Let’s be honest; how people teach new grammar in Spanish class has become such a hot topic that people may not even want to talk about it! I know that I have been in positions where I feel shame for what I believe works best with my students, or during times when I needed to change and evolve. People can be very passionate about this subject, but I would like to open a conversation about teaching grammar that is a safe place for people to listen, learn and share.
Experience + Data
When I was in high school learning Spanish (and French and Latin), things were just changing from the audiolingual method to something that is a bit more modern. But there was still a huge emphasis on grammar, accuracy and worksheets.
I will admit… I was one of those students who thrived on memorization and knowing that if I worked hard, I could earn a good grade by memorizing what I needed to know. I was also one of those students who was eager to communicate with others and sought out people to practice with. I managed to learn Spanish well in a classroom setting.
But I know many of my classmates did not.
As a new teacher, I was often stuck in that circle of teaching the way that I learned best. Over time, I have changed a lot of the things that I do and a modified a lot of my philosophies, including about how to teach grammar in Spanish class.
Is There Only One Correct Way To Teach Grammar in Spanish Class?
A lot of passionate people would say yes! Some teachers believe that the only way to teach is by never using English and never doing direct instruction on grammar.
That’s not me.
I believe (probably as passionately as CI teachers believe in their method) that we can leverage what they already know about language with lots of input to create more understandable communication!
My many years of experience in the classroom have led me to the conclusion that a combination of direct instruction + communication tasks are the right mix. So let me show you how I would structure a lesson when new grammar needs to be introduced.
Lesson Plan Outline to Teach Grammar in Spanish Class
This is just one example of many. And to start, I am always thinking about how to maximize the number of minutes I have with my students. There are other ways to do this, but they take longer. Sometimes inquiry, missteps and correcting misunderstandings is not the most efficient way to do things.
Topic: Preterite Tense
Level: Spanish 2
Step 1: Ask students how they know we’re talking about now when they hear or read the present tense. (I’m looking for answers like… the context, a keyword like “today” or “now” and maybe even one student that mentions the endings.
Step 2: Compare Spanish to English by stating that English and Spanish both have the present tense and the past tense. Tell students that today we will learn how to conjugate verbs in the past tense.
Step 3: Pass out the notes I’ve created for students.
These notes will explain the process for conjugating, the verb charts and the key words that indicate the preterite tense.
Step 4: Ask students to notice what is similar to something they already know. I’m looking for: verb charts, pronouns in the same order, the nosostros form.
Then ask for students to detect patterns. (This could be that the accents are in the same places with -ar verbs and -er/-ir verbs) tú forms always have an s, ellos forms always have an n, things like this.)
Step 5: Together, we do a basic conjugating practice.
*Up until now, this seems like a very old-school, traditional grammar lesson. But I think that this part is really important. At this point, nothing we’ve done will help them communicate well. But I am leveraging what they know about their first language (assuming it’s English) and what they already know about Spanish to make this concept easier for them.
Step 6: This step may take place during the same lesson, but depending on time, it may take place in the coming lessons.
Now we get into using the preterite tense in context. Students can:
-read something written in the preterite tense
-listen to something that happened in the past
-answer questions about what happened
-turn and talk about what they did yesterday, or last period, or last summer
-use new vocabulary to state what they or others did in the past
And as time goes on, student tasks will become more complex and more communicative.
Why Mix Philosophies on Teaching Grammar in Spanish Class?
Students need lots of comprehensible input. But in my experience, they also need references and scaffolds. In my experience, when the classroom is the only setting a student has to hear and practice Spanish, there is not enough time or real need for them to self-correct and improve their accuracy. Grammar is helpful to clarify messages and acccuracy is not the be-all, end-all of communication.
But I want my students to be able to communicate as effectively as possible. That’s why we work on both being understood/understanding AND improving accuracy. They are both important!
My students report that having notes is something the really appreciate. Some are good memorizers and some are not. But during class time, anyone who needs the scaffold of their notes may use them.
What do you think? I’d love to know how similar or different your philosophy is on teaching grammar in Spanish class! Email me at Jamie@SpecialtySpanish.com.
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Vacaciones en España Culture Presentation with Linked Activities Past Tense
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