Recent Content

La casa: verbos y acciones en la casa

Submitted by Nikki on

Class Activities: 

Students arrived and wrote four verbs that take place in each room. We came up with master list:

dormitorio/habitaciȯn
* dormir
* leer
* relajar
* jugar
* vestirse
* despertarse
* levantarse
* acostarse

sala/salón
* relajar
* mirar la televisión
* conversar
* leer

cocina
* cocinar
* preparar
* hornear
* comer

cuarto de baño
* bañarse
* ducharse
* lavarse

We are going to learn present progressive (I am relaxing) to describe what people are doing in the house.

Basic verb information

We haven't seen many verbs yet, so I reviewed some basic verb information:
* There are three verb endings in Spanish: -ar (hablar), -er (comer), -ir (vivir). Generally, verbs ending in -er and -ir are conjugated in the same way.
* The list of verbs above includes several verbs that end in -se, which is a reflexive pronoun. They are used for actions that people do to themselves, and often used with verbs of routine: to brush one's teeth, to shower, to get dressed, to go to bed. For the grammar lovers out there, reflexive verbs are ones where the subject and object are the same.
* I am washing my hands. (Reflexive, I am doing the action to myself).
* I am washing the dishes. (Not reflexive, I am washing dishes).
* I am getting dressed. (Reflexive, I am dressing myself).
* I am dressing my baby. (Not reflexive, dressing baby, not self).

Present progressive verbs

What is the difference between?
I run.
I am running.

I run is a general statement, true in the past, now, and in the future.
I am running is something I am doing right now, in this moment.

Present progressive verbs include the verb estar (to be) and -ar verbs ending in -ando (equivalent to the -ing in English) or -er/-ir verbs ending in -iendo.

Yo estoy (I am)
Tú estás (you are)
él/ella/usted está (he/she/you formal are)
nosotros estamos (we are)
ellos están (they/you all are)

To create the -ing, drop the last two letters in a verb and add -ando for verbs ending in-ar and -iendo for verbs ending in -er/-ir.

lavar --> lavando
hablar --> hablando
conversar --> conversando
mirar --> mirando

comer --> comiendo
correr --> corriendo
vivir ---> viviendo
escribir --> escribiendo

She is watching TV. Ella está mirando la television.
We are working. Nosotros estamos trabajando.
They are writing a letter. Ellos están escribiendo una carta.

Tarea: students need to make sure they know all the verbs that take place in different rooms of the house. They also need to know conjugations for the verb estar. We will be practicing the present progressive on Monday.

Class topics: 
verbs
house
present progressive
Fluency level: 
Beginner

5 de mayo celebración y telenovela

Submitted by Nikki on

Class Activities: 

Students arrived we talked about 5 de mayo. Although it is believed to be Mexican independence day, it commemorates the victory of the Mexican army over French forces at the battle of Puebla. It is celebrated mostly in Puebla, Mexico and in the US. To celebrate 5 de mayo, we watched instructional video about making papel picado. Students made papel picado that we hung in the hallway.

Students got in their groups and coordinated their scene for our telenovela. Rather than making the storylines match up, the similar thread is that all scenes take place on a cruise ship.

Tarea: complete primer borrador (first draft) of scene and email it to me at nikki@denverspanishhouse.com by Sunday so that I can bring corrections on Tuesday.

Class topics: 
5 de mayo
Fluency level: 
Intermediate

La casa: things in a house practice and intro to verbs

Submitted by Nikki on

Class Activities: 

¿En qué cuarto está...?
El champú está en el cuarto de baño.
* el fregadero
* el lavabo
* la cama
* la televisión
* el jabón
* la ropa
* la comida
* el sofá

In groups of two, students reviewed things in a house. I showed one student in each group a word and students either drew, explained in Spanish, or acted out/pointed in order to get the other student to guess the right word.

Students are going to learn about present progressive verbs (He is eating) by explaining things that are happening in a house. We started by introducing some verbs in a few rooms.
* la cocina (comer, cocinar, hornear, lavar)
* el dormitorio (dormir, leer, jugar, vestirse)

tarea: continue studying vocabulary of things in a room and learn verbs related to each room.

Class topics: 
casa
things in a house
Fluency level: 
Beginner

Telenovela: protagonista

Submitted by Nikki on

Class Activities: 

Students answered question:
¿Qué es una telenovela?
¿Cuáles son algunas caracteristicas de una telenovela?

Students had five minutes in their group to prepare to present their protagonist they've come up with.

