Preface to teacher:
(Slide #3 is the beginning of the student presentation.)
1. Each year as students enter my classroom one of the first items they
notice is a plush gorilla wearing a sombrero – our class mascot. He
is introduced the very first day of class and frequently referred to
thereafter. His name is Oasa Amosan. Early in the year I use his
name – first, last or complete – as an extra-credit question on
quizzes. By the time we approach conjugation students have one of
the most important elements of the process well learned.
2. A basic Spanish text normally begins with some simple dialogs,
which I often require my beginning students to memorize and
present. It is important to ensure that these dialogs include forms of
estar, hablar or other –ar verbs. If necessary, make up your own
simple dialogs, for example, something using llevar with articles of
clothing. If students create a background of even half a dozen
conjugated verb forms – yo hablo, tú hablas, nosotros estamos, ella
lleva, etc. – it helps turn conjugation into an “Ah ha!” experience.
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 and understand the grammar
terms frequently used in teaching conjugation. There are
times when we must teach this information so our students
have a common ground in the foreign language classroom,
either our own or other classrooms in their future.
As always, please feel free to adapt this material as necessary for your
classroom and your personal teaching style. I welcome any comments or
corrections.
Bobb Jackson
Hillside Middle School
Salt Lake City School District
bobb.jackson@slcschools.org
How is learning to work with verbs like getting ready for a
dance?
When you’ve got the moves, when you know your stuff,
when you’re all prepared to shine, then you can do you
thing and turn heads on the dance floor.
In foreign languages, when you can do more than repeat
dialogs, use more than just a few memorized words – when
you can say exactly what you want to say – then you’re
ready to share yourself with others, and learn more about
them, too.
Isn’t that why we all decided to study a language?
Verb Vocabulary
Learn these words and you’ll understand everything your Spanish teacher (and
any other Spanish teacher) is teaching you about verbs.
conjugation
As these words reappear carefully
subject
pronoun
verb
write out both the word and its
infinitive
pronoun
definition.
Your teacher
may want
to
add
to
them,
change
them,
or
Verb stem
Verb ending
even give you a few other words.
Campbell’s soup
And, subject
finally…pronoun:
conjugation:
a little word like “She”, “You” or “We”
verb
ending:
is breaking down a verb so
that is used as the subject of a
the
last
two
letters
of
the
infinitive
we can use it correctly. sentence,
In
as in “We are tired”.
form
of the
verb.
In“We
Spanish
it’s “ar”,
English,
if
we
say
is
Have
Spanish
youverbs
ever are
made
similar
Campbell’s
to Campbell’s
soup? You
soups.
open
Once
the you’ve
can,
“er”
or
“ir”.
hungry”
we’re
usingorfor
the
add
learned
a canthe
of process
water
milk,
conjugating
it up
one
and
Spanish
you’re
ready
to
is warm
what we
call
the
formverb,
of
theyou
verb
wrong
form
ofmade
thewith
verb.
eat!
can do
If you’ve
the same
Chicken
almost
Noodle
all it
Spanish
soup,
verbs.
you
can
Youeasily
don’t– the
before
has
been
conjugated
word
that hundreds
shows
us Broth
the
make
havethe
to
Clam
memorize
Chowder,
Scotch
ofwe
different
or even
French
– just
Onion
one In
way
find
it inverbs
the
dictionary.
action
of
sentence
and
soup
process.
– they
AND,
allthe
that
have
process
the same
often
directions
helps
on use
them.
those
Youvery
don’t
Spanish,
verbsyou
with
“ar”,
“er”
and
us when
it process
took “ir”
place,
have
sametells
to
verbs
learn
a new
talking
about
for
the
ofpast,
the are
hundreds
present
and
of the
onall
the
end
normally
everything
lastatwo
letters
of
as insoups
“Ibut
atethe
dinner”.
different
future.
Campbell’s
makes.
infinitives.
word
that replaces
a noun. In the
the infinitive form of the verb. With
sentence
“Bob
speaks
Spanish” Bob
¡Puedes
hacerlo!
or,
You
can
do
it!
“hablar” the verb stemcan
is “habl”
and by He, as in “He
be replaced
the verb ending is “ar”.speaks Spanish”.
Infinitive:
verb:
verb stem: Pronoun:
PowerPoint created by
Bobb Jackson
Hillside Middle School,
Salt Lake City School District
Porky Pig courtesy of Warner Bros.