One of the ways I begin this unit, is by presenting a Power Point of pictures of my own childhood talking in Spanish about what I used to do and like to do. Even if the students do not know how to form the imperfect tense yet, they understand what I am saying because it's delivered in context. Here are some of my slides that I use (think about how you would describe them with childhood vocabulary and the imperfect tense.) I have also used a simple T/F or short answer worksheet for students to fill in as I go along in the Power Point--keeping them listening and on task . I collect this at the end for a participation grade.
Next, I show my students a Power Point of childhood pictures of other teachers/staff in our school. The students LOVE this! (Make sure you put in a request to your colleagues well in advance with a deadline for a picture and a brief paragraph about what they were like as a child, where they would go, what they liked.) I read a paragraph about the childhood picture with plenty of imperfect verbs and vocabulary in there. Then, the students have to guess who it is before I reveal the picture of what they look like now (request this, too, if you are not able to find pics on your school website.) This REALLY keeps the students' attention!
As years have gone by, I have gotten a little more creative with this Power Point. You may purchase my template here.
Have students fill in the English translation while presenting each vocabulary word or phrase. You may find my list and Power Point here.
Nothing wrong with having them repeat each vocabulary term in their head while looking for it in their wordsearch!
This is always a great activity that the students really enjoy doing! It gets them thinking about the vocabulary while drawing. Even stick figures can turn out really cute! I have the students present their best four drawings using the overhead projector or elmo. Can be used for any language!
Present a formal grammar lesson on how to form the imperfect tense in Spanish. Both student and teacher copies are found here.
This is one of my most popular activities both in my classroom and in my store! Students work in pairs matching the Spanish verb to its English translation. The cooperative learning that goes on during this activity is pretty amazing! There are puzzles for just the -ar verbs and one for practice with regulars and irregulars together.
Here are two great assignments available for this.
This is such a cute activity and keeps the students reading and writing in the imperfect tense! It's so fun to try and guess who is in the picture before turning the paper over. Makes a really cool bulletin board display in the classroom and is quite impressive in the hallway as well!
This is always a great go-to activity that involves really no preparation other than keeping a classroom set of medium-sized dry erase boards, dry erase markers, and either tissues or erasers enough for each group. Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 and have them come up with 3 or 4 sentences that are true for each of them and their childhood. For example,
"Veíamos Barney todos los días."
"Todos teníamos una bicicleta azul."
"Nos gustaba dibujar en la acera con tiza."
Give the students time to write their sentences. Walk around and give them hints if they need to make corrections. Then have them present their sentences to the class by reading them out loud.
You can add to this activity by:
--having the students write two sentences that are true for them and one false. The class then has to determine which one is false. These can turn out to be really crazy and fun!
--having the students write sentences about what the teacher used to do as a child.
--having the students write sentences about what a famous person used to do as a child. (You could have them put the name of the famous person on top of the board, or just have the sentences and then the class will have to guess who it is.)
"Jugaba al fútbol americano con sus amigos." (Cam Newton)
This activity is one of my most popular productS in my Teachers Pay Teachers store! Students will draw a scaled version of what they see in the little square in the grid for each conjugation. In the end, they end up with a fun picture! This makes a great bulletin board display as well. You may also vote on the clearest picture for a small prize. I have created several of these for different holidays as well.
Included in this product are three quizzes and 1 test (2 versions each.) These are matching tests and quizzes versions A and B of each (to discourage cheating and/or to have extra versions for those who were absent.)
Answer Keys included for easy grading!
Answer Keys included for easy grading!
