Leigh E. HilbertStudent TeacherWayne State University

UNIT PLAN: “Tu sala de clases”Fitzgerald High School, Warren MI

Fitzgerald Public Schools

Purpose: When learning foreign language, students need to be able to comprehend and interpersonally discuss classroom objects and prepositional phrases so as to be able to tell what and where something or someone is in relation to something else. The setting of the classroom is used because the items learned are those which exist all around them and are familiar, relatable, and tangible. Students will also learn how to use the Spanish word “hay” (there is/there are), and the verb “estar” which is “to be” when expressing the location and condition of people and things. They will also compare their own classrooms and school experiences to those around the world in Spanish-speaking countries. This unit integrates other content areas as well, so as to comply with the Connections strand of the Michigan World Languages Standards and Benchmarks.

Summary: This unit is designed to teach students in Spanish 1A, the very first beginning level Spanish class, the vocabulary to describe the classroom environment, prepositional phrases to express where objects and people are in the room, as well as plural articles in order to express that there is more than one object. I currently teach two 1A classes, the 3rd and 5th hours of the day. The majority of Spanish 1A students are in 9th and 10th grade, though there are a couple of Juniors and Seniors in these classes. Also, on the week of this unit, ACT testing occurred on March 3rd. Since Juniors were taking the test during school hours all other students were given the day off. Fitzgerald High School currently utilizes Trimester scheduling, with three terms per school year. Because of this, the unit will be shorter than normal, with only one week of instruction, due to final exams being scheduled for the week of March 9 th. The final, cumulative assessment for this unit will be Quiz 2B, which will be given to students on Monday, March 7th. Their exams begin that week, so we will be taking the Quiz and then moving on to Exam Review immediately afterwards.

The curriculum used by the Fitzgerald High School Spanish department is mostly confined to the Realidades Book 1 Textbook and supplemental materials, where all of the tests, quizzes, and final exams come from as well. I will be adding some of my own materials as study guides and reinforcement exercises, but as a student teacher at Fitzgerald High School I am expected to use the Realidades textbook and workbook packets to teach content. The theme of this unit is from Chapter 2A in the textbook: “Tu sala de clases” (Your classroom). The material in this chapter will be on the final exam, but students will not be taking a cumulative chapter test on the content. In order to assess learning, we will be completing a number of activities and games so that I can gage how well the class is understanding the material.

Objectives/Benchmarks Covered:

1.1.N.SL.g Ask questions about the attributes of places and things in their immediate environment and answer using a list of traits

1.1.N.RW.g Ask questions in writing about the attributes of places and things in their immediate environment, and answer in writing using a list of traits

1.2.N.R.b Understand main idea of simple accessible written materials in the target language such as, textbook passages, age-appropriate magazine and newspaper articles/ads, websites/ internet, poetry or stories

1.2.N.L.d Understand main idea of an audio presentation (CD, lecture, radio, podcast, songs/music)

1.3.N.W.c Write brief personal descriptions on familiar topics in the target language such as self, friends, family, home, and school

3.1.N.a Reinforce previously learned content knowledge through the target language

4.1.N.b Identify basic differences and similarities in grammatical structures between one’s own language and the target

4.2.N.a Identify basic target culture practices and compare them to one’s own

LESSON PLAN

Teacher’s Name: Leigh Hilbert Date: 3/2/2015

Grade Level: 9-10th Grade Subject/Topic: Spanish 1A, Beginning

School: Fitzgerald High School District: Fitzgerald Public Schools

Lesson Plan Title: La sala de clases

CCSS/GLCES/Benchmarks//Michigan Content Standards/Rationale

Michigan Benchmarks: 1.2.N.R.b Understand main idea of simple accessible written materials in the target language such as, textbook passages, age-appropriate magazine and newspaper articles/ads, websites/ internet, poetry or stories

1.2.N.L.d Understand main idea of an audio presentation (CD, lecture, radio, podcast, songs/music)

3.1.N.a Reinforce previously learned content knowledge through the target language

4.1.N.b Identify basic differences and similarities in grammatical structures between one’s own language and the target

Objectives- Students will be introduced to the vocabulary and phrases needed to identify objects in a classroom and describe their location.Students will respond to listening activity to demonstrate understanding of the vocabulary and prepositional phrases introduced in this unit.Students will watch a video which uses the vocabulary and phrases learned and answer questions about the video, using the same terms and phrases.Students will be invited to share the flags of their home countries or those of a relative in order to learn to use “de” when expressing that it is the flag “of” that particular country.

