SEED 766: Technology Applications for Effective Instruction

PIE Report

SEED 766: Technology Applications for Effective Instruction

Teri Morgan

PLANNING:

The topic for the lesson is the Preterite vs. Imperfect tense in Spanish. The focus of the lesson is determining the difference between the use of the two past tenses in Spanish. Students will review the verb tense conjugations and use of each tense. They will then apply this knowledge as they compose sentences of their own in Spanish.

This lesson is designed for Spanish Three (III) level students. In the classroom during the 90-minute period, I have both Spanish III and Spanish IV classes. However, I will have the Spanish Four (IV) students read in their reader that day. I would have them meet with the class the first few minutes and then go to a conference room in the library to begin read aloud the next chapter.

My classroom is bright and cheery and full of posters and displays to help students remember key concepts. For part of the presentation, though, I would take the students to the computer lab, so we could use the Destination Machine and computers. There is a computer lab right across the hall from my classroom. I would need to reserve this in advance. All labs have access to the Internet.

Although the students have studied the preterite and imperfect tenses in Spanish Two, in Spanish Three, I would like them to learn to use both in their own writing. In Spanish Two, we focus on assignments that used either the preterite (What did you do last night or last summer?) or the imperfect (What did you used to do when you were a child?) describing a scene in the past or what they were like as a child.

The overall goal of the lesson, then, is for students to communicate ideas in Spanish in the past tense, using the preterite and imperfect appropriately. Correct use of the past tense is important for communicating in Spanish (reading, writing, listening, speaking).

The objectives of the lesson would be to define the preterite and imperfect tenses, compare the two, recognize the appropriate use of each tense and compose sentences using the preterite and imperfect tenses and/or both tenses. Eventually, the students will identify famous Hispanic figures and apply what they have learned about the past tenses in Spanish to creating a presentation on their assigned Hispanic person.

Since the students already know how to conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the preterite and imperfect tense, we will only need to review conjugations briefly before the lesson. The first nine weeks of the year, the students did practice exercises, conversation activities and journal writings using the preterite and imperfect. If needed, I have handouts and on-line resources the students could refer to if they need more drill and practice with conjugating in the present or imperfect tense.

Since I had all of the students in Spanish I or II, I am aware of their knowledge base and abilities in using the preterite and imperfect tenses. I would like for them to be able to apply what they have learned in Spanish II, in the current lesson as we add determining the difference and composing sentences to the list of skills acquired.

Lesson Outline

The outline of the lesson includes:

1)Calendario: Agenda, announcements, assignment updates, schedule for day

2)As a focusing question, I will ask student to recall one of their favorite childhood stories. We will discuss some childhood story books, and how they were written (past tense, description).

One of the Spanish III student brought a children’s story book of her favorite story. ALL of the students have been asking, “when can we read the story, Sra. Morgan?” They love reading children’s books in Spanish class. I thought this lesson would provide an excellent opportunity to incorporate the story into the content of our lesson.

3)Students will arrange their desk in a circle. They will sit on the floor while I read the story “Siempre Te Querre” to them. This book is the well known childhood story entitled “I Will Always Love You,” by Robert Munsch. The students enjoy being in a circle and often ask me if they could sit in a circle for class. The story will be used as a motivator for discussion of the past tenses in Spanish.\

Since most of the students know the story in English, discussion of the children’s book will focus on not only their reactions to the book, but also how it was written. This will bring us to the topic of narrating a story in Spanish.

4)To point out the verb tenses used in the story, “Siempre Te Querre,” I will scan the pages in the book and display them on the computer via the destination machine. We will need to be in the computer lab for this, so I will take students across the hall to the lab. There, students will identify the verbs and verbs tenses used in the story. We will discuss as a class why and how each verb tense “fit” the meaning.

5)Using a short PowerPoint presentation, I will quickly review with the students the conjugations of the verbs in preterite and imperfect tense. Again, this is a review from Spanish II. They will also define each tense, in partners, based on their previous knowledge of the preterite and imperfect. Partners will share definitions with the class using visuals analogies to the video camera and digital camera.

6)Student will then, in partners, compare their definitions with the on-line tutorial found at This website provides a tutorial on many grammar subjects. It provides resources such as grammar explanations, practice questions, on-line tests and grading, oral activities, links to other foreign language sites and vocabulary and verb lists.

7)During class, students will be asked to complete the tutorials on Preterite vs. Imperfect Parts I, II and III. Since they have already had a lot of drill and practice and activities with the two tenses in Spanish II, this lesson will provide a quick review of the content, along with adding one or two new verbs that change in meaning in the preterite and imperfect.

8)To evaluate their knowledge, students will complete the practice questions for each part. I will observe students and help them, if needed. I will ask for verbal feedback from the students on how well they did and what questions they have. “Entienden, Uds?” and “Hay preguntas?” are two helpful phrases in Spanish.

