Starting Spanish 2 with a compelling story & some high frequency vocab

2/3/17 - Update: I have had 4 days with Spanish 2 (83 minutes/class) and this unit is going very well! I love the "tres versiones"setup of the story. Students have been engaged with the story. Also, we some good actors for versión 2, so that always makes class better! Also, I just added this Quizlet for Quizlet Live after versión 2. (These are free resources, thanks to Amy Zimmer and Elena López for starting the unit - unit packet and presentation)

I am starting Spanish 2 in January and I am hoping to ditch the textbook and use stories and novels, but I am still obligated to teach certain things because of departmental curriculum, so I have been working on this unit to start. This video will be the "story" and the focus of the unit. The story, which Amy Zimmer and Elena López wrote, has tons of high frequency vocabulary (and here) and will be a good way to start with a CI focus and 90% TL.

Below you will see the essential questions for the unit, the goals of the unit (with a direct link to the unit packet), and a slideshow that will be used throughout this unit. Again, Amy Zimmer did most of the work developing this work, so a big thank you to her! This unit is a bit of a hybrid unit, a bit CI, a bit TPRS, a bit traditional... I think it will work for where I am, where my students are (most are coming from a non-TPRS/CI Spanish 1 classes), and where they are going.

I think the "story" will be compelling and I think students will be engaged. Check it out:

Preguntas Esenciales:

• ¿En qué nivel de competencia de español estás ahora? ¿En qué nivel de competencia quieres estar al final de esta clase? (using Martina Bex's chart to help students understand what proficiency is where they are, and where they want to be at the end of the course)
• ¿Quieres aprender a comunicar en español en esta clase?
• ¿Cuáles son las cosas y/o actividades que te ayuda a adquirir (acquire) el español?

Metas para la unidad:

• When directed, I can function in a "solo español" classroom.
• I understand that in order to learn new words and structures, it is important that I repeat, act out, and listen/read for meaning.
• I can show that I understand a story in a variety of ways, including: answering questions, cierto/falso statements, choosing the correct words to complete the story, choosing the correct pictures when hearing sentences, drawing, acting out the story, summarizing and others.
• I can remember previously learned vocabulary, pronunciation rules, and grammatical structures (including: conjugations, adjective agreement and placement, and ser vs. estar). (departmentally tied to these things)

Click here if you want to make a copy and use it and/or make changes. And here is a link to the unit packet.