Materials Needed- Students will need their books, workbook packets, and pencils to write.

Teacher Procedure/Development

Introduction- In order to introduce students to the unit about classroom objects and locations of things, we will begin by going over the unit vocabulary together. I will have students repeat after me as I read through the vocabulary list out loud and then say the English name out loud.

Methods and Procedures- Students will get out their workbook packets and we will go over Activity 2B-1 together, which has them label all of the objects in the classroom in Spanish. This way, they will have practice writing the words down, including the feminine or masculine articles (el or la). Next, we will read pages 100-

101 together from the textbook, which describe again the objects in the classroom, adding some of the prepositional phrases which indicate where these objects are located. I will guide them through the images, phrases, and labels, explaining what they all mean to reinforce understanding of the main terms and phrases for the unit. We will then do Activities 1 and 2 from the textbook, which are listening activities. For activity 1, students will have to listen to a dialogue about the picture of a classroom shown on pg. 100 and give a thumbs up if they hear an object in the picture mentioned. For Activity 2, they will have to listen to another dialogue which includes prepositional phrases, describing where objects are in the same picture of the classroom, and they will have to give a thumbs up if the descriptive phrase is correct and thumbs down if it is wrong. Finally, we will watch the video that goes along with the textbook which is called “Videohistoria: Un ratón en la clase”. The video tells the story of students in a classroom who let a mouse out of its cage by accident and have to find where it is. In the story, they make use of the vocabulary and prepositional phrases to describe where the mouse is as it moves around the room. At the end of the video, I will ask the class questions about the story, which they will have to answer in Spanish to see if they were able to gain any further understanding from the video.

Closure- To close the lesson, we will look at some of the flags of foreign countries. This is to reinforce the use of two vocabulary words “de”, which means “of”, and “bandera” which means “flag”. In Spanish, to say something belongs to someone or something, you say it is “of” that person or thing. So, we will look at some of the flags of Latin American countries, and I will instruct students that the way we say this is “La bandera de _________”. Being that Fitzgerald is an extremely diverse school I will invite other students who are or have family members from others countries to share the flags of their countries, expressing that this is “La bandera de __________”.

Technology Use- For this lesson, I will be making use of the Elmo projector, Computer, and the CD-rom which contains the GramActiva video files on it, as well as Google Image search to look up country flags.

Accommodations/Adaptations- One adaptation for this lesson includes providing a transcript of the listening activity dialogues, so students can read along with it if they find it difficult to understand what is happening. The same could be done for the video. The second adaptation I do is allowing Special Education students or those who have trouble writing to copy down the workbook packet activities at the end of class, to make sure they have the correct answers.

Outcomes/Assessment/Evaluation- I will be completing three different assessments for this lesson. The first is the “Thumbs up/Thumbs down” responses to the listening activities. If most students in the room are able to respond to the questions about objects in the room in Activity 1, I will know they have learned and become comfortable with the new unit vocabulary and are ready to move on to grammatical concepts. The more challenging assessment will most likely be Activity 2. This activity combines the classroom objects and prepositional phrases. I can observe students who are responding correctly and quickly absorbing these new concepts and those who seem to struggle to understand. Finally, I will assess after watching the Videohistoria. In the video, the key vocabulary words and phrases pop up in

Spanish when they are spoken. I will quiz the class to see if they were able to take notice and respond to questions such as “Where did the mouse go?”, using the Spanish prepositional phrases we learned that day.As we progress through Chapter 2B, I will use my daily assessments to determine where more practice is needed and provide supplemental activities and materials to help solidify any concepts which many students seem to not be absorbing, as well as some more formal, written assessments.

