Annmarie Fransen
Master of Arts in Teaching
Clark University
Spring 2015
Round 2:–ER/-IR verbs
Background
My students and I have been furthering our study of verbs and are ready to
move onto conjugating –ER and –IR verbs. They have recently mastered –AR verbs
and are able to conjugate them rapidly and efficiently. Like many young teens, they
absolutely love playing games! We often use games and competitions in our
classroom to make language learning less monotonous, as sometimes it requires a
large amount of memorization and practice. We’re constantly introducing and using
new games and competitions as well to keep it fun and exciting.
My hopes are that through reviewing conjugation as a concept and –AR verb
endings and through short dialogues with native speakers, students will be able to
guess the endings for –ER verbs (such as comer and beber). Because they have
mastered conjugating –AR verbs, once they see the similarities in conjugation
patterns, I believe they will be able to conjugate both –ER and –IR verbs with ease.
Round Focus
Students have struggled in the past to make the connection between “verbs”
and “conjugation” so I am hoping to reinforce these concepts more. I also am hoping
that students will be able to notice conjugation patterns between –AR, -ER, and –IR
verbs. Additionally, I would like to see native speakers speaking slowly and
attempting to aid understanding for their classmates. Lastly, I am looking for
students to conjugate different –er and –ir verbs orally and to record their partner’s
conjugations. Students will be asked to listen, write, and orally produce the target
language in today’s lesson.
Rounds Questions
Learning-centered Inquiry
Are students able to explain conjugation (the process and the concept)? Do they
seem to understand and recall –AR verb conjugations with ease?
Are students able to pick up on endings for –ER verbs through listening to
dialogues? Are Native speakers able to speak and perform in a way that their nonnative speaking classmates can understand?
What evidence is there that students are able to conjugate –er and –ir verbs? Do you
see students correctly recording their partner’s conjugations? Are native speakers
facilitating understanding through explanation or example?
Practice-centered Inquiry:
Are students using notes or other resources to respond to their starter? D
Do students reference their note sheet or ask for clarification from a partner,
another student, or the instructor during the game?