Ya sé lo que hiciste el verano pasado! Using the preterite indicative tense

This lesson focuses on the uses of the preterite indicative tense and vocabulary related to travel. The students will read various selections that demonstrate the use of the preterite tense and draw pictures to illustrate their understanding. Students will demonstrate their understanding by creating a time line of their life history and sharing it with the class. The lesson culminates with students writing a composition entitled “I know what you did last summer” and presenting it to the class in the target language.

A lesson plan for grades 9–12 Second Languages

By Carolina Thomson and Ronda Hatcher

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Related topics

• Learn more about Spanish, preterite, questions, second languages, verbs, and vocabulary.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• learn to conjugate verbs in the preterite indicative tense
• utilize the preterite accurately
• learn travel vocabulary

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

2 weeks

Materials/resources

• “El monte de nuestro alimento” on page 116 of the text (state-adopted Spanish textbook)
• “La cascada de la novia” on page 376 of the En españo text
• handout: “Yo hablé” song
• handout “Quise, hice, vine yo” song
• handout: 100 Most used Verbs in Spanish

Technology resources

• The students may go to the Learn Spanish to practice the preterite tense.
• The students will view and interpret the video that goes with Unidad 1 Etapa 1 of the En español text.
• The students will listen and interpret the CD that goes with Unidad 1 Etapa 1 of the En español text.

Pre-activities

• Students will review the present tense.
• Students will review the verb vocabulary from Spanish I.
• The teacher will link and extend the knowledge of the students to include the preterite tense by modeling the verb conjugations and their pronunciation.

Activities

1. The teacher will model questions and answers in the tú and yo forms.
2. Students will receive a list of the 100 Most Used Verbs in Spanish. They will use this list to practice the tú and yo forms in pairs.
3. The teacher will conduct oral drills with the other pronouns. For example, the teacher will say “nosotros” and various verbs like hablar, comer and vivir. The students will answer chorally.
4. Students will be given a piece of paper which they will fold into eight boxes. In each box, they will create one sentence using the preterite tense to illustrate what they did last summer. Then, they will illustrate their sentences.
5. Then, students will use their drawings to ask and answer personal questions in pairs.
6. The teacher will make a statement using the preterite tense. The teacher will call on individual students to create a question that provoked that statement. This also reviews interrogative words.
7. Students will read the two stories and identify the preterite tense in each.
8. Students will create drawings to illustrate their understanding of the stories.
9. Students will answer questions in the preterite based on the two stories.
10. Students will practice the conjugations using the two songs “Yo hablé” and “Quise, hice, vine yo.”
11. Students will create a timeline of their life’s main events to demonstrate mastery of the preterite indicative tense. Students will present their work to the class in the target language.

Assessment

1. Oral Presentation Rubric
2. Reading-Art Rubric
3. The students must complete a traditional paper and pencil test.
4. The teacher will give students a participation grade based on their involvement in the class activities.

Supplemental information

• Stories: “El Monte de Nuestro Alimiento” and “La Cascada de la Novia”

Comments

This lesson was created as a result of the workshop, What’s New and How to Use the New 2004 Second Language Standard Course of Study, held on February 2–3, 2005, at James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville, North Carolina. The lesson reflects the collaboration between Carol Thomson of Northside High School in Onslow County and Ronda Hatcher of West Brunswick High School in Brunswick County, North Carolina. The purpose of the lesson is to teach the preterite indicative tense and travel vocabulary.