Teacher ReflectionToday went well overall. Most students seem to be picking up on terms quickly. Many seem to be feeling confident about the material. When quizzing them on the events in the video, more students from the 3rd hour class were able to recall and recite “where” the mouse went than those in 5th hour. It is apparent that more practice is need to reinforce these terms and phrases. Students in both classes really seemed to respond to looking up the flags of different countries. On a classroom management note, one student made a comment to another teacher that I wasn’t talking to the class enough. She expressed that she thought I was a nice person, but that I could be a bit louder and more direct. I took note of this and realized that it may be possible I am not being loud enough or not making enough eye contact. It remains my goal to be aware of my voice and presence and to make sure I am projecting and connecting with the students throughout my lessons. I feel glad that this student said something as I can now work on improving this aspect of my teaching.

LESSON PLAN

Teacher’s Name: Leigh Hilbert Date: 3/4/2015

Grade Level: 9th-10th grade Subject/Topic: Spanish 1A

School: Fitzgerald High School District: Fitzgerald Public Schools

Lesson Plan Title: “¿Dónde está?”

CCSS/GLCES/Benchmarks//Michigan Content Standards/Rationale

Michigan Benchmarks: 1.1.N.SL.g Ask questions about the attributes of places and things in their immediate environment and answer using a list of traits

1.2.N.R.b Understand main idea of simple accessible written materials in the target language such as, textbook passages, age-appropriate magazine and newspaper articles/ads, websites/ internet, poetry or stories

1.1.N.RW.g Ask questions in writing about the attributes of places and things in their immediate environment, and answer in writing using a list of traits

Objectives- Students will learn and practice using the verb “estar” as they gain an understanding of what is expressed by this verb and how it is used. Students will complete and activity which requires them to ask and answer questions about where objects are in a photo, using the vocabulary and phrases studied in the current unit. Students will demonstrate overall understanding of concepts learned thus far by participating in a game in which they will have to identify the object by hearing a description of where it is in the room.

Materials Needed- Textbooks, paper, pencils.

Teacher Procedure/Development

Introduction- To warm up for this lesson, I will go over vocabulary and phrases from the chapter with students, so as to get them ready to build upon prior knowledge. We will do this using Quizlet.com to review the virtual flashcards I created for this particular unit.

Methods and Procedures- We will begin by completing together Activity 6 on pg. 105 of the Realidades textbook. I will have students write down the answers along with me as I write them on the board. They will have to turn in any written textbook activities together for a homework grade at the end of the unit. They are given a completing grade for this, and not graded for accuracy since we complete all the activities together as a class. Activity 6 involves asking where an object is in a picture and then responding to where it is using a complete sentence. Before beginning this activity, I will point out that in Spanish “de” and “la” are written separately, but when “de” and “el” are used together, they become the contraction “del”. This is a necessary language tool in order to complete the activity. Next, we will move on to a brief discussion of the verb “estar”. Since this verb is necessary to describe where things are, students will have already had some exposure to this and this part of the lesson will serve to teach them the more precise usage of the verb as well as some additional ways to use it where describing where people are and not just objects. I will explain to student show we use “estar” and have them fill in a verb chart for this verb, which I will guide them through the process of. To end this lesson, I will show the “GramActiva” video that goes along with the chapter which reinforces how to use the verb “estar”.

Closure- At the end of the lesson, I will play a game with the students which is a version of “I spy” called “Veo veo”. They will have to guess which object in the classroom I am talking about by my description of where it is. I will reward those who guess correctly with a piece of candy so as to provide incentive to play.

Technology Use- For this lesson, I will be making use of the website Quizlet.com, the Elmo overhead projector, whiteboard and markers, and the CD-rom from Realidades to show the “GramActiva” video.

