairs and explain the objectives of the
course.
Suggested Materials:
-
N/A
Notes for the Teacher:
-
-
The use of English is acceptable (and important) when providing instructions for the first time to
beginner students. Practice explicitly teaching specific vocabulary words used in instructions
(see appendix “Instructions Vocabulary Words”) and, when students have mastered those
vocabulary words, you can begin using the target language when giving instructions.
Since this is the first class, the use of English during this introductory activity is appropriate.
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2. Greetings
# Minutes: 3-4 minutes
Activity Objectives:
1. Students will get to know their teacher and vice versa.
2. Students will review the basic greetings in Spanish and answer questions about how they are
feeling.
3. Students will be able to answer (verbally or non-verbally) when asked about they are doing.
Core Vocabulary:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Hola
Gracias
Bien
Mal
Muy bien
Muy mal
Más o menos
Sentence Structures:
1. ¿Cómo estás?
2. ¿Cómo te llamas?
3. Me llamo …
Suggested Activities:
1. Sing the "Hello" song.
2. Review the different elements of the hello song: hola, cómo estás, bien, mal, muy bien, muy
mal.
3. Introduce yourself to the children and ask children what their name is.
Suggested Materials:
-
CD Player and CD
Notes for the Teacher:
-
Speak slowly and clearly but naturally.
Enunciate, making emphasis on the vowels.
Try to use as little English as possible, only when absolutely necessary. Use context, visuals,
gestures and objects around you to provide meaning. By the second class, you should be
speaking Spanish close to 90% of the time, so it is important to have the children used to
listening Spanish in class, even when they don’t fully understand what you are saying.
2
-
If you need to use English, do it to refer only to abstract concepts or a concept or object that is
not available for you to teach using visuals or context.
Do not force children to speak, allow them to speak only when they are ready. If they are not
ready to speak you may restate and move on.
3. Review
# Minutes: N/A
4. Core -Element: Important words we use in class (“gracias” & “de nada”)
# Minutes: 3-5 minutes
Activity Objectives:
1. Students will learn how say thank you and you are welcome.
2. Students will be able to answer (verbally or non-verbally) when someone says “thank you”.
Sentence Structures:
1. N/A
Core Vocabulary:
1. Gracias
2. De nada
Suggested Activities:
1. Have the children sit in a large circle or in small groups. Give each group an object to pass
around. When each student received the object, s/he must say “gracias” (or an equivalent
gesture if the student does not feel comfortable producing language at this point), and the other
student must say “de nada” (as well able to use an equivalent gesture). Have students pass the
object around the circle a few times until each student has had a chance to participate at least
2-3 times.
2. Going forward, use each chance you have to have children say “gracias” and “de nada” when
appropriate.
Suggested Materials:
-
Object that students can pass around.
Plastic cup or other plastic utensil used in a restaurant.
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Notes for the Teacher:
You can also try to have students work on a skit in which one student is a waiter/waitress bringing food
to the table and the client says “gracias” and the waiter/waitress says “de nada”.
5. Phonetics – Vowels
# Minutes: 3-4 minutes
Activity Objectives:
1. Students will learn the phonetic value of the vowels in Spanish.
2. Students will learn a song using the phonetic value of the vowels.
Suggested Activities:
1. Get children’s attention and ask them to listen. Say each vowel sound slowly and clearly. After
you say each vowel prompt them to repeat it after you.
2. Sing the vowels song once. Repeat the song and prompt them to sing along with you.
3. Using visuals, teach the name of an animal starting with each vowel sound.
4. Sing the song a third time.
Suggested Materials:
-
Visuals of animals starting with each vowel sound.
Notes for the Teacher:
Make sure you allow children to only listen when they are not ready to speak. When you prompt a child
to sing with you, make sure your body language is inviting but not demanding. If a child does not want
to sing, you can clap and let them know they can participate by clapping instead of singing if they wish
to do so.
6. Thematic Unit: Learning about Spanish-speaking countries
# Minutes: 5-6 minutes
Activity Objectives:
1. Students will understand that Spanish is a language spoken in many other countries and will
learn about Spanish-speaking countries around the world.