Students presented their protagonist and we voted on which character we will base our brief telenovela scenes.

Students had 10 minutes to start writing their dialogue. They will have Thursday's class to complete their dialogue.

Tarea: coordinate as a group to decide on basic story line so they will be ready to write and complete their dialogue in Thursday's class.

Fluency level: 
Intermediate

La casa: describing a house (students)

Submitted by Nikki on

Class Activities: 

Students arrived and labeled up down right and left arrows with vocabulary:

  • a la izquierda
  • a la derecha
  • arriba
  • abajo
  • en el medio

Students received a drawing of a house and had to describe the house to their partner while the partner drew the house. Switched roles with different house.

Tarea: students need to continue working on vocabulary of things in a house. Each student has a worksheet where they've written 10 things in each room that they should be using to study from.

Class topics: 
house
things in a house
Fluency level: 
Beginner

La casa: description of a house

Submitted by Nikki on

Class Activities: 

Students arrived and completed:

Write the four main rooms in a house and two things in each room (from memory if possible).

Reviewed rooms in a house and added a few new words:
* sótano
* piso (as in levels of a house)
* a la izquierda
* a la derecha
* arriba
* abajo

I described a house while students drew the house with things in each room.

Tarea: study vocabulary around things in a house (on worksheet students have been working on, copy attached).

Class topics: 
casa
cuartos
cosas en la casa
Fluency level: 
Beginner

Cultura: examen y telenovela

Submitted by Nikki on

Class Activities: 

Students arrived and we spent 10 minutes reviewing for culture test.

Students took test (attached). For the extra credit section, students listened to four songs and wrote down the type of dance that the music represented (ballet folklórico, tango, flamenco, salsa).

Since students have enjoyed recent presentations and dialogues, we are going to do a short unit on telenovelas. We went over what a telenovela is, and came up with a list of adjectives:
* dramático
* cursi (cheesy)
* romántico
* exagerado
Students watched a few quick clips from Colombian novela Betty la fea.

Students were randomly assigned to groups of 3 and had the remaining part of class to come up with a main character for our novela. Students will quickly present their character on Tuesday and we will choose a protagonist around which our novela will be based. Students need to complete their character description for Tuesday's class. They should describe: the character's name, age, personality traits, profession and any other relevant information.

Tarea: complete character development/description of main character.

Class topics: 
cultura
telenovela
Fluency level: 
Intermediate

Cultura: review for test

Submitted by Nikki on

Class Activities: 

Students arrived and answered question:
Escribe tres cosas que has aprendido en nuestra unidad de cultura. (En frases completas).

Students were given small white boards and asked questions (including many of the questions on the attached documents) to review our culture unit.

Tarea: we are taking a test on Thursday related to the culture unit. Students should review their crossword and the attached document in preparation of the test.

Class topics: 
culture
Fluency level: 
Intermediate

La casa: practicing vocabulary related to a house

Submitted by Nikki on

Class Activities: 

Students arrived and looked at their tests about food and had 5 minutes to work on corrections. Any corrections they didn't complete in class are homework.

Went over homework (matching people looking for houses with apartments and houses for rent and for sale).

Students received attached worksheet about house-related vocabulary. Using the for sale/for rent worksheet and notes students have taken since we started our house unit, students wrote in the correct vocabulary word with each given clue. Ej.: En el verano es bueno tener en la casa aire acondicionado.

Tarea:
* Complete corrections to food test.
* Complete classroom activity (unless student already did in class).
* Write down on attached worksheet 10 things in the kitchen.

Class topics: 
casa
Fluency level: 
Beginner

La casa: features of a home part II

Submitted by Nikki on

Class Activities: 

Students arrived and received a picture of a house and labeled the parts they remembered:
* la cocina
* el baño
* el dormitorio/la habitación
* el salón/la sala
* el garaje
* el jardin

Students received white boards and wrote the most important word of the properties for rent on the activity we started Wednesday: page 11-12 of a worksheet describing various houses and apartments for rent and for sale.

Went over some more vocabulary to make sure vocabulary was clear:
* piso = apartamento
* quincena = quince días
* calefacción = es importante en el invierno (noviembre, diciembre, enero) mientras el aire acondicionado es necesario en el verano (junio, julio, agosto)
* piscina = el lugar para nadar

On the second page of the activity, students started to match up people looking for properties with the places we've learned about for rent or for sale.

Tarea: complete the second page of activity, matching people with the place that makes the most sense.

Class topics: 
casa
Fluency level: 
Beginner

Pages

more