Accommodations/Adaptations- Some accommodations for this lesson include allowing students to copy down the answers to the activity from a friend towards the end of the lesson, having a transcript of the video ready for anyone who needs it, and perhaps having students write down and hold up their responses to the “Veo veo” game instead of saying them out loud. This might make those who are more shy or unconfident in their abilities a little more comfortable with participating in the game.

Outcomes/Assessment/Evaluation- My assessment for this lesson is in the form of the game. This will tell me if students are internalizing the vocabulary, grammar, and able to apply everything and put it all together in order to answers questions using these new skills.

Teacher Reflection Today went very well with 5th hour, but not as well with 3rd. I made the mistake of handing back last week’s tests at the beginning of 3rd hour, which resulted in many students thinking about their grades instead of focusing on the lesson. This is a lesson for me I will never forget. With it being the last week of the term before exam week, grades are becoming more and more impactful to students and they just didn’t feel like putting in a lot of effort in today. They completed the activity and did the game with a minimal amount of enthusiasm, but we didn’t get to the introduction of “estar” today. On the other hand, the 5th hour class did really well with participating. I was able to correct my previous mistake and wait until the end of the day to hand out the tests. I also made an effort today to walk around the classroom more, and be a little more open, loud, clear and direct when speaking. I think it went over really well in 5 th hour. Again, 3rd hour was kind of distracted by their test grades, so it was harder to gage if they responded to me or not. Either way, I continue to be mindful of my classroom presence and tone.

LESSON PLAN

Teacher’s Name: Leigh Hilbert Date: 3/5/2015

Grade Level: 9th-10th grade Subject/Topic: Spanish 1A

School: Fitzgerald High School District: Fitzgerald Public Schools

Lesson Plan Title: “¿Dónde está?”

CCSS/GLCES/Benchmarks//Michigan Content Standards/Rationale

Michigan Benchmarks: 4.1.N.b Identify basic differences and similarities in grammatical structures between one’s own language and the target

1.1.N.SL.g Ask questions about the attributes of places and things in their immediate environment and answer using a list of traits

1.1.N.RW.g Ask questions in writing about the attributes of places and things in their immediate environment, and answer in writing using a list of traits

1.2.N.R.b Understand main idea of simple accessible written materials in the target language such as, textbook passages, age-appropriate magazine and newspaper articles/ads, websites/ internet, poetry or stories

Objectives- Students will review and practice further with using “estar” to indicate the location of people and objects by completing the workbook packet page 2B-5 and Activities 9 and 10 from the textbook. Students will be introduced to plural articles, including definite and indefinite.

Materials Needed- Students will need textbooks, workbook packets, pencils, and paper.

Teacher Procedure/Development

Introduction- To warm up for this lesson, I will have students translate in writing the phrase “The computer is on top of the desk”. After taking attendance, I will ask students to share their answers and make sure everyone hears the correct answer.

Methods and Procedures- To being the lesson, I will reinforce the use of the verb “estar” by working with them to complete page 2B-5 from their packets. This activity requires students to fill in the blanks using the appropriate forms of “estar”. Next, we will complete Activities 9 and 10 from page 107 in the textbook. Activity 9 has students filling in the correct form of “estar” and Activity 10 has them use the correct forms of “estar” to say which class each person is in. This will help to reinforce what we learned the previous day and get students more used to conjugating “estar” and using it in a sentence. If students seem to be learning this quickly and without much confusion, it may be possible to skip Activity 9, since it is similar to the workbook activity. If it is obvious that most students are doing ok with using “estar”, I will then move on to teach students about plural, definite, and indefinite articles (if not, we may have to spend more time reinforcing concepts)*. I will explain how they change when a noun is masculine or feminine and show them what that looks like. Next, we will watch the “GramActiva” video which further explains and reinforces plural articles and how to use them. If time permits, we will begin working on the

workbook packet page 2B-6 together, which has students fill in a chart, writing down the definite and indefinite singular and plural articles for several different objects. If we run out of time, I will instruct students to complete this for homework and inform them that we will go over it tomorrow.*Just in case this particular grammatical concept remains a struggle for some, I will have an Additional Practice “Estar” worksheet ready to hand out for homework. The worksheet walks them through the verb conjugations and has English translations of the phrases being formed through the use of “estar” so as to provide a different way of thinking about how to use this verb.

