Preface to teacher:
(Slide #3 is the beginning of the student presentation.)
Every foreign language teacher has a unique method for presenting verbs and
conjugation to beginning language students, and helping advanced students
review the same material. My initial purpose in creating this, as well as
subsequent PowerPoint presentations, is to provide my students with an online
resource for reviewing, at home, processes they may not have mastered in
class. Teachers of the Salt Lake City School District are not only encouraged
to use these presentations as they see fit, but are also welcome to adapt them to
their own teaching styles.
I have been fortunate throughout my career to have been associated with many
outstanding and innovative foreign language teachers. With that in mind, I
invite your comments and (heaven forbid!) corrections.
Bobb Jackson
Hillside Middle School
Salt Lake City School District
bobb.jackson@slcschools.org
Focus of this presentation:
(Slide #3 is the beginning of the student presentation.)
• It is anticipated that at the end of this presentation each
student will be able to identify the two major functions of a
verb – the expression of an action, as well as the time frame
(past, present, future) of that action.
A disclaimer, of sorts:
My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Fitts, developed in me an absolute aversion to grammar – a
fear that, even with my nose continually buried in books, could not be overcome until I
began studying French in junior high school and French and Spanish in high school.
My foreign language teachers taught me more about English grammar than I learned in
any English class. I believe many students share that same experience with me. For that
reason I tend to teach grammar, when necessary, through an inductive process.
Hopefully when my students finally have that “ah ha!” moment, whether in my class or
in language arts, it will finally all come together and words like verb, and noun, and
Verbs in Spanish
Verbs in Spanish
He’s walking.
Right now.
Tell us the same things as in English…
1. What’s happening…
2. When it’s happening…
What do verbs do for us?
They tell us what is
happening – the action
of the sentence.
Remember,
these green
arrows
represent the
ACTION
What do verbs do for us?
And, they tell us when
it happened.
Remember, the
clock represents
whensomething
happens.
What is the action of
these sentences?
He eats watermelon.
Él come sandía.
They sang horribly
Ellos cantaron horriblemente.
The martians will jump out.
Los marcianos se saltarán.
What is the action of this sentence?
He eats watermelon
Él come sandía.
“ Eats ” is what the boy
is doing…it’s what is
happening…it’s
the action.
What is the action of this sentence?
They sang horribly.
Ellos cantaron horriblemente.
“ Sang ” is what they
did, it’s what was
happening, it was
the action.
What is the action of this sentence?
The martains will jump out.
Los marcianos se saltarán.
“ Will jump ” is what the
martains will be doing…it’s
what is going to be
happening…it’s
the action.
Okay, let’s see if you remember.
What is the first thing verbs
do for us?
They tell us what is
happening – the
action of the
sentence.
Now,
the second thing verbs
do for us …
They tell us when
something happens (or
happened).
When does the action of
these sentences take place?
He eats watermelon.
Él come sandía.
They sang horribly.
Ellos cantaron horriblemente.
The martians will jump out.
Los marcianos se saltarán.
When does the action of
this sentence take place?
He eats watermelon.
Él come sandía.
“ Eats ” tells us he’s
eating right now…
in the present.
When does the action of
this sentence take place?
They sang horribly.
Ellos cantaron horriblemente.
“ Sang ” tells us it was
something they did
in the past.
When does the action of
this sentence take place?
The martians will jump out.
Los marcianos se saltarán.
“ Will jump ” tells us this
is something they will
be doing sometime
in the future.
Okay, let’s see if you remember.
What is the second thing verbs
do for us?
They tell us when
something happens,
or happened.
How easy is that?
Now you know the two
things a verb does for us
in a sentence.
And finally…
The End
PowerPoint created by
Bobb Jackson
Hillside Middle School,
Salt Lake City School District