Language Resident/Assistant Name: Mayerly Gómez S.

Day and Date: 04-08-2024

Language and Level: Spanish Intermediate class (3 students)

Class theme/topics discussed: Word association + discussion about preferences.

Goal of the class:

– To play a game to recall vocabulary related to different topics.

– To share personal experiences/preferences with the help of cards.

How did you structure the class?

*Music in the background*

– Greet the students and ask them how they are feeling today. The students are asked to sit in a circle. I will give them a category and they have to mention words related to it and pass to the next person. The objective is to make the effort to recall vocabulary related to specific topics. Topics: Animals, colors, jobs and occupations, and study fields (20min).

– With the help of some cards with statements and pictures, the students are asked to work in pairs and talk about different topics and personal experiences/preferences. After some time, they are told to change couples so they can listen to different people speaking (20min).

 – Based on the previous activity, the students are given a piece of paper, and they have to write their own ideas to complete the phrase “Ten una conversación sobre…”. Then, they use these ideas to keep talking with their classmates (15min).

– Space for general questions and closing. Students are asked to share and mention at least one new word they learnt today. (5min).

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

– Speakers

– Printed cards to share experiences/preferences

– Paper and pencils

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

The students enjoyed the activity where they named different words related to specific topics at the beginning of the class. It is evident that they get highly engaged when activities are game-related and challenging because I can tell they participate more actively than usual.

While I do not perceive this as something that “did not work”, I have noticed that sometimes the students’ disposition to participate or put in extra effort may not be the best at times. It seems to me they have the potential to extend their ideas further, but perhaps due to a lack of motivation or mood, they tend to keep their contributions short and simple.

I try to encourage them to expand their ideas and make the effort to go beyond providing brief answers. I believe in their abilities and know they can achieve more, but occasionally their level of energy or commitment may not be sufficient or the best. I think this is due to being almost at the end of the semester and all the recent events that have occurred on campus recently.

How could this class be improved/modified?

While this observation is not specifically related to this class, I think it is important to search and use new strategies to maintain students’ motivation and engagement. Given the small group size, actively participating in conversations with the students, asking clarification questions, and encouraging them to elaborate further on their ideas can be beneficial to make the learning experience more meaningful and push the students to use the language as much as they can.

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.