Closure- To close this lesson, I will show students a YouTube video “¿Qué hay en la sala de clases?” which is a subtitled song with pictures and letters which utilizes most of the vocabulary and grammar from the chapter, including the prepositions, plural articles, the verb “estar” and the word “hay”.

Technology Use- For this lesson, I will make use of the markers and whiteboard, the Elmo projector, the computer and YouTube.

Accommodations/Adaptations- As stated in the procedures section, I can take one Activity off the schedule if most students are picking up the concepts rapidly and are able to answer questions without much assistance from me. I will be assessing informally for this at the beginning of the hour with the Warm-Up question and then again as we complete the workbook page. For those who seem to not be grasping the concept of using the verb “estar” I will have an extra practice activity worksheet ready for them to take home and complete, which gives them more of a guide as to how to conjugate “estar” in a sentence. This worksheet is shown below.

Outcomes/Assessment/Evaluation- The assessment for this lesson is on-going. Since using “estar” is the central grammatical focus of this lesson and vital to understanding the concepts discussed, I need to make sure everyone is getting the hang of using it correctly. As stated in the procedure, it may be necessary for me to provide additional practice opportunities for this concept. Ideally, we would be wrapping up learning “estar” and moving on to studying the plural, definite and indefinite articles this day, but if necessary, I will have to wait until the following day to begin that part of the lesson. My informal assessment will be to observe and gage the reactions of the students while we complete the activities. If I see multiple students struggling or being unable to answer questions, I will give them the additional practice worksheet and complete it with them if there is time. If not, I’ll have them do it for homework on their own. This additional practice worksheet will serve as a good formal assessment of who is understanding and who is still struggling with “estar”.

Teacher ReflectionI combined the introduction of “estar” with this lesson and to my surprise, it worked out just fine. Both 3rd and 5th hour did very well with minimal problems. I think something that helped was having the variety of different things to do. We did some book activities, watched a video, played a game, and handed out worksheets which were a different format from what they are used to seeing. I think this made the lesson feel a little more dynamic and less boring. Overall, most students seem to be

picking up on the content fairly quickly but I will find out tomorrow when we review the worksheet. Some students finished the worksheet immediately and turned in it. Those who did are sending me a clear signal that either this was too easy or that they are ready to move on.

LESSON PLAN

Teacher’s Name: Leigh Hilbert Date: 3/6/2015

Grade Level: 9th-10th grade Subject/Topic: Spanish 1A

School: Fitzgerald High School District: Fitzgerald Public Schools

Lesson Plan Title: “¿Cómo es la escuela?” and Chapter 2B Summary

1 One student in 3rd hour finished right away

CCSS/GLCES/Benchmarks//Michigan Content Standards/Rationale

Michigan Benchmarks: 1.2.N.R.b Understand main idea of simple accessible written materials in the target language such as, textbook passages, age-appropriate magazine and newspaper articles/ads, websites/ internet, poetry or stories

1.3.N.W.c Write brief personal descriptions on familiar topics in the target language such as self, friends, family, home, and school

3.1.N.a Reinforce previously learned content knowledge through the target language

4.2.N.a Identify basic target culture practices and compare them to one’s own

Objectives- Students will respond to a cultural lesson about schools in Spanish-speaking countries by pointing out the differences between those schools and their own.Students will gain additional practice with using plural and indefinite articles by completing two written activities. Students will practice writing complete sentences that make use of the vocabulary, phrases, and grammatical concepts learned in this unit.

Materials Needed- Students will need their textbooks, workbook packets, and pencils.

Teacher Procedure/Development

Introduction- As a warm-up, I will have students translate the phrase “I am in Spanish class” from English to Spanish. If it was necessary to do the Additional Practice Worksheet, we will review that at this time as well.

