Language Residents

an archive of lesson plans

Author: Hugo Briones (Page 1 of 2)

ES SP19 INT: Selling Objects

May 10, 2019 /
  • Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres
  • Day and Date: Monday, March 4th 
  • Language and Level: Spanish Conversation Intermediate
  • Class theme/topics discussed:

Selling things

  • Goal of the class:

To come up with an innovative product and sell it 

  • How did you structure the class? 
  • Ice breaker: Students are asked to talk with a classmate about their weekends. Then, they share their anecdotes with the rest of the class.
  • Activity 1: Individually, students are given a random object (a ruler, dvd case, pokemon cards) and are asked to come up with an innovative idea about said object. They sell this object creating their own campaigns to the rest of the class. The rest of the class prepare questions that the pair has to answer. 
  • What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
Selling thingsDownload
  • What worked well in this class? What did not work?

Students were really creative and enthusiastic with the activity. They worked individually as we only have six students in class. Even though they had a lower level than the advanced class, they came up with great ideas and with very good grammar and vocabulary.  

  • How could this class be improved/ modified?

The class worked out excellent. This works pretty well in an advanced class too. If the class was bigger, it would be better to make students to work in pairs so they can talk with someone while coming up with their idea.

ES SP19 INT: Connecting Random Topics in Small Talk

May 10, 2019 /
  • Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres
  • Day and Date: Wednesday, February 20th   
  • Language and Level: Spanish Conversation Intermediate
  • Class theme/topics discussed:

Improvisation

Connecting random topics

  • Goal of the class:

To improvise conversation based on random topics

  • How did you structure the class? 
  • Activity 1: In pairs, students come in front of the class. They have to choose two random topics from two pits on the table: one of them very simple (e.g.: “cheese”, “chocolate” or “pets”) and the other one complex (e.g.: “The Cold War” or “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave”). They have to start a conversation with the first topic and find a way to get to the other topic without forcing it. 
  • Activity 2: Following the same idea as before, students are assigned a different topic each. One of them starts talking about their topic. Then, when the time is right, someone else takes over the conversation with their topic and so on until everyone gets to speak. 
  • What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
  • What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The class worked out quite well. Students had fun and were very creative on coming up with ways to connect the topics.

  • How could this class be improved/ modified?

The class worked out pretty well.

ES SP19 ADV: Mini Debates

May 10, 2019 /
  • Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres
  • Day and Date: Thursday, February 7th 
  • Language and Level: Spanish Conversation Advanced
  • Class theme/topics discussed:

Mini debates

  • Goal of the class:

To have mini debates

  • How did you structure the class?  
  • Class is divided in three groups, one consisting of two persons (the jury) and two big groups of four persons each. One topic is given, and both groups are playing against each other, whether it is for the statement or against it. Students present their arguments in 5 minutes and then the jury decides. Another statement is given to the students, this time a little more serious. Statements go from “Birkenstocks and socks are a good look” to more serious ones. 
  • What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
Mini Debates pptDownload
  • What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The Activity worked out very well. Students were eager to debate even about “dumb” topics. It also gave an opportunity to discuss serious issues within American society. The format was really appreciated by students too.

  • How could this class be improved/ modified?

The class worked very well. 

ES SP19 ADV: Latinoamérica – Calle 13

May 10, 2019 /
  • Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres
  • Day and Date: Tuesday, January 29th
  • Language and Level: Spanish Conversation Advanced

  • Class theme/topics discussed: Latin American history, Latin American music
  • Goal of the class:

