LESSON PLAN by Je’ Nobia Smith
Lesson: Hellos, Goodbyes, and self-descriptions
Length: 50 minutes Age or Grade Intended: High School Spanish 9th grade (level 1)
Academic Standard(s):
9.1.1
9.1.2
Use multiple greetings and farewells in new social situations.
Recognize and state information about self and others in simple terms.
Examples: Name, age, origin, physical attributes, etc.
Performance Objectives: 9th grade “high beginner” Spanish students (level 1) will be able to identify
greetings, farewells, and personal characteristics in Spanish, provided with a vocabulary sheet and in- class
practice time with small groups; students should obtain 80% mastery on a test by the end of the week.
Assessment: Initially, informal assessment will be used while the students are broken up into small groups.
I will observe how the groups are using their vocabulary, confirming that each student has correct sentence
structure in spoken Spanish. For every sentence the students come up with in their small groups, I shall
have them write them down and turn them in for completion, while correcting any mistakes and explaining
them as a class the following day. This will allow me to indirectly assess their progress and help me orient
that week’s lessons toward their specific needs. After the practices have been completed and the lectures
have exposed the students to skills listed in the standards, a selected response/ short answer quiz will be
given at the end of the week. For those students who do not pass the quiz with 80% mastery, we will go
over as a class the common mistakes that were made or any questions the students may have. Then, new
retest dates will be set.
Advanced Preparation by Teacher: For preparation, I will need to compile an information sheet with all
of the necessary vocabulary to obtain the objective and satisfy the standards. If provided with a textbook, I
would go through it to determine which pages should be assigned each night for reading or homework
practice. Last, a quiz, with included answer key, needs to be generated that effectively reflects the
standards, objective, and the information that I presented in class through lecture.
Procedure:
Introduction/Motivation: To introduce the lesson to the class, I will begin by welcoming them and
describing myself in Spanish only. It will be as follows: Hola, como estas? Estoy bastante bien, gracias.
Me llamo Je’ Nobia, y soy de las islas Bahamas. Tengo veinte años, y me cumpleaños es el diecisiete de
octubre. Como son ustedes? This introduction should give the students a sense that I am speaking of
myself. They should already recognize key words at this level, such as “Estoy” and “Soy” which mean “I
am.” This introduction includes multiple aspects of the objectives and standards, thus giving the students
immediate exposure. I will then explain to the class what I said, and that they will now begin studying
vocabulary and grammar that could potentially help them to do as I did.
.
Step-by-Step Plan:
1. After giving introduction, pass out vocabulary sheet to the students
2. Go through each word on the vocabulary sheet, saying the word/phrase in Spanish, then having
the students repeat the Spanish word/phrase.
3. Ask the student what the English meanings of the Spanish phrases are after saying them.
4. After going through the list, select random words/phrases on the list and ask the students for the
English meaning. Also ask them how to say certain English words in Spanish. Ex. What does
“Buenas tardes” mean? Como se dice(how do you say) “Happy” en español? What does
“perezoso” mean? Como se dice(how do you say) “Tall” en español? These types of
questions reflect level one on Bloom’s taxonomy (knowledge). This is also beneficial for
Interpersonal and linguistic learners from Gardner’s multiple intelligences.
5. Next, ask the students to identify the similarities and differences in “Estoy” and “Soy.” Both
mean “I am” and yet they are used in specifically different instances. It is essential that the
students can determine why they should use them in different instances. Use the expression
“How you feel and where you are is when you use the verb estar.” This type of question
satisfies level two of Bloom’s Taxonomy (comprehension). This still applies to Interpersonaly
learners and verbal- linguistic learners.
6. Ask students to construct sentences that depict feeling using their vocabulary sheet, then raise
their hand to share their sentences. Such examples include: Estoy alegre (I am happy), Estoy
triste (I am sad), Estoy ocupado/ocupada (I am busy), Estoy preocupada/preocupado (I am
worried). Be sure that the students are using the correct “I am” form of “Estar” which is
“Estoy.” They should not be using the “Ser” form which is “Soy.” Because the students are
interpreting and making use of their vocabulary words, this reflects level two and three of
Bloom’s Taxonomy (comprehension and application).
7. After identifying these differences, ask the students to develop sentences describing themselves
by making use of the vocabulary sheet they were given. They should make three, well- formed
sentences on a sheet of paper. This utilizes level 3 on Bloom’s taxonomy (application). This
activity is useful for intrapersonal intelligences because they get an opportunity to work
independently. This may also serve as an opportunity for visual/special learners who need to
see things to understand them. Lastly, verbal-linguistic learners may find all of these activities
useful or simple.
8. When the students have finished writing their sentences, it will be time for them to get into
small groups of 3 or 4 and demonstrate what they have learned by sharing their sentences.
Closure: After step seven of the lesson plan, students should be given instructions on the group
activity. They shall chose their own groups of 3 or 4, share their sentences with each other, and write down
everyone’s sentences using the “él/ella” form of “soy’ and “estar.” So, if a male student in the groups says
that he is tall (Soy alto), then the other students should write “él es alto” or “Andres es alto” if the boy’s
name is Andres. After writing down all of these sentences, each student should have nine sentences if they
are in a group of three, and twelve sentences if they are in a group of four; this is because each individual
should have written three sentences. If students chose to write more, they only need to share three. I shall
walk around the room to observe the groups, answer any questions, and ensure that sentences are being
formed properly. At the end of class, students will turn in these sentences for completion.
Adaptations/Enrichment: For students who may have Individualized Education Plans, I shall reduce their
amount of personal sentences from three to two. Also, they only have to write down one sentence from
each member of their group. If they are having difficulties working in groups, I shall select a student who
has nearly mastered the material, and have the two students carefully work together, making sure that I
check on their progress ever few minutes. For the students and groups that feel confident and comfortable
with the material, I shall give them the option to present their sentences in front of the class, sharing one
sentence about themselves, and one sentence about a member of their group. If groups chose to do this,
they shall each earn one bonus point for their ability to display mastery of the material.
Self-Reflection: To measure the impact of my teaching, I will monitor what type of questions the students
are asking. If many of the same questions are coming from the students during their group work, it would
imply that I did not cover that detail sufficiently. If I see the same mistakes being made in the sentences of
different students, I will stop the class, and write an example on the board in an attempt to correct the
students’ current and future errors immediately. Upon collecting the students’ papers at the end of class, I
will go through each paper and find common mistakes. I will plan the next class based on these mistakes
and help me reformulate my lesson plan to cover trouble- areas in more detail. For students who seem to be
having more difficulty with the material, I shall personally and privately ask them what would help them
with the material better or if there is a certain aspect that they simply do not understand. Perhaps they
master material better through projects or more concrete activities that require manipulatives. An example
of this would be having cards with Spanish sentence pieces on each card. The pieces on the cards would be
on the vocabulary sheet. The student would have to place the cards in the correct order to make a proper
sentence. This method also allows students to switch out one word for several others to make new
sentences quickly. For instance, if you had a card that said “Estoy (I am)”, and you had it next to a card that
said “alto (tall)” then you could switch the “alto” card with any other adjective card to make several new
sentences. This method gives body/kinesthetic or tactile learners an opportunity to understand Spanish
sentence structure in a hands- on way. This is an excellent activity to include for next lesson because it
incorporates different intelligences and could prove to be fun for the students.