Update on class story

We have finished the class story and you can read it by clicking on the title of this post. I am so proud of what my Spanish I class has written.

Then part of their assessment when we were done with the story was to write a summary (no more than 5 sentences) in Spanish of the story. Here are some examples (exactly as they wrote them) of students of varying abilities. They were allowed to use their notes, a dictionary, and the story. Again, I am absolutely amazed at what my Spanish I students can produce. In the past, my Spanish I classes have done very little creative writing.

"El cuento es de Ronald Trump, quien tenía una fobia de pollo y John quien es pie grande y pode teletransporta, y príncipe travestí. Ellos todos llega en una isla no es pode John teletransporta. Después de ellos son en la isla Ronald Trump y John son atacaron. Príncipe travestí buscó por Ronald Trump y John. Entonces Príncipe travestí fue atacado y el pollo vivo."

"John, Ronald y Principe Travesti encantarso en el cielo. Ellos buscaron refugio. Ronald y john fue atacar. Entonces principe travesti buscó John y Ronald entonces él fue atacar. Él pello vivió."

"Ronald´s avión explotó y él volaba muy alto en el cielo. John teletransportó a el cielo and él encontró John y Ronald. Ellos hablaron en el cielo y John despúes teletransportó los a la isla. En la isla ellos estar atacaron y ellos morieron."

"Ronald Trump, John y el príncipe travestí estuvieron cayeron en el ciel y sobre en isla. Al principio ellos es confundidos y John intentaba a teleransporto per recurso. Ellos empezaban buscar comida y rufugio y encontrar compraste. Pero ellos es atacaban y morían. Pero el príncipe travestí pollo es todavía vive."

"En el sustantivo los carácter son Ronald Trump, John, El príncipe travestí. Ronald Trump, John, el príncipe travestí saltaron en el cielo junto y econtrarse con cada otros. John intento teletransportar Ronald Trump y El príncipe travestí a su casa, pero es no su casa. John teletransportar en la isla. Mientras tanto Ronald Trump, John, y El príncipe tranvestí buscar los objetos para obrevivir, pero alguien atacó y muertos."

"El cuento es de tres personas, de Ronald Trump, John, y del príncipe travestí. Ellos tienen los problemas diferentes con sus avións y con teletransportar para que todos terminan y se encuentran en el cielo. Ahí ellos hablan y deciden teletransportar a la casa de Ronald pero no llegan a su casa, ellos llegan en una isla. John no puede teletransportar. Ahí ellos buscan refugio y intentan sobrevivir. Ellos recogen la comida. Pero en el final ellos mueren porque alguien atacó a ellos y el pollo vive."

"Spanish II is the toughest year"

The topic of discussion on forums has been how tough Spanish II is and how much fun Spanish I is. And every one just states that as fact. And the reason why is because of all the grammar packed into it.

I have never noticed that quite as much but then I have always pushed to talk about the preterit in Spanish I so that the students have a foundation of one of the toughest verb tenses before even going into Spanish II.

Instead of just making a statement like the one above as fact, we really need to look at why AND look at how we can change that. My solution: teach more in Spanish I (the kids are more than capable) so that Spanish II isn't so packed full.

So I'm going to be trying something new this year. After we finish this unit and all students pass the present tense competency test (I have 1-3 students left depending on who passed last night after school), I am going to introduce the preterit, imperfect, and future.

Before you think I'm crazy, let me explain. Ideally we should be doing more spiraling with content instead of requiring mastery the first time it is introduce. If students were exposed to a concept, then revisited it and started applying it with resources (verb charts and explanations), and only then asked to internalize it (all this happening over several years), I think that students would be more successful.

So I am going to create huge posters with charts of the verb endings for the preterit, imperfect, and future and a short explanation of each of them (plus maybe your most common irregulars) and teach students how to use the charts. I'm not going to expect them to memorize verbs (although some will start to internalize them). I won't test them this year at all on the differences between the preterit and the imperfect (although some will start to internalize the differences). This year I will only test them on their ability to form verbs using the charts. And we will have ample opportunities in class for them to use the verb charts in their writing and speaking.

I'm really hoping that this will open doors for students when it comes to communicating yet not push too much on them to memorize.