To promote talking through small talk

To get to know about Latin-America through music

  • How did you structure the class? 
  • Ice Breaker: In pairs, students talk about the question “With what historical figure would you have dinner with?”, so they can practice conversation. We follow up by sharing their answers and working on questions regarding vocabulary or grammar. This is to activate their Spanish conversation abilities before moving forward.
  • Activity 1: We listen to the song “Latinoamérica” by Puerto Rican duo Calle 13. Students pay attention to the lyrics and topics in the song. Students get the lyrics with highlited topics.
  • Activity 2: In pairs, students are assigned one theme tackled in the song Latinoamérica alongside a set of questions related to the topic. They are related to the life, history and culture of the subcontinent. They are asked to research on the topic and present it to the rest of the class. (Refer to the appendix to see the topics). 
  • What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
Latinoamérica – Calle 13
“Latinoamérica” LyricsDownload
Handout: Temas en LatinoaméricaDownload
  • What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The class worked out very well. Particularly in advanced, students are really eager to talk to each other, so the first activity worked out quite well. The second activity worked out well too, but this activity requires more than one class.

  • How could this class be improved/ modified?

The class worked well. Maybe it is important to consider two classes to work on this instead of one.

ES FA18 INT Jeopardy

December 14, 2018 /
  • Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres
  • Day and Date: Monday, November 26th   
  • Language and Level:Spanish Conversation Intermediate
  • Class theme/topics discussed:  Vocabulary, games, pop culture
  • Goal of the class:

To play games to review and acquire new vocabulary

  • How did you structure the class? 
  • Activity 1: with the help on an online webpage, students play a game of jeopardy to review and acquire new knowledge on vocabulary, grammar and pop culture.
  • What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Super Teacher’s Tools http://www.superteachertools.us/jeopardyx/jeopardy-review-game.php?gamefile=2522676#.W_Sf1C2ZOt8

  • What worked well in this class? What did not work?

Even though I thought out the activity as an ice breaker, we ended up playing the game for the whole class. It helped to tackle some vocabulary and grammar doubts and to learn some interesting facts about pop culture. It is very important to follow up each question with some explanation or discussion in regards to students’ doubts.  

  • How could this class be improved/ modified?

The class worked out well. 

ES FA18 INT Careers and Jobs

December 14, 2018 /
  • Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres
  • Day and Date: Monday, December 3th 
  • Language and Level:Spanish Conversation Intermediate
  • Class theme/topics discussed: Jobs and Careers, Résumés
  • Goal of the class:

To discuss and explain job related vocabulary

To create a résumé. 

To go into job interviews.

  • How did you structure the class? 
  • Warm up: Students are asked to discuss in pairs about their dream job and then to share this with the rest of the class. 
  • Activity 1: Using a handout, students get acquainted with a résumé in a Spanish speaking way. Vocabulary and structures are explained. 
  • Follow up 1: Students, using a template, are asked to complete a résumé with their own information.  
  • Activity 2: Students have one on one job interviews among themselves. They are asked to switch roles or partners every two minutes. 
  • What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Handouts

  • What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The activity worked out well in class. However, not everything went as planned as students had plenty of vocabulary and structure questions. What interested them the most, were how names full name are composed in Spanish. This took us a long time and we ran out of time, but it was definitely very fruitful and entertaining for both parts.  

  • How could this class be improved/ modified?

The class worked out well. We ran out of time, but because of good reasons. What it is included in this lesson plans is what would work in a well timed class. 

ES FA18 ADV Argentinian Spanish

December 14, 2018 /
  • Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres
  • Day and Date: Tuesday, November 27th    
  • Language and Level:Spanish Conversation Advanced
  • Class theme/topics discussed: Gender violence, Argentinian accent
  • Goal of the class:

To discuss gender violence in the Latin American context

To analyze the Argentinian accent.

  • How did you structure the class? 
  • Activity 1: Students watch a PSA video against sharing personal pictures online. The video is from Argentina and the dialogues have a strong Argentinian accent. 
  • Follow up: A set of questions about the topic is discussed and pairs and then in the class. 
  • Follow up 2: A set of questions about the Argentinian accent are discussed in the class. Students pose questions and doubts in regards to the dialect. 
  • Activity 2: In groups, students enact a given situation using the Argentinian accent and dialect.
  • What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Handouts

  • What worked well in this class? What did not work?