9)At a later date, students will be asked to complete the on-line test available at the website. It is graded and results are sent to the instructor through e-mail.

10) To reinforce concepts students will complete, or have completed, the following:

1. Research, report and presentation of a famous Hispanic figure (cooperative learning) to teach to other students in Spanish III and IV.
2. Scan childhood photos and write captions for them using appropriate past tense. These are displayed in the room for all students to read and evaluate.
3. Create a children’s story book in Spanish using the preterite and imperfect tenses.

The above project will be done throughout the school year.

IMPLEMENTATION:

Instructional methods that are considered in the lesson are cooperative learning, discussion, drill and practice and tutorial. Presentation by the teacher is also included, as well as presentation by students or groups of students. I chose these methods in particular because I am aware of the learning styles and preferences of the students in Spanish III. I had the students in Spanish II, and know that they enjoy group work, discussion, and activities involving stories or childhood memories.

I chose to use the Internet and Destination Machine as instructional methods because both will provide a new style of presenting the information. The students have already experienced drill and practice and presentation in traditional pen and paper and lecture methods. In Spanish II, we completed text exercises and took motes on the two past tenses. This method will help students with other learning styles grasp the concepts covered and reviewed in class.

Since this is a Spanish III course, the students’ intelligence and ability levels in Spanish are high. All students have completed S

panish I and II with a “C” or better on their report cards. A majority of students in the class are honor students who will be attending college, so they are highly motivated and eager to learn a foreign language. Twenty four of the students are girls. All students are polite, attentive and responsive. One of the students did not take Spanish II, so this material will be new for her. I have provided her with the handouts from Spanish II and worked with her if she needs special help. The other students in class are very willing to work with her and assist her to help her “catch up.”

Students will be organized mainly in partner or group learning situations for this lesson. When we complete projects such as reports on Hispanic people, students will work together to present information. The on-line exam, however, will be completed individually. Students absent on this day will be updated by their make-up work partner.

Activities during this lesson are a combination of teacher-centered and student-centered. The story will be read by the instructor, who will also lead class discussion. I will also explain the tutorial, organize the students into assigned groups, and present examples using the Destination Machine. However, the students will be working together on the tutorial activities at their own pace.

Difficulties that I anticipate include the possibility of technical challenges such as the Internet being down or the Destination Machine not working properly. Also, if a student is absent, it will be difficult to make up the content covered. Scheduling a computer lab with a Destination Machine available is a challenge, also. Planning well in advance is essential.

If, perhaps, there is a problem with the Internet or computer lab scheduling, I will print copies of the tutorial information to present to students in the classroom. We would have to reschedule a time to complete the practice questions on the tutorial and look at the features and resources available on the web site. We could use the text exercises and other handouts to review the conjugations of the preterite and imperfect tense verbs. We could also discuss the projects and evaluation for the unit and brainstorm ideas for children’s storybooks, or conversation activities using the preterite and imperfect.

EVALUATION:

To evaluate the effectiveness of the materials used, the students will complete the on-line exam, as well as a traditional pen and paper essay. Also, though, the students’ ability to compose a report on a famous Hispanic person and compose sentences about a childhood photo evaluates the skills and knowledge base the students have acquired. As always, I will ask students to rate their level of understanding and confidence in their ability to use the past tense to communicate. This immediate feedback is an important part of the cycle of continuos improvement.

Completing exercises and an assessment online is a new experience for the Spanish III students. I anticipate that they will enjoy the chance to become actively involved in the review of preterite and imperfect tense verbs. Students will be able to print out the notes, if needed, and include them with their other handouts. Examining the sentences in the storybook will be more interesting to the students than using isolated sentences from worksheets or text exercises. For this part of the lesson, it will be essential that all students are on task and willing to participate so I am able to monitor understanding.

Also, we will review analogies of the verb tenses (video camera and digital camera) and discuss visual representations of the verb tenses. If the students are able to connect the new concepts they learned to their previous knowledge, I will be assured that I have helped them strengthen their abilities to identify the difference between use of preterite and imperfect even further.

The evaluation of this lesson will continue throughout the year as students complete projects and writings utilizing the two past tenses in Spanish. Spanish III students will present to Spanish IV, who can also help evaluate how well the students in Spanish III have learned the content. I do have this advantage of having the Spanish IV students in the same room to help me evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction. They can also provide feedback for me on how they best learned the concepts covered in Spanish III. Although many teachers wonder how I handle two classes “at once,” I think their ability to provide this feedback is an advantage. They not only help me evaluate the students’ performance, but help me reflect on the effectiveness of my delivery as well.

I look forward to the opportunity to integrate instructional technology in the “real” classroom and apply what I have learned in Technology Applications for Effective Instruction class to the activities in Spanish class to increase student learning.