Methods and Procedures- To begin the lesson, we will go over the cultural lesson on page 116. This lesson compares the experience of going to school in Latin American countries with the experience of doing so in the United States. We will compare the amount of days spent in school, the differences in perceived importance of education, and the daily procedures of Latin American schools. I will supplement this lesson by showing the students a photo of some school children in Bolivia which I took when I traveled there. At the end of the discussion, I will ask students to give me three differences between our school and some of the schools of Spanish-speaking countries.Next, we will review the usage of the plural, definite, and indefinite articles by completing activities 15 and 16 from page 110 of the textbook. These activities require students to write the plural forms of words with articles and to fill in the correct article in the blank of a sentence. This will serve to refresh them on what they learned last time and help to reinforce the information. Finally, to complete the unit, we will together work on page 2B-7 and 2B-8 in the workbook packet. 2B-7 has students write out complete sentences about where objects and people are located using a picture of a classroom, making use of the chapter vocabulary, prepositional phrases, and articles all together. 2B-8 is a crossword puzzle which reviews the vocabulary of the chapter one last time.

Closure- To close this lesson, I will play the “Veo veo” game with the class once again and/or show the same YouTube video “¿Qué hay en la sala de clases?”

Technology Use- I will be using the Elmo projector, whiteboard and markers, and Youtube.

Accommodations/Adaptations- I will once again allow Special Education students or those who have a hard time writing to copy down my answers for the workbook packet pages and the activities. For the cultural lesson, we will be having a group discussion, so it should feel a bit more dynamic for the students who like to talk and express their opinions and points of view. I will also have an additional “Estar Crossword Puzzle” ready to give to students who might still be struggling to understand how to use the “estar” verb conjugations correctly or anyone who still needs practice. Once again, I can change the dynamic a bit for the game by having students write down their responses to “Veo veo” instead of saying them out loud.

Outcomes/Assessment/Evaluation- At this point, we will be wrapping up the unit. My first assessment will be the warm-up sentence. By now, most students should be able to write the phrase in a way that at least expresses the general meaning. For the cultural lesson, my assessment will be the group discussion and responses I get when asking about the differences between schools in Spanish-Speaking countries and schools here.

Teacher ReflectionToday did not go as well as I had hoped. What happened was I focused too much on the Special Education students and those who have a hard time absorbing the material quickly, which is only a few students. Meanwhile, the others in the class quickly grew bored and frustrated. I didn’t even notice it, but my cooperating teacher pointed it out to me and I am grateful she did. Although I worked to use more inflection and varying tones in my voice, I was moving too slowly through the material, causing boredom and frustration to arise from the students who were able to learn the articles quickly. This made the classroom suddenly feel very boring and dry. Having made this mistake with 3rd hour, I decided to try and fix this problem with the 5th hour. In order to correct this, I started the lesson with an activity where I reviewed the prepositional phrases by using a doll named “Lola” and placing her on top of, underneath, behind, next to, or in front of a chair. I did this to spike the interests of the students and maybe catch them off guard to break up routine. I also had students contribute answers to the activities instead of standing up there and writing out all of them by myself. Despite changing up the flow of the lesson a bit, I think some students were still bored and restless and I had a hard time getting the class to calm down. It could have been due to it being the end of the day on a Friday, but I think that truthfully I need to do more to differentiate and have more challenging tasks ready for students to do who feel bored and tired of the material while I work with those who are still working on grasping it.

Something else I thought about is that certain students who pick up on things very easily tend to get a bit arrogant about the material being too easy. This can make other students feel bad about their intellectual abilities. I am planning an intervention for some of these students where I can talk one-on-one with them and ask them to help out other students instead of bragging about how easy it is for them. I’ll ask them to be leaders and good examples by helping others to understand it instead of boasting aloud and making others feel unintelligent. I’ll be sure to emphasize that they are very smart indeed and I am happy they are able to learn Spanish quickly and with such ease.

ADDITIONAL PRACTICE WORKSHEET (Lesson for 3/5/2015)

“ESTAR” CROSSWORD PUZZLE (Lessons for 3/6/2015)

Quiz Chapter 2B: Final Assessment