Bringing audiovisual material always works well in class. Analyzing both, the topic and the Argentinian Spanish, worked out quite well as students could get acquainted with a less standardized Spanish. Even though the topic might be a little bit difficult or even triggering for some people, students were able to provide their insights while being responsible about it. 

  • How could this class be improved/ modified?

The class worked out quite well as it was. Though, it is always important to ask the class whether the topic might be triggering or make them uncomfortable. 

ES FA18 ADV Telenovela

December 14, 2018 /
  • Language Resident Name:  Hugo Briones Cáceres
  • Day and Date: Tuesday, October 2nd
  • Language and Level:Spanish Conversation Advanced
  • Class theme/topics discussed: Acting, telenovelas, use of pronouns
  • Goal of the class:

To analyze and discuss Telenovelas as cultural resources 

To act in a telenovela skit

  • How did you structure the class? 
  • Activity 1: we watch an extract of the 1998 Mexican telenovela “La Usurpadora”. Students are asked to pay attention to the tone of the clip, the relations among the characters and the whole plot of it.
  • Follow up 1: we discussed the questions and pay extra attention to relationship markers, such as the use of “Tú” vs. “Usted”.
  • Follow up 2: students are asked to enact a common situation, such as “order a coffee” or “first date” with the same tone and melodrama shown in the clip. 
  • What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Handout

  • What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The activity worked quite well. Students were able to test their listening comprehension and also have a little peek to Latin American culture. This class would work pretty well with intermediate students too.

  • How could this class be improved/ modified?

The activities and the timing worked out pretty well. 

ES S18 INT How to Face certain Situations

May 4, 2018 /

Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres

Day and Date: Wednesday, January 31st

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Spanish Conversation Intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed:

How to act and react in certain situations

Goal of the class:

  • Create dialogues based on a situation showing how to act in them.

How did you structure the class?

Working in groups, students are given a specific situation. They will have to create a dialogue using the correct grammar and vocabulary. They have to make the correct adjustments according to the context they are supposed to be in (language, currency, measuring, formality, etc.). Then, they are asked to enact their situations in front of the class, ready to get feedback from their classmates.

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Handouts.

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The activity worked quite well. It helped the students to work in their confidence with their language skills (grammar and vocabulary).

How could this class be improved/ modified?

Maybe it is better to use two classes for the activity, one for creating and one for presenting.

Situations

ES S18 INT Deriving Words

May 4, 2018 /

Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres

Day and Date: Monday, April 16th

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Spanish Conversation Intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed: Vocabulary and games

Goal of the class:

To learn new vocabulary

To derive words

How did you structure the class?

  1. We start the class by discussing how everyone’s weekends were.
  2. In groups and using a ppt presentation, students are given a word. They have to come up with the most number of words derived from it (e.g.: mar, marino, marítimo, malecón). They have to write them on a white board and press the buzzers to get the point. If they wrote inexistent words, false cognates or words with orthographic mistakes, they do not get a point.

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

Students liked the activity. The worked in teams and were involved in it. They also made sure to ask when they had doubts in regards to certain lexical items. They also liked the competitive element of the game. The idea works out quite well with advanced students too.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

The class worked out quite well. Even though the game was thought as an ice breaker, we used the whole class playing it, and students liked it that way.

ES S18 ADV Traveling

May 4, 2018 /

Language Resident Name:  Hugo Briones Cáceres

Day and Date: Tuesday, April 10th

 Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Spanish Conversation Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed: Traveling

Goal of the class:

  • To plan vacations in a Spanish speaking place.

How did you structure the class?

  1. We start the class by discussing everyone’s weekends. Students can share whatever they want during the beginning of the class.
  2. In pairs or threesomes, students are asked to plan their dream vacations to a Spanish speaking country. They have a budget of U$2,500 per person. They have to look for actual prices of flights, visas, vaccines (if necessary), stay and leisure. Then, they have to be ready to show their plans to the rest of the class.

What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Handouts, Students’ cellphones to look for information.

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

Students were very resourceful to get the information they needed for their trips. They liked the idea and some of them were even considering to actually make use of their plans. The idea works out well in Intermediate, but some input in regards to vocabulary has to be given.

 How could this class be improved/ modified?

In terms of time, it is necessary to have maybe two classes back to back, one for organization and one for presenting.

¡Vamos a viajar!

ES S18 ADV Magazine Covers

May 4, 2018 /

Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres

Day and Date: Tuesday, March 29th

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Spanish Conversation Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed: Magazine convers

Goal of the class:

  • To create a magazine cover from scratch.

How did you structure the class?

  1. We start the class by discussing everyone’s week. Students can share whatever they want during the beginning of the class.
  2. In groups, students are tasked to create a magazine cover of a different genre (politics, tabloid, health and wellness, fashion and travelling). They have to come up with a center piece, headlines and highlight two pieces of news that they would like to share with the rest of the class.
  3. Students present their magazines as the rest of the class come up with questions for them.

 

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

The activity worked out quite well. They were really creative and came up with very original content, in some case, very relatable to their lives in the 5Cs. This idea works out quite well in the intermediate class too.

 How could this class be improved/ modified?

Some groups were only formed by two students which gave them a disadvantage to come up with good ideas. Next time, it would be a better idea to have a bigger group or arrange the class differently.

ES F17 INT Uncomfortable Questions and Answers

December 8, 2017 /

Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres

 Day and Date: Monday, November 13th

 Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Spanish Conversation Intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed:

  • Game with complicated/uncomfortable questions

 Goal of the class:

  • Come back to a class setting after the conversation projects by playing a game.
  • Formulate questions and answers.

How did you structure the class? 

  1. We discussed each other’s plans for the weekend and last weekend.
  2. Students are asked to write down an uncomfortable question and throw it onto the table. Then, taking turns, the students asked said questions randomly. Questions range from “What is your favorite dinning hall?” to “Who is your favorite person in the class?”.

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

We spent the whole class discussing the questions and answer. We had fun just chatting and telling anecdotes in regards to the questions. That shows that with very little prompts, a good conversation can be carried out during the whole class.

 How could this class be improved/ modified?

Everything worked out quite well and the goal of converse in the target language was thoroughly achieved.  We have to be cautious about the questions in some cases and give room for choice. The whole thing was quite lighthearted in this particular case though.

 

ES F17 INT Pronunciation and Role-Playing

December 8, 2017 /

Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres

Day and Date: Monday, September 25th

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Spanish Conversation Intermediate

Class theme/topics discussed:

  • Pronunciation (r’s)
  • Decision making

 Goal of the class:

  • Exercise the /r/ sounds in Spanish.
  • Work in groups to make a decision

How did you structure the class?

  1. Students are presented with some tongue twisters to practice their sounds as to sound more “native-like”.
  2. Students are presented with a situation: “they are strained in an island after a shipwreck. They can escapte the island on a boat, but there is only enough space for four of them. Every single one of them portrays a character with certain abilities and objects that can help them in the future”. They have to come to an agreement and see who gets on the boat and who does not by presenting their case and abilities to the rest of the class.

 What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

Handouts

 What worked well in this class? What did not work?

Students were able to differentiate the r sounds from Spanish. We will continue working on this since it seems to be some problems still.

Students were really engaged on the second activity and were able to reach an agreement. They were able to defend themselves and explain why they were important to the rest of the class.

 How could this class be improved/ modified?

I should work on create better characters for a future similar activity. Also, some new ways to practice pronunciation should be explored.

  1. If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that). Please attach any handouts as well.

Trabalenguas

  1. El perro de San Roque no tiene rabo porque Ramón Rodríguez se lo ha robado.
  2. Pedro Pérez Pereira, pobre pintor portugués, pinta preciosos paisajes por poco precio para poder pasar por parís.
  3. Erre con erre: guitarra. Erre con erre: barril
    Rápido ruedan los carros
    por los rieles del ferrocarril.
  4. Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en tres tristes trastos en un trigal.
  5. El amor es una locura que nadie la cura,
    pero si el cura la cura es una locura del cura.

Están los cinco en una isla desierta luego de un naufragio. Existe la posibilidad de salir de la isla en un bote salvavidas, pero solo hay espacio para cuatro pasajeros, ¿Quién podrá salvarse?

  1. ¿Cómo usarías tus recursos para escapar de la isla?
  2. ¿Qué te hace especial y útil?
  3. ¿Qué otros datos sobre ti nos puedes entregar?
  4. ¿Quién crees que NO debería subir al bote?

 

  1. Ingeniero, 30 años, Hombre. Jugador de rugby y fútbol. Entiende muy bien las matemáticas. Fue demandado por atropellar a un padre de familia, pero logró liberarse por contactos personales. Tiene agua en su poder.
  2. Profesor de filosofía, 42 años, Hombre. Sirvió en la marina por 10 años. Padre de 3 hijos. Viudo. Tiene una pistola en su poder.
  3. Doctora, 34 años, Mujer. Es soltera e hija de un magnate multimillonario que acabó con las reservas naturales de un pueblo pequeño. Tiene un cuchillo en su poder.
  4. Economista, 50 años, Hombre. Tiene trastorno obsesivo compulsivo. Tiene un chaleco salvavidas en su poder. Estafó a un grupo de familias en el sur de Estados Unidos, escapando con millones de dólares a un paraíso fiscal. 4 hijos, 2 menores de edad.
  5. Periodista, 41 años, Mujer. Hermana de un político conservador en contra del matrimonio igualitario y el aborto. Envuelta en un caso de corrupción política por encubrir a su hermano. Tiene fuegos artificiales en su poder.

 

 

ES F17 ADV Debate on Current Latin American Music

December 8, 2017 /

Language Resident Name: Hugo Briones Cáceres

Day and Date: Thursday, October 5th

Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Spanish Conversation Advanced

Class theme/topics discussed:

  • Debate
  • Latin American Music

 Goal of the class:

  • Debate in Spanish about two popular Latinamerican songs

 How did you structure the class?

  1. Students are introduced to their next activity, which is a debate on which contemporary Latin American song is better (Despacito and Mi Gente). They will have to come up with arguments and counter arguments during the class and have a debate on the topic. Two students will be the moderators of the debate and will help to determine the winning team.
  2. Students work in their arguments and counterarguments for the debate. The moderators prepare questions and will guide the whole activity.
  3. The students take turns to defend their songs with arguments. Then, they take a 4-minute break to come up with their counterarguments against their opponents’ song. They continue with the counterargument section of the debate.
  4. Finally, moderators make questions to both groups and define a winner.

 What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)

 What worked well in this class? What did not work?

Students really liked the idea of the debate. They enjoyed it and were passionate about defending their songs. The arguments were really strong and their Spanish was really up to the task.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I should have included better guidelines in regards to the time they should spend defending each argument (1.30). I should have also made it clear that they could take notes and share ideas among groupmates.

 If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that). Please attach any handouts as well.

Instrucciones

Junto a tu equipo, desarrollen argumentos e ideas que ayuden a respaldar que la canción de su grupo es mejor que la del grupo adversario. Cada integrante tendrá un papel importante en el debate. Estos papeles deben ser asignados democráticamente entre los integrantes del equipo.

Integrante 1: Introducción y argumento 1 (Presentar la canción y el primer argumento a favor)

Integrante 2: Argumento 2 y 3 (Presentar los dos siguientes argumentos a favor de la canción)

Integrante 3: Contraargumento (Presentar un argumento en contra de lo propuesto por el otro equipo)

Integrante 4: Conclusión (Presentar las ideas centrales expuestas y cerrar)

Tipos de argumentos a presentar:

Esta canción representa mejor el español porque…

Esta canción representa mejor a Latinoamérica porque…

Musicalmente, esta canción es mejor porque…

Tipos de argumentos no admitidos:

Me gusta porque…

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