2. Students will understand that learning Spanish is valuable.
3. Students will learn than many countries in Latin America are Spanish-speaking countries.
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Sentence Structures:
1. Yo hablo español
2. Yo soy de …
Core Vocabulary:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Español
Hablar
Mundo
Mapa
Mucho/Poco
Suggested Activities:
1. Explain to the children that your native tongue is Spanish, and that just as they speak English,
you grew up speaking Spanish. You may use English to explain this.
2. Ask students if they would like to travel to a Spanish-speaking country and if they would like to
be able to speak with people that only speak Spanish and that don’t speak English.
3. Show students a map and explain than most of the countries in Latin America are Spanishspeaking countries, and that Spanish is spoken also in some countries of Europe and Africa.
Suggested Materials:
-
World map.
Notes for the Teacher:
1. The main goal of this activity is that the children become excited about learning Spanish and
that they understand the value of speaking another language.
2. If you use a large map, you can place it on the floor and place different small objects on every
Spanish-speaking country or area.
When you talk about the Spanish-speaking countries, do it in general terms and avoid naming countries
with long names. Name familiar countries that the children may have heard before or countries with
easy to pronounce names.
7. Review/Closing
# Minutes: 3-4 minutes
Activity Objectives:
1. Students will review what they have learned in today’s class.
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Suggested Activities:
1. Tell the children that you are going to talk about what they have learned today.
2. Very briefly, say the vocabulary words that the children have learned. Use hand and voice
gestures to go along with any vocabulary words.
- Hola
- ¿Cómo estás?
- Bien
- Mal
- Muy bien
- Muy mal
- Más o menos
- Español
- Hablar
- Mundo
- Mapa
- Mucho/Poco
- Gracias
- De nada
- ¿Cómo te llamas?
- Me llamo …
- Yo hablo español
- Yo soy de …
- Ana es de …
- The vowels
Notes for the Teacher:
-
This is a very important activity that ensures retention of the information learned. Keep it short
and simple, repeat songs if possible.
8. Goodbye
# Minutes: 1-2 minutes
Activity Objectives:
1. Students will learn and sing the goodbye song.
Suggested Activities:
1. Before singing the goodbye song, say a phrase in the song and tell them what it means. Say the
phrase a couple times. Then repeat the phrase with the tune of the goodbye song.
2. Sing the entire goodbye song with the children.
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3. Prompt them to say “adios”. If they don’t want to say it, you can say it to them as you wave
goodbye.
Notes for the Teacher:
-
-
-
Until the children have fully mastered a song, always break the sentences up and say one of
them before you sing the song. Have the children focus on the sentence you want them to learn
each day. Don’t break the song by words, do it by sentences. It is important that the meaning is
maintained and that the children learn to use the vocabulary words in context.
When introducing a new song, explain to the children that there may be many words they don’t
understand in the song but that bit by bit they will learn the song. It helps when you let them
know that there was a point when you couldn’t speak English but then, bit by bit, you learned
and now you can speak it.
If you teach additional vocabulary words, please email management so parents are aware of the
vocabulary learned in class and so we can add those words to the resources site.
9. Rewards
# Minutes: 1-2 minutes
Activity Objectives:
1. Students will receive a reward (sticker or small prize) if their behavior was appropriate during
class and if they listened to their teacher and followed directions.
Suggested Activities:
-
Explain to the children that it is time for prizes (always use the target language word “premios”).
You may want to keep prices in a prize box. If this is the case, you can ask children to say “abre
la caja” and “cierra la caja” as you open the box to take a price and as you close the box. This
will help them repeat and retain those vocabulary words.
Notes for the Teacher:
-
10.
-
It is important that if you tell a child during class that s/he won’t receive a prize due to his or her
behavior, that you follow through with that and that you don’t give that child a prize that class.
If the child gets sad, you can explain that the following class you will bring the box and that s/he
will be able to choose a prize if s/he behaves appropriately.
Exercises and activities to do at home
World map – Students must color the Spanish-speaking countries on the map
Nationalities activity
Bien & Mal exercise
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Around the World
Thematic Unit
Preschool - Lesson #1
Time Table
Topic
Introduction
Greetings
Review
Core Element
Phonetics
Thematic Unit
Review/Closing
Goodbye
Rewards
TOTAL
# Minutes
3-4
3-4
0
3-5
3-4
3-5
3-4
1-2
1